We have finally moved back to Vancouver after raising our children in the suburbs. Coquitlam afforded lots of kids, parks, soccer fields, swimming pools, hot tubs, big back yards, and lots of rooms to accommodate the endless stream of friends and colleagues. Tough move for the kids to lose their reference point and rooms and grasp that their parents had lived another life that they REALLY liked.
Brad and I met when he was living in the West End and I was living at 2nd and Maple with my Mom. We decided this summer that we'd stay in town and do all of the things we missed or could do without driving. The sailing lessons at Jericho were fun until we were faced with actually taking out a sailboat while we were both still quite clueless! We've decided that we need to sail separately and then take turns with the skipper role. Fortunately our membership was put to good use in the restaurant. Great food right on theof edge of the ocean.
Although the weather wasn't overly cooperative, I spent LOTS of time on the deck overlooking the beach and at Kits Beach. Can never get enough! I read professional sources for my Professional Growth Plan. Books on the list of "books to read". Beach reads. Magazine - Macleans, Time, PDK, The Reading Teacher, Amnesty, Vanity Fair and of course, Oprah- the ultimate determinant of holidays. We took advantage of being able to walk everywhere. Shopping on Broadway. To Jericho Beach- the beach of my childhood. To Bard on the Beach. Granville Island and beyond to Monk McQueen's. To the movies. To St. Andrew's Wesley where my friend was a minister so long ago! Such a luxury. Larkyn regularly biked to work at Granville Island and Tyler could walk to the Wall Centre Hotel to work in the Wine Store or the Coffee Shop.
We still haven't broken the habit of eating out. Sophie's, Cafe Zen and the Epicurean are favorites for breakfast. The Smoking Dog is great for cloudy days. Nothing beats The Sandbar on the top floor or happy-appy hour at The Boathouse. And of course, Local for the ultimate burger.
Yes, life is good in Kits! And yes, you can go home! next challenge - renovations!
Thursday, October 6, 2011
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
In Search of Higher Learning at Harvard
Wonderful opportunity to attend "The New and Aspiring Leaders" Institute with other educators at Harvard University. Boston is a wonderful city. A "must return to" on my personnel travel list. I wish I had more time here. I took the milk run on the way here. Brad drove me to Bellingham, then I flew to Seattle, then Los Angeles. Good ole' LAX, I almost missed the flight because I had to wait for the shuttle to the next gate to avoid security. Arrived just on time to load on the flight to Boston. I arrived at the hotel at 6 in the morning. Although I requested early check in, I realized that it was insanely early. However the guy at the desk took pity on me and upgraded me to the available suite and let me get a few hours sleep before the institute started.
My suite is quite wonderful. 12th floor with a view of the Charles River. It reminds me of the Czech Republic when you stand on a bridge and can see a whole series of other bridges. I'm in walking distance of Harvard, but the shuttle makes it SO easy to just ride to Harvard Square (which is actually a triangle), have coffee and read about the implications of the newly adopted Health Care legislation that Obama FINALLY has been successful in passing! I love the old brick buildings and bridges and the history of the city. Everywhere you walk around Harvard, you're passing the 1st church, or the graveyard for civil war soldiers, or some other historic monument. One lecture hall has a flag with 46 stars that was flown prior to 1912. Very cool!
The actual institute is quite intense 8:30 am - 5:45 pm with pre-readings for each of the sessions. Interesting mix of people attending including principals, vice-principals, department heads, district personnel, mentors - whole range of leadership positions from international schools, charter schools, public schools from elementary to university level. Interestingly enough of the 90 people attending, the principal sitting beside me from the International School in Mozambique - actually from Toronto and currently living in New York with her family due to her husband's posting with Unicef. The assistant principal behind me- actually born and raised in Winnipeg, schooled in Ontario and recruited to teach in New York.
It is so interesting that our physical proximity to the US is so close and yet the differences in our school systems are so significant. Nice surprise was the first speaker, had done a lot of work in Calgary and Toronto and set up Canada as a strong example of how it should be done. Learning lots and having lots of great conversations around the topic of systemic change theory.
