The last time the three of us were hanging out on Commercial Drive, my old stomping ground, we stopped by a favourite  coffee shop we like to think of as ours. It’s obvious by the crowd of customers always inside and the many others hovering around the exterior that this is the way a great many people think of the place. To me, all of Commercial Drive is a little like that. Commercial Drive is a place many people call their hood. I don’t mean a location you tell someone you live. No. There is a connection that almost becomes part of one’s personality, or is it the other way around? Who knows. It’s more than simply an address of where you live.

As we were enjoying our coffee on the outside patio our nine year old son asked us if he could go play in the park across the street. He’s familiar with the park. He’s been there before. It’s the one that smells like “Man Pee”. I’m talking about Grandview Park.

His little adventure of crossing the street at the light and finding his way to the playground all by himself, (we could see him the entire time), was cut short when a yelling match broke out between two groups of people which quickly escalated into a fight. He came straight back. A few minutes later police cars where there. It was an embarrassing display.

So now I am hearing that people don’t want the park to change? That I am possibly a gentrified yuppie if I think it might be a good idea to make it safe for kids? A sense of ownership, reduced to a square block, by one group of people. At the very least, let’s have signs, “This is our park. No fun for kids”

The Approved plans (PDF)

And here are the “Owners” of Grandview Park

Two questions come to mind.

1. How does he even know this is possible?
2. Why are we doing this the old fashioned way in the first place?

The idea of money in your hand being physically deposited is a concept on it’s way out and it takes a different sort of thinking to understand crediting and debiting. It’s the way everything is going. Photo albums, record albums. He told his friends he has a Lady Gaga album. It struck me as funny. Having it on his ipod is having an Album.

The digital world started with words and images and now it has hit every part of our lives. Even money. He might be better off playing around and learning with a Paypal account if they didn’t have an age restriction.

Crazy going outside on a BC Ferry during a storm like this but you only live once.

A little too busy to be riding a tandem bike and holding a video camera in one hand but I like the challenge.

On the business side of things no one cares but I’ll save that for the other blog. On the friends and family side of things, it might be mildly interesting but I’m not expecting a huge following on this one. I’ll make it easy read point form. Here is today:

• Didn’t have enough energy to make breakfast until it was almost lunch.
• Had to get outside to meet BCAA dude and prove the car wouldn’t start. (banging on the gas tank, etc)
• He called a tow-truck
• The BCAA tow-truck came and did the exact same things, (banging on the gas tank, etc).
• Towed it up and out to Midas on 4th and Arbutus (pic) and what an idiotic time it was towing it there.
• Walked to the clinic on Broadway to be poked and prodded and sent to the lab
• Walked to lab one block down and was drained, wizzed and stooled.
• walked to pick up Brandon with Danielle because I needed one of those fruit cups that a sandwich shop near us carries but she wanted to go to … wait for it…. Starbucks! so that’s where I had my fruitcup lunch/dinner
• Left them to play cards while I walked across the Burrard Street Bridge to cash cheques at TD Canada Trust because I haven’t made into work to get my regular pay cheque.
• Got to TD Canada Trust on Davie only to discover I left all the cheques at home.
• purchased bus tickets, rode home, got the cheques, rode back, deposited, rode back
• Made dinner for Brandon and I and it all made me feel so good when he finished the whole thing, casually got up and said:
• “I’m getting some more”

Help us reclaim your back alley with Christmas lights, caroling and mulled cider.

This year, join us and decorate your alley.  Light up your windows, balconies, and fences on the alley side with the spirit of Christmas and Solstice.

At our location (2137 West 1st Avenue) we are decorating the alley between 1st Avenue and York Street, from Arbutus to Yew Street. Then on Sunday Dec 20th at 8pm, we are Christmas caroling and handing out mulled cider  in the alley.

Join the Facebook Group and tell us how you’re turning your alley into a livable area.

Why?

For many of us the alley is the main outlook of our homes and with new Lane-way Housing being built a lot of eyes are beginning to re-examine how we use and perceive these utilitarian traffic routes and for good reason. For too long many residents of Vancouver have been using alleys as garbage dumps, leaving mattresses and other junk lying out near dumpsters.

It’s time to take back the residential alleyways of Vancouver.

This Christmas decorate the alley side with lights and cheer as you would have normally the front of your house. All you apartment and condo residence facing the alley have a great opportunity to make a difference. All it takes is as little as one string of lights from each of you. Can you imagine how beautiful an alley would look if everyone got on board?

Get your street to Light up your alley this holiday season in 2009!

We eventually did find the hieroglyphs at the very beginning of the trail near where we parked. What took us 2 trips and many hours of wondering could have been done in 15 minutes. It was something I will never forget.

Next is the Photo of us at the hieroglyphs. We all look very interested at this point.

Can you believe this is sitting on private property. There is a ‘No Trespassing’ high up on that tree. I hope the property comes with a restrictive covenant or right of way on the title.