Block Party 2012

As with tradition, once again, our street comes alive during the 4th annual Block Party!

In Preparation…

As with every other year, there were live music, plenty of food, singing, dancing, fireworks, talking, and… fun! It was pretty awesome. All the equipment in the photographs above belongs to our neighbour two houses down. He is a professional musician. For the last years he has been performing and hosting the party. The party probably wouldn’t have been this successful if it wasn’t for the food. In fact, I wasn’t able to snap a photo before the food was all gone. But I can tell you that as with any potluck, there was a huge variety of food, in every colour. My favourite was the tortilla chip and dip, and the meringue pie. The pie was good, but the craziness made everything better. There is a lot of toddlers on our street, so that’s why there was the improvised stage (see above), and mini piano. This was the same as every other year, and  so was the fireworks, although quite unfortunately, one had a dead fuse. The others were small, but spectacular. The fun was definitely felt throughout the afternoon/night.

Speaking of fun, nothing really unfortunate happend this year, even though it was on Friday the 13th (oooohhhh). The purple spray paint wasn’t even used! You see, another tradition is spraying purple paint on the street wherever someone got hurt. Last year there was a biking accident… :-(…

Ok, fine maybe there was a small problem. It could be avoided though, if maybe someone could remind the city that delivering the barricades an hour late isn’t appreciated as much as if it was delivered a little earlier.

Behind the city barricades, we made improvised ones

Anyways, It is always a pleasant surprised to see this neighbourhood is so friendly to each other, young and old. I wish we didn’t have to move houses, but adapting to change is what separates humans from robots. If humans aren’t flexible, robots and humans wouldn’t have any distinction. Well, this is a great way to end the 7 years I have lived here. This might be the last block party I will ever have, but even if I do go to another, I believe none in the world will beat this.

The Place I Call Home

Wildlife. There are bears, deer, coyotes, raccoons, squirrels and birds, not to mention the friendly bugs. You can smell trees, ferns and wild plants growing everywhere. Living in the middle of a jungle can really change your life.

Our road

It is really an adventure to live with wild animals. There were the two times when a black bear strode into my backyard, causing considerable damage to my fence. Bears might do damage, but it is the deer that’s the most adorable, sly, clever, and a tad bit annoying all at once. First, there was one time where the back door was left slightly ajar, and then the next morning, my bowl of sweets was nothing but a bowl of wrappers. The deer was so excited, that paw prints was on my door for a while after the incident. Also in the spring, deer would eat up all the bulbs in the neighbourhood!

Not you again...

During the winter, my family put bird feeders out for the birds until last year when squirrels somehow climbed on to the feeder and stole all the food in no more than a couple of hours! No wonder why my neighbours hang their feeders on the tip of the tree. But the beauties of the place are without question the birds. They are magnificent, from stellar jays and humming birds to robins and seagulls.

Plants are equally amazing as well (fighting with the animals :-)). The aroma of roses and other flowers are astonishing. After one whiff, you’re hooked. We also have 100% organic, non-fertilized and non-chemical sprayed blackberries, raspberries, salmonberries, strawberries, chives, green onions, pumpkins, and corns. The only problem is that the strawberries turn out to be miniscule (now think about CFIA or USDA certified organic…), and the little fury creatures running around eat all the pumpkins. A con is the weeds; they grow everywhere! It is almost impossible to clear them.

It is amazing what you can see and all the adventures you’ll be able to enjoy living in a rainforest. But now, our population at 7 billion and counting, with more and more species going extinct, and thoughts about not wasting money on endangered ones, will the next generations be able to experience this luxury we are able to enjoy today? Will they be able to see the deep blue sea and swim in it like me?