Greetings All,
We hope you all enjoyed your Christmas Day and are not too stuffed from the food that we all seem to over indulge in. Today was moving day back to the kids condo and boy did we have a lot to move as they had to stock kitchen tools for our Xmas dinner. Two trips in the car but got it all done. The condo we left, I think cleaner then we arrived:0. The balance of the day was spent relaxing with the kids, dogs and watching TV and movies. Jonathan made pizza from scratch for dinner as he did not want turkey again. The pizza was awesome. Two different cheeses, mushrooms, pepperoni and onion.
Sadly this will be our last entry this trip as we are headed home early. Fred's mom has taken a turn for the worst and her time now is very short.
We hope you enjoyed the blog even though it has not been as exciting as our past adventures. Pictures are still to be done and will be available on the flickr site in a few weeks. We will advise by e-mail once this is done.
We hope you all have a Healthy and Prosperous New Year.
Sandy & Fred
Saturday, December 27, 2008
Friday, December 26, 2008
Vancouver - Christmas Eve & Christmas Dec 24 & 25, 2008
Merry Christmas All,
On Christmas Eve we headed over to Jonathan's friend and co-workers place Faraz and Fraser's condo. It is amazing on the 38th floor with ceiling to floor windows all around. On a clear day you can see the mountains and has view of the False Creek water front. What was strange to us at least is there is no TV. They did have this massive big screen though to watch DVD's on through a projection unit. Amy has brought over the tree from their place and we re-decorate it to make the place look more festive.
The guys are bachelors and it is very evident when we look for standard kitchen tools. For Christmas Eve dinner we have Arn his girlfriend Sayaka, Jonathan, Amy, Fred and myself for lamb dinner with roast potatoes and asparagas plus wine. The dinner is served on make do dishes. Our gravy boat is a huge mug and the ladle is a Japanese soup spoon. They have no carving board as Fraser is a vegetarian and I guess Faraz has no need to serve roasts of any kind. Dessert is Michelle's awesome cookies which are devoured. Too bad Michelle does not do long distance orders and shipping because we could get her lots of business.:) Dinner is a sucess and we learn alot about macro photography from Sayaka. More than we want to know as she takes some gross stuff. Fred and I end up having the condo to ourselves for the night and watch a movie on the big screen.
Christmas Day turns out to a fairly clear day so we get some nice shots. The day is very laid back. Fred and I are up early so we get the veggies ready and relax waiting for the kids to arrive. They finally arrive and gifts are opened. Jonathan makes the stuffing as he has embellished my grandmas sausage stuffing and into our 16 lb bird it goes. We were supposed to have company for supper but they do not show so Jonathan and Amy will have a 1/2 a turkey and then some for left overs. The balance of the day is spent just relaxing reading, playing computer games and listening to music. Jonathan and Amy had to bring alot of utensils over plus carving board so we can prepare dinner properly. I guess the boy's mothers did not teach them too well as they really are missing some basic tools. Jonathan and Amy now have a great gift list for them :). Supper was a sucess and Jonathan's dressing was awesome. After a movie the kids head back with the two dogs Wedge our grandson and Echo a Westie that they are minding. Funny looking Westie not what we are used to and a whiner.
We hope everyone had a Very Merry Christmas.
Sandy & Fred
On Christmas Eve we headed over to Jonathan's friend and co-workers place Faraz and Fraser's condo. It is amazing on the 38th floor with ceiling to floor windows all around. On a clear day you can see the mountains and has view of the False Creek water front. What was strange to us at least is there is no TV. They did have this massive big screen though to watch DVD's on through a projection unit. Amy has brought over the tree from their place and we re-decorate it to make the place look more festive.
The guys are bachelors and it is very evident when we look for standard kitchen tools. For Christmas Eve dinner we have Arn his girlfriend Sayaka, Jonathan, Amy, Fred and myself for lamb dinner with roast potatoes and asparagas plus wine. The dinner is served on make do dishes. Our gravy boat is a huge mug and the ladle is a Japanese soup spoon. They have no carving board as Fraser is a vegetarian and I guess Faraz has no need to serve roasts of any kind. Dessert is Michelle's awesome cookies which are devoured. Too bad Michelle does not do long distance orders and shipping because we could get her lots of business.:) Dinner is a sucess and we learn alot about macro photography from Sayaka. More than we want to know as she takes some gross stuff. Fred and I end up having the condo to ourselves for the night and watch a movie on the big screen.