Yes, Tyler... I will talk about the food. Amazing. Lots of restaurants with lots of types of cuisine. Big shock looking at the menus for Indian food. High end and very expensive specialty food. We're so spoiled with such a lot of high quality Indian food in Vancouver. Lots of influence of the South...Louisianna gumbo which I forgot is more of a solid that a liquid - wonderful. My lunch with shrimp and crawfish quesidillas was supersized in the tradition of the great USA. WAY too much food for one person. SO good! Last night we went to a Mongolian grill which was actually called "Improvisational cuisine". We improvised like crazy and practically rolled home. Tonight, The OM Restaurant - salmon sashimi to die for, super spicy Thai coconut soup, filo wrapped trout and creme brulee! Doesn't get much better. Drinks are also amazingly creative. Lavendar cosmos, blueberry-lemon margs..,
Time to go get my reading done. One more night before the odyssey trek back.
My suite is quite wonderful. 12th floor with a view of the Charles River. It reminds me of the Czech Republic when you stand on a bridge and can see a whole series of other bridges. I'm in walking distance of Harvard, but the shuttle makes it SO easy to just ride to Harvard Square (which is actually a triangle), have coffee and read about the implications of the newly adopted Health Care legislation that Obama FINALLY has been successful in passing! I love the old brick buildings and bridges and the history of the city. Everywhere you walk around Harvard, you're passing the 1st church, or the graveyard for civil war soldiers, or some other historic monument. One lecture hall has a flag with 46 stars that was flown prior to 1912. Very cool!
The actual institute is quite intense 8:30 am - 5:45 pm with pre-readings for each of the sessions. Interesting mix of people attending including principals, vice-principals, department heads, district personnel, mentors - whole range of leadership positions from international schools, charter schools, public schools from elementary to university level. Interestingly enough of the 90 people attending, the principal sitting beside me from the International School in Mozambique - actually from Toronto and currently living in New York with her family due to her husband's posting with Unicef. The assistant principal behind me- actually born and raised in Winnipeg, schooled in Ontario and recruited to teach in New York.
It is so interesting that our physical proximity to the US is so close and yet the differences in our school systems are so significant. Nice surprise was the first speaker, had done a lot of work in Calgary and Toronto and set up Canada as a strong example of how it should be done. Learning lots and having lots of great conversations around the topic of systemic change theory.
Yes, Tyler... I will talk about the food. Amazing. Lots of restaurants with lots of types of cuisine. Big shock looking at the menus for Indian food. High end and very expensive specialty food. We're so spoiled with such a lot of high quality Indian food in Vancouver. Lots of influence of the South...Louisianna gumbo which I forgot is more of a solid that a liquid - wonderful. My lunch with shrimp and crawfish quesidillas was supersized in the tradition of the great USA. WAY too much food for one person. SO good! Last night we went to a Mongolian grill which was actually called "Improvisational cuisine". We improvised like crazy and practically rolled home. Tonight, The OM Restaurant - salmon sashimi to die for, super spicy Thai coconut soup, filo wrapped trout and creme brulee! Doesn't get much better. Drinks are also amazingly creative. Lavendar cosmos, blueberry-lemon margs..,
Time to go get my reading done. One more night before the odyssey trek back.
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Heading Home- Shanghai to Tokyo
Well I’m back in Tokyo waiting for the flight home. Another adventure returning home this year. However due to a Comedy of Errors that really wasn’t funny- Marion (another teacher) and I missed our flight home and Steve (our group coordinator) ended up picking up the tab for a rebooking fee in Economy Class and an upgrade to First Class. For this additional expense, it appears he had access to brown slippers and more alcohol (much needed by this point in time. I was worried but not frantic until I realized I didn’t have an exit form and thought I was headed back through security and guaranteed to miss the second flight of the day. Fortunately for me, it was not Mexico and you do not need to have a stamped document granted at arrival to be resubmitted when you leave. Another story for the collection.
This year in China, I was not able to get on my blog. Due to the number of sites and amount of times I tried, I can only guess that it is due to China’s increased control of the information flow on the internet. I managed to get my hands on The China Daily English Language Newspaper while I was in Shanghai. The weekend edition was a total of 12 pages and the bias of the articles was amazingly transparent. Millions were reported with the Swine Flu in the US and Chinese economic success emphasized.
