A Sunny Day in Vancouver

What a glorious day today! This morning I was reminded of Mr. Rogers and how he used to sing "It's a beautiful day in this neighbourhood, A beautiful day for a neighbour, ... So let's make the most of this beautiful day "

For all the hype and groaning we all do about the rain here, we do have some long stretches of wonderful weather. And there is so much to do here when it's nice. Here is a sampling of fun things to do in Vancouver on a sunny day.

1. Lounge at any of the myriad beaches found along the edges of the city or in many of the outlying areas. In the city you'll find the famous English Bay, Jericho Beach, Spanish Banks, and Kitsilano Beach. Take in the views of the city and the water while lunching on fish and chips and ice-cream, but be sure to take plenty of sunscreen!

2. There are three main waterparks in the the vicinity of Vancouver. One is at Bridal Falls, about an hour's drive outside of the city. One is at Cultus Lake, a very popular summer spot, and the third is very near me. This one is called Splashdown Park and it's just off the main route to the ferry that will take you to Vancouver Island.

3. Hiking is another favourite passtime of Vancouver and area residents. Beginners can take in Pacific Spirit Regional Park next to the grounds of the University of British Columbia. Intermediate hikers might want to try Dog Mountain, a 2.5 hour round trip hike on Mount Seymour. Experienced adventurers will love hiking to the Lions. It is one of the area's most popular and strenuous hikes, about 7 hours roundtrip and should be attempted by experienced, properly equipped hikers only.

4. Bike, walk, or roll around the Seawall in Stanley Park. This is a famous piece of urban infrastructure with amazing views of the ocean and mountains. Nearby on Denman Street, one can rent bikes or rollerblades.

5. Rent a kayak and spend hours exploring the shoreline around Vancouver. You never know what you might run into.

6. Of course, there are places where you can get ice-cream like the famous Dairy Queen, McDonald's, or various other parlours around town for specialty ice-cream or gelato.

I'm going to go and plant a daisy mum that a studen'ts mother gave me as a thank you for tutoring her son. It's lovely and I think it's had enough of sitting in my kitchen sink looking outside. It's time for it to join the other plants and flowers in the garden, so off I go. I wish I had some Italian gelato in my freezer.

Gramma's Pride and Joy

For those of you who aren't into babies, just come back another day - because I'm sharing more photos from today's visit with my little munchkins. Eden is now 3 months old and Noah is a feisty 4 1/2 now. When we arrived, Noah (with a fresh haircut) was on the deck playing with a caterpillar and he wanted me to come and see it. So off I went and we named him Fuzzy (but later Noah changed it to Superman). Noah was manhandling it like little boys do, so I suggested we make a bed for him. We found a container and went down to the lawn and gathered up some grass, dried pine needles, a pine cone, a few sticks, and even a wood bug (Woody) to keep him company. Noah's Mommy was a bit creeped out by what we were doing, but I told her I used to do that when I was a little girl, only I'd collect Daddy Longlegs. Here's Noah holding "Fuzzy" aka "Superman."

When Eden woke up from her nap, all the attention turned to her. Noah was a bit jealous today and kept trying to get in all the photos with her. He told me all about how he married her because he kisses her all the time. He hasn't quite figured out marriage yet, other than that people hug and kiss. So cute!

So Eden was all smiles today, can hold her head up when placed in the face down position on her blankie and tries hard to turn over. When she did a big "spitty-up" we turned her over. Here I am wiping her little mouth.

Another month and she'll be rolling over like there's nothing to it. Right now she likes the sitting position so her Mommy puts her in it, holds her steady and then lets go - but then catches her as she falls over like an old drunk. lol

At one point in the afternoon, Noah tried to take over and get the attention. So he got down on the floor with his baby sister and was trying to get her to look at a toy he was holding up. I love this photo because it looks so typical of a sister thinking to herself, "If I don't acknowledge him, maybe he'll go away. Stupid brother!"

But usually, she watches him all the time! In these two photos her eyes are on Noah and whatever he was doing.

My blogging friend Liz sent along a toy football for Noah when she sent Eden a gift when she was born. It's one of Noah's favourite toys and he loves to play catch with it, especially with me. So whenever I go to visit he asks me, "You want to play catch, Gramma?" So out it comes and my daughter told me that Eden gets into the game now. She holds her little hands, Noah tosses it gently to her, and Mommy helps her catch it and throw it back. Here they are demonstrating.

