Got a few things done today - started off by driving up to Cypress Mt - little to no snow at the ski base and hiked the Yew Lake trail and Old Growth trails - the picture above is of the new Ski Lodge which is set to open any day now. This will consolidate all services into one area and skiers will be able to ski right to the doors of the Lodge unlike now where you need to take your skis off to get to the services. The snow in the background of the images is man made - if you look closely you should see a small cloud - that is the snow blowers hard at work.

There was no one else on the trails but I suspect some people went up the Baden Powell trail towards Cabin Lake as I saw people heading in that direction.

Got home and checked the mail - got a 50% rebate for the dental work done in the States so that will give me a few more $$$ to spend.

Well almost supper time and then I guess I might just watch the Canucks - hopefully they can stop the slide tonight.

More later

D

Well I decided to get out on the bike after all and it was a pleasant but cool ride - headed east along False creek to near Science World and then took the Adanac bike route through Chinatown and Strathcona before turning left and heading for Alexander and Water Sts in Gastown - then along the Coal Harbour seawall to the Park Entrance and through to Second Beach - it was here that I met up with the 2 Chucks - Wright and Lew - long time Y members out for their walk - according to them it looks like there will not be a Santa Claus run/dinner this year as most of the organizers are either in Mexico or Palm Springs - From Second Beach into English Bay and a bite to eat and a newspaper read at the Davie St Golden Arches and then home.

Later I needed a little walk as I am starting to print out some contact sheets of the images from the trip and ran out of matte paper - for some reason my glossy paper is jamming my printer so that is something for me to work on later.

Hard to believe but 3 weeks from today is Xmas - have you done your Xmas shopping.

Looks like the Canucks are going to make it 4 straight losses as they are down 6 - 4 to Detroit late in the 3rd period.

Tomorrow if the weather is dry I might head up Cypress - want to check out the new Lodge and its related facilities and provided there isn't much snow on the ground perhaps a short walk along the Yew Lake trail.

Cheers

D

It's Thursday and cloudy here in Vancouver and I am off two minds as to what to do today - one mind says get on the bike and go for a ride - the other mind says held to Metro town for some shopping and the third option is to do nothing.

While I am trying to decide what to do perhaps I should phone Telus and find out why my bill is up a couple of $$ this month - the contract doesn't end for another month so their shouldn't be an increase - and it looks like they have some specials on right now that might actually save me some money next year.

Last night I attend the volunteer wind party for Arthur Griffiths campaign team - free booze and light snacks and a fairly good turnout - and yes the federal government mess was discussed - no one really likes Harper and most would like to see him gone but not all thought the coalition was a do idea and several didn't want Dion leading the charge as they were working for Iggy. Event wound up around 8PM just after Arthur announced that he won't be running in the gneral election in May and that the Liberals will need to find a new candidate - he will be supporting the new candidate both politically and financially.

More later

D

Actually just a short post to accompany this photo which was taken this afternoon at Fisherman's Wharf on the south side of False Creek.

Cheers

D

Well it was dry this morning so I got on the bike and did the False Creek loop - over the Burrard Bridge, down Cypress to the seaside bike trail and then followed it all the way to Science World passing the Olympic Athlete's village and the nice new seawall there.

After a quick lunch at Burger King it was back on the bike and the westward ride on the north side of False Creek to Hornby St and then up Hornby to the apartment.

It was a pleasant 12 Km of riding and the weather was quite nice.

Last Sunday I went for a drive out the valley - the weather was soggy - light rain but I did stop and take in Cliff Falls in Kanaka Creek Park in Maple Ridge - it's just a short 10 minute walk from the parking area to the Falls which are really flowing at this time.

The second stop was at the Railway trail head on Hayward Lake - have driven by a number of times but have never stopped and explored - so I grabbed the umbrella and walked the first 2 kms of the mostly level trail to get an idea for a longer bike/walk in the future. The image at the top is of some of the old railway trestle that used to run along the lake.

Took the Albion ferry across to the south side of the river and then home.

