The Cloverdale pedestrian bridge, currently under threat from City Hall and the planned southeast extension to the LRT, is a fantastic vantage point for ‘scapes’ of every sort: riverscapes, landscapes, cityscapes, peoplescapes, dogscapes, inline skatescapes, skyscapes, goosecapes, and on occasion, hot-air balloonscapes, which is really something to behold.

For the last couple of years, a goose has built a nest on one of the cement pillars holding up the bridge. You can see it from one of the McKinney paths, with binoculars, or up close through the wooden planks above the pillar. There is really no way to view the goose on her nest without looking like an idiot. You have to find the correct set of planks, stand directly over the space in between, and stare down, like some BIG IDEA has just stopped you dead in your tracks. Or, as I did today, wait until there is no one on the bridge, then kneel down and shove your camera into the space, snapping off a few quick shots before a crowd forms around your crouching body, offering to help you find whatever you’ve lost.

The other thing that’s quite noticeable this year is the island on the eastern side of the bridge. This island comes and goes, depending on the height of the river. Last year was the first time the island stayed visible long enough for grass to grow, which is good for the seagulls, but bad for our water supply. This year, it’s been visible ever since the ice melted. Still waiting for that surge of water from the mountains to submerge the island, but so far, the water level has remained ominously low.

6:02 PM/12C