Pretty soon, Eden showed signs of hunger and sleepiness, so I left them to it and came along home to upload and enjoy my photos from today.

But before I sign off, I just wanted to show you this photo. Look how chubby she is! She's obviously very healthy but her Mommy is worried she's inherited her legs! And one thing she has definitely inherited is her Daddy's ears. See those little Spock ears? They curl out at the top!

Saturday Photo Hunt - EMOTION

When my grandson Noah was born, we were all overwhelmed with love and joy. However, I don't think anyone showed as much pure emotion than my younger daughter Jaclyn when she saw her little nephew for the first time. As Noah has grown, they seem to have a special bond of love and I've been able to capture that love on film. Here is a sample of that love.

I'm off to pick Jaclyn up and head over to visit our munchkins this afternoon so I'll visit all the participants later. In the meantime, have a great weekend everyone and go see more contributions to Saturday's Photo Hunt at tnchick's site here.

Insomnia Sucks

It is now 4:49 am and I have not had one wink of sleep. I finally got up around 2:00 am and started playing Scramble on Facebook. After more than 2 hours, I managed to beat my own personal goal and reached 77 points! That's pretty damn good considering no sleep and my brain is pretty much mush now.

Normally, I don't have a problem sleeping, but maybe it's the fact that I was up until 3:00 am last night because I had to take my daughter to the ER with a vicious migraine. I sat by her hospital bed while the IV dripped the drugs into her veins until the pain subsided enough to take her home. I did sleep until 11:00 am and had a busy enough day, got some fresh air and exercise, had a student over, and ordered some bedding from Sears.

I dunno....it's starting to get light now so maybe I'll go make some coffee and wait for the newspaper to arrive. Should be coming any minute now. I have massage therapy at 10:45 am and I'd fall asleep on the table except that it hurts so damn much! I have a student at 4:00 pm and then I have to go out at 5:30 - maybe I better set my alarm for 3:00 pm when I get home from massage just in case I finally fall asleep and miss my tutoring session.

Anyone else have nights like this? *yawn*

EXAM TIME

I've been on both sides of exams in my lifetime. I've been a student and had to write them in classrooms and gymnasiums while teachers sauntered up and down the aisles watching for cheaters. I've actually been one of those teachers who had to walk up and down those aisles, eagle eyes on the lookout for anyone cheating and giving permission - or not - to those saying they needed to use the toilet. I've written exams that others have written and I've written exams for others to write. I've marked exams and given out grades according to government criteria or my own expectations, depending on the grade level.

It's now exam time for all school-age children. I have one more student tomorrow and again Monday morning and then all my current tutoring students will be off for the summer. I don't think I'll ever stop thinking like a teacher and I love working with kids one-on-one. It is invigorating and exhilarating, keeping my brain active so that I can use my skills without having to worry about crowd control or discipline issues.

I have one student lined up for the month of July and the end of August to prepare her for high school. She's a really nice young girl who was in my 4th grade class and she's now a bit anxious about going to high school. I'm really looking forward to having her for 2 hours, once a week through the summer to work on grammar and writing skills.

I've really enjoyed working with these kids one-on-one this year and hope I'll be able to increase my student load next year. Sometimes it takes a while for your name to get around, but I have a friend in a nearby village who tutors, too, so she recommends me for English and French while I recommend her for Math and Sciences. Also, another friend still works at the school where I used to teach and she always recommends me to parents.

I've updated and reprinted my business cards and took some to the school today. Also, when the mother of the boy I was tutoring today arrived to pick him up, I gave her a few. She was very happy about that because she said she'd been telling people about me. Wow! Maybe I'll get some new students through her! That would be great!

In the meantime, I wish all my students the best of luck on their exams and I hope they'll have a fun-filled summer vacation.

ABC Wednesday - U is for UPPER CANADA VILLAGE

ABC Wednesday is up to the letter U already! To see other participants and their offerings, please click here to go to Mrs. Nesbitt's place. I decided to take you to Upper Canada Village today, a historical spot on the St. Lawrence Seaway, that we visited in 1987 and again in 1988. Here are my two girls perched on an old log fence on the grounds of the village in the fall of 1988 with the river behind them. I remember the day as though it were yesterday. This one will open if you click on it.

