Downtown Squamish is stuck in a time warp.
On the west side of town, hours tick away in a matters of minutes. Getting out of bed, brushing my teeth and eating breakfast can take up a sixth of the day. But only a block away from The Chief's office, time stands still.
It's all very confusing. On the bright side, so far none of this has affected my ever-growing wrinkles.
The gatekeepers to this twilight zone stand at the Eaglewinds development and on the corner of Cleveland Avenue and Winnipeg Street. They are Squamish's only communal clocks. Until recently, I hadn't given the four giant clock faces on Eaglewinds' tower or the Rotary Club of Squamish's kind donation much thought. That was until I experienced jetlag after a recent trip to England.
Eager to think I had somehow defeated the travel curse, I choose to believe the clock tower's time that shone through my apartment's window. Yet quickly it became apparent that the giant, yellow faces were toying with me. Even in my dozy blunder, I could see its hands racing around its surface. After closer observation, all four faces were zooey in one way or another.
Faulty clocks are not a new story. In 2007, Squamish Rotary decided to replace the 25-year-old clock on the community's main street because for the previous five years its four faces didn't agree on anything.
Today, with a GPS unit connecting to a satellite inside it, three of the four faces read the right time, while one is stuck on noon or midnight - take your pick.
Today, most people have time at their disposal on a watch or cellphone. But there's something romantic about mechanical community clocks. They're a constant reminder that life is fleeting, of birthdays, dinners with friends and other important engagements. Standing over Squamish, they unify us, as time is one thing humanity can agree upon.
Squamish's clocks need a bit of TLC. I don't expect them to get the same attention and care as if, say, we had a full-time clock keeper, but allowing them to do their job would be a start. Squamish needs to get with the times.
