H.R. MacMillan Space Centre - BC's One and Only Space Centre - HR Macmillan Space Centre

We became members of the Planetarium today and saw a fascinating show called Quest for Origins about the origins of the cosmos. Always amazing information int these shows. I never tire of the crab sculpture.

H.R. MacMillan Space Centre - BC's One and Only Space Centre - HR Macmillan Space Centre

A few things that caught my eye recently...

We drove up Marine Drive to Horseshoe Bay Friday...hadn't done that for years. Certainly spent many hours waiting for ferries here in the days of going to Gabriola with my parents.


Out on a walk in our neighbourhood and came across this wishing well which I thought was quite charming especially since it was in front of an apartment.


The first windsurfers of the season. One got quite a dunking. We actually saw someone in swimming a couple of days ago...stayed in quite long and sauntered up the beach. Pretty chilly I think.


We parked here (3rd and Maple) to go for lunch at Las Margaritas (super Mexican restaurant in Kits). This apartment just happened to be where Jim's grandparents' house was. He was very familiar with this area as a kid. It was a super area for them newly arrived from Scotland. They were quite old at the time. His Grannie kept occupied going to the "auction market" and his Grampa chatted with the old fellows at Kits and going to the Molson Brewery to get a free pint. The brewery people lets the old fellows skip the tour and got directly to the tasting room. And they both enjoyed the Kitsilano Show Boat.


Great little shop on Barclay had amazing Mediterranean products including this delicious looking lavish bread.

Finally the sun!

It was so nice to see the sun yesterday after all the rain and it was perfect timing since Donna and Neil were coming for dinner...great to see them!

We went for a walk around the neighbourhood and checked out our herons. We often see them flying back and forth to go fishing. Apparently they are solitary feeders. Not a surprise since I only recall seeing one heron feeding at a time.

Finally...

We finally got Fern's lovely curtains she made for us installed. "Arelene's", who is the equivalent of Ruffell and Brown here wanted us to bring everything in before they came out to install. Somehow it took a while to get around to doing that.

Last night I slept the best ever since we could have the window open. The vertical blinds that were there rattled too much. And an extra bonus is we can have them open and Jim get a sea view while he is at his desk! We never opened the blinds as it wasn't private from the house next door. Being able to open them in the middle allows privacy as well.


Thank you, thank you, thank you, Fern!

Gastown

We haven't been in Gastown for a while and had a Groupon coupon for the Al Porto. Seemed like a good thing to do on a rainy day so went there for lunch. I had a wonderful cioppino and Jim had his usual spaghetti...I think I got the better deal for sure. We were seated with Napoleon...

Yummy muffins!

We just had some of the yummy muffins that Katie brought over yesterday...very cool plate!

Harmony and Katie come to visit...

It was great to see Katie and Harmony today. Harmony is talking so well at just over two years old and was absolutely charming. What a sweetheart!

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Elaine's great adventure!

Elaine is off this morning to fly to Nice and then begin an Opimian Wine Cruise on the Rhone. She will arrive in Nice later on today. I know she'll have a wonderful time!



View from the Hotel Suisse over the Baie des Anglais...the favourite hotel of Monique, the Curlings and ourselves.




Opimian Wine Cruise

Reconnecting with an old friend

We had a super time with Ewa last night and her son, Philip, came by later and it was great to see him. It's been about 10 years since she moved away from Victoria and now we are practically neighbours!

My first painting in Vancouver

I knew I had to do one of our fabulous winter sunsets here. One of the first things Derek said when he visited that I had to paint this scene. Hard for me since it's a very detailed scene and I don't do things like sunsets and variations of colour well. I love just taking my ceruleum blue paint and painting the sky with it and getting it over with quickly. So, I knew I had to simpifly and had to make my beloved freighters more obvious. I was pretty happy with it and it was fun...the main thing!


English Bay Sunset
12 x 16 acrylic on canvas
April 1/2011

This is what it actually looks like.

Possibly the worst lunch ever....

We've actually never had a Quebec poutine and when Swarmjam offered a deal at La Belle Patate I bought it. Pretty awful stuff to our taste and we unfortunately ordered a beer called "Maudite" that was also bad tasting to us. Yikes, even if the beer had been good it wouldn't have been too bad.

On the good side, we discovered a French Patisserie that had a baguette that is almost Carqueiranne quality and lots of other goodies. We also discovered an Indian lunch buffet for $10.95 that gets a good rating and also people passing by said the food was good. And we discovered a funky little convenience/gourmet store called "Tutti" that is run by a neat couple and that had lots of interesting products and great...and I do mean great...prices. So, lot's of reasons to go back to that area.

The adventure continues...

Hats off to the Japanese people

JAPAN ~ 10 Things to Learn from Its People


1. THE CALM
Not a single visual of chest-beating or wild grief. Sorrow itself has been elevated.

2. THE DIGNITY
Disciplined queues for water and groceries. Not a rough word or a crude gesture.

3. THE ABILITY
The incredible architects, for instance. Buildings swayed but didn’t fall.

4. THE GRACE
People bought only what they needed for the present, so everybody could get something.

5. THE ORDER
No looting in shops. No honking and no overtaking on the roads. Just understanding.

6. THE SACRIFICE
Fifty workers stayed back to pump sea water in the N-reactors. How will they ever be repaid?

7. THE TENDERNESS
Restaurants cut prices. An unguarded ATM is left alone. The strong cared for the weak.

8. THE TRAINING
The old and the children, everyone knew exactly what to do. And they did just that.

9. THE MEDIA
They showed magnificent restraint in the bulletins. No sensationalizing. Only calm reportage.

10. THE CONSCIENCE
When the power went off in a store, people put things back on the shelves and left quietly.

There was no "BREAKING NEWS" !!