Christmas Day turns out to a fairly clear day so we get some nice shots. The day is very laid back. Fred and I are up early so we get the veggies ready and relax waiting for the kids to arrive. They finally arrive and gifts are opened. Jonathan makes the stuffing as he has embellished my grandmas sausage stuffing and into our 16 lb bird it goes. We were supposed to have company for supper but they do not show so Jonathan and Amy will have a 1/2 a turkey and then some for left overs. The balance of the day is spent just relaxing reading, playing computer games and listening to music. Jonathan and Amy had to bring alot of utensils over plus carving board so we can prepare dinner properly. I guess the boy's mothers did not teach them too well as they really are missing some basic tools. Jonathan and Amy now have a great gift list for them :). Supper was a sucess and Jonathan's dressing was awesome. After a movie the kids head back with the two dogs Wedge our grandson and Echo a Westie that they are minding. Funny looking Westie not what we are used to and a whiner.
We hope everyone had a Very Merry Christmas.
Sandy & Fred
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
Vancouver - Slush City Dec 22 & 23, 2008
Greetings All,
Monday Dec.22 - Laundry in the morning. Boring but clean clothes are needed and the Marriott does have good guest laundry facilities. After the chores are done we head out to downtown to the Hyatt Hotel to view the biggest Ginger Bread House. They have a nice display of various Gingerbread scenes that have been entered in a contest in Vancouver. Once pictures are taken we then head off to the Vancouver Harbour and the Imax Theatre Area. The walk down is aweful. Sidewalks have not been completely cleared and the street curbs are a slushy soggy mess. In no time my feet are soaked through my boots. Some curbs are so deep that they are going over peoples shoes and we hear alot of cursing and squealing as we walk along. The harbour is beautiful with the white snow covering and the kids, if no one else, are enjoying the snow.
After picture taking we stop the Lion Pub. The pub was like stepping into a pub in the heart of London. A snack of wings and then a walk back to Jonathan and Amys condo. By the time we get there I can literally pour the water out of my boots. Yech!! We take Wedge for a quick walk and then start supper for us. Pasta tonight. Fred and I head back early as we are both very tired for some reason.
December 23 - Today we finally use the car and head out to Surrey BC to a Wal-Mart Superstore to pick up some boots for me (Wellies) and other food stuffs for Christmas day. A nice drive and the snow really does look pretty in the country side. Shopping done we head back to the condo and decide to relax with Wedge. Supper is BQ steak, fries and mushrooms. We will head out to Costco to get water later as the weather is supposed to warm up with lots of rain. The water when rains are heavy take on a brown tint so not good for cooking or drinking. With all the snow melting plus the rain Jonathan figures we are best to be prepared.
Not much news but we are relaxing and enjoying doing basically nothing.
Bye for now.
Sandy & Fred
Monday Dec.22 - Laundry in the morning. Boring but clean clothes are needed and the Marriott does have good guest laundry facilities. After the chores are done we head out to downtown to the Hyatt Hotel to view the biggest Ginger Bread House. They have a nice display of various Gingerbread scenes that have been entered in a contest in Vancouver. Once pictures are taken we then head off to the Vancouver Harbour and the Imax Theatre Area. The walk down is aweful. Sidewalks have not been completely cleared and the street curbs are a slushy soggy mess. In no time my feet are soaked through my boots. Some curbs are so deep that they are going over peoples shoes and we hear alot of cursing and squealing as we walk along. The harbour is beautiful with the white snow covering and the kids, if no one else, are enjoying the snow.
After picture taking we stop the Lion Pub. The pub was like stepping into a pub in the heart of London. A snack of wings and then a walk back to Jonathan and Amys condo. By the time we get there I can literally pour the water out of my boots. Yech!! We take Wedge for a quick walk and then start supper for us. Pasta tonight. Fred and I head back early as we are both very tired for some reason.
