Earlier this month when I was in Vancouver for my "on-campus" requirement for school, I had the opportunity to sit along the seawall with a couple of my classmates and watch a cruise ship leave. It was a long, drawn out process of waving and smiling as the ginormous ship slowly moved through our field of view. The sun was shining, the temperature was warm, everyone appeared to be smiling. We were on a break from class and it was the perfect thing to do. On a different day, a classmate and I ran along the seawall in a different direction - in the sun, in the warmth, people all around, smiling, happy.
Vancouver is an amazing place!
These two experiences had me thinking "why don't I come here more often?"
Kevin and I used to live in downtown Vancouver. Our most favourite thing to do together was walk the seawall, coffees in hand, sunglasses hiding the people watching stares from us both. That part of life was awesome when we lived there.
I promised myself that I would very soon take my girls to the City to experience its awesomeness!
Really, what stops me from doing this? Nothing. I could tell you that I had an assignment to do, dishes to put away, photos to edit, bathrooms to clean, laundry to fold, errands to run - pretty much anything. But for this day, I said "forget it" to it all...and I didn't even think about all the other things that I would have "busy'd" myself up with in a typical day.
Funny thing is, that when you commit yourself to spend a day in Vancouver, the hardest part is narrowing down just where to go for an outdoor adventure. Spanish Banks? Kitsilano? Coal Harbour? Yaletown? Granville Island? Stanley Park? Oh, so many gorgeous places to spend the day.
For this trip we opted for the Stanley Park tour.
To make the most of our day I first drove around the entire park, pointing things out to the girls, slowing down to enjoy the views, all the while making a mental note of where we might stop and spend some time. After a full drive around, I had a plan that kept us busy in the park all day!
The Hollow Tree, then and now......
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| Karis wasn't too keen on getting close to the tree without holding my hand, so this was the best shot of her that I could get for her first Hollow Tree experience. |
This Western Red Cedar stump and lower trunk has been around
forever - well 700+ years to be more precise. Its a major tourist attraction for Vancouver. The Hollow Tree has been given an incredible make-over and stability framing and wires in order for it to remain an attraction for all to see. Kevin came here for the first time when he was a little guy and I came here for the first time when I was first pregnant with Kamille. I think
Erin was with me and she had Ian in her belly! Naturally, I had to get my girls' first photos at the Hollow Tree.
Second Beach
Since nearly three of four sides of Stanley park is surrounded by the ocean, it seemed right to find sandy spot to enjoy our lunch. To say that Kamille and Karis love living by the ocean I think is an understatement. I have really noticed this summer how much they relax into time spent by the water. I love it.
Karis had a lunch stalker........
This pesky guy managed to get right in there and steal a baggy that had half-sandwhich in it. Darn bird! I had to chase him down to get the plastic baggy away from him and out of the ocean!
I opted for Second Beach because it is right beside the public pool that is right on the seawall. Not only was it great people watching, but it sparked an interest in Kamille to want to come back and go for a swim.
We walked along the seawall, past the pool to the other side of the beach once we were finished our lunch....
The view was equally as spectacular....
I love watching these two hang out with nothing but each other and nature to keep them occupied and happy.
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| I'm not sure what they were talking about, but I find myself making a mental note to pay more attention to these things. |
And the third reason we went to Second Beach was so that we could play on the playground equipment before moving to our next destination.
Although Karis was too afraid to go down the twisty tube slide on her own, she was a lunatic on the bouncy "bridge" type thing. She was jumping on it and nearly falling down as other boys came and pounded on it sending her flying up and against the metal sides. Yikes! Of course she would love the things that have an added bit of fear or danger for me to watch. I'm no good that kinda stuff.
Next stop,
Hallelujah Point
This location is close to the Totem Poles and more importantly to the girls, the place to get ice cream. ; )
Now on a different side of Stanley Park, we were able to see the tall buildings of downtown along the entry to Coal Harbour. We watched float planes come and go, huge cargo boats moving slowly in the water, we spied a cruise ship, Canada Place, the Convention centre and so much more......
Oh and I while I was taking photos, the girls continued to enjoy their fast melting treats.
They were absolutely sticky and covered with popsicle. They were also the happiest kids there!
From this spot we were able to make a walk cutting across the narrowest part of the park to the opposite side - across from North Van.
The "Mermaid"
I had pointed out the "mermaid" on the rock to the girls as we were driving around when we first arrived. Kamille has been playing a lot of pretend "mermaid" in the bathtub lately so I thought she'd like this...
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| Hello Lighthouse... |
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| Hello Lions Gate bridge and West Van.... |
and there she was...
She's actually "Girl In Wetsuit" according to those that want to get technical or formal, but we think she looks just like a Mermaid up there on that rock.
The Splash Pad
By this point in our day, the time on the clock was closer to the time that Karis would be getting up for a nap rather than putting her down for one. She was hangin' in there and I debated if I should pack us all up in the car and head home.
It would have been a good idea, but then I thinking about the fact that this was our day of fun. This was
the day to spend
the day with my girls in a way that we were all having fun. I knew Karis had it in her to keep it real......
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| Nothing like some nice cool water to keep you from feeling drowsy! |
She loved it....
She was non-stop, running from one thing to the next, getting splashed, squealing with excitement.
Kamille was equally as happy.....
Its days like these that I am reminded of how precious my time with my girls really is.
These days of
being with my girls.
Days when all they want is my attention and time spent on beaches and eating ice cream together.
These days are precious and are passing with each tick of the clock.
My girls will not stop growing up.
My plan is not for them to grow apart from me.
Its days like these that have me remembering that there is no better time than the present to strengthen our relationship so that we can continue to grow up
- together.
This relationship with my girls means everything to me.
And a spontaneous trip to Stanley Park only makes our relationship shine that much brighter.
xo
