Dennis' much ado about nothing blog

Seasons Greetings

2011-12-28T18:23:00.000-08:00

Haven't been too active on this blog recently so thought it was time to drop by and do a small update.

Cheers

D

Cruise ships galore May 14 2011

2011-05-16T08:43:00.000-07:00

It was a busy day in downtown on Saturday as there were four ships in town - the Golden and Sapphire Princess and HAL Zuiderdamn at Canada Place and the Norwegian Star at Ballantyne Pier.

Norwegian Star a Ballantyne Pier as seen from the entrance to Canada Place

Golden Princess on the east side of Canada Place

Zuiderdamn on west side of Canada Place

The stern of the Sapphire Princess - it was a close fit for these two large vessels at Canada Place

The Sapphire Princess with Pan Pacific in background taken from the new Convention Center promenade

Sapphire and both the Pan Pacific and Fairmont Waterfront hotel

New Pink Bus service

Sapphire from north end of Hornby Street

View of both Princess ships and the City skyline from the promenade at Canada Place

Zuiderdamn at Canada Place.

Assembling the new BBQ May 13, 2011

2011-05-14T17:53:00.000-07:00

One of the items that has been on my bucket list for some time is a new BBQ and now that I have received my first pay cheque from the census work it was time to head to Walmart and get one - this particular model had been on sale some time ago and then went back up in price but yesterday it was back on sale.

Putting it together went okay for the most part until it came to the lid - couldn`t get the nut to fit through the hole but I was able to use some other screws and a wing bolt and that did the trick.

I started it up and my condo is still in one piece so I must have done everything right - eating out tonight but will fire it up tomorrow - also with a proper tank I won`t be running out of gas any time soon.

Marathon Day May 1, 2011 - the Bike team in action

2011-05-03T06:28:00.000-07:00

Sunday was the 40th Annual Vancouver Marathon and once again I found myself down at the course start a little after 5AM meeting up with some of the 30 + members of this year`s team - we do some short prep rides , go over our radio protocol and get ready to do our various tasks - while cool in the morning it was at least dry - the first group out at 6AM are the walkers and then an hour later the half Marathoners and finally at 7:30AM the full course runners - I am riding patrol which meant I follow the race around the course trying to ensure that there are no obstacles in the way of the runners - after completing the course I then start to work on the sweep team until break time at Milestone`s - then another hour or so getting the stragglers off the course by the 2PM deadline - only one or two didn`t make it. Then it is time to turn in the equipment - vests, radios etc and head for the volunteer where they are setting up a BBQ and some beer - I have a couple of hamburgers and one beer as I still have some Census work to do - It is a little bit of a bittersweet feeling this year in that our long time Captain Brian is retiring after 15 years at the helm and next year there will be a new course and many of us are interested in the route at this time. I was exhausted by the time I got home and more than a little sun tanned - it warmed up during the day which lead to an increase in the number of people who were cramping up and a run on water and refreshments - don`t know of any serious injuries.

For the complete photo story go to the following link on my facebook page.

https://www.facebook.com/#!/media/set/fbx/?set=a.217878931571977.73386.100000496166660

Here are a few more images of the day - we were honored with finisher`s medals this year as a thank you for our work on race day - I ended up with some 70KM = 42 miles on the odometer by the time I got home.

Cheers

Much ado about nothing post April 30, 2011

2011-04-30T08:52:00.000-07:00

Not a lot of activity here on my blog but I have been busy

1. Once again this year I am a bike escort rider for the Vancouver Marathon but will only be a patrol rider and not a lead rider - this was partly my request due to other events you will see in the post below. Tomorrow is the Marathon and unlike last year the weather looks dry and sunny so the short will likely be the dress order of the day.

2. Monday is voting day and I will ask that all of you Canadians please take the time to go to the polls and vote for the candidate of your choice.

3. Normally I would post who to vote for or vote against but ______

4, I am now a fully trained crew leader - ie - supervisor for Stats Canada for the purpose of the Canadian census and thus I am unable to to politically active in any way so no thoughts on the current campaign etc.

5. The Canucks are now into the second round and I think this one will go 5 perhaps six at most as I feel that the Canucks have too much fire power and more playoff experience that the Nashville team.

6. Have had to spend some time at the hospital ensuring that my sibling is getting good medical care - he as a long term chronic and terminal illness and every time he gets sick there is considerable concern about his recovery - it was touch and go for a couple of days but he is once again on the road to recovery.

Cheers

D

Update and potpourri March 29, 2011

2011-03-29T10:36:00.000-07:00

While I was out for a bike ride over the weekend along the Boundary Bay Dyke I came across a number of bald eagles that were starting to nest - this one decided he didn`t like his perch on a power line and decided to head for a more friendly tree top - I had the telephoto lens on at the time so was able to capture him in full flight.

Well it doesn`t look like I will end up working on the census - the time for supervisor`s assignments to be filled is passed and I likely will pass on being an enumerator - part of the reason for applying was financial but I got some good news when I did my income tax - instead of having to pay I got a good return - second reason - now that a federal election has been called I will be able to get work with Elections Canada as a deputy returning officer - have done this before and put in an on-line application some time ago - their local office is in the same place as last time - a block from my condo - will head over there tomorrow to see what`s up and if they need any office help.

I have started the training rides with the Vancouver Marathon Bike Escort team - there are about 20 of us returning from previous years - this is my 5th year of doing this event. So far the weather has cooperated but that could change tonight as there is rain in the forecast.

I continue to plan for the Panama Canal cruise in the fall - have the hotel booked and paid for in Tampa - decided to skip staying a couple of days in Orlando - too much lugging of luggage and after three weeks on a ship will want to get home. Have my Amtrak trip booked and paid for - if on time will have a full day in Washington DC so will take a tour of the area.

Next weekend I head over to Yellowpoint Lodge for my annual visit - depending on whether I have some work on the election - I may head over a spend a night in Victoria before hand and then do the Sunshine Coast Loop on the way back with an overnight in Powell River.

I am now on Twitter - it`s @yvrcruiser

Cheers

2011-03-05T16:13:00.001-08:00

Well it has been some time since I posted to this blog - not that I didn`t want to but I am using Facebook more and more for my day to day activities and photos and going to keep the remaining space on this blog for my outdoor and travel activities - once I run out of space here I will move over to word press and continue there.

A year ago I was headed to Whistler to take up my position as a National Paralympic Committee volunteer to the Slovakian delegation - it was one of the best months of my life enjoying the friendship of my fellow volunteers and athlete`s.

I have attended a couple of reunion events in the past month - the flash mob to promote John Furlong`s book Patriots Heart and the relighting of the cauldron on the first anniversary of the opening ceremonies.

If the weather is nice - no snow on the roads I will head up to Whistler and visit the Athlete`s Village which is now called Cheakamus Crossing - curious to see what my accommodation from the Games looks like now.

On the travel front - my major trip this year will be a Panama Canal cruise - it is a two part cruise - the first leg is Vancouver to LA and the second is LA to Tampa - I am looking forward to visiting Tampa - only previous time there was a short stopover on the train on the way to Washington DC from Miami - then a couple of days in Orlando before leaving for home.

I am still hoping to get on as a Supervisor for the Canadian census but I haven`t heard from them and it is pass the time they were suppose to contact me. If I don`t get the Supervisor`s job I still hope to get on as an Enumerator.

In about two weeks the Bike Escort team for the Vancouver Marathon will start our twice weekly training rides - I have been doing some riding over the pass couple of months when the weather has been dry.

I have two friends who will turn the BIG 65 in May so some planning will have to start taking place on that.

Booked a weekend over at Yellowpoint Lodge in early April - provided the Supervisor`s job doesn`t interfer I will probably head over a few days early and enjoy some of the Island scenery - might do the Sunshine Coast - Vancouver Island loop.

Cheers!

D

2010-12-31T15:47:00.000-08:00

This is Mt Garibaldi as seen from the viewpoint on the Sea to Sky Highway just before the Town of Squamish.

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE FROM THE URBAN TREKKER AND YVR CRUISER - ALL THE BEST FOR 2011 - MAY ALL YOUR HOPES AND DREAMS COME TO PASS.

BE SAFE TONIGHT - HAVE FUN BUT BE SAFE.

CHEERS!

D

El Limon Waterfall Hike Samana Dominican Republic Oct 26, 2010

2010-11-15T22:04:00.000-08:00

Here`s the second photo album from the trip.

http://www.picasaweb.google.com/yvrcruiser/ElLimonWaterfallHikeSamanaOct262010#

Enjoy

Barbados caving adventure photos

2010-11-15T08:37:00.000-08:00

Finally got around to creating an album from my recent caving adventure on the Island of Barbados.

http//www.picasaweb.google.com/yvrcruiser/BarbadosCavingAdventure#

Enjoy

Dennis

Home at last Nov 11, 2010

2010-11-12T00:02:00.000-08:00

Crossed the border into Canada around 1PM Thursday afternoon and 40 minutes later was waiting for my ride to lunch and home.

It was a long trip - 26 days including getting to and from Boston and New Orleans by train.

It is getting late am I am tired so I will keep this post short but with plenty of rain in the forecast the next few days I should be able to finish off the daily posts.

Cheers

Dennis

Cozumel November 5, 2010

2010-11-07T18:29:00.001-08:00

SAN MIGUEL ON COZUMEL ISLAND NOV 5, 2010

While most people refer to our last port of call as just COZUMEL - that is actually the name of the island that sits off the coast of Mexico across from Playa de Carma - where the cruise ships anchor is actually the town of San Miguel - this is my fourth or fifth visit so I planned nothing in the line of excursions.

The weather looked dreadful as we docked and the seas where rough but the wind was doing us a favor - it was clearing the skies.

I had hoped to hop the ferry for the forty-five minute ride over to Playa but the return times meant I either got off the ferry - walked around for an hour and took the early one back or waited until 3PM and run the risk of missing the all aboard at 4:30 PM

I aborted any attempt to get to Playa this trip and instead just walked through the town - it was quiet when I first set foot in town but with the other four cruise ships passengers slowly coming in the center of town it wasn’t long before it was very busy - I found an internet café - off the beaten path - the others I found were all busy - where it was just $1.00 for an hour - the service was somewhat slow but I got all the surfing I needed to do done.

Then it was time for a bite to eat and a little shopping which consisted of a bottle of Tequila for Jim at half the price of the duty free on the ship - $10.00 - some shot glasses to enjoy the Tequila in - three beer for $3.00 which I drank while walking around the downtown core - it is legal or at least tolerated to drink in public in Cozumel - three large diet Pepsi for ship board use. The Senor McFrogs and Carlos and Charlie’s club were right by the ship and were certainly living up to their reputation as a noisy but fun place to spend part of the day.

After finishing the beer it was just about time to head back to the ship but my beer drinking was hardly finished for the day as I had another Latitudes Party to attend - this one for those with more than a few cruises under our belts and the beer or drink of choice was free and they were bringing as many as you wanted - two big sleeves for me.

It was then off to dinner in the buffet - passed on the show as I was tired.

Tomorrow is our last full day at sea and I will have some closing thoughts to pass along when I do the journal entries for the day.!

Roatan Nov 4, 2010

2010-11-07T18:24:00.000-08:00

Arrival in Roatan as seen from Deck 7 on the Norwegian Spirit.

ROATAN NOVEMBER 4, 2010 - A VISIT TO THE BAY ISLANDS

After two full days of sea travel I have arrived in the Port of Roatan located in the Bay Islands off the coast of Honduras.

As mentioned by the Captain during yesterday’s update - it is raining as we tied up in the port.

As this is my first visit to this port I am taking a Best of Roatan Island tour - about 3.5 hours.

I did bring an umbrella and rain jacket - just trying to decide whether to wear long pants or not - it was fairly cool by local standards as we sailed into port.

We have arrived about thirty minutes early and I have about an hour before my tour leaves.

Our first scheduled stop was for a short boat ride through a mangrove garden and pass some old wrecks.

As we arrived there a thunder storm hit and no one wanted to set out in the boat so we continued on our way to out first stop - a scenic overlook where we can see the barrier reef.

From there it was on to our next stop - an authentic native village of the Garifuna people who migrated to this area a couple of hundred of years ago - they put on a show for us - the village produces local products which they sell to the tourists who stop on the sightseeing tours.

Our last scheduled stop was another part of the Garifuna people’s display

This was our turn around point - then it was back to the resort for the boat ride since the weather had improved

After this it was back to the ship - I spent a little time walking through the village and through the Port facilities. Tomorrow our last port of call - Cozumel

Aruba and Curacao

2010-11-07T18:21:00.001-08:00

This was one of the sights that greeted me after I got off the bus at De Palm Beach by the Radisson Hotel along Hotel row in Aruba.

CURACAO AND ARUBA OCT 31 - NOV 1, 2010

I am grouping these two ports together as I have already posted some of my activities to the blog from on shore internet stations.

Spend about an hour walking the beach sans shirt and I have the red streaks to prove it. It was n ice to take off the shoes and walk along the sandy beaches with the waves periodically lapping at your feet - a cool refreshing feeling on a muggy, showery day - while TS Tomas is some distance away it does seem to be spawning frequent T-storms that drop a fair amount of rain in a short period of time.

I had lunch during one of the storms at a McDonalds - there are a string of fast food restaurants in this area - by the time I was finished it was back on the bus and back into town where I got ninety minutes of internet for $6.00 and used almost all of it to get caught up on events at home. Usual problems facing the strata - nothing that missing me can’t be solved by the others.

Looking forward to seeing the baseball game if ESPN shows it but I suspect we will get the Monday Night football.

We did in fact get the football game and I couldn’t get a Canucks score on a sport network that seemed obsessed with the Randy Moss situation - finally got it on the ticker at CNBC the next morning.

More later

The Big Easy New Orleans Nov 7, 2010

2010-11-07T18:01:00.000-08:00

After a two hour wait in line finally made it off the ship and headed for the hotel - it is located across the street from where I stayed the last time.

There were a couple of things on my to do list this visit - ride the streetcars and see some of the cemeteries - accomplished both.

First took the St Charles streetcar which uses only the old original cars and rode it to the end with a couple of stops along the way - At Loyola and Tulane University for a few pictures and at the Carolleton curve just to get some pictures. Then it was back downtown and on to the newer Canal Street cars for a trip along that line - didn't realize but at the end of this one there are three or four cemeteries to view - because New Orleans is actually below sea level they can't bury the usual way. Unfortunately they were closed by the time I got there but did get some images - brought a day pass for $5.00 to ride as much as I want.