December 23 - Today we finally use the car and head out to Surrey BC to a Wal-Mart Superstore to pick up some boots for me (Wellies) and other food stuffs for Christmas day. A nice drive and the snow really does look pretty in the country side. Shopping done we head back to the condo and decide to relax with Wedge. Supper is BQ steak, fries and mushrooms. We will head out to Costco to get water later as the weather is supposed to warm up with lots of rain. The water when rains are heavy take on a brown tint so not good for cooking or drinking. With all the snow melting plus the rain Jonathan figures we are best to be prepared.
Not much news but we are relaxing and enjoying doing basically nothing.
Bye for now.
Sandy & Fred
Monday, December 22, 2008
Vancouver - Girls Day Out - Dec 21, 2008
Greetings All,
It continues to snow here though the weather has warmed up a little. Amy and I went to the Metropolis at metrotown in Burnaby, a mall with 470 stores, the second largest mall in Canada.
Here we did a bit of last minutes shopping, food shopping and got hair cuts. We spent a good three hours here and the best thing was it just started to get crowded as we were leaving. Driving in heavy snow with Vancouverites is most interesting. They have no idea but Amy got us there and back safely.
Tonight I am on KP duty. So I am trying a new recipe we saw on the food channel, a meatloaf. Not one of my favorite foods but the rest of the gang like it so they are the guinea pigs. The meatloaf sucked as far as I was concerned but Jonathan said it was ok, but that he should have made it. I could not agree more. Well that's the way the meatloaf drops :)!
After supper Fred, Amy and myself head out to see the Winter Solstice Lantern Ceremony. We have a nice walk down to the sea front as that is where they are supposed to be walking. All we get is cold, wet and disappointed. The Lantern Walk is lame, no nice Chinese lanterns just some lame IKEA small lanterns and home made ones. The fire dancers show was ok but again disappointing. Back to Jonathan's to plan dinner for tomorrow, warm and dry up then head back to the hotel.
Good night all and enjoy the snow!! (just as we are)
Sandy & Fred
It continues to snow here though the weather has warmed up a little. Amy and I went to the Metropolis at metrotown in Burnaby, a mall with 470 stores, the second largest mall in Canada.
Here we did a bit of last minutes shopping, food shopping and got hair cuts. We spent a good three hours here and the best thing was it just started to get crowded as we were leaving. Driving in heavy snow with Vancouverites is most interesting. They have no idea but Amy got us there and back safely.
Tonight I am on KP duty. So I am trying a new recipe we saw on the food channel, a meatloaf. Not one of my favorite foods but the rest of the gang like it so they are the guinea pigs. The meatloaf sucked as far as I was concerned but Jonathan said it was ok, but that he should have made it. I could not agree more. Well that's the way the meatloaf drops :)!
After supper Fred, Amy and myself head out to see the Winter Solstice Lantern Ceremony. We have a nice walk down to the sea front as that is where they are supposed to be walking. All we get is cold, wet and disappointed. The Lantern Walk is lame, no nice Chinese lanterns just some lame IKEA small lanterns and home made ones. The fire dancers show was ok but again disappointing. Back to Jonathan's to plan dinner for tomorrow, warm and dry up then head back to the hotel.
Good night all and enjoy the snow!! (just as we are)
Sandy & Fred
Sunday, December 21, 2008
Vancouver - Dec 19 & 20, 2008
Greetings All,
Dec. 19 - After breakfast we decided to head out to Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden which was built in the heart of Chinatown. This garden is the first full scale classical garden built outside China and is modeled after a garden developed in the City of Suzhou during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). Construction began in March 1985 when a team of 52 specialist from China came over to plan, build and work together with Vancouver architects to construct the gardens. It was opened in 1986 costing $5.3 million dollars. The water way was constructed using a special clay base to give the water a murky green gray appearance that creates a tranquil atmosphere and reflects the buildings and plants. It was very peaceful and serene and must be amazing with flowers in the summer. The winter scenery was very beautiful. Bamboo was growing on what appeared to be small clumps of forests. Still with green leaves the bamboo itself ranged from green brown to black. The younger or thinner bamboo was black. Pictures will be posted later on our Flickr site once we down load or is it up load them.
