Canada Day 2025

This was a golden day! 

I donned my Canada 150 shirt, and opted to visit Granville Island for its 
Canada Day festivities: Dragon Boat rides, face-painting, live entertainment,
 Jazz Festival. 24C weather, low traffic, easy parking near Riley Park, where
 a newly published geocache is. My son cleverly distracted 'muggle'
 (nongeocacher) in proximity, who was airing his country music from his 
truck, awaiting a baseball game at Stadium yonder, by his greeting "Happy 
Bobby Bonilla Day!"[1] With this ploy I geocached undisturbed.

We took a crowded SkyTrain to Olympic Village, then a bus to Granville Island.
 Many Canada t-shirts in red and white. Maybe my black Canada 150 tee with 
multi-colour maple leaf emblem was incongruent but as I bought and wore it in
 Ottawa it was as worthy as anything. We shortly happened upon a young string
 trio, "Fiddling Gerbils of Minecraft" performing our national anthem to a 
sitting audience.

"Why are they not standing?" I asked my son. "Have they no patriotism?" My son
 already had his hand over his heart, standing.

"Solemnity, Mother. Hand over heart, like a true Canadian."

I put my hand over my heart. The audience was not moved to stand or move their
 hands. I giggled some and a female violinist gave us a 'one tiny step toward
 laughter' smile. 

A safe pause after the final note, I added "cha cha cha" which DID make the
 violinist laugh. We tossed money in the box and moved on. 

They started in on a song I suspected to be "Ice Ice Baby", all I knew is 
that the opening was "Under Pressure" but the rest of it wasn't.

I next found a geocache in ivy by a dock, a Mountain Dew container cleverly 
repurposed, and large enough to hold swag. We walked about 'to see what we 
could see', and to view points of interest: public toilets, Water Park, Ron 
Basford Park, Big Yellow Crane, colourful float homes with splendid flower 
baskets and gardens, blissed-out boy wielding a spoon laden with gelato, 
resting on a gigantic waffle cone sculpture, and The Public Market of course. 

Our visit to Granville Island was as superb as visiting an amusement park 
without the insane parking, the "i wanna" (except from me and I was modest
with my gawking as I know boring it is watching others inspect merchandise),
 the over-priced food, and franchise characters, and admission fees. My son
brought five water bottles. I assured him that water fountains were plentiful
on Granville Island, but no matter.

I faced my peril with a visit to Paper-Ya, a great place for fountain pens, 
inks, sealing wax, paper. Nothing purchased but tempted by a red Platinum 
Plaisir. We collected mini Canada Flags on sticks. As expected, all the food 
areas were busy and there were long lines for some booths and cafes.

My son found himself 'volunteered' to another entertainer's performance of 
balance and juggling. He held a ladder with another 'volunteer'. Since he was 
a young child my son's energy explodes with leading antics from street 
performers, and he is powerfully tempted to participate and assist, so I'm 
happy he had some wish-fulfillment at Granville Island.

Slightly wilted by the heat, we trudged to the nearest bus stop but found 
it was already populated by at least a dozen prospective passengers, many we
would have to surrender seats to as etiquette and courtesy dictated. We also
 found a sign 'buses run on W 4th and W 6th with greater frequency' so we 
moved on. We lucked into running for a bus, nowhere near full, heading 
downtown.

By now my son was hungry. We had an assignation with a friend at Granville 
and Robson, and I remembered there would be food trucks on Robson. I was 
correct! Along with anti-China protests. A passerby gave one orator the finger.

My friend had Adventure Labs on his mind (mini-tours themed with local 
history), I had food and MacLeod's Books on my mind -- finding a certain Eric
 Ambler book is fruitless so far, but oh, so many John Buchan hardcovers! John
 Buchan was a Governor General of Canada and a spy novelist. 

Keeping things Canadian, we stopped into a White Spot Restaurant for snacks 
and drinks. Then toddled to a Stadium for the Vancouver Whitecaps 50 Years 
Anniversary Adventure Lab. After that, a 'comfort station' stop, and a good 
walk over to Davie and Thurlow for 'Transylvanian Traditions', yes! for a 
bite! Of their sumptuous and gorgeous cakes! I hadn't been there in ten years
 and was so happy to see Transylvania Traditions open and thriving.
	
My son's fervour for Cowboy Bebop Bebop Band Jazz Festival finale concert 
lost to fatigue, and we returned to our car for an eventless and swift 
return home. I spent the last two hours of Canada Day watching National Film 
Board videos: one about Ottawa employing and housing 17,000 workers for the 
wartime effort in 1942, and one a centenary fictionalized short of a pivotal 
moment in the political career of Sir John Alexander Macdonald, Canada's 
first Prime Minister. It seems the American Civil War news inspired Macdonald
 to unify Canada, and I can see parallels as inter-provincial trade barriers
 are removed to strengthen Canada's economy in 2025. 

July 1 2025 was proof that my son could not have 'too much Canada' at all. 














[1] https://bobbybonilla.day/