The Jewel of the Pacific

I am careful to take plenty of exercise. I ride my bicycle and swim and at weekends take long walks by myself; but solitariness is, to me, attractive only in prospect. I find the lonely hours disturbing.

The few remaining students are now being initiated into the lore of academia. I have taken a job with the department, although it remains to be seen how onerous a proposition it will be. The director is confident the project is worthwhile and will soon be of the highest priority in the offices of power, both here and in Europe. For now, myself and a colleague, best referred to as "JBo", will share the task between us, with occasional assistance from more senior colleagues "Big R" and "Kaustik K".

Soon the new recruits will join us. One of them, "Kolorado K" preceded the main group, and has joined us on various outings around the region. The most interesting was to Cypress Mountain, a place I had been once before, but then only in winter; it hardly needs mentioning that the place is much changed. The site is, in fact, much shabbier in summer, as the constant glare of the sun exposes the many years of neglect and poor maintenance. Nonetheless, we all seemed pleased by the outing, and a break from the frantic pace in town. Other days have been consumed by less ambitious visits to the region's many famous beaches: English Bay, Kitsilano, and the infamous Wreck.