Hunkabutta Archives
07.07.03

click to enlarge      
click to see full version

click to see full version

click to see full version

click to see full version

click to see full version

click to see full version

click to see full version

click to see full version

click to see full version

Dinner at Todd's on Sunday was a lemony, chickeny, wear-my-shades-on-the-patio, urban-dining extravaganza. Tara did an outstanding job as hostess and Walter, the dog, did a great job at keep Jack occupied.

Tonight we had dinner at Brian's, my old grad school supervisor and renown archaeologist. As we expected it was an evening filled with fine wine, cheese, Celtic music, and sultry Balinese wood sculptures. We got to hear all about his recent work on traditional feasting in Indonesia and the South Pacific.

Tomorrow we'll be getting ready for our overnight camping trip to Salt Spring Island.

The great weather has held and things are looking really good.

Comments?
12 comments so far

07.04.03

click to enlarge      
click to see full version

click to see full version

click to see full version

click to see full version

click to see full version

click to see full version

click to see full version

click to see full version

The wedding is over, my parents have gone back out east, and I've finally gotten Internet access: Things are starting to smooth out.

We had to move out of Jean's townhouse in Surrey because the new owners moved in, and now we're staying in a Boler trailer (little bubble-shaped fibreglass camper) at Gary's, my father-in-law, in Crescent Beach.

We're finally starting to do, what I consider at least, the fun stuff. Yesterday we had a barbeque party at Brett and Mel's funky little East Vancouver house. Jack and their kids Otis and Sylvie spent the day eating raspberries off the bush and goofing around in the kiddie pool. I spent the day drinking beer and goofing around with Brett's guitar.

On Sunday we're going to a dinner party at Todd's near Commercial Drive (East Vancouver), and then on Monday we're having dinner with Brian Hayden, my old supervising professor from graduate school. Brian's been doing ethnoarchaeological research in Indonesia these past few years and I'm looking forward to hearing some of his stories.

Then, on Tuesday or Wednesday, possibly with Brett and Mel, we'll be spending a night on Salt Spring Island. That should be cool. I'll be taking a lot of pictures. It's one of the places that Karen and I are considering living when we move back to Canada, but neither of us really know much about it, so this trip is for us to check it out and to see if it lives up to its reputation.

Finally, by the Sunday of next week I'll be on my way back to Tokyo, so you Japan-junkies out there will be able to get your Nippon fix soon after that.

Thanks for stopping by. More great Vancouver pictures coming up soon.

Comments?
11 comments so far

06.28.03

click to enlarge      
click to see full version

click to see full version

click to see full version

click to see full version

click to see full version

click to see full version

click to see full version

click to see full version

click to see full version

click to see full version

click to see full version

click to see full version

Things are going well. The great weather has held.

I can't talk right now. I'm at our friend Melody's house using her computer, but I have to run. Julie's wedding is this afternoon and I have to drive back out to Surrey to pick up Jack and my parents.

Today's pictures are all from the trip that we took to Stanley Park which I told you about in the last post.

More later.

Comments?
19 comments so far

06.25.03

click to enlarge      
click to see full version

click to see full version

click to see full version

click to see full version

click to see full version

My parents are here in Vancouver now and things are going well. The weather couldn't be better and everybody is in good spirits.

Yesterday I took them, with Jack, to hike around Stanley Park: a huge urban park with sections of old-growth Northwest Coast forest right beside downtown Vancouver. It's on a bulbous little peninsula surrounded by the sea and crisscrossed with hiking trails through the forest. It has a paved walkway all around its perimeter called the Sea Wall.

It was an enchanting day, full of sunshine, daisies in the grass, bald eagles, and seals. Although it was bright and cool there weren't many people there. We started out near the Georgia Street entrance where we parked the car. The parking ticket machine was broken but my father kept trying to fix it by pumping more money into it "...Maybe it just needs another dollar. Geraldine, give me a loony." Eight dollars later we found another machine and parked the car.

We cut straight through the west side of the park, past some parkland and playgrounds, and came out at the Sea Wall on the Burrard Inlet side. Then we walked along the Sea Wall towards the Lion's Gate Bridge, which spans the inlet, until we came to a little stream. We followed the stream inland for a while and walked around Beaver Lake -- actually a large pond filled with blooming lilies. After my mother finished grazing on the wild thimbleberries around Beaver Lake we looped back out towards the Sea Wall.

We walked along the Sea Wall for a long time. We went under the Lion's Gate and on to the Vancouver harbour side of the peninsula. We could see Vancouver Island across the straight. We stopped for lunch at the beach near Prospect Point.

A few cheeseburgers later we started to head back towards the car, but I made a wrong turn and lead us to the far western side of the peninsula. We were pretty tired and a little discouraged by then and considered taking the shuttle bus that loops round the park. We stood at the bus stop for a few minutes, but then I noticed that across the road was a trail entrance called 'Lover's Trail', and the dark looming forest that I could see beyond made me feel a pang of guilt about taking the shuttle bus, so I ushered everyone back into the forest and we headed eastward towards Lost Lagoon and the parking lot.

I'm glad that we took Lover's trail because we saw some of the most enormous trees of the day on the way, the kind that are so big that they have a presence and you feel that, if you tried, that you could develop a personal relationship with the tree, just because it seemed so special and individual.

After a lot of huffing and puffing and a few more thimbleberry stops we emerged from the forest on the shores of Lost Lagoon and found our way back to the car, sweaty, hungry, and ready to go home.

---------------------

I'll try to get some pictures from Stanley Park up online for you next time.

Comments?
17 comments so far