Collateral Beauty

“Clouds come floating into my life, no longer to carry rain or usher storm, but to add colour to my sunset sky.” – Rabindranath Tagore

Solo walks this mid-summer have taken on a different hue – our provincial government recently mandated that we travel and explore here in our own province. So each afternoon I plan to walk a slightly different path, stopping along the way to read or write, taking note of the unfolding beauty all around me. What’s a girl to do during this world-wide pandemic with air travel at a standstill but pack her beloved cork tote with her fedora, water bottle, that soft airline blanket not forgetting to bring her current read and battered notebook?!

Today’s adventure finds me at Third Beach after a salt-air infused walk by the sea where I’ve found a weathered bench above the tidal pools to watch a lone Great Blue Heron and three sleek Pelagic Cormorants fishing, enjoying yet another enchanting vista after watching a majestic eagle soar above the sea seeking lunch. A dream-like afternoon that awakens memories of Mexico. On my way home, I walked an abundant flora lined path up to the Tea House seeking shade and lush green. I was curious to see how the roadway looked as the park welcomed more traffic, it was now divided to accommodate both vehicles and bikes. The bike lane is parallel to the sidewalk I walked upon leaving me with lots of space to linger under the shadow-rich canopy above.  The shared roadway seems to be working well as my walk felt peaceful despite the odd car zooming by…

Other walks include trips to the shops or delivering orphan books from our apartment building’s laundry room shelves to the free library book cupboard in our neighbourhood (there are eager readers out there as our local library is still closed, sigh!) often resulting in blissful moments of joy. On one such walk on a search for a special box of tea, the health food grocery store I frequent was in the midst of reopening its spacious patio, there were sweet pots of flowers placed on tables and counter spaces that caught my eye, serving as gentle reminders to observe social distancing and to keep guests safe. There was one empty table calling my name so I made sure to buy a chilled can of peach ice tea and enjoyed watching the world go by once again on our famous Robson St. as I sipped away underneath the warm sun.

The divide between seasons has left its mark – leaving black husks of lilacs in place of vibrant purple, the coral blossoms of the ornamental quince have finished gracing the edge of the lagoon and there’s not a tulip to be seen. Among the dragonflies, wild rosehips are dotting now choked forest trails and on dusty paths acorns come to rest – collateral beauty noted underneath sunset skies that welcomed a mysterious traveller recently, the comet Neowise, its long trailing tail and pale center visible just after twilight not to be seen again for 6800 years…

An early morning capture of Lost Lagoon in Stanley Park (Vancouver, B.C.) as we enjoy exploring closer to home!

A trio of young Great Blue Herons perched up high at the edge of the lagoon reminding me of a delicate Japanese silkscreen.

Our morning walked yielded this beauty, a former groundskeeper cottage reflecting lush green. As we walked away, a rehabilitation worker came by with an animal carrier containing a recovered young Great Blue Heron ready to be set free down at Second Beach!