Here we are, 10 days later, and I’m finally writing my last post about David’s weekend in Vancouver. I’m about a week behind — how I know is that I have to leave shortly for Vandigicam in Coal Harbour/Stanley Park, and I haven’t posted the photos from last week’s photowalk around Chinatown. But, first things first:

Monday, May 30

I saved the best for last — it was David’s birthday on Monday, and he was leaving the next day. So, as a surprise I rented a speedboat from Granville Island, the same outfit I rented from last year when Heather, Krisanne, Karl, and I went boating.

Dave’s Logbook: My Buoyant Birthday
David’s photos
My photos (or click on images)

The best part about boating on a Monday is avoiding the weekend warrior traffic. We were informed that it was crazy-busy out in the water and the previous day a drunken yahoo rammed his boat into five other boats, so we were glad to have avoided all that. We had the run of the place, so to speak. The day was very calm and overcast, which meant we were spared from heatstroke, too. To boot (to boat?), the rental guy gave us the larger 17-footer for a discount once we told him we wanted to cross under the bridges. He said we’d have a much smoother ride when tackling the currents and this one had a new motor. We were sold on the idea, and by all accounts it made an enormous difference.

I remember on previous speedboating outings hanging on for dear life when we hit big waves out in the open ocean, especially in ‘03 when the Chickens and I rented a boat in Horseshoe Bay. There were four of us and I had distinct memories of the boat — which was the same size as this one, I think — threatening to capsize when we got into open water. The boat we rented last year from Granville Island was bone-rattling at full throttle, threatening to come apart at the seams every time we hit a wave head-on. Or maybe that was Krisanne’s driving… anyway, I remember Heather and I were holding the window when it started to separate from the pane. Those rental boats take some serious abuse!

By contrast, this boat was in fine condition, the motor purring so softly in idle it was as if we’d stalled. But when David gave it gas, it was a tiger, and so smooth! The rental guy wasn’t exaggerating — it handled the waves beautifully, very stable and responsive. What a difference!

After a slow cruise past English Bay and under the Lions Gate Bridge, we dallied around Coal Harbour, watching the floatplanes take off and land. I love floatplanes; I could watch them all day. There were cruise ships docked at Canada Place — floating cities of tourists travelling up to Alaska, both a mark of ostentatiousness and the human desire to explore the earth while dragging along all the comforts of home.

We were one of the only pleasure boats in Burrard Inlet, passing maybe two or three other speedboats and the occasional fishing boat on our way to Deep Cove and up Indian Arm. The water was calmer than I’d ever seen it, a West Coast paradise of mountains, forest, ocean, and abundant wildlife. We spotted many seals, who waited until we got our cameras out to duck under the water. David’s camera has a 10x zoom and managed to get a couple of shots, but they were still rather far and out-of-focus. The eagles that flew overhead weren’t co-operative, either! The city was only a short distance away, but without a map there was nothing to indicate we were anywhere near civilisation.

We passed by the spooky Buntzen Power Station, its BC Hydro “Danger!” signs more than a bit off-putting. We killed the engine and drew closer, my mind conjuring images of Grade B horror movies. David wanted to dock the boat, but I was half-expecting people to jump out of the woods and… well, let’s say I have a fertile imagination. No, I really wanted to get all the way up to the top of Indian Arm, something I’d tried to do in a canoe with a friend some years ago, but we didn’t keep track of how far we’d gone and once we spotted a family of bears on the shore we high-tailed it back to Deep Cove!!

Since that canoe trip, I’d been wanting to reach the top of Indian Arm. We passed by the first set of waterfalls I’d recognised from that trip, some islands, then Granite Falls before reaching the campground and the Wigwam Inn. It’s supposed to be 18kms from Deep Cove to the Wigwam Inn, but we covered the distance by speedboat in no time at all. We saw more seals and watched the gorgeous scenery as we cruised back to Deep Cove, where we bought some gas lest we got stranded in open waters.

David ended up doing all the driving while I took photographs, but it worked out fine this way. He looked like he was enjoying himself immensely, and I wanted to give him the rare opportunity of piloting a boat rather than an airplane. Pennsylvania has plenty of lakes, but even in sizeable Lake Wallenpaupack, it can get crowded at the height of summer when the New Yorkers take their boats out, I’m told. (Pennsylvanians blame New Yorkers for everything, don’t they?) Here, at least, David could cut loose at top speed without worrying about crashing into anyone.

