CoCoa Chanel

Today, I left school to get a latte at Thomas Haas.  I try to limit myself, but it's difficult.  Great lattes there.  One day, I'll do a post about Thomas and his phenomenal staff.  

With just a little bit of time to spare, I thought I would do a quick walk around with my camera.  A voice came from behind me, "Run, hide."  A split second later, Cocoa came barreling around the corner, and crouched down.  Do you remember hide and seek games as a kid?  I can still feel the suspense and anticipation as I raced off, trying to find the best spot in the least time, and then giggling as silently as possible as I listened to the seeker either coming closer, or heading in the wrong direction.  Well, Cocoa oozed that same drama and pleasure I remember.  Here she is, convinced she's well hidden, and listening to Josie approach.

Josie was surprised Cocoa wasn't upset by the camera.  Apparently, she normally hates them, but the difference during a game is that she is oblivious to everything but what counts - the hide and be found.  In this close-up, you can see her white eye lashes.  There's also a hint of black eye-liner, but she must have forgotten to finish the job, probably in a great hurry to play her favorite game.  (Josie, if you're reading this, click on the picture to see it enlarged.)
This was the only time I saw her sit.  I can't remember if she was asked to do this, or if it just happened.
Here, she is poised and waiting for the "go hide" command.
The next three blew me away.  If Josie gives the "go hide" command and adds, "slowly", Cocoa Chanel goes into a slow motion, I mean really slow motion, version of her race away to hide.  It has all the excitement of the speedy version.  Honestly, it was stunning to watch, each step deliberate and calculated.  She seems to enjoy this every bit as much as when she is racing.  

She even turns in slow motion.
Cocoa Chanel is three years old, and Josie has had her since she was a pup.  When I asked how she trained her, Josie sort of laughed and said, "She trained herself.  You know how you tell a pup to come find me?  Well, one day, she decided to reverse that game.  She thought I should go find her."

I loved meeting both Josie and Cocoa, and hope I'll see a black and white streak flash past me again soon.  I wish the food lady could see her.  I think they'd have a lot of fun together, and it sure would be nice to see some professional quality pictures of Cocoa Chanel.  

Not kinky, honest!

Commuting has not been fun the past few days.  I'm tired of fog, tired of feeling tense on the bike, with temperatures just cold enough for spots of black ice randomly showing up along my route.  But, I hate the bus, or at least, the bus feels slow and inconvenient, and requires some schedule planning.  So, I've compromised with a part bike and part seabus commute.  All that to say, I arrived home at 8:00 p.m. last night, in need of a good laugh.  Bill, in spite of the fact he's had a bad cold, as well as a mystery ailment in his right eye, was happy to oblige.  He walks Black Jack every afternoon.  He's not about to use the long leash I was so happy to discover a couple of blogs ago.  Just not his style.  But last night, as we sat chatting before supper, he said, proudly, "I've found a new way to walk Black Jack."  I was curious.  He quietly goes about his days, rarely describing them in the minute detail I regularly inflict on him.  

"Want to see?" he asked, looking positively triumphant.  He pointed out that on their walk, Black Jack had suddenly either seen something or imagined something, and jerked the leash out of his hand as she ran down the lane.  He tried to catch her, but she is really, really quick.  He called her, but as regular readers will know, we and Black Jack are, for now, recall challenged.  Heart failure moment.  Fortunately, she stopped at our gate.  However, Bill was not about to expose himself again to such incidents.  Not one to be outwitted, he came up with a plan.  He took one of the leashes from the four I used on Sunday, looped it around his neck, and tied it to Black Jack's regular blue leash.  As he stood in the kitchen, proudly demonstrating his new system, I doubled over with laughter.  He looked a bit sheepish, and said, "I just wish it wasn't pink."  At that, I laughed even harder.  I'm not one to buy pink anything, but lately, seem to be going through a change of life (or something).  My bike jacket is pink (or it was when I bought it over a year ago), and for some reason, I picked up four of these pink leashes.  In my defense, I think it was because that was the only color they had four of, and at least, would somehow avoid the rainbow affect as I secured them together.  Anyhow, I asked him if we could reenact his triumph of will over Black Jack, and ever the good sport, he agreed.  Below is our reenactment:

We decided to include Black Jack, and Bill set himself up on the steps.  He had to put Black Jack between his feet, because she kept trying to crawl into my lap as I sat on the floor in front of them.  Black Jack became distracted at that moment, as she heard something outside, probably the cat or some other night critter.

