The Bears

One of the more whimsical aspects of Victoria, BC are these bears around the city. The Bears have different themes and are placed in areas of high traffic. This bear has an environmental feel with salmon and streams painted all over.

The Bears II

I found this bear near the harbor.

Quw’utsun’ Cultural and Conference Center

The group spent Sunday at the Quw'utsun' Cultural and Conference Center in Duncan, about an hours drive from Victoria. I enjoyed the tour and the background information about this people group. There were also a number of totem poles displayed around the center. This one in particular is a marriage pole. The top animal is a rabbit which represents the bride. The second is a bear (I think) which represents the groom, who, by the way, takes the bride's name. At the bottom is the chief who is holding a mask of either a friend or foe. The carver decides whether it is a friend or foe. Also at the bottom is the carving of a salmon.

This was one of my favorite totem poles. This pole is of an evil woman who snatches children at night. Her breasts are actually two eagles which fly at night looking for children who have wandered.

Back to School

School has started and it has been C*H*A*O*S. Once again I've put too many things on my plate. This weekend I'm off to Vancouver, BC for a class trip. At the end of the month I'll fly to El Paso for a conference and then maybe some peace and quiet. We'll see.

I've got the regular schedule of classes this semester: Foundations of Ed, Multi. Ed, Japanese, Literacy, Intro to TESL, & Grammar for ESL. Love the classes, great students, frantic teacher.