Some Fences, Some People, Some Thoughts

Keeping an eye out for fences to add to TexWisGirl's Good Fences blog meme led to an array of thoughts yesterday.  That's how it happens, sometimes.  A few words or an image from our day sticks with us.  "To enhance food security, I recommend that you do what you can at the individual level."  Those were the words of Hendrik Beune, a vendor selling Megaphone at the Main Street Farmer's Market by Pacific Central Station in Vancouver.  You could substitute just about any phrase for the first one in that sentence and it would still be great advice.  I may quote Hendrik a few more times in this post.

The stadium roof has a fence of sorts.  It was my first photo of the day as the sky began to clear in the late afternoon.

 We had stopped to let Black Jack run in a field by Science World.  It's a busy corner..

 of the world, with sky trains and people rushing by the fenced playground to my left..

 and colour exploding around the Science World building to my right.

Black Jack was oblivious to everything except..

 her tiny little treat waiting at the end of each run.  She was a happy camper.

 Looking a bit more closely at the fence around Science World, 

 I first marvelled at the colours in this display..

 and then saw the glitter was formed from waste.  This image would come back to me later.

 These red balls are for children.  I always want to jump into them myself and just romp around for a bit.  But, on the fence, more reminders of the "stuff" we use and throw away.

Beautiful, somehow, and happily, not sitting in a landfill.

 Displays about recycling worked into the fence..

 and into our minds.

 Who thought of planting these grasses, and then, who put them there?

"... do what we can on an individual level."  Hendrik's words come back to me.

Bill organized Black Jack in her basket..

 while I took a last couple of shots.  This needs to be shown again with a smaller lens.  A kids playhouse formed completely from stuff we've thrown away.  

 I'm finding it harder and harder to resist those beautiful red balls.

 We leave Science World and ride our bikes past a mess of downtown traffic, sometimes walking across the busier streets, and end up by Pacific Central Station.  The mountains.. 

 in the distance..

 and then this "Say Yes" sign draw my attention first.

 The heritage building's architecture,

 the Farmer's Market just winding up, and "Bird Wrap" by Ivan Eyres are a few of the sights that I want to explore more fully. 

 I take a little more time to..

 admire the details..

 and think about the people behind the intricate designs and careful workmanship.

 Bill and I spend a little time inside the heritage building, and I note the clock, the bars on the windows,

 the beautifully maintained ceilings..

 the clock again (a kind of fence in itself),

 and the fenced balcony that seems to serve no purpose..

 though I smile at the Snoopy-like, or maybe, Lucy-like, images I see in the decorative features.

 I ask Bill to pose on the magnificent benches and I catch him just as he's getting ready :)  As for Black Jack, she is in ready-to-pounce mode.  She does that a lot lately.  I always wonder what she sees and smells.

 Bill points out the plaque in memory of Sir Henry W Thornton, 

 and I admire the ceiling skylights.

 The sky is becoming bluer by the minute..

and I follow Bill through the entrance that has a feeling of..

 leading somewhere important.  It does.  It takes us to..   

 Hendrik Beune, a man who walks the talk.  We buy Megaphone from him and later that evening, read his article together about people..  all people's..  right to nutritious food.

It is a well-written article, with great advice for those who may not be accessing some of the good services we have here in Vancouver.

As Hendrik says, "Many people live below the poverty line due to no fault of their own and many people are able to live well above that level, not because they worked so much harder, but because of privilege.  Ultimately, it's important for everyone to share and become aware of how people from many walks of life can access sustainable food."  

I quote a few more snippets from Hendrik's words of wisdom:  "revise our vision of 'fair share'.."  ".. remind ourselves that we are not masters of the universe; we have to live in harmony with what nature provides."  I hope that young woman walking by stopped..

to pick up a copy of Megaphone.  It not only "helps people to help themselves" but it provides great food for thought.

A final look at "Bird Wrap"..

  

 and at the flowers by the..

 monuments where geese find water but people (out of camera) also rest.  

I had to photoshop these shots to take out the goose droppings and must look into the significance of these seats(?).  I see inscriptions but will have to explore those in a future post.  All I can say is that I hope they are cleaned daily and I hope the people memorialized(?) were bird lovers.  

 Just a final few shots taken in the area..

and one of the face that Bill saw in the clouds to conclude the post. Thank you to Hendrik for some inspiring thoughts, thank you to Bill for being by my side, and thank you to you for stopping by. Have a wonderful Thursday!