Adventure Stories: From Whistler to Downtown Vancouver

From Whistler to Downtown Vancouver

View from Creekside suite

The last morning at Creekside I opened the drapes and where there had been only mist there was a mountain. What an amazing surprise. The week with Brian in Whistler was special because it was my first visit alone with him in nine years, since he and Regina married -- so lots of time to connect in a different way.

It happened that shortly after Brian arrived in Canada from Brazil he was invited to photograph the Dalai Lama's Vancouver October 21 - 23 event. He is awed and a little nervous about this amazing opportunity. I wish I could be a fly on the proverbial wall. Imagine being close to such an influential and compassionate person.

Because of his photography business, Brian travels with his desktop Apple computer, camera lights, camera, lenses and of course luggage. So the Dodge Dart rental was filled to the brim on our Sea to Sky drive south to Vancouver where we had a suite in a downtown hotel for Thanksgiving weekend.

This was fantastic because Susan, Alan, Max and Kai were on the coast from Nelson visiting Alan's family. We all took the ferry to Granville Island on Thanksgiving Day and almost the first thing we spotted were The Guys -- the now famous silos.

The giant fellows are six industrial concrete silos transformed into a mural by the Brazilian twins and street artists, Osgemeos. Their vibrancy and funkiness light up this particularly drab area of Granville Island.

Everything you need for dinner.

Get ready to cook!

Ginger

This Green Eggplant

Fiery Habanerous

One of the most difficult aspects of life these days, for me at least, is being so far away from our family. We haven't been all together in one place since April 2009. Brian lives in Brazil, Mark in Collingwood -- but travels a lot and Susan lives in Nelson B.C. I've always envied families who get together for holidays. But I'm glad we have the means to meet at all.