Traffic is always fun in the downtown core because of the narrow streets or streetcar lines and it was doubly so today as Joe Biden was in town to play host to the Prime Minister of Israel and a Jewish Federation Convention.

Posting this from a free wi-fi in the lobby of the Hotel.

Cheers

Aruba November 1, 2010

2010-11-01T11:53:00.001-07:00

Walked around the town and then took the bus to Palm Beach where I sunned for an hour or so - am now in town - getting ready to reboard the ship in a few minutes and then I have two sea days before we reach Rotaon on Thursday.

All is well - feeling good and relaxed.

Cheers

Dennis

Curacao Oct 31, 2010

2010-10-31T08:43:00.000-07:00

Arrived here this morning after a full day at sea - am posting this update from an internet cafe in town so once again no pictures at this time - As I have been here twice before i am just taking my time walking around the town - the only change from my previous visits is where we docked - we docked at the pier in town which meant that the plontoon bridge had to opened for us - previously I docked at the mega pier a short distance away - it is warm and muggy and there was overnight rain - Hurricane Tomas is still out in the Caribbean but no one is sure exactly where it is headed next but it could provide an interesting journey and some rough seas as we start to head north towards New Orleans - to get to New Orleans the usual route is the channel between Haiti and Cuba which is where they think the storm is headed.

In less than a week the cruise will be over and I will be leaving New Orleans for the train ride home - my next major cruise might be another Panama Canal cruise as I see an interesting itinerary on a couple of NCL ships and both leave from Vancouver next September so it would only be a one way train ride home from the east coast.

Almost out of internet time - couldn't get the free wi-fi to work in town but the crew was also having trouble as well.

a note about the entries

2010-10-28T18:23:00.000-07:00

Due to the amount of time it takes to upload these last few entries are without images they will be added when I return.

Cheers

Dennis

St Kitts and Brimstone Park Oct 28, 2010

2010-10-28T18:22:00.000-07:00

ST KITTS AND NEVIS OCT 28, 2010

A VISIT TO BRIMSTONE FORTRESS NATIONAL PARK

The next stop on my journey is St Kitts and Nevis - two islands in the Caribbean - one developed St Kitts and the other less so - Nevis.

Having visited here one before I was hoping to get over to Nevis but nothing was scheduled so I opted instead for a tour to a batik factory and gardens and a historic fort that is on the UNESCO site list.

The ship was docked and ready to unload by 8:AM and I was among one of the first off given that we exit on Deck 4 and my cabin is on deck 4 - I had about 45 minutes before the bus left so I walked through the Port development and took a few pictures - found were one of the internet shops was and it is only $5.00 an hour or $7.00 a day for your own wi-fi.

Then onto a small van for the trip to the first stop - a brief look at the Governor General’s home and a cemetery that housed the remains of the first three Prime Ministers since independence in the 1980’s.

Then it was on to the batik factory - I am not much into that but the grounds were nice and there was a good display of flowers.

Back on the bus where the driver was giving us a good narrative of the area as we drove to the Fortress.

It is an impressive site - lots of history as the British protected this vital link in their supply routes - and beat the French to get sole possession of the Island.

Then returned to the port - used the internet for an hour - tried to upload these entries but no success - need to save in doc. Files instead of Works or Rich text.

Then brought three Caribe beers for $5.00 and drank them in the plaza - don’t know if it was the heat or what but I didn’t enjoy the taste of that brand.

Tomorrow Barbados - originally I wasn’t going to do anything but booked another adventure trip - more on that tomorrow - then we finally get a rest day before heading for Aruba and Curacao.

Cheers!

Virgin Gorda Baths excursion Oct 27, 2010

2010-10-28T18:19:00.000-07:00

TORTOLA - BRITISH VIRGIN ISLANDS

OCT 27, 2010

We sailed overnight from Samana to Tortola - this is a new port for me - sailing in this morning the beauty is outstanding - some 50 islands or islets make up the B.V.I.

as they are collectively known - just waiting for the all clear for us to go ashore and unlike yesterday there is a dock here - I have the above tour booked and I leave the ship on level 4 which just happens to be the same level as my cabin.

Well how do I describe today’s wonderful, exhilarating day - in simple, plain English how about the following one word - WOW!!!. What a great day and another great excursion.

Exiting the ship we board a catamaran for the forty minutes ride to Virgin Gorda - one of the islands that make up the BVI - the seas are choppy and there are a few oohs and aahs as we dip up and down with the waves - we are provided with some commentary by the commander of the ship - CAPTAIN WAYNE - as he wanted us to call him - finally we reach the pier where we then board open air buses for the ten minute ride to the Baths - which are a national park.

After a brief introduction explaining our options - down the trail to the beach with full facilities and a bar - then through the caves if you wish - and a alternate trail back up to the buses or any version of this we have two and one half hours to do as we please

Our tour guides lead us down the steep, rocky trail to the beach which took about fifteen minutes as some of the less mobile ones or those not to sure footed slowed the pace for the faster walkers - we reach the beach and that was enough for some people to spend the rest of the day - there are change rooms and a bar and grill and a beautiful beach - I change into my swim wear and get into the water and splash

around for a while before started to do the fifteen or so minute walk through the caves - unique rock formation mingled with water - little more than ankle deep today - ladders and ropes etc- while it sounds scary all it really takes is a little patience and follow the footprints and yellow paint on a few of the rocks and you will be okay.

BEACH WHERE THE TRAIL MEETS THE OCEAN!

For me the start meant getting down on all fours and crawling through the opening - see next photo - after that it wasn’t all that difficult - down a three step wooden ladder - up a small rock incline with support rope - suck the gut in for a narrow passageway - wait while some hikers going the other way and before you know it you are at the final platform and descend to Devil’s Bay beach - a beauty. See second image on next page.

ENTRANCE TO THE CAVE - ABOVE AND DEVIL’S BAY BEACH BELOW!

I then spend some time walking along the beach and exploring some more rocky areas which led to another secluded beach - no one there - took some more photos and then return to the beach and started up the alternate trail back to the trailhead - I am hot and sweaty and a little tired as I didn’t sleep all that well last night - adjourn to the restroom to change back into the shorts and out of the sandals which are wet and full of sand - I had remember to bring a plastic bag to put them into so as not to dirty the rest of the stuff in my day pack.

Then sat down with some of the others on the tour - grabbed lunch - hamburger and fries with tip $15.00 - high but the meal tasted good.

Then it was back on the buses and boat and back to Tortola.

I walked around the town for about an hour - stopped into Pussers Pub and Grill where some of the CC meet and greet gang were enjoying a beverage - grabbed a coke and chatting with Big Green - Bud and then may my way back to the ship and collapsed onto my bed.

Had supper once again in the buffet and later a snack in the Blue Lagoon and then watch Game I of the World Series for a while before hitting the sack - It was 8 -4 when I went to bed and the final was 11 - 7 . A wild one with more scoring than some NFL games.

Tomorrow we visited St Kitts - been there once before - am doing a tour to the Fortress National Parka and Gardens - it will be easy compared to the last two days.

As I am typing this Thursday morning we are approaching St Kitts as I can see it from my porthole window.

Cheers!!!

Samana and a Waterfall hike Oct 26, 2010

2010-10-28T18:18:00.000-07:00

SAMANA - AN EXCURSION TO THE EL LIMON WATERFALL OCT 26, 2010

When you are returning to a cruise port that you have previously visited you have the advantage of perhaps knowing what you might want to do in advance - on my first visit there two years ago I did the Cave and Mangroves excursion which is considered one of the top tours in the region.

On the other hand it can be a disadvantage in that you are concerned that perhaps your choice this time around won’t be as eventful as your previous one.

Fortunately I made a good decision - a waterfall hike to the El Limon Waterfall - about a 30 minute drive from the tender port and then a 30 minute hike to the waterfall - seen above with me - thanks to one of the locals for offering to take the photo.

The day started with us spotting land about 10AM - the first such sighting in two and a half days.

Once the ship dropped anchor next to the RCL Enchantment of the Seas we waited for the tender boats to get into position - we all met in the Stardust Lounge and were taken down to the tenders - it takes about 20 minutes to reach the tender pier in Samana where we were greeted by the locals and directed to our open air van to take us to the trailhead. There are nine of us during this excursion including two of the entertainers from the ship - Pedro was our tour guide and provided us with some information about the school system and the local economy.

We then arrive at the trailhead where we were advised that because the trail is very muddy - partly because of the soil and partly because of heavy rains earlier in the day - that we should all wear gum boots which were provided free of charge - after changing into my swim wear I donned a pair of the boots for the approx 30 minute walk to the falls - the trail gently loses altitude until you can hear the roar of the falls where the trail steepens for a very short distance and then VOILA - the falls and a beautiful nature swimming pool enfolds - we have twenty five minutes to enjoy the water - I walk around to the side of the falls to get some pictures and then leaving the camera behind get into the water - the temperature was pleasantly cool given the heat and humidity on land.

We were greeted to a pleasant surprise when we noticed at the top of falls one of the locals preparing for a cliff style dive and before we know it he is in the air and on the way to the water - caught that on the video cam but that file will have to wait until I get back and have lots of time to internet upload it.

We then returned to the trailhead - I decided to wear my sandals back as the gum boots were chafing my legs - they are a little dirty but none the worse for wear - I enjoyed a cold El Presidente beer and then back on the bus for the return to the tender port.

One of the guys was extra thirsty so Pedro had the driver stop and he hustled in a brought him a large one quart size bottle of beer.

We arrived with about an hour to spare before the last tender but seeing that there was a lineup and I myself was still thirsty I went in a brought another beer and drank it along the beer - it is okay to do that in Samana

Got in the tender line but the first one filled up so waited about another five minutes and got on that one - back on the ship around 5:30PM

Was hungry so headed for the buffet and then to type this blog entry.

Very glad that I selected this trip - it was well worth the money spent.

Tomorrow Tortola in the British Virgin Islands.

Two days at Sea Oct 24 - 25 2010

2010-10-28T18:16:00.000-07:00

SUNDAY OCT 24, 2010 - AT SEA

I awoke on my first full day at sea feeling sluggish and fatigued - probably not surprising given how active the past few days have been - did attend the morning Meet and Greet - good turnout about 70 - 80 people attended at various times throughout the hour - some juice and light snacks provided by the ship - Bud “Big Green” was in charge as he did most of the organizing for this event - after that was over I spend most of the rest of the day laying down and/or book reading as I just didn’t have any energy - didn’t see much of the gang that I met yesterday until after supper and after sitting and discussing the world with them and having a couple of amber lagers I started to feel better - took in a show called - the Perfect Couple - a take off of the Newlywed type of show and then it was onto the Stardust lounge for the late show of the NCL production of “On Broadway” - I am not into those kind of shows but I thought the production and singing was first class - after the show was finished it was back upstairs to the Galaxy of the Seas lounge for a 70’ retro night with the mandatory Celebrate, We are Family, YMCA, Stayin Alive dance medley - it was well attended.

The weather is sunny with cloudy periods but a fairly strong breeze is keeping it a little on the cool side.

So far haven’t decided to get an internet package - will see how it goes in the ports although I would like to upload these journal entries while on board. Then it was off of bed.

MONDAY OCTOBER 25, 2010

Two months to Christmas!

Woke up feeling much more cheerier which is usually the case after a day of fatigue - the fatigue is something that I just have had to live with as has been a part of my life the past few years.

It is windy outside so don’t know how much sun worshipping I will do but I am now in shorts and expect to be in shorts for the remainder of the cruise.

Will probably search out my cruise buddies now that I know where they are hanging out.

I did check out the internet - you can access the NCL web site for free and it was slow so I am a little less inclined to purchase a large package.

Have lots of photos to edit from the trip - it’s either do them now or wait and do when I get home after transferring them to my laptop. Decision - Decisions - Decisions - who was it that used to say that on TV all the time.

I am happy to be in an ocean view cabin - while only a porthole rather than a full window it still provides much needed light and saw a nice sunrise this morning.

I also did check out the gym facilities - wasn’t that impressed - much smaller than on some of the other ships and they only have one bike, a couple of recumbent, elliptical and plenty of treadmills - while all provide the same basic cardio results I have always preferred the bikes since it is a natural extension of my outdoor riding.

Well after dinner I did purchase an internet package - a 100 minutes for $55.00 + 15 bonus minutes - checked my email to see what is going on in the world - nothing earth shattering so hopefully tomorrow after I get back from my excursions I will take my Netbook and go to one of the hot spots and upload these entries to the blog.

The wind continues to blow hard - whether it has anything to do with tropical storm Richard I don’t know as we don’t get the greatest of TV channels on board to check on weather conditions.

Tomorrow we arrive in Samana in the Dominican Republic for our first of eight port stops - it’s only a day hour layover and a tender port as well - as I have a ship’s excursion booked I don’t need to worry about tender tickets and because I am a gold status Latitudes members I weren’t need tender tickets anyway as I get priority tendering anyways. It is one of the perks you get for being a frequent NCL cruise passenger.

Not taking in the show tonight - it’s a comedian and that’s something I am not all that thrilled with + tomorrow night be will do a late night “adult humor” .

Cheers

Boarding the Norwegian Spirit Oct 23, 2010

2010-10-28T18:14:00.000-07:00

BOARDING THE NORWEGIAN SPIRIT OCT 23, 2010

A year of planning has resulted in the day of reckoning - boarding the Norwegian Spirit in Boston on Saturday Oct 23, 2010

I awoke early - did some internet surfin - then had breakfast and explored the area around the Sheraton Hotel - Copley Square and Newberry Street.

Returned to the hotel and did the final packing and then proceeded down to the lobby to meet up with Debra and Rick and the taxi ride to the ship - took about 20 minutes to get there - Rick paid the tab - wouldn’t except anything for it as his logic was I would have have to pay if you weren’t along.

Dropped my bags with the porters and then proceeded into to terminal and very shortly I was in line to get my room card etc.

Then there was perhaps a twenty minute wait before boarding started - during this time found Dave and Kathy, Jim and Judy and some of there friends so we all boarded together - as our rooms won’t be ready until after 2PM we adjourned to the main Windows Dining Room for lunch.

There was an outbreak of the noro-walk virus on the previous cruise so everything is done by staff - no self-service to start the cruise.

After lunch we met up at the rear of ship to await muster and then sail away.

Muster was slightly different - you know longer have to bring your life jacket from your room to your muster station - this was a change that I had read about but wasn’t sure if the Spirit had implemented it yet.

After muster we reconvened at the rear of the ship to await sail away - I spurned a Cruise Critic sail away because I am not sure how much of Big Green I want to expose myself too.

