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2009-04-05 - 3:32 p.m.

...a lovely sunny weekend...

The weather started clearing up a few days ago, and we've reaped the benefits this weekend. Yesterday morning we took a trip down to Granville Island to act like tourists. We wandered around the shops, ate wonderful French bread, and listened to the musicians on the square. Nothing like a little bit of sunny weather to bring out happy, cheerful Funcouverites.

Today has been a blast. Right now, K and I are sitting with our laptops on the front porch - the one designed for drinking white wine and watching inept parking while taking in the views of the park, the skyline, and the North Shore Mountains. Alas, we are not drinking white wine, but everything else is there as planned. The cherry blossoms are just about to explode open. Soon the raindrops will be replaced by pink petals everywhere. It's a great time to be in Funcouver.

K and I took the little one on some bike training today. (bike training for us - helmet training for her. Someday she might actually get used to it...)

We took the trail that hugs the shoreline of Burrard Inlet all the way to the foot of Burnaby Mountain. It was quite fantastic (although I'm sure I'll be walking a little bit like John Wayne tomorrow...). I still think that I might try to bike to work this summer. I doubt that I'll make it all the way up that bleedin' MOUNTAIN. But it would be nice to bike to the base of the mountain and then grab a bus up the hill.

Today's outing helped us to explore the paths that I would be taking. They were challenging for someone who is out of shape (I walked up two super steep hills). But I never feel the least bit hesitant about getting off and walking. Hey, I'm out there, which means that even if I'm walking, I'm not on the sofa. In fact, that pretty much sums up my approach to exercise in general. Anything that I do - even if it isn't perfect or the maximum impact that I wanted to achieve - is better than sitting on the sofa. I especially felt like a hero today, given that only three out of my 21 gears were working properly!

Sidebar: a woman just parked in the middle of a HEEEYUGE parking space - took up space for at least 2 1/2 cars. It was offensive. HEY! LEARN TO PARK! (I should clarify that this was my inside voice. I didn't actually say anything to her).

Another sidebar: These two guys right across from us in the park have tied up some cords and are tightrope walking between the cedar and the cherry tree. It is really cool to watch. One guy just ran and jumped onto the rope (which is about three feet off the ground) and began walking. The other guy is using the cedar branches to lift himself up onto the line. They are getting more and more daring with their antics. I love it. And I love how they are using the trees. It reminds me of a poem I read as a kid, about how trees love it when kids play in their lower branches. It makes the trees feel loved and important.

There is something very lovely about living across from a park, in spite of the pot smoke, the crack dealers, the noise, the buskers who never learned to play more than one cord, and the drummers on meth who can attack the same rhythm for five hours straight...There are also the birds, and the trees, and the sound of little kids playing, the guys on the tennis court playing bike polo, and people lying in the grass and enjoying the sun.

One thing that K and I noticed as we rode from Burnaby back to the Drive: NO ONE in Burnaby uses their front yards. NO ONE. There were all of these big suburban houses with huge yards. And not one person. It was kind of eery, actually. As if we had missed out on something - a big event where all of the people had gone.

Now we are back at home - there are people on the sidewalks, bicycles, skateboards, strollers, balls - a banjo! There goes a guy with a banjo! And laughter. I love hearing little kids screaming with delight and laughter - it's my favorite, peaceful sound to hear when I'm taking an afternoon nap. It's nice to live in a place that's alive - where people go to meet each other.

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