Her attention came back to me temporarily when I called her name, but I could tell she was saying, "Hurry up with this.  I can't pose here all day."  Bill, however, was cooperative, pink leash installed securely around his neck.
"Okay, Bill.  This is all very nice and all, but unless you have something more to offer, I really have things to do.  Massage, maybe?"  (Note: I have no idea why the color changed in the last three pictures.  My camera lately is acting weird.  Maybe too many foggy days and cold temps.)
"No massage?  Well then, you must have a treat in that hand, right?"  Poor Bill.  He really did want to help me out with my blog.  He frantically tried to get things back under control.
"Well, this has been nice and all, Bill, but I'm going to leave you with your pink leash.  I really do have to check that living room window.  See you later."
For some reason, every time I thought of that pink leash around Bill's neck, I laughed.  It still amuses me.  Thanks, Bill.  You are nothing, if not patient, obliging, and very, very sweet.  Oh, and did I mention, ingenious?  Black Jack will never again be able to leave you standing (or worse, running) with no dog, as she takes off to wherever the spirit moves her.

Shauna and Sajen

Shauna taught at my school for a few semesters and then went on to a position in another school.  She is one of the best teachers I have known - committed, fun, caring, thoughtful, cool and smart.  That smile you see on her face is the one we came to know and love in the staff room, halls, teachers' workroom and anywhere else she happened to be.  I hadn't seen her for quite some time, but on Friday I was in the Starbucks near my school.  The lattes are second rate, but it was the most convenient spot that day for a quick lunch in limited time.  I was just about ready to leave, when there she was, with her new baby and her mother.  She's adjusting to the demands of raising a child, and as she said, there are some aspects to child rearing that nobody can prepare you for.  Still, it was obvious that this little fellow will have one heck of a good start to life, and that Shauna's sense of humor and fun is already instilled in him.  I apologize for the poor quality pictures, but wanted to share the fact that those few minutes with Shauna and her baby made my day a whole lot sweeter.

When I arrived home, I realized I had forgotten her baby's name.  I e-mailed Shauna and she sent a little explanation of how she arrived at the name, Sajen.

In her words:

"My little brat's name is Sajen. I know it's unique. I always liked Sage as it means wisdom, but I was worried about it being mispronounced if spelled this a way...so we changed the spelling to reflect the word phonetically. Sajen is also a Punjabi name meaning beloved...but the "a" is pronounced "au", so we westernized it a bit to come up with Sajen."

Here, Sajen has just woken up.  He's not quite sure what's going on, but he's game to give it a try, whatever it is.

Shauna's Mom is making faces, and he finally gets it.  THAT'S what it's all about!  Grandma's being funny.
Then his very proud grandma holds him while Shauna makes funny faces.  He's still keen, but wondering why the game rules changed so quickly.  Now, Mom is making the funny faces.
"I get it," he laughs.  "When in doubt, laugh.  That'll keep them all happy!  
Thanks for the laughter and chance to reconnect, Shauna.  I hope we can get together again.  Maybe, I'll be able to get the next pictures focused so that we can fully appreciate you and your beautiful family.

Monday morning, just after six a.m. and temperature at our back door just hovering over the zero mark (Celcius).  I've decided to take the bike, maybe only as far as the seabus, as the Lions Gate will most likely be coated with glaze.  Will have to walk down the Point Grey Hill.  Come on, Winter, take a break - a really long break!  This is Vancouver, remember?

Fell asleep on the couch last night, waiting for the laundry to dry, and that was it for Sunday blogging.  Here's a little account of the afternoon ride to the gym, to keep up the bike portion of this title.  The sun and fog continued to argue over which one would dominate, with the fog winning as I looked out our front door before leaving.

Going along 8th Avenue (the bike lane street), the fog was pretty thick until around Cypress, when the sun suddenly came roaring triumphantly through.  No pictures, but blue skies brought back the feeling of the morning.  I thought of stopping several times, as I noticed tree branches holding hands over the centre of the street.  Vancouver has beautiful forested areas, but another thing I love about this city is the tree-lined streets.  When a bridge of trees reaches over to meet the other side, it reminds me of country road drives in Quebec when I was a kid.  I have one memory of my father trying to teach my mother to drive along one of those roads, while my sister and I giggled in the back seat.  We had to stifle our full-out laughter when a bicycle passed us.  Teaching someone to drive has to be the ultimate relationship test, one that  my father unfortunately didn't pass.  Some time later, my mother finally enrolled for lessons with a Montreal driving school.

But back to Vancouver.  I forgot my book (The Book of Negroes by Lawrence Hill) yesterday, and a latte stop without Bill and without a book, just isn't the same.  So I turned right off 8th, left on Broadway and stopped at Chapters at the corner of Granville to buy another one (a book, that is.  Bill is a one of a kind.  Hope his cold will be better soon.)  I asked the clerk for Ahab's Wife by Sena Jeter Naslund, one that dp recommended, but they said it's coming out soon, and not yet available, even to pre-order.  That was confusing, as I know dp read it some years ago.  I guessed they meant the soft cover.  Then I asked if they had a hard cover version, but no success there either.  So, I headed downstairs to the Awards wall, and chose Divisadero by Michael Ondaatje.  Then I headed off to Our Town for a good latte (but no beautiful pattern yesterday and they were all out of my favorite raspberry-banana sugarless muffins ) and some happy reading time.  I'm going to be torn between these two books, I can see it.  I could hardly tear myself away to go to the gym.  
I'm seriously out of blogging time, so the rest of this one will be quick.  Here's my bike (on the right) at Our Town.  No time for links this morning.  Hope dp will forgive me.  Note that one of the things I love about this place is the little bike corner.  I'm assuming the red one belongs to an employee. 
A bird nest, along 12th, a couple of blocks before Cambie.
Also taken from 12th, looking North.
These last of the mountains were taken from inside the shopping center, where Fitness World rents space, at 12th and Cambie.
I'm off.  Wish me luck!

