The weather gods hate me. Return alone to Stanley Park on this cold, grey day to walk the 8K trail (mostly sea wall) that forms most of the park's perimeter. The park is situated on a peaceful peninsula that juts into English Bay and is Vancouver's crowning jewel and the perfect foil to the city's hustle and bustle. From the trail I should be able to see across the bay to many Vancouver landmarks while experiencing the beauty of the park and its landmarks. Multitasking. The weather does not lend itself to frivolity or lightheartedness. I give way to introspection and reflection and fend off the temptation to pitch headlong into depression. I'm a Leo. I need sun to stay on kilter. I shamble along, snapping pics out across the waters of English Bay, then swivel to try to photograph back into the park itself. The shots across the water to Vancouver landmarks, to the bay itself, the ships and to harbor activities look good but shooting back into the park is difficult. The trees and cliffs are so tall, so massive, and I just can't back off far enough to capture the immensity it. Most of the shots appear as blobs of green (trees) or grey (cliffs). I've taken Margaret Atwood's Surfacing to read while lunching. Ms. Atwood was recommended to me as a quintessentially Canadian author. The recommendor noted that her work is sometimes dark and sometimes disturbing. Such is the case with Surfacing. The book mirrors the weather and my frame of mind. To illustrate my ramble, I'm including a representative sample of photos presented in the order in which they were taken as I circumnavigated the park. They are as follows: 1)Vancouver Yacht Club in Coal Harbor w/Van skyline in background 2) Canada Place 3) Deadman's Island in Coal Harbor - formerly an aboriginal cemetery, then used as a cemetery by early settlers, and now home to Vancouver's Naval Reserve Division (what happened to all the remains?) 4) A mountain of sulphur waiting to be loaded onto freighters in the Port of Vancouver - the brightest visual of the day 5) Prospect Point 6)Lions Gate Bridge 7) A crow who insisted on sharing my lunch . He ate bread crumbs on the spot but took a big piece of crust I dropped to a small pile of leaves, scratched a few aside, deposited the crust, and kicked the leaves back over to hide his stash. I like that bird. 8) Girl in Wetsuit - wonderful bronze statue on a huge boulder just off the seawall. Seagulls like her too. 9) Trees - one of the few pics of the park forest that didn't turn out looking like a close up shot of broccoli. There are some eeeenormous Western Red Cedars in the park along with Douglas firs, and Western Hemlock. Lots of other tree types also, but those are the largest, most bountiful, and most impressive. 10) One of several children's play areas that includes various water apparatuses. 11) Blue Heron 12) One of many freighters in the port 13) Siwash Rock Sea Stack 14) Driftwood Gremlins :-) 15) Friendly raccoon at Lost Lagoon 16) Vancouver peeking into the park 17) Birdie
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