The influence of the western world in cities is quite evident but other than Caucasian billboard models for advertising, it’s more limited in towns. On the Fuyang River each morning, even the younger people dance to Chinese music. They have just created a massive square where they eventually will put a tunnel under the Fuyang River. It is quite the gathering spot, very similar to Vienna square, close to the Rathaus Nightly from 6:30 – 8:30 pm, there is line dancing on giant screen which is very popular. One night, my Chinese buddy, Hongbo (alias Jane) and I stumbled on quite the production. A huge stage was set up with seating. The first person we saw on stage, I recognized immediately. He is a “famous” Fuyang comedian from local tv. He is on the television in restaurants and during foot massages. His sketch with another comedian involved confusion due to the use of their different dialects. The audience was in stitches. We also saw a scene from a Beijing opera and a Hangzhou opera. People all knew the stories and were obviously moved by the production. You don’t hear western music at all unless you go to the bar frequented by westerners. However we did see one group of belly dancers that Hongbo immediately asked if we danced like that in Canada.
Smoking is far more prevalent in China. I was very aware of trying to avoid smokers during the performances. My custodian, Mr. Wu, at the Education Bureau always had a cigarette hanging out of his mouth, whether it was first thing in the morning or after classes. This is quite common for many people and when they put them in an ash tray or toss the cigarette on the ground, they rarely butt out. The smoke just continues to curl its way to your face! Aagh!!! It was most problematic for me when I was eating breakfast or dinner. It gave me a healthy appreciation of our no smoking initiatives!
Consumer culture is well entrenched in China. I always think of it as something plaguing the Western World, but I suppose China has had more to sell for thousands of years. Life is Shanghai is teaming with tourists from all over China and the rest of the world. There is always a throng of people moving in and out of shops. Unfortunately I was sick in Shanghai despite my preventative Dukoral before I left Vancouver. It was inconvenient but not disastrous. I was able to make it to the large mall with the “real” designer clones and fill my quota for pearls. Every shop has a back room and “the best deal”. I shopped until I dropped and then spent the rest of the evening in the hotel room while my traveling mates went dancing.
The Western World has had some impact on the beverage consumption of the Chinese. In our classes at the Education Bureau, we always had green tea and 6 large dispensers filled with boiling water. Green tea was on the go all day. However coffee consumption has become “progressive”. Interesting versions of Starbucks are appearing in China as coffee is gaining in popularity. The prices in Starbucks are about the same as in Canada but to spend that much on coffee is prohibitive for all but the most affluent Chinese.
The best place I went to with Hongbo was Crowne Café in the Old Town of Shanghai. You proceed through a wonderful bakery first and pick up your sweet or savory treats. Then you end up at the coffee counter. To go cups are made in the Italian design espresso machines and then they go into another machine that seals on a metal lid that goes under the plastic lid to ensure the coffee stays hot and doesn’t spill. Cool design. The cost for a latte was 12 RMB(Yuan), tea was 4 RMB and several treats for both of us was about 14 RMB. This is about $5.00, the same cost of one latte at Starbucks. We also sat on the second floor looking at the rain pour down on the narrow and extremely busy Old Town Routes…and far away from the stinky tofu vendors (as distinct from the non-stinky versions).
Hongbo also slipped down to get us “The famous Shanghai dumplings”. Many cities seem to have “famous” versions of pork dumplings. My favorite was definitely the Hangzhou version. But they were also the freshest. We were in a VERY busy restaurant where you push through the throng to order and they grab as it is passed over. Not sure I could have managed myself even with $1.49 training in my formative years.
Well, Marion is back from her chair massage. She reports it was pretty good, but I’ve been ruined by the Chinese massage. This year I expanded my horizons and also had the head massage. For a mere 30 RMB ($5.00 Cdn), you get a dry head massage, lathering massage, rinse massage, hand, arm, and shoulder massage and a blow dry. Although I chopped my hair off before the trip so I would be cooler, there still was a fascination with making my hair as big as possible. Ronnie McDonald and I were in the running for biggest hair first time of all time. My travel buddies were sure I needed to back away from flagging the cab because I was scaring the drivers. Yes that bad! My stylist certainly had fun though. Much to his chagrin, I curbed his enthusiasm next time around and taught him the skill of curly hair control.
Well, hopefully we’re boarding soon. I can’t wait to get home. Three weeks was too long to be away from my little family. Can’t wait to see everyone.
This year in China, I was not able to get on my blog. Due to the number of sites and amount of times I tried, I can only guess that it is due to China’s increased control of the information flow on the internet. I managed to get my hands on The China Daily English Language Newspaper while I was in Shanghai. The weekend edition was a total of 12 pages and the bias of the articles was amazingly transparent. Millions were reported with the Swine Flu in the US and Chinese economic success emphasized.
