“Wherever you go, there you are.” – Confucious
The roads and sidewalks are damp here. Always. Even though this has been the dryest January in Vancouver for forty years, approximately, the ground is still never dry. At any point during the day. Which may not seem like a huge deal, but for a handicapped runner, it is a big deal. I am running regularly again, but slipping on damp roads would not be optimal even if my body was in its robust natural state, but the lacerated extensor tendons in my hand are still not healed 100%, (although improving every second) and my left leg (knee and foot) are not as tight and loud (the ‘popping’ noises have dulled down) since being struck by the car, I’d still rather not fall down if I can help it. Hence the damp roads are annoying, and slightly unnerving. Naturally, I scouted and found a gym the first week we arrived that houses a bounty of treadmills and is geographically desirable, only about a twelve-minute walk from our place, so although running outside is novel and gorgeous, running on slippery surfaces is optional.
Post Saturday run.
We live in the Fairview area, which is close to Kitsilano, a cool, urban slice of the city that inspires strolling, aka, driving and parking our Sprinter van on our neighborhood is cumbersome and unnecessary. Thankfully, Marion forged a friendship with the show’s transportation (Teamster) captain, and he is allowing us to store the Sprinter on the backlot versus having to dose do with street parking throughout the day and night; a massive headache and time suck relief for me.
My indoor bike set-up.
Another chunk of my Canadian routine is riding my bike indoors on the trainer. Indeed, there are plenty of brave cyclists pedaling the slick Vancouver streets, but I am not quite there yet and am content to stick to my stationary set up in our guest room until the daylight lingers longer in the Spring and/or I am confident that my hand and arm are strong enough to spin outside. That said, I did not bring my Trek TT bike, Red Sonja, across the border. She is in trusted care, but since I have desire to compete in any sort of triathlon in 2025, I figured bringing her up here would be a misuse of space in the van and our apartment; however, I do plan to ride my road bike, Scarlet, when the right moment strikes!
The absolute highlight of January is that our Centrum Silver dog, Blue, (she’s nearly twelve), has calmly settled into her new apartment lifestyle. She enjoys multiple walks a day, indulges her restful tendencies by laying on and sinking into our prime napping conditions couch, and her eating habits have remained consistent, healthy, and undisturbed because I sourced her fancy nutrition (dog food) at our neighborhood pet store.
Blue at any time of day.
Above all, she can be trusted when left alone.
So far…
My biggest concern about moving up here was that Blue would destroy the place when Marion and I left for any amount of time, thereby forcing my own captivity, (if you have ever seen our front door at our house in LA you would understand my concerns), miraculously, my anticipatory stress was unfounded. Blue hasn’t scratched any surfaces when we have been away for any amount of time. Long Sunday brunches, no problem, an hour long run, catnap city, watching the AFC championships for four-plus hours including the walk commute to the tavern and co-worker schmooze, eazy-breezy, in essence, after every mini-pop out to explore the city we’ve returned amazed, relieved, and most of all proud of her stellar well-behaved/old-lady behavior.
Mid-January celebration for Marion’s “Double-Nickel” birthday on the 16th.
My Canadian life is shaping up nicely, yet it is unsurprisingly like my life in the states. I am a writer, runner, reader, wife, dog-mom, coach, plant-powered human and empathetic citizen in whichever land my passport is stamped, but home is wherever Marion and Blue reside, by my side.
The song and video choice this week is a nod to a recent doc we watched on Netflix, Marion's Orlando roots and just barely aging out of a completely different life.