We whirled around the waters between West Vancouver and UBC, marvelling at the size of the giant cargo ships. I used to see them all the time from my apartment, but up close they are truly behemoths. Then my phone rang — it was the rental company, asking when we were coming back! It was nearly 7 o’clock, so we headed back to Granville Island. Once there, though, they said we had time to cruise around False Creek, so we took in the sights around Concord Pacific Development, Science World, the seawall and the marina. We were passed by rowers practising for the annual Alcan Dragonboat Festival that takes place mid-June, and water taxis ferrying people between points around False Creek.

By the time we returned the speedboat, we’d been out in the water more than five hours, and even with a mostly overcast day and a hat, David’s nose got sunburned and our arms and hands turned a completely different shade than the rest of our bodies! But the time flew by — which it always seems to when I’m on a boat — and it whet our appetites for future boat trips.

For David’s last night in Vancouver, I’d made a reservation at the Sylvia Hotel in English Bay, a place I’d definitely recommend for anyone wanting to get away from the big hotel chains. It’s one of Vancouver’s rare heritage buildings, built as apartments in 1912 and well-located by Stanley Park and the beach. We checked in late and tired, but not too tired to take advantage of Mondo Gelato’s free birthday ice cream and tapas-style eating at Denman Freehouse. All in all, a very good way to spend one’s birthday, even if one had to leave town the next day.

The Fast Food Delivery System Explained
Uploaded by dale..

“You may or may not have tried to get a fast food outlet to deliver to your home/office/hideout. You may or may not have been successful. You may or may not have gotten what you actually ordered…”

Click on the photo for the rest of the story.

Written by the talented and witty Dale, who hankers for a Timbit now and again. Except he’s in Barbados. I’m a little closer to the timbits, in Pennsylvania.

Poor David was put to work while he was here on vacation. He fixed Socar’s leaky toilet, put up a towel rack, and corrected some things on her computer that we’d futzed with when we tried to install an extra drive. David also investigated Eliza’s door and helped her re-install some curtain rods in the hallway.

I’m marrying the Ultimate Handyman (TM). Not only can he fix plumbing, he does woodwork, painting, tree trimming, landscaping, gardening, auto mechanics, designs wedding rings, graphic artwork, classical artwork (drawing), network administration, knows his way around an airplane engine, and FLIES!

It sounds like one of those ads on a late-night shopping channel — “Can Work WONDERS!” — but I can tell you firsthand he’s all that, and more.

Over the winter in Pennsylvania when the air was really dry, I started hanging laundry inside on one of those wooden indoor racks so we could benefit from the humidity. You can buy these things almost anywhere, but they’re pretty flimsy, and you can’t put much on them before they buckle under the strain or just fall over.

“I can custom build a laundry rack for you,” he said. Oooh, good answer!

We went off to the hardware store and bought all the materials for The Mother of All Laundry Racks (TM). It’s a beaut! (Amazingly, I have no photos.) Holds jeans, sheets, more than a load of laundry. While I’ve been away he’s renovated the kitchen, and when I go back, we’ll work on the cabinets.

Have I mentioned I’m marrying this guy? How lucky am I!

Addition: Wed, Jun 8

David took a photo of the Mother of All Laundry Racks. (Cursor over the photo for notes.)

Addition: Sat, Jun 11

David elaborated on his handyman skills over at his blog. I’d forgotten to mention that he also designs and builds model airplanes!

Sunday, May 29

On Sunday morning, David and Dad and I went over to Allan and Cheryl’s house to celebrate Allan and David’s joint birthday. It’s actually the next day, on May 30, but Sunday was the best time for everyone to meet. We picked up a couple of cakes and goodies from Safeway en route, knowing full well that one cake wouldn’t last long between five adults and five little kids.

Birthday Bash pics

We even had a very RARE Uncle Alvin sighting. He lives in Victoria, but he only rolls into town maybe twice a year or so. This was the first time he’d met David.

I kept telling Melissa: “Go wake up Uncle Alvin! Go on! Get him to take you out on your bikes!”

After we ate our fill, the cakes made their appearance amidst much fanfare. As you can see here, the cakes were stalked from the moment they arrived. Michael put the cake lid on his head, and Maddy followed suit. Once the lids were off, Michael and Maddy hovered nearby like a couple of vultures and Maddy stuck her fork in the side of one cake while waiting for her slice.

