Next stop - Japan

I don't want to spend a lot of time talking about washrooms, but I do want to mention one I visited this morning in Nelson Park on our last morning in Vancouver. The facility opened a metal door that seemed to belong on a sci-fi movie set, and greeted me with a one person bathroom that had gone though some kind of wash cycle from floor to ceiling. Even the sink was automated as it provided my hands a soap, water and a dryer sequence like they were travelling through a car wash. You can't make this stuff up.

So as we land in Tokyo and make our way to our hotel in the Shinjuku district through brightly lit neighbourhoods, I wonder what we'll experience abroad over the coming months. I don't know, but I'm sure it will be a hoot.

West Coast Quirk

As we passed another weed shop this morning after breakfast on our way to Granville Island, I was finding the west coast lifestyle noticeably different from the rest of Canada. Perhaps quirky would be a fitting description. In the Granville Island Market, I sipped lychee bubble tea while listening to Ralph the former physics major play '40 tunes on his ukulele. I spied a skull and crossbones flag flying on a sailboat nearby in the harbour - is that even allowed? We next spotted an intriguing poster, but sadly we didn't have time to take in a Zen workshop with Martin entitled "Rolling Down A Grassy Hill".

Rather than going Zen, we spent the afternoon with my Uncle Robert, who's been living here in West Vancouver since the '60's. When I visit Robert we always seem to walk through Stanley Park and then go for dinner at our favorite Singapore restaurant. It was a nice last evening spent with family.

By the way, here is Elizabeth showing off her muscle man moves over breakfast while feigning "Oh, is there gum on my shoe?" Maybe she's caught the west coast quirk.

En route to downtown Vancouver

I often see things in the early morning that I don't see any other time. As I ran around the corner in Stocking Creek Trail this morning, I came face to face with an owl, sitting on the railing of a bridge spanning a creek. I must have come within five feet of this majestic bird as it took off with its wide wing span flapping, staring directly at me with its big eyes. I wonder how a mouse must feel with this harbinger of doom swooping down from above.

We took the ferry back to Vancouver and we're now staying at a downtown hotel for a couple nights before we head for Japan. John is the driver behind the geocaching we've been doing lately. The kids search for stuff and Catheleen and I get some walks in, often in some scenic places off the beaten track - win-win. Today we went to a few sights including a stroll along Canada Place, where we watched the float planes come and go. Here John found a cache in red that was hard to spot, hiding in plain sight.

Apple picking at Grandma's

What a beautiful backyard with various apple trees, flower gardens and vegetable gardens. The place requires a lot of upkeep but on a day like today it must seem worth it. Here Elizabeth is picking apples with Catheleen's help

The tide is always a consideration when doing activities along the shore. It's also just fun to pay attention to the tide tables. Catheleen and the kids went for a hike along the shore at low tide and walked for some distance while watching the fishermen bring in the crab catch. Maybe we'll get out for another walk tomorrow, around noon in concert with the low tide again.

Tidal pools and forests

If you like looking at trees, mountains, and the ocean then Vancouver Island is a good place to go. Besides the logging industry, it does seem to run at a slower pace, at least around where we are staying near Ladysmith. Our hosts Barb and Jim kept us busy today as we travelled along logging roads with trips to old growth forests along the way to Port Renfrew. There we spent the afternoon climbing along the rocky shoreline, peering in tidal pools looking for unusual sea life on an ebbing tide. We did see some brightly coloured sea urchins and anemones. Jim was a good source of info since he's from the area. He was kind enough to point out the edible berries along the way which were new to us - salmon berries and huckleberries.

We also drove along a dry riverbed. I understand that there was so little snow last winter and rain this spring that the rivers and creeks are running very low. It will be hard going for the salmon this year as they try to make their way up the rivers to their spawning grounds. 

Next stop - Vancouver Island

I do like all the gadgets we brought on our trip - they let us work and play just about anywhere. This morning we hung around a Starbucks in Abbotsford for a while - Catheleen did some on-line booking, the kids went off looking for a geocache, and I read a news site. It does have its downside though as we followed Siri's directions to three different George streets before we found the right place to drop off the car rental in downtown Vancouver. Made for a tight rendezvous with the ferry nearby in Horseshoe Bay with minutes to spare. Here's a picture of Elizabeth feeling the breeze on the crossing on the first sunny day in the area in a while.

