Here and There Blog

Leaving the mountains you reach the Okanagan Valley and lake country. I'm glad I did the 5 hour drive but next time I'll fly.  Still, makes you want to get out and enjoy the view.

After gaining elevation and getting out of the treeline, the mountains came into view and we could see the source of the waterfalls.  Mostly rock but somehow the trees still find a place to grow.  The clouds roll in obscuring the view.  Still, it made for a great section of the drive!

At this time of year, the drive from Vancouver to Kelowna takes you through areas of green, snow, lakes, and river. Green is all you see leaving Vancouver once you are out of the city. Trees and more trees with the waterfall created by snow melt is along both sides of the drive.  Some waterfalls are quite large while others hide in the canyon.  The river is a bit harder to see while zipping by.  This is a waterfall ending back up in snow state at the end.  A more calm area as you come out of the trees and back into a small town.

The Lonely Planet guidebook to Vancouver lists the Templeton as the second best attraction in Vancouver after Stanley Park. The small diner has good food and a loyal crowd. Saturday they open at 9:00 am and at 9:01 am there was not an empty seat and a 45-60 minute wait for a table. A specialty is the baked grapefruit. None of us had ever heard of such a thing and were pleasantly surprised how sweet and juicy it was. Almost a bit too juicy since digging in meant grapefruit juice everywhere but it was enjoyable. You can order by the half or whole grapefruit. Mangled Eggs - really a sandwich filled with scrambled eggs, veggie bacon and cheese. Hot, fresh, it filled the stomach. I nibbled at the potatoes and they were just potatoes. This would not make my top list of things to do in Vancouver but the food and service were good so if you're in the area, give it a try. Official website link: http://thetempleton.ca/

The two days at English Bay with friends went by way too fast! What a contrast of hotels - The Sylvia, right on the water and walking distance to Stanley Park and Granville Island where we could gather as a group each day and hang out.   To the back to work business hotel where even the room makes you realize you're back at work and not at the beach. The two sides of Vancouver.

Even though I've walked and walked the outer and inner parts of Stanley Park, the place is so big there is always something to see. Flower season is in full gear and pollen floats abundantly so pack the allergy meds for the summer season.  Beaver Lake - not much water shows and it's slowly being claimed by the forest.    Baby duck season. Mom was calling this one to swim away but he was too happy to move.  Pollen makers. Nice to look at but enemy of state to me.

From a forecast of rain to a sunny day it ended up being perfect to wander around the English Bay side of Vancouver. There's plenty to see and it's a good walk as long or short as you want.    The kids were somewhat surprised that I ran onto the playboat. Most adults watch from afar.  Fishing with butterfly nets  It was too bright for flower photos but this thing struck a good pose

When O.B.'s not crowded, a great place for casual lunch and a beer is the Arizona Cafe. This is where the group that is us headed Saturday after the wedding for a post wedding toast to the bride and groom with whom we'll meet up with again in Vancouver. There's the usual assortment of pub food - burgers, salads, nachos and lots of beer choices.  Enjoy a game of pool or relax with friends. Interested? Go to http://www.theazcafe.com/site/  

8:00 am - Hospitality Point. The chairs are arranged and area is calm  Only a few boats are on the water  The bagpipe player arrives  We start to take our seats  Ms. Kitty and her Dad walking down the aisle  Ms. Kitty, Sharon, and Carson doing the vows

Saturday saw the wedding of Ms. Kitty & Carson. It was an early day to catch the water before the boaters and tourists arrived in full force. Being an outside wedding, the traditional cake was  replaced with pie for everyone except the bride & groom who presumably are eating leftover pie now. What does a pie wedding feast outside look like? See below!  Ginelle and pie, below me and pies.  Homer and L.J. finishing their pie  Janice and Gretchen in the act of eating pie  Laura posing with Deb's pie  Mondo - smiling with pie!

10+ hours after the start of the work day and I am almost caught up! Next Canada trip is finally organized. I had only forgotten to rent a car for the Portland segment and that is done. Check! Russia travel is booked. Check! Hollywood hotel for Shawn's birthday event at the Magic Castle is booked. Check! (that item still pending a round of "Yes" to the date from the group at large. (Okay, that's not work but the fact that I have a day between Canada and Russia is amazing.) Joined Worldwide Who's Who - Online Branding. That surprised me too! Inbox back to a manageable number! And still in a Kenya mood so the picture of the day is Zebra!  

Ukk, uckk, ugg. Has this been a strange week for everyone else? It feels like Monday started with a 3 day smack-down event on a continuation of the previous week insanity of being extra busy! I finally feel like I can take a blog breather because it seems like the safest thing to do. After all, make a typo? Delete the post. Make a critical error at work? "Ooops" cannot be deleted. Take a deep breath. Stare at the computer screen. Repeat. That's all. The basketballs are bouncing off the walls next door. My concentration has evaporated for the day. If you make me jump, I can't guarantee what will pop out. Just like a wart hog.

Although I didn't like Prometheus, the movie stays with you a bit. I jumped when I went outside on my patio and monster lizard was waiting for me. Maybe this is why the house doesn't have a lot of bugs right now, the lizard has been hungry to get this big!    

I wanted to like Prometheus , I really did. The trailer and cast looked great and contained the promise of a well written, action packed adventure. The critic reviews have been good and even the guy who sold us the tickets said we'd love it. Sadly, no. I don't know where to begin. 80 or so years from now a wealthy eccentric man finances a trip to space to see if an archeological find will lead the team to find our creators. This for no other reason than to ask "why?" Millions of dollars spent on the finest spacecraft and off goes Prometheus with what has to be the lowest IQ group of specialists on earth.  Seriously, if I was the aliens that created humans and saw this lot, I'd want to get rid of that offspring too. Everything bad that happened was a direct result of a stupid action. Take off your helmet, poke your finger in the goo, bring back disembodied heads to the ship, play with a snake and expect a kitten. Slugs in your mouth, slugs in your stomach, ...

Rough Draft Brewing has a tasting room (large tasting room) in Sorrento Valley area of San Diego. Since this was a new beer for our group, we all made the trek there on Saturday to check it out. The consensus of the day was that the Amber Ale was the best but I went for the What the Ale? Pale Ale since that was lower in alcohol content. A dark beer is getting released in a couple of weeks so we just missed it! My side assignment is to practice Photoshop Elements so here's the pictures from Rough Draft, slightly modified. Want to taste their beer? Click here

Some people look forward to June when the snow leaves, the lake country sparkles, and warm air arrives on gentle breezes. Those people don't live in coastal San Diego where June brings in low laying clouds and the cold. The tourists arrive and look baffled, wondering if the airplane dropped them off in the wrong city. Nope, it's our annual June Gloom (the continuation of May Grey) where the sky and water blend together and the water is no where to be seen. It is perfect weather to fight the garden weeds, toss more coffee grounds down the gopher holes and wash the windows. So that has been today, and I realize that nature is winning this round.  At least I'm relaxed. I could almost take a nap but there's laundry to do and suitcases to pack.  I hope you're all enjoying your Sunday, no matter where you are.