Took Altiore: The Union for a photoshoot

Today I went to drop some books and bookmarks off at some Little Free Libraries in my neighbourhood. (Blog to follow.)

I decided to take The Union for a photoshoot, not realizing how perfectly these always seem to work out.

Maybe I'm always looking for things that are relevant to the book I'm carrying at the time.

The first spot I noticed is "The Woods" where all the trees meet and the children play.

"Known simply as 'The Woods' by residents, this natural stand of native conifers has colonized the site since the 1900s. 'The Woods' consists largely of Douglas Fir, the most commercially important species in the west coast logging industry. This stand offers an opportunity to see all of British Columbia's native coniferous species in one place, including Douglas Fir, Western Hemlock, Western Red Cedar, as well as the rare Grand Fir and Sitka Spruce. The Bigleaf Maple and Paper Birch trees also found in this second-growth stand are now yielding to these longer-lived and more dominant conifers. The Woods have long been a favoured play area for children of military families who were posted to Canadian Forces Base (CFB) Chilliwack, and were retained in Garrison Crossing as an important community green space. This maturing forest reflects the natural history and habitat in the surrounding mountains and the Fraser Valley."

While walking through the woods, I saw these handprints.

Likely some neighbourhood kids, but it felt like it fit my story. Nature is very important to a certain faction involved in "the union."

Finishing off with the little info plaque about one of the local elementary schools.

"In the early years of Mitchell Gardens, children of military personnel attended school in borrowed rooms in a military recreation building. The areas booming population led to the construction of Vedder Elementary School. This school quickly became overcrowded and in 1955 the military purchased 13.75-acres across the street from here on Watson Road to build a new elementary school. During its construction, some students attended other area schools in shifts. A new six-room school that cost $70,000 at the time was opened officially in November 1955 by Camp Commander Col. D. W. Cunnington GM, CD with 198 students enrolled. In 1960 four more rooms were added and at one point, there were also 10 portable classrooms in use to meet the growing Mitchell Gardens and Sardis population. In the late 1980s, the portables were replaced by a large addition to the back of the school and the property was later acquired by the Chilliwack School District. When CFB Chilliwack closed, enrollment dropped from 550 to 350."