What is written on the lock?

An image of a door with peeling paint was sent to me by a friend.

I thought that I would see what it looked like painted on a black canvas.

The lock intrigued me!

Researching eateries

In an effort to support the local economy, since moving to Langley, we have experimented with meals at a wide variety of cafes, pubs and restaurants. There are favorites that have warranted return visits and others that we have decided are not worthy of a Maxwell return!

For the first meal of the day we often drive up to Joy of Coffee in Murrayville where Ron and/or Brooke serve us our "usual" order of coffee/tea and scones. Sometimes we are joined by a couple of acquaintances from Greece... giving us the opportunity to greet them in Greek and exchange a few pleasantries.

To give equal opportunity to all cafes we have also visited seven others for our morning ritual...but Joy of Coffee keeps calling us back with a variety of delicious freshly baked scones and good strong coffee!

On rare occasions we opt for a full breakfast at Brogan's Diner. Walking through the door is a step back into the 1950's with Marilyn Monroe and Elvis featured on the walls. There is a small stage for karaoke at the back, booths from yesteryear and a breakfast menu that even features pirogies!

There is a wide variety of lunch options that we have enjoyed. For Thai food there is no equivalent to Ban Chok Dee...it consistently wins awards for top notch cuisine! More traditional lunches are served at Red Velvet cafe with fresh ingredients in their homemade soups and delicious paninis...also all cakes, scones, muffins, cookies are baked onsite! Viva Mexico never disappoints with tostadas, burritos, guacamole, fajitas, enchiladas, quesadillas and more. Food by Fanta is a new place that is operated by the owner of Ban Chok Dee. They are currently serving unusual (delicious) lunches and she is offering cooking classes in the fall at this new location.

We have enjoyed Greek dinners at Poseidon, Adrian's and Andreas. Poseidon definitely provides the best ambience and good food. For Italian we ventured into Olivo, a newly opened small eatery that offers a choice of pastas and toppings...nothing special. Sushi has been repeatedly tasty from Samba's with very fresh fish. Sometimes we have chosen to eat at local pubs...Sam's and Original Joe's have both offered good food in the midst of noise and TV screens.

Annora Restaurant offers West Coast cuisine and a prix fixe meal option with three courses...all under the creative eye of chef Aaron Turkstra. The dishes are beautifully presented and the venue allows for an intimate feeling. The Happy Hour...until 6:00pm...advertises affordable appetizers and wine.

The restaurant that has won our hearts...and that we return to monthly is Venetis which is family owned and operated since 1982. The staff remember us and provide humor along with excellent service while we enjoy a wonderful steak and prawn dinner. Included with our meal is the salad bar...a simple offering of veggies to share with wine while waiting for dinner to be served.

So...we have sampled a total of 22 eateries. There are still more to research...so keep posted!

Life is good

Our lives have resumed some degree of normalcy as John's platelet count continues to improve. 

He is visiting the gym regularly now and I have enrolled in fitness classes 

to supplement my daily walks. Life is good. 

I have also managed to complete five new paintings...

...maybe not totally complete because they are not signed yet!

The name for my next exhibition will be "Signs and Portals".

End of day

End of day

on studio wall

Too much driving and revisiting Mike

We just had two consecutive days of travel into the big city...I have had enough of this driving...at least until next month! Tuesday morning took us to UBC for an appointment with Dr. Chin, an Orthopedic surgeon, to see about John's chronically dislocated shoulder. He explained that surgery would be a possibility ...but...should not be considered until after John's other health issues have stabilized.

Yesterday morning's drive took us in to 41st Avenue and Cambie for an appointment with John's GP for a "Health Review"...or so we thought. It turned out to be a standard appointment that was very similar to the one we had last week ...nothing new!...WTF!

We left the car at Oakridge and took the Canada Line downtown to visit with Fetiye, our young Turkish friend, at Breka Cafe. She is an assistant manager at the Cafe and planning a trip to Turkey in September. Of course she offered to take us along in her luggage ...and we were tempted!

From there we walked down to my hairdresser where I enjoyed a long overdue haircut while John sat in the sun and observed a variety of local driving techniques. After all this excitement we hopped back on the Canada Line to relocate our vehicle and endured a lengthy drive back to Langley with a short stop at my sister's home to water the plants.

Whew!...enough driving!

On my walk this morning I was greeted enthusiastically by Mike, our local street artist...pumping my hand and thanking me for contacting the newspaper about his stolen art supplies. I was so upset when I heard about the theft that I contacted the newspaper and suggested that the community might want to support him with funds to replenish his supplies of paint and brushes. Apparently the police managed to locate the wagon that he uses to carry his supplies in. So...the newspaper is advertising a fund raising opportunity for him! How wonderful is that!!! Mike is a recovered alcoholic who paints every day as part of his therapy to help maintain mental stability.