Tomorrow is Larry's - that's my brother- 60th birthday so I will be treating him to lunch and then in the evening there is a wind up volunteer party for those who helped the Arthur Griffiths by-election campaign - while Arthur didn't win it was a fun campaign to have been associated with - chance to renew some friendships and perhaps gain some more - I am sure that the mess in Ottawa will probably come up and it could be quite a discussion as there are people from all the major parties that volunteered for Arthur.

I am also starting to think about my excursions for my next cruise which is slated for February out of New Orleans. Also need to book Amtrak so that should keep me busy for a day or two.

More later

Cheers

Still raining here this morning although it has eased up from yesterday - not much planned for today - perhaps a little more Xmas shopping - yes I am one of those who likes to get it over a done with - got up the courage this morning to take a look at my pension portfolio and like I suspected it is not a pretty site - hopefully the worst is over and some of the value will return in the next month otherwise it will be either me stay in town and vegetate or draw down some of the reserve funds which are outside of the registered plans.

More later

D

This really is a much to do about nothing day - can't decide what to do - more Xmas shopping, go for a bike ride, go for a drive in the country - with the cheaper gas prices I can afford - at least for the time being - to run the truck more.

I guess I could sit back and watch the three NFL games that are on TV and then tonight the Canucks are playing - perhaps drive up Seymour or Cypress and a walk in the snow.

One thing that I will have to do in the near future is rearrange the contents of my storage locker - our strata has been using some lockers in an adjoining building for free but that building has decided that it either wants our users out of there or to start paying for the ones that we are using - at a Special strata meeting last night the owners decided to go for option B which is to divide our full length lockers in half thereby giving each owner his or her own locker except some of us have two much junk and will need to either get rid of some of it or rent a second locker except that I have a large bookcase that will be too large under either scenario - so i just might bring it up to the apartment and replace it for a couple of my smaller ones.

Decisions - decisions - decisions

Cheers

D

Sunny morning here - heading out shortly to have lunch with my brother and in one week he turns 60 - finally have all my digital stills and video transferred from my laptop to my desktop - next will be coming up with the "best of" files and then onto DVD for lasting memories.

Not much other to discuss so

Cheers

D

Raining here today on the west coast of Canada so it will be a good day to do some indoor things - before I forget - the picture at the top is taken from St Lucia in the Caribbean - it's of the Pitons one of the most recognizable natural features on that island.

The other picture most of you should recognize as well -I had a seven hour layover between trains in Washington DC and the weather was sunny but cool so instead of taking the hop on hop off bus I starting walking down Pennsylvania Ave to the White House then over to the Washington Monument and down the National Mall to the Congressional building and then back to Union Station - that took at little over 2 hours and then I basically spend my time in the first class lounge at Union station or exploring the Station which is an attraction all by itself.

The Xmas decorations have been brought up from the storage locker and will be put up over the next few days - Dec 1, 2008 is the allowable date for us to have any outside lights up and on.

Later I am heading out for coffee with some of the other retired old farts from the Y at a coffee shop on the North Shore. Usually try and see them about once a month and since I have been away their will probably be lots of BS to spread around.

More later

D

Things are finally starting to get back to normal in my everyday life although I am still waking up early - like 3 to 4 AM as the body clock is just starting to readjust to Pacific time.

Got the last of the digital photos transferred over to the desk top - next up will be the video and then it will be a project to come up with a small 100 photos and less than 30 minutes of video.

Didn't find the Grey Cup game yesterday all that exciting - yes it was close and in doubt until the final minutes but there have been more more thrilling games in recent years.

On the agenda for today includes getting my flu shot and stopping into the dentist to update him about my loose tooth episode in NYC.

Yesterday I did bike around the Stanley Park seawall - lots of people out and about and will either bike or hike somewhere today.

One of the upsides to the current financial downside is that with gas much cheaper I will be able to afford to drive to some of my favorite biking and hiking destinations a little further out.

Also good to see some snow on the North Shore mountains - might even do some snowshoeing on Grouse since they have two or three groomed trails and it doesn't cost me anything other than the shoe rental as the use of the trails is included with my annual Grouse pass.

More later

D

Well finally arrived home around 2:30PM on Thursday and have spent the last few days getting to know my bed, apartment, city etc.

Did 4 large loads of laundry and Friday and a little Xmas shopping as well.

