Homeless in Vancouver: Are we tired of this heat yet?

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      At 6:13 p.m. today (July 5) the CBC News website listed the temperature here in Vancouver as 23° C but allowed that it could feel more like 26°.

      Actually, at 5 p.m., with the sun in a cloudless blue sky beating down relentlessly on my thick black hardshell bike helmet, it felt to me like the temperature was somewhere in the low to mid Hades, if you know what I mean.

      The rubber finally hits the road summerwise

      Helluva thing actually! There were sticky tire tracks in the west end of the alley between West 10th and 11th Avenue, just before the intersection with Hemlock Street. These were from one or two largish motor vehicles and one bicycle.

      Stanley Q. Woodvine

      And I don’t mean skid marks either. I mean tacky-to-the-touch rubber tire prints left on the glimmering, superheated pavement—like the vulcanized tires had been soft wheels of cheese rolling across a sizzling hot skillet!

      I have to wonder what it will feel like tomorrow if the temperature really hits 26° C as forecast; hotter than hell, I expect but I don’t expect the CBC News website to put it quite that way.

      Anyway, be a pal tomorrow if you can and put out a shallow dish of water in a shady place for the benefit of dogs, cats, squirrels, and birds. And don’t forget to keep yourself well hydrated besides.

      Stanley Q. Woodvine
      Stanley Q. Woodvine is a homeless resident of Vancouver who has worked in the past as an illustrator, graphic designer, and writer. Follow Stanley on Twitter at @sqwabb.

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