Crash

My computer has gone boom.

Birthdays and Beaches

The main purpose of our holiday was to surprise our friend, David, on his 60th birthday, then spend the weekend visiting with him and his family. We hadn't seen David since the banquet in Banff almost a year ago, when he was inducted into the Canadian Ski Instructor's Alliance Hall of Fame. His wife, Jane, had been in touch with us for a couple of months, making plans for our surprise arrival.

Above are the remains of the fabulous food dishes brought by all the guests. I packed my own "famous" potato salad all the way in a cooler. The name tags on our backs were not only our way of introducing us to others, but a way of saying how we know David. Apparently, the fellow in the Hawaiian shirt is David's lover...

The two Grandma's. Jane's mom, Catherine, and David's mom, Ruth. Such sweet ladies - they were the life of the party!

Eugene toward the end of the evening, with a glass of deliciously decadent Grand Marnier for dessert.

Walking it off the next morning in the rain forest. From left to right is David's sister, Linda, Larry, David, Eugene and Heather. I don't know where Jane went...

And Mocha! I mustn't forget Mocha!

The boom of the sea, such as I have never heard before, and the wash of the waves against the shore were all so foreign to me, the land-locked mountain dweller. As well as the gagging aroma of the kelp lining the rocky beach...
That is Jane, appearing again out of the blue, in blue.

Motherhood

Without a doubt, a test of our mettle.

dragon slayers

The Fair - circa 2001.

That's Jenny riding shotgun with her best right hand friend, Courtney.

And, true to form, Bobby has the dragon by the tail.

Going West

The Trans Canada Highway - meeting construction head on in Salmon Arm. This city, located at the southern tip of Shuswap Lake, is considered to be the "houseboat capital of the world". Ahead of us are Gene's brother, Larry, and wife, Heather. On the first day, we convoyed to Whistler over the beautiful and remote Duffy Lake Road, then stayed in a finely appointed suite at the Club Intrawest Hotel for the night. After a delicious Italian meal at the popular Umberto Menghi's Il Caminetto, we were indeed ready to collapse into a soft, downy bed!

Day two saw us waving good-bye to the Mainland after traveling the newly-upgraded Sea to Sky Highway down the rocky coast of Howe Sound. We sailed from Horseshoe Bay and chugged our way across the Straight of Georgia to Nanaimo on Vancouver Island. This is one of the largest and busiest ferry terminals in the province. Operated by BC Ferries as part of the public transit system, the ferry ride cost $75.00 for Gene and I to cross in my mini van.

Larry, Heather and Eugene on deck. The weather - cold and foggy, with misty rain and a spray of salt to top it off. The seas were relatively calm and the crossing was smooth.

This is myself squinting into the wind and, at the same time, leaving a fair-sized wake behind me. The ferry was large, therefore it was deceptively slow. I don't know at what land speed we traveled, but it was not at a snail's pace, to be sure!

Two ships passing in the fog - about fifteen minutes out of Nanaimo. The weather became steadily wetter as we approached The Island. The steward soon annouced that all those traveling via vehicle must go below to prepare for docking and disembarkment.

We were then on to the next stage of our travels.