The ThunderBlogs

Nestled amongst the urban sprawl, Victory Square served as a natural place to pause for Downtown Eastside residents at the corner of West Pender and Cambie Street. Aged historic buildings surrounded the compact green space on all sides. The scent of impending rain saturated the air. Residents and students went about their respective activities within the confines of the park.

Several elderly residents occupied the four benches along the Cambie Street side of the park. A middle-aged man wandered by the benches, scouring the area for cigarettes.  He picked up and examined various discarded cigarette boxes in an attempt to find an unused smoke. Walking past the elderly men, he made his way to the corner of Cambie Street and West Pender Street, turned around and returned to lay down in the circular sitting area just beyond the benches. The pungent smell of marijuana trailed the man as he made his way back to his resting place.

On the opposite side of the park adjacent to Hamilton Street, four college-aged twenty-somethings kicked around a hackey sack while three of their cohorts sat on the grass and chatted a few feet away. Two more joined in on their game after a few moments of watching.

At the north corner of the park towered a three-sided granite obelisk. The structure was inscribed with a tribute to the fallen soldiers of the past, saying, “Their name liveth for evermore,” “is it nothing to you” and “All ye that pass by.”

Another group of four young people met near the massive structure. Two young men wielded equipment and were filming another young man and a young woman seated on the steps surrounding the obelisk. The rain finally came and the group dispersed to protect their camera gear from the elements.

Suddenly the granite structure was dotted then soaked by the fallen raindrops. The remaining park goers then filtered out of the area.