A visit, OSGEMEOS and a critter for non-squeamish readers

Jane, a former neighbour and dear friend though we only see her rarely, visited us yesterday.  We met at Harrison Galleries, did puzzles together, caught up on the latest news, and laughed as we reminisced.  Bill and I were both impressed at Jane's teaching skills.  She gave us some wonderful strategies for solving Sudoku puzzles.  The day became too busy after that to try them out, but I definitely plan to put them on our brain-train agenda.  I thought, as we talked, about Sophie, Jane's dear Schnauzer, recently lost to Cancer.  I loved Sophie and felt privileged that she welcomed me into the neighbourhood once I promised to pass her the odd treat through the fence :)  I thought about how it is good to stay in touch and how we must try to do that more often.  I'm not proud of my photos here but love them of Jane.

 Black Jack, as you can see..

 was was thrilled to spend time with Jane's too.

I love this one of her with Bill.  Let's get together again soon, Jane.  Your heart of gold and zest for life (and your puzzle-solving expertise too) enhanced our day yesterday.

 After leaving Jane, we rode our bikes along the seawall, stopping so Black Jack could..

 run in one of the parks.

 Bill got a little worried that she wasn't coming straight to him here.  I love that he went to such antics to attract her attention.   

 It worked :) 

 We took Black Jack and our bikes on the the aquabus after that for the five-minute trip from the Hornby stop across False Creek to Granville Island.  I was hoping to catch photos of Brazilian twins known as OSGEMEOS putting the finishing touches on their now world famous mural.  I was excited to see people on the lift, but think what I captured may have been a publicity person with a professional videographer.  The person in the centre was a lady operating the lift. 

 I liked the way the little faces appeared to respond to the visitors.

 I've been blogging about this art for a few weeks now.  Placing art in and around a concrete plant takes an enormous amount of planning followed by huge physical effort.  Getting to the top of those silos may be easy for the seagulls, but it's no small feat for the rest of us :)

 There was quite a bit of discussion as to the best approach to filming/photographing.

 Bill and I suddenly noticed the shadows..

 and after that, I could barely tear my eyes away..

 from them.  It seemed to me that there were six people up there,

 communicating..

with each other.

I could have sworn the shadows at their own dialogue that was delighting the "real" people.

Bill wasn't at all sure he would want to be up that high.  I must admit, I yearned to see things from above, but also loved the view I managed to catch..

 through an opening in a ground-level silo.  You can actually see a cyclist on the bike path on the other side of False Creek.  How neat is that!

 I took a few topsy-turvy shots with my smallest lens for now (300mm), wishing I had the 17-50 mm one back from repairs for a more complete image.

 Now the shadows are walking :)

 And the ears are recording every word said :)

I'm quite sure the lift-operator smiled at me here.

 And the fellow on the left took a look in our direction too.

 Between a nose and two ears.

I noticed two fellows with some cans of sealant on the other side of the fence, and this gentleman kindly approached when I called out a question to him.

 His name is Scott and his company, Wolfgang Commercial Painters, did the base coats for the mural.

 He and his colleague, Ammar, are now working out a plan to seal the art and preserve it for posterity.  No small feat when the art is imposed on a structure constantly used.  He said there is a lot of moisture in the silos, and I can only guess at the amount of cement dust and city grime that will be a constant challenge to the vibrancy of the mural.

 There they go, off to work on perhaps one of the greatest painting challenges they have ever faced.  I was ever so grateful that they took time to pose for the camera and to explain a bit about their work and I surely do wish them every success on this project!

 A crow had been watching me take pictures (it seemed) just above my head, and I wondered what s/he was thinking here.

 The crow, Bill and I looked up to see the photographer crew rise above the murals.

 I kept trying to find a way to fit the whole picture in to give you a sense of the enormity of..

 that height.

 This was the best my 300 mm could manage.  The opening to the public will be on Sunday afternoon.  I can't wait to meet the artists and express my thanks for the excitement they have brought to the neighbourhood.

We cycled home from Granville Island, stopping by one of our favourite ponds on the way.  Black Jack was abuzz with frenzy at the smells and Bill did his best to allow her the freedom to explore as much as safety permitted.

 I admired his curls :)

 and his complete focus to accommodate Black Jack's day.

This is where some of you may want to stop reading if rats give you the willies.  I admit that I don't want rats in my home space, but seeing this one in the pond was fascinating.

 My photos were poor, but I had never before seen a rat swimming and in this shot, I like to think s/he has rolled over onto her side or back and is looking up at the sky.

 I changed to my 500 mm lens here, but still was challenged to get..

 sharp photos.  Here, s/he swims through a trail of seagull feathers.  This pond is normally full of seagulls bathing themselves, but they all disappeared yesterday.  

 I wonder if they are frightened of the rat.

 As with the mural, I was fascinated and took way too many photos.  

 Such agile and fast swimmers.

 Little front feet grasping what I think may be clam tidbits left by the seagulls.

 Does anyone besides me find this critter cute?

 This shot reminded me of Beatrix Potter drawings.

 Just a few more..

 poses..

 including this slippery slide.. 

 down the rock..

 where it slipped gracefully into

 the water.

 The moon shone down on us as we left the park, headed home, and then to a Mexican restaurant where we enjoyed a meal with Joe, another of our favourite neighbours.  A great day that has me celebrating yet again my good fortune in sharing all of it with Bill.  Happy Friday to each one of you.  Until tomorrow!