Stanley 125 Years

　
　
Friday, August 23, 2013
　
　
Stanley 125 Years
　
　

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Lions Gate Bridge in 1938

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Stanley Park in 1905

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Subj:
I love forest bathing!

From: diane@vancouver.ca
to: barclay1720@aol.com
Sat., 2013 August 13 7:07 PM
(Pacific Daylight Saving Time)

Hi Kato,

My smiling Bohemian writer & bon vivant.

Thanks so much for the following article:

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■“Asexual Thought”

I think it was one of your best ones ever.
I enjoyed it all so much and watched the entire Pride Festival submission.
I hadn’t seen all those Jamaican & African dancers, so that was great.

I was actually in the parade myself but I guess you never saw me.
I was with the Anglican contingent and we were right behind the AIDS float with Sybil Trasher.
She’s a black gospel, rock singer who is very popular here in Vancouver.

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The Vancouver Pride Parade 2013

Sybil belted out a number of songs, but the one she kept going back to was “OOOOOOOOOHHHHHH, I FEEL good!”
It put us all in a good mood as well and worked up the crowds that’s for sure.
Immediately behind us were a Gay Hockey Team with scantily clad young men.
So we were VERY well positioned.
Lotsa fun.

Thanks also for the clip from “Henry & June.”

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Henry & June (Trailer)

I just received a call from a friend of mine and I asked him if he ever saw the movie.
He had and thought it was great even though the relationships between the four of them (I thought there were only three, but he remembers them as two couples) were a bit more than a little twisted.
As soon as I finish this, I’m going to reserve it.
Oh, it looks and sounds fascinating.

Interesting also about the asexual thing.
I read about that recently and how the writers claimed that as a sexual orientation in and of itself.
I’m doubtful.
I have a friend, for instance, who eats to live.
Imagine.
Most of us seem to live to eat and spend much time and effort in gathering, preparing, eating and sharing food and drink.
It seems to me that asexual people have shut down feelings for some reason or another and think it’s a choice; it may just be a numbing of their senses and doesn’t seem to me to be a healthy outcome by any means.
But I could be wrong.
Just like my friend who doesn’t enjoy eating, it just seems something is amiss there.
Guess it would take a good shrink to figure it all out.
Certainly interesting, though, Kato, and thanks for forwarding it.

I miss seeing you at the library, but hope to see your smiling face very soon, kiddo,
Love from your non-asexual friend,

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Ciao, Diane ~

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P.S.:

Gotta love that forest bathing … “shin rin yoku” if my memory serves me.

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Diane, your memory serves you correctly. 　Yeeessss! It is “shin rin yoku”—森林浴, which literally means “forest bathing.”

So, that’s the reason you’re talking about the Vancouver’s crown jewel—Stanley Park’s 125-year-old birthday, isn’t it?

You’re telling me, Diane. 　We’re really living in the mecca of forest bathing. 　No place is better suited for forest bathing than Stanley Park. 　Don’t you think so?

You’re absolutely right, Kato.

Although Vancouverits are preparing for a massive 125th birthday party bash on August 24 and 25, some people are already celebrating the park’s 125th anniversary.

Summer Live at Brockton Point

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Native People’s Dance

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So, Kato, are you joining the crowd at the birthday events?

Well…, I wish I could.

Why not?

…’Cause I’m fairly busy writing articles.

Tsk, tsk, tsk … you should take a break from time to time. Relax and take a forest bathing in the Park on August 24 and 25.

I’ll do my best to finish writing the day’s article by noon and take it easy in the afternoon at the Second Beach.

By the way, Kato, do you have an event-schedule for the birthday party in the Park?

Diane, you should be able to get the schedule by clicking the following link:

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■“Celebrate! Stanley Park Aug. 24 & 25”

Kato, you’re such an egghead that you know a lot about the park, I suppose. 　Tell me about the park history.

Well… you can easily get that info on the Net. 　Why don’t you get it by yourself?

I’m kinda busy, you know.

If you say so, I’ll jot down a few lines.

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Dedicated as a city park in 1888 and named after Lord Stanley in 1889, Stanley Park is one of Vancouver’s proudest features.
It also combines a lot of complicated history that includes the legacies of colonialism, a military presence and local First Nations.

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Deadman’s Island Then & Now

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Now the HMCS Discovery Royal Canadian Navy Reserve, Deadman’s Island, also sometimes referred to as ‘Deadman Island’ in early texts, earned its name when early colonials discovered its use as a First Nations burial ground.
There are reminders of First Nations history still present in the park, including Siwash Rock and a monument to aboriginal actor and poet Pauline Johnson who included the legend of Siwash in a publication called Legends of Vancouver.

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Siwash Rock in the 1880s

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Siwash Rock in 2013

Pauline Johnson is also credited with naming Lost Lagoon.
Her monument was erected near Ferguson Point in 1922 to honour her great contributions to Canadian literature.

There are several historic tree stumps that still bare the marks of planks used to scale trees before they were logged.
However, the land was never fully logged or developed because of its strategic military position.
During the brief logging period, many of the trails established by First Nations were converted into logging roads, which would become some of the current roads and trails.

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The road circling the park was envisioned by surveyor Lauchlan Hamilton of the CPR.
The current road is almost identical to Hamilton’s original drawings.

The early idea was to include “Vancouver” in its official title, however Oppenheimer went to Governor General Lord Stanley for the park’s namesake.
Since 1889, Lord Stanley’s Park has graced the entrance to our harbour, evolving over time to attract more residents and tourists to Vancouver.