Will need to work on putting over 1000 photos into a much smaller file and spend some time editing and joining the video files as well.

Weather today is clear and cool so I hope to make it out on the bike a little later - in checking the scales at my health club it looks like I only put on a couple of pounds and that might be from the train ride as there isn't much opportunity to move around on the train and the meals in the dining car are big.

Do hope to be back in time to catch the Grey Cup - with over 65,000 fans cheering on the hometown Montreal Als it should be noisy in the Big O today.

More later

D

Tuesday November 18, 2008 - Metropolitan Lounge Amtrak Station - Chicago - in a couple of hours I will be boarding the Empire Builder for the final two days of this trip - came through overnight from Washington DC - snow on the ground along much of the route but none on the ground in Chicago.

Spent my layover time in Washington DC walking from Union Station to the White House - no I didn't see George or that biting dog on the grounds - the over to the Washington Monument - down the National Mall to the Congress building and then back to the train station - had hoped to post from there but there server was down.

While cruising and the train rides are great three weeks is getting to be a long time to be away at one time not to think of the 6 or so loads of laundry that will have to be done when I get back.

More later

D

Well the cruise is over - it was a whirlwind 13 days at sea with visits to Samana in the Dominican Republic, St Thomas in the Virgin Islands, Antigua, Barbados, St Lucia, Curacao and NCL's private island of Great Stirrup Cay - the weather for the most part was fine - a couple of brief tropical showers especially in Curacao - will post some thoughts later as it is almost time to leave for the train station and the trip home.

More later

Cheers

D

On board the Norwegian Dawn - Monday Nov 3, 2008 - Atlantic Ocean southbound to Samana Dominican Republic with arrival on Wednesday Nov 5, 2008

Embarkation was a breeze in NYC - within an hour of arriving at the pier I am on board the ship and meeting up with some of the other cruise critic members for an impromptu drink at Bimini’s Bar on Deck 13 - then to the Garden Café for lunch and then it’s time for muster drill and before long we are off and sailing down the Hudson river pass the Manhattan skyline and the Statute of Liberty and into the open waters of the Atlantic ocean - the weather while sunny is cold thanks to a brisk NE breeze - I stayed on deck to capture the sail away with many images of the skyline - then adjourned to Aqua restaurant for supper where I had a onion soup with rigatoni pieces - herb spiced chicken with mashed potatoes and seasonal veggies - like Brussels sprouts and zucchini neither of which I am a fan of. I pass on dessert - then tour the ship and take in some of the entertainment on board before returning to my cabin and a night’s sleep.

Speaking of my cabin - I have an outside obstructed view cabin which means that my view is obstructed by part of the tender boat but at least I can tell whether it is light out or what the weather is doing.

Today Monday I will attend the Cruise Critic Meet and Greet and Gift swap at 10:30AM in the Salsa restaurant where upwards of 80 people will attend.

I have brought a small memento of Vancouver - one of the Olympic mascots - should be a great gift for those with kids or grand kids.

The rest of the day, I intend to take easy, as I am still foot sore from all my walking in NYC.
I have booked the Salsa restaurant for dinner - it is a Tex-Mex sort of menu - had their ribs last year and even though there is now a $10.00 fee it is well worth it.

More later and Gord if you see this on Sunday say hi to Jim for me.

Cheers

D

It's Sunday morning here in NYC and almost time to vacate the hotel room and head for the ship - a picture of which is at the top of the page - it's the Norwegian Dawn - I am sure that I will meet up with some of the CC'ers in the lineup and once on board some of us were going to meet for a sail away drink at the Bimini Bar.

We should enjoy that sail away drink under sunny skies although by the time that we sail down the Hudson it will be getting dark - don't intend to worry too much about photos this year as I have a good supply from last year and got some much better shots of Lady Liberty yesterday from the Staten Island ferry. Might take some more video as last year my battery was dying as we sailed.

The only thing on my agenda that I didn't get to see was the United Nations complex which is only a couple of blocks from the Y - could still walk that way after breakfast and before grabbing a ride over to the ship. Will probably take a taxi rather than the bus that way I don't have too carry the weight of the suitcase too far when I get to the pier.

