Saturday, August 7 (Day 11) - "Home" to Surrey

I am so far behind on this blog - not to mention the fact that we haven't had regular access to the internet since leaving Uncle Colin and Auntie Pat's house - that I am going to be brief in this next bit. I also realize I've been getting a little long winded in my writings. I'm sure all two of you who are reading this will appreciate my brevity!

Soooooo....Sat., 8/7

Ran around Stanley Park. Saw two (TWO) families of raccoons rummaging around on the beach - nine racoons total!

Constance and I braved public transportation once again and rode the Skytrain to Bridgeport and then a bus all the way to the IHOP in South Surrey where Uncle Colin and Auntie Pat picked us up. We were quite proud of ourselves.

Saturday night was our last night of dinner at home with Uncle Colin and Auntie Pat. After staying with them for just a week we had gotten into such a nice evening routine that I sincerely missed being with them on our four days away in Sechelt and Vacouver. I even miss them now - I feel that I got to know both of them on a different level than I ever have before. Perhaps it has something to do with, dare I say, my...age?

Friday, August 6 (Day 10) - Ross Vancouver Tour, Part 2

One of the things I love most about traveling is the opportunity it provides me of running in an entirely new and unknown place. In South Surrey I ran a new route almost every single day. The first day I saw a racoon in Uncle Colin's garden (he said he hadn't seen one in nearly 10 years!), nine wild rabbits and 3 cows. On a later run I saw 1 horse, 5 llamas (not wild, but on a farm...or would it be called ranch?) and a peacock (apparently the pet of a neighbor). I hesitated before mentioning the peacock to my Uncle because I thought for sure he would think I was crazy for mistaking a peacock for a....I don't know...large Canadian pigeon or something far less glamorous and exotic than a peacock. BUT, I took my chances and it turned out I was right! Will wonders never cease...


But I digress....I was talking about running in new places. Ah, Vancouver - a wonderful outdoorsy city where it seems everybody walks, runs and cycles, or at the very least, takes some sort of public transportaion to get from point A to point B. A perfect city to explore with running shoes.



I wasn't planning on running that morning - the morning after what felt like a debaucherous evening of wine and steak...and, yes, dessert...and went to the hotel gym instead, but got bored after a half hour and found a stack of laminated cards mapped with various running and cycling routes. I decided to try a short run around the Lost Lagoon on the edge of Stanley Park and found my way back to the hotel by running along the waterfront which was lined with several sculptures by various artists (see picture from the wandering walk we took yesterday) from around the world. Here is where I realized that I really should be taking my camera with me on my runs. I see so much during these early morning adventures that it seems a shame not to record some of what I see. I vowed to take my camera the next morning. Until then, however, it was time to get ready for the Ross Vancouver Tour - Part 2!



Peter and Carol picked us up at 11 and once again we were off. We headed straight for Stanley Park where we were to meet their son Gordon and his wife Sarah - both avid cyclists, they were riding in from home to meet us for lunch at a beautiful little restaurant called The Teahouse.


We had some time to kill before lunch so our first stop in the park was Prospect Point...

Lion's Gate Bridge from Prospect Point - the highest point in Stanley Park, which according to Constance isn't something to stand in awe about, but according to me, is a minor point of interest that I thought I should include (you can tell that we've been traveling together for a fair bit of time at this writing!)

Constance, Carol and Peter at Prospect Point - another point of interest of Prospect Point which I learned from Peter is that it looks out to the narrowest point of the inlet leading into Vancouver Harbor - and so it makes perfect sense that the Lion's Gate Bridge was built here...!

The first time I met the Ross clan was 22 years ago in Hawaii. I don't remember anything from that evening, but I do remember the picture that was taken. It is of the four kids - me and my sister Nicole, and Gordon and Katie - Peter and Carol's kids. I think I was 15 and Nicole was 17. Gordon would have been 13 and Katie probably around 8. In classic 80s style Nicole and I are sporting feathered hair and black eyeliner. We were good kids, but I have to say that next to the two Ross angels we look like a couple of hellions! I wish I had the picture with me so I could post it, but it'll have to wait until we get home.

