Peace Arch Park May 3 - 6

Wednesday I had a dental appointment for cleaning my teeth and then Ray and I met up with Dianne and Steve for lunch at the Beatnic Bistro in Fort Langley for some lunch. Great visit catching up from their trip to the island. It started out quite rainy but cleared up late afternoon.



Thursday, appointment at the Bank with Dad, grocery shopping and a hair cut for me. It was a gorgeous sunny day so the rest of the afternoon was spent outside enjoying the warm weather. The neighbours, Fred and Maggie, came for a visit as well. Barbecued steak for dinner. The forecasted clouds came in and by 7pm it was raining. We did not hear any thunder though, but apparently there were lots quite close to us.

Friday morning we woke up to drizzle. As it's a lousy day, Ray got to his honeydo list and I decided to take John,  Dad's temporary care-giver, to Costco.  We purchased some plants for their planter pots also 3 more rhododendrons to replace the 3 huge ones being removed as they are blocking windows in the front of the house. I am concerned about their safety with all of the break-in's in the area. It seems that one or two incidents happen every week in their neighbourhood. As well, I have arranged for some pruning of their front garden so the house is visible from the street. 3 years ago Dad was broken into while he was in hospital.  By the time the police came with the alarm it was too late.

Since the garden is being done we are also having the trees beside the driveway pruned way back to open it up so the  motorhome will be able to park there. Dad's power lines come in pretty low to the house but Ray is hoping with the trees and shrubs being pruned 4 feet back he should be able to fit beside the wires. If we don't fit then we will have to have the power pole at the garage roof raised up to fit us at a significant cost, hopefully that is not the case. The motorhome is about 12'8" max tall, the electric cable is about 13 feet but the cable and phone are only 10'6". The electrician is coming next week as well, to put in a dedicated 50 amp or 30 amp plug for the motorhome, whichever he is uable to do. He is also going to try and put in a motion detector light for the front driveway to help with security.

View to the road from the carpot

View to the house. (A new roof is happening this summer!)

It will be nice being able to stay in the motorhome at Dad's so we are closer and Freya loves Dad's back yard and the trails in the area.

Photo by Dianne and Steve

I was back at home by noon to meet with the Coit Carpet guy to give us an estimate for cleaing the grout and rugs in the coach. They actually scrape down the grout, put in the colour you want and then seal it so it is guaranteed for 10 years so no more staining and your floor looks brand new. This is a tad expenive but with their 35% off sale it sounds like a plan to me. We have scheduled them for May 16th.  Ray and I have bounced back and forth about replacing the carpet as it looks dirty even though it is mostly covered with rugs to keep the dog hair and dirt off of it. This should give a new life for a few more years.

It rained most of the day and did not clear up until about 6 pm so at least Ray and Freya did not get wet for their last major walk for the day.

Saturday morning it was quite cloudy but at least no rain. By 8 am the sun broke through the clouds so hopefully it is a nice day. I have the "day off" from errands for Dad so will enjoy just hanging out here at home.

Lighthouse Park, West Vancouver

Tuesday, May 2nd, we were blessed with sunshine again so decided to go to another destination for picture taking opportunities for Ray. We left at 8:30 am and hoped we would miss the rush hour traffic to the North Shore. Not quite so lucky! but since we could use the HOV Lane until Boundary Road it was not too bad.

Ray decided to visit Lighthouse Park in West Vancouver. We'd not been there since we were engaged over 40 years ago. I seem to remember carrying a cooler and towels as we sunbathed on the rocks. We checked website regading dogs and found Freya is allowed off-leash on most of the trails. Yeah for Freya. The trail to the beach is not very long (only 1/2 mile) but we had forgotten that it was all downhill and you had to climb back the same 1/2 mile to the parking lot. A little more of a workout than we anticipated but so worth the views.

Path down to the lighthouse.

Freya came across a gaggle of girls who loved her and kept throwing a stick for her. She was in doggy heaven. Ray took a bunch of pictures for them standing together on the rocks. I sat on a rock and enjoyed watching the water. I saw 2 porpoises and 1 seal as well as a bunch of sea birds. Very peaceful.

Along the trail to the parking lot their are some huge fir trees. They were so tall Ray could not get it all in the picture! lol

After getting back to the car we were off to check out Whytecliff Park by Horseshoe Bay where we scuba dove many years ago.