After our stop with Chinese Tea to warm up we walked through Chinatown back to Downtown and looked for a place for a late lunch and then to pick up Fred's pants that were in for shortening. Lunch was at the White Spot a chain on the west coast. The food was very good and reasonable. We went back to the hotel to drop off our stuff and then met up with Amy to head off to Jonathan's work.
Funnel Friday is a drink fest where they sometimes drink beer through these long funnels in various shapes. We met a lot of gamers who are mostly young people by our standards but then I would expect they know what the video gaming is all about. We had a great time with all the kids and were asked a lot of questions about what kind of kid Jonathan was :). We then end up at Milestones for supper and are further entertained by two of his co-workers Arn and Scott and another person who owns a different gaming company Steve. Dinner was very entertaining Scott was feeling no pain upon arrival at the restaurant and let it out of the bag that Arn's best friend had asked Arn's ex-wife to marry him. Arn had no idea, even though the whole company seemed to know. Even Fred and I knew the secret and we are new on the scene. Well I never saw anyone laugh so hard in my life when he got the news. Apparently his friend has latched onto a real gold digger who knows how to play the divorce system to get the most money out of it. So Arn feels he is getting the best laugh of all out of the news.
We now head off to home with Scott in our care with Jonathan trying to find him a cab. So we walk along singing the Little Drummer Boy with Scott whaling therRump a tum tums. Jonathan finally gets a cab and we head back to our hotel. The kids still want to party but we must be getting old as we head back to the hotel and leave them to it.
Dec. 20 - A easy day today. A nice sleep in and then breakfast. We then head over to Jonathan and Amys. Amy and I head over to Granville Island to search for a turkey for Xmas dinner and see what other goodies we can get. Thank god I decided to wear my heavy winter jacket. It is -10 C and it is not going to warm up any time soon. It is very cold on the water taxi but worth the trip. We score a very nice turkey and I now know were to get rest of veggies for our dinner on Xmas day.
Balance of the day is spent relaxing at Jonathan's and watching movies. Jonathan had made curry chicken for dinner. Man was it hot but yummy. Late snack brie and a special cranberry glaze. Off we go to the hotel in the snow. Yes it is again snowing in Vancouver looks pretty but it still is cold -8C.
Well not much exciting news but thats it for now.
Bye for now and stay warm.
Sandy & Fred
Dec. 19 - After breakfast we decided to head out to Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden which was built in the heart of Chinatown. This garden is the first full scale classical garden built outside China and is modeled after a garden developed in the City of Suzhou during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). Construction began in March 1985 when a team of 52 specialist from China came over to plan, build and work together with Vancouver architects to construct the gardens. It was opened in 1986 costing $5.3 million dollars. The water way was constructed using a special clay base to give the water a murky green gray appearance that creates a tranquil atmosphere and reflects the buildings and plants. It was very peaceful and serene and must be amazing with flowers in the summer. The winter scenery was very beautiful. Bamboo was growing on what appeared to be small clumps of forests. Still with green leaves the bamboo itself ranged from green brown to black. The younger or thinner bamboo was black. Pictures will be posted later on our Flickr site once we down load or is it up load them.
After our stop with Chinese Tea to warm up we walked through Chinatown back to Downtown and looked for a place for a late lunch and then to pick up Fred's pants that were in for shortening. Lunch was at the White Spot a chain on the west coast. The food was very good and reasonable. We went back to the hotel to drop off our stuff and then met up with Amy to head off to Jonathan's work.
Funnel Friday is a drink fest where they sometimes drink beer through these long funnels in various shapes. We met a lot of gamers who are mostly young people by our standards but then I would expect they know what the video gaming is all about. We had a great time with all the kids and were asked a lot of questions about what kind of kid Jonathan was :). We then end up at Milestones for supper and are further entertained by two of his co-workers Arn and Scott and another person who owns a different gaming company Steve. Dinner was very entertaining Scott was feeling no pain upon arrival at the restaurant and let it out of the bag that Arn's best friend had asked Arn's ex-wife to marry him. Arn had no idea, even though the whole company seemed to know. Even Fred and I knew the secret and we are new on the scene. Well I never saw anyone laugh so hard in my life when he got the news. Apparently his friend has latched onto a real gold digger who knows how to play the divorce system to get the most money out of it. So Arn feels he is getting the best laugh of all out of the news.
