Another 7km walk

Not sure what these berries are. 

They appear to be real but there is no greenery on the branches. 

Is someone playing tricks with us?

My sister and I decided to explore Cambie Street between 7th and 19th Avenues today.

These metal inserts appear in the sidewalks for several blocks around the Park Theatre,

stylish advertising for the many eateries on both sides of Cambie Street.

This area suffered for several years during construction of the Canada Line

but recovery is evident in the variety of boutiques, salons, cafes and services.

Return trip from the apartment to 19th & Cambie was another 7km walk!!

Main Street

We stopped for coffee on Main Street this morning in the area where I grew up. It was a working class neighbourhood then. Our fathers were blue collar workers and our mothers stayed home to look after the kids. It was challenging to stretch the paycheck from week to week and my mother would often run a tab at the local grocery store until pay day.

The area is full of yuppies now who can afford to buy the old houses for around a million dollars, gut them and renovate. They send their kids to private school (instead of the public school that my mother, my sisters and I attended) and order skinny lattes at the trendy coffee houses that have popped up in the area. I wonder who these people are...the ones with that type of income. It is difficult to imagine that any of our children will ever be able to afford a house in Vancouver.

On a brighter note, I was really glad to have my camera along this morning. We walked along Main, looking in the windows of an eclectic mix of shops and eateries and down one of the back lanes.

These gorgeous old gates were sitting beside the garbage,

hopefully not to be discarded!

The only art exhibited at this gallery is outside on the storage bin!

A unique way of creating glitter and sparkle for a Christmas display!

 This is a window display for a clothing store, not a cake shop!

Left over from Halloween?

Sunny and cold

Morning coffee on Granville Island partway through our 7 km walk. Whew! 

Below freezing temperatures and sunny skies.

Chilly reflections.

Special moments

Our departure from Salmon Arm has been delayed and we are in limbo until we get the results of a medical test for John. Everything was packed and ready to go. The cupboards and refrigerator were emptied. The laundry was done. The library books were returned.

As a result we are trying to fill our time with positive thoughts and activities. Friends and acquaintances are providing valuable distractions. This morning, at our local coffee shop, we were joined first by Diana and soon after by Jan. Time flew by as we heard about malfunctioning furnaces, the imminent live-in arrival of an aging parent, flat tires and the future of public sculptures.

On our way out the door we met other friends who updated us on the recent lung transplant recovery of a mutual friend. This update was delivered by one of the world's longest living heart transplant recipients, a former teacher in the school district. Twenty-five years ago, at the age of 37, he was the second patient in BC to receive a heart transplant. What a story!!

Later on our walkabout, we were greeted by Rosie, an x-ray tech at the hospital. We have known each other since our sons were in elementary school together. She gave us valuable advice about getting the medical test results early through a visit with John's GP. Chris joined us on the sidewalk and regaled us with stories about creating Christmas wreaths from natural materials that she planned to gather while marauding crown land! Then, along came Loanna with updates on local artisan sales.

Our final encounter was with Susie, a local pharmacy tech who had information to share about the fate of our local Safeway. I was distracted by Susie's hair, wispy bits dyed in rainbow colours lifted in the breeze while we talked.

The single joy of all these encounters was the warm hugs we received! This town has given us many special moments and precious friends.

A movie weekend

What a weekend! The Shuswap Film Society presented a REEL Weekend Mini Film Festival offering six movies from around the world. The Art Gallery offered a soup kitchen on Saturday and Sunday with pots of homemade soup donated from volunteers. This is one of their annual fund raisers so I cooked up a pot of curried lentil soup and dropped it off on Saturday morning.

The first day I saw TEDDY BEAR, a Danish film that featured a massive body builder who struggled to free himself from an overbearing mother. The audience uttered a collective cheer when he finally succeeded and, as usual, we all applauded at the end.

On Sunday morning we joined a couple of friends for the viewing of KON TIKI based on Thor Heyerdahl's raft expedition from Peru to the Polynesian islands. It was an exciting adaptation of his story. You could hear a pin drop in the theatre.

Later that afternoon I returned to see TWENTY FEET FROM STARDOM, a movie about backup singers to the stars. I smiled for 1 1/2 hours as these beautiful voices filled the theatre. The most impressive voice was Lisa Fischer who has joined the Rolling Stones on every road trip since 1989.
This was an impressive and informative documentary. I love it!

Thank you to the Film Society for a great weekend!!