This village, city?, on Vancouver island must be photographer’s mecca. I certainly think this blogger’s photographs of wildlife, and scenery is wonderful. When I visit and I must now that I have been looking at the photography, I will take lots of pictures and sit somewhere on the water where I can soak up the atmosphere and the salty breeze.
A very long time ago now, I was in grade 10 and I went to Vancouver Technical High School in East Vancouver, B.C. Our class had the opportunity to raise money to travel across Canada and visit 3 cities. We did bottle drives mostly and some restaurants like Brother Jon’s in Gastown were very generous in donating beer bottles.
It was quite funny because we collected them, sometimes more than 100 cases at a time, and then stored them in my family’s garage. I wonder what our neighbours thought when they saw literally hundreds of cases of empty beer bottles temporarily stored in our garage.
Eventually we travelled across Canada, it was 1973 and we travelled by train going East on Via Rail. Slow going from Vancouver until you get into the foothills of Alberta, really slow, but then you get on the prairies and speed up. The train was nice way to go because we were teens and almost constantly on the move I suspect. The train makes a nice sound moving along, and rolls back and forth. There was an observation car that we liked, and even the food was good. It was like camping on huge tubular tent.
The last stop in our visiting tour was Ottawa, and my favorite despite the accident I had. The streets were icy in the spring, and in Ottawa they had these backhoe like tractors that scraped the ice on the sidewalks. We were boarded in schools at night but had to be out of the gym and out early in the morning. One morning I was out walking early and one of these backhoes backed up suddenly while lowering his bucket and I put my hand to protect my head. The bucket just barely hit my hand but it did. My hand swelled up right away but denial set in also. I didn’t want anyone to know so I just hid my hand. That night one my teachers after the hockey noticed my swollen black and blue hand. I was taken to the hospital and they x-rayed it and I had broken some fingers and had some blood in there. They put my hand in a cast and I survived, I remember slow dancing to Bennie and the Jets (Elton John) with the cast on my arm while we were in Ottawa at a dance. I could only slow dance I guess, so the girls danced all the songs slow with me. 🙂
Breakfast (Photo credit: nataliej)
I remember the cafe restaurant where we went in the mornings everyday had great breakfasts. We would go there and order eggs, sausage, toast and it was cheap, we were grade 10 students and cheap with lots of food was what we wanted.
On the table was a device connected to a slot machine, and you could pop quarters into it and the jukebox would play your choice. That was I first heard “Money” by Pink Floyd, I remember I really liked the song and played it almost every day while I eating greasy fried eggs and toast. When I got home I bought the Dark Side of the Moon album.
Despite calling from across Canada to freak out my parents to let them know I broke my hand, it was good trip, Ottawa was interesting with lots to see. We flew home and I slept all the way, six hours, sleeping every night in a gym floor makes airline seats seem comfortable.
I have been back since to Ottawa but I will never forget the first time because of the breakfasts, my broken arm, Bennie and the Jets, and Pink Floyd’s Money.
Poor Simon – He thinks the cat is logical and understands that it is seconds away from being fed. No No No! Cats like some other mammals only understand immediate, I mean INSTANT, results – seconds away is seconds too late!
Time goes by so quickly, I can’t believe ten days since my last post. I went to mall today and saw the people in the card section buying a Valentine Day card for their beloved. I thought to myself, wow look at all those people succumbing to media pressure. Then I went over and started to look also; after all I know the value of a card, and I wasn’t married yesterday, so I know better than to protest.
I tried to find a blank card, as I am a firm believer that the card is an opportunity to do something meaningful by sharing thoughts or expressions that expressed any other time of the year could be interpreted as you had just learned you have a terminal disease.
My first date with my wife Sue, was August 6, 1979 and I blogged about that date before. We went waterskiing, and I pushed her off the dock – she came up smiling and I was smitten. That night we went to a cheesy B movie – Love at First Bite, and I guess I was bitten! We dated for awhile before I had the courage to try to give her a kiss, and it didn’t turn out too well. I caught at a bad moment and she couldn’t breath so she pushed me away, I thought too soon even though we were way past the “third date” 🙂 She gave me another chance soon and it wasn’t long before I was worried about losing her because I knew she was special.
It struck me this week though how young I was, we both were, when six months or so later we got married. Where did we get the confidence to make such a big step so quickly? As Paul McCartney said – You’re asking me will our love grow? I guess I believed so, and I was right. So right.
Like most of TV, most of it is not that memorable but now and then something will make me chuckle.
SNL (Saturday Night Live) never was a show I was a follower for, for one thing, way past my bedtime when it is on, and second it was usually not the humor I was attracted to. The one skit I occasionally catch when my son and daughter watched SNL was the current events, news format called the Weekend Update.
Some good lines there often and such is the occasion with [play the doom music here!] THE GIRL YOU WISH YOU WISH YOU HADN’T STARTED A CONVERSATION WITH AT A PARTY
