After the Leaves have Fallen

I love trees, and forest trails. And I also love colour. With autumn leaves no longer on the trees, I look elsewhere for cheery sights on my walks.

With the short days, it's easier to catch sunrises and enjoy a new dawn sky each day. A walk at 7 am is more do-able than searching for sunrise at 5 am! Here is a morning sky full of pastel shades.

Store windows often intrigue me with their attractive and colourful designs. I enjoyed the Ditch Records window downtown on Fort Street, especially the variety of hues of the vinyl records.

Although mostly tones of one colour, I found the window which follows attractive.

The gold of this window seasonal display stood out for me.

Stores can also contribute to a colourful sidewalk experience for what they have in front of their stores. Here is an example.

A colourful display outside Zingaros, a perfume shop on Courtney Street. 

Banners provide a year-round source of art and colour. These are outside Christ Church Cathedral.

Simple chairs and a canopy add colour to the streetscape of Fort Street -- as do the historic purple tiles inlaid into the sidewalk. 

Janis Ringuette has documented much of Victoria's history on her website "Beacon Hill Park History". There's a piece about the purple prism tiles at the following:  https://www.beaconhillparkhistory.org/streetscapes/topics/prisms.htm

The prisms had a function: to let light in to basements of downtown buildings, which extended under sidewalks. Their purple colour indicates they were made before 1915, according to Ringuette.

Here is a close-up of the glass tiles in the sidewalk. As the photo shows, they are incredibly beautiful in themselves.

One of the examples of glass tiles still in place in downtown Victoria sidewalks.

An attractive and colourful space I recently found on Douglas Street, near Beacon Hill Park and the Victoria Conference Centre.

Close-up of the two murals which gives the space its ambience. A plaque nearby speaks to the role of the space in fostering community. The artists are Jesse Campbell and Temoseng Chazz Elliott.

I don't need to walk downtown to find colour; there is much near my apartment in James Bay, even after leaves have fallen.

Decorated power pole near the Montreal Street tennis courts. I am guessing -- though don't know -- that these tiles were a project from the nearby James Bay Community School. If I were to do a follow-up to my "Funky James Bay" post from several months ago, this power pole would make the cut!

Detail from one of the tiles on the power pole.

A second tile from the power pole

One more tile from the power pole. I love the idea of portal -- and the great keyhole.

I've done many posts on the colourful buildings in James Bay. The image which follows is from a portable building that has escaped my previous posts.

This portable building is on wheels, behind Floyd's Diner on Menzies Street.

The mural can only be enjoyed by patrons who use the patio at the back of the restaurant (or curious passers-by who venture off the sidewalk).

For Good Measure, on Niagara Street. The colour is provided by a number of subtle details: the array of vegetables outside the store, the writing on the window and the welcoming sandwich board, and the decorative lights contrasting with the dark grey paint.

The James Bay United Church provides pleasant outdoor space -- and colour. Here are two photos.

Sitting area for the community in front of the church.

Detail from the banner in the previous photo.

Although Halloween was almost a month ago, I could not resist including this imaginative -- and colourful -- idea from the James Bay Inn.

The front of the James Bay Inn. I'd be remiss if I didn't mention that its pub and restaurant are one of our favorite "go-to" places in the neighbourhood. It's a treat to be able to walk to it!

A different view of the Ogden Point Breakwater, showing the art by Butch Dick of the Songhees Nation in the background, with two red Search and Rescue vessels, and a yellow pilot boat in the foreground.

I will close this tribute to colour with two more photos of nature's colourful skies.

Morning sky over Juan de Fuca Strait.

Golden sunset in the Juan de Fuca strait.

 As November draws to a close, and the days continue to shorten, may you find colour in this "greyish" season!