And we waited and waited and awaited some more - we watched both the Crown Princess and the Jewel of the Seas depart and we waited some more - finally at 6:30 the Cruise Director announced what we already knew - our sailing was delayed by a minor glitch that should be fixed shortly and wouldn’t affect our arrival time in Samana on Tuesday.

I decided to head to the buffet to have dinner and then adding another layer of clothes - let’s see I forgot to mentikon that although the sun was shining the wind was blowing haed making it quite cool - went back outside - finally around 7:30 PM came the announcement that the Port Authority had cleared the Captain to leave.

By this time it was dark so the hope of getting some good photos of Boston’s downtown landscape had evaporated - had to be content with just watching from the ship.

Then joined some of the others and took in the nightly show - more a potpourri of what’s in store over the next fifteen days.

My cabin is an ocean view on Deck 4 with a porthole to see the outside world and that is where I am typing up this blog entry

Tomorrow is a sea day and a big meet and greet for the large Cruise Critic group on board so that will keep me business in the morning - might check out the gym in the afternoon.

That’s all for today.

Cheers

Dennis

Train ride to Boston

2010-10-28T18:11:00.000-07:00

THE TRAIN RIDE TO BOSTON

OCT 17 - 20, 2010

Sunday Oct 17, 2010

As I don’t fly my means of getting to cruise ports is to take the bus and/or train. This year was no exception - a short bus trip across the border and into Seattle - the border went smoothly and one thing that was different this year and appears to speed up the process is that all those that aren’t carrying either US or Canadian ID go first as in most cases they take longer to process i.e. visa requirements etc.

Into Seattle with time to spare so I walked around the station area and got some good photos of the skyline and Qwest field. Onto to train for the three day trip across the northern tier States into Chicago and then onto Boston.

Shortly after boarding it’s time to book dinner time - as the number of spaces in the dining car are limited you are given a list of times that you can eat - preference is given to sleeper car riders - meals and non-alcoholic beverages are included.

You are also offered a welcome aboard small bottle of champagne which I gladly accepted. For dinner I chose a meat loaf in buffalo sauce - that was spicy and not too

hot along with a salad and trimmings - won’t tell you what decadent dessert I had.

Then it was off to bed as I was tired but I did read a little.

Monday Oct 18, 2010

I woke up around 7AM after a good nights sleep - had breakfast and then enjoyed the ride through Glacier National Park and the climb through Marias Pass - lots of fall colors and I took lots of photos albeit through the windows so you don’t get the full impact of the beauty.

Have lunch before we arrive in Havre Montana where I walk across the street from the station to a tavern to pick up a 6 pack of cold ones for the rest of the journey - you are allowed to drink in your sleeper cars but not in the coach cars..

Then it’s dinner, read the book, drink some beer, enjoy the scenery and then it was off to bed - up until this time we are running on schedule but that would change.

Tuesday Oct 19, 2010

Slept well once again but we are now running ninety minutes late and won’t be able to make up the time.

It seems that a couple of BNSF freight trains got a little to close while passing each other and cause a minor derailment which resulted in the westbound train being sixteen hours late into Spokane and then being bused to Seattle.

It works like this - BNSF owns the track and even though Amtrak is on schedule they decide to let a backlog of freight trains go first even though we are on time.

As a result I don’t have a lot of time in Chicago but a another little glitch occurred - I had checked my big suitcase through to Boston but while getting my ticket out in Chicago noticed that they were sending it through to Boston South Station and not Boston Back Bay as I requested - it seems that there is no baggage handling at Back Bay as it is only a commuter stop which is fine with me but why didn’t the porter who checked it in Seattle tell me that - well after a little asking I was able to retrieve my bag and it remained with me for the trip to Boston.

I grabbed a bite to eat at the Station - checked my email at the Metropolitan Lounge in the station and then boarded the Lakeshore Limited for the 24 hour trip to Boston.

Wednesday Oct 20, 2010

I had another good night sleep and are taking lot’s of photos - part of today’s journey - Albany to Boston is new as I have traveled that route yet.

This is also what they call a split train - at Albany - the train is split - the main part with the dining car goes onto to New York while the remainder with the lounge/café car heads for Boston - we are running on time - should be into Boston before our scheduled arrival time of 9:00 PM - we arrive about 30 minutes early - we get a different dinner - we can either choose from the lounge car menu or they have a beef Wellington dinner that they will heat up for you. I choose the latter and it tasted okay.

I am off the train and then walk the six or so blocks to the hotel in Back Bay - across from the Christian Science Monitor center and attached to the Prudential Center and other shopping places.

The first phase of the trip has be completed - now it’s a couple of days in Boston and then onto the cruise ship for fifteen days.

2010-10-28T10:37:00.000-07:00

Well I have arrived in Basseterre in St Kitts - having a great cruise - trying to upload my journal entries from an internet cafe - no luck yet.

Cheers

Dennis

Fall Foliage New England tour Oct 22, 2010

2010-10-22T19:16:00.000-07:00

Today had me once again back on a Gray Line tour bus - this time heading north of Boston and into southern New Hampshire - after being shuttle from my hotel to the load point at the Transportation center - for a fall foliage tour. Once again we had a native Bostonian for a driver and at times he was more funny than some on the Comedy Network - the bus was near full as this trip will only be offered until this weekend.

We followed mostly rural roads out of Boston until our first stop at Waldo Pond - named after Ralph Waldo Emerson who grew up in the area - then it was pass a field of different looking cows - the driver described them as OREO Cows - they do look much like the cookie of the same name. Then it was time for a restroom, coffee or ice cream break before heading into Willard Brook State Forest at Ashby Ma which has a small covered bridge and nice stream flowing through it.

Then we headed for an old church and cemetery with lots of fall colors before passing into New Hampshire - my first time in that state - - then it was a lunch stop in Rindge NH - it was a pre-ordered meal and not included in the ticket price - I choose a chicken breast done in a brandy sauce - it was the most popular item chosen - perhaps having some brandy in it had something to do with it - I shared a table with a couple from Cairns, Australia who I found out are on the same cruise as I.

After lunch we made a couple more stops at some scenic lakes - chance to stretch our legs - the weather which started sunny, windy and cool was ever changing including a few snow flakes - yes snow flakes - near where this lake was located - the driver explained that we are in the snow belt north of Boston. Our next to final stop was a shopping mall with a restroom break - also a nice stream and colorful foliage along its banks . Then a stop at a working farm for a chance to look over a pumpkin patch and corn maze and some farm animals.

Then it was back to Boston - the traffic and the layout of the roads in the City means lots of extra time to get everyone back to there originating hotel - in my case almost 7PM - not the driver's fault just the way traffic is in Boston.

Tomorrow a bit of repacking - I picked up a 12 pack of pop - need to put that in one of my bags - if all goes as planned I will share a cab ride with a couple from Idaho who are staying at this hotel and who I have been talking too on line.

Cheers

Boston arrival and Cape Cod Oct 20 - 21, 2010

2010-10-21T19:54:00.000-07:00

Added a number of photos from yesterday's trip to the Cape. Enjoy

Well I have arrived in Boston in preparation for my cruise on Saturday - the train ride here was uneventful - spent today touring Cape Cod - tomorrow a trip up New Hampshire for some fall colors.

Cheers

That's me in front of the reflecting pool and the Christian Science First church in Boston - it was built after St Peter's in Rome.

The sign says it all!

The memorial - it is located not far from the Kennedy compound at Hyannisport on the shores of Lewis Bay - we weren't able to see the compound because of choppy seas.

Real New England clam chowder.

My fish and chip lunch at the Lobster Boat restaurant in Yarmouth, Ma.

Our next stop was the town of Sandwich - named after the Earl of Sandwich - it is also the oldest incorporated town in Mass. dating back to 1638 - seems that the Puritans didn't register Plymouth even though it was established in 1620.

Halloween is coming and there was a display on the lawn of the town Library - here is one of the displays.

Sandwich was famous for it's early glass making industry and this is from a display at the Sandwich Glass Museum.

Since we couldn't do a sea cruise the driver took us to Plymouth where we had an hour to see lots of history including this exact replica of the Mayflower - imagine a ship that size with 102 passengers + crew + animals.

Finally it me again in front of the Monument to our Forefathers - if it looks familiar it should be - this was actually built first and the French designers of the Statute of Liberty actually visited the site to copy its design.

It was a great day and now it is off from a fall foliage tour up into New Hampshire.

Hornby Street bike lane Oct 15, 2010

2010-10-15T21:02:00.000-07:00

Well the City is blazing away in the creation of the bike lane the full length of Hornby Street in downtown Vancouver - this 3 Million $$$ + project has generated a lot of discussion and controversy but the City is determined to get the project underway and my block is the first to get worked on. They have to remove a traffic bulge that was put in about 10 years ago so they can maintain parking on my side of the street. This entails either removing or moving some eight trees - they are being moved as you will see in the images below.

Fall colors along the False Creek seawall near the foot of Granville St

Sidewalk is being rebuilt and the trees moved a couple of feet. Quite the process for moving these trees.

This one is just about ready to be moved.

Looking up Hornby from Pacific.

If I was to obey this sign I would not be able to enter my condo building.

Fortunately I leave for Boston in a few days and will miss most of the mess and traffic chaos that is likely to ensue.

Cheers

A brief update

2010-10-15T00:13:00.000-07:00

Haven`t been posting all that much as Facebook has become more of my social media source BUT as I will be leaving in a few days for Boston and a 15 day Caribbean cruise I thought I would stop in a post an update - while on the cruise I hope to be able to post fairly regularly about my comings and goings.

West End of Vancouver from the Burrard Bridge

BC Place stadium is getting a new roof.

Wind turbine at the top of Grouse Mountain.

Me at Lindeman Lake in the Chilliwack river valley.

HOHO bus and fall colors on Georgia Street bear the entrance to Stanley Park.

Enjoy

Update and a photo Aug 15, 2010

2010-08-15T10:07:00.000-07:00

Just a brief update - this blog isn`t getting a lot of attention these days as I find Facebook to be a better short term communication device - I will continue to add content periodically so check back for updates.

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Here`s an image from the Indian Arm day cruise that I took on Friday - it`s of Silver or Chatterbox Falls - the ship was able to nudge its bow right up to the coastline so we were real close to the Falls- the highlight of the trip on a day with many.

Cheers

Riding some newer bike routes June 22, 2010

2010-06-22T16:26:00.000-07:00

Today after riding up to wWest Broadway to my eyeglass store to get them adjusted I set out on a bike ride utilizing some of the newer routes in the City - from the 10th Avenue east west route I turned onto the Yukon Street - north south route and followed it up towards Queen Elizabeth Park until I reached the 29th Ave route which I followed around pass Nat Bailey Stadium and the new Hillcrest Community Center which was the site of the Curling events at the Olympics and Paralympics - that is where I spotted the street art work but there was no accompanying signpost explaining them. From there its briefly onto the Ontario route and then a quick right onto Hillcrest which I followed to its junction with the popular north-south Windsor route which I followed to its northern terminus at Great Northern Way - from there it was along the Central Valley Greenway and then Seaside through the Athlete's village to the Cambie Street Bridge and then home. In all about a 20 km ride - the weather was cool but the sun was starting to break out.

Dragon Boat regatta, False Creek June 19 - 20 2010

2010-06-22T09:36:00.000-07:00

I spent a good portion of the past weekend working as a volunteer for the Rio Tinto Alcan Dragon boat festival.

Once again I worked on the docks helping to load and unload the participants into there boats.

It is a physically challenging task but well worth it as you get to meet the younger high school teams, the special needs teams - ie - breast cancer survivors, kidney transplant teams, people with mental challenges - there were teams from Seattle, Portland, San Francisco, LA, Houston to name a few. The MS Society also has a special team as well but they loaded from a different dock.

Saturday was sunny and warm and I was able to grab a few images with my blackberry during a break in the action. Generally as one boat is unloading the next group is lined up awaiting to board so you need to move everyone along quickly.

We are nicknamed " the deck squirrels" by our chief Nut Jennifer who barks out the orders with her megaphone - she is a real pro and while very much in charge has a good sense of humor and is respected by all of us on the docks.

Many of the volunteers are high schoolers who are doing this volunteer work to satisfy requirement for credits for community service in order to graduate.

I was stiff and sore by the end of my day on Saturday which was cloudy and cooler - this was actually preferred by the paddlers.

Cheers

The boats of False Creek June 22, 2010

2010-06-22T09:20:00.000-07:00

As some of you may know I live just a couple of blocks from False Creek - now that the days are getting longer and the nights are getting shorter or to get relief from the boredom of watching the same reruns on my 200 + channel digital universe and high powered ISP computers I often head down to the water to watch the views and there is always lots of boats moving through the peaceful waters of False Creek.

Whether it is one of the little ferries transporting people to and from Granville Island, a commercial operator providing a harbour cruise to visitors or office workers seeking to let there hair hang down for a few hours, a kayaker out for a little exercise or some of the dragon boats practicing for a regatta or the big race this past weekend it is always a fun place to watch the action.

I often meet people visiting our city - spent some time with a couple from Germany who were wrapping up a long tour of the province or another couple who will be sailing on an Alaskan cruise where I was able to give them some tips as there are first time cruisers.

These images are taken with the Blackberry so they aren't the greatest plus with the sun getting ready to set or playing hide and seek with some of the many clouds that we have been experiencing recently it didn't provide a great backdrop for photography.

Cheers and hope you enjoy!

Coastal cruise - the train ride to Long Beach California May 6- 7

2010-05-17T15:27:00.000-07:00

MAY 2010 COASTAL REPOSITIONING CRUISE ONBOARD THE GOLDEN PRINCESS - LOS ANGELES TO VANCOUVER BC MAY 9 - 14 2010

PART ONE - THE TRAIN RIDE FROM VANCOUVER TO LONG BEACH CALIFORNIA MAY 6 - 7, 2010

Having decided to take this trip only a week earlier after having received a super offer fromPrincess Cruises I put together my transportation part of the trip rather quickly.

It would entail a bus ride to Seattle - overnight on the train to Sacramento then by bus to Stockton and then coach rail to Bakersfield and then bus to Long Beach - by doing it this way I saved over $100.00 by not needing the sleeper for the second day and also arrived about 5 hours earlier as this is a more direct albeit a much less scenic way.

I took a taxi to the train station in Vancouver because of the 5:30 AM bus departure - having to detour around an accident on the Knight St Bridge added a few minutes to the trip - the border was quick - I used my new enhanced driver’s license instead of my passport to see how the process worked - other than the usual questions there were no problems and we were clear of the border in less than fifteen minutes and on our way to Seattle.

