Friday in Vancouver, Canada

It's a perfect July day in Vancouver. The sun has risen to reveal blue sky with whisps of high cloud. The air is fresh and clean. I walked the dog at 6 am in the neighbourhood meeting other dog walkers and the occasional jogger. It will be a hot day. My office doesn't have air conditioning so I rely on the open windows and desk fans. I like the fresh air better than the canned variety. I remember thinking in the tropics that people are as trapped inside by the heat as we were trapped inside by the cold in Winnipeg and Churchill.
I like the seasons. Vancouver never gets as hot as Phoenix. Being a seaport there's always humidity and some damp summers I've driven to Osooyoos a couple of hundred miles east where the dessert air is such a relief.
Today the sun is already warm.
I've been sitting in the back yard watching shadows changes as the sun rises. My dog is curled asleep at my feet. He woke me at 5 am to pee. I was glad I walked him. A couple of bigger dogs gave his little legs the chase of a life time. Now I've a reprieve. At 5 months old he has boundless energy that only a great dane at play can surpass. He plays with his sister cat Angel but really needs a cheetah to use up his youthful energy. My assistant walks him a couple of times a day just to settle him down. It's part of the executive job description the corporation maintains for hiring.
There are noises of construction coming from across the way. With the rains gone all the outdoor construction projects are well underway. Carpenters, roofers and even electricians are sporting tans.
I love the sun dresses on the street. It's only difficult to look to the forehead and eyes when so much flesh is in view. It's alright with those who appreciate themselves and your appreciation as well. They smile when your eyes stray and they like the momentary upper hand. I'd retaliate with revealing hot pants shorts but at my age the effect would only bring hilarity. Am I wrong or are the legs of youth more muscular. With the Canadian bicycling craze I think the young men and women must now have calves the size we once thought was only found in Germany and Sweden.
The umbrella racks are empty. Vancouver lies in a rainforest and the summer is a time of drying out. In the east they unthaw but here its' definitely a drying time.
Respiratory conditions and arthritic joints clear and even mental illness languishes as beaches and sun do their magic. Vancouver is gifted with beaches. English Bay is no different than Maliboo this time of the year. Wreck Beach the famous nudist beach of BC is probably equally dense with sun worshippers despite the gloomiest dark minded sorts that yearly try to put a stop to the 'public indecency' and 'outrageous freedoms" that go on beneath the increasingly austere University of British Columbia that sits upright and takes notes on the cliffs above.
It's time to shower and dress for the day. Riding my motorcycle to work with the dog on the back I have to forego sandals wearing proper shoes instead. Gilbert will have his head out of his backseat tbag box peering around me smiling in the wind.
I'll work another day looking forward to the weekend. Word has it that there are numerous salmon in the Straits now, an auspicious season for the fisherman. I feel the rod and reel calling. It would be good to sit in a boat surrounded by snow capped mountains trolling a line. Laura says she'd enjoy reading her book on the deck. The cat and dog are happy just to come along with me. They both are exceedingly expectant and hopeful despite my how little my fishing success warrants their faith. Angel the cat recollects halibut and salmon and ling cod catches that have made her very impressed with my skills beyond that of the great can opener magician. Gilbert meanwhile thinks the worms and herring are immensely interesting and can't quite understand why these go into the water and aren't given to him for play.
This cup of coffee is finished and the alpen and banana in milk devoured. The day calls. I am thankful there is work to do. It is good to have purpose in community. I'm glad to be of service and thankful for the reward of weekend.



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