Long Holiday Weekend

The past long BC Day weekend has given us a great variety of entertainment. Friday night we ate at lovely French bistro Salade de Fruits Café, a great find close to home. The waiters turn people away all evening and bring in who they 'like'! We sat at a table on the patio and enjoyed the company of a couple of long-time fans of the place. The moules frites dish that Ad ordered was fantastic, the mussels large and in a very tasty sauce. My salmon was also wonderful. As the evening (and our bottle of white wine) wore on, we chatted about everything BC and came across some great tips from locals eager to impart just plain great touring info on us.

Saturday brought us into the garden to take care of various plants and weeds that needed attention. The five new lavender plants are starting to enjoy the company of the bees and will hopefully spread out in the years to come. We met up with a couple of friends who'd invited us to a casual homemade dinner before heading out to Kitsilano Showboat to watch the evening line-up including 'Johnny Cash and Friends'. As the sun started to set, Ad and I were in need of warmer clothes if we'd be staying around to watch the fireworks finale starting at 10. We raced back on foot to the house, changed and somehow, right before the start of the fireworks, met up with our friends (in the dark no less) amongst the throngs of crowds all descended upon Vanier Park to watch the show from the best vantage point! With the stereo set up in the background tuned to the rock station sponsoring the audio portion of the show, it was quite a spectacle. I was even granted use of the only camping chair amongst the four of us and felt quite royal sitting in back with the colourful displays unfolding in front of us.

Sunday and we were off to the Vancouver Pride Parade, another packed event, this time on English Bay, just opposite the previous night's fireworks vantage point. Lots of great performers and ever-present disco music to get the crowd on their feet. We ran into a friend and chatted before separating ways, Ad and I grabbing some lunch on the way, and walking back over the Burrard Bridge home.

Yesterday capped the weekend with us celebrating BC Day on the water. We rented our kayaks at Deep Cove for a four hour adventure up the North Indian Arm. Gorgeous scenery, photos follow here…

Now it's back to the week, filled with memories of being on vacation so close to home!

Ariane C












taking a break on a little beach