happylife

A great loss

It was fine from morning today and I visited Stanley Park by bicycle after a long break. It was apparently brighter in the park, but it was not that this park was in the bright situation. The fallen woods cannot create shadow and their sections are yellowish. That is the reason for the brightness of the park. The staff of the park board were doing recovering work here and there; cutting the broken trees into some pieces and organizing them, but they looked too small in number to cover whole the damaged area in the park. It will take decades for the complete recovery in this pace. I'm not sure whether they don't have enough budget or donations, or it is their policy that they leave the forest to the natural recovery. All I can say from a foreigner's point of view is that Vancouver is less attractive with this damaged Stanley Park. It is often said that Tokyo became uglier around 1964 when the Olympic Games were held; lots of buildings and roads were built without any definite plan and it was when the Metropolitan Highway, the most horrible building in Tokyo, was drawn all over the city. I never hope Vancouver changes into a unattractive city just like Tokyo.

Peaceful afternoon

As my bicycle has finally come back from replacement of the tires today, I went to Stanley Park by the bike after a long break. I was so happy because of the pleasant cycling in the perfect weather that I couldn't help smiling, but it wasn't the all. When I was riding around Beaver Lake, I saw an old couple walking around the lake. The husband was walking slowly taking care of his wife on the electric wheelchair. They often stopped and were always holding hands tightly, which seemed to be the proof of their long, happy relationship. It was really a heart-warming scene.

A parade of ants

It was so hot and sunny that I went cycling to Stanley Park after lunch and regretted my thoughtlessness a bit, because it was Sunday. The cycling course was full of people and it was difficult to ride without touching the ground with the foot. I have never seen such crowded Stanley Park. Although it was crowded, I was sometimes able to pass other bicycles, but after a while, the flow of the bicycles was got slow down suddenly. No one could pass other bicycles any more. I wondered and looked out the head of the line, when I found the reason. A young lady with a good figure was rollerblading. She was wearing a bikini and no one dared to pass her. The bicycle line lead by a white bikini was like a parade of ants.

Another way

The cycling course around Stanley Park is really great, however I felt bored to ride just on the same way, so I decided today to get off the bicycle and walk on another way which is limited only to pedestrians. The way runs parallel to the cycling course, just outside of it, which is closer to the sea. I found the view from on the walking course was quite different from cyclist's viewpoint. As it was Saturday evening, lots of people were enjoying BBQ, sun bathing, and walking around the beach. The sea water looked still too cold to swim, and no one was in the sea. Only this lifeguard woman was sitting on the chair and watching the sea. It was a peaceful scene.

No change except the season

Yesterday afternoon, I cycled to Stanley Park after a long break which was almost one month long. It was the clear blue sky which I had been longing for a long time and fortunately or unfortunately, I had no booking for the flight lesson. While I was away from the park, the season has completely changed; the leaves have gotten yellowish, the air was rather cold, and my breath looked white. It was a perfect autumn scenery. Owing to the long rain, the forest looked more vivid and the air was so pleasant that I couldn't help smiling when I took a deep breath. Sure the season has changed, but any other things were still there without any change; seagulls were taking a rest on the beach, the ducks were eating something on the lakeside, people were enjoying cycling, rollerblading and jogging. In the perfectly peaceful situation, I lied down on a bench facing to English Bay and took a nap listening to piano music from a headphone. I was like in the heaven.

Pumping up tires

At a bike shop on the way to Stanley Park, I pumped air into tires of my bicycle. It was for the first time in these three months. I pumped up a little bit more than usual to make them harder. After pumping up, my bicycle has totally changed in it's character; the harder the tires, the less the drag, the lighter the pedals, the faster the speed, and the more comfortable my cycling. I cycled around the everyday course in Stanley Park five minutes faster than usual. Only one problem of hard tires I recognized is that it gets slippy on rough roads. When I turned on rough roads I felt less grip and was within a inch of slipping down. Although it is a bit dangerous, I prefer hard tires.

Midnight cycling

Last midnight, after I came back from the flight ground school to my room, I went cycling to Stanley Park alone. It was after 11:30 pm and was of course dark. As my eyes are not so sensitive and there was no moon in the sky, I could see almost nothing only with a small LED light. At first I thought about going back to my room avoiding this stupid idea but I continued to run very slowly. The cycling course is lined white and it could be seen slightly so that I could barely follow it. Stanley Park in the darkness was totally different from those of daytime. The tall trees and the huge sea in the darkness scared me a little, but most scaring things were people. Although it was midnight, there were several people on the bench or beach. When they suddenly moved, I was mostly surprised because I was thinking of them trees or rocks. In Japanese expression, we say "it's so dark that if anyone tweaks my nose I can't recognize it." It was the darkness like that.

Baby ducks

When I was cycling around Stanley Park yesterday, I found these baby ducks on the lake side. They were so cute that I was watching them for a while stopping my bicycle aside. They looked like sleeping and were sometimes shaking their bodies slightly. In a short distance from them, bigger ducks were eating something. I think they must be their parents. If it were in Tokyo, these parents and children ducks would be TV stars. In fact several years ago, parents and children ducks in the center of Tokyo were repeatedly reported in the TV news and quite a few people gathered to watch them. But, this is in Vancouver. They can live their lives in the nature circumstances without being disturbed by people or other enemy animals. They are lucky.

Sunset cycling

I happened to see this dramatic view when I was enjoying sunset cycling in Stanley Park. I prefer cycling around the sunset time to noon because I can get more chance to see a beautiful sight. The setting sun lights up things from beside of them creating shades and making the contrast higher. Plus the color of the sun changes variously like white, yellow, gold, purple and red. All these staff contributes to generating spectacular scenes. When I think that there are no two same scenes available ever, I cannot help having deep impression on each of them.

A path in a forest

Finding a pleasant path in a forest is my secret pleasure. I was so addicted to finding a delightful mountain route for motorcycles when I was in Japan that I often rode around the country on my bike in every weekend. After coming to Vancouver, the bike has changed into a bicycle without a motor because motorcycles are much more expensive here than in Japan. On fine days, I often go to Stanley Park near my apartment. The park is mostly a deep forest and numerous paths are running just like a maze. They are so attractive for me that I sometimes stops my bike and taste the path taking pictures, deeply breathing air, and so on. It is my happy habit.