Cherry Bomb and Parkour

Bronwyn has been bugging me to take her to a store called "Cherry Bomb" in downtown Vancouver. We passed it on our way to the Christmas Party in December; a custom T-shirt store (and more). A particular T-shirt (a stormtrooper wearing a Santa hat) caught her eye. Every weekend, well, every day, since then she has asked; "Can we go to Cherry Bomb?" "You said you'd take me to Cherry Bomb." "We're going to Cherry Bomb, right?" "Remember you said we could go to Cherry Bomb?" Relentless.

"It's a lame t-shirt store", I responded negatively, "You will be disappointed." And I blabbed on about not wanting to waste my precious weekend time. But the requests weren't going to stop until we'd made the trip. So on Sunday, a warm and cloudy day, Mike and I decided that we should all do a bike trip downtown. Well, actually, we parked our bikes close to the Burrard Bridge, and walked over the bridge and into downtown.

It was a fun afternoon. Cherry Bomb did not disappoint Bronwyn. It was not the store that I remembered or thought it was and so I had to eat my words. You can choose a design from 100s of pics and get it printed on a t-shirt or sweatshirt. We only had time and money to look at the pre-made shirts. Many of them are not what you'd call 'child-friendly'; lots of drug motifs. As well, the store has a whole bunch of vintage Playboy magazines everywhere. I didn't understand the connection (custom t-shirts - Playboy...nope, still don't get it). The far back of the store appears to be a head shop...beware when you are taking curious children. With all the weed 'dispensaries' opening up in Vancouver (about 4 in our own neighbourhood), I am answering a lot of questions about Cannabis lately. Which is a subject for another post. We enjoyed looking around and, of course, came out with a shirt for Bronwyn, a phone case for Nicky, and a wallet for River.
 

 

As we approached downtown along Granville Sreet, the kids got quiet. I could see them looking around at the strange array of people we were passing. A group of teenagers, not much older than them, dishevelled and scruffy, covered with sleeping bags and crouched together with their dogs. "I feel really sorry for the dogs", Bronwyn said. I remembered a Seinfeld skit where he asks what is the point of having a dog if you're homeless, with the dog probably thinking, "Hey, I can do this by myself!" If you are a dog owned by a homeless person are you a stray dog? Anyway, the kids gradually warmed up to the surroundings and what started as apprehension soon turned into interest. It is quite a colourful part of downtown; grungy restaurants, seedy looking adult stores (although they are far fewer than there used to be), flop houses. We watched as a slow and stooped old guy struggled with his walker to to enter the adult store, which advertised 25c peep shows and other 'delights'. Alongside this scene is the up-and-coming side to Granville Street; hotels and newish trendy stores and restaurants as you get closer to the downtown core.

 

Nicky impressed us with his parkour skills; jumping and spinning and climbing over any structure he saw along the way. And downtown is great for that, walls and steps to jump and climb, gates and poles to negotiate. Bronwyn followed a little more apprehensively. River followed too. When Nicky jumped a fence or bicycle rack, River would follow and crawl under it. It was quite funny. River lacks the balance and coordination that Nicky revels in. He is way more cautious, but he got into the spirit of it. So did Bronwyn, who is growing into a young lady and perhaps thought it was a little undignified to be flinging herself over walls and railings.

Nicky had to leave as soon as we got back and that always makes us a bit glum. But we'll plan some stuff for the next weekend.

Saturday at the Museum

Busy weekend. Nicky with us which always makes for a fun and busy time as the gang of us make our way around the neighbourhood. During the past summer we'd bike to the beach every day; often with an extra child or two in tow. Mike would carry our small barbecue in his hand and our rag tag mob would weave our way down to Jericho. It was the summer of swimming as Mike and I enjoyed and exhilaration of swimming in the ocean (as the kids always do); the initial cold shock followed by the refreshing pleasure and trepidation of swimming in cold, deep water. We challenged ourselves with the distance we would swim out and, on a few occasions, swam late at night. It was memorable and fun and we are planning to repeat it this year when the weather has warmed up a little. That said, it's 12 degrees today and I think we swam in October in a similar temperature. Anyway, moving on to this weekend.

Bronwyn and bear - way back when

Playing drums

 On Saturday we made our way to UBC to visit the Museum of Anthropology. We even bought a family membership! We continue to live without a car; determined to do without for all kinds of reasons, so a short trip to UBC is easy to do on the bus. The kids enjoy MOA. My strategy with these kinds of things is to make the visit relatively short (Mike and I could spend hours in there) and keep it moving. Next time I suggest we go there, and I will, I want the kids to say "OK" and not think, "Oh no, a long boring trip to a museum!" We've been a few times over the years and I thought it would be fun to contrast this visit with a picture from a previous visit.

River - 2009 - interacting with exhibits!

