Prince George Act I: Of Birds & Christ
✍️ • 🕑 • Series: Towards the Beautiful Islands • Tags: Prince George • parks • bird photography • proselytizing • Places: Lheidli T'enneh Memorial Park
Prince George is a crossroads, a place that many pass through, and a hub of industry in Northern British Columbia. It is a confluence of rivers, railroads, and highways, and it was my port of call for a few days. I was taking a rest from driving and hiking, and working remotely – (well, and also probably doing some driving and hiking on the side.)
Get some work done, I would. But, would I find the city’s hidden charm?
This is the beginning of my take and my feelings about Prince George, which I’ve split into four blog posts.
Each is an “act” in a play, a story of my experiences, and a step towards something…
Oh, and when I say I’m presenting this as a play, what I mean is:
Our sometimes-hero STEVE has left Lake Purden behind, and is passing logging trucks, driving down the highway…
STEVE
(to self)
Gosh, sure would be nice to run some errands in this city of Prince George…
(We hereby excise sequences in which Steve replaces one pair of hiking shoes whose sole was peeling off, and purchases one Melita pourover, because reusable cloth coffee steeping bags for cold brew are unlikely to get washed properly at campgrounds with no potable water.)
STEVE
(to self)
Wow, all that was fine & dandy. I still have a little bit of time to kill before I check into my Airbnb. Maybe I should visit this nearby park.
STEVE visits the nearby park. There are many BIRDS, including numerous magpies.
BIRDS
(to no one in particular)
*tweet* *tweet* *tweet*
STEVE
I am captivated
STEVE regrets not carrying a camera with a telescope-like lens…
Several hours later, STEVE returns to the park, which we will now identify as Lheidli T’enneh Memorial Park.
This park is so-named because it was the site of a Lheidli T’enneh village. The park was renamed to commemorate this in 2018 and a pavilion was constructed in partnership between the city of Prince George and the Lheidli T’enneh Nation.
SEAGULLS
(to no one in particular)
*tweet* *tweet* *tweet*
STEVE
I am captivated, but less so than I was earlier.
STEVE is dissatisfied with the flying seagulls. They think they see a goldfinch, and are hoping it will come out of some brush.
Unfortunately, TWO MORMON MISSIONARIES approach.
MISSIONARIES
Hi.
STEVE holds their camera to their face, ignoring the missionaries, hoping they will take a hint.
The BIRD retreats away, never to be seen again. It doesn’t like people.
MISSIONARIES
Hello there!
STEVE continues being a stonewall.
MISSIONARIES
Excuse me!!!
Golly, gee whiz! That’s quite the camera you have there.
STEVE
Yes, it is.
MISSIONARIES
What do you use it for?
STEVE
Birds
MISSIONARIES
Do you come to the park to take pictures often?
STEVE
Sometimes.
MISSIONARIES
Wow. That’s really cool. I’ve never used a camera like that before.
STEVE
…
STEVE knows that this is just the portion of the conversation in which the missionaries feign interest in order to engender sympathy before the sales pitch. STEVE is unimpressed.
MISSIONARIES
So, have you ever seen people dressed like us before?
STEVE
(deadpan)
Yes. The last time I was trying to take pictures in a park.
MISSIONARIES
Here?
STEVE
In Kamloops.
MISSIONARIES
In Kamloops? So, what? You’re travelling.
STEVE
Yes.
MISSIONARIES
That’s so cool! You must have seen our friends. We studied in the same group together, and they’re rotating us every couple of months between cities.
MISSIONARY ONE
(to MISSIONARY TWO)
Definitely our besties. We got to check in with them.
MISSIONARY TWO
(to MISSIONARY ONE)
Yeah totes.
MISSIONARIES
(to STEVE again)
Wow! That’s just great. So you’re already familiar with us then.
STEVE
Yes.
MISSIONARIES
Cool, cool, cool. Can we just ask you a few questions?
STEVE
Isn’t that what you’re already doing?
MISSIONARIES
Hahaha, I guess so.
STEVE
🙄
The SEAGULLS soar away in the distance.
MISSIONARIES
Do you pray?
STEVE
Sort of.
MISSIONARIES
When do you pray?
STEVE
Well, I guess if I feel like it.
MISSIONARIES
Like if you’re anxious or worried or something like that?
STEVE
I guess.
MISSIONARIES
And what do you do when you pray?
STEVE
Well, you know, sometimes I meditate or something like that.
MISSIONARIES
What does that mean?
STEVE
It’s personal.
MISSIONARY ONE
Well, let me tell you. One thing that helps me a lot is that I know that God isn’t just a big man in the sky.
We are all his children! I prayed and I asked and he told me so.
STEVE
I’m glad that you find that satisfying.
If it’s alright with you, I’d like to get back to trying to photograph birds.
MISSIONARIES
Oh, well, take one of our business cards first
STEVE accepts a business card. The front of it is a portrait of Jesus.
MISSIONARIES
Have a good night!
The MISSIONARIES depart.
STEVE went to this park in order to unwind, in order to feel (to a certain extent) like part of something larger. Ironically, the talk of god has caused the opposite. STEVE’s chill is seriously thrown off.
STEVE walks about, somewhat frustrated for several minutes, until eventually spying some birds in the distance. STEVE snaps a few pics.
---
Cut to – INT - Airbnb Bedroom
STEVE is looking in the mirror, holding up the Mormons’ business card.
STEVE
You’d think, given the resemblance, that I might have at least heard of this guy before…
This post was part of a series:
Thanks for reading!
If you enjoyed this post, you might enjoy these 5 similar posts:
- 2022-09-28 —Prince George Act II: Teapot Mountain
- 2022-09-29 —Prince George Act III: The Central B.C. Railway and Forestry Museum
- 2022-09-30 —Prince George Act IV: Good Eats
- 2022-09-07 —Shopping Malls and Frustration in Kamloops
- 2022-03-24 —Confluence (2018)