The influence of the western world in cities is quite evident but other than Caucasian billboard models for advertising, it’s more limited in towns. On the Fuyang River each morning, even the younger people dance to Chinese music. They have just created a massive square where they eventually will put a tunnel under the Fuyang River. It is quite the gathering spot, very similar to Vienna square, close to the Rathaus Nightly from 6:30 – 8:30 pm, there is line dancing on giant screen which is very popular. One night, my Chinese buddy, Hongbo (alias Jane) and I stumbled on quite the production. A huge stage was set up with seating. The first person we saw on stage, I recognized immediately. He is a “famous” Fuyang comedian from local tv. He is on the television in restaurants and during foot massages. His sketch with another comedian involved confusion due to the use of their different dialects. The audience was in stitches. We also saw a scene from a Beijing opera and a Hangzhou opera. People all knew the stories and were obviously moved by the production. You don’t hear western music at all unless you go to the bar frequented by westerners. However we did see one group of belly dancers that Hongbo immediately asked if we danced like that in Canada.
Smoking is far more prevalent in China. I was very aware of trying to avoid smokers during the performances. My custodian, Mr. Wu, at the Education Bureau always had a cigarette hanging out of his mouth, whether it was first thing in the morning or after classes. This is quite common for many people and when they put them in an ash tray or toss the cigarette on the ground, they rarely butt out. The smoke just continues to curl its way to your face! Aagh!!! It was most problematic for me when I was eating breakfast or dinner. It gave me a healthy appreciation of our no smoking initiatives!
Consumer culture is well entrenched in China. I always think of it as something plaguing the Western World, but I suppose China has had more to sell for thousands of years. Life is Shanghai is teaming with tourists from all over China and the rest of the world. There is always a throng of people moving in and out of shops. Unfortunately I was sick in Shanghai despite my preventative Dukoral before I left Vancouver. It was inconvenient but not disastrous. I was able to make it to the large mall with the “real” designer clones and fill my quota for pearls. Every shop has a back room and “the best deal”. I shopped until I dropped and then spent the rest of the evening in the hotel room while my traveling mates went dancing.
The Western World has had some impact on the beverage consumption of the Chinese. In our classes at the Education Bureau, we always had green tea and 6 large dispensers filled with boiling water. Green tea was on the go all day. However coffee consumption has become “progressive”. Interesting versions of Starbucks are appearing in China as coffee is gaining in popularity. The prices in Starbucks are about the same as in Canada but to spend that much on coffee is prohibitive for all but the most affluent Chinese.
The best place I went to with Hongbo was Crowne Café in the Old Town of Shanghai. You proceed through a wonderful bakery first and pick up your sweet or savory treats. Then you end up at the coffee counter. To go cups are made in the Italian design espresso machines and then they go into another machine that seals on a metal lid that goes under the plastic lid to ensure the coffee stays hot and doesn’t spill. Cool design. The cost for a latte was 12 RMB(Yuan), tea was 4 RMB and several treats for both of us was about 14 RMB. This is about $5.00, the same cost of one latte at Starbucks. We also sat on the second floor looking at the rain pour down on the narrow and extremely busy Old Town Routes…and far away from the stinky tofu vendors (as distinct from the non-stinky versions).
Hongbo also slipped down to get us “The famous Shanghai dumplings”. Many cities seem to have “famous” versions of pork dumplings. My favorite was definitely the Hangzhou version. But they were also the freshest. We were in a VERY busy restaurant where you push through the throng to order and they grab as it is passed over. Not sure I could have managed myself even with $1.49 training in my formative years.
Well, Marion is back from her chair massage. She reports it was pretty good, but I’ve been ruined by the Chinese massage. This year I expanded my horizons and also had the head massage. For a mere 30 RMB ($5.00 Cdn), you get a dry head massage, lathering massage, rinse massage, hand, arm, and shoulder massage and a blow dry. Although I chopped my hair off before the trip so I would be cooler, there still was a fascination with making my hair as big as possible. Ronnie McDonald and I were in the running for biggest hair first time of all time. My travel buddies were sure I needed to back away from flagging the cab because I was scaring the drivers. Yes that bad! My stylist certainly had fun though. Much to his chagrin, I curbed his enthusiasm next time around and taught him the skill of curly hair control.