The pout

Mike and I (and Bronwyn) are busy making paper mache heads. I have thought of working in paper mache for a while now and have dabbled here and there. But I really wanted to try making a paper mache and cloth figure or doll. Our original idea was to make monsters or strange creatures, that is still the plan - but I'm not sure what it will turn into now; and that is part of the fun. I am working on a couple of heads and Mike and Bronwyn are working on one each. Mike and I were especially interested in going to the MOA so that we could look at the vast array of masks and figures and, hopefully, get some inspiration and ideas. We were not disappointed.

Museum fatigue

 Towards the end of the visit the kids got tired and lolled about; various complaints of thirst and hunger and boredom began to surface and so we knew our time was up. But, hey, we got a membership, we can go back whenever!

Waiting for the bus - sitting on Mike's feet

Weekend escapes

Not a bad weekend. Escaped for a sleepover at Michelle's on Friday night. We stayed up until the early hours drinking and eating; blueberry crepes at 1:30am anyone? Why not. Watched the A-Team movie...good bubblegum for the brain (I was a big fan of the A-Team), and re-runs of Seinfeld and Friends. I would post a picture of us...but it's not pretty. We decided that our new slogan should be, "No one gets hurt laying on the couch". This is a direct response to my ongoing saga of injuries as a result of trying to be healthy and active.

Bronwyn had her own sleepover at her friend Emma's on Saturday night. They went swimming and saw a movie. This is a lot for Bronwyn who burns out very quickly. She had a great time...but was very, very tired on Sunday (and this means that she is beyond cranky with the rest of us). On Sunday I took Bronwyn to the Museum of Anthropology to see the Coastal First Nations Dance Festival. We saw them a while back (actually 2 years ago...wow, time goes by fast) and she still talks about them. I promised I would take her. It was well worth it. We watched the dancers for about an hour and a half. They were excellent; great dances and movements, and fascinating stories. The costumes and masks were stunning. Of course the batteries for my camera ran out...so I couldn't get many decent pictures. At least that meant I could concentrate on watching and enjoying.

We ran into Mike, Sarah, Nicky and extended family while we were there. Nicky was running around in a batman costume with yellow wellies on...pretty funny.

Otherwise we are just experiencing shock, along with the rest of the world, at the horrendous devastation in Japan. It is unbelievable.

Music, snow, rain, museum, swim...

A bumper post today! River woke up bright and cheery yesterday at 6am. I actually got my act together and had the kids dressed and out for a morning walk. We bought hot chocolate and croissants and took a walk to Jericho Park. We are back to mild temperatures and rain after a spell of freezing cold weather, unusual even for Vancouver.

Dear -10C, 
Let me start by saying that you do not belong here. It would appear that you bought into the Vancouver hype. But, really, the Olympics are long-gone, the real estate is over-valued, the wages are low, and things are really expensive. Including heat. We like the rain and people here cry themselves to sleep if they can't wear their North Face jackets and Hunter boots...it's that type of place. Of course, it is beautiful too, but your heart is out East or farther north and you should go back there where you are accepted, and perhaps even wanted. Do not come back. We hate you.
Yours truly, Vancouver.

By Thursday the temperature started to rise and we got a huge snowfall. Of course, in true Vancouver style, it quickly turned to rain and was basically gone by the afternoon, but it was fun to go out in. I hauled River around Jericho park in the sled/toboggan...or "boat" as he calls it. Jericho park was beautiful, completely transformed and blanketed in white. It is so unusual to see the park covered in snow. I thought there would be more people out and about, but we almost had the place to ourselves. Not that I am complaining.


Jericho Park in the snow



River at Hastings Mill...in his "boat"

Friday was my birthday. Mark and I went out on Tuesday night to celebrate. I'd asked for tickets to one of the Music on Main concerts, Vern Griffiths, percussionist for the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra (and guests) performing at the Jazz Cellar, a local jazz bar/restuarant. The music was excellent and it was a wonderfully intimate venue. The pieces were very contemporary; first rate musicians playing what they like to play. I'm sure I enjoyed it a lot more than Mark did (I don't think he'd do it again...ever), but it's good to get out of your comfort zone now and then.

On Friday, Bronwyn had the day off school and so we went to the Museum of Anthropology. We couldn't stay too long but it was fun. Such a wonderful museum with so much to look at; open storage and tons of drawers to open. I have mentioned it before, but it is even better now that all the renovations are complete. The main bulk of the collection seems to focus on First Nation communities; celebration and art, but other cultures from around the globe are represented in the collections. One of the most fascinating aspects of the museum is the visible storage, you could literally spend days checking out all the items. Here are a couple of pis of the storage displays:

Masks

Many of the sculptures are made from bone or horn...

Bronwyn had fun making "mask faces"...

There are a lot of amazing masks from many different cultures. Some of the masks are quite funny and childlike; bright colours and crazy expressions. We liked the dog and this shark from the....errr...oops...I forget.