When we lived in Ottawa for 3 years in the late '80s, we escaped twice to another time and place, amidst the sights and sounds of an 1860s village. A key part of the experience at Upper Canada Village is the authentic buildings that make up the village, the activities that each housed, and of course, the people who lived there. Costumed interpreters tell you what life was like in the 19th century and when you speak to them, they stay in character. For example, when we went to the schoolhouse, the children had to raise their hand and call the teacher "Miss." When we went to the butcher's house, we watched him making sausage with old machines. We went to the newspaper office and saw them setting the old type machines.

Upper Canada Village endeavours to depict life in a rural English Canadian setting during the year 1866. Featured at the site are over 40 historical buildings, including several working mills (woollen mill, grist-mill and sawmill) and trades buildings (blacksmith, tinsmith, cabinetmaker, cooper, bakery, cheese-maker). Farming is demonstrated through the growing, harvesting of processing of heritage vegetables & livestock. Aspects of late 19th-century domestic arts, social life, music, religion and politics are also discussed, interpreted and demonstrated at by staff dressed in clothing of the period. (Wikipedia)

Upper Canada Village is located in Morrisburg, Ontario, set right along the St. Lawrence Seaway. There is so much to see and do there that you must plan to stay for a whole day. It makes a great family outing. We first went in the summer of 1987 and when friends came to stay for a couple of weeks in the fall of 1988, we went again. It was great to see the place at different times of the year and the fall was the best as it was harvest time.

Here are a few photos from our visits to Upper Canada Village. I apologize for the clarity (or lack thereof) of the photos because they had to be scanned. Remember it was 20 years ago that we went there.

First we have the schoolhouse. My daughters learned that the school was heated with an old wood-burning stove and the teacher would come early to get the firewood from the side of the school and start the fire. The girls also had to raise their hand and ask permission to have their photograph taken with the teacher. Of course the teacher said, "You may." The other thing that my daughters found rather horrifying was that the "washroom" was a single outhouse beyond the school in among some trees! Imagine having to go out there in the dead of winter! (reminiscent of Little House on the Prairie. )

These photos will enlarge if you click on them.

Here is Christ Church and we went inside and sat on the hard wooden pews. It seems that each family had their own section in which they'd sit. The box pews were rented by families but the ones at the back and in the gallery were free. The girls had their photos taken at the altar both times we went but this one taken in 1988, although a bit dark, is clearer than the one taken in 1987. (Oh and that's my husband and Jaclyn at the front door.)

For some reason, these ones won't enlarge if you click on them. Oh well.

Jamie climbed up the signal tower here. If you look carefully, you'll see her waving from the top left. These towers were meant to be a system of visual telegraph signal towers for relaying important military messages up and down the St. Lawrence.

It was a gorgeous fall day, just perfect for walking around. When our feet got tired, we just hopped on the wagon to get a view of the St. Lawrence Seaway as we made our way around the outskirts of the village. That's hubby and the girls watching me take their photo.

I believe Upper Canada Village has added more to the park in the past 20 years and if I were to return to the area, I'd definitely go and visit it again. For anyone visiting the area near Ottawa or Montreal, do go. You will love it.

On Being a Winner

I slept in today, but as usual, limped into my office to check email, etc. Then I remembered that the winner of the Telus photo contest would be announced today, so I went over to check it out. As my regular readers will know, I periodically enter a photo or two when the theme is something to which I can relate. This time the theme was "Autumn." I entered a photo that I'd taken last fall when I went for a walk in Deas Park just near the Fraser River. The photo shows the reflection of colourful trees in a tributary of the river and you can just see some rowers practising for an event. If you'd like to see the entries click here.

Much to my stupendous surprise, I tied for first place! There were so many great photos this time that I didn't think I had a chance, even though I felt I had entered a pretty good photo. And because there were so many good shots, the votes were quite spread out. But who cares? I tied for first! (And by the way, I didn't stack the vote by having all my friends and relatives vote for me like I know a lot of people do. No one knew about this but me, myself, and I.)

Even though the colours aren't as brilliant posting it here on the blog, it is with humble pleasure that I share my photo, "Autumn on the River."

Gas Pains

Have you ever had the urge to pass gas at the worst possible moment — during an important meeting, on a crowded elevator or on a date? Although passing gas usually isn't serious, it can be seriously embarrassing!