Arrived in Seattle on time and after only a few minutes wait it was boarding time on the train - it is a full train as there is a large travel group on it.

The Wi-Fi wasn’t working on the train and other than a one hour delay outside of Eugene Oregon to fix an engine problem which put us almost 90 minutes behind schedule it was an uneventful ride to Sacramento - we made up most of the time overnight - I slept well - we were only fifteen minutes late into Sacramento. Was able to use free wireless there.

Originally I was to have a four hour layover but I saw another couple from the train who said they were taking a bus in thirty minutes to Long Beach - after enquiring from the station master I was able to change my times - Amtrak likes to keep a certain amount of time between scheduled times because of lateness etc thus the longer lay over.

So it’s onto the bus and the short 45 minute ride to Stockton where our train was thirty minutes late to arrive because of switching problems - we did make up most of the time and arrived in Bakersfield only ten minutes late - then it was onto the bus one last time for the trip into Long Beach with stops in Glendale and downtown LA’s Union Station before being dropped off at Denny’s in Long Beach.

I then walked the 10 blocks to my room at the Vagabond Hotel and the first leg of the trip was complete.

Some bubbly to start off the train trip with.

Bakersfield California station

View coming into LA on the bus from Bakersfield.

Final Olympic thought and photo April 18, 2010

2010-04-18T16:13:00.001-07:00

Well it has been almost a month since the end of the Paralympic Games and I have been trying to decide just how to wrap up this wonderful experience here on this blog - there are so many memories, images etc that I could probably go on for days trying to recap the feelings that I felt but rather than do that I have posted the signed certificate from all the members of the Slovakian delegation - these posters were given to all teams to sign and give to their assistants - mine now hangs proudly on a wall next to my retirement one.

I did also received a swatch, a bottle of white wine and a $25.00 gift card from VANOC for finishing my assignment - which I put to good use at Zellers getting a much needed new pair of sandals.

All of the us assistants with this delegation were also given a signed special edition book outlining the history of the Slovaks at the Olympic and Paralympic Games - and a gift bag with special pins and pens + a good looking Slovak ball cap.

The Games are over but the memories will remain for a lifetime - am seriously looking at applying for a volunteer role in a similar position with the London 2012 Games as I was looking at a trip to Europe to celebrate my 65th that year.

But that is another story that is yet to be put into action - only an idea at the moment and with me not flying a bit more of a challenge since I need to ensure that I can get a trans-Atlantic cruise both ways.

With Glowing and a sadden Heart I say goodbye to Vancouver 2010 - we assistants are having a small wind up party next week at the VANOC headquarters and there is a Facebook page for us to use to keep in touch.

Cheers

Preview of the new YMCA April 1, 2010 Part 1

2010-04-05T09:32:00.000-07:00

Last Thursday as a member of the YMCA Endowment Fund I was part of a select group of supporters to partake in the first preview showing of the new downtown YMCA which will reopen for business on May 3, 2010.

For the past 3 + years a new facility has been taking shape on the grounds of the old building - the facade with its heritage value has been preserved and upgraded to meet current standards.

This is a rather long look so it is divided into two parts with commentary with each of the images.

I hope you enjoy these two pages of my blog and I hope to see some of you at the new facility when it opens.

The new building will serve the diverse community of Vancouver - in addition to the athletic facilities, it will house our community services and international development programs and also have a two story family and child development center capable of handling 69 child care spaces + community kitchen and meeting areas.

Lets begin the tour with this look at the Burrard St south entrance which now boasts an accessible ramp.

The main entrance to the building will be on Barclay street and you will go up a half flight of stairs to the membership entrance, coffee shop which is in the same location as before.

Please remember that we only got possession of the building from the contractor a week ago so there is still much work to be done on the inside in preparation for the grand opening.

FIFTH FLOOR - FAMILY AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT CENTER:

I then take the elevator up to the fifth floor - the public part of the family development center where we will all meet, have some snacks courtesy of the new food service provides, get officially welcomed and then are broken up into groups of ten for the tour - most of my group is made up of long time Y members who I know very well. I invited my god mother along as my guest and she was part of this tour as well.
Being officially welcomed as the first group to tour the new facility.

Helping ourselves to some of the food provided - it was also a time fro me to renew some acquaintances that I hadn't seen in some time.

This is the playground or public area on the fifth floor - this floor can be used to house events.

SIXTH FLOOR - CHILD CARE CENTER AND SECURE AREA:

Then it was up one floor to the child care center - this will be a secure area with card access only.

It is fully equipped with a kitchen - sleeping area

Outdoor play area with great views of the downtown core.

FOURTH FLOOR EXERCISE AREAS -

There are two large exercises areas that take up most of the fourth floor as well as the program offices where you will find Debbie C and her staff - the equipment hasn't been installed yet as there is still some finishing work to be done.

You also get a good view of the gym from this floor - each floor is bright and airy.

This is the end of part 1 See Part 2 for the remainder of the preview.

Preview view of the new YMCA April 1, 2010 Part 2

2010-04-05T09:22:00.001-07:00

PART TWO - COURTS AND GYM PREVIEW:

There two racquet sports courts in the building - they will have a movable wall so that they can be converted from handball to squash - some of us were trying to figure out just how this will work but Fred Inglis assures us it will be by opening day.

LOCKER TOUR - FIRST UP - WOMEN'S MEMBERSHIP PLUS:

One of the new additions to the facility is a fully equipped women's membership plus locker area complete with a lounge, Internet access, whirlpool and steam bath - the showers are private unlike the men where there is a mixture of open and private - towel service will also be provided but there will be no storage baskets or overnight lockers usage allowed. All lockers will have their own key - it will work this way - you open a unused locker and put your Y card in a slot which will release the key - after putting your clothes etc away you close the locker and remove the key - it will be interesting as to how they will address the issue of those who go out for a run and won't have there cards to scan to get back in.

SWIMMING POOL AREA:

It is a 25 yard pool l- slightly larger than the old one - it has a movable floor at one end and uses a UB light process which cuts down on the amount of chlorine that is needed. There is a steam bath and whirlpool on the pool deck for the general membership to use.

2ND FLOOR - COMMUNITY SERVICES AND INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT OFFICE AREA

The old office and meeting rooms on the second floor have been refurbished and will be use by this department for there many program thrusts including the connections program that I am a part of.

Membership office area.

MEN'S MEMBERSHIP PLUS LOCKER ROOM:

It's like it's counterpart in the Women's except that it is bigger.

While I didn't take any pictures of it there is also a family change facility on the main floor.

Families are expected to be a much larger part of the programming than in the past for two reasons - we now have the facilities to provide it and because of the large increase in families in the downtown core. Child minding will also be available.

This concludes the tour of the new Y - hope that you have enjoyed these two pages of details and images.

Cheers

Dennis

A break from the Games reports - a sign of spring in Surrey March 24, 2010

2010-03-26T09:46:00.001-07:00

While trying to kill about a three hour wait to get to see my old Doc in Surrey I headed over to Green Timbers Park to catch some fresh air and was reminded that spring is upon us as soon as I got out of the truck - here are a few of the sure signs of spring from that location.

Cheers

Dennis

A Royal Visitor at the Whistler Athlete's Village March 20, 2010

2010-03-20T14:47:00.001-07:00

We were blessed with a visit by Prince Edward - the Earl of Wessex today at the athlete's village - he first stopped at the truce wall - which I missed - and then headed for the Athlete's Lounge and Gym which he toured - this is were I was first able to catch a glimpse of him - security was light and there were no restrictions on taking photos - while the visit was official there was little in the way of pomp and ceremony - no red coated Mountains and except for the Mayor of Whistler few politicans - he then proceeded across the road to the #2 Workforce dining hall where about 150 lucky volunteers were able to have luch with him - reports indicate that he refused to sit at a head table and instead join a table of volunteers for lunch - same menu as the rest of us had today - soup, salad, tuna melt sandwich, hash browns and a chef's special which was a type of stew - sorry can't comment on the meal as I choose to do the Big Mac routine.

After about 45 minutes of singing and talking to the volunteers it was time to loeave and here he is walking with the Mayor - right blue jacket - one of the Paralympic Village mayors and some aide or something in the green dress.

Strolling to his motorcade which consisted of all of three cars

Final goodbyes and he did wave to those of us who had gathered to see him off - when ask where his wife was he retorted - at work - someone has to pay the bills

Off to a meeting more later.

Cheers

Dennis

A golden moment March 14, 2010

2010-03-14T18:48:00.000-07:00

Much like the Canadians celebrating the winning of their first goal medal on home soil in the Olympics - the people of Slovakia are waking up to news that one of there athlete's has won that country's first Winter Paralympic Gold medal touching off a few hoots and hollers around our office in the Village.

Jakub Krako won the Gold in Alpine Skiing - Men's Slalom - Visually Impaired by more than a second over the second place finisher.

The delegation was even more happy to have a fourth and a fifth place finish as well. They missed the bronze by less than .06 of a second.

While Jakub wasn't the favorite to win the medal obviously the delegation is extremely pleased with the results today.

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Finally starting to get a few things done - gassing up the vehicles - escorting the delegation to the events and now that we have a pass we will also have access to the VIP section at certain venues.

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Starting to snow hard again this evening - actually we don't need snow - there is plenty on the ground at the venues - sunshine or at least cloudy and no fog is what is most needed.

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Hard to believe that in one week there will be the closing ceremonies and then clean up and the experience of a life time will be over and it will be back to the usual comfort zone.

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Did spend some time in Whistler Village the other night - nicely lit up - checked out the medals presentation area and while they were rehearsing one of the segments all of a sudden there was the sound of a very familiar song being played - YMCA - and those outside were dancing to the words of the song.

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Hoping to take Wednesday off for my final rest day before the Games end - this could change if the delegation gets busy with multiple requests etc.

More later

Cheers from Whistler

Dennis

Photos from the traditional welcoming ceremony in the Athlete's village March 8, 2010

2010-03-09T17:06:00.001-08:00

All nations participating in the Games partake in a traditional welcoming ceremony at the Athlete's village - here are a few images from some of the ceremonies held yesterday.

After a greeting by the Four Host First Nations - some welcoming speeches and gift exchanges, national anthem and flag raising there was some brief entertainment that got everyone dancing and cheering.

Sumi - the official mascot for the Paralympics greets members of the Japanese delegation whose ceremony was held earlier in the day under sunny and warm skies.

At 1800 hours it was time for the Slovakian and Czech Republic presentation - we walked through the Village to the Welcoming Plaza and then stood to the side as the official part of the presentation took place. Once the official part was finished and the entire ceremony is only about 25 minutes long we then joined in the festivities.

The raising of the Slovak flag and the singing of their National Anthem.

One final pose and then it was in from the cold - it had dropped to below freezing by the time our ceremony was done. The Slovak jackets were also the same color of blue as ours and they look real sharp.
After the ceremony it was time for dinner and then a quiet evening before boarding a bus and heading to Vancouver on Tuesday morning.

Cheers

Dennis

Athlete's Village scenes and some thoughts March 09, 2010

2010-03-09T15:54:00.000-08:00

While I have to be careful of what I post while the Games are going one these will give you a little bit of an insight into the Village.

As I have posted previously - our motto is "EXPECT THE UNEXPECTED" and that is true after my first few days at Whistler.

I had expected to be run off my feet the first few days but so far it has been quieter than I anticipated primarily due to the people running our delegation - they are hands on people - they put up there own posters, collect there own mail etc - in fact in talking to some other Assistants who worked the Winter Games they are noticing the same thing - did make a trip down to Vancouver to pick up an extra vehicle and drive it back - the same thing is going to happen tomorrow but someone else will probably do it as I am on a couple of days off - we are entitled to about 3 days off during our stint - as I am returning back later tomorrow if necessary I will meet the Deputy Chef in Vancouver and go with him to pick up the car from the compound.

So far the Chef and Deputy have been doing most of the driving for the athletes and delegation members - both are familiar with driving on Canadian roads and haven't been worried about the roads etc. That cannot be said for a delegation member from another country who insisted they wanted to drive in Canada and didn't get out of the car park at YVR before hitting one of the concrete barriers - they then promptly stated that they were going to leave the driving to us locals.

Took the bus down this morning from the Whistler's athletes Village to the Vancouver one - took less than 2 hours and had the opportunity to talk to some of the athletes who were heading down to the Village to check it out or meet fellow countrymen.

After hearing horror stories about the food I can say that I don't find anything wrong with it - yes if you are picky eater you might not like the choices - generally there is a soup, salad, main entree, veggie, chef surprise, vegetarian and dessert each dinner - so far I have been able to load up the plate - you also get a choice of pop, juice or water with each meal - coffee and tea are available when the dining area is opened - there is also a supply of water available in our check in office.

As a volunteer you are entitled to two meals a day - breakfast and either lunch or dinner BUT as long as you are working a shift you also get a meal voucher for lunch.

The opening ceremonies are coming up on Friday - one person from each delegation can attend - if I am needed by the delegation I will be the one attending as the other three aren't interested or else have the day off.

Going to close this one off for now with some added comments with the photos.

View of Whistler summit from near the flag plaza in the Village.

At the ceremonies plaza this will help keep us warm.

At work in the office.

Another view of some of the housing and of Whistler Peak.

Plaza and some of the temporary tents that are used for various functions during the Games.

Two days done but more to come March 6, 2010

2010-03-06T21:00:00.000-08:00

Well I have now finished two days of the volunteer stint and so far so good - things are starting to get busier now that the athletes have started to arrive - I drove one of the team officials back to Whistler from the airport - he has never been to Vancouver so he certainly was snapping the pictures as we drove up the Sea to Sky until sunny and warm skies.

Our leaders are hands on guys - while we are helping out they are also doing some things themselves.

The delegation office is now up and running and since it is directly across from a wi-fi hotspot I am able to access it from the office while watching a dog show on TSN - TV seems to be limited to the CTV Olympic stations.

Tomorrow we will be formally introduced to the team and while I have met a number of them the remainder are in transit right now from YVR by bus.

Took a number of shots of the Athlete's Village this afternoon but in keeping with the terms of my volunteer contract I won't be publishing many of them here.

My accommodation is just inside the Village which makes it a little easier to move around - those outside have to go through security each time they enter.

The battery is running low - will recharge later - the food as you can see from the attached photo is okay - because I missed lunch I filled the plate tonight.

We have started to fill in the work schedule and I will definitely be able to take next Tuesday off for the birthday party.

