Posts from — May 2008

Yes everyone, I’ve returned from my trip to Vancouver. I had a wonderful time, and had so much fun hanging out with Patrick & Adrienne on their home turf. Unfortunately I brought back a nice sinus cold with me that has had me coughing for many days now, but thankfully it didn’t impact my trip too much.

Now it’s back to the grind, although I’m home sick today. I’ve gone through a lot of herbal tea and tissues already today. But at least it’s sunny outside, so the view from the couch is a nice one. Not as nice as it was from Patrick & Adrienne’s couch though! Their living room faces north, and so I had a view of the mountains for the last week. But it’s nice to be back home too. I’ve still got more pictures to show you, so keep reading to see them in the next few days.

Yesterday Adrienne and I went up to Whistler to check things out. Patrick had to work (haha), and since he’s in Squamish for the month, we thought we’d steal the car and go up to Whistler. The last time any of us had been up there was the last time Carmina & I had been to Vancouver in 1998! So it was time to go.

The Sea-to-Sky Highway is undergoing a lot of work right now in preparation for the Olympics in 2010, as the government wanted to widen it to four lanes. Lots of construction workers and pilons everywhere. Patrick says his drive up to Squamish (that’s about half way to Whistler) changes every morning, so he’s got to stay on his toes when he goes up there. Whistler’s about a 90 minute drive from Vancouver, which is amazing if you’re in to skiing or snowboarding.

Adrienne & I decided to take the ski lift up as high as we could go, to check out the view….

 Here’s Adrienne on the way up in the gondola. Now that’s the way to ride.

Holy cow though, after that we got on a traditional ski lift, and froze our patooties off on the way up! The wind was pretty wild, and of course we weren’t really dressed for it, but it was fun anyways. Here’s the view from the chair:

 You had to go pretty high up to find any more snow, considering we’re almost in June now. But there were some hard core people up there taking advantage of the late ski season.

On the way back the wind was just ferocious though, coming right up the mountain. Adrienne & I almost didn’t want to take any photos though, as our fingers were getting really cold.

 Here I am trying to keep warm on the ride back down.

Back in the gondola we thawed ourselves out, and of course we knew that once we got back down to the Village, it would feel like summertime.

No pictures of the Village itself though, as it was pretty boring. In honour of the alpine Olympic events being held in Whistler, I hopped in the bobsleigh and am now giving serious thought to trying to qualify.

 I think I could do it, don’t you? I’m a fast runner.

Yes, it’s me again, from the West Coast. I am having an absolute blast out here, although fighting off the cold I managed to bring with me from T.O. (I blame one of my colleagues & her little son), has been a tad annoying. But that’s not stopped me from getting out and about. To whit:

The Edwards clan and I headed out to see Wide Mouth Mason at a local bar in Port Moody. Even though the band came on significantly later than was promised on the ticket, they truly rocked the house.

We were even having some fun with Patrick’s mom, Lucie. Apparently she’s a huge Bo Bice fan (of American Idol fame, not sure which season as I don’t watch), and she ends up comparing pretty much every singer to Bo Bice. We were going to come up with a drinking game for it, except it took her 4 whole hours to mention him even once!

Yesterday I wandered around the West End of Vancouver, traditionally known as Davie Village. Lots of cute little shops and pubs and restaurants. I wandered around some of the residential streets as well, and found some wonderful flowers.

 I think Adrienne said these were rhododendrons, but I can’t remember (I always think they’re bougainvillas, although I know that’s not right.) But Vancouver’s chock full of these flowers right now, plus the cherry blossoms too. Just wonderful.

And for some fun last night, Patrick & I went to Cleveland Dam while killing some time waiting for Adrienne’s dance class to end. This is near Grouse Mountain and the Capilano Suspension Bridge. The clouds were really in and around North Vancouver last night, as you can see:

 Check out how spooky that looks! This is why movie producers film a ton of movies in this area. Patrick & I made lots of slasher movie jokes the whole time we were there.

And now for my cheesy X-Files photo:

 Remember how I said this was near Grouse Mountain? Well, this is where Duane Barry took Agent Scully in Season 2 (or was it Season 1?), and she was abducted by “aliens”. Totally creepy & X-Files like, isn’t it? 

Stay tuned for a few more photos in my last couple of days here. Since Adrienne’s got the day off tomorrow, and Patrick’s working up in Squamish for a few months, we’re going to give him a lift on our way to Whistler and go check things out there. Squamish is part of the way to Whistler, so we figured we go. I don’t think any of us have been there since 1998 when Carmina & I came out to visit, so it should be fun. I’ll be excited to see all the changes they’ve made to the place in anticipation of the 2010 Olympics. The city is definitely being transformed in time for the Games, that’s for sure. Ciao!

Okay, since I know my seester would have tagged me if she were feeling un-lazy, here you are:

1) What was I doing 10 years ago?I was actually doing exactly what I’m doing right now: Visiting my friend Patrick in Vancouver! Aside from that, I was working in the National Service Call Centre for PWGSC.

2) What are 5 things on my to-do list for today (not in any particular order): Go to West End of Vancouver, eat a DQ Blizzard, take pictures, drink an espresso, and drink wine on Patrick & Adrienne’s deck.

3) Snacks I enjoy: PC Salt n’ Vinegar chips, the fresh guacamole from Max’s Market in Bloor West Village, lightly salted boiled edemame beans.

4) Things I would do if I were a billionaire: Similarly to my seester, I’d buy a residence in Vancouver, one on the East Coast somewhere, and one on the Italian Riviera. I’d travel the world with my camera and my laptop, as I wrote the Great Canadian Novel in between knitting stints.

5) Places I have lived: in order, Corunna, Kingston, Florence (Italy), Toronto, Mississauga, Toronto.

6) 6 peeps I wanna know more about: Yeah, that’s too much work…I’m on vacation right now. So if you want to consider yourself tagged, go for it!

No, before you get all excited and wonder if I found a stitch n’ bitch over here on the West coast, I didn’t. But I did see a cute little yarn shop in Edgemont here in North Van whilst taking the bus over to the city. I stopped in on the way back, and it’s a cute little shop with a ton of nice yarns. It’s called Urban Yarns.

I am sure missing the FO I’m making for my Italian relatives right now, as I couldn’t bring it with me on the plane since it’s far too big. Do you want to know how much I’m missing knitting? One of my calluses has actually started to “soften”, and it’s only been 6 days since I knit! Aahh-eee! Don’t worry, I’ll be back and knitting by Sunday, so all will be well with the universe then. Tee hee.