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Seawall construction would begin in 1917 under master stone mason James Cunningham of the Park Board, and would be considered “complete” in 1980 with the paving of the strip between Second and Third Beach.
Since its official ‘completion,’ the seawall has stretched past Third Beach and continues to grow with proposals to extend along the Point Grey Road waterfront.

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SOURCE: “Stanley Park History”

Wow! 　You know quite a bit, don’t you?

Once you surfin on the Net, Diane, you can easily get as much info as I’ve gained in the above.

So, tell me, Kato… What’s new about the park except for the birthday?

Diane, do you remember the windstorm in 2006?

Yes, I do. 　That happened in December of that year, I guess.

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Stanley Park Windstorm Damage

So what about the windstorm? 　That storm isn’t new at all. 　It happened seven years ago.

I know… I know… What I’m talking about is the thing that happened after the storm.

Oh ?… what happened?

After the storm, a UBC scientist and his team sueveyed the park as part of the restoration program to identify insects which had a special appetite for wood. 　And guess what?

Tell me about it.

Well… they discovered two new species of insects, one of which was named after the park itself.

What is it called?

Oxypoda stanleyi.

What does it look like?

It is a tiny member of the rove beetle family, found in fair numbers in the park at both the Aquarium and Hollow Tree sites.

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Hollow Tree

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Wow! 　I wonder if anybody has ever noticed the above bug for the last 125 years.

Maybe, somebody did notice one of these bugs, but he or she didn’t care much about such a tiny bug anyway.

So there are still some undiscovered bugs in the park, I suppose.

I guess so. 　Diane, why don’t you try to find one and name it after your own name—such as “Oxypoda diane.”

No, I don’t think so.

Why not?

I’m not particularly interested in any kinda bug.

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【Himiko’s Monologue】

Have you ever visited Stanley Park?
The park is Vancouver’s crown jewel.
Unlike other large urban parks, Stanley Park is not the product of a landscape architect, but has evolved into its present, mixed-use configuration.
Significant effort was put into constructing the now nearly century old Vancouver seawall, which can draw up to thousands of residents and visitors to the park every day.

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The park also features forest trails, beaches, lakes, playgrounds, and the Vancouver Aquarium, among many other attractions.
When you visit Vancouver, please visit the park.

Stanley Park Guide

In any case, I hope Kato will write another interesting article soon.
So please come back to see me.

Have a nice day!
Bye bye …

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If you’ve got some time,

Please read one of the following artciles:

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■“Halifax to Vancouver”

■“A Thread of Destiny”

■“Fujiyama Geisha”

■“Beaver Lake”

■“God is Near!”

■“Holy Cow@Rose Garden”

■“Vancouver Earthquake”

■“Birthplace”

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■“KIFF”

■“You Love Japan, eh?”

■“Eight Bridges”

■“First Love”

■“Fright on Flight”

■“Boy’s Movie”

■“From Summer to Eternity”

■“Sōseki & Glenn Gould”

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■“Dream Dream Dream”

■“In Search of Your Footprint”

■“Little Night Music”

■“Merry X’mas”

■“Happy New Year!”

■“Long live Diane!”

■“Mona Lisa”

■“Flu Shot”

■“Selfish TD Bank”

■“Talk with Mozart”

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■“Bliss for Diane!”

■“Romantic Bohemian”

■“TD Bank or Mozart?”

■“Diane@TD Bank”

■“Tear Jerker”

■“Diane in Chorus Line”

■“Pork or Friend?”

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■“Easter Bloopers”

■“Beauty is Heart-deep”

■“Romance@South Pacific”

■“Art Gallery”

■“Diane Hypatia”

■“Cherry and Silk”

■“Price of Your Life”

■“Elephant Cries”

■“Banana @ Eden”

■“Go Bananas”

■“Manwatching”

■“Stanley Boardwalk”

■“With Your Tiger”

■“A Second World”

■“Asexual Thought”

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Hi, I’m June Adams.

Stanley Park is a 1,001-acre public park that borders the downtown of Vancouver.
It is almost entirely surrounded by waters of the Pacific Ocean.
Its land was originally used by Aboriginal peoples before it had become a military reserve in the mid-1800s, when British Columbia was colonized by the British in 1858.

If you have never been to the city, the following video clip will give you a rough idea about what it looks like.

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Vancouver Walking Guide

Vancouver is one of the warmest Canadian cities.
Vancouver’s climate is temperate by Canadian standards.
The summer months are typically dry, with an average of only one in five days during July and August receiving precipitation.

In contrast, precipitation falls during nearly half the days from November through March.

The daily maximum averages 22 °C (72 °F) in July and August, with highs rarely reaching 30 °C (86 °F).

The highest temperature ever recorded at the airport was 34.4 °C (93.9 °F) set on July 30, 2009, and the highest temperature ever recorded within the city of Vancouver was 35.0 °C (95.0 °F) occurring first on July 31, 1965, again on August 8, 1981, and finally on May 29, 1983.

On average, snow falls on eleven days per year, with three days receiving 6 cm (2.4 in) or more.
Average yearly snowfall is 38.1 cm (15.0 in) but typically does not remain on the ground for long.

Winters in Greater Vancouver are the fourth mildest of Canadian cities after nearby Victoria, Nanaimo and Duncan, all on Vancouver Island.

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ところで、愛とロマンに満ちた

レンゲさんのお話をまとめて

『レンゲ物語』を作りました。

もし、レンゲさんの記事をまとめて読みたいならば、

次のリンクをクリックしてくださいね。

■『愛とロマンのレンゲ物語』

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■『軽井沢タリアセン夫人 – 小百合物語』

とにかく、今日も一日楽しく愉快に

ネットサーフィンしましょうね。

じゃあね。

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