FOOT LOOSE

See more West Coast scenes at Musings of A Puddlist In B.C. and also at UNDER MY UMBRELLA AND BEYOND: Love The Planet Productions.

Copyright by Penelope Puddlisms

Hula Hoop Girl Enthralls At Granville Island

MY DAUGHTER AND I were enthralled by a girl doing hula hoop tricks at Granville Island in Vancouver yesterday.

She spun the orb around her neck as if it were a large necklace.

Without pause ...

she spun ...

and twirled ...

and told some jokes.

She delighted the crowd with her enthusiasm and charm.

People applauded her dexterity and wit.

The importance of the hula hoop that aided her performance should not be overlooked. Invented in the late 1950's, the toy helps exercise the limbs and is not just for kids. The hula hoop name starting with the letter "H" inspired me to give ABC Wednesday a spin this week with this post.

Copyright by Penelope Puddlisms

See more BC scenes at Penelope Puddlisms: BC Life Is A Whale Of A Ride.

Getting To The Apple's Core

APPLE IS ONE OF THE FIRST words I learned to spell and a popular word used to teach children the first letter of the alphabet. There is a mystic quality about this juicy orb that is hard to ignore. Perhaps that is why American pioneer, Johnny Appleseed, selected the delicious apple to spread throughout the land when he could have easily picked a variety of other fruit trees to plant. The apple pictured above was as tasty as it looks and was photographed during a trip with my husband to Europe.

Not only does an apple make a great pie, it is the poisonous fruit with which a wicked stepmother in the Snow White fable tried to murder her stepdaughter. The fruit also had a starring role in a Medieval legend about William Tell who split an apple off the head of his son with an arrow. And great thinker Issac Newton discovered gravity when an apple supposedly fell on his head.

Computers are called Apple and New York City is often referred to as the Big Apple. The famous Beatles rock band picked Apple as the name for their record label. A person of ill repute is sometimes called a "bad apple" and an adored child can be "the apple of her mother's eye". And as the saying goes, "an apple a day keeps the doctor away".

Peeling back its historic significance, the fruit gets important mention in the Bible. Eve tempted Adam with an apple. He took one bite and heaven on earth, along with the innocence of mankind, vanished in an instant. Leaving a collective lump in our throats, this is perhaps why the protruding cartilage of the larynx became euphemistically known as the Adam's apple.

Yet there is no denying that crunching down on a juicy red apple is one of life's little pleasures. After all, what good would life be without tasting its fruits ... complete with pits and seeds of the not so rosy kind?

Apple is the word that came to mind when searching for a word beginning with "A". Since I started the earlier round at ABC Wednesday with the letter "B" on my other blog, apple completes my goal to circle the alphabet down to its core.

This post showcases the letter "A". If you think words are fun and enjoy playing with the alphabet, link to ABC Wednesday.

See more West Coast scenes at Musings of A Puddlist In B.C.

Zeroing In On A Circle

ZERO IS A COMPELLING WORD that starts with the letter "Z" but conjures up images of "O's". Often used to express no growth or value, the number zero is a powerful mathematical tool and a magical circle with no beginning or end. Although having no measurable quantity when it stands alone, when placed at the end of a number it adds infinite worth. And when preceding a number in an equation it can diminish a quantity indefinitely.

Zero can also describe a sense of worthlessness someone at their lowest ebb might feel. A unique award winning short film asks "how can something be nothing" by creatively merging the numerical aspects of zero with the human side of the equation.

Copyright by Penelope Puddlisms

This post showcases the letter "Z". If you think words are fun and enjoy playing with the alphabet, check out the link at the sidebar and visit ABC Wednesday.

Visit Penelope Puddlisms: BC Life Is A Whale Of A Ride for more BC scenes.

Yawning At Yuletide

IT SEEMS AS IF it was just yesterday when this tiny baby yawned up into the face of Santa during her earliest encounter with him at the Yuletide season.

Obviously far to young to appreciate the event, my daughter was all-trusting and quite blase about meeting the big man in red. As the years progressed, reactions to Santa Claus changed from indifference, to uncertainty, to genuine glee.

There are many theories as to why we yawn, from a physiological reaction due to the need for more oxygen, to a spontaneous psychological response to boredom.

Regardless of the real reason for this little understood action performed by humans and animals alike, there appears to be a great sense of satisfaction after a well executed yawn.

Despite the relief a wide-open stretch of the mouth can bring, however, it is best not to get into the habit, according to a 19th-century French writer known as Stendhal. "Life is too short," he warned, "and the time we waste in yawning never can be regained."

One should also avoid causing others to yawn. As singer Bette Midler once said, “Cherish forever what makes you unique, 'cuz you're really a yawn if it goes!”

Copyright by Penelope Puddlisms

This post showcases the letter "Y". If you think words are fun and enjoy playing with the alphabet, link to ABC Wednesday at the sidebar.

Visit Penelope Puddlisms: BC Life Is A Whale Of A Ride for more BC scenes.

The Mysteriously Missing Xyris Iris

XYRIS IS A BOTANICAL term I discovered when searching for a word beginning with the letter "X". According to some writings, xyris refers to marshland plants that usually have yellow flowers amid spiky grassy leaves.

The yellow iris I captured at Elgin Heritage Park in South Surrey was by a marshy pond edged with various grasses so seemed to fit the description. The blooms sprouted very quickly but strangely all too soon disappeared.

It looked like someone or something unceremoniously mowed down the plants when I visited the area a week later. All I found were the roots of former blooms at the foot of the pond that had turned murky and gray. I noticed some blades of grass fell across one another and formed the letter "X".