More later

Cheers

Dennis|

The day have finally arrived March 5, 2010

2010-03-05T06:37:00.000-08:00

Off in about 30 minutes to the Athletes Village where I will pick up a delegation member and a GMC Acadia and drive them to Whistler and there meet up with another member of our team who is already there - then a couple of short meetings and then I got to see my accommodation for the first time.

We are starting to work as a team as the emails are starting to flow between team members - this is a good sign and another good sign is that the weather is starting to cool so there should be some new snow at Whistler over the next week.

There is wireless in the Village but it is spotty and there is also one computer we can share so I should be able to post here fairly often during this stint - keep in mind there are some things that they won't want us posting while the Games are on.

Outta here

Dennis

EXPECT THE UNEXPECTED PART 2 MARCH 4, 2010

2010-03-04T09:16:00.000-08:00

After having coffee with a couple of friends I returned home around midnight to see the message light flashing on the home phone - it was from my supervisor with yet another change in my plans - remember our theme - expect the unexpected - and that is what it was - for some reason there aren't any vehicles available on Thursday to transport the delegation to Whistler - it will have to wait until tomorrow BUT they still need us to be at the Village at 11 AM all nicely decked out in our fill uniform - still plan on wearing the lighter blue pants since they said it was okay given the warmer weather and it is consider to be part of the move in process.

The message ended with the words you will be able to have one more sleep in your own bed.

Confirmed this morning that it's just a day at the Vancouver Village - have on the uniform for the first time and it feels good and also warm. Need to find out if we need the vest on at all times or just if we are cold. Almost reminds me of my working days where we had uniforms for our customer service role.

More later on this the next step in living my Paralympic dreams.

Cheers

Dennis

Expect the unexpected March 3, 2010

2010-03-03T20:21:00.000-08:00

Throughout our training for the NPC Assistants job we were constantly reminded that things can and will change on short notice and tonight the first of those changes has occurred - I received an email asking if I would be available to drive some of the Slovak delegation up to Whistler tomorrow instead of me busing it up and waiting for them. Of course I said yes but there was one proviso - there might not be enough room of my luggage as well as the team's and I might have to bus it back to Vancouver and then come up on the bus on Friday - well after a couple of phone calls and some repacking - told that I probably only need one complete change as we will probably be living in our uniforms and with free laundry that should suffice I will now be able to take a smaller overnight bag and my Vanoc day pack.

Also was able to clarify the bus scene for days off - there is a work force bus that runs every two hours 24/7 between the two athletes villages so we are free to use it to get back to Vancouver on our days off - only one proviso and that is we have to give up our seat if an athlete needs it and wait for the next bus.

Also learned that the Chef DE missions are letting the delegations work out our shifts among ourselves as long as there are enough of us to meet their needs each day - I am going to try to get the early shift as it fits my long time body usage from years of early morning work shifts.

Also will try to get either March 10th off or work the later shift as I can attend the 70Th birthday party of a friend in Vancouver that night.

Cheers

Dennis

It's just about time for Whistler March 3, 2010

2010-03-03T16:18:00.000-08:00

I am all packed and ready for my departure tomorrow around noon for Whistler - manged to get everything I think I need into a large duffle bag and my Olympic day pack - even remembered to change over the logos etc.

The Chef de Mission for our delegation arrives tonight and will stay at the Village in Vancouver before heading up to Whistler - one of the Slovak speaking members of our team is picking them up this evening at YVR.

Just waiting for one more email about when the rest of us will all get to meet each other and our boss - the Chef De Mission.

The Paralympic torch was lit in Ottawa today and will visit ten cities before arriving in Vancouver and relighting the cauldron here.

The loner range forecast also seems to be showing a cooling trend next week with a lower freezing level which should provide some new snow for the athletes and perhaps even some at the Village and in Whistler.

Cheers

Dennis

The next step - the Paralympics experience March 2, 2010

2010-03-02T09:16:00.000-08:00

As the Paralympics are a different governing body the logos are different for each set of games -

Here you see the velcro patches that are used on the front of the Jacket - I will put the one on the right on my jacket.

This is the patch that you put on the back of the jacket to cover the Olympic rings - they are attached via grommets.

Even the day packs are changeable - there is a flap on the front that is removed to give you the Paralympic logo.

Now that the Winter Games are over the City's focus turns to the Paralympic Games - some 1300 athletes from over 40 countries will be competing in five events - sledge hockey and wheelchair curling in Vancouver and Alpine Skiing, Cross country and biathlon at Whistler.

This is where my full involvement with the Games occurs as I will be heading up to Whistler later in the week to take up residence in the Athletes village to fulfill my role as an assistant to the Slovakian delegation - there are six of us attached this team - a 3 - 3 gender split and a 3 - 3 I can speak Slovak split - two of the group will commute from Vancouver daily and supplement our work.

Three of us are retired and three are still working - of the three who speak Slovak - two fled as kids in 1968 when the then Czechoslovakia was invaded by the Russians.

Our accommodation is modest - two to a room and two rooms sharing a bathroom - as we will be working different shifts it could be interesting to see how this works out - we get two meals provided - breakfast and either lunch or supper depending on our shifts - there is free bus shuttle into the town proper so eating won't be a problem.

There is free wireless available and one computer but I will be bringing my net book mostly to upload my photos but I do hope to post to this blog each day relating my experiences.

There is also free laundry so that reduced the amount of clothing that I will need to bring and also makes it easier to keep our uniforms clean - just need to mark my name on the clothes so that they don't get mixed up.

I will get one day off in seven but except for a 70th birthday party for a friend from the Y I dont have any need to come down to Vancouver on my days off - this I intend to play by ear as it might depend on the day of the week and the weather.

I also am equipped by a Samsuung Omnia cell phone for use while serving the delegation and keeping in touch with other members of the team - while they don't want us to use them for personal use they also want us to make sure we know how they work so phoning a few friends is okay - they are set up for North American wide long distance and can be use by team members or delegation members.

The Slovak team has around 20 participants in the Games - all at Whistler - we won't know the exact number until we and the team arrive later in the week.

Look for progress reports over the next three weeks.

Cheers

Dennis

Olympic experience - Games wrap up March 2, 2010

2010-03-02T08:51:00.000-08:00

Since my last post the Games have finished and a wonderful fun filled city is starting to return to normal.

It was a once in a lifetime experience and the great performance by athletes, volunteers, citizens and security people.

I would be remiss if I didn't make specific reference to the great job done by the police in controlling those large crowds with little to no damage to businesses etc.

While some people didn't like the idea of closing the liquor stores early it seemed to work like a charm - even with that there were over 20,000 liquor seizures during the course of the Games but only something like 250 arrests mostly for intoxication - yes some people did get ticketed for liquor possession - could be underagers that were targeted.

Transit also must get very high marks - we didn't have traffic gridlock - actually we had pedestrian gridlock - it is so bad on Sunday after the hockey game near Robson and Granville that I was getting pushed in all four directions by the swarming crowd - I finally turned around an very slowly was able to get about a block away where you could at least breathe.

The idea of letting Games day ticket holders also helped with the flow of traffic.

As I was walking through Robson Square our TSN panel of Darren Maillaird, Derek Pang, Nick Cyprios (sp) and Bob Mackenzie were setting up on the ice for a pre-game show and I was able to capture this moment with the Blackberry.

The lineup to get into the BC Pavilion at the Art Gallery was only about 15 minutes so I waited in line to get inside to see the display - it is actually my first time inside the Art Gallery - what a magnificent building - it was an old courthouse and has been the home of the Art Gallery for many years - in addition to the Pavilion you were able to view the exhibits on display but were asked not to take any photographs.

I happen to pop by the Y for a social visit and was asked if I wanted a free ticket to a playoff curling game between Great Britain and Sweden - while not a huge curling fan I have followed it somewhat over the years and was one of the sports that I did spend time in front of the TV.

As I only had 90 minutes notice of the Game I was only able to get Tom to join me - in talking to Grant who has curled if he had more time we would have come in from Cloverdale and joined Tom and I - what a great curling game - a playoff game that went an extra end with Sweden defeating the defending champs from Britain.

Every night during the Olympics we have been treated to a fireworks show at a couple of locations - I could see the Live Event Yaletown show from my condo and here is a image of the fireworks bursting out over the tops of the some of the condo towers in Yaletown - I also walked down to the site one day and catch them in person.

On Monday Feb 22, 2010 I finally got my uniform and coveted Blue Jacket and accreditation - that makes me official and allows me to use transit free until the end of the Paraylmpics.

What a great time to have witnessed here in Vancouver.

Cheers

Dennis

2010-02-28T10:36:00.000-08:00

GOLD CANADA GOLD - WE DID IT !!!

GO CANADA GO !!GO CANADA GO !!GO CANADA GO !!

GO CANADA GO !!GO CANADA GO !!GO CANADA GO !!

GO CANADA GO !GO CANADA GO !!GO CANADA GO !!

GO CANADA GO !!

THAT'S A GO CANADA GO FOR EACH GOLD MEDAL WE HAVE WON - THERE IS ONE MORE BIG GOLD TO BE WON THIS AFTERNOON SO

GO CANADA GO !!!

Becoming a blue jacket volunteer Part !Feb 22, 2010

2010-02-23T08:50:00.000-08:00

Well the day finally arrived where I would get my accreditation and uniform for the upcoming Paralympics games that start on March 12, 2010.

So after having a nice relaxing steam, shave and shower I headed over to Seymour Street to catch a bus out to the Uniform and Accreditation office which is located in the old Forum building on the PNE Site at Hastings and Renfrew - this is also the site of the Pacific Coliseum where later Monday the singing of O Canada was the order of the day as Canada captured Gold in Ice Dancing.

There were many people on the bus headed out to the event and also a couple of Downtown Eastside residents to entertain those on board - nothing really bad about them but some of the visitors might have wondered what was going on but as the bus proceeded easterly towards Renfrew they had left the bus.

I arrived early and after a brief walk through the new Gardens that have been put in the Park - I head into the center - greeted warmly and proceeded to first station - name and they check my ID that I have used throughout the process - passport in this case - and then a piece of paper and follow the red line on the floor - around the corner and it's time for the photo - similar to the passport procedure - try not to smile and no teeth showing allowed - did keep the glasses on as I now wear them all the time but as they are transitionals - change color from outdoor to indoor - we had to wait a minute or two for them to clear - click and it's done - then around another corner and wait the processing - meanwhile others are clearing the same hurdles - one woman has the same position as me but with the Andorran delegation - finally after a couple more minutes my name is called and I have my accreditation - while I would love to show a picture of it here I won't until after the Games because of security concerns - let's just say it gives me full access to all venues during the Para Games and has a nice big R on it that means I have access to the Residence at both villages.

After this it's around another corner - take a number and wait for a chance to get your uniform - there are 4 in front of me - before long my number is called and I am greeted by Brenda who will do the paperwork and help me try on the clothing - no she doesn't come into the change room - just asks for my sizes and picks them off of the sample rack - I selected XL as my sizing but after trying on the pants and there are a heavy lined type - no choice on this - issued to all working Whistler or Cypress - they are pretty loose fitting so I try on and settle for the Large which equals to a 36 - 38 waist size - this makes me happy as I have lost about 15 lbs since Xmas - for the Jacket and Vest I opt for the XL - like my clothes a little more baggy than tight fitted - you know us full figure guys don't want to show too much now do we. As usual the pants legs are too long but I don't know how easy it will be to shorter them as they have zippers to the bottom and even hemming them part way isn't easy before of all the pockets that they have.

After trying the clothes on it around another corner and into the stock room where they pull my sizing and put together my welcome package - some other goodies I will report in the next post - then it's to the checkout - all items are bar coded and recorded as been issued to you.

So in less than an hour - actually only about 45 minutes I am finished and walk down Renfrew street to catch the #4 bus and head home.

Later in the evening I try on the remainder of the clothing - shirts etc - they are a good loose fit - the sleeves are little long but with the way that I do laundry should shrink without too much trouble.

I have 48 hours to exchange any sizing - also although I am doing just the Para-Games the uniform is the same as all other volunteers except that I have a patch to put over the rings on the back of the jacket - attaches easily by using a series of grommets - the rings on the front are velcro so you just change one for the other.

I now feel like I am a member of the Team 2010 as we are officially called.

Part 2 coming later but now it's a trip out to Richmond to check out some of the attractions at the Ozone etc.

Dennis

Olympic street entertainment Feb 18, 2010

2010-02-18T20:24:00.001-08:00

One of the nice things about the party atmosphere in the downtown is the number of street entertainers who have surfaced - most are drawing a crowd - how much moola they are making is another question.

Time for a visit with a friend.

Cheers

Olympic cauldron - up close Feb 18, 2010

2010-02-18T20:14:00.001-08:00

Once I decided what to do today I headed down towards the Olympic cauldron site at the Trade and Convention center - wanted to see what all the fuss was about - well they have changed the fencing a little - effectively cutting a whole in it about eye level so you can put a camera in it and get a decent picture - not that great for taking an image with someone in it.

They have also opened up the west side of the plaza at the Convention center - all you had to do was get in line - took about 35 minutes to get to the top - the scenery was spectacular and the people in the line were friendly and talkative - the couple beside had there 7 month pregnant daughter with them - she had to sit down a lot and by the time she got to the top some of us were wondering if the little gal was going to make an early appearance.

From the top of the stairwell - what a great view.

From near top of stairwell.

Naval helicopter flying by.

What a view while waiting in line.

The cauldron from street level.

Cheers

Dennis

A bit more about the Slovakian Paralympian team Feb 18, 2010

2010-02-18T10:37:00.000-08:00

Thanks to a tip from the Slovakian welcome girl at their downtown representative House I am now able to translate their Paralympian site to English - they say life is an ongoing education and such was the case here - i wasn't aware that Google has a translator app - only knew of Microsoft and it doesn't do Slovak. Well I went to the Translator site and put in the URL of the Slovakian Paralympian Committee and have all of the info I need of the make up and previous performance of their athletes.

It appears and the list could change that their delegation will have 13 participants of which 7 are visually impaired - so those seven will have a guide - 11 are in Alpine Skiing and one each in Cross country and biathlon.

Most have participated in previous games and couple are medal winners but I don't believe that Slovakia has won a Gold in Para events yet.

In addition there delegation has another 6 - 10 team officials etc.

Based on a delegation size of between 20 - 40 - they should get 6 of us assistants - which probably means two will commute by bus from Vancouver to Whistler daily.

They will also have the use of three GM Acadians for there transportation needs - while a number of GM vehicles are being used for the Winter Games it appears that this is the only one for use in the Para Games as they are a cross over model and have been equipped for winter road driving up at Whistler.

