Steveston revisted

Happy slightly belated Easter! The bunny has risen! It was a bit of a weird Easter for us. Mark was struck down with a bad flu on Good Friday and was essentially bed-ridden and unable to function for nearly 6 days. We had a bout of glorious sunny weather and it was the first long weekend since Christmas. This did nothing to help his already flagging spirits. Now River has it, poor little guy.

The kids and I made the best of things and got out to enjoy the weather. On Saturday I took them to Steveston (where we used to live). It is a fabulous place to visit. We began at a trail off the dyke that we call "The Coyote Walk". I have mentioned it before it a secluded trail that takes you along the tidal flats past Scotch Pond to where there used to stand an old cannery. Although it the sun was shining, the wind was quite cold. The old couch we found a while back had been moved to another location and this time the tide was way out.

Scotch Pond

 

A disassembled sitting room

Following the Coyote Walk we decided to walk around Garry Point and explore the different beaches along the way. I love when we find adhoc sculptures and balancing structures along the shoreline.

The kids explored rocks, logs, twigs, sand, and water. The only problem with that section of the Fraser inlet is that it is not safe to swim in. The water is quite polluted with the all the industry going on just further up the Fraser Arm. But it is perfect for a Spring day when it is too brisk to want to swim or go in the water anyway.

Later, we toured the village and, of course, had Fish and Chips at Dave's restaurant. Then the kids wanted to go back to the beach and so we did. We ended up hanging out in Steveston for hours and having a lot of fun.

Spring Break 2011

No updates for a while...no reason. I haven't really been in the mood to write much of anything. And that's just how it goes sometimes.

We are now on Spring break...almost at the end of the first week, in fact. A recap on the recent week. Quiet weekend. Bronwyn went to a party on Saturday and I have no idea what we did on Sunday. On Monday Bronwyn and I did some errands. See...that's why I didn't update.The excitement is too much to put into words.

On Tuesday I planned to take the kids on the skytrain...a first for both of them. We also invited Nicky along. His mum had an unfortunate incident involving her dirt-bike and a tree which resulted in a broken leg. Mike was back and forth to the hospital. She is home now and recovering well. We had a good day out. River loves the bus and Bronwyn and Nicky had a good time playing around. Taking the skytrain is an interesting experience, in more ways than one. I hadn't taken the skytrain in over 10 years. It's fun to "fly" over the tops of the houses and parks and factories. Fun if you do it once every few years I suppose, and not if it's your miserable daily commute to a grey cubicle inside a grey concrete block day after day...year after year.

Bronwyn and Nicky taking flight

 

New West, unfortunately, is a dump. For those that know Grimsby, it is like the end of Freemo where the dole office used to be (maybe still is) and the scary Rainbow pub (I think it was called). And the small greasy spoon cafe that my friend and I used to go to after we'd signed. Making one cup of tasteless instant coffee last a couple of hours. It was run by a woman with 5 sons, a couple of whom used to regularly beat her up and steal money etc. Pleasant little flashback. We walked along the main street looking for somewhere to eat (that didn't look scary, or wasn't a bar). Fabulous buildings. New Westminster was once the big thriving centre of BC. Then along came the Canadian Pacific Railway, reaching all the way to Vancouver in the late 1800s and New West lost out. It seems as though there was once an opportunity for it to avoid becoming a dump, but things have been allowed to decay; cheap stores selling cheap rubbish, bars that mostly operate during the day, lots of wedding shops (for some strange reason), and greasy spoons. Not much character and virtually no charm that I could detect. I apologize if anyone from New Westminster, who is proud of their town, reads this. I know what it is like when your town is called a dump so I can kind of sympathize...except that I happened to agree. Westminster quay and the "market" (I think there have to actually be vendors in order for a place to qualify as a "market") was completely deserted. We still had a good time and the kids played at the quay for a while, making up their own games. The trip there and back was a lot of fun...interesting people-watching too.

Tugboat "interior" playground leftover from Expo '86

 

New Westminster quay

On Thursday I took Bronwyn and her friend Gala on a trip to Steveston. It was a really grand day out.  A treasure hunt in the charity store, a play at the playground (Steveston has a really cool playground), a trip to the candy store AND the toy store.

 Bronwyn found this treasure...

Not sure what to say about this...it's errr...interesting

 They had a lot of fun and so did I. Steveston really is a good place to visit. And the sun came out!

Gala balancing on the teeter-totter at Steveston Playground

 

Hanging around

The boardwalk

"I love you Anchor"...to quote Bronwyn. She loves me too.

Thanksgiving and after...

Well, well, well, the book I just finished, "The Finkler Question" by Howard Jacobsen, just won the Manbooker prize, and I'd say it is an excellent book too! I wish I could do it justice with a bit of a review, but no time for that right now.