Aaaaanway...I digress once again. We had a lovely lunch at the Teahouse with Gordon and Sarah (soon to be parents!) and Peter and Carol. Unfortunately, Gordon had to leave early for a meeting and missed this fabulous photo op. Oh well - perhaps you can photoshop him in somehow, Peter?

Here are Constance and the Ross' with the beautiful Sarah.

And here I am with the beautiful Ross duo and Constance (the beautiful Constance that is)

Another of Constance's favorite landmarks in Vancouver is Siwash Rock - conveniently located a short walk from the Teahouse (no accident, but by design by our awesome tour guides from the Ross Vancouver Tour Company). After the requisite set of picture taking outside of the Teahouse (sans Gordon), Sarah got on her bike to make her way across the Burrard Bridge into Kitsilano to go swimming (this woman is a powerhouse at...I think she was 14 weeks pregnant at the time!) and the rest of us walked off the calories on the hike down to Siwash Rock...

"Indian legend tells us that this 30 foot high pinnacle of rock stands as an imperishable monument to 'Sklash the unselfish' who was turned into stone by 'Q'uas the transformer' as a reward for his unselfishness."

From there Peter suggested we check out Constance's old apartment building just on the edge of the Lost Lagoon - this is the apartment Constance was living in when my dad sent her a bunch of red anthiriums letting her know that he was indeed serious about the relationship. Twenty-twenty Laguna Vista...

Ah, the old bachelorette pad...

Funky blue trimmed triangle balconies...

She looked for the manager's number just in case...

With a bit of time to kill before meeting Katie for dinner we decided to visit Queen Elizabeth Gardens where we had lunch with Andrew, Anna and Justin the week before...

Constance, Peter and Carol look across the ever changing water show to the Conservatory...

...and further into the garden...

...flowers...

...and more flowers...

...and, of course, giant Canadian Rhubarb...ha ha...

Dinner that evening was at the infamous (in Canada anyway - or at the very least among the three amigos) White Spot. Katie joined us - drove all the way into town from Delta after work just to see Constance and I!

Everyone ordered The Legendary - a White Spot classic - while I ordered the salmon salad.....one of these things is not like the other...oh well. I had a bite of my mom's burger, which I think redeemed me and my salmon salad dinner.

After dinner goodbyes...good food and, clearly, great laughs...here are Carol, Constance and Peter with Katie - the youngest of the Ross clan...

Too much fun!

...and now, behaving for the photo - thanks to Katie for driving down after a long day of work to hang out with us for dinner!

We had a grand time with all of the Ross family! Thank you for the fabulous tour! We look forward to your visit to Hawaii so we can reciprocate with the Holck Ohana Hawaii Tour!

Thursday, August 5 (Day 9) - Independence Day

Having been safely ferried back to Horseshoe Bay, Constance and I tested our street smarts by hopping on a city bus headed for downtown Vancouver...don't be too impressed as I think there may be only two buses that leave out of the Bay - the 250 into Vancouver and the 257 into Vancouver - one scenic and the other more direct. We opted for the more direct bus with the full intention of hitting the shops as soon as we checked in - this was also to be our first day of independence and what better way to celebrate independence day than by doing a little shopping?


Actually, our intention was only to shop for some long sleeve shirts and a jacket for me - all very practical and necessary considering where we came from (Hawaii - I left all of my cold weather clothes in NYC!) and where we were headed (the Shetland Islands!).

The bus dropped us off literally right at the doorstep of our hotel and once we were checked in, we did indeed hit the shops. We started off at the Bay and wandered underground to the shops at the Pacific Center(?????). We didn't have any luck shopping (in that first round) and with both of us quickly losing steam we headed back to the hotel for a rest before hitting Robson Street...where again, we didn't have any shopping luck (round 2).



We ended up walking...wandering actually...slowly....around the city of Vancouver. Who knew Vancouver had so many hills?! We were both pretty worn out by the end, but we did see some interesting sights along the way...

Constance with a sculpture by an artist from Korea named Choi Tae Hoon. There were many pieces of art along the waterfront. It was all a part of the Vancouver Biennale - a bi-annual public art exhibition that brings works from emerging international artist to the Vancouver area.