Reminds me of running for the ferry heading for Victoria a few times in the late 80's after visiting with a friend and his family in North Vancouver on the weekend. Woe to he who missed the last ferry Sunday night and didn't make it back for roll call and Monday morning classes. We always seemed to make it though.

So we've made the crossing and now we're on the island near Nanaimo visiting my birth mother Barb, who I connected with a few years ago. We've already managed to pack in a few activities in Parksville including catching the end results of the sand-castle competition. Sort of like the ice sculpture competition at Winterlude in Ottawa but the artwork is browner.

Falls and White Rock

We started off our day with a visit to Bridal Falls.  The waterfall was nice but what I liked the most was the short hike through the forest. It's not like anywhere else I've been with its huge cedar trees covered in moss - reminds me of some kind of a cold jungle. We poked at the big slugs along the way and the kids made their way back and forth across the creek along fallen trees.

In the afternoon we headed for White Rock for lunch with relatives and some time along the ocean front- the kids made a geocache find near the beachfront, which they were quite excited about. Later we had a farewell dinner in Abbotsford with my parents. I like this picture with Catheleen and Elizabeth walking ahead while the train whizzes by along the White Rock shoreline. There's been talk for years about moving the tracks elsewhere which would be good, but for today we felt the rush of the train rolling by at close quarters.

We packed in a lot of activities for one day. We're going to have to slow down the pace over the next six months.

Selfie sticks and car rallies

After breakfast we decided to go for a constitutional around Mill Lake. I keep coming back to this pond - it's a nice oasis in the city, although you might think the geese aren't too happy that we keep getting in the way as they cross in packs here and there. Here's my first attempt using a selfie stick. Everyone had a good laugh as I asked which button to press to take the picture - turns out there is only one.

You never know what you're going to find along the way. Today was Car Rally day at the park. This car is one of my favorites - thanks to Elizabeth for modelling it. I wonder why there are so many enthusiasts out there devoting their time and money to one hobby or another. I have to say though as hobbies go, this one is pretty cool.

Sibling rivalry and wine

It's been great spending some time with my extended family. They are mostly in western Canada and I don't get out here to visit as often as I should. I went for a run this morning with my sister Bonnie and her husband John - middle two in the shot below. It was good to get out to help shake off the jet lag along with a lingering cold that's finally on the wane. We even managed to re-live some sibling rivalry over who could do the most push-ups - sadly I didn't prevail.

In the afternoon the kids went with their Grandfather for an activity while we visited a winery near Hope called Kermode Wild Berry Wines near Mission. The berries are picked by locals throughout B.C. After much taste testing we settled on the Himalayan Blackberry Merlot and a few others. Afterwards we went to the Blackberry Kitchen in the Fraser Valley Heritage Park. A nice afternoon spent with my sisters Bonnie and Christine, John and Catheleen reminiscing and enjoying the day.

First stop - Vancouver

We just arrived in a hot and dry Fraser Valley with some lingering smoke in the sky from all the forest fires in the province. We are here primarily to visit my family and do some sight seeing around Vancouver island. Besides me breaking a luggage handle en route, the flights here were uneventful. Last time we were in town a couple of years ago our car rental was upgraded to a muscle car, unbeknownst to me. The kids would call it "one sweet hot ride" and I have to admit I did like it with its roaring engine. Just a regular sedan for us this time round though.

For the next few days we'll be staying in Abbotsford on the outskirts of Vancouver. Brings back memories of childhood when I lived nearby in Chilliwack and visited Abbotsford on occasion to go to the movies or to attend the annual air show. The place is much more built up now.

The place does still smell the same though with huge lush trees and blackberry bushes growing everywhere. These bushes have big blackberries buried deep in huge thorny rambles. At least they seemed huge when I picked them as a child, paying the inevitable price with scratches on my arms every time I couldn't resist. And yes I did manage to scratch myself up today.

Here's Catheleen helping herself to a few.