We now head off to home with Scott in our care with Jonathan trying to find him a cab. So we walk along singing the Little Drummer Boy with Scott whaling therRump a tum tums. Jonathan finally gets a cab and we head back to our hotel. The kids still want to party but we must be getting old as we head back to the hotel and leave them to it.
Dec. 20 - A easy day today. A nice sleep in and then breakfast. We then head over to Jonathan and Amys. Amy and I head over to Granville Island to search for a turkey for Xmas dinner and see what other goodies we can get. Thank god I decided to wear my heavy winter jacket. It is -10 C and it is not going to warm up any time soon. It is very cold on the water taxi but worth the trip. We score a very nice turkey and I now know were to get rest of veggies for our dinner on Xmas day.
Balance of the day is spent relaxing at Jonathan's and watching movies. Jonathan had made curry chicken for dinner. Man was it hot but yummy. Late snack brie and a special cranberry glaze. Off we go to the hotel in the snow. Yes it is again snowing in Vancouver looks pretty but it still is cold -8C.
Well not much exciting news but thats it for now.
Bye for now and stay warm.
Sandy & Fred
Friday, December 19, 2008
Vancouver Arrival & Day 0ne - Dec 17th & 18th, 2008
Greetings All,
Well after a crazy and stressful move out of our home of 22 years (and no we are not sad at all)
we are off to Vancouver to spend Christmas and New Year with Jonathan and Amy. Our flight was late in arriving due to major head winds. I sat beside a young girl, Amber, who was on the second leg of her trip from Halifax to Vancouver to spend Christmas with her Dad. She was very excited and shared with me some of her family pictures and asked a multitude of questions about the plane and Vancouver. She also got some amazing shots of the mountains as we flew over them.
Fred just shook his head and said this picture taking from a plane must be a female thing. For Amber, I think it was a experience of a lifetime as she had left Vancouver when she was 4 to live on the east coast. I think she must have been around 14 as she had assistance from the airline as she was traveling alone.
Our flight was uneventful and the landing so smooth it was unreal considering the plows were out clearing the runway. Yes wipe the smirks off your faces now, we arrived to more snow than we had in Toronto. Our luggage was slow coming off and Amber came over said her goodbyes and pointed out her dad to us. With bags in hand it was off to collect the car which Fred booked weeks ago, a compact from Hertz. Well, we waited for over 20 minutes for the car. Fred asked why things were taking so long and apparently they did not have what we wanted, at which point he asked what was the point of making a reservation when they can't have a car ready. Her story is the reservation place is in Oklahoma and they do not know what vehicles they have. Needless to say we were quickly becoming unhappy campers. The car finally arrives and we get a upgrade to a Toyota Rave 4 SUV, cool cause now I am sitting up high and hopefully the drive will be less stressful for me. Finally off to the hotel. Upon leaving the airport and hitting the road towards Granville Street flashing lights and a siren is on our tail, Fred is pulled over. Our lights were not on even thought we thought they were as the dashboard lights were lit up. We hand over the rental papers and Fred's licence, which I am sure he checked as he was some time. Lucky no ticket just a warning about the nasty road conditions due to the storm.
At the hotel Amy walks over with Wedge to met up with us. Dogs have amazing memories Wedge greets us outside like he just saw us yesterday. Grandma and Grandpa have arrived. After a short visit we head out for dinner to Browns and met up with Faraz one of Jonathan's co-workers. The food was great but the service according to the two boys sucked. This used to be a hang out of the group that Jonathan works with. New ownership has definately affect the place. From the restaurant we walk back to the kid's place by way of the new studio that Jonathan will be moving in to on December 29th. We will get to help with the move should be fun :).
We get a lift back to the hotel as Jonathan and Amy are heading out to shop at 9:00 p.m. and we are starting to fade. A quick night cap in the bar and bed.