The Digital Orca - also a part of the Vancouver Biennale

The Olympic Cauldron!

Constance admiring the grass rooftop of the "green-designed" Vancouver Convention Centre

Outside Canada Place - there were hundreds of wildfires in B.C. during our time in Vancouver and much of the city was hazed over with smoke, otherwise there would be a lovely backdrop to this picture. But isn't Constance lovely enough?

Of course a stop at Canada Place wouldn't be complete without a stop at the Pan Pacific! Here is Constance about to enjoy a Bloody Caesar...

...and here I am about to enjoy a glass of wine!

Men way up working on the sails - I think they are getting ready to replace them soon.

After our luxurious midafternoon cocktail we meandered (not quite in a straight line) into Gastown where I bought a jacket (round 3 of shopping - always a charm)! It's a nice gray sporty looking thing with an Inukshuk (another of Constance's Vancouver favorites) and the word "CANADA" embroidered on the front. Not only does Constance love it (and is probably a little jealous of it) but I figure this will help us along the way from being automatically taken for Americans. Not that there's anything wrong with being American, but you must admit, we don't have the best reputation.

We ended the day with a fancy dinner at Hy's Steakhouse where we were both a little intimidated by our server for some reason.

He was very nice just a little...intense...but he did offer to take this picture of us in front of the wine rack - how appropriate!

Sechelt and the Waddells

After spending the entire day before showing us around the greater Vancouver area, Peter kindly offered to drive us to Horseshoe Bay - which is a lot more than a hop skip and a jump from South Surrey - where Constance and I were to take a ferry over to Sechelt. The drive took about an hour and he even walked us all the way into the ferry terminal. He would have done so anyway, but I thought it was funny because after Constance tried to pay the $25 fare with an American $20 bill and a Canadian $5 bill, the ticket agent called out to him as he was walking us in, "Yes, help them!" Clearly, we needed a little guidance!

Sechelt is a little community of just under 8,500 people and sits on a strip of land between Howe Sound and the Strait of Georgia. It is a 9.5 mile ferry ride to Langdale from Horseshoe Bay in West Vancouver and another 9 mile drive from Langdale to the town of Sechelt. It is a scenic little town - lots of beaches and lakes to lounge around in and on - but what took us there were two fiesty kids named Jeff and Norman Waddell.

Our Hosts, the Waddells

Jeff (whose first name is actually Margaret but she began going by her mother's maiden name Jeff - Jeffrey - when the place she was working at as a physio was overrun with Margarets) was a student of my grandmother's in Glasgow back in the day. They reconnected years later in Vancouver and became fast friends. Norman, also from the Glasgow area, is her husband. They've been married for 7 years - practically newly weds!

They met when they were 13 and 16 when the head mistress and head master of each of their schools allowed the kids a day off to go ice skating. A day off from their studies was a rarity in itself, but the opportunity to mingle with the opposite sex was unheard of! "I wasn't even allowed to see my sisters, you see." They ended up next to each other in a line of skaters holding hands and became close friends for many years until he left to serve in the British Army and she left for work in Calgary.

They lost touch. She married. He married. She got a divorce. He became a widower. She had three kids. He had none. About 8 or 9 years ago the school in Glasgow was having a big anniversary celebration to which they both went - each wondering if the other would be there. Well, I'm sure you can guess the rest of the story that led to their wedding in 2003 at 77 and 80 years of age respectively. They are now living in Sechelt and were the reason for our visit there.

Did I mention they are both Scottish?

Constance wants one for her garage at home.

When Jeff retired she moved to Sechelt and into a cute little cottage this far away from the beach...

After a nice lunch, mom and I decided to take a look around...

Further down the walk there were a bunch of people swimming - it was a pretty hot day, but I was too much of a wuss to take a swim myself...

...but I did manage to put my feet in - it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be, but there was still no way I was getting in!

Those rocks were not the easiest to navigate...

...but I made it! Thanks to Constance for the play by play!

Jeff is 84 years old and she had more energy than Constance and I put together. This is her leading the way up a hill to a kind of community center where she volunteers.

 

We survived. Jeff didn't break a sweat.

Jeff used to have this sign hanging on a tree in her front yard, but took it down after she and Norman got married. Now it lives here - I think this is her gardening shed.

