It’s Canada Day.
I suppose I should have taken some more time to reflect on this country – what I love and what I think needs improvement – given that my main task this summer is to drive from the west coast of this nation to the east coast.
But I didn’t. Instead, I spent most of my day either with my terrific friends that I don’t see enough, or with my parents, who I also don’t see enough. There will be enough time for deep thinking about my country during the hours and hours of driving I have ahead of me in the coming weeks.
I kicked off this lovely holiday by heading over to the River Market to meet a fellow journalism school survivor. It was nice to communicate in person instead of rants on social media.
Next, another friend and I went off to a grand maritime (museum) adventure. Despite both of us growing up here in this region, neither of us had ever been to the Vancouver Maritime Museum. So when DR suggested it, as admission was free today, we headed off.
It’s a pretty neat little museum. There was an interesting exhibit on the Franklin expedition, more model ships than you could really shake a stick at, and then there was the main attraction: the RCMP St. Roch.
It was a schooner, built in the late 1920s. It supplied and patrolled the Arctic (including sled dog patrols) and was the first vessel to circumnavigate North America. It was pretty cool. The best part of the exhibit is you get to go onto the boat and explore it, checking out the crew quarters, galley, etc.
I love museum exhibits where you get to touch things and clamber over them.
I also for some reason had never known the root word of Arctic, which seems like something I should have learned in school. It comes from the Greek word arktos which means bear. Which makes total sense when you start thinking about the North Star/Polaris, and the fact that the Big and Little Dippers are also known as Ursa Major/Minor… anyways, etymology is cool, OK?
Then I had a brief visit to Granville Island, where we hooked up with more friends, and spent a lovely afternoon conversing.
Also, then I went and watched pretty things make booming noises and light up the sky in attractive ways.
Happy Canada Day!
Victoria Paterson 