A Walk in the Backyard Park

I live on an average street in Vancouver. It's a busy street filled with apartment buildings of working professionals and students. There are the constant sounds of ambulance sirens (it's driving by as I type this) as the street is on route to the hospital/ 3 hospitals within walking distance. Our street does not have trendy shops or too much to look at. We love our character apartment, but we definitely didn't move here for the street we live on. 

My front yard is a busy mess of noise and rush of traffic. But my backyard is something else. It's a magical wonderland of beauty, history, and mystery (This is the one time I will use rhyming words. Don't expect it again). A few steps out our back door will take you to a park, an oval shaped park surrounded by massive historical estates. Each time I walk past these, I can't help but wonder at the stories behind them. Each one has a gate, a blockade to the world outside. This only adds to the mystery. I've rarely seen people enter in or out of the homes. There is an air of haunting loneliness about them, but it entices me. 

At about this point in my photo journey, a police car started circling the park. My heart skipped a beat and I proceeded stop taking pictures of the gated private properties and focus my attention on the park itself. I mean, I'm positive I look like a reporter or private investigator, so I was worried the police officer might think the same ;)

But I did come across some fascinating art installations of sorts. Hidden within this mystical glen, in the roots of trees were placed photos, encircled with leaves and branches. It was as if little elves had been working their magic to create a small bit of life within this eternally winter park. 

Although there are often things that are hard about living here, the backyard park continues to make me wonder and imagine. It inspires me to share this secret and curious beauty that hides within the invisible walls of the city.