We had fresh raspberries for breakfast - grown in her backyard!

We would have had blueberries too, but they weren't doing so hot.

Mom and I had our own little cottage while at Jeff and Norman's place.

Just across the way is the entrance to the main house. Jeff likes her hanging reptiles.

On our second day in Sechelt Norman apologized because he had a golf game scheduled at 8:30 that morning - at 87 he still plays a full round of golf 2 or 3 days a week!

The ladies decided to take a stoll around the town where the ferries pull in called Gibson's Landing. A quaint little tourist town filled with restaurants, art galleries, dress shops and boats for rent.

Constance and Jeff at Gibson's Landing

After strolling around Gibson's Landing for about an hour, Jeff decided to take us a few more miles (well, a 45 minute drive) up the way to an area called Garden Bay. "Bring your hats," she said, "because it's going to be sunny!" Neither one of us brought a hat so Jeff let us each borrow one from her collection. Thus we became, "The Ladies who Lunch."

Constance in her boater hat...

Me in my fancy straw hat...

 

And, of course, Jeff in her sassy straw fedora.

A small bit of Garden Bay

We drove through Half Moon Bay on the way back.

Jeff heading down the highway cruising along at 90km/hour in what I think was a 60km/hour zone! She wanted to get home before Norman began to worry.

Our two days in Sechelt flew by. We were off again for the ferry at 10:00 in the morning on our third day. They too walked us right up to the ferry gate - word must have gotten out - where we said our goodbyes. Mom started crying and even I got a little teary eyed. They are a sweet couple who I hope to get to know some more someday. More than the length of their life, it was the depth and fullness to which they are both living it that impressed me so greatly. I mean, honestly, if they can get married at 77 and 80 there may be hope for me yet! Heck, I still have 40 odd years of swinging singledom before I really have to worry, right?

The Ross Vancouver Tour - Part 1

We spent the last week away from an internet connection and I have so much to catch up on! I'll try to keep it organized and go day by day starting with last Monday when we were given a grand tour of Vancouver by Peter and Carol Ross - two of Constance's good friends from the days of her youth...

My mom, Carol and Peter became friends in Vancouver in the mid sixties - my mom hailing from Elgin, Scotland via London, Carol from Liverpool, England and Peter from Dundee, Scotland. It being the sixties, you can imagine what kind of trouble they managed to get into! I've heard stories about Constance that I never would have thought possible - picture a white convertible sports car with a red interior, two swinging single young ladies in the front (Constance driving, Carol riding shotgun) and a fresh off the boat Scotsman squeezed in the back thinking he must have died and gone to heaven. It was his second night in town and they were heading to a club called the Marco Polo. It was the beginning of a beautiful friendship between the three - and a lifelong romance between Peter and Carol. You'll meet their kids in a few posts, but for today - the Ross Vancouver Tour - it was just the four of us...or as you will see, the three of us in various configurations...

Peter, Constance and Carol at Deep Cove

Peter, Carol and me at Deep Cove

Our first stop on the Ross Vancouver Tour was a pretty little village called Deep Cove. It sits at the entrance to Indian Arm off the Burrard Inlet on the North Shore of Vancouver. It was a gorgeous day and there were families, couples and tourists out in full force. We had a walk around before stopping for some fancy iced coffee at one of the many cafes that lined the main street. The iced coffee was like something I've never seen before - it was essentially a shot or two of espresso at the bottom of a cup filled with foamed milk - but cold. I thought it might be a Canadian thing, but Peter also thought it a little weird. Perhaps it was Deep Cove thing...strange are the ways of the Deep Covian.

Kayakers galore heading out at Deep Cove

Boats and kayakers galore...

After Deep Cove we headed for the Lonsdale Quay Market, the "gateway to the North Shore."

Constance and Carol at it again...

Seven cormorants and a seagull...one of these things is not like the others...

You get a great view of downtown Vancouver from the quay. Those are the famous sails at Canada Place Pier - a closer view to come...