After a short walk around there, it was time to meet our friends John and Joane Mahon at the Olive and Anchor Pub in Horseshoe Bay to catch up. We were a little early so Ray managed to take a few pictures of Horseshoe Bay.

Thanks for the lunch guys and it was fabulous seeing you.

Ray and I followed them back home to their house in West Van to finish our conversations and then it was time to hit the road. Unfortunately we hit the traffic again but it soon cleared for us after Boundary Road as we could use the HOV Lane again. A rather long day, especially for Ray but so worth it. The sunshine and views put smiles on our faces and Freya had a blast running all of the trails.

Community of Steveston, Richmond, BC

 Sunday, April 30th

Sunday morning and the weather forecast is for sunshine, so Ray and I decided to go to the small fishing village of Steveston in Richmond.  We're looking to possibly pick up some fresh crab for dinner at Dad's tonight. Also on the agenda is visiting the Parks Canada Gulf of Georgia Cannery. With it being Canada's 150 birthday, admission is free.

Built in 1894 in the historic village of Steveston, the Gulf of Georgia Cannery was once the largest building of its kind and the leading producer of canned salmon in British Columbia. The exhibit was very informative, and we enjoyed walking around for awhile. Lots of hands on things for kids to keep them occupied as well.

You can take a tour with a Parks Canada Volunteer or just wander through by yourself. All of the exhibits have informative write-ups beside them.

EXHIBITS

The Pull of the Net: Commercial Fishing in Canada  shares the exceptional story of how the fishing industry has shaped Canadian identity from pre-confederation to modern times. From early European explorers landing on the shores of Newfoundland in search of lucrative cod, to the thriving salmon trade of coastal First Nations in BC, commercial fishing in Canada has played an important role in bringing together diverse cultural groups and creating public conversation around natural resource management. This exhibit invites visitors to explore these themes, celebrate our history and reflect upon the place of commercial fishing in today’s Canada.

They also had a cabin display from a trawler to give you an idea what it was like on the fishing boats for the crew.

What goes in must come out!

The Canning Line

Stories of mountains of sockeye come alive among the clatter and hum of machines in the Canning Line Exhibit. Encompassing over 4000 sq. ft., this interactive, multi-media exhibit demonstrates the process of salmon canning on a 1930s – 1950s era canning line. Take a guided tour along the line and uncover the personal stories of cannery workers who worked amidst the steam, noise, and odours of fish slime and machine oil.

The bins of fish are loaded inside the cannery.

This machine takes off the heads, tails and fins.

Cleaning Table

Cans coming down to be stuffed with fish.

Fish added to the cans.

Cans are being stacked for loading into the pressure cooker.

Cans out of the pressure cooker.

Boxing station.

Delivery Truck

Herring Reduction Plant

This once thriving Reduction Plant was in operation until 1979, when it was closed due to modernization of the process and centralization of the operations. Immerse yourself in the sights and sounds of this 6500 sq. ft. exhibit! You will be amazed to discover how herring was transformed into fish oil and fish meal.

(When Parks Canada took over the cannery in 1984 there was still herring in the system. Can you imagine the smell cleaning it all out!)

Here is a video that Ray took of the canning line. Of course he picked the music too!

Back outside we walked the pier to where the boats are selling their catch. Unfortunately no crab but we did manage a couple of pounds of prawns for tomorrow's dinner. None of the fish was fresh, all flash frozen at sea.

Sea Urchins

I had to stand in line for 10 minutes to get my chance at getting some prawns. Very popular boat!

I put the prawns with ice in the cooler in the car and we wandered down towards the restaurants to pick where we're going to eat lunch. 

Best way to end our tour!

We started with the tour of the cannery at 11:30 am and by the time we sat down for lunch at 1 pm the place was packed with lots of tourists and locals enjoying the sunny Sunday.

 After lunch it was time to head home as I was cooking dinner, salmon from the local grocer, for Dad today.

Monday, May 1st, it's quite rainy in the morning but smartened up in the afternoon. Had to get up to Dad's early to meet up with a tree pruning service. We are trying to get our motorhome into Dad's driveway so we are closer to him when we are in town, which he would like and we would save $$ by staying there instead of an RV Park. Later in the afternoon I was back to take him for his appointment for an Echocardiogram at Peace Arch Hospital. In between I prepared our Vodka Tomato Sauce for our pasta and prawns for dinner. They were delicious.    IT'S RAY HERE... YUMMMM!