Day Twenty-One

We woke up in Albany, Oregon this morning and it looks like the weather will be good today. We are going to finish this blog with this entry. We are starting a new blog as we are starting our California vacation in a little while. We miss everyone and don't hesitate to leave comments on our next blog.

The new blog will be http://tonyandruthy.blogspot.com

Day Twenty

This morning we got up and went downtown and since the library wasn't open yet we stopped in at Starbucks to have coffee. The library was a wonderful building and the people were so helpful. I was only trying to find the dates of my great uncle's death but ended up with much more information. After that we decided to drive by the house where he lived before he died. It was up and up like going up the hills in West Vancouver but much more steep and curvy. It was so far up we were in the clouds! After that Tony decided we might as well go to the cemetery and see if we could get any more information. The mausoleum where Cecil and Juliet are buried is very similar to the Meredith crypts at Forest Lawn in Toronto. Uncle Cecil's in-laws are also buried in the same cemetery which is similar to Mount Pleasant but on different levels. Now we have lots more to add to the family tree. I was with my grandmother when we went into the Applegath store on Yonge Street and they had just received the news that Uncle Cecil had died. My grandmother was very sad because I think he was her favourite brother. I have several letters from him and one mentions the time my mother was out there visiting with her parents. I am guessing it was in 1921 and I think the Portland family was in Toronto for Granddad Applegath's 80th birthday. Tony is just returning from scoping out the area for dinner.

The vegetation is so lush and along the highways and streets the trees hang over and it is absolutely beautiful. Some of the houses have so many trees and shrubs and they really make an ordinary house look special.

Day Nineteen

This morning we left Vancouver after Lana had given us a huge breakfast and then sent us off with homemade muffins and cheese tea biscuits that were delicious. It was about nine-fifteen when we left and there was supposed to be a fifty minute wait at the border but it turned out to be only 35. It was interesting to watch two border guards with mirrors and detectors search a van in the next row and then a few minutes later two male and one female border people came and checked his license, etc. They didn't find anything and nothing about the van which was an older style looked suspicious to us. I did notice he was the only black man I could see in the lineup!

It rained off and on all day, more on than off until we got near Portland where it turned into a beautiful sunny day. There were so many traffic slowdowns all day it was like being on 401. A few fender benders caused most of the delays. We left the highway to get gas and something to eat and while we were at the gas station a girl was handcuffed and taken away in a police cruiser. We don't know what she did but she looked quite subdued and average and seemed to be by herself. The policeman handcuffed her hands behind her back and she seemed okay with being taken away in the police cruiser.

We found a motel with wifi so I can catch up a little with what is going on in the world. Tomorrow we are going to take a quick look around the area and see if we can find the death notice of great Uncle Cecil at the library. We have so much info about his grandchildren but not their last names and figure if we could find an obit it would have his daughter's married name. It would be nice if we could add the surname to the family tree.

The fall colours are beautiful but not so many reds as in Ontario. The vegetation along the highway was so lush and plentiful today. The cement walls along the sides of the highway are all covered with vines and ivies and look so pretty. The cement walls seem to be roughly grooved so the vegetation can grab hold and stay. We don't know if it requires attention or just grows to look so perfect.

Day Eighteen

This morning Tony, Lana and I went over to 'Urban Fare' to have lunch. It was the best vegetable curry over rice that I have ever had. We looked around the store at all the things available you can buy there but rarely see in regular supermarkets. After lunch we walked over to the railway train "374" and took some pictures. We went back to the condo after lunch and then Lana and I went down to Costco. We went back to the condo until Gary came home.

We went to the Keg for dinner and we all had prime rib and super spinach salads. After dinner we came back to the condo for the rest of the evening. It has been a super experience staying in a downtown Vancouver condo and we are going to miss it!

This morning we went out for breakfast to Ricky's, one block from GM Place at the intersection of Cambie and Dunsmuir. After that we walked 'up' to downtown. We each bought a book so we can sit and recover our worn out muscles. My legs are so stiff after today's walk that I can barely move. Tomorrow I think we will travel by car instead of walking.

After we came back and got a visitor's parking spot so Gary can have his space back we went up to North Vancouver. We stopped in at Denny's to have something to eat and I ordered a grilled cheese. Try to imagine a grilled cheese with sliced tomatoes in it was not what I envisioned but what was more unusual was that one half had only one thin slice of tomato and no cheese. The waitress took it away but came back with it again to say the cheese had all gone on the one half. When she saw that it wasn't exactly what I wanted she said she would get the manager. They took it back and when it returned half of the half did have cheese and the other half had tomato. I would say that cheese on a tomato sandwich is one thing but never tomatoes on a grilled cheese.

We went over to visit my second cousin David Chubb at his house in West Vancouver. He used to be from Whitby but when he graduated from medical school he came out here and then he went back to specialize in opthamalogy and then he moved back here and he rarely goes back to Ontario. Last time he was there, with his wife Carol, Marty brought them in for a quick visit.

It was fun to see him again. He has five granddaughters.

We are back at the condo waiting to welcome Lana and Gary back to their place.

Day Seventeen

Without fire alarms or much noise from the street last night was uneventful and conducive to uninterrupted sleep. After breakfast we walked up to the Bay and made some purchases and had to reinstate our Bay card since it had not been used for so long. You get double points if you charge it on your card and then they let you debit it to pay for it. It is sort of crazy but since I never seem to do anything else for points it may be worth while.

Vancouver is filled with bearded old men with shopping carts who gather up cans and bottles. It must be okay here to go through the garbage because they seem to be able to go into any private garbage and take out what they want. There are also people sleeping on the streets but I don't think as many as in downtown Toronto. One of them was awake eating his wrap and two orange juices that it looked like had been dropped off for him. When we came by much later today he was still sleeping.

After walking for miles we finally went out in the car to pick up a few groceries to replace some of the things we have eaten here. The store below where Pia lives has a huge three level underground parking and it is almost empty so parking isn't a problem at all. Downtown parking seems much easier than Toronto with lots of meters available on the streets. We are expecting the Colliers back tomorrow night. I am adjusting quite well to condo life!

Thanksgiving Monday

We went over to Pia and Jamie's for dinner. They have the most super apartment which opens to a grass covered garden which it is hard to believe isn't at ground level. We had a delicious lasagna dinner made by Pia and it was such fun to see them with Charlie who is adorable. Dessert was a yummy crumble and ice cream. He went to bed like a little angel after dinner. We are back at the condo hoping there are no fire alarms tonight!