Constance and Carol contemplating Canada...Place

See that freighter in the background? It was here, looking at that ship, that I learned about a tryst Constance had with a Greek guy who was apparently an officer on a ship very much like it. She kept saying, "I can't believe I had the gumption to go! But he was a real gentleman." Hmmm...indeed...do as I say, not as I do! (I may get in trouble for this one).

The Lonsdale Quay is a market filled with food vendors and specialty shops - and thankfully - restaurants! I seem to always be hungry on this trip so far. We stopped here for lunch before making our way to the Cleveland Dam for a look at the Lions and the Capilano Watershed.

These are the Lions - with a bit of cloud cover

This is what they would look like sans the cloud cover (a view we were not lucky enough to get on this day)

There are a few places in Vancouver that Constance absolutely loves. The Lions are one of them - they are one of the most recognizable landmarks in Vancouver. She has said that they are meant to represent the Lions in Trafalgar Square in London, but I don't see the resemblence. Do you? She and my unlce say my generation simply lacks imagination! Imagine that.

After doing a little bit of research (or googling) I found that they are also referred to by some as The Two Sisters - a name that stems from a story about, yes, two sisters who bring about peace among battling nations during a time of war. Now that is a legend I can let my imagination run away with!

The Lions way in the background and the Capilano Watershed right behind. About 40% of Vancouver's water supply comes from here!

The watershed is a 3.5 mile lake that sits behind the Cleveland Dam - no swimming in the lake!

Looking over - and down - the Cleveland Dam...Vancouver hasn't seen any rain for awhile and it is evident by how little overflow there is into the...

Capilano River...when it's actually flowing, the river feeds into the Burrard Inlet across from Stanley Park.

Next we are headed for the hills! Cypress Hill...or Mountain I should say. Not the band...

A view of the Lion's Gate Bridge from a little ways up Cypress Mountain

My mom's mom passed away in 1989 at the age of 83. This is where they scattered her ashes. I don't think there is any great significance to this lookout except that it is beautiful and overlooks the city grandma called home for the last part of her life. My grandma was a hoot. One of the fondest memories I have of her is on the Wikiwiki bus at the Honolulu Airport. My mom was crying because grandma was leaving, so grandma kept popping out her teeth with her tongue to make her laugh. I think the whole bus was laughing by the time we reached the terminal.

Cypress Mountain ski run with no snow- this was the venue for the freestyle and snowboarding events during the Olympics. From what I'm told there wasn't much snow then either and they had to truck it in!

In the summer the area gets a lot of hikers - we passed a guy with a bell attached to his hip that gave a little jingle with every step he took. This was so he didn't surprise any bears on his trek. We were hoping to see a bear (from the safety of the moving vehicle we were touring in) but it wasn't meant to be. Peter said he had arranged it so we would see one, but apparently the bear had better things to do.

Walking on the pier at Dundarave - a beachside village on the west side of Vancouver

Three Amigos

We stopped at a snack shop by the beach for some tea (well, I had a diet Pepsi, but the British expats had tea) and this is what she made it in...

It looks like some sort of kooky science experiment, doesn't it? It must have taken 10 minutes to make this fancy tea - only to end up being served in paper cups. Go figure.

Tea on the beach wasn't our last stop but it seems to be where I tired of taking pictures - or everybody else tired of posing. In any event, we left here and got stuck for a few minutes on the Lion's Gate Bridge...

...where I took my last picture of the day...

Once over the bridge we drove through Stanley Park and into the old neighborhoods of downtown Vancouver where at one time or another Peter, Carol and Constance all called home.

We ended the day with dinner at a place called Bridges on Granville Island - a bigger and more bustling version of Lonsdale Quay Market. We sat outside, had a glass of wine and watched the boats drift by while the sun continued its journey west.

One of the things I loved most about this day had nothing to do with the beautiful scenery and landmarks we saw (though they were wonderful to see), but more with getting to know these two friends of my mom. Not only are they two of the warmest and most generous people I've ever had the fortune of meeting, but they allowed me a glimpse into who my mom is - I feel that through them I've gotten to know the younger perhaps more carefree self she was before marriage, kids and work took over. In many ways I saw myself and my own small band of friends who I hope I can laugh with after 40 odd years of life gone by as Peter, Carol and Constance did today. In fact, as we all did today.