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The body and the mind are in conflict this morning - one wants to exercise the other says take it easy - I think I am convincing the mind to relent and join the wishes of the body.

I am going try and locate on a Slovak map all of the home towns of the athletes to see if any come from near the paternal home town of Liesek, Slovakia

Near the center middle is a town called Liesek - that is where the Grandparents come from.

Cheers

Dennis

A tour of some of the Pavilions Feb 17, 2010

2010-02-18T10:16:00.001-08:00

I joined my friends and former work mates Tom and Victor yesterday for a little pavilion hopping - I walked down to Science World - nee Russian Pavilion where I met them and after a short lineup wait proceeded to enter the Sochi Games display - they are the holders of the next Winter and ParaWinter Games in 2014 - Sochi is located on the Black Sea so like Vancouver it is also a Seaport - the third seaport to hold the Games after Oslo and ourselves. It is a City of around 350,000 - it is building an entire new complex of sporting facilities and it's ski area is about 45 KM away and will be connected by light speed rail - while construction has started on some of the venues they won't know the costs until after everything is finished - where have I heard that before.

After spending some time there we headed over towards the Saskatchewan, Quebec, Ontario houses - the first had a rather long line-up so we by-passed it - both the Quebec and Ontario are giant beer halls with the latter also having a 4-d display - I remember getting dizzy with 3-D at Expo so we voted to by-pass that line-up.

From there we heading over to the Edgewater Casino where we rested and had a soda and Tom contributed to the Casino's profits on the slots.

A quick tour of the food court and the shopping bazaar on the grounds of the Plaza of Nations - put on by the Casino and it was time to say goodbye - while Tom and Victor headed for Skytrain I walked up to Granville and then home.

The crowds for a week day were large and with the sunny but brisk weather a great day to get out.

Entrance to the 4-D part of the Ontario Pavilion.

Le Belle Province pavilion.

Guess who overlooking some of the pavilion from the park by Science World,

A model of the planned site in Sochi

Russia House - nee Science World and the line-up waiting to get it - it moved quickly - they only scanned our packs for forbidden items.

Today is suppose to be a bike ride but the body and mind are fighting each other so I think I will listen to the body - just take a short walk down to the Gym and relax in the steam bath - then take in the Cauldron and a couple of other houses - recheck on the Netherlands merchandise.

Cheers

Dennis

What's next on my Olympic Dream calendar Feb 17, 2010

2010-02-17T10:05:00.000-08:00

The next few events I know about and once the Games are over the focus will switch to the Paralympics - already starting to see some advertisers started to switch there promos to the Paralympic logos - good to create as much awareness as possible.

On Monday Feb 22, 2010 I get my accreditation and uniform

March 3, 2010 - two weeks from today I will be on a bus up to Whistler - need to start a packing list of what to bring in addition to my uniform - one thing I don't know at this time is whether us volunteers will have access to laundry services in the Village - otherwise I will have to take everything back and forth on my day's off.

March 4, 2010 - we meet our Chef de Mission and start to get our various work assignments.

March 12, 2010 I travel with my delegation down to BC Place for the opening ceremonies.

March 21, 2010 the Para Games end

March 24, 2010 final day in Whistler and my return to Vancouver

Cheers

Dennis

A victory party and Bare Naked Ladies concert Feb 16, 2010

2010-02-17T09:40:00.000-08:00

Through my involvement which the YMCA's Connections program I was able to receive a ticket to the Victory and Medal celebration last night at BC Stadium - each night is a theme night - usually a Canadian province or corporate sponsor - last night it was Nova Scotia and in a short 30 minute time frame they provided a good mosaic of that provinces rich cultural diversity.

The nightly events are MC'ed by CTV BC weather Gal Tamara Taggart and E talks Ben Mulroney - yes he is the son of the former Prime Minister.

After the thirty minute warm the awards take place - they alternate between Vancouver and Whistler and while it was quite as wild as the night before it sure got noisy when Michael Robertson was presented with his Silver Medal from the Men's Snow Cross.

Then it was onto the feature entertainment of the evening - a concert by Canadian rock stalwarts the Bare Naked Ladies - while I have never seen then perform live I was certainly aware of there music - after all - who doesn't know some of the words to "If I had a Million dollars" Ed Robertson - lead singer really worked the crowd and even had a few zingers for us - such as - the real reason that Wayne G is in town is to work on a bid for Phoenix to host a winter Olympics since there seems to be snow in Arizona and not in Vancouver - or those up at Cypress aren't saying EH Canada but HAY Canada.

It was an abbreviated 50 minute performance - the images aren't all that great since my free seat was to the side of the stage - they did allow people down onto to the floor. I opted to stay in my seat and then after the concert headed for Granville street which is getting zanier by the night.

The concert stage

From the large screen Tamara and Ben work the crowd.

My seat mates and their large Canadian Flag.

A proud Canadian with his Silver Medal.

The three medal winners standing for the playing of the US anthem

The band has taken the stage.

Ed Robertson works the crowd

One final look at the stage.

Today it is a possible meet up with Tom and Victor and some time visiting the Russian, Ontario, Quebec and Saskatchewan pavilions.

Cheers

Dennis

A break from the Games - a day in Crescent Beach - White Rock February 16, 2010

2010-02-17T09:13:00.001-08:00

The photo uploaded is slow today so not all of my photos have being uploaded.

Wanting a break from the action in the downtown core I took a little drive down to the southern suburbs and a much quieter place - the Crescent Beach - White Rock area.

I made a stop at the old Stewart House in Elgin Heritage Park and then into Crescent Beach and Blackie's spit - the weather was clearing off - looks of people out and about - very high concentration of older adults but there is also a spattering of young ones with kids.

Then it was into White Rock and a couple of stops along the beach - they have lifted the parking fees during the week until the end of the month - strolled along the boardwalk before heading back to Vancouver to get ready for the Victory Ceremonies at BC Place with the Y connections new immigrant program of which I am a volunteer.

Cheers

Dennis

Olympics - the first few days Feb 12 - 17, 2010

2010-02-17T08:21:00.001-08:00

The first few days of the Olympics certainly has had it share of ups and downs - my emotions from gone from elation of seeing and later holding the torch to sadness and dismay over the death of an athlete to anger and disgust over the wilful damage and disregard for human safety by a gang of thugs or anarchists back to elation with the winning of our first gold medal on home soil - to seeing and being apart of the celebratory atmosphere so prevalent in the downtown core - never seem so much red and white in all my life - it is also very inspiring to see people either from other nations or new Canadians proudly showing off there colors.

Below are a few images of my thoughts so far.

The torch makes it way down Davie to a turn at Burrard.

A large moving crowd greets all of the participants on a cool Friday morning.

Heading down Burrard St and a change of bearers.

That me holding the torch at Robson Square - it was taken with my Blackberry and cropped from the picture below.

Here's Gordon bearer #74 who was so kind to let people handle and be photographed with the torch - he tried for about 15 minutes to leave but continued to keep smiling for the many people at Robson Square who wanted their picture taken.

Found out later that bearer #73 was former Mayor Sam Sullivan.

__________________________________________________

A small Deneditoral - have the Games being prefect NO - likes most things in society and in people's lives there are challenges and issues that have to dealt with.

Weather - really hard to blame VANOC etc for the weather woes - mother nature has done her thing at other Games and will continue to do so in the future. A great credit must go out to the volunteers who work tirelessly in getting Cypress Bowl ready - Cypress asked for and spent some of there own money for this site - also another 10,000 people going to Whistler each day or several times a day was problematic.

The Cauldron - the only real mistake here was putting it in a place where people want to get up close and personal - most Games it is located at the top of a stadium or building where people can't get up close.

The death of an athlete - as part of the Olympic family - volunteers or Blue Jackets as CEO John Furlong calls us we were all saddened of this young athlete's death - who is to blame - I wasn't there and have refused to watch the video - too squeamish for me. I will let those who like to play the blame game to fight it out about what should or shouldn't have been done.

Legitimate protest vs anarchy - before the Games started a number of organizations have made there views on the Games, their costs, their warts, their misguided message etc well known and indicated that they intended to try and focus to the world community how much worse Vancouver is than other cities or countries in the world. The Poverty Olympics , the Opening ceremony protest, the hanging of banners from the Cambie Street bridge, the setting up of a tent city on a vacant privately owned lot were all for the most part peaceful and without incident and was accepted by citizens and visitors alike.

Fast forward to Saturday morning and the actions of a group of thugs or anarchists who decided to take the law into there own hands - throwing newspaper boxes through windows in the Bay and the TD Bank - spray painting the anarchists logo on passing buses and private cars and assaulting members of the press - Thanks to the good work of the VDP and others these hoodlums were cornered and giving the option of dispersing or being taken into custody - thankfully all but a few opted to leave. THE VPD RECEIVED HIGH MARKS FOR THEIR HANDLING OF THE SITUATION. The sense on the street later Saturday was one of disgust and more than one person stated what they would do the next time these wet diaper twits tried something.

The downside of this is that other legitimate protest groups have been neutered and are worry about a backlash - so far that hasn't happen and let's hope it doesn't - while we may not like the inconvenience of a street close off for a rally or a few signs attacking corporatism it's a small price to pay for our freedom.

Traffic management - despite all the dire predictions of gridlock the only gridlock to be found downtown is all the people out on foot enjoying the sights and sounds of the Games - yes transit has been busy but many people who need to use it are reporting they waits aren't that much longer - all the extra buses added, more Skytrain cars is working.

Entertainment - all along Granville and parts of Robson every restaurant and bar is filled to capacity - people are milling around - last night there was a giant pick up game of ball or street hockey in the middle of a close off section of Granville St - a note about Granville Street - after about 3 years of closures, ripping up the pavement, redo the sidewalks, lighting etc it is starting to look like it's former neon glory - the Vogue theater folks have restored there large neon signs and many of the other businesses are dressing up there signs as well.

Finally - despite what a protester was trying to tell the world on a hand made sign at Robson Square that read in part " Are you aware that 1000's of homeless east side people have been picked up and bus to a secret location about 60 miles from Vancouver" - WHAT UTTER HOGWASH AND I TOLD HER SO - the homeless are still on the streets - sleeping in door ways etc - the panhandlers are still standing and looking for help - I have talked to a couple of them - some are doing better than normal because of their location - others less well because the crowds have shifted - there are lots more playing instruments and singing - where's Simon Cowell or the Gong when we need them.

LET'S THE GAMES CONTINUE AND GO CANADA GO !!!!

Olympic torch relay #1 Feb 11, 2010

2010-02-11T21:17:00.000-08:00

Well after 105 days and 45,000 kms or about 27,000 miles the Olympic torch relay reached the downtown core this evening.

It was awesome watching the Torch relay tonight as it came over the Burrard Bridge to a huge awaiting crowd - the crowd was so thick that the other torch bearers had to get out of the escort vehicle and get escorted through the wildly cheering crowd to there transfer point - when the torch finally arrived at few minutes later and right on time the assembly masses followed it down to the the Live event site at David Lam Park in Yaletown for the lighting of the cauldron - Michael Buble brought it into the venue - and you should have seen the crowd - I say at least 20, 000 perhaps more - I will let the police give the official estimates - it stretched for more than three blocks along Pacific and then there were another 6 - 10, 000 inside the venue. Everyone was happy - some were shedding tears as we all sang O Canada to welcome the torch and then it was fireworks - the water show and the lights - most people seemed to be realization that the dream that started almost seven years will officially get under way at 9PM PST tomorrow.

The torch bearers were more than happy to pose with the torch for anyone wanting to take some photos.

A few images for you and Yes I am proud to be a Canadian.

Any way I guess you could say I was/am stoked.

Enjoying a beer to celebrate the occasion.

Cheers

Part 2 tomorrow perhaps.

Olympic Games opening ceremonies dress rehearsal thoughts Feb 10, 2010

2010-02-11T16:39:00.000-08:00

Last night I attend the final dress rehearsal for the Games that start tomorrow night.

While I won't go into great details because we were all asked to be good Canadians and withhold making too much info public I will say it was an AWESOME DISPLAY OF CANADIANNA at its finest.

From start to finish - about three hours of oohs and awes as we saw parts of Canadian history, culture, sport etc paraded before us - all the performers who are scheduled to appear were on hand - only a few Olympic officials weren't there - they use stand ins for them and for the athletes parade of nations.

I was particularly pleased with the First Nations opening scenes - very good.

There will also be audience participation as well - there are scenes where candles will light up the stadium - there was also snow falling from the rafters - it was only paper but it looks real on TV.

It only took about fifteen minutes to get through security but most of those attending were volunteers and guests and we had been well prepped on what to expect and what not to bring.

It took longer to get out because there is really only one exit from the security zone and everyone was trying to get out as fast as possible.

__________________________________________________

Tonight the torch relay is in my neighbourhood - coming over the Burrard Bridge and into David Lam Park - will go down if it not raining too much otherwise I will try and catch it tomorrow on its way along Davie Street.

Cheers

Dennis

The Olympic scene at Robson Square and Art Gallery Feb 10, 2010

2010-02-11T11:18:00.001-08:00

Before I headed down to BC Place Stadium and the final dress rehearsal for the upcoming opening ceremonies I was walking around downtown and to the site of the old Art Gallery and Robson Square or GE Plaza as it is known currently and it was a bee hive of activity.

The Province of BC - as the host Province - is using this area as its pavilion or representative House as they are supposed to called during the Games.

There will also be free admission to the Art Gallery during the Games.

They have done a good job of transforming the area into a great public display for the Games - below are some images from the Blackberry with a brief note of explanation.

This one doesn't need a lot of explanation - it tells you how much time before the Games start.

Omega is a sponsor and have set up a display in the front of the Art Gallery

More of their display outlining some great moments in Olympic history.

Sign explaining the murals now hanging from the Art Gallery.

One of the murals.

This I believe will be a First Nations display - not opened to the Public yet.

One of the two towers for the Zip-lining across Robson Square.

The BC Pavilion is using the Art Gallery and have added an "extra floor"

You can get your photo taken on the a podium set up for visitors and locales alike.

This display is actually across the street at one of the entrance to the Pacific Center mall.

Then it was onto to the dress rehearsal of the Opening ceremonies.

Will post some info on that later.

Cheers

Dennis

Presenting Slovakia House Feb 9, 2010

2010-02-09T15:22:00.001-08:00

Located at the site of the Vancouver International film center in the 1200 Block Seymour St is the Representative house of the Slovak Republic. It is not opened to the public or at least it has no free events - this is mostly serving as an economic development and trade office - there are events for the public but they are charging to attend.

