Mom's the Word 3

I say this categorically: when the sun is shining, there is nowhere as gorgeous as Vancouver. But the key word is 'sun'.

The weather report stated: chances of precipitation on Wednesday, 80%. When I woke this morning, as you saw, there was a clear sky, but as I headed out for the day, I knew for sure, 80% sure, it would rain, so I wore my rain boots and carried my umbrella. Went to Chris's, where I saw his dresses, the incredibly inventive, bizarre, fascinating dresses he spent the past year designing and making out of paper, plastic, wheat, marbles, God knows what else - just amazing. Check out his blog on the left if you want to see for yourself.

And then we headed out to get the ferry to Granville Island, on one of the most beautiful days I've ever had the pleasure of enjoying. Bright sun, fresh wind, and Vancouver - sea, mountains, beach. Incredible. Granville Island was abuzz, as usual, but not too much. Chris and I swanned about a bit, and then Judy arrived. She and I met at the Banff Creative Non-fiction conference but really bonded at the writer's festival in Toronto. Now we Skype regularly to keep up with each other in work and life.

We had lunch on the patio at Bridges, on the edge of the water.

What a location! We shared garlic shrimp with fiddleheads and a Ceasar salad full of fresh fish. Sublime, and the view was even better. Then we saw a marvellous play, "Mom's the Word 3," a collective creation by five talented and funny women, who've been writing about their own lives and women's lives in general for decades, in two past shows. This one hit close to the bone a number of times - about aging, the push-pull of adult children leaving home and returning home, our becoming parents to our parents. The actresses are in their fifties so neither orphans nor grandmothers yet. That'll be the next show. Hope I get to see it.

Incidentally, was looking at the photos on display in the Arts Club lobby and called Judy over to show her the picture from "Cruel Tears" with me in it. The fall of 1977 - I was 27. My past life. But watching the Mom show stirred something in me. Collective creation was my favourite kind of work, where we actors wrote and performed our own words. I loved it.

Sigh.

Some shopping in the market and back in the brilliant sun on the tiny ferry, to walk along the water back to Bruce's. Safely inside, I watched the rain gather force over the water and come in - a sudden flash storm - and then it was over, there's a tranquil blue and pewter sky as dusk descends, and I am safe and warm with fresh soup for supper and the best view in the world.