Beach Grove Elementary School
So many communities and so many schools. Over the course of walking the residential streets of four municipalities, this was the first time I saw a sign that encouraged students to get exercise on their way to and from school. A banner that was stretched across the fence read: Walk and Wheel to School.
As you can see in the photo, there's a link to Healthy Schools BC (HSBC), where I found two stories that show another aspect of physical health. The HSBC projects provide a blueprint that helps the children learn how to self-regulate (a powerful stress addresser and undresser!). They are able to recognize the flux in their emotional and mental states, while gaining an understanding of their learning styles.
Read: Flexible Classroom Seating to Promote Physical Activity and Kinesthetic Learning: Desk Cycles in the Classroom.
A Sad Day
Saturday, February 27th will be forever remembered, not because I was almost done OT, but because we took Holly dog to her final vet appointment. After that horribly necessary task was done, we didn't want to go back home to an empty house; so where else was there to go but on a walk.
Ordinarily, I would have taken her, but when I began OND in 2020, she was no longer capable of going the distances that I travelled. This is another reason why my walking projects have been a good idea. I was already used to walking without Holly; it would be more sorrowful if I had to feel her absence.
I often encounter squirrels, dogs and cats on my walks. As we trudged along on that mournful day, I noticed that we were being followed for half a block by a big grey cat. This was the first time that this happened. Coincidental? Who knows! Perhaps it felt we needed a bit of furry, four-legged solace and thus, decided to join us.
Point Roberts
Point Roberts is getting a mention because of what I didn't see as I walked in the area that hugs the U.S. border. In any season, on any given day, it's not uncommon to see a long lineup of cars heading into Point Roberts. As you can see from the photo, the U.S. border crossing stands quiet and alone, like a sentry on night duty.
Many Canadians go to Point Roberts for a number of reasons: recreation, cheaper fuel and to pick up parcels (to avoid cross-border shipping costs) from the many shipping outlets that dot "The Point."
"It's not technically part of B.C. -- or even of Canada -- but British Columbians enjoy an unusually close relationship with this piece of America that dangles alone below the 49th parallel on the southernmost tip of the Tsawwassen Peninsula. Point Roberts, population 1,300 or so, is technically a U.S. 'enclave' (not an incorporated town) in Whatcom County, Wash. But its separation from the state by two international borders (some call it 'the best gated community in the U.S.') makes it more of a Canadian curiosity."
Progress? Maybe Not
For me, the allure of Tsawwassen is Centennial Beach. Last summer, when the pools were inaccessible, no thanks to COVID-19, an evening swim ensured that I enjoyed the joint-lubrication that I get from swimming. Then, there's the simple joy I get from being at the beach, whether I'm walking along the trails, sitting mesmerized on the shore, or swimming the length of the beach. It is also a place to enjoy a nourishing friendship.
Over the years, Centennial Beach has become so popular in the summer that it was necessary to put a shuttle service in place to transport all the daytime beach goers.
To add even more congestion, construction has started on a huge development called Southlands, which was formerly farmland. It sells itself as "a beach community rooted in farming and food."
After having walked along the few streets that are now open in that community, I've drawn some conclusions. First of all, is accessibility and the impact it will have on ingress and egress to Tsawwassen. Secondly, with no school in that area, the children will have to travel to bursting-at-the-seams schools in another neighbourhood. Thirdly, the Ladner hospital is small, so with a development of this magnitude, I can see it being quickly over-capacity. Were Delta councilors even considering this when they gave this development the green light?
Final OT Words and Pictures
As for the rest of OT, I'll let the pictures do the talking. Suffice to say, that as with my other walking projects (OND, OWR and currently OL - Operation Ladner), some neighbourhoods seemed to be friendlier than others. It also varied in terms of people who were more willing to do the "Coronavirus Shuffle" - the step off to one side to enable physical distancing.
Prior to OT, I didn't think that there was much of an elevation gain, but I now stand walk corrected. I was huffing and puffing on some of those walks.