We had a lovely Thanksgiving weekend. Nicole, Troy and Gala came over on Sunday for a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner. Nicole cooked the turkey and they wrapped it in a beach blanket and brought it over in a wagon. It was pretty funny, and an excellent idea (they only live a few blocks away). And it was a delicious turkey too. We made some veggies and an apple crisp (crumble to you English folk) for dessert/pudding. It was all very yummy, one of the best Thanksgiving meals we have had. As friends, we are just getting to know each other, so it was a good time to share a delicious meal, drink some red wine and get acquainted. The girls played non-stop (when they weren't sneaking into the kitchen to steal the "crumble" off the top of the desert...and leaving a trail of crumbs all over the kitchen floor).

I drank a good bit of wine and had quite a decent glow going. Bronwyn kept insisting I was drunk. In actual fact I don't think she has ever seen anyone drunk, unless you count Dumbo in the movie (oh yeah, and Luke the muskrat in "The "Rescuers" ). So she is no-one to judge. But it was like having my conscience around, or else being a teenager again and hoping I didn't get found out!

On Sunday we took a drive to Steveston. We stocked up on Walkers crisps at the British Home and took the kids to the playground. Steveston boasts one of the best kids playgrounds around. The day was a tad chilly, but the kids had fun and that is the point. Still, a playground is a playground and so the few parents that were there stood around getting cold and bored and slowly losing their will to live (some may be familiar with my dislike of playgrounds in general). But all in all a good day.

Yes, I know...I'm really cute!

Bronwyn prefers to climb on the outside of equipment...

On Wednesday we had our family bi-annual visit to the dentist for a check-up. River was amazing. He sat in the chair (after a good deal of time playing on the chair, while the dentist moved it up and down etc., and messing with the light), and had his teeth counted, checked and (most surprising of all) cleaned! He even allowed the technician to use the saliva sucking thing. We were very proud. Bronwyn is a veteran with the dentist. However, she needs a couple of fillings...oops. We'll see how that goes.

Sleepover at Michelle's tonight...yay! To quote Michelle in her email to me confirming our evening: "Will we do as we usually do? You come at the normal time (or earlier if you can), we drink, order dinner, drink, watch movies, drink, eat some snacks, drink, watch some infomercials, drink, sleep." Ahhh....yes...and Bronwyn won't be around to tell on me!

And Trini gets back from her trip to England/France this weekend. It will be good to catch up and see how it went. I spoke to my mum who said they had a great time. Seems like they retraced the steps that Bronwyn and I took in June. She also said that mine and Trini's trips this year emphasised how much she missed us. And how much of our lives she missed and all the things that we don't get to do together, that we otherwise would if we lived over there. But nostalgia can be a tricky demon and I wonder if we'd really do that much together even if we lived in England. For sure we wouldn't be living in Grimsby or Cleethorpes. That said there is a lot that we've missed out on, with all the family and friends back home. Bittersweet, I suppose. As I have said before, it is not easy to live so far from family. But we all have our journeys to make. Bronwyn keeps telling me that she's going to live in England when she grows up. Not if I have anything to do with it!!

Brave little kids...

I took the kids for their chicken pox vaccination yesterday. I am so impressed how brave they were, particularly Bronwyn. She was so nervous. In the end they didn't even say "ouch". There were lots of treats afterwards. We were in Steveston (where we used to live) so there were a lot of fun places to go. First stop - sweet shop. Lollies all around (and about 20 to take home for back-up bribery), then "Splash" toy store, our favourite toy store, the manager still remembered us, which I thought was really cool. Onwards for lunch at Dave's fish and chips. There was a contingent of elderly folk in Dave's. I think it must have been a lunchtime outing of a nearby residential home. The door was almost blocked by about 20 walkers piled on top of each other. As the seniors enjoyed their meal, they were kept awake by the ongoing chatter of a large, bosomy, cheerful caregiver. She was trying to make things fun (I think), but when she tried to make one old guy (who seemed about 120 by my reckoning) try and "cha cha" to the toilet..."come on, grab my hips...cha-cha-cha-cha CHA CHA", I have to admit a chill went down my spine. What if he had no desire ever to cha-cha to the toilet, which, all things considered, is highly likely?  Kind of odd. But the fish and chips were good and my children have been brought up well and love their fish and chips! I got some good pics on my phone...but have no way to get them from my phone to the computer. Sigh!

Walking on water...

We took a trip out to Steveston on Saturday. I have been itching to re-visit the “Coyote Walk”, a trail that leads from Scotch Point, close to Garry Point Park, and goes out towards the water. Bronwyn named it the “Coyote Walk”. Coyotes live and hunt on the dyke. We used to live close to the dyke in Steveston, and would often be woken in the night by the primitive howls of the coyotes; the full-throated calls of the adults and the baby-like yelps of the pups. It is a relatively deserted walk. Even locals are unaware of the path and visitors to Steveston prefer the more groomed pathways and manicured beach front of Garry Point Park.

It is on an area of coast known as Sturgeon Banks, which stretches to Terra Nova. The mouth of the Fraser opens here and flows into the Georgia Straight and out into the ocean.

