CaptainOrange

O.K., I know I haven't posted details of day 3 yet, but I am surprised at how when you get back to the real world there isn't 2hrs a day to come up with the perfect description of your day and crop, size and place to perfection the photos that go along with it. Instead of making everyone (especially me) wait, I am putting up what I consider to be the most important post next -- even though it will destroy the verisimilitude. I will post the details of day 3 if and when I have time (My apologies to Vij's restaurant and the wonderful company we had while there for the delays). You will notice that there are no pictures. I was not among the many who were gutsy/rude enough to take in their recording devices. I make no apologies for respecting the establishment in this one respect. Without further adieu... The concert was fantastic. Sting's son is in the band – Fiction Plane -- which opened for The Police (hmmmm...) Yeah, well, they were actually pretty great as unknown open...

I'm starting to think that waking up broken might just be the way I'm meant to feel. 5 hours sleep. I know I've got to to better if I am going to drive all night after the concert tomorrow. Though I am feeling very tired, I am also invigorated. There is nothing like having all work beyond your reach to make you feel like playing all day long. While Anna headed out for coffee, I sneak the phone outside and give Wendy a call while Ian sleeps. The time difference makes communication via regular phone difficult. It seems by the time I am up, Wen and the girls are gone for the day and once I am back for the night, they are asleep. As today is Sunday, I get lucky and manage to speak to her for a bit. Ian rises from his stupor as soon as the coffee comes in the room. "I could quit if I actually wanted to," has become my favorite phrase to parrot back to him anytime he mentions needing a coffee. I can tell he regrets ever having mentioned it. We agree that we over did thi...

But first, a little bookkeeping. I've added a few panoramas to my pictures. I put them in the rough order they occurred, so if you've been following along, you may want to go back. They are a nice shot of Granville Island from above , Anna hugging the giant tree, and the Pacific Drum store. They won't display worth a damn online as the image you see is only a thumbnail, so if you would like to see really detailed versions you will need to download the pics and zoom in. I guess it's only for people who are literally driven to tears (or boredom). But, as I always say, when the world is running down, you make the best of what's still around. We walked (o.k. limped) along Denman street to see if there was anywhere to eat for supper. Anna had read about a place in her guide book called Legendary Noodle House. It was nothing to look at, but it did sell noodles. Anna's blog will have the pics and meal details, but all I can say is "J'aurais toujours faim de ...

After sampling the mouthwatering food and suffering the slings and arrows of outrageous entertainment we brushed the pigeon dropping from our shoulders, shouldered our equipment and set off on the next leg of our journey. Most of this day will center on the region referred to as the ' West End '(wikip). We walked from Granville "Island" ( tsk, tsk, (click my added icons for some extra basic geography) ) down Davie st .(wikip) I thought it all happened as a happy coincidence, but with Anna at the planning helm of our vacation 'Enterprise', I have no idea which courses were plotted and which were the result of unstable wormholes. In short it was (for me) a happy coincidence to find myself strolling along such fertile valley of humanity. Q says that our race " is always suffering and dying ", but Davie Village points out quite clearly that there are a number of things Q failed to mention ;) It was there that Anna got in touch with her sensitive side. We...

Police Tour

4 hrs of sleep (8:30am (SK time)... ugh. My eyes feel very much like sandpaper. And not good sandpaper either, but rather the kind that you start using and immediately all of the sand crumbles off the sheet and dribbles all down your hands. It is a good thing that can't really happen to my eyes. One reason to be happy this morning.' Anna drove out to a nearby Tim's and got us a wake-up call, while I read some news and tried not to wake Ian. Anna said he could not be woken by the apocalypse itself, but as it happened, he was vaguely aware that all was not right in what should have been a pleasant land of slumbery bliss. After coffee and some news/blogging on our two laptops, we set out on our second day of this adventure. 10:45am we leave the hotel on foot. Anna has done extensive reading and planning on the bus schedules , pricing and frequency. It looks like we can ride on the weekends for $2.25 with a pass that lasts 90min. Considering how many buses and the frequency, th...

