Sitting On A Story

1. Finding The Bench
The Seawall in West Vancouver is a place where people, old and young, can come to enjoy the gentle sound of the ocean and the beautiful scenery, which surrounds the area. The Bench I have chosen is dedicated to my Grandmother. This bench has a special significance for me since I never knew my Grandmother; she died before I had the chance to meet her. To me, this bench symbolizes my Grandmother because this is the only form in which I have ever known her. My bench is actually three benches places in a shallow semi circle slightly off the Seawall. Covering the benches, as if the protect them, are three small arbors covered in dense vines. The benches bare no inscription; they stand as a symbol of grandmothers caring for others, so that they can sit and enjoy the ocean view as she once did. Behind the benches is a small stone placed among some tall grass. The inscription on the stone reads “From the Friends of Ruth Gram”. I think that the nameless benches’ were being placed in front of the inscribed stone to tell story about my grandmother’s personality, a personality that always put others before her.

2. Describing The Bench
From my bench it fairly obvious I am in a very urban part of town. There is a constant stream of people walking by, sometimes more, sometimes less, but there are always people. Maybe that’s is how my grandma would have preferred it, maybe that’s how she lived her life. Looking past the people there is the ocean, full of tankers, there are usually at least 2 large ships anchored out there. I often wonder who is on those massive ships and what they are doing. I wonder what these people might be like and what living on a ship for months at a time would be like. Beyond the ships there is East Vancouver. A place where I haven’t spent much time and usually overlook while sitting on my bench. Looking at it now I wish it was different somehow. I wish it had more character. It’s all so residential; all the buildings are relatively the same size and from afar they all look to be the same. It’s very boring to look at. This means that while sitting at the bench I tend to look west, towards Stanley Park and the Lions Gate Bridge. This view is much more exciting. You can see where all the trees fell in Stanley Park during the windstorm in 2006. This stretch of the Seawall is one of the best places to see all the damage. Look further west and you see the Lions Gate Bridge, which always seems so far away. Along the Seawall are a series of ten or so large apartment buildings. First thing that strikes me about these buildings are how unattractive they are. Secondly I wonder how much the people living there pay to live in these ugly buildings with fantastic views. Then I realize how surreal these buildings look. Lined up along the coast as if we lived in Miami. After I have taken in all there is to see around me I realize that I want all these people who are walking around me to go away. I want this place for myself. I want to be able to just sit there and gaze into the distance without having anyone walking by judge me.

3. A Bench Dedicated To Me
I think that by the end of my life, which is sure to be filled with exciting adventures and worthy endeavors, I will be awarded with a beautiful bench in my name. Whoever it is that is dedicating the bench to me will look back on this paper and create the bench of my dreams for me. My bench would be constructed from mahogany and have a polished aluminum frame which would be maintained religiously by my family or whoever it is that dedicated the bench to me. As for its location I would want it in Mahon Park, maybe overlooking a soccer field or the water park. The idea of someone sitting on my eternal monument watching soccer, a game I take great pride in playing, or watching their children frolic in the water park as I did when I was a child is appealing to me. I would want it placed somewhere very convenient yet not right in the centre of activity. Somewhere it could be seen and utilized. For my inscription I would want simple yet moving. Something people reading it would understand right away and hopefully be moved enough not to vandalize my bench. I spent a lot of time in Mahon Park as a child and I would want my inscription to honor that. “Fraser. G. Pike – Lived His life With a Smile,” I think that this inscription best describes how I would want to be remembered both by my family and friends, but also but by people I have never met who read my inscription. I would want people to know that I lead a happy life through all types of weather.


4. Dedicating A Bench
I am the kind of person who would want to dedicate a bench to every person who I have ever known. A bench seems a small yet meaningful way to remember someone you cared for. I am going to use my mother as an example of someone I would defiantly dedicate a bench to. For my mother I would spare no expense in getting her the best bench possibly. Though I know she wouldn’t want me spending a lot of money or going to the trouble. I would want the bench on Salt Spring Island. She and my father have both spent a lot of time there throughout their lives. We have also spent time their as a family because my grandparents live there. I would want the bench in Ruckle Park, overlooking the ocean. My mother has been very partial to that park. It was where she and my father went camping a lot earlier in their relationship. She is also very fond of the ocean. Swimming and being on the beach are some of her favorite things to do and I think that for her bench to be overlooking the ocean would be very special to her. As for the inscription “Margo Gram – Loved” is what both she and I would want. She is naturally conservative and wouldn’t want the inscription to ramble on about how she ill be missed. To know that she is loved is good enough for her. For my mother it is the thought that counts, and everything else is icing on the cake.