Salt water blends with fresh water to create an area of wetland. Tidal flats; brackish marshes and muddy reed beds are carved throughout with drainage ditches that branch out like veins. Long reeds lay flattened by tides and provide a damp carpet over what would be a muddy swamp. It is a wonderfully slushy, muddy walk.

Here Bronwyn is negotiating the muddy water-filled drainage ditches...

As you proceed from Scotch pond towards the water, you begin to spot rusted steel rods and decaying pilings jutting out of the mud, slowly being reclaimed by the tides and the marsh.

Poles stand at altered angles in a straggling line that leads back to the shore.

These are the remains of the old cannery (part of the Scottish Canadian Cannery, built in 1899), and a memory of a once thriving fishing industry and of a small community that was built on the tidal flats and set on wooden pilings.

The area is also the habitat for a large variety of migratory birds and water fowl. It is home to coyotes, owls, eagles, hawks, herons, wrens and, of course, the ubiquitous red-winged blackbird. We caught sight of a couple of males, showing off and singing their hearts out, a sure sign of an early spring. The sky was a mixture of grays and blues that created shade and texture to the water and the landscape. We will go back soon; perhaps we will visit during a dramatic sunset.

We were also fortunate enough to spot the rare “lesser leathered couch”, a distant relative of the more common domestic couch. There must be a story behind how it got there. It is the perfect place to think deep thoughts...if one had deep thoughts to think.

It is a wonderfully quiet place. Manufactured structures have been reclaimed by nature and now perhaps provide shelter for animals or remain on the landscape as suggestions of a previous reincarnation. Great Blue Herons huddle in groups like old men in overcoats and ducks and geese swim in and out as if they're not quite sure if this is what they were looking for. Occasionally a ship will enter the Fraser. At first it appears to be traveling on land and is massive in contrast to the flat landscape. Its engine throbs as it passes by; industry full-steam ahead, just down the Fraser.

Mother's Day...

Happy Mother's Day! I had a lovely day. I like to think of it as "Mother's Day Weekend". On Sunday Mark cooked up BC eggs benedict (eggs benedict with smoked salmon instead of ham). I had requested a day in Steveston and my favourite lunch; Fish and Chips. Nobody could accuse me of being high maintenance. Dave's Fish and Chips is the best fish and chips anywhere around here. Some people may think differently (e.g., they may think Pajo's is the best), but unless they grew up in a place that has some of the best fish and chip shops in England then their opinion is moot as far as I am concerned. We bought a little kite and took it to Garry Point park. Bronwyn is a natural at kite-flying.

She's also getting the hang of posing for the camera....

And River was having a great time with the signposts.

Bronwyn took this picture of mummy and daddy.

The best thing is that my hip is almost back to normal! It's gone back into position and I am walking without any difficulty. I think I will be able to attempt a run in the next day or so, certainly by the weekend. All in all it was a quick recovery...thank goodness, it really was painful at first. And it was also disconcerting. I thought about how tenuous my reliance on mobility really is. I try not to take good health for granted, but I definitely got a reminder that my body needs looking after. Core body strength...apparently that's the key.

Not much else happening except that River's behavioural intervention is underway and he seems to really enjoy the attention. This week is his first full week. The young women that we hired seem to be really enthusiastic and love to play with him. I am looking forward to seeing his progress. It has been a bit of a mountain climb and so it is nice that things are now underway and we can get into some kind of a routine.

The Coyote Walk

We're having a spate of sunny, dare I say Spring like, weather here in Vancouver. It definitely gets us out and about. And is a good excuse to not do anything around the house. But that's okay, we don't allow visitors to see how we really live. Anyway, on Sunday we drove to Steveston, which is actually where we lived the past 3 years before coming back to Vancouver. We went on one of our favourite walks along the dike. We call it the "Coyote Walk".

I think Bronwyn came up with that name because it is home to coyotes. We used to be woken up some nights by their eerie howling. The dike is a delta of the Fraser River, close-ish to where the River runs into the ocean. On a clear day you can see the mountains of Vancouver Island in the distance. The Coyote walk leads off the dike, along Scotch Pond, which is a small inlet that used to be used for fishing boats. And is still used for the odd boat.

It is a wetland that is home to herons, owls, eagles, hawks and many types of birds. (None of which graced us with their presence on Sunday). It was quite marshy because the tide was high. Wellies were necessary, but we couldn't go as far as we would have liked without the kids getting their boots stuck.

Steveston used to be a busy fishing town with an active cannery. Most of that is gone. But you can still see the posts of the old buildings and awnings stretching into the dike. This is the best way I have found to carry a squirmy little River. "The Carpet Roll".

We found a log to sit on by Scotch Pond and ate a bit of lunch. We were sheltered from the wind and the sun felt very warm. I think we even got some colour on our cheeks. (I guess when you take a picture it is probably best not to stand directly in the sun).

Of course we didn't see a coyote.