A Beauty Commute with bridges and beasts and a honeymoon.

Some days, the ride is fine. Some days, the elements, or a motorist, or even a cyclist can put things a bit off. Happily, those days are rare. I'm convinced my white/grey hair gives me a small advantage (or maybe it's the silly grin on my face), since most people allow me lots of distance and I always think I get more than my fair share of smiles.  

And then, there are the just plain fun days. Yesterday was one of those for me. Maybe it was all the happy vibes after a truly fun birthday party on the weekend, for a cool two-year-old and his super-cool parents. Have a good one, Cooper. Hope you, Mom and Dad had a good trip to Ontario. More to come later on this one. Something about kids running around your house that points out the good stuff around us.

But back to my commute. It began with a great latte.

Well, to be honest, three lattes. Yikes! That was overkill, but all in the name of a blog entry. More pics of my favorite (I have four) cafes soon. I'm wondering if any other Vancouverites are as addicted to lattes as I am. If so, let me know about your favorite haunts.

Then, it was on to the Burrard Bridge for a more leisurely than usual ride to work. Something made me stop when I noticed a cyclist taking a picture of his friend. I asked if I could take a photo of the two of them. 

That turned into a feel good moment, if there ever was one. They had just been married three days earlier (Sept 18th). That's Patrice taking the photo. He's from Switzerland. And his mate is Charn, from Thailand. When their honeymoon in Vancouver concludes, they'll be living in France. They've promised to send me wedding pictures, and I can't wait.  All the best in your life together, Charn and Patrice. Thanks for making my day even better!

I continued along Pacific Street, on an absolutely beautiful, but very windy day. Whitecaps on the ocean, and energy in the air. When I reached the corner of Denman, more pics. Something about the flowers and the sea so blue and the flags straight out.

Now, it was down Denman, left on Georgia, and along the causeway to the Lions Gate Bridge. Happy wind behind me. I thought of the beasts element of my blog, as I fully took in the magnificence of one of the lions at the entrance to the bridge.
And just a bit of the bridge. Since starting this blog, I seem to be seeing it differently every day.
I looked down to see these two boats. Just one pic here, but the sequence showed the boat on the left way behind, and then he seemed to race to beat the other one. They finally are just about equal here, before parting ways.
On the way home, after a good day at work, the day got even better.
This dear beast is named Shadow, and if you ever meet him in the West End, be sure to say "hi". He is a friendly, inquisitive and absolutely lovely fellow. I was getting on my bike after a trip to the bank, and he took a quick look through my pannier. I imagine it smelled of Black Jack's dog treats, but sadly, she ate the last one recently, and I neglected to do a refill. I promise, Shadow, to have some with me the next time we meet. He only has eyes for his clearly much loved human, in this photo. If you check out my Scott and Black Jack photos, you'll know I have a soft spot for black beasts. I think it started when someone told me they're always the last to be adopted. How could that be? Just look at those eyes.. and the eyebrows! He has a very friendly and kind human, too. Perfect end to a beautiful ride.