Dinner Out!

Greetings Programs! (No one commented on that last week, so I assume you all know where it comes from, right?)

Another week gone. Time is flying by of late. Is it that way for everyone, or is it just me?

A few interesting things did happen, this week, thankfully. And here they are:

First off, last week included Anne’s birthday, and she really wanted to go out for dinner. We went to a local pub and sat on the patio. It was our first meal out in something like 15 months, and it was very nice. The place even had Guinness on tap. But what amused me more than anything else is this old joke they had painted on the window:

For her birthday present, Anne wanted to get rid of a couple of ugly boxwood growing in the backyard and replace them with something nicer, so she picked up a planter box and filled it thusly:

Last week also saw our anniversary. I won’t share the number, but it’s a lot. Why Anne hasn’t gotten rid of me by now I really don’t know. I try not to ask too many questions along those lines. It’s safer that way.

And yes, for those in the know, I do keep on hiring the same actress to play Anne whenever we are out in public together. Even after moving to Canada. Even after Covid.

Here’s a thing that used up most of a full day:

That’s a screen capture from the online version of Sketchup, a CAD program I’m using to design the Public Art project for the shop at Langara. The shop coordinator and I have mostly agreed on this now, with a couple of possible changes we’ll make if they are needed.

The base frame will be made of welded 4x4 steel stock. The bit in the middle (laying flat) rotates from vertical down to horizontal to make the project easier and safer for students to work on. In the image, one leg (on the left side) is folded down to support the project while the other side shows the leg up to make it clear (to me, anyway) how they work. The centre cradle (as I am calling it) is made of 2" x 2" square steel stock and 2" x 2" angle iron. It supports the existing frame on which the students have to mount their constructed art piece.

I suspect the drawing doesn’t much help people who aren’t familiar with the thing we’re working on, but eventually there will be photos and all will become clear, assuming it goes forward. I’ll explain it better then.

I snuck out for another walk with Heather one afternoon. It turned out to be a very bad idea, as it was pouring rain most of the time. We laughed about it, but I will not make that mistake again. Rain in North Vancouver is a thing to be reckoned with.

Anyway, while we were walking Heather noted a trail off to one side leading to a rather mysterious, abandoned set of playground equipment. Buried in the woods:

We have no clue what it is doing there, or who would have dragged it in and set it up. I assume it was done quite a while ago based on its condition and the amount of overgrowth, but I am no expert.

And you might note in that photo that Heather’s umbrella is closed. It was raining even then, but in the woods the umbrella didn’t help much. And this was fairly early on. In another half hour I felt like a dog who had just climbed out of a pond.

I leave you to your own conclusions about Heather’s hair colour. Apparently it was something of an accident.

Of course the rain isn’t all bad, as my California readers know. We get stuff like this growing in the front yard:

The big event this week was not mine. School is over, of course, and like last year there was no commencement ceremony for the local high school graduates. Instead they had a parade for the graduating seniors living in our neighbourhood and it passed right down our street. Ten minutes before it began this was the scene across from our home:

Then the parade arrived, lead by a fire engine. Sadly, my photos were pretty much awful. This is the best I got:

You get a sense of it. There were quite a few vehicles — I didn’t count — and it was a noisy celebration. Tinkerbelle barked herself silly up on our deck, too, and nobody cared. I hope they keep doing this even when Covid is not a thing. We met more neighbours and had a good time.

If you want to see more, here’s a short video of much of the event over on Instagram.

I have far too much to do, but there is a slim chance I will finish the work on the downstairs bathroom in the coming week. Who knows. I think Wednesday is a mess because I am going to go observe the installation of two public art pieces for Langara and that will take all day. Still, I will do my best to wind up that project.

Late breaking news! I just scheduled my 2nd dose of Covid vaccine for next week. It’s been eight weeks to the day since my first dose. BC requires that longer gap, but they are sending invitations for second doses exactly eight weeks after the first shot. Appointments are available, but how many fluctuates based on the amount of vaccine actually in stock. I may be able to find an earlier appointment than what I currently have if I poke around. We’ll see.

Yay! Second dose of vaccine coming soon. I am happy!

All the best, everyone!