Well, hopefully we’re boarding soon. I can’t wait to get home. Three weeks was too long to be away from my little family. Can’t wait to see everyone.
Hangzhou Fuyang Hotel
This year is a little different in that I am staying at the Hangzhou Fuyang Hotel. It has a grand entrance way, antiques, a lovely fishpond, a VIP room for dinners and very popular restaurant that the town frequents for dinner. Although the grandeur of the place has faded over the years with neglected upkeep, it has air conditioning, clean rooms, and sit toilets. Certainly a bonus in China!
I still have a room with a view that I very much enjoy. I look out onto lush green trees that positively radiate with the amazingly loud sounds of the cicadas, especially right around dawn and dusk. I can still see the Fuchun River, the distinctive curve of Chinese rooves, and the new bridge with its steady flow of traffic.
I’m still in walking distance to the river and enjoy my morning ritual walk. It gives you insight into the city, not otherwise visible. The homeless are still asleep as the town wakes up and goes out to exercise before the heat of the day. I’ve missed the Chinese kung fu this year and haven’t joined in on the Tai Chi or dance lessons yet. I am a regular at the exercise park and compete with the old men for access to the equipment with bolts.
The only this that slows down the morning crowd is the torrential rain, of which we have had more of this summer. It starts to rain and people run for cover. One morning a woman tried to give me her umbrella, she was so distressed to see me unprotected in the rain. Even my trusty, somewhat soggy pocket dictionary couldn’t help me explain that Vancouverites are like ducks and do fine in the rain, especially when it’s still warm. The rain has slowed me down in the morning. I manage to sleep later and miss my walk.
Hotel life has familiarized me with the Chinese breakfast buffet. It includes squash, bok choi type vegetables, soups, boiled eggs, thousand year old eggs, banana bread, steamed buns, corn of the cob, rice, egg fried rice, watermelon and more. I did try ordering “flat eggs” a couple of mornings but have come to the conclusion that it’s best to let them stick to what they know best. It’s amazing what you can get used to.
I certainly do appreciate having someone else do my ironing. I’m quite pleased that the room is not equipped for me to accomplish this task on my own. I’m also not missing cooking, doing dishes, taking out the garbage or taking care of anyone but myself! Although I’m technically working, it makes for quite the holiday!
I still have a room with a view that I very much enjoy. I look out onto lush green trees that positively radiate with the amazingly loud sounds of the cicadas, especially right around dawn and dusk. I can still see the Fuchun River, the distinctive curve of Chinese rooves, and the new bridge with its steady flow of traffic.
I’m still in walking distance to the river and enjoy my morning ritual walk. It gives you insight into the city, not otherwise visible. The homeless are still asleep as the town wakes up and goes out to exercise before the heat of the day. I’ve missed the Chinese kung fu this year and haven’t joined in on the Tai Chi or dance lessons yet. I am a regular at the exercise park and compete with the old men for access to the equipment with bolts.
The only this that slows down the morning crowd is the torrential rain, of which we have had more of this summer. It starts to rain and people run for cover. One morning a woman tried to give me her umbrella, she was so distressed to see me unprotected in the rain. Even my trusty, somewhat soggy pocket dictionary couldn’t help me explain that Vancouverites are like ducks and do fine in the rain, especially when it’s still warm. The rain has slowed me down in the morning. I manage to sleep later and miss my walk.
Hotel life has familiarized me with the Chinese breakfast buffet. It includes squash, bok choi type vegetables, soups, boiled eggs, thousand year old eggs, banana bread, steamed buns, corn of the cob, rice, egg fried rice, watermelon and more. I did try ordering “flat eggs” a couple of mornings but have come to the conclusion that it’s best to let them stick to what they know best. It’s amazing what you can get used to.
I certainly do appreciate having someone else do my ironing. I’m quite pleased that the room is not equipped for me to accomplish this task on my own. I’m also not missing cooking, doing dishes, taking out the garbage or taking care of anyone but myself! Although I’m technically working, it makes for quite the holiday!
