Orange shades and friendly strangers.

Bill and I rode our bikes up the steepest hill we've attempted since his illness and it did my heart good to see him so strong.  Along the way we came across a small community garden and I recorded a few of the orange shades in it for Orange You Glad It's Friday.

A rusty star with a little "gem" carefully hung from the centre.

Apologies in advance for naming only one of the flowers we saw.  Help is appreciated but if you are just happy to savour the orange shades as I did, then that is fine too.  The orange at the centre of these blooms was subtle but striking. 

There were poppies with light tucked into each fold of the petals.

 It was fun to compare the various stages of.. 

opening to..

 greet the sun.

I looked deep into the beautiful centre of this one.

 Loved the textures of this one..

and the variety of flowing lines and shapes.

 This scarecrow's smile..

 and head gear made me smile.

 Bill waited just outside the fence.  We had planned to take Black Jack for a nail trim but my meanderings in the garden meant that we arrived just a little too late.  We didn't really mind.  Now we have a great excuse to test our mettle on that hill again very soon . 

 We enjoyed looking at a stalk outside the fence with blooms, as Bill noted, in..

 several stages of life.  We saw beauty in both the old..

 and the young.

We left the garden and I followed Bill through Vancouver's streets (he is the best navigator), winding our way to Citadella, a café we only visit once in a while but always enjoy.  We sat at the little table to the right of the door, Black Jack on my knee (they welcome dogs outdoors), sipping lattés, working on a crossword (difficult one not completed), munching on delicious cookies and counting all the ways that life is good.  

 Later that evening, we took Black Jack out for a walk.  These two orange flowers rose high above the other flowers in a newly planted patch beside our apartment.

 A different angle helped to bring them out a bit more for this "orangey" post.

 Stepping very carefully, I managed to bring you one close-up view.

"What about us?" asked these blooms.  "We're orange too!"

 Black Jack was wondering if we were ever going to get to that walk.  There are only so many ways to smell a flower :)  This gentleman came by, a complete stranger, but he took a minute to sit down and..

 listen to her story.

 One more close-up of that bloom, 

and a little investigation of this Vespa with Bill, who commented that the steering mechanism would have done a Harley proud, and then..  

 we crossed the street to walk along False Creek.  There was lots of action to watch..

 and some pale orange reflections too.

 Black Jack is always fascinated by the mysteries that lie under long grasses, and if you..

look carefully, you may even see some very faint orange highlights..

 behind her ears.  (I admit it's a stretch.)

But there will be little doubt at all about the orange highlights in these shoes.  David, their wearer, was our second conversation of the evening with a complete stranger.  How nice of  "Orange You Glad It's Friday" to provide an excuse for a pleasant interaction.  David generously agreed to have his shoes included in this post.

 The dragon boaters were so active, it was hard to take our eyes off them.

 They raced each other under the Cambie Bridge, but what really caught Bill's eye here is a tiny little ferry boat at the far right of the photo.

 My 50mm lens, even from across the water, was able to pick up its mischievous grin.

 One last orangey reflection, an orange lifebuoy,

and some orange flowers emerging out of a blue background concluded our walk.  Thanks for coming along!  If you are still craving a little more orange, I know Maria would be delighted for you to stop by her delightful meme, Orange You Glad It's Friday.