I suppose the iris in my front yard would not be termed xyris because of its purple color and location. Nonetheless, it is just as pretty and still standing unlike those at the pond.

Copyright by Penelope Puddlisms

This post showcases the letter "X". If you think words are fun and enjoy playing with the alphabet, check out the link at the sidebar and visit ABC Wednesday.

Visit Penelope Puddlisms: BC Life Is A Whale Of A Ride for more BC scenes.

White Rock, Waiting & Words Not Wasted

THE BIG ROCK painted white in the small City of White Rock, BC, sits at the fringe of the Semiahmoo Bay unmoved and seemingly with the stoic serenity of a Buddha. Its impressive calm came to mind recently.

Although not nearly as still as a boulder, I have gone into meditative states trying not to fidget in various waiting rooms. Sometimes it seems as if modern life is all about being hung up in long lines and waiting lists, especially when there are health issues involved.

In BC one can wait several months to see a specialist. Waiting, White Rock and words converged in my mind when pondering the letter "W". It looked like some folks in White Rock last May were fed up with waiting and took to the streets with words such as End Waitlists scrawled on placards.

Despite their efforts, there was no coverage in the local papers as I watched for analysis of their causes in hopes that their words were not wasted.

I noticed meaningless scrawls and empty words marring the brick behind this man taking a picture at another rally.

On June 13th in South Surrey citizens took to the streets again about matters that would significantly impact future generations. After the Conservative Government of Canada won a majority in the last federal election they proceeded to make changes quietly and without much debate.

Some people are very concerned that the passage of the budget Bill-C38 would have a negative impact on the environment, erode Employment Insurance benefits and much more.

To convince people in power that they are going down the wrong path takes a lot of well-crafted words, patience, dedication and flexibility. Granted some balls might never bounce ...

and some eggs might never hatch. But I still admire ...

folks who get involved and don't passively play it safe on the sidelines.

Chipping away at an immovable force CAN influence how things will unfold.

Copyright by Penelope Puddlisms

This post showcases the letter "W". If you think words are fun and enjoy playing with the alphabet, check out the link at the sidebar and visit ABC Wednesday.

Visitors Tap Tapping At Nature's Door

NOT EVERYONE WELCOMES the rain that visits southwest BC throughout the year. Although some folks would prefer fewer showers, I appreciate the rhythmic tap tapping of drops on flowers along the pathways I wander.

Besides the luscious drops other visitors came to mind when searching for a word that begins with "V". The elegant home (photo, 2010) with a Volkswagen in front was built by local artists along Marine Drive in White Rock a few years ago. The house frequently has eye-catching faux guests positioned on the balcony overlooking a water view.

The statues are a delight but are not as friendly or animated as, Kay from Unfittie's Guide to Adventurous Travel, a real-life visitor from Alberta who came by last May in her brilliant green rental car. It was a treat to see her in person and to catch up on her kitchen reconstruction news.

Another visitor is the cute neighborhood cat who certainly looks harmless ...

unless you are a bird building a nest.

The cat sees feathery guests in the neighborhood as an invite to dinner. It is one of the reasons I no longer have a bird feeder.

This bloom has a pest as a guest nipping at its delicious crepe petals.

And look who flew in to dinner uninvited at a Vancouver City apartment I visited. The pigeon landing on the counter brought to mind that to have dinner or to be dinner are dramas played out often in the natural world.

After leaving his calling card, the confused little fellow escaped out the kitchen window.

Copyright by Penelope Puddlisms

This post showcases the letter "V". If you think words are fun and enjoy playing with the alphabet, check out the link at the sidebar and visit ABC Wednesday.

Teapots, Thorns & Time In Ocean Park

THEY SAY TIME FLIES and it certainly felt that way when I arrived at the annual Pottery Fair at the Ocean Park Community Hall in South Surrey just as the event was ending.

It was minutes shy of four o'clock but people were already packing up.

I did step past the doors of the heritage building to find creativity galore inside. A lot of words beginning with "T" sprung to mind.

A teapot at the entrance was the raffle prize. The potter, Lynn, likes to add red pigment to her clay I was told. The very sight of it conjured up thoughts about the tantalizing cups of hot tea I have had that tend to stop time.

The potter also fashioned this lovely square clock. I miss the tick-tock of older more rounded clocks and sometimes wonder if time is like a ball of circling twine instead of linear. Perhaps our yesterdays, todays and tomorrows reside simultaneously at the same moment in space. For the scientifically inclined there is the String Theory to think about.

Lofty theories about time can quickly unravel when it comes to the thorny issue of aging, however, when we are no longer terrifically toned. Sometimes we start to tilt and need wheelchair ramps like the one at the back of the community hall. The ramp is also handy for tots in strollers.

Constructed in 1926, the building is regularly maintained and remains an important hub for social gatherings in modern times.

My daughter took tap dancing lessons there when she was small. So did I for a while as an adult. Here is a picture of her shoes amid the tinsel.

I once rented a table at the hall to display my cards for a Christmas Craft Fair.

A few days after the Pottery Fair, I was surprised to see a painter's ladder tilted against the outer wall of the old building.

It took careful tilting for this young man to reach the difficult spots with a brush. In certain lighting, the tint of the paint appears to be lemon yellow.

Except for a little moss growing at the tip of the roof, the passage of time is barely visible at the hall thanks to the recent makeover.

Copyright by Penelope Puddlisms

This post showcases the letter "T". If you think words are fun and enjoy playing with the alphabet, visit ABC Wednesday.