Narita Airport in Tokyo, Japan
Japan en route to ChinaSteve, our trip mastermind, booked me on JAL to China this year. That means that at this moment I’m at the Computer Desk at my gate (hopefully) passing time and drinking green tea and munching on peanut M&M’s. They have a quarantine area when you arrive at the Narita airport in Tokyo and have security wearing masks and waiting to escort “suspicious” people showing signs of the flu. They are definitely on high alert. However security was higher in YVR. My metal buttons on my dress warranted a full pat down in Vancouver but only my shoe buckles were a concern at Tokyo security. And I was kindly offered slippers while they checked them out.The hostesses on JAL are the most gracious and hospitable that I have even seen. They smile and have excessively good manners with passengers and each other. Brad got me a mini laptop (so Tyler has the other one to take to Milan) and I got a lot of work done on the flight, although I did manage to watch two movies. They had 12 movies that repeated continuously through the flight. I must admit I did like the menu selection of the flights last year. The Narita Airport is a shopping mecca. I didn’t think of checking out the exchange for the currency but I’m catching on. –especially since I caught myself before spending $150.00 on REAL designer sunglasses. Lots of designer stores but even great deals are too rich for my pocketbook! Great prices on Sony walkmans, cameras, watches, and everything else electronic in the airport. Image what the prices would be outside the airport! Well, only two more hours before boarding…
Fun in Fernie - Part 2
Fun in Fernie – Part 2
Well this small dot on the map has turned out to be quite a discovery. Tumultuous weather patterns have allowed Brad and I times to languish on sunny decks and sleep when the thunderstorms roll in from the Rockies. A deer greeted us on the first day out on the gorgeous Fernie Golf and Country Club, and gophers the next day. Good fun and we used every club in our bag and several balls to deal with sand traps, streams, ponds and just plain long drives. Good fun!
Of course, Brad’s choice was the action adventure of Whitewater rafting and cliff jumping into the Elk River. Blair and his partner started the business in 1985 and gave us our money’s worth. He was a Neil Young look alike and a funny guy! Certainly an adrenalin rush but one heck of a lot of fun! I preferred being in the front of the raft where I could see what was coming and “spear the dragon”. Amazing how those flatwater canoe certification classes came in handy when paddling!
Along the path, we saw a huge herd of mountain goats that literally disappeared off the edge of a cliff. Fishing osprey and their nest, and an enormous eagle nest added to the adventure. And of course, I was delighted to discover more hoodoos! Fortunately a photographer accompanied us in a kayak to document our trip.
The big excitement on the trip home was the caribou that just wouldn’t get off the road in front of us. By this point in time, we were use to the very plentiful deer population. Although I was relieved that the bear didn’t come back down the mountain to check out Kelsey’s or request a beer while we were there.
Well this small dot on the map has turned out to be quite a discovery. Tumultuous weather patterns have allowed Brad and I times to languish on sunny decks and sleep when the thunderstorms roll in from the Rockies. A deer greeted us on the first day out on the gorgeous Fernie Golf and Country Club, and gophers the next day. Good fun and we used every club in our bag and several balls to deal with sand traps, streams, ponds and just plain long drives. Good fun!
Of course, Brad’s choice was the action adventure of Whitewater rafting and cliff jumping into the Elk River. Blair and his partner started the business in 1985 and gave us our money’s worth. He was a Neil Young look alike and a funny guy! Certainly an adrenalin rush but one heck of a lot of fun! I preferred being in the front of the raft where I could see what was coming and “spear the dragon”. Amazing how those flatwater canoe certification classes came in handy when paddling!
Along the path, we saw a huge herd of mountain goats that literally disappeared off the edge of a cliff. Fishing osprey and their nest, and an enormous eagle nest added to the adventure. And of course, I was delighted to discover more hoodoos! Fortunately a photographer accompanied us in a kayak to document our trip.
The big excitement on the trip home was the caribou that just wouldn’t get off the road in front of us. By this point in time, we were use to the very plentiful deer population. Although I was relieved that the bear didn’t come back down the mountain to check out Kelsey’s or request a beer while we were there.
Monday, July 13, 2009
Fun in Fernie, B.C.
Summer has arrived and it's time for R&R. Larkyn is doing a French Immersion Program and staying on campus at Laval University in Quebec. Tyler is working construction in the effort to raise enough money to defray the costs of studying fashion design in Milan this fall. His Italian class starts at the beginning of September and his full program starts in October. His flight has been booked and the first installment of his tuition paid - he must really be going!
