Where Are Our Parks?

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Vancouver City Council today received and approved a report on parks in the city. The report included a 37-page listing of all the permanent and designated parks (see here: https://council.vancouver.ca/20220301/documents/r8.pdf).

I read the report with interest but noted that two important Grandview parks (Salsbury Park at Salsbury & Adanac, and Mosiac Creek Park on Charles Street) were missing from the inventory.

Given the historical rapacity with which CoV Planning and their developer buddies treat our neighbourhood, the absence of these parks from an official inventory is worrying, to say the least. I have written to Parks Board for their comments but have yet to hear from them.

Dandelions and Blossoms, Shadows and Sunshine

Today Salsbury Park was resplendent with the beauty of late spring.

Select image for a much better view.

A Socially Distant Gathering

A group of us (average age about 70) decided that for the good of our mental health we would gather for a rendezvous at Salsbury Park this morning.

 

We are used to meeting quite often, and this was an excuse to break out of our social isolation for an hour, chat, gossip, run with the dogs. We were all very disciplined about staying a decent step apart from each other. It was a gorgeous day and I am certain it did us good.

This could become a habit if we continue to be house-bound for a few weeks.

Today In Salsbury Park

 

I don’t often see seagulls in Salsbury Park; it is generally dominated by crows and squirrels. However the usual suspects must have been at home, keeping warm from the snow.  Their absence allowed a pair of seagulls to walk around to their heart’s content, snapping up whatever they could find.

Today In Salsbury Park

 

It was a really beautiful fall day today.  Bright sunshine, a pleasant chill, no wind.

After a long walk, I rested a while in Salsbury Park which was looking at its autumn finest.  I noticed as I always do that a wide range of children’s toys are left for anyone to play with in the playground area. It is a small but tangible indication of the trusting and friendly community we have surrounding this little oasis of green.

Select image for a much better view.

Slacklining In The Park

 

I love it when slackliners come to practice at Salsbury Park.

In Salsbury Park Today

 

I think all the neighbourhood kids were here this afternoon; they were all over the park, just loving the snow and the slope.

Select the image for a closer view.

Hanging Around At Salsbury Park

 

The apartment building that edges the east end of Salsbury Park is covered in a pebbledash stucco. The bumps and crevices apparently give enough grip for a squirrel to go climbing straight up and down.  I sat on the bench in the glorious winter sunshine for quite some time fascinated as this clever animal played with gravity. I think she was concerned about something on the ground, a cat perhaps; but eventually she climbed down and got on with her day.

Today In Salsbury Park

This morning we went out for breakfast, to the Skylight which is still our favourite. On the way home we stopped for a while in the Park, sitting at the bench surrounded by several trees. The weather was superb —  cool, with bright sun and a clear blue sky, with no need for a jacket yet.

We spent some time collecting acorns for the family of squirrels that visits our patio each day, and then we just sat back and relaxed.  We watched the silent but steady fall of small leaves; some fell down directly, others spun in a tight spiral, seemingly delaying the inevitable, while yet others glided away from a straight path down, landing as migrants across the lawn.  The crows, squirrels and jays kept their distance.

Finally we made friends with a Sirail hound called Stripe. He is a pal of the local three-legged Lucky but is a great deal more affable. A beautiful dog apparently saved from the slums of Bangladesh.

The tiny Salsbury Park is a wonderful place to interact with neighbours of all kinds.

Today In Salsbury Park

Quite the lovely day in the Park today. Warm enough to sit quietly, cool enough not to sweat even climbing the hill.

The blossom trees are just about starting to bloom, and the dandelions are painting the lawn. Beautiful.

Today In Salsbury Park

It was barely mid-morning when these two kids grabbed the opportunity for the winter’s first sled run on the Salsbury Park slope!

Today In Salsbury Park

The extraordinary canopy of copper and gold and light brown leaves that has been such a feature of the Park for the last few weeks has entirely tumbled to the ground.  For a day or so it was impossible to find the path under the deep shag of the fallen leaves. But then the Parks folks came and efficiently swept them all up into piles.

Today, there are just the final hangers on, delaying that final drop for as long as they can.

 

Previous Salsbury Park ruminations.

