Olympics postscript

I finally made it to the Oval out in Richmond.
A dreary Sunday afternoon, but there were people gathered for some fundraiser run. Live music. Small crowd. Everything made a little sadder by seeing how, inside, the rink is torn up. A walk around the building showed other places where good enough to be in use during the Olympics now looks bare, unfinished. Straggly.

Sad.

I had wanted to get to the Oval and see speed skating very much, but I never did get my hands on tickets. Ah well. I shouldn't complain. The building has some lovely aspects, too. The roof - pine beetle infested timber recovered for use - is one. Susan Point designs to the rain gutters.


Interesting net "sculptures" that made me think of how the area has been important to fisheries.


I hope it turns out to be a terrific community resource for decades to come.

But still: sad.

Any Vancouverites reading this may disagree, but I felt a profound change from when last we were there. It's silly of me to expect that there would be the Olympics EVERY day, but the energy in the city was so so much lower, and there was a paucity of Olympics regalia marking what had been. I saw some jackets and such (and was a vulture, shopping for scarce deals in The Bay), but mostly, the city was back to being a bit wet, a bit sleepy.

Pine for cedars, pine for the Vancouver that was. Ah well, the city thrives and is still a place I love dearly.