Here's a link to their web site:

http://www.repredom.sk/en/

I spent some time this morning talking to a cousin who learned Slovak as a youth in the hope that she might to be to mentor me with a few words but she informed me that Grandma spoke in what is referred to as OLD Slovak which is apparently different from what is use nowadays so that lead frizzled out - guess I am just joining to have to bear down and learn some on-line - might also pick up a English - Slovak dictionary if such as thing exists - time to check Chapters and see what they have.

The Torch relay is to the south of us today - it briefly crossed the border at the Peace Arch before heading to New Westminister and ending the night in Richmond - tomorrow it is in Burnaby - about a blockfrom my cousins so they will view it there and then onto the North Shore before coming into Vancouver on Thursday.

More later

Cheers

Dennis

A little about the country that I am assigned to - Slovakia

2010-02-09T09:24:00.000-08:00

Learn more about the flag and symbol here:

http://www.slovakia.org/sk-flag.htm

Above is the national symbol and flag of Slovakia - I will be assisting there chef de mission at the Paralympic Games from March 12 - 21 as a National Paralympic Committee assistant.

While I didn't apply to be with this great central European nation I am more than happy to have this assignment.

Normally to get a country like this you need to be able to speak the language but I don't but first some history.

The reason that I am happy is that Slovakia and a small town in the north central part of the country called Liesek is the hometown of my paternal grandparents. The town boasts a population of around 3,000 and is located in the foothills of the lower Tarta mountains - it is also only a small distance from the Polish border - while I don't know allot about the family tree I know that the grandparents left there - it would have been part of the Austrian-Hungarian empire at the time and headed for the US and Pennsylvania where over 60% of all Slovaks who came to America reside and where there are string of cousins on my Grandmother's side - other family members have never been able to find any serious leads to more on my Grandfather's side.

So while I don't speak the language - Dad insisted when we were young that we are Canadians and should learn to speak English and later French - nowadays young people are encouraged to learn their ancestors native tongue - I view this as a great opportunity to learn about the workings of my homeland.

I have been thinking about a European vacation in a couple of years when I turn 65 and this will be a great chance to learn more.

As for not speaking the language and the volunteering - this is how it was explained to me during the training - the larger delegations either have or are given interpreters so we don't need to worry about language - most of the European countries participants speak a little to a lot of English or else some of the other volunteers in our delegation can speak the language.

The Slovaks do have a pavilion at the Games so I am going to wander over there and see if I can pick up some further information - also found a free web site where I can learn some key words and phrases.

To find our more about Slovakia visit this web site: http://visitslovakia.com/slovakia-slovakia/

If you want to learn a lit bit more about the Slovakia Paralympic team - here is a link - FYI - most of the site is in Slovak and I don't have a translation service available but it appears that they will have about 16 - 20 athletes in the Whistler events:

http://www.spv.sk/projekt-vancouver-2010/uvodne-informacie

More later

Cheers

Olympic mascots on ice Feb 8, 2010

2010-02-08T22:18:00.000-08:00

Today as I was walking by the GE Plaza at Robson Square I came upon a little skating show staring the three Olympics mascots - Sumi, Quatchi and Miga - they joined some other skaters on about a 15 minute performance - it was designed to entertain the kids in attendance and visitors as well.

The image are from my Blackberry so the quality isn't the greatest.

Miga is the official mascot for the Paralympic Games so I will see lots of her during my volunteer stint.

Once again the downtown was busy and the new temporary home of the Irish - a tent was packed with parties and the band had the corner of Seymour and Nelson rocking.

Sumi started the show

Then joined by Quatchi

Quatchi playing goal - he made a spectacular glove save

Sumi and Quatchi wooing the crowd.

Miga takes to the ice.

Miga being Miga

Welcoming the crowd near the end of the performance.

Quatchi close at hand.

Sumi shakes hands with some of the kids that were in attendance

The three amigos at the end of the performance.

Cheers

Dennis

Olympic Journey - Feb 8, 2010

2010-02-08T06:42:00.000-08:00

4 DAYS TO GO !!!

The city is alive with people starting to enjoy the Olympic spirit - the above photos taken on the Blackberry show some of the ways the City is trying to ensure that the visitors are welcomed and can find there way around the downtown core.

Over at the official Olympic store located in the downtown Bay building - it was a mad boxing day scene almost the entire weekend - they had 22 payment stations going full bore the entire time and there were long line-ups at all of them.

They have now sold over 2 million of the red mittens and the last large shipment has arrived and they are selling fast - suspect they will bring in stock from other stores across the country if the demand keeps up.

When the Bay won the contract away from the "Roots" chain there was a lot of skeptics who didn't think the Bay could deliver on its promises and financial commitment - at last report VANOC expects to exceed both there revenue and profit targets from the merchandising.

The Bay has also opened a new international mall up on the five floor where a number of other countries are selling their official merchandise - while not busy there was a steady stream of customers looking over the goods - there is a very large display of Russian goods for sale.

I looked for some Slovakian goods - all they had were a hat and a hockey jersey - both well priced for me not to buy - gonna check some of the other discount stores to see if they have anything - think it would be nice an proper to wear the colors of the country that I will be assisting.

Last night while watching the Super Bowl I got the next email that I was expecting for my volunteer assignment - it was details of when, where and how to get my accreditation and uniform and it confirmed what I was told at training - just needed to go to the web site and pick a time - unfortunately I was hoping for a morning time but could only get an afternoon one - there is however some short term free parking across the street from the venue for us to use if necessary but I will probably bus out since the ride back will be free - once we have our documents all transit in the region is free to use.

Over dinner after the Game a good friends partner who is also an Olympic volunteer and I compared some training thoughts etc. Her job will be more of a meet, greet and seat volunteer at the Pacific Coliseum - home of figure skating and short track speed skating.

Next up for me on the journey - the dress rehearsal for the opening ceremonies on Wednesday - then watching the Olympic torch relay as it goes through the West End and down Davie street early Friday morning and then watching the opening ceremonies - I won't be near BC Place stadium - between 50, 000 and 100,000 are expected in the area for the ceremony as well as about 1500 militant demonstrators who are counter marching along the route and while I hope that all will be peaceful I wouldn't bet on it considering some of the comments the organizers have been saying publicly on TV and posting on their web sites.

If the weather is dry I might head down to the Live event site at David Lam Park in Yaletown and watch the proceedings from there - it is also the site of the nightly fireworks and water spectacular - I can see some of the site from the condo and they have been practising the last few nights. It looks like it will be quite the show.

Well that's all for today.

Cheers

Dennis

Olympic pins etc Feb 4, 2010

2010-02-04T09:06:00.001-08:00

While standing in line yesterday a gentlemen in front of me was wearing his lanyard with lots of Olympic theme pins on it - as volunteers we are allowed to display our collection on the lanyard but not elsewhere on our uniforms.

This got to to thinking - don't have have some Olympic pins from when the bid was being made etc so today I remember that I had a hat - it's in pretty sad shape with some pins on it - sure enough there it was in the closet - the CTV pin I got from a CTV staffer that I know who I managed to pigeon hole one night - he was very kind to give it to me.

Now to find the white towel that we also got - it around here some where.

I am told that those Vancouver 2010 candidate city pins are fetching around $40.00 on the net - will keep mine for the time being.

More later

More of my Olympic dream Feb 3, 2010

2010-02-03T20:42:00.001-08:00

Today mark another milestone on the road to my Olympic Dream - I finally after a couple of reminder phone calls got the official email offering me my post as a National Paralympic Committee Assistants for the Slovakia delegation - while I had the offer from my trainers last week I hadn't gotten the follow up email from the volunteer office which was brought to my attention when I went to get my free ticket to the dress rehearsal for the Opening ceremonies of the regular Games - they didn't have me listed but allowed me to get the tickets today - and after an almost two hour wait in line -I wouldn't have been a happy camper if I was told to come back another day - so when I got home I phoned the volunteer hot line first and then my trainers who confirmed that yes I had the position but because of the delegations for the regular games arriving were swamped with problems and were behind on emails - so it arrived in the inbox this evening.

So now I can quit worrying and start planning things like what to pack for my three week stay - whether to come into Vancouver on my days off - there are few items that I need to buy - a proper alarm clock in case I have a 6AM start and yes we are expecting to star that early on some days.

I will be part of a team of Assistants - how many I don't know yet as I don't know how large the delegation is - there is a formula that is used for determining this and also determining how many cars each delegation has access too. Some delegations will also be asking for extra cars which they pay for. We will have each other email addresses so we can chat it up and get to know each other. I am planning on trying to try and learn a few words of Slovakia - found a free web site with a lesson or two on learning Slovakian

I also purchased one extra ticket and decided to treat my God Mother - MaryRosie to the event - she is a spry 81 year old and was very good to me when Mother was going through her final journey in life. When I called her and asked what she was doing next Wednesday - she hesitated but once I told her about the ticket I couldn't get her off the phone - mind you that often happens when I phone her.

Everyone who got a ticket today also got a bottle of wine - it was a funny sight of many of us volunteers who didn't bring a bag or backpack walking through downtown Vancouver at 10:30AM with bottles of wine in our hands or stuffed in a jacket pocket.

In concluding today - I intend to start posting a little more often about the Games and more about my job etc over the next month because exactly one month from today I will head up to Whistler and take up residence in the Athlete's Village for three weeks.

Cheers

Dennis

SSome more looks at the Olympic sites Jan 267, 2010

2010-01-26T14:23:00.000-08:00

Today's report centers around my bike ride from earlier today and is a copy of what I posted on Facebook.

The images are in reverse order of my ride only because that is the way that I uploaded them.

Wanting to see how bike traffic is affected along the Olympic village site I proceeded down Ontario to 3rd where the detour sign has you turning right to Quebec and down to 2nd - Quebec St is closed to traffic at 2nd but there is a wide pathway on the east side for bike and foot traffic which provides foot traffic for the fast food restaurants there.

You are starting to notice the Security presence near the Village - a large group of peace officers from various forces were having lunch at the Burger King - after lunch it's into the Science World Parking Lot - but wait it's not Science World anymore - but the Russian Pavilion featuring the City of Sochi who are the host for the 2014 Games.

Then its along the Seawall and pass the Saskatchewan and Quebec Pavilions and into the Plaza of Nations where the caberet is being converted into a Chinese Pavilion and the Edgewater Casino is putting up a large food fair.

Next at the Cambie Bridge there are now pontoons and buoys restricting the flow of traffic towards the Village - gone also are the cheapos who live year round on their boats - pay no taxes etc.

Cheers and have a great day and GO CANADA GO !!!

An update about this blog and all things Olympic Jan 25, 2010

2010-01-25T08:36:00.001-08:00

Over the course of the next two months most of the posts on this blog will be about the upcoming Olympic and Paralympic Games - the City of Vancouver and its involvement as well as my volunteer involvement to the Games. For my regular rants go to my Facebook page - there is a link on the right hand side of this blog to it.

It's eighteen days to start - as the Flame will be lit at 6PM PST that is the turnover time on the Games clock located on the north side of Vancouver Art Gallery.

For me there a few days of interest.

Later this week the official offer of a position as a assistant to a National Paralympic Committee - I will be one of a number of volunteers assigned to a delegation to assist their Chef DE Mission in helping their team and athletes have a safe and winning Games. The number of assistants assigned to a delegation depends on the size of the delegation - the smallest delegations get three assistants - one of whom is likely to be commuting back and forth from Vancouver - as we are a 24/7 operation - albeit the overnight is more a standby than anything else - we get one day off in 6 and will either work a AM or a PM shift of around 10 hours - yes there is an overlap - each delegation receives the keys to a certain number of vehicles which are at the disposal of the Chef to use as he sees fit - for the most part - we will be driving those cars BUT as long as the delegation officials are over 21 and have a valid driver license in their home country they are free to drive within the Olympic zone - we would just provide them with directions.

Because the number of athletes for the Para Games is about half of the number of the main Games all delegation assistants will be housed with the delegations in the Whistler Olympic Village.

More details on this job in later posts.

Feb 3 - I get to pick up my free ticket to the dress rehearsal of the opening ceremonies. I can purchased one additional ticket if I so please

Feb 10 - dress rehearsal

Feb 12 - the opening ceremonies - will watch on TV unless I get a volunteer assignment in which case I will be with the delegation - see Para Games opening ceremonies for more details.

Feb 22 - get my credentials and uniform for the Para Games

Feb 28 - Olympic Games end

Mar 3 - head to Whistler and take up residence prior to my delegation arriving.

Mar 4 - my delegation is expected to arrive and I get to meet the Chef DE Mission and other team members although we will have talked online prior to that - also get my proxy to pick up things like mail and guest passes for the delegation.

Mar 12 - head back down to Vancouver for the opening ceremonies for the Paralympic Games - we will march with our delegation from the staging area to the entrance of the stadium but then will stand aside as they take the floor.

March 21 - the Games end with closing ceremonies at Whistler.

March 24 - final day - all delegations will have left and I get to return home to Vancouver

April ? - wind up party for all volunteers - details to TBA later.

On my days off I am free to return to Vancouver via the Olympic Bus Network - if there is room on a team bus I can use that unless a team member arrives and needs a seat in which case I would to have to wait for a Workforce bus - Workforce is the VANOC term for all paid workers, contractors or volunteers during the Game. They will be running frequently 24/7 throughout the Games and my credentials are my ticket for a free ride on the transit system anytime during the Games.

On my time off between shifts I can take the free shuttle into Whistler and do as I please but we are cautioned that we will need our rest and not to overdo it.

It's going to be busy and fun couple of months.

As our training was for both Games there is still an outside chance that I could get a call to head to Whistler for the regular Games - if this happens my accommodation will be in a hotel, B&B or staff housing as there aren't enough beds in the Athlete's Village for all delegation assistants because there are more athletes than at the Para Games.

Cheers

Dennis

Continuing my Olympic Dream Friday Jan 23, 2010

2010-01-23T09:58:00.000-08:00

While on the ferry over to Nanaimo yesterday I got an email on my Blackberry offering me a delegation and official posting for the Paralympics Games - they have slotted me with the Slovakian team which I was somewhat hoping for as that is the paternal homeland - don't speak the language but as this is a fairly large delegation they will have translators or the other assistants will have a knowledge. The official on-line contract will be sent in a day or two but I have already answered yes to accepting the position and letting my fellow assistants have my name and email - as I want to visit the homeland in a couple of years this will be a great opportunity to learn more about my country great heritage.

Now the next part of the process starts - during our training it was suggested that once we knew which delegation we would be assisting that we start surfing the internet and our delegation's web sites to learn about the cultures, history, tradition etc of that nation - I can probably get just as much info from a couple of cousins both of whom speak the language as well. So at least I can plan the month of March.

