Vancouver, a City of Contrasts

We reached Vancouver late in the day.

It was raining. It always rains, so they say. The hotel was warm and dry.

The beds super comfy. All was well for the night.

The next day we headed to Stanley Park along the water.

Though we were still far north, north of the USA, I was surprised to see

palm trees in Vancouver! Yes, palm trees. We were only an hour or so away from Whistler Mountain and other ski centers and yet there they were--healthy and strong palms.

I learned later that this is due to the Jet Stream coming from the warmer waters

of the nearby Pacific Ocean.

Still a real treat to see! Tropical palm trees north of the border. Wow.

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My man is Mr. Pool Man Himself, having taught every swimming and

water rescue class there is to teach.

He has planned and run all sorts of swim programs

in his life, starting with Boy Scout days waaaaaaaaay back.

He still teaches the lifeguards at the local pools before each summer.

While enjoying our walk along the seawall in Vancouver, accompanied by the

noisy gulls, we came across this massive public pool.

No way we could fit the whole thing in one picture

without some fancy wide-angle lens.

It had slides and diving boards and lane lines and shallow areas.

But the coolest part was that it sat tucked up against the Strait of Georgia, the inlet coming in from the Ocean. Barges, cruise ships and fishing vessels passed nearby the wall of the pool.

I guess when you are paddling along in the chlorine you can imagine

you're heading out to sea with the fish if you focus beyond the iron fence.

Jack was quite impressed with this pool and

we walked around it more than once.

Too bad it wasn't a "tad" warmer and we had our swimsuits...