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As I was cycling in the forest of Stanley Park, I found these flowers in a spotlight. They were lighted up by the sun light through the leaves of trees. When I saw this scene, I couldn't pass by and stopped to take the picture. It was so beautiful that after taking this picture, I couldn't leave there for a while. I prefer simple, tiny, and pretty flowers like these to gorgeous, large, and loud ones.
There are literally statues of lions in front of the gate of the Lions Gate Bridge. This bridge is the only bridge which connects Downtown Vancouver and North & West Vancouver. It is almost always crowded with cars. This bridge is one of the most notorious bottlenecks to the traffic in Vancouver. It has three lanes for cars and the center of it changes its direction several times in a day. It is pleasant when you're driving with two lanes, but is terrible if you have only one lane. It seems that the center lane changes its direction at random, and I can't find out the law of the change. Am I the only person who feels that I'm always having one lane?
Illegal parking is strictly cracked down in Vancouver. If you park your car in a towaway zone, your car may be towed away in a few minutes. The door lock and the anti-theft alarm system are helpless to Buster's 24 -- the only one private towing company in Vancouver. They can open your door lock in a few seconds with a special stailnless blade. The alarm system is just like a baby crying against a doctor with an injection. In this picture, the truck which is accross the road is Buster's 24 and the man in an orange jacket has just opened the door lock and is towing away the car.
Natto is a Japanese traditional food popular in the eastern part of Japan including Tokyo. This strange food is made of soybeans wich are fermented wrapped with straw. It has a special smell and is also stringy, so some people say Natto is rotten! But it is of course wrong. Natto is a very nutritious food especially rich in vegetable protein and low in fats. The more you have it, the more you will be addicted to the special smell. Such as bluecheese, stinking food is often very delicious. We have it on rice with a little bit soy sauce and cut leek. This is one of the speciality for my breakfast.
Usually I enjoy cycling on the way around Stanley Park, but today I took another way crossing the park. Stanley Park is you know a large forest adjacent to Downtown Vancouver. There are a lot of tall trees and it is dark even on a fine day like today. The roads are not paved but are well maintained, so we can comfortably enjoy cycling or walking. There are less people walking in the forest than around the park. I can listen to birds singing and trees trembled in the breeze. I am so happy that I can indulge into this wonderful nature world just by 10 minute cycling from my apartment.
It's almost 6 o'clock, but I have more than three hours before the sunset. I'm now going sailing. I'm afraid the wind is a little bit strong but it doesn't matter. I intend to use the storm jib for the first time. Doug has started. I have to leave now.
This morning I went to YVR which is the abbreviation of Vancouver International Airport. I went there to see my friend who came back to Vancouver, but I had to wait for him for more than one hour because the airplane delayed several minutes and the airport is always very crowded in this season. While I was waiting for him at the arrival gate, I didn't feel bored because I saw a lot of people who were coming back or waiting for someone. It was very interesting to analize their behavior. Each of them had various looks when he saw his partner; one person hugged and kissed to his wife, the other person just raised his right hand. I thought that Asian people are more shy and their actions are smaller than European or American people. And Latin people have the biggest action when they see each other. I saw a Latin couple(not French) who were kissing French kiss in the middle of the isle. Anyway I like the airport because I can see a lot of human dramas.
This is one of my most favorite films I have seen these months. Today I bought this DVD which has just been on sale. "50 FIRST DATES" is a love comedy in Hawaii. A sailor falls in love with a woman, but she has one problem. She got a terrible traffic accident one year ago and lost her short term memory at that time. It means that she remembers all the things before the accident but forgets everything after the accident while she is sleeping in the night every day. So, she repeats and repeats the same day when the accident happened. It is her father's birthday and she goes shopping for a pineapple and takes lunch at the same restaurant every day. After about one year from the accident, the sailor meets with her and he tries to be good friends with her or more than that. His idea and effort to help her are very funny but nice and full of love. And the last scene is very happy especially for sailors.
Most things are most beautiful just when they are going to end, and the sun is not the exception. This month almost every day I enjoy cycling around the Stanley Park, and I found that the sunset hour is best for cycling around this park. As the sun is located low and the light comes from aside, everything seems vivid, highly contrasted, and even dramatic. Shadows being long, colors being orange, and these make everything photogenic. Of course in the morning when the sun rises, it is as beautiful as in the sunset time, but it is a little bit cold, and it is not more confortable than in the bed.
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