This my recounting from my journal of the events of day one... For now, you can guess where most of the photos fit in. If I feel generous or REALLY bored at some point, I may "in-line" them for you. The photo link is at the end of this post. About 6:07am (my watch) Anna, Ian and I hit the road from my house. 6:30am we start listening to our first music. I have decided to put an entire playlist (as sanity allows) on the blog to help establish a time-line. (thanks to wikipedia for all the cut and paste playlists ) " If I Ever Lose My Faith in You " (Sting) – 4:30 "Love Is Stronger Than Justice (The Munificent Seven)" (Sting) – 5:11 " Fields of Gold " (Sting) – 3:42 "Heavy Cloud No Rain" (Sting) – 3:39 "She's Too Good for Me" (Sting) – 2:30 "Seven Days" (Sting) – 4:40 "Saint Augustine in Hell" (Sting) – 5:05 " It's Probably Me " (Sting, Eric Clapton, Michael Kamen) – 4:57 " Shape of My H...

Really tired. It's 3:47am. I'll post details tomorrow. The really important stuff is here Police Tour LINK

It is set to begin tomorrow morning at 6am. Anna and Ian are coming to pick me up. We plan to make a quick stop at Tim Horton's on Idylwyld and thence away... away, ere break of day, to seek the pale enchanted... er... musicians. Here is a link to a quick Google map of some of our projected destinations. My travel materials includes: Meals: Breakfast of Bagels w/cream cheese, watermelon and coffee. Lunch and Supper will be composed of some French bread that I made last night spread with fiery red pesto and dressed with an assortment of cheeses and cucumber, etc... At Wen's behest, I am taking a cooler with 1/2 dozen diet Coke w/lime. The junk food will be Miss Vickey's Black Pepper with Lime, Sour Patch Kids, Goodies and assorted flavours of gum. Clothing: You don't care and I don't want to tell you. Suffice to say that it is largely black and I am paying close attention to the potentially rainy conditions on the coast. Tech: Laptop, Cellular/Treo, Camera (check on ...

I woke up at 6:20am on Sunday. Leora wanted to get a head start her mother's day prep and Anwyn was just not waking up. "...so then I had to pinch her awake," was Leora's explanation for the noise that brought me upstairs in a rush. After comforting Anwyn for a bit, we began our labours. This year was great. The girls are getting big enough that my task was confined to advice and clean-up. The pancakes, sauces, flowers and presents were all managed with only the most minimal input from me. Washing dishes was another matter entirely... A little later, it was time to deal with my own mother. We went to Calories for brunch and had a really great time. I can't really speak for Mom, though. We did an excellent job of not discussing video games, but there was an air of discontent about and much of the conversation was dedicated to the woes of the education system and how teachers (not so subtly) act as corporate filters to sort people into their future jobs rather than ...

For those out of the loop, C.C. (short for Cookies and Cream) is our new cat. We fetched her from the S.P.C.A.'s "detention level" for Anwyn's b-day in March. C.C. is about 5 months old now and, Like Luke, she was almost "too old to begin the training." With my trusty X-wing still up on blocks, we have had to forgo the trip to Dagobah and make due with less suitable environs. Instead we settle for regular visits out to my compost pile which teems with life nearly as hideous for most of three seasons. In the spring, the mainstay of my pile seems to be mice. I don't think they are particularly good for the compost itself, but the reverse is clearly true. Yesterday was her "first catch of the day" and I can only speculate that she will continue to round up the "rebel scum" until she manages to eliminate them from our little corner of the galaxy.

The girls orchestrated a fabulous event for we parents on Tuesday. Leora did the fabulous backdrop (a heart skull and crossbones) and sang vocals. Anwyn played lead guitar and helped the boys make and distribute tickets and they both trained Eric and Anthony to take tickets, sell plastic concession food, do sound and lighting, and provide the audience with cues for when to clap. The set was planned as 4 songs from the " Scooby-doo and the Witche's Ghost "(wikipedia) soundtrack. It was a 3-seat sellout! The girls (and possibly their dad) have been obsessed with the hex girls (hex girls coven) for several years now, ever since we first saw the movie. If you are a Scooby-doo fan, or just into Wiccan, goth/vampire, chick bands, you should definitely check them out (youtube). Leora and Anwyn have done air-bands to them sooo many times, I thought it was time to blog about it.