Like a true fiddler, Allan spent some time checking out his gift from David — a cordless power drill. I think the only difference between toys for men and boys is voltage. Michael was fascinated by the drill, since he was given a plastic toolbox kit when he turned three (long since disappeared, I think).

We had to leave after a short while because my dad had to go to work, but the kids showed David their new swingset and gave him the very important job of Designated Swing Pusher. He was kept busy pushing them while talking to the rest of us, stopping now and again to point out a plane flying overhead.Methinks Uncle David is going to be asked to build a Playground of Mammoth Proportions in our backyard for when the kids come to visit. Yesterday Melissa asked me if they could come and visit us in Pennsylvania. “Sure!” I said, but I imagine the kids would spend all their time chasing Hugh around the house if we don’t find other ways to amuse them. I could put them to work painting… ha!

Dave’s Logbook: Heat, Drink, and Be Merry!

The sky brightened up considerably during our long bus/Skytrain/bus trip from Langley to Vancouver. We deposited our stuff back at the apartment, and hung out with Socar and the rats until it was time for dinner with Mike, Tosca, Erich, and Caroline at Thai House off Burrard. I hadn’t seen Caroline and Erich since they got married in August, and Tosca and Mike since January, so we had lots of catching up to do. I had David recant some of our flying stories — just read the blog, people! haha! — while we noshed on Thai food.

Alas, not everyone is on holiday, and it was Sunday night, so the others made their journey back to the North Shore, and we returned to the apartment to hang out with Socar until we felt like calling it a night after some Katamari Damacy.

David at City Hall

Sheraton Wall Centre

Saturday, May 28

David woke up early Saturday and wandered the streets of Vancouver before the heat of day set in. It was scorching on Friday, and Saturday was looking like the same kind of weather by the time I finally roused myself. By that time David had sauntered down Davie and Granville streets, working up blisters so big he’d popped them and started to go barefoot (!). Me, I hadn’t even taken a shower yet!

The first order of the day — for me, at least, after a shower — was food. Eliza booked a table for us at Kirin in City Square, a place we used to frequent with some regularity, but it had been a while. We like to go for dim sum, which is predictably busy on the weekends, but it’s worth the crowds for the quality of food and service. It isn’t the average roll-out-the-cart fare, it’s high-end table service with steaming cloths and men in suits pouring water every 10 minutes. I showed David a part of the menu that lists a soup for $600… yes, that’s right, $600! I think it was called ‘Dragon’s Nest’ or some such thing. Why 600 bucks? Does it have eggs from rare birds flown in from the deep jungle by helicopter??

I decided before the weekend that we’d NOT rent a car since David drives all the time, and the only place we’d be going that was out of the public transit area was Allan and Cheryl’s place. Consequently, we spent a lot of time on the Skytrain going back and forth between Surrey and Vancouver, and the rest of the time bussing about or walking. Vancouver is very walkable, and we were in no hurry.After dim sum, we found a shoe repair kiosk near the entrance of City Square and David was good to go for a while longer. We crossed over to City Hall and north on Cambie Street over the bridge to the downtown peninsula, stopping for pics over False Creek.

David’s feet still registered OK after the minor shoe mods, so we headed further west and stopped for a drink before going back to the apartment. We were supposed to go to my dad’s place for the evening, but they were still picnicking at Peace Arch park, so we had time for dinner at La Bodega before going east again. La Bodega was my favourite tapas and sangria local before I moved, a place where everything’s been the same for years (a rarity in Vancouver) and the food consistently good. And, like in Spain, they’re open late and the atmosphere is always a nice hum of conversation or a full-on buzz. We had calamari AGAIN! Our third in 24 hours! Greek, Chinese, then Spanish. We’re on a roll! No stone left unturned, no squid left uneaten!

Well, it’s only taken me a week to post this, but life has a way of getting in the way of writing about it! It’s my own fault for getting into this whole photo/video thing when I could just do it the quick way and post a few paragraphs. But seeing as I’m getting older myself (can you tell my birthday’s approaching?), I appreciate returning to this site to try and remember how time manages to pass by so quickly. At least I can account for it in some way by documenting it in words and images.

