The Birthday Time of Year

We're now back in Oregon, along the most picturesque coast in America. (Big Sur runs a close second.)

Our first stop is the seaside town of Seaside - couldn't resist that one - a resort town about 80 miles west of Portland - a nice beach and plenty of places to shop and eat.

This is the birthday time of year for the Waltons. Shannon's  in late August, David's in early September, Jan's in late September, Trace's in early October, and mine in mid-November. With our lifestyle, the only two that really get a celebration are Mom's and Dad's.

Seaside is a fun place to spend this one, especially when the weather cooperates so nicely. 

Lots of  people, lots going on on the beach and boardwalk - families and kids and doggies (trying) to compete in the longest pool leap.

And a wonderful meal at Norma's, a Seaside tradition. The local wine is great and the local seafood is verrry tasty!

Back to the Beach

For awhile now, it will be seaside instead of mountains. It's great to wiggle our toes in the sand and listen to the sound of the surf. Our RV park, Copalis Beach, is only a sand dune away from the Pacific.

Today has special meaning to us - our oldest son's birthday. It's definitely on Jan's mind in this photo.

Why is the day a celebration of a person's coming into the world when they had so very little to do with it. It should be a celebration of the exploits of the mother. After all, she did all the work! Happy BIRTH day!

A cool and beautiful afternoon on the Washington coast just north of Greys Harbor. Tried to catch the green flash, but no luck. Still, sunset on the beach for the first time since the Florida Keys

Departing the Border

Well....

All good things must come to an end, and our stay here literally within a few miles of Canada was very much a good thing. Having family and good friends all over the country adds so much enjoyment and purpose to our travels.

It was great to be with Lloyd and Marian and we really appreciate their gracious hospitality in showing us around their beautiful home city.

A last pizza trip into town before heading south tomorrow included a stop at the public pier to watch the locals try their hand at crabbing - sometimes the delicious dungeness crab isn't the only thing coming up to the deck. The crabbing starts young, doesn't it?

The view here from downtown Blaine really shows how close we have been to the border - that's the Peace Arch in the no-mans-land between the customs checkpoints. 

Pacific National Exhibition (or the PNE)

Our friends, Marian and Lloyd Grandy, have spent most of their lives in British Columbia. Marian's dad was an officer in the Royal Canadian Mounted Police - yup, a Mountie. So when she found out that the RCMP Musical Ride was appearing at the provincial fair (think state fair) for the first time in more than ten years, we had to attend.

So what the heck is the RCMP Musical Ride????  Sounds like a sing-a-long you might strap yourself into. It turns out that the RCMP has a special detail of around 30 riders and their mounts (a much coveted two-year assignment) that performs intricate maneuvers in a program set to rousing music. They travel throughout Canada and the U.S. - we even heard from one of the mounties that they're scheduled to perform at the 2010 State Fair of Texas, our own hometown expo held annually in Dallas.

Hundreds of thousands of BCers attend the PNE each year. We took our place in line for tickets at the fairgrounds near downtown. We skipped the midway, but we hit all the demos and exhibits and food stands and stock barns. We even entered a sweepstakes for a new house, so who knows, we could end up living in BC next year - NOT!

We finished up with close-up seats for the "Ride" and thoroughly enjoyed watching the mounties skilled demonstration - sometimes like well organized chaos.

Visiting Some of Vancouver's Parks

One of the things that makes Vancouver such a desirable city in which to live is the dedication of so much of the city's real estate to public spaces. Vancouver's location on the Pacific Ocean and two major waterways - Fraser River and Burrard Inlet - gives it miles of shoreline, much of it used for parks and park-like settings (i.e. University of British Columbia.)

We visited Burnaby Mountain Park with wonderful views of the city and inlet below, statuary, and gardens. The park is the setting for many special events as public as concerts and as private as weddings.

Then it was on to Stanley Park on a large peninsula jutting into the inlet near downtown. It is a haven in the heart of the city encircled by a wide paved jogging/biking trail at the water's edge, with old-growth forests of huge cedars and firs, the city aquarium, yacht and rowing clubs, Native American exhibits, flower gardens, and large picnic areas.

We even had time to hunt for a geocache. Another wonderful day with friends.

Fun with Friends in Vancouver BC

Last winter we met many Canadians escaping conditions at home by becoming "Winter Texans" in the Rio Grande Valley. As you might imagine, all the places where American RVers go to escape the harsh winters in the north have plenty of our good friends from north of the border doing the same thing. The migration pattern is pretty consistent - I95 corridor to Florida east coast, I75 corridor to Florida west coast, I35 corridor to South Texas, and I5 corridor to Arizona/Southern California. So most of the Canadians we met were from Western Ontario, Manitoba, and Saskachewan.

But the exception proves, the rule, right? Among this group of new friends, Lloyd and Marian, who have lived all over Canada, from the Maritimes to the Pacific, were waiting for us this summer in western British Columbia. We can't imagine how we could have seen (or even dared to see) a tenth as much of this beautiful metropolis without them.

Like many other modern cities in the 21st century, Vancouver has an efficient and inexpensive way for their 3.5 million citizens to get around with the centerpiece being the Skytrain, their high-speed rail system. We were able to drive into the southern edge of the metro area and ride Skytrain into the heart of downtown, seeing much of this coastal city on the way.

Vancouver is in the midst of preparations for the 2010 Winter Olympics. Road construction, venue preparation, city beautification ( they have dozens of these psychedelic eagles around downtown) all going on in hundreds of places. But the daily life of the city goes on including

the Granville Market

                   the Classic Wooden Boat Show

and cruise ship departures. 

Vancouver is easily the cleanest big city we've been in and deserves its selection as Olympic host.

But it's always nice to come home!