Independence Days
OK, that's enough slacking off. I'm tanned, I'm rested and I'm ready.
Reiko and I are about to celebrate our sixth anniversary, most of which has been spent commuting back and forth between Bellingham and North Vancouver. That has given us a rather jaundiced view of "the longest undefended border in the world." I guess it all depends on how you define "undefended." We've gotten rather good at choosing which of the four border crossings in this area has the shortest lines and at making sure we cross during off hours.
I go north more than she comes south thanks to our winter activities in Whistler. Many of the border guards at the crossing I use most frequently know me well and often ask nothing more searching than, "How was the snow this week." Obviously, I don't fit the current profile of a terrorist. Since 9/11, there has been a huge increase in security at the border, both in personnel and technology. It strikes me as a huge waste of money and productivity. Why not just eliminate the border, thereby improving the economies of both the US and Canada? Let's talk really free trade here, not to mention the annoyance of huge traffic backups during peak hours.
As an international couple, we celebrated the independence days of both countries in appropriate fashion. Neither of us has any trouble pledging allegiance to whichever country we happen to be in at the time.
We celebrated Canada Day by avoiding the parade in North Vancouver and playing a round of tennis. Our philosophy is that once you've seen one parade, you've seen 'em all. There are a couple of obvious exceptions. Mardi Gras in the Big Easy and Gay Pride in Seattle come to mind. Parades with inhibitions are a bore.
I should mention that Reiko and I are not exactly Evert and Connors on the courts. We swat the ball back and forth with very little grace and style, don't bother keeping score and fall down laughing a lot. We may not be very good, but we work up a pretty good lather laughing so hard.
After tennis, we moseyed down to Lonsdale Quay, North Van's answer to Pike Market in Seattle. It is Canadian, of course, which means it is rather more sedate and much less funky. The weather was perfect, so we indulged in a barbecue lunch on the deck of the Tantra Restaurant and grooved to the sounds of a 60s/70s R&B band called The Dynamics.
We ordered drinks with lots of fruit and umbrellas and watched the tugboats come and go. Vancouver does not celebrate Canada Day with fireworks, since they have the spectacular Symphony of Fire competition later this month.
We came back to the US of A for the Fourth of July and spent the afternoon at a gathering of theatre people hosted by a friend who owns a huge B & B overlooking Bellingham Bay. The Port of Bellingham personally invited me and about a thousand other VIPs to witness Bellingham's fireworks show from the shipping terminal, one of the best vantage points available. For insurance reasons, the location is not open to the public and you have to have a pass to get in. I was rather impressed with myself for having scored this exclusive invitation until I arrived the evening of the Fourth and found about half of Bellingham had also been invited.
The fireworks show was fairly short and disappointing to anyone who has witnessed the aformentioned Symphony of Fire. However, I did take a few photos. Photographing fireworks is damnably difficult, but worth the effort because you can do all kinds of bizarre effects in PhotoPaint. Tonight and tomorrow, a sampling from this year's Fourth of July show.
8:25:46 PM 
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