Lean

It's strange to live in the condo when most of my stuff and some of my furniture is gone, the whole place looks very impersonal and empty. The movers came on Thursday and took LOTS of boxes away (where does all this come from? I live in a one-bedroom, how come I have accumulated so many things??). Then, on Friday and Saturday, the painter was working on the place and did an awesome job, especially considering the high ceilings and number of surfaces he had to paint. I'm happy with the results, the walls look so bright and clean.

Annie arrived last night and spent the day with me and a couple of friends at the beach. The weather was looking cloudy and cool in the morning, but the sun came out in the afternoon and we had a great time! I had rented a volleyball net and we played some beach volleyball. I haven't played all summer, it took a little while to remember the motions but I eventually was right back in the game.

This week will be quieter, wrapping up things in Vancouver, helping Annie get settled in and reading my travel guide for Greece. I'm looking forward to my vacation.

Sun, wind, and water

I have to admit that sometimes, I find myself thinking Vancouver is the best place on the planet. Yesterday was one of these times. I'll have to keep the memory of that day for next winter, so I can pull it out for energy after suffering through weeks of rain.

I woke up early, without an alarm. The sun was shining and the temperature was almost hitting the teens in the early morning. I had a quick bite, drank a small cup of coffee and set out to meet Libby, Dan, Jonah, and a few of their friends at English Bay. I walked down to the seawall, quickly passed through Granville Island market to pick up some cheese and sourdough baguettes, and headed for the docks to take a water taxi across the harbour. The little water taxis are amazing, $4 return trip between Granville Island and the Aquatic Centre, and these little ferries run pretty much throughout the year. The operator told me that they canceled the service only two days last winter. Considering the nasty weather we had, that's impressive.

I first met with Fiona, her husband Owen and her daughter Faro. Although we had never met, we had no problem finding each other. We quickly discovered that our initial plan to rent kayaks out of English Bay might need some revision, since the Ecomarine location showed no sign of being open (or even on site). We waited for Owen's brother Toby to join us, and then for Dan. Libby was meeting us later, after Jonah's dance class was over.

Still in the mood for a little paddling, we decided to take the ferry back to Granville Island and rent kayaks from there. Fiona had a gift certificate for a two-hour rental of two singles (a wedding gift), which the Ecomarine staff kindly turned into a three-hour rental of a single and a double. Woohoo! Dan and Fiona took the double and I the single. Owen had stayed behind at English Bay with Faro, the plan was now to paddle back to the beach and have a picnic there with everyone.

We made it to the Burrard bridge without too much effort. Then, the wind picked up, and so did the waves. We decided to head out without spray-skirts, not sure that was the best idea. We paddled against the wind and the current all the way to English Bay. It sometimes felt like white-water paddling, but boy was it fun! The tricky part was to land the boats without flipping over. We did get a little bit wet as we hit the sand and caught the next few waves straight on.

Everyone met at the beach, where we had a lovely picnic in the sun. Too bad the wind was so strong, it made it a little bit cold (especially for the paddlers who were a bit wet). The ride back was a breeze, but since we left a bit late and were on a deadline to bring the boats back, I paddled with Dan in the double while Owen took the single.

I made it back home in time for a quick shower, then met with the Strata Council to discuss ongoing business. We managed to keep the meeting under two hours, which was perfect because I wanted to drop by MEC before 6 to pick up a climbing harness.

Needless to say that last night, I was pooped. I had dinner, watched a few episodes of Battlestar Galactica, and headed straight to bed.

How cool is it to live in a city where you can walk 20 minutes and rent a few kayaks, then paddle half-an-hour to a beach for a picnic?

Very cool.

Happiness is...

1. Spending an afternoon at the beach, playing volleyball, hanging around with friends, waddling in shallow water because the tide is out, and NOT getting a sunburn.

2. Meeting up with other friends (James and his buddy from the navy, Anthony) for all-you can eat sushi, eating all the sushi you CAN eat and ending up with a bill that's less than $20 (per person).

3. Going dancing to some old-school house music that reminds you of clubs you went to ten years ago AND waking up early the following morning with some energy to boot, ready to enjoy yet another fabulous day in Vancouver.


Rafael