5. Journal Response
At first I didn’t know what bench I going to do this assignment on. It quickly became obvious what bench it was going to be. It is a beautiful bench is a great location. On Tuesday January 13th my father and me drove me down to the Seawall equipped with the Nikon. It was not a particularly nice day, it was cloudy and cold, and it was starting to get dark. There were still plenty of people walking along the Seawall, which bugged me because it made taking pictures of the bench difficult. I sat at the bench taking in my surroundings and looking at my green criteria sheet while my dad took pictures of the bench and waterfront. I then took a couple of photos I thought I could include with this assignment, which I think is a nice addition. My Dad and me then proceeded to argue about which photos will suit this purpose the best. My Dad and I don’t always see eye to eye when it comes to educational matters. We were only down on the Seawall for about 15 minutes because it got quite cold. My Dad worked in the parks department of West Vancouver for twenty some years so I get a short history lesson about each bench on the Seawall while down there. I learned a lot from my short visit to my bench. I really got to know the area and pinpointed different pieces of scenery that I could use in my assignment. The pictures, though not necessary, are a great visual aid for the reader so he/she can also get to know my bench.

6. Choosing A Poem
I chose a poem called “The Last Picture in the World” by Al Purdy. Its imagery suits my bench perfectly. It paints a serene picture of a heron “framed by leaves.” To the left of my bench there is a wind vain in the shape of a heron. It towers above all else and can easily be seen from my bench. “Almost sculpture except that it’s alive,” the heron is motionless until the wind spins him around majestically. The wind vain has been there for as long as anyone can remember. It was there before my grandmother’s bench was put in place. “…If I were to die at this moment that picture would accompany me wherever I am going.” It is certainly a beautiful picture that my grandmother will carry with her wherever she is.

The Last Picture in the World

A hunched grey shape
Framed by leaves
With lake water behind
Standing on our
Little point of land
Like a small monk
In a green monastery
Meditating
Almost sculpture except that it's alive brooding immobile permanent for half an hour 
a blue heron 
and it occurs to me that if I were to die at this moment that picture would accompany me wherever I am going for part of the way

By Al Purdy

7. My Philosophy of Life
There are a couple of ways in which this connects to my personal philosophy of life. I don’t know if you could call it a philosophy but I am very resistant to change in my life. I like to stick with something for a long time if it is working for me. The heron in the poem also seems to stick with things that are working for him, such as his perch on the point of land. The heron enjoys standing there and is reluctant to move. This is indicative of the way I live my life. “almost sculpture except that it’s alive” Though I am unchanging, I am always very alive and it is easy to see.


8. The Purpose Of A Park
What is the purpose of a park? A question not often asked by most people. Parks are there to provide an escape from the urban lifestyle most of us lead. They offer us a serene and peaceful place to go. Parks can be for children to play, or a peaceful place to take a walk. Parks also serve as wildlife reserves, somewhere untouched by human influence, besides the fact that humans are preserving them. I think that parks are a necessary part of society. We all need a place where we can go to get away from the industrialized world. People aren’t meant to spend their time in wooden boxes, they need get out into the wild every once and a while. If parks didn’t exist how would people be able to see nature? Normally we are all shut into our houses on our computers or playing video games. Parks give us a balance in our busy lives, a balance between urban and natural scenery. Personally I enjoy forested parks that I can walk through on roughly made paths looking at the huge old growth trees covered in moss and funguses. The parks I am describing are usually provincial parks. Huge expansive forested areas protected by the government. These parks are full of a variety of wildlife, which produce melodious sounds as if singing with a tune.

9. My Poem

A Better Man

As i ponder the inevitability of leaving high school
It occurs to me that school shaped me
All the teachers I despised
All the awkward social graces
All the work I have not completed
Has shaped me into
A better man?

The memories now seem distant
Yet they were only a short time ago
What will now become of me
Now that i am
A better man

Fraser Pike