"No reason in particular. I just like being out with you guys..." is my lame answer that I know won't win me any brownie points. They hate being my entertainment.
We left at noon and decided to go directly to West 4th in the Kits area where we found those 4 snow boarding stores last year.
Last year we went on a weekday. And I got lost for a few tense minutes. This year I had a better idea on how to get there, but was unsure about the parking opportunities available.
Turned out there were no spots anywhere near the 4 stores, so I let them hop out and I proceeded west on 4th looking for ...something. A parking spot? A place to pull over and wait? I wasn't sure what I was hoping to find.
A few blocks later, I noticed a funky looking used book store next to the Urban Barn, so I turned left and hoped there'd be a parking spot close by. There wasn't. I had to drive a few more blocks to a residential area that had spaces available for those of us who don't have permits.
I parked next to the curb and noticed an abundance of color right beside the road:
The boulevard area, which typically contains dead grass and garbage, had been taken over by the condo and townhouse residents along Maple Street. They called the block-long area "The Maple Community Garden" and they have work bees once a month to keep it looking nice.There were individual gates for entering certain areas, there were winding pathways, benches and chairs, and a lovely profusion of flowers.
What an unexpected joy to behold. I wandered through twice, the second time I viewed it through the lens of my camera. (Alas, Blogger has again limited me to 9 uploads only...)
From there I sauntered back to 4th, lingered in the bookstore, the Urban Barn, the uber-cool stationary store and was just outside the bead store
when my phone rang.
"Mom? Where are you? Did you find anything to do?"
I did. I did find something to do.
And it was awesome.
Three things I'm thankful for:
1. The guys were happy with their hoodie and t-shirt purchases.
2. Drew called. He's having a good time with his dad and step-mom in Sun Peaks. Still wish he was with me, but ...sigh.
3. I have the evening free to do whatever I want. The kids have all gone off to the Starfield concert in Chilliwack. I could tackle the laundry that's piling up. Or wash the floors. Or pull another 60 pounds of weeds. Or match socks. Or sweep stuff. But the lake is calling. Actually it's yelling. "Jane, please end the summer here. Come. I need you..."
Shalom,
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