Each person will have a different iconic photo memories for these Winter Olympic Games. It will depend where the person was and maybe a little story behind a particular photo.
Olympic Torch Relay: Vancouver Segment of Cross-Canada Relay Ends with Exhilaration and Sadness
The 2010 Olympic torch relay run helped define a moment for many participants, spectators and supporters along its loopy journey east and then westward across Canada. Just moments before taking a photo of this torch relay runner, I was standing near a brother and sister. The brother from Kitchener, was going to wave around his faded large Canadian flag. The flag that he held, originally flew from the Peace Tower at the Parliament buildings in Ottawa. At that time, one was able to request for a flag that was used from there because the government always replaced it with a new flag each morning to fly above the Peace Tower.
Just one hour before I took the photos of the torch elsewhere from Granville island to Yaletown ferrydock at North False Creek, there was an article on the Vancouver Sun’s web site on the sudden training accidental death of Georgian luge racer, Nodar Kumaritashvilli at Whistler. Approximately two hours later, we heard a Chief from one of the Four First Host Nations at their pavilion, express collective condolences for the family of the athlete during his welcome speech to a tightly packed crowd, after the Olympic torch flame arrived there as its final relay destination before the opening ceremonies.
Opening Ceremonies: Fireworks, Lighting Olympic Cauldrons Here and There
Though we did not attend the opening ceremonies, the short fireworks encircling the B.C. Stadium, were momentarily spectacular. But most likely for
safety reasons, the remaining celebratory fireworks were launched near another official celebration downtown site where fireworks could be safely launched from a barge by the waterfront.
Later we heard from another resident in our building who was at the opening ceremonies. He was a tv show director with a disappointed critique. It contrasted much with viewers like myself, who did enjoy various special effects
that wove near mythological enduring themes of Canadian regional natural landscape, contrasting four seasons weather, wildlife and so forth on artistic imagination, spirit and memory. According to his sources, it was $40 million dollar show.
Apparently much of the massive crowd response from 60,000 people, was muted over the televised broadcast which confirmed to us, confusing stadium vibration and faint cheering roar we often heard emanating live from the Stadium down the street while we also heard near silence occasionally from the television.
