A HAIR RAISING WEEK

POST # 479

It was a hair raising week, and I've got the photo to prove it.  Thankfully, I didn't look like this when I stood in front of the judge this past Friday, but I'll tell that tale at the end of the post.

A sudden break in the non-stop rain earlier this week, was followed by some spectacularly windy conditions.  The last time that I can recall such a fierce wind was way back in 2006, if memory serves.  Back then, something like ten thousand trees got knocked down in Stanley Park.  That was a wild and windy night, and I spent most of it wide awake, as did all of the other liveaboards in the marina next to the park.  Surveying the carnage on my bicycle the next morning was a very memorable experience.

The wind this week wasn't as severe, but it certainly packed a punch, with gusts up to 100 kmph. It seemed like a good opportunity to head out for a walk and see what I could see.  The photo at the start of the post was taken as I walked across Granville Street bridge, on my way to the West End of Vancouver.   Being a sailor, it was sad to see this boat being smashed against the shoreline.  

Continuing on my walk,  I encountered this barge bashing up against the rocks.  The water in the foreground is actually the bike path.  I rode on this path each and every day when I lived and worked in Vancouver, and this is the first time that I have ever seen it under water.  And it's also the very first time that I have ever seen a barge washed ashore.  Both vessels are still in their respective locations, after the better part of a week.  I suspect that they'll be there for the foreseeable future.

But it wasn't just windy here in Vancouver.  The coastline got hammered on both sides of the border.  I took a couple of screen shots of this truck dangling precariously on its side on the Deception Pass bridge in Washington State.  I've crossed over this bridge on many occasions, but I'm thankful that I wasn't doing it when this truck was crossing.  I imagine that the driver didn't waste any time in exiting from his vehicle.  If the railing hadn't held, it would have been a long drop to the ocean below.

OK, so enough about the windy weather.  Let's go to court, shall we?   I was ordered to be in court as a result of me arriving at the border back in July without a negative Covid test in hand.  This first appearance was in order to establish whether or not I wanted to plead guilty, and if not, then a trial date would be set for some future date.  At least that is what I thought I was there for.  Apparently not.  I arrived ahead of schedule and I certainly wasn't alone.  Courtroom 102's name board was full of names of others who were there for the same reason that I was.  Thankfully I was able to stand in front of the judge early on.  I couldn't have tolerated being in that building any longer than I had to be.  I wore my best shorts in order to impress the judge, but I'm not sure whether or not she noticed.  A  date in December was suggested by the judge, for me to return to court to decide what I wanted to do, either plead guilty or go to trial.  I thought that was why I was there on Friday morning.  Anyhow, because I won't be in Vancouver in December, the new date set was February 15th, 2022.  At that time I get to go over this issue one more time.  In my humble opinion, this has been a gong show right from the start, and it's not over yet.   

After a very early start to my day, I arrived home to find Shadow, getting into the wine while I was away.  The poor furball.  I guess my early morning start drove him to drink.  But you can't blame him, as his name is on the bottle.

grateful for every breath,

Paul

The Thoughtful Wanderer