With this posting it is looking less likely that I will get a regular Games assignment - however during training a few of us did indicated that we are only a cell phone call away from being available.

Speaking of cell phones - time to relisten to the training video on the Samsung Omina phone which we will be using during the Games.

The other item I need to try to on bone up on is the instrument panel on the car that I will be driving as it has a lot of bells and whistles that my simple little 4 banger truck doesn't have.

Oh well I probably have a month to learn some of that.

More later.

Cheers

Dennis

Part Five - Final thougths etc Jan 15, 2010

2010-01-15T07:47:00.000-08:00

Well with the training over it is a game of wait and see just which delegation I will be attached to and just when I will make the trek up to Whistler.

For the Paralympics Games because there are less countries and participants they can house all the NOC/NPC volunteers at the Whistler Olympic Village - they don't like using the term Athlete's Village because it house the Olympic Family which includes coaches, Chef de Mission as well.

Feb 22, 2010 is the day that I will get my accreditation and uniform if just the Paralympics Games - as soon as I have the pass I can start using public transit for free.

We will head up one day prior to the delegation arriving - we do get to help them with the opening ceremonies by escorting them from a staging location to BC Place.

For the regular Winter Games if I am at Whistler and that is the the most likely scenario I will be housed in a condo, staff housing - won't really know until I get up there - if this happens a lot will take place in the next couple of weeks - accreditation, uniform, radios etc.

I have been vague on some aspects of the training - all volunteers are required to sign a non-disclosure waiver. While we can blog like I am we are told to keep it plain until after the Games.

Similarly we aren't suppose to post any images from the the venues etc until after the Games.

I found the training to be very well-planned and informative and look forward to being able to carry our my Olympic Dream.

Answer to the Question in the last post.

The Olympic Games and the Paralympic Games which held one after the other are two completely different international organizations and have different logos and in some cases sponsors.

If you look closely at the backpack you will see the two logos on the same bag - what they have done is put and extra flap on the front of the pack that when unzipped and removed reveals the Paralympic logo.

A similar situation exists with the uniform where there are snaps for the other logo to be atttached etc.

Time for breakfast

Cheers

Dennis

Part 4 - the final training event - Touring the Vancouver Athlete's Village Thursday Jan 14, 2010

2010-01-15T07:19:00.000-08:00

Thursday - it is pouring rain so my idea of biking over to the Olympic Village is down the drain so I drive and park about 2 blocks away - proceed to the entrance gate and are met by our supervisors who check us off the list - attendance is mandatory so we are tracked every step of the way - then it's into what during the Games will be the retail mall where the athletes and officials will be able to purchase necessary items etc.

After the Games it will be converted back to its built purpose - a community center for the citizens of Vancouver - if I can enjoy the views on a dark and deary night I can just try to imagine what the view will be to the athletes on a beautiful sunny day.

We have about an hour lecture on emergency procedures and safety concerns and its time to get wet with a tour of the Village - we are separated into smaller groups and are given the lowdown on what the various building will be.

We then come inside to the NOC - NPC building - this here and at Whistler is the hub for our class of volunteer - where we get our work pass stamp - pick up mail and any other matters for our delegations etc. We will have a chance to relax during down time - use the internet etc - it will be home for the Games regardless of which location we are at.

Those who are starting early also have picked up there cell phones and told to read up as apparently these Samsungs are state of the art.

This building will be converted into a London Drugs and Urban Fare after the Games.

Back outside - we see the big food tent and where we will get what ever meals we are entitled too.

Finally back inside for some final thoughts and we are then given our backpacks.

If you look at the attached pictures can you see the difference.

Hint: look closely at the logo.

Answer in a next post

Cheers

Dennis

Part Three:Training to be an Olympic volunteer Day 2 Jan 9, 2010 - A day in the Classroom

2010-01-15T06:53:00.000-08:00

Saturday saw me heading out to the BCIT campus in Burnaby and once I located the correct parking lot and paid my $4.00 for a full day of Parking it was inside to some coffee and breakfast goodies - most of the things that I really shouldn't be having but did anyways - see some of the guys that I spent yesterday with.

Should mention before I forget just how friendly and easy going all the instructors have been so far.

As one who had to learn throughout my working career about treating all customers, staff and people in general in a positive smiling way it was good to see that is the Olympic spirit from the start.

In talking to Wes he has just found out that he has been assigned to the Polish team as one of the other NOC assistants has dropped out.

To keep it short the day was a condensed crash course in all things relating to our positions as Assistants to the National Olympic or National Paralympics teams.

Many of the volunteers have spend a couple hours a month for the past eight months learning what we have crammed into one long day.

We get a couple of short breaks and then a great lunch - good sandwiches and juice - then its back for the last two major lectures.

We get lots of chances to ask questions - some are very active in this regard - I am fairly mute - do have a few to ask.

After our lunch break we get a sterling video presentation from a person with disabilities and how we should approach them - his message is simple and to the point JUST ASK - don't push that wheelchair before you ask. It was a video re-run of a live lecture that he had given to an earlier and was very enlightening. He also used the words DON'T ASK - when you see a person with disabilities don't ask them what happened. I should note that this view wasn't shared by one of the Paralympians who was part of the presentation team. In his case he will give a short answer.

Our final presentation was from Allison Forsythe - a Canadian Olympic Alpine ski member in 2002 and 2006 who's career was ended because of an injury during a training run for the Torino Games - quiet the story and she had lots of do's and don't from an athlete point of view.

It being 5:00PM we finally adjourned with lots of knowledge and binder full of info - it contains the info that we received verbally today.

Gave Wes a ride back to his Son's place in Kits and then headed home and supper.

Next up - a visit to the Vancouver Athlete's Village on Thursday evening.

Part Two:Training to be an Olympic volunteer Day One Jan 8, 2010 - Whistler venues and the drive home

2010-01-15T06:21:00.000-08:00

After arriving in Whistler and doing another driver change we head for the Athlete's village and await for our tour time at 2:30 but first about the checkpoint - today it's just sign our name beside it on the training list but it is will a lot more secure than that at Games times.

We are met by our trainer and walk through the Village - the roads and sidewalks are very slippery as there is some freezing rain falling - it is also windy and cold - a good introduction of what things might be like during the Games - we don't get to see inside the suites as they are busy putting the finishing touches on the Village.

It's then back into the car and time to try and find the various venues and more importantly just where we are expected to go when we have a passenger.

Our first stop is Whistler Creekside - home of the original Whistler ski area that will host the Alpine Skiing events - finding the venue is easy - you can't miss it - finding where we are to drop off and park was a little more challenging - while the signage is going up it appears to be a little incomplete partly because the area is a ski village and people living and working there still need to go about their daily routine.

We stopped a couple of security guys - explained who we were - showed them our map and they told us where we would be going.

Next on to the Sliding center - from a friend I knew where it is located so we headed there but tried to take the recommended route which isn't necessarily the shortest route - found the sight but not the drop off area - apparently they will have to walk a short distance from the parking area to the participation area.

I should note with the exception of the Olympic Park all the Whistler venues are existing sites or located right in the town center so access isn't the greatest by car - Whistler was built as a mostly car free Alpine town so it can be a challenge to drive to events but that is part of our role.

Next - the medals area - it is not finished but we did follow the signage and found the site - then it's on to the Media center at the Convention center - still finishing up here as well.

Final stop will be the Whistler Olympic Park - the home of the Nordic, biathlon and ski jumping events - located about 15KM from Whistler or the Village it is a pleasant drive up in good weather - it is starting to rain etc as we make the drive up - we reach the checkpoint - tell them who we are and are allowed to proceed to the three venue areas - this area is a lot easier to navigate as it was planned for the Games - it will be operated after the Games by the Four First Nations on whose territory the Games are being held.

After a quick driver change and darkness we start the drive back to Vancouver.

A couple of us were let off in downtown and the others took the car, refuelled it and return it to the depot.

Thanks to Wes, Douglas, Lucian and Steve for a good day - if these are kinds of people that will be volunteering the athletes and general public will be well served.

I will see all the Steve tomorrow at our next training session.

Part One:Training to be an Olympic volunteer Day One Jan 8, 2010 - the drive to Whistler

2010-01-09T06:34:00.000-08:00

The first day of my Olympic dream had me getting up around 5:30AM - actually was having trouble sleeping and arose before the alarm.

My "A" plan was to walk across the Burrard Bridge to the vehicle compound where our training was to take place IF the weather was dry - Plan "B" was to take the bus - despite a rainy day forecast it was dry so after ensuring that I had my material with me and my driver's license I proceeded to walk across the bridge - it only took about 20 minutes so I was early but so where many others - at the security checkin I was warmly greeted and advise to walk to the large canvas white tent - inside there were some cookies and coffee - most of the crowd is older and there are two groups here today - the easiest way to describe it is - one group will be Vancouver based and one group will be Whistler based - the training event is for both Olympic and Paralympic volunteers - there are two people here who I know from my working days - both are going to be Vancouver based.

Promptly at 8:30AM we are officially welcome and have a short introductory session before the large group is broken into smaller groups - our name tags have our first names, a number and a sports figure in either green or blue - through the course of the training the number represents the vehicle # or rather position in a long line of cars ready for us to drive. The green tags are for Vancouver people and blue for Whistler - we then get a first hand look a the vehicles that we will be driving - they are GMC Acadia - a crossover model with lots of bells and whistles.

We then reassembly inside for a drive easy lecture - the gentleman giving the lecture is both very thorough in giving us driving tips - remember we are all adults who have been driving for many years so we are considered to be safe and courteous drivers - and also humorous - most seemed to feel that it was a good presentation and did pick up a few tips to improve my already stellar driving.

Then it was time for the drive to Whistler - there are five in our car - we are all to do some driving - one person is to navigate and the three others to observe and we agreed that the person navigating would be the next one to drive - I am the first navigator partly because I am the resident expert on getting out of the downtown core - the first driver is from Ontario - his son lives here so he has a place to stay - while he is familiar with the city he seemed to appreciated my directions - he drove to Squamish where we stopped to change drivers, have a washroom break and start to eat our lunches - we aren't on a set time frame other than we have to be at the Whistler athletes village by a certain time for our tour.

I then take the wheel and head for Whistler - we had hoped to take in the Olympic Park - home to ski jumping, Nordic and biathlon events before the stop at the Village but our time was tight we so after a brief driver change we choose to go straight to the Village and wait for the others.

End of part one.

The pictures you see here from my collection that I have taken up to now of the sites that the games are being staged at.

Why we were allowed to take photos if we choose we could not posted the Village ones online until after the Games because of Security concerns - since I will be based in Whistler I will have lots of other opportunities to get pictures and probably with better weather conditions.

Off now to my next training session.

Cheers

It's starting to look like a Y again Dec 31, 2009

2009-12-31T19:22:00.001-08:00

Today as I was walking back home from a visit to the GYM I remember that the new Y building is starting to look like one so I got out the Blackberry and snapped these images

Now scheduled to open on May 3, 2010 a bright neon sign has been fitted onto the front of the building as well as a new web site for the building.

www.robertleeymca.ca

So if you want to find out what is going on give it a visit.

Cheers

Dennis

Update Dec 27, 2009

2009-12-27T09:00:00.000-08:00

If you have noticed that this blog isn't getting a lot of action you are correct - I am doing most of my day to day stuff on my Facebook account - so much more easier to upload photos etc.

I still do intend to keep this blog going though - it will be used for any larger photo essays or trips that I take.

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO EVERYONE !!! MAY 2010 BE OUR BEST YEAR EVER !!!

Cheers

Chasing my elusive Olympic dream Dec 17, 2009

2009-12-17T20:39:00.000-08:00

On the Olympic volunteer front received another email asking a few more questions including whether I would be willing to be based out of Whistler - either living in provided accommodations or be transported there and back. I said yes.

Sounds like they are interested in me because the next round of the process isn't suppose to start until next week.

One of the things identified in the email was that you are basically assigned to delegation and are there to provide certain services like transport to venues etc - you will also have access to the venues while you are with the delegation. You also could start as early as Jan 29 - when the first of the delegations starts arriving

It not an easy task - most likely 6 days on 1 off and between 8 - 10 hour shifts although the Whistler posting could be a little different.

Cheers

A little clarification

2009-12-15T20:27:00.000-08:00

I got a little ahead of myself on the post about volunteering for the Olympics - I was a little concerned about how the email was structured - very generic and one minor error - So I phoned the volunteer hot line - the email was very legit and it was actually asking me if I was interested in applying for this position and by replying in the affirmative I become part of the pool who will be accessed over the next week. Hopefully will get another email early next week with the actual offer - if that happens I will then have access to the volunteer web page and all the dates etc will be outlined for me.

Cheers

Christmas on Granville Island and a little politics December 14, 2009

2009-12-15T07:04:00.000-08:00

Last night I had the chance to venture over to Granville Island to partake in my MLA Mary McNeill first annual Xmas party - it is the first because she was only elected in May - she is also the Minister responsible for the Olympics - it was my first time to see and talk to her since election night as she has been very busy with all the Olympic themed events going on in town.

It was also a chance to renew friendships with some of her campaign team you are now working for her.

I took the ferry across False Creek with snow falling and with the intent of taking a number of photos of Granville Island decked out in Christmas colors but I forgot to check my battery level and was only able to capture the bottom two images before they died.

After the function and a few free beers I headed back to the ferry but saw the Ocean Cement truck all decked out and snapped it and the first image with my Blackberry.

Then it was off to the Big Ones to do a little computer work for him.

Cheers

First taste of winter and more Christmas scenes Sunday December 13, 2009

2009-12-13T19:22:00.000-08:00

It starting snowing lightly as I was about to head our for a walk for a little shopping and lunch.

Took along my point and shot camera to see what I might get in the line of snow shots.

The "old" theatre row on Granville was my first opportunity because there are no cars or buses running you get a chance to see the snow accumulate on the roadway.

Then it was onto to Pacific Center Mall where I realized that the annual Festival of Trees is held on the upper level of the Mall and in the lobby of the adjacent Four Seasons Hotel.

Outside once again I visit the site of the Vancouver Christmas tree and Olympic countdown clock at the Vancouver Art Gallery.

This evening at 6PM PST we will reach the 60 day countdown.

Then it is onto to the Royal Bank - one of the main sponsors of the Torch Relay and the art deco they have put up on their main headquarters building at Georgia andBurrard.

Finally a look at the art work at the CTV building at Robson andBurrard - they are the official broadcaster to the Games.

Then it was off home.

Cheers

D