Friday, May 27

David and I mananged to find The Mad Greek Restaurant in Richmond with only a minimal amount of wandering after getting off the 98. We arrived to find platters of appetisers — plenty of calamari and octopus and other delectables — and lots of white wine. David mentioned in his blog that the calamari was the first of four different kinds we’d end up sampling over the weekend (Greek, Chinese, Spanish, and Thai). It sounds like overkill, but they were all prepared differently! And they were all very good! David had lamb, recommended by George, and I had — of course — moussaka. Whenever I try a new Greek restaurant, I order their moussaka because I consider it my benchmark for Greek food. Everything was great, but we went a little overboard on the appetisers and had to pace ourselves on the mains.

Instead of a cake, George blew out a candle on a dessert that I can’t remember the name of… I tried Googling for Greek desserts, but I think I got lost (and hungry) trying to find it. (Help, Lana!) It was so good that David and I decided to order one for ourselves instead of baklava. It was DELICIOUS, and once I get the name of it, I’m going to go have another one…!

George and John went out onto the patio for some Greek dancing, and I shot a bit of video. Check it out here:

Opa!

John just celebrated his 70th birthday, so there you have it — dancing keeps you young!

bubble testers

Friday, May 27

We stayed at my dad’s place for the remainder of Thursday night, and in the morning Cheryl brought the kids over on her way to an appointment with the twins.

David packed a raft of kids’ summer toys from Pennsylvania, including a mega-container of bubble wands and solution, so we set about amusing the kids with that. Michael and Melissa immediately recalled the bubble shows we’d seen at Science World, and we even showed Uncle Dave how to “catch” bubbles by putting some solution on your hand. Good clean fun, as David says.

Click on the thumbnails image above to view the whole set

After Cheryl left, we took the kids to the mall next door, a source for plenty of amusement and a food court so there would be no trashing Gumpa’s apartment. While we were there, I had the good fortune of spotting my friend Karen walking by with her dad. I only ever seem to see Karen once a year, during our birthdays in June which are close together, because of that psychological divide called the Fraser River*. I was glad to bump into her and introduce her to David.

And what trip to the mall with small children would be complete without fighting over mechanical rides like horses and kids cartoon characters? It’s just not the same! If you’ve ever tried putting a kid on one, you’ll know what it’s like to try and pry them off again. Try pulling gum off the bottom of a chair sometime. Of course, I have photographic evidence.

We also took them to the pet shop for some animal terrorisation. (I kid, parents-of-aforementioned-children.) I shot a bit of video, too, of the shop iguana. Oh, the footage he’d get from his side of the glass if armed with a camera. I can just imagine.

On the way back, Michael and Melissa and Maddy all took turns getting Uncle Dave to put them on his shoulders. Being the good sport that he is, he indulged them, even though it was hot enough outside to fry eggs on the sidewalk, let alone cover one’s neck with 50 lbs of child.

Cheryl arrived at Dad’s with good reports about the twins’ trip to see the doctor, and we played with them for a while before they headed out en masse again. We packed up some of my stuff into one of the suitcases David brought empty from Pennsylvania, and we Skytrained into Vancouver to unload our stuff before our evening in Richmond, the first of many transit trips we’d take over the weekend.

* Whenever someone lives across a bridge — ANY bridge — they might as well be in the next province. There are two bridges to the North Shore, three between the downtown peninsula to the rest of the city, two south of Vancouver to Richmond, then the Queensborough, Patullo, Skytrain, Alex Fraser, and Port Mann bridges further east. Mention any one of them, and they immediately conjure images of traffic, accidents, rubbernecking, and congestion. It’s a part of life in the GVRD.

(I have no) business class
Uploaded by AviatorDave.

Thursday, May 26

David got bumped up to Business Class for showing up late. I’ve been trying this for years, to no avail.

Dave’s Logbook: Yes, please!

When we were in the car on the way to the airport, I said to my dad, “You know, I’ve taken this flight lots of times and it’s always early. I’ll bet it’s early this time, too.” When we arrived at 02:00 I checked the board and it said the flight arrived at 01:21, nearly AN HOUR early. Then an SMS came in on my phone:

Air bridge is broken!

The funny thing is, the flight left New York EARLY, but when they arrived, the air bridge (the ramp that connects the plane to the gate) wasn’t working, so they had to sit and wait to get moved to another gate, anyway. So in the end, David arrived on schedule. A nice way to start the weekend, I’d say.

Oh, the shame…
Uploaded by AviatorDave.

This is hilarious! It’s Aunt Pearl (83?) and Uncle Joe (86?). Click on the pic for the backstory.