Sad, sad, sad, sad news

Folks, something tragic has happened ... It distresses me just to think about it ... George Clooney and his girlfriend Lisa Snowdon have split up. Terrible, isn't it?

George, you are going through a difficult time right now ... you must need some consolation ... Call me!!!!

;->

C.

Children Full of Life

Last night, I was watching CBC Newsworld, when "The Passionate Eye" came on. They showed a truly amazing documentary called "Children Full of Life". I'll let you follow the link to learn more about it. If you ever get a chance to see it, do NOT hesitate!!!!

http://www.cbc.ca/passionateeyemonday/feature_270904.html

Another interesting blog

Linda kindly visited this site and left a comment, so I decided to check out her blog this morning. It's great!!!! She has some great/unique perspectives, and a witty writing style. You should check it out.

Linda - please keep writing - I'll definitely be back to see what you've posted!

Eclecta

Just a thought

Yesterday I was walking past a woman with a young toddler in a stroller. They were seated at the edge of a food court, with a store for children’s clothing just across the walkway. The little girl was crying her tiny heart out, stretching her hands pleadingly toward the doll in the shop window.

And I wondered: How does a being like this little girl want a doll that doesn’t really do anything? All she could do was hold it and pretend she was its “mother”. It would not be able to return any affection even. I wondered if even at that age, she wanted something/somebody to love and to care for. If that’s true, that says something beautiful about human nature, doesn’t it???

Eclecta

My trusty dusty rental car

In order to enjoy the view from Mt. Walker (see post below), my trusty rented PT Cruiser had to take me up a twisted one-lane dirt track. Great little car.

Mountain view

A view from Mt. Walker in Washington State ...

The Empress

On another side of the Victoria harbour is the beautiful Empress Hotel.

Victoria

A photo of the very picturesque downtown/harbour of Victoria, B.C. In the background are the Parliament Buildings for the B.C. provincial government. The harbour also has a marina, a ferry dock, and frequent stops by seaplanes. :)

Pot Sale

I was driving on Vancouver Island when I saw this sign, and my immediate reaction was, "Can even British Columbians be this brazen???" ... and then I saw the scene pictured in the post below ...

Ah ... That explains it!

That explains the pic in the post above! LOL

Inside Joke for Ryan

This post is just for my buddy Ryan ... ;->

Sad

Idiots.

Towering

So cool ... We sure don't have trees like this where I live! LOL

A bald eagle sighting

Sorry it's grainy - I don't have a very good camera. However, you can see the white head and tail that is the distinctive marking of a bald eagle. :)

Look, someone took a picture of me in winter and made it into a sign! LOL 

A cultural moment

I was driving somewhere on Vancouver Island when I saw this sign by the road. It just struck me as an interesting cultural difference - no one in Ontario would believe we "all depend on our forests", but in B.C. I'm sure it's the case - and for good reason. Anyway, that's enough of my anthropology for now. :->

Update July 1, 2005: I've had some feedback about this post. My friend Lynn (who hails from Timmins) responded that in northern Ontario, signs re. forest fires are common. Someone else tried to explain to me that the B.C. economy is more dependent on forestry than the Ontario one, which of course I knew. Culture is composed of and influenced by a variety of factors, including economic ones. The sign pictured above just caught my eye because you would never see it in Toronto, for example - even if the entire Canadian economy is affected by the forestry industry. And that, to me, is an interesting cultural moment. :)

Self-portrait at the beach

Taken on the western shore of Vancouver Island ... It was so cold that I had about 7 layers of clothing. It was the first time I'd ever seen the open ocean, and I spent hours walking the beach, listening to the pounding of the waves, and watching nature (which included THREE bald eagles!). I felt so happy and at peace that I wanted a picture of myself there. Since I was travelling alone and there was no one else around at that moment, I decided to be a little creative and take a picture of my shadow! :-> I think it's hilarious how much bulk there is around my body (for the seven layers of fleece and down), and then my head appears as this small little circle at the top! It was such a great afternoon - among my top 5 ever - that this picture is a treasured souvenir of that time.

Mosaic

The walkways of the Chinese garden in Vancouver are paved with these detailed pebble mosaics. Beautiful.

My baby bro' and me

I love this pic (taken the day after Joe and Lisa's wedding) ... mostly just because I love my brother.

My new sister

Here we are ... the woman who has made my brother happier than I've ever seen him, and the woman who (as a girl) made him alternatively miserable and infuriated ... LOL

On the Capilano Suspension Bridge

Here I am with Rochelle, a friend I made while on a bus tour of North Vancouver. We are standing on the Capilano Suspension Bridge, 230 feet above the canyon below. Sure, it swayed a lot (so taking clear photos was a bit of a challenge!), but it was SO MUCH FUN!!!!! (Of course, it wouldn't have been nearly as much fun without Rochelle!) We had a blast there!

The Capilano River

The Capilano River as seen from the Capilano Salmon Hatchery. Remind me why I live in Ontario again??? LOL

Now THAT'S beautiful modern architecture!

This, believe it or not, is the Vancouver Public Library. Fairly obviously, it was built to resemble the Roman Colisseum. It is gorgeous.

Catching up with my cousin Todd

And here I am with my handsome (and goofy!) cousin Todd ... It was great to spend some time with him again, as I haven't seen him a lot since we were kids. And yes, all my male relatives (and many female ones too) in my generation tower over me ... LOL

Another kindred spirit :)

This is me with my cousin Todd's wife Melanie. We met for the first time on the last day in Vancouver, and I really liked her! We had a lot in common ... and bored poor Todd dishing about Hollywood breakups and shocking May-December pairings. LOL In this photo, we're standing in front of the Fish House, a very nice restaurant in Stanley Park where we enjoyed a delicious meal.

Pretty

I forget where I even took this picture.

Another cultural moment

I saw this sign in a public washroom in Vancouver. Not everyone in the world is familiar with our kind of seated flush toilets. I know in Korea, many people know only of "squatters", and the used toilet paper can't be flushed, but instead is put in a garbage can. I've seen footprints on toilet seats in Canadian Chinese restaurants, so I guess that some people try to use our seated toilets like their squatters. A bit surreal that someone actually made this sign, though! :->

The gorgeous Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden

This classical Chinese garden in Vancouver is a true jewel. If you ever get a chance, please visit it. :->

Paradise

My brother Joe with his then-fiancee (now wife) Lisa at right, and her sister Lori at left. Notice the snow! :->

BTW, "Paradise" is a location on Mt. Rainier - I think people who choose to climb to the top of the mountain generally start from here.