Happy Halloween!

This coming Sunday is Halloween. Halloween is an annual Holiday observed on October 31, primarily in the United States, Canada, Ireland, and the United Kingdom. It has roots in the Celtic festival of Samhain and the Christian Holiday All Saints' Day, but is today largely a secular celebration.

Haunted house

Common Halloween activities include trick-or-treating, wearing costumes and attending costume parties, carving jack-o'-lanterns, ghost tours, bonfires, apple bobbing, visiting haunted attractions, committing pranks, telling ghost stories or other frightening tales, and watching horror films.

Trick-or-treating

I saw piles of pumpkins and Halloween candies for sale in local grocery stores since September. My neighbours started to put Halloween decorations out weeks ago. Have fun!

Jack-o'-lantern

Autumn is here!

The weather has been very good in the past several weeks. It was dry and sunny and made me feel autumn is still far away. But since last weekend, the wind and rain have finally arrived. After staying at home for several days to hide away from the wet, I took a walk this noon when the rain stopped. The colors on the the trees really reminded me that: Autumn is here!

Can you see purple, gold, orange and green on the maple tree?

A park playground

But the layers of colors are so warm and briliant make me feel: Autumn is not that bad, even though I love Spring and Summer.

Golden leaves

A maple tree in my garden

The Seawalk In West Vancouver

Vancouver is one of the 'Most Livable Cities' in the world. There is so much to see in the city: the mountains, the ocean, Stanley Park and the Lions Gate Bridge, Granville Island and so on. But my favorite spot is the Seawalk in West Vancouver.

West Vancouver Seawalk

Looking at the Lions Gate Bridge on the Seawalk

Dundarave Park

Built on the seaward side of a railway line, West Vancouver's Centennial Seawalk has become the heart of the community. Busy at all hours, it attracts people who come to exercise, or just to connect with the elements and each other. Began in 1967, the two-kilometer paved seaside path stretched between Dundarave Park and 18th Street, and links to further pedestrian routes. Former mayor Don Lanskail championed the project, overseeing its changeling stages of development through the 1980s. the Seawalk gave locals access to the shore and ocean views without needing to trespass on the adjacent rail right-of-way, which they had done since 1914. Plan for a utility upgrade coincided with a massive December 2001 storm - a natural wrecking ball. The widened, raised and reinforced walkway soon reopened, complete with new plantings and curiously effective dog walk.

Resting area on the Seawalk

A small park near the 18th Street entrance

If the weather permits, I like to walk on the Seawalk almost everyday. It make me feel so peaceful and close to the nature. The sea, the sky, the mountains and beautiful arts done by local artists give me joy and inspirations. I am lucky to live here!

Beautiful sculpture done by mother nature

Arts done by local artists

Tudor style houses

What is Tudor style?

Tudor style homes have many of these features:

• Decorative half-timbering
• Steeply pitched roof
• Prominent cross gables
• Tall, narrow windows
• Small window panes 
• Massive chimneys, often topped with decorative chimney pot

Heavy chimneys and decorative half-timbering give Tudor style houses a Medieval flavor. The Tudor style is sometimes called Medieval Revival.

Personally, I really like Tudor style houses. I even bought one myself. To me, they are very elegant, graceful and cozy. 

South side view of my house

The front of my house

West side view of my house

There are also some Tudor style houses in my neighborhood. Here I show you some pictures:

38th Annual Kips Bay Decorator Show House

The 38th Annual Kips Bay Decorator Show House opened in New York’s Upper East Side. Twenty top local designers, landscape artists and photographers pulled together during a mere five-week transformation of a classic limestone mansion, located at 106 East 71st Street, to, once again, benefit the Kips Bay Boys & Girls Club.

The six-story show house features a 17-room renovation spanning 10,000-square-feet complete with six bedrooms, seven baths, five fireplaces, and a terrace overlooking Park Avenue. This year’s design contributors include 2Michaels Design, Aman & Carson Inc., Brett Design, Coffinier Ku Design, Ltd., Cullman & Kravis, Darren Henault Interiors, Eve Robinson Associates, Jean Paul Gaultier, The Jeffrey Design Group, Jennifer Post Design Inc., Katie Ridder Design and Decoration, McMillen Plus, Monica Rich Kosann Photography, Nancy Boszhardt Inc., Plants Specialists, Robert Verdi and Deirdre A. D’Elia Interior Designs, Rod Winterrowd Inc., Sculpt du Fleur by Nina Helms, Sherrill Canet Interiors, Ltd., and Vicente Wolf Associates.

I really like the amazing designs of different styles and want to share with you. Enjoy!

Beautiful Architectural Forms in Shanghai Expo!

I went to the Shanghai Expo during the summer. Before I left for China, I read a lot of articles about the architectural design concepts of the pavilions of different countries. I was so excited to see them with my own eyes!

This year, the expo's 159th, Shanghai hosts 200 national pavilions - responding to the theme Better City, Better Life - and an expected 70 million spectators.

Pavilion of China

Pavilion of Canada, used wood planks as exterior material 

Denmark brought their Mermaid to Expo

Pavilion of Germany

Good 'Green' detail in Expo

While some pavilions take a playful approach (Switzerland's offers a chairlift ride, and Macau's resembles a giant bunny), others formalize sustainable living concepts. Thomas Heatherwick's environment-responsive U.K. pavilion incorporates 60,000 cilia-like acrylic rods. As well as displaying daylight for illuminating the interior, and glow outward at night.

Pavilion of U.K.

Spain's voluptuous, basket -shaped pavilion, by EMBT of Barcelona, consists of a steel frame clad in panels of handwoven  willow stems. Architect Benedetta Tagliabue's aim is to update and reintroduce wicker craft, an ancient skill used throughout the world, with an impressive structure wrapped in a sustainable, weather-resistant material.

Pavilion of Spain