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musings of mark since 2001

Everyone should be able to walk to the store or post office along a path through the woods filled with dappled sunshine and a riot of autumn colours and smells like we can on Bowen Island. We’re in for at least two days of brilliant fall sunshine bringing also frosty patches in the morning.

People squinting their eyes from it and smiling while boarding the ferry, forgot my book of boarding passes for the ride back and glad the ATM coughed up a $20. No rush to catch the #250 bus to Ambleside Safeway grocery store, just soaking up the sun on the benches on the Horseshoe Bay side. The #250 is the scenic route, twisting and turning past the golf course between the million dollar homes anchored to the steep slopes and cliff faces.

Plenty of seating, just after noon so the Philippine house cleaners and Au Pairs are busy or have their charges down for a nap. Most of the time the drone of the engine and bus tires makes it hard not to nod off, but the North Fraser Delta is having one of its spectacularly scenic days.

A long slog to make it through work today; okay in the early morning but by 10 o’clock could feel the flu that’s taken over the island starting last week. It’s a typical flu; body aches, runny nose and that sort of thing. Have a couple days off and the sun will be out too, hopefully a quickly passing thing.

Into the second month of what some call being homeless on Bowen, in other words not living in a building. The nomadic life has instructed me well in the fine art of making where one hangs their hat a place to call home, and my dry place to sleep out of the fall rains works for now. No one to pay rent to helps a lot, should have enough saved by about Christmas for a quality laptop and be back to a more consistent ability to connect to the internet then. The laptop pot could grow quicker, but happier not working full time (inventory is coming up, a few extra hours there too) and willing to wait it out.

The previous part time job at the Union Steamship Marina (also home of Doc’s, see below) proved it was easy enough to make up steady part time income with IT work in order to pay the landlord and eat too, so know it can happen again but in no hurry for now. It’s about time to do some serious writing as well keep telling myself and have an idea for the technical side, and thinking of fiction too. A lot of writing has been produced on this island, no problems adding to the pile and lord knows the internet won’t notice a few more words either

Meantime catching up when possible on the local news on the days off and also taking the time to read some more of the KiddofSpeed journal as it’s being translated and added to. Stopped by the get together last night for the Staff Appreciation Day at Doc Morgan’s after their unexpected closing; the usual crowd there and not being a drinker or having good experiences in the past with their kitchen either, little for me to see or do. From all accounts it was standing room only at the height of festivities, four hours later when I dropped in for ten minutes there was still a healthy crowd complete with piano playing and singing.

Rain is finally dying down, it really poured since the little sunny break way back then on Saturday afternoon, feels like weeks of rain. We’re supposed to get a little break from it this afternoon then back slogging until the end of the week in other words, prefer it to the wind up in the Interior though, and it’s much warmer here too. Getting some high quality exercise in lately too, the few trips a week up to the BBC has just the right number of hills and flat spots and most days make it almost there before someone recognizes me, really good low impact speed up/slow down time spent outdoors.

A nice quiet passage of the 50th year, watching the sunrise from the 23rd floor of the Century Plaza in downtown Vancouver. The walk around the False Creek seawall was just what the other boys needed after the drive from Seattle, stopping to eat fancy burgers and fries at a bistro overlooking the marina along the way. From there a stroll through Yaletown’s renewed loading docks was just what the doctor ordered with sight seeing city architecture including an outside view of the Vancouver Public Library (on strike), then between GM and BC Place before heading back to the parking lot.

Dad and brother number four found the hotel easy enough, the suite’s dining room chairs added enough seats for everyone to have a good chat. Hotel employees were kept busy taking group photos after we piled out of the elevator going for dinner; a two block walk is all that’s needed to find what ever restaurant and food you can think of but as a family of non-adventurous eaters The Keg and a big steak was well received by all.

John brought up an old Kodak Carousel slide viewer complete with screen in addition to a photo albums that were as old as myself, sort of weird watching the slides as everyone has different memories good and bad and the comments were kept to a game of guessing who was who. Done by nine o’clock, said goodbye to Dad and David and an hour later hit the sack myself to be fresh at sunrise. Breakfast at Denny’s down the street, guess who forgot to bring their driver’s license for identification to get the free meal, oh well

It’s 3 in the afternoon on Friday and all systems are go for the Century Plaza at check in time tomorrow afternoon. John and Co. will be showing up earlier and have directed them to an easy meet up place (Science World) with ample parking for his truck.

I’ll treat them to a view of Vancouver that most people miss; the seawall along False Creek and through the glass canyons is enough for a bit of exercise for them after the drive up. Lots of restaurants in the neighborhood to eat, the density that has been built up through there through to Yaletown never ceases to amaze me and think it will make a nice off the beaten path Vancouver Tour.