In need of a Stairmaster

Today's conference schedule was somewhat truncated from yesterday only because of a special session held in the afternoon wherein a variety of members have exactly five minutes to present a project, idea, accomplishment, etc. before a gong is sounded. Yes, a real gong. The other sessions I attended today were fascinating and I actually had some time to enjoy the weather and the UBC campus. At lunch I ate under the terraces of the rose gardens and, after a quick slice of pizza at the student union, made my way past the Museum of Anthropology down to the beach to relax, scope rocks, and wait for the sun to set. As Layne later pointed out, the building codes here must be, shall we say, more lenient than in the States since the well-groomed trail had some ill-placed steps whose distance challenges even the sober hiker. Once at the base of the bluff I only saw a couple naked men before I found a nice spot to hang with some seagulls on a jut of rocks extending a few tens of yards into the water. Oh, yeah, it's a nude beach. Good day for it, too, although I didn't catch the fever on this particular occasion (or ever for that matter).

While by the water the other, non-human wildlife I observed were no fewer than four great blue herons and a seal or two poking above the surface nearby. I even spied the herons patiently waiting for a meal at the edge of the beach while small waves lapped at their fronts. I actually saw one heron snap its beak into the surf and nab a wriggling, finger-sized fish that was promptly gobbled before continuing the hunt. It was beautiful as was the sunset itself.

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