Have you ever had those sharp, jabbing pains or cramps that happen after eating a large bowl of chili topped off with raw onions and cheddar cheese? You know, the kind that actually doubles you over and you think you're going to have to go to the local ER for some relief. The kind that makes you take to your bed with a hot water bottle and some air freshener and a warning on the door: "Caution: lighting a match in here will cause an explosion." (drag your cursor over the blank spot to reveal the warning.)

Well, I'm feeling like that right now. I just returned from driving my daughter home and I passed my gas station where I always fill up. The sign said $1.42.6/liter! I thought I was going to throw up! Just when my back is so bad I find it difficult to walk to the village and I'm probably going to have to start driving the short distance to get groceries, etc., the price of gas goes through the roof.

My stomache is in knots and my brain is shooting jabbing pains through my forehead from the shock. Oh I know, I know, they warned us. But they said the price would probably hit $1.40 by the summer and it's already passed that mark and summer isn't even here yet!

I think I'm going to have to resort to buying cases of beans for my meals. Oh no! That would give me gas pains! NUTS!

In case you can't read the above, it says:

(Eb) This gas situation has become a real pain.

(Flo) I'll say! I haven't been this bloated since I ate the rancid macadamia nuts!

(Eb) Can't you forget about yourself for once? This is about gasoline prices! The whole economy is in danger!

(Flo)I fail to see how the price of gasoline in any way affects our nut-based economy.

(Eb) So our squirrel wealth literally grows on trees?
(Flo)Precisely! Gas is merely a byproduct of economic activity.

Saturday Photo Hunt - Bad hair

You actually think I'd post a photo of myself with bad hair? Uh...NO! But I will show you when both my daughters volunteered at the Canada Science and Technology Museum in Ottawa back when they were only 7 and 11. They thought it was great fun to put their hand on a big ball to get a shock so their hair would stand on end. Since their hair was so long it didn't actually stand on end, but you can see it certainly moved! On the left is Jamie age 11 and on the right is Jaclyn age 7.

To see more "bad hair" photos, check out carver' sight or is that site blog here.

Destination - Horseshoe Bay

Although it wasn't the best of days weather-wise and poor Josie was suffering from a cold, we took a leisurely drive through the UBC endowment lands and Stanley Park with stops at Dundarave Beach and Whytecliff Park before ending up in Horseshoe Bay at the Boathouse for dinner.

Our drive took us from the Kitsilano area of Vancouver along the water, passing Kitsilano Beach, Jericho Beach, Locarno Beach, and Spanish Banks where we stopped to view the city from that vantage point.

From there we wound our way up the hill to the University of British Columbia (my alma mater) and passed the famous Nitobe Gardens (below), Totem Park (where I lived in residence for four years), Thunderbird Stadium, and odds and sods of research buildings. We drove along Marine Drive to the great lookout point where you can look across the water at Vancouver Island.

We stopped for a bite of lunch before heading over the Burrard Street Bridge to wind our way through the downtown area to get to Stanley Park. We took the park drive past Prospect Point where you can see the totem poles.........

and past Brockton Oval ,where men play cricket in the summer, and the famous statue of a girl in a wetsuit. This life-sized statue is posed gracefully on a big boulder with a mask pushed up over head but she has no tank. When the tide is high it looks like she is floating on top of the water. The statue was a gift to Vancouver Park Board by sculptor Elek Imredy and represents Vancouver's dependence on the sea.

We passed Lumberman's Arch,

where we had a fine view of the Lion's Gate Bridge that would take us over to West Vancouver and its beautiful beaches.

We stopped at the Beach House for a drink (well, not me 'cuz I was the D.D.) before continuing along the lower Marine Drive to show off lots of marinas sheltered in little bays along the way. Josie and I were so disappointed that it wasn't a sunny day, but I think the views are still majestic anyway. We went past Horseshoe Bay to Whytecliff Park where I took Geewits up to the lookout. From there you can see across to some of the Gulf islands - this is where the cruise ships travel on their way up to Alaska. I took the following photo last summer on my way up to Whistler.

Our final destination was The Boathouse Restaurant at Horseshoe Bay...

where we dined on seafood, salad, dessert, and accompanying beverages. The view was, as always, magnificent, and as we dined we watched the ferries arriving and departing. A stroll along the pier helped to settle our dinner before we headed home, all three of us weary but full of images of our day together.