Brad and I made the 12 hour trek to Fernie, B.C. to enjoy a mountain retreat. Although I was reticent about this small dot destination on the map, it has turned out to be quite fascinating. Brad's maternal grandfather took refuge in the coke mines outside of Fernie with his family to esape the Fernie fire of 1908. Apparently the coke ovens had been newly built by the Crow's Nest Coal Company and not yet used for processing the coal from the mines. Five hundred Fernie residents survived the fire by taking refuge in the City Hall. It begs the question, who decided who could seek the safety of City Hall? Who's idea was it to take refuge in the coke ovens 6 km outside of town. Brad's maternal grandmother described her mother in law in less than favourable terms. Could the cantankerous aspects of this woman's character also have been responsible for the quest for survival. It came from somewhere and that split second decision in the time of crisis was responsible for perpetuating many generations to come, including Brad's and our childrens. Quite wild.
The other morning, Brad and I headed to the much recommended Blue Toque Cafe. It is located in the town Art's Centre that was previously the site of the Railroad Station in town. The coal industry is alive and well in Fernie. Trains regularly travel through the historic town centre loaded with coal and blasting their whistles. Our new friend, Nick Guiliani, assured us that nowadays it is very clean coal and expounds the virtues of the Shell Corp. In the 1902 explosion in the Coal Creek Mine, apparently an entire shift of 128 men and boys died. True enough, the modern open pit mine has a vested interest in ensuring that is not repeated.
We met Nick in the town museum, always a guaranteed place to meet interesting people with interesting stories. He came from Italy in the 50's to work in the sawmills. The recession of 1981, resulted in his being laid off from the Shell Corp lumber division. Although he lost his benefits, the Shell Corp did rehire him in their mining division to drive trucks and maintain equipment. He is very impressed with the generosity of the Shell Corp donating so much of the land to wildlife preserves and the historic buildings to the community. His wife, Mary, also popped in and we had a good discussion about Italy. Interesting enough, he brought up the whole issue of language. When he left Italy in the 50's the internet explosion hadn't occurred. Him and his wife do not know thousands of words that didn't exist in Italian in the 50's. His wife was speaking Italian to a tourist in town and she complimented his wife her attempts to speak Italian-her native tongue. Too funny.
Brad and I made the 12 hour trek to Fernie, B.C. to enjoy a mountain retreat. Although I was reticent about this small dot destination on the map, it has turned out to be quite fascinating. Brad's maternal grandfather took refuge in the coke mines outside of Fernie with his family to esape the Fernie fire of 1908. Apparently the coke ovens had been newly built by the Crow's Nest Coal Company and not yet used for processing the coal from the mines. Five hundred Fernie residents survived the fire by taking refuge in the City Hall. It begs the question, who decided who could seek the safety of City Hall? Who's idea was it to take refuge in the coke ovens 6 km outside of town. Brad's maternal grandmother described her mother in law in less than favourable terms. Could the cantankerous aspects of this woman's character also have been responsible for the quest for survival. It came from somewhere and that split second decision in the time of crisis was responsible for perpetuating many generations to come, including Brad's and our childrens. Quite wild.
The other morning, Brad and I headed to the much recommended Blue Toque Cafe. It is located in the town Art's Centre that was previously the site of the Railroad Station in town. The coal industry is alive and well in Fernie. Trains regularly travel through the historic town centre loaded with coal and blasting their whistles. Our new friend, Nick Guiliani, assured us that nowadays it is very clean coal and expounds the virtues of the Shell Corp. In the 1902 explosion in the Coal Creek Mine, apparently an entire shift of 128 men and boys died. True enough, the modern open pit mine has a vested interest in ensuring that is not repeated.
We met Nick in the town museum, always a guaranteed place to meet interesting people with interesting stories. He came from Italy in the 50's to work in the sawmills. The recession of 1981, resulted in his being laid off from the Shell Corp lumber division. Although he lost his benefits, the Shell Corp did rehire him in their mining division to drive trucks and maintain equipment. He is very impressed with the generosity of the Shell Corp donating so much of the land to wildlife preserves and the historic buildings to the community. His wife, Mary, also popped in and we had a good discussion about Italy. Interesting enough, he brought up the whole issue of language. When he left Italy in the 50's the internet explosion hadn't occurred. Him and his wife do not know thousands of words that didn't exist in Italian in the 50's. His wife was speaking Italian to a tourist in town and she complimented his wife her attempts to speak Italian-her native tongue. Too funny.
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