In the afternoon we went around to Nicole and Gala's for some tea and yummy cakes. Yesterday we intended to go ice-skating, but Bronwyn continues to have a chesty cough and seemed tired and not really herself. Instead we went to the Brock House Christmas fair. It was a quaint little Christmas fair. Lots of elderly people milling around and standing behind tables selling an odd assortment of (obviously) donated items. But it felt very cosy and reminded me of the Christmas fairs that I went to back in England as a kid, the smell was even familiar...probably soup and mince pies. Among other things, there was the obligatory table full of odd knitted items in even stranger colours (no thongs), the table of dubious Christmas decorations and a jewellery table with more clip-on earrings than I have seen in a long time. A group of 4 or 5 musicians played traditional carols. Bronwyn enjoyed herself and bought some nik-naks and a silk scarf (her "super-dog" scarf). I enjoyed watching and listening to the elderly people bustling about, chattering, and sharing a joke together. I wish there were more older/elderly people in our lives that we could visit now and then; hear their stories. I suppose I could try and work on that somehow. I bought too many books. I had a major clear-out of books over the past few years, but have found myself beginning to accumulate more. Hard to resist when there is a decent selection for $2 a bag-full.

Bronwyn in her "super dog" scarf.

The pond, almost thawed 3 days after the snow!

And yesterday afternoon we took the kids swimming (with Gala, Nicole, and Troy) to the newly opened Hillcrest Swimming pool. It was so much fun. The kid's pool is warm, shallow, big, and tons of fun. River and Bronwyn had a great time. So did the adults.

Busy week or so coming up...meetings about River; team meeting, goal-setting meeting, meeting and observation at pre-school, back to speech therapy after a few months break. All the other usual stuff including insane amounts of things going on at their educational establishments. Then....arggghhh!!!...planning for Christmas. But that's a long way away, right?

Spring Break...

It's Spring Break here in Vancouver (otherwise known as "half term"...I think...in England). Bronwyn has the week off preschool and I am trying to think of things to keep her occupied. As every parent knows, the problem with school holidays is that every activity that you can think of has already been thought of by about 1000 other desperate parents. We have the luxury of doing things during the week when it is quiet and so during school holidays I get a bit (albeit unfairly) put out that other people and their kids want to crowd us.

Anyway, last week we got chance to go to the Museum of Anthropology at UBC. It has just opened following a 6 month break for renovations. It's probably my favourite museum in Vancouver (although Vancouver cannot boast of many museums). I was disappointed that some of our favourite exhibits where still under wraps and, although they have re-opened, there is only a small part of the collection that is open.

However, we arrived on Tuesday to find a dance in progress as part of the opening festivities. The dancers were performing for school kids. It was a real treat and the kids were transfixed. Bronwyn was entranced by the dancers and especially a little girl who was part of the group. They were the Dancers of Damelahamid, an Aboriginal dance collective from BC's west coast. Their costumes and the dances and songs were beautiful and captivating. So much so that we went back again on Wednesday morning. Unfortunately, we were not permitted to take pictures of the dancers or their costumes and sets. I am using a press photo.

The Museum of Anthropology is an amazing building and I love the Great Hall. The Great Hall is especially beautiful during a summer sunset, when the orange light filters in through the 15 metre glass wall and illuminates the gallery and the towering totems. I couldn't get a good picture of the Great Hall because the dancers were set up there. I will take more pictures later on and also write a bit more about the museum and it's collection. We joined as members and we only live 5 minutes away so we go there a lot.

One of my favourite pieces is The Raven and The First Men Sculpture by Bill Reid. Carved from laminated yellow cedar it depicts the Haida legend of the Raven . The figure of the Raven is cracking open the shell that contains mankind. It is a wonderful piece and I especially like the ominous, yet quirky figure of the Raven (the trickster). I also like that you can walk all the way around it. Unfortunately, "The Rotunda" where it is housed is still closed.

Last time Bronwyn saw it she got a kick out of the humorous side of the sculpture and exclaimed, "Ha, look, there's a bum sticking out!".

River also has a great reaction to some of the exhibits. He was really engaged by this one. He kept touching it and running back and forth laughing his head off!

Of course he wanted to take a closer look and kept trying to climb into the displays.

This is one of Bronwyn's favourite pieces. Obviously it is more contemporary.

The figures are made out of lots of different small pieces of broken crockery and tile etc. We intend to make our own version of this soon. I love seeing kid's responses to art. As adults I think we look at art in a different way and that we often lose our initial response amidst a bunch of over-thinking. Kids simply look and respond in an authentic, unselfconscious way. Museums and art galleries should be experienced by everyone in their own way and I think that is happening more and more. Fortunately, my kids are not at the roll-eyes-and-yawn stage yet.