Quiet Day In Salsbury Park

Usually when I write about Salsbury Park, it is because something happened there. But today was just a day to enjoy the quietness of it all.

We have been given today a wonderfully warm and sunny day. Stretched out as we are between two massive rain systems, one just past and another to arrive tomorrow, we deserve this day of rest and warmth. And that was what I was celebrating today — no rooks or squirrels, or dogs or slack-liners — just a peaceful quiet noontime in the dappled light beneath the trees of my favourite park.

Hard to complain.

Double click image for an enhanced view.

Previous Salsbury Park contemplations.

Today In The Park

I went out this afternoon, in the heat of the sun, to buy groceries. I didn’t buy a lot of things; but it was enough to cause me to sit for a while in Salsbury Park, to catch my breath on my way home. It was three o’clock on a Saturday afternoon.

I chose the bench at the north east side of the Park, as I usually do, to catch the several cross-wind breezes that seem to like caressing that spot. The bench is also in the shade of several fine trees. I sat with no expectations. There were no other people in the Park. No dogs. No squirrels. No rooks nor eagles.

After a short while, as I relaxed my legs, I recognized that I was sitting in an unexpected silence. If I tried, I could just make out the steady hum of the city a few blocks away, but it was easy to ignore. There was no other sound, near or far.  For a minute or two anyway.

That was lovely.

Music In Salsbury Park

I was heading out this evening to go to the Grandview Heritage Group meeting. As I walked into Salbsury Park I was both surprised and pleased to find about three dozen ukulele players practising there.

So I sat and listened for a while and it was a joyous experience.  My little park continues to amaze me every day.

Today in Salsbury Park

I usually write about activities I see in my favourite little park, but today there was a mystery.

When I crossed the park this afternoon, there was — unusually — no-one else there; no kids, no adults, no dogs. However, two of the four benches had large numbers of stuffed toys sitting on them.

I have no idea why they were there.  I hope that some benefactor simply left them for kids to find and play with. It will be interesting to see if they are still there in the morning when I pass through.

Another Day In Salsbury Park

I just love little Salsbury Park. It is on my way to and from everywhere and I often sit on the benches, especially on fine days like today.  I have written before about eagles, squirrels, and slackliners in the Park. Today, my joy was with little kids.

As anyone who knows the Park is aware, the eastern end has a very steep slope — grassy in summer, perfect for sleds on a snowy day.  There were two young lads, perhaps two or three years old, trying to scale the hill.  One of them found it no problem; he ran to the top and raced down again.  However, his pal just couldn’t get the hang of walking up the slope: he would run a few steps and then fall back on his backside, over and over again.  Also because of the slope, he was having trouble getting himself standing upright again after each fall.  His little friend came over — over and over again — and gave him a hand up.

I spoke with one of their fathers who told me it was the little one’s first ever hill.

Finally, after much endeavour, both boys stood proudly at the top of the slope, laughing and enjoying their joint success.  It was wonderful to watch such an important triumph.

Flying Squirrels

A week ago, I wrote a piece about eagles soaring over Salsbury Park. Today I was sitting on a bench at the same park. The bench is positioned between two good-sized trees.  At the very top of each tree was a squirrel, one black, the other gray.

They were chasing each other — playfully, it seemed — leaping from one tiny springy twig to the next, from one tree to the next. Back and forth, up and down.

I guess it wasn’t quite as awesome as the eagles, but it sure was entertaining.

Where Eagles Soar

At lunchtime today, there were two huge eagles circling and soaring over Salsbury Park. It is hard to get upset with the day when you get to see that.

Slacklining

My local greenspace is Salsbury Park, a tiny half-block area just east of Commercial Drive.  It is very popular locally, with a well-used children’s playground, excellent benches for us old folks, and one of the best sled slopes for the kids when it snows.  It is often the scene of small groups practicing stuff like fire dances and rhythmic chain swinging. But yesterday was something new, at least for me.

A chap had strung a slackline between two trees and was walking and bouncing and turning on it. I sat on a bench and watched him for a while. He fell off a few times, but just got back up and carried on. [select image for a better view].

Great fun and excellent cabaret for me!