The Scillies

Susan and Alan just got back from a very well deserved holiday in the Scillies...looks like a neat place to visit!

Richard's secret job....

Susan and Chris just got back from Palm Springs and were looking through their mail. The Harry Rosen magazine had this photo on the cover! Susan was convinced it was Richard and I can see why.

So, Richard, seems you have a double...

Harry Magazine: a magazine for men by Harry Rosen Inc.

P.S. from Richard:

"That's really funny because Harry Rosen also uses mannequins that look exactly like my friend Patrick."

The New Bohemiam Restaurant

We used a Groupon last night for a super meal in Kits...yum for sure! This is what we had. A fabulous combination of flavour.

Moroccan Tagine for Two! - A neighbourhood Fav…! -$29¾
Honey, cinnamon & preserved lemon braised lamb shank, stewed meat & free-range chicken
served with dried-fruit couscous, grilled flatbread, braised lentils,
cucumber salad, golden cauliflower, pickled cabbage & a citrus yogurt spread – Yum!

And there was a fabulous Greek Deli across the street. Must go back to explore that more thoroughly. I'm sure we'll be back to the restaurant as they have some great weeknight special like moules-frites (Saltspring Island Mussels) with aioli dip for $7 and featured pints for 2.99 on Wednesdays.


We'll get our tastebuds up for this next time...

English Bay in yesteryear

John sent me a jpeg of this postcard a cousin sent to him. It was dated 1912. I was curious about the pier and found this info:

English Bay Beach

The beach has always been popular, especially after sand was added in 1898 and people began to build themselves cottages where they would spend their summers. It's hard to imagine that in order to reach the beach in the 1890's, one had to follow trails through the bushes and then, when you arrived, the beach was divided in two by a large rock, men on one side and women on the other! In the early 1900's, a wooden bathhouse was built (people no longer had to change behind the bushes) and a walking pier with a glassed-in dance hall called "The Prom" were added. The current concrete bathhouse was constructed in 1931 while, seven years later, the pier and dance hall were both torn down.

Bon Ton's

Yesterday we happened across Bon Ton's recently relocated in Kits on Broadway and couldn't resist going in since I remember my mother talking about how "fancy" it was although I don't think we ever had anything from this "Patisserie Francaise"...too expensive. Since John and Carol were coming for lunch today I thought I would buy a few things.

I had the server pick out a dozen of her favourite cookies. There didn't seem to be a lot of "French" type of pastries, actually. Also bought a couple of croissants and cheese straws. I guess everything was ok but not spectacular...Mary, your cheese straws are better!

And a rather different experience from France. Here, they asked me if I wanted a box...in France, they automatically give you a box and make a big production of tying a pretty ribbon with a bow around it even if you buy two small inexpensive things. It's just the way it's done in France. You will see from the photo how the experience is a little different.

Same with flowers, you buy one rose (flowers are usually pretty cheap compared to here) in France and it's wrapped in cellophane and ribboned. Flowers and pastries...it is the sizzle factor.

Pacific Great Blue Herons nest in Stanley Park - Vancouver | Demotix.com

The herons have landed! I was on my way to the Robson Safeway today via the back way through Stanley Park and noticed all sorts of people with great cameras taking photos then I saw the herons and their nests. I
I took a few photos myself. A fellow next to me commented that they didn't seem to want to fly today...would be quite a site since they are around a metre tall! Seems there are around 200 nests in about 25 trees overall...a real "herony" as it is called.




Pacific Great Blue Herons nest in Stanley Park - Vancouver | Demotix.com

For all of my live for the moment friends and soulmates...

flickspire - Life is like Coffee Movie

Don sent me this today and I think it says it all about the important things in life and why happiness eludes many people.

flickspire - Life is like Coffee Movie

Elizabeth Taylor

I think it would be hard not to like Elizabeth Taylor. She certainly seemed to live life to the full and many of her movies gave many people pleasure. And what a love story with Richard Burton.

I enjoyed these quotes:

"Some of my best leading men have been dogs and horses."

"The problem with people who have no vices is that generally you can be pretty sure they're going to have some pretty annoying virtues."

"When people say, 'She's got everything', I've got one answer - I haven't had tomorrow."



Ian sent me this photo as the one that resonated the most with him since she told Larry King that Mike Todd was the husband who was her soulmate. It is a wonderful photo of Liz, baby Liza, and Mike. Taken in 1957. Mike Todd died in a plane crash in 1958.

Home again....

This is really beginning to feel like home!


There's always something to watch here. This fellow set up a tightrope between two trees...perhaps he'll be the next big star on Cirque de Soleil...

Back swimming with the ducks....

The Hotel Grand Pacific opened its swimming pool Friday and it was great to get back. I've been three times already and it is certainly something I really miss not having

in Vancouver. Great to see the ducks around as well.

It looks very fresh and clean but not that much different since they went with beige again for the tiles...not exactly what I would have chosen!

Itty Bitty Book Review: "Sanctuary Line"

"Sanctuary Line" by Jane Urquhart

I begin a new Urquhart novel with great anticipation and am never disappointed. Always a wonderful blend of story, character, and especially metaphor and images. And this time an ending that surprised me although it was beautifully set up from the beginning.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Bodhran and tin whistle we bought in Ireland in 2000

This morning Jim asked me what day it was to set his watch and I told him it was Mar 16. Then went to Uplands for lunch and all the staff was in Irish atire...nice to finally know what day it was...