Sunday forest walk

Black Jack and I had a great walk in the woods today.  It was a strange day.  The fog lifted at times and in certain places, and the sun shone when it could find spots to break through.  This was the view at the beginning of the trail.

The sun behind the fog pointed out the slow motion rain and its branch landings.
There were places of brilliant green as well.
Shafts of light were the theme of the day.
I tied four leashes together to give Black Jack the best sense of freedom she has had in a while.  I felt that she was pretty safe, and we practiced recalls throughout the walk.  I couldn't seem to get even one half decent action shot.  Maybe this could pass for an art one?  No, maybe not.
Best branch impersonation of a... 
Black Jack hit it off with every dog we met, but this one was her favorite.  She's playing hard to get here.
I don't know what the heck she's doing here.  It's driving me crazy that I can't do better than this.  Have to say, that little white dog was a sweetie - just a puppy but great play skills.
Recall success here.
Black Jack is in this one.  Honest.
My favorite light shaft shot.
On the way home, we spotted these colorful flag-like things.  They were strung down the steps from a house, across the sidewalk in front of the house, and connected to a tree.  
I love the tree showing through the second one.
A close-up.  Can anyone read this?
Buds were everywhere.  
This fellow called to us.  I swear he did.  Then he posed for the longest time, but best I could do was a silhouette. 
This is one of those just because pictures.  No idea why I included it, but here it is.
That was our walk.  Thanks again to Ruby Isabella and Minnie-Moo for inspiring us to check out a few more details in the woods. Black Jack managed to get a lot of running in.  She came home very hungry and very happy.  I fed her lunch (she eats three times a day) and then I left for a bike ride that took me to the book store, to Our Town Cafe, and then to the gym.  (Bill has been laying low this weekend with a miserable cold, but he met me after that for supper at The Foundation.)  Since  I'm waiting for the laundry to dry, I'll do a little blog about the bike-ride part of the day too.

Woods walks

This first picture was taken December 7th, 2007 in North Van, so a little more than a year ago, on a walk with Bill and Black Jack.  It is inspired by two blogs: Ruby Isabella Jones and Minnie Moo.  Both of these were about forest walks, and both reminded me of the quiet that enters our bodies as we lose city and become a part of a secretive life that only reveals itself once we make a place for it.  Aside from the fact that this blog gives me a somewhat reliable memory store of life clips, I love the awareness that other people and animals are enjoying many of the same things we are, at somewhat close to the same moment in time.

Yesterday, Black Jack and I took a walk in the woods near our house.  The trees seemed to look quite different from a year ago, but that may have been because of heavy fog and great concentration trying to walk through a mixture of old snow/ice and new mush/mud.  But, we had fun all the same.  Black Jack, because she sensed critter life all around us, most of which we didn't see, but she certainly smelled and felt, and I through the enjoyment of her poised alert poses. 

On the way home, this seagull was also in alert mode.

And this cat greeted us, just as we came through the back lane gate, to begin our walk.  It has been carrying on a more-than-a-year-long challenge with Black Jack.  At least this time, it had the good grace to show some respectful alarm.  Maybe it was because, for once, Black Jack chose not to go into hysteria mode, but was calm and in control.
And one more of Black Jack just because.  It was taken about a second before the first picture.  I think she looks like a little dancer in this one.The sun is finally out after three days of fog.  We're off for another woods walk.  I will think of Ruby Isabella Jones and Minnie Moo as we take a better look at the trees around us.  

Wednesday Walkabout

There was only time for about a ten-minute walkabout on school property yesterday, and the pictures were all poor, except for maybe this first one which caught a little of the between light that always seems to tweak my imagination.

Most of the subjects were way too far off, even to be sure I identified them correctly.  I am becoming greedy in wanting my camera to help my eyes out more and more.  I think this was one of the two eagles I saw on Tuesday.  It couldn't be a seagull, could it?  That would be pretty embarrassing.  It, and a partner were circling around and around, high overhead.  I crave a camera (and the skills) to show details in high up, and far away, images.
On Tuesday, Doran pointed out the Osprey nest.  Yesterday, I could just make out these two birds in it?  Could they be Osprey, or are they a couple of pigeons taken advantage of a comfortable landing spot?

And just for a minute, I thought I saw a sea lion on the log.  Did someone go to the trouble of carving that fellow?  How and when did it become established on the log?  Just a fluke of nature?  Sorry for all the questions (and poor quality pictures), but there seem to be more and more of them, as I explore with my camera.