December 18th - Day one:
After a nice sleep in we wake up rested and relaxed. Breakfast is provided by the Marriott and it is wonderful. Lots of choices, eggs, sauasge, pancakes, waffles, fruit, bread, sweet breads, juices, cereals both hot and cold as well as tea and coffee. As we had a late breakfast we decide to relax in the morning. Fred completed some address changes and I sent out an e-mail advising of our next chapter in our life that we are starting.
We then walk around downtown and head to the Pacific Centre mall. This is a mall with a very good mix of stores. Fred need clothes as I did not pack any pants for him with all the rushing around we had to do on the 16th and I also forgot socks for me. Once that was done we walked around to get our bearings then head back to relax before heading back to the kid's condo for the evening.
That's all for now.
Fred & Sandy
Well after a crazy and stressful move out of our home of 22 years (and no we are not sad at all)
we are off to Vancouver to spend Christmas and New Year with Jonathan and Amy. Our flight was late in arriving due to major head winds. I sat beside a young girl, Amber, who was on the second leg of her trip from Halifax to Vancouver to spend Christmas with her Dad. She was very excited and shared with me some of her family pictures and asked a multitude of questions about the plane and Vancouver. She also got some amazing shots of the mountains as we flew over them.
Fred just shook his head and said this picture taking from a plane must be a female thing. For Amber, I think it was a experience of a lifetime as she had left Vancouver when she was 4 to live on the east coast. I think she must have been around 14 as she had assistance from the airline as she was traveling alone.
Our flight was uneventful and the landing so smooth it was unreal considering the plows were out clearing the runway. Yes wipe the smirks off your faces now, we arrived to more snow than we had in Toronto. Our luggage was slow coming off and Amber came over said her goodbyes and pointed out her dad to us. With bags in hand it was off to collect the car which Fred booked weeks ago, a compact from Hertz. Well, we waited for over 20 minutes for the car. Fred asked why things were taking so long and apparently they did not have what we wanted, at which point he asked what was the point of making a reservation when they can't have a car ready. Her story is the reservation place is in Oklahoma and they do not know what vehicles they have. Needless to say we were quickly becoming unhappy campers. The car finally arrives and we get a upgrade to a Toyota Rave 4 SUV, cool cause now I am sitting up high and hopefully the drive will be less stressful for me. Finally off to the hotel. Upon leaving the airport and hitting the road towards Granville Street flashing lights and a siren is on our tail, Fred is pulled over. Our lights were not on even thought we thought they were as the dashboard lights were lit up. We hand over the rental papers and Fred's licence, which I am sure he checked as he was some time. Lucky no ticket just a warning about the nasty road conditions due to the storm.
At the hotel Amy walks over with Wedge to met up with us. Dogs have amazing memories Wedge greets us outside like he just saw us yesterday. Grandma and Grandpa have arrived. After a short visit we head out for dinner to Browns and met up with Faraz one of Jonathan's co-workers. The food was great but the service according to the two boys sucked. This used to be a hang out of the group that Jonathan works with. New ownership has definately affect the place. From the restaurant we walk back to the kid's place by way of the new studio that Jonathan will be moving in to on December 29th. We will get to help with the move should be fun :).
We get a lift back to the hotel as Jonathan and Amy are heading out to shop at 9:00 p.m. and we are starting to fade. A quick night cap in the bar and bed.
December 18th - Day one:
After a nice sleep in we wake up rested and relaxed. Breakfast is provided by the Marriott and it is wonderful. Lots of choices, eggs, sauasge, pancakes, waffles, fruit, bread, sweet breads, juices, cereals both hot and cold as well as tea and coffee. As we had a late breakfast we decide to relax in the morning. Fred completed some address changes and I sent out an e-mail advising of our next chapter in our life that we are starting.
We then walk around downtown and head to the Pacific Centre mall. This is a mall with a very good mix of stores. Fred need clothes as I did not pack any pants for him with all the rushing around we had to do on the 16th and I also forgot socks for me. Once that was done we walked around to get our bearings then head back to relax before heading back to the kid's condo for the evening.
That's all for now.
Fred & Sandy
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