Cheers

D

This posting is coming to you from New York City - mid - Manhattan to be more precise - arrived yesterday afternoon - got checked in to my room at the Vanderbilt Y and then headed out for some of my planned sightseeing - first stop was Grand Central Station where I had supper and the onto Rockefeller Square and then Times Square - as it was Halloween there are lots of crazies on the street - one thing that also occurred as it was the last Friday of the month was the Critical Mass bike ride through Manhattan and Times Square - the only difference between this one and Vancouver's is that here they obey the rules of the road and stop for traffic lights etc.

Then it was off to bed for a big day was planned tomorrow.

Now for today's events - well the best laid plans sometimes don't go as hoped - while eating breakfast one of my crowns in my fine dental display came loose while eating a bagel sandwich at McDonald's - as tomorrow is cruise day I want to try and get it fixed - fortunately I was able to save the tooth - asking at the desk didn't give me much hope as it is a Saturday in a downtown core - because it is still early I buy my one day pass for the bus and subways - $7.50 for unlimited local travel and get on the # 4 run up to Central Park mid-point - spend about an hour walking up the east side of the Park and then cross over to the other side and start heading down the West Side before heading over to Broadway in the hopes of finding a dental office in a more residential neighbourhood - did succeed in finding one but they were swamped and couldn't take me if I wanted - did suggest another place and while the neon sign said Open today the security guy says that they are definitely closed on weekends - I then grab the Subway #A and take it down to the Staten Island ferry which I take over and come right back - you get some great views of the Statute of Liberty - the Manhattan and New Jersey skylines - it is now one o'clock and I still haven't had lunch so I walk from the Ferry terminal to the South St seaport where I have lunch and try to connect to the free wi-fi there but couldn't get my settings to work - I have free Internet at the Y but for some reason it won't load certain URL's including Telus and Cruise critic.

After a lunch - yes I can still eat even with the extra space in the upper part of my mouth - I head for the Brooklyn Bridge which is a short distance away and start the walk across the bridge - it is very busy for the first half and most people are coming over from the other side which is considered the better way to walk the Bridge - you get the views coming at you rather than having to turn around - the weather is sunny with filtered sun so quite pleasant for the walk - taking lots of photos and video - after completing the walk I take the Subway train back to Grand Central station and walk the short distance back to the Y - I am tired and hot from all the running around and after spending a little time chilling out I head out to look for a place to have supper and to my surprise I see a walk in dental clinic that appears opened - I step in and explain my dilemma - they can take me so I quickly return to the Y and retrieve the tooth and within an hour it has been re cemented in place for only $75.00US - nothing hard to eat for a couple of hours - find a pizza and pasta place and have a bowl fill of spaghetti and the return back to the Y for the evening - still have some repacking to do but other than not being able to post to Cruise Critic am pretty much ready for the cruise tomorrow - one thing for tomorrow is whether to take a bus to the cruise ship terminal or taxi - the NYC Marathon is on tomorrow and while it doesn't come into this part of town it could cause some traffic problems in other areas of the city.

Cheers

D

In just over an hour I will be boarding the bus and the trip down I-5 to Seattle to board the train.

Jim - bless his kind soul - is giving up a hour of his sleep to drive me to the train station - it's on his way to work so it isn't taking him out of his way - will grab a quick bite to eat at the Station since we don't get any stops for food etc on the way down - have packed some Pringles to help with the hunger pains - if I have enough time before boarding the train I will pick up some beer to drink on the train in my sleeper.

As for luggage - it my big new suitcase which is about 3/4ths fill - all the clothes needed for the cruise -I will have it send through on the train to NYC - a smaller overnight bag with clothes I need while on the train and a small day pack which will come in handy in the ports etc which has my cameras, laptop and other toys and there attachments.

More later

D

In a little less than 24 hours I will be underway by bus to Seattle to pick up Amtrak's Empire Builder for the first leg of the train ride to Chicago and then onto Pittsburgh and NYC arriving there on Friday night Oct 31, 2008 - yes in time for Halloween - should be a site to see in Times Square.

Finished packing this morning and will have supper with Jim tonight and then tomorrow he will drive me to the train station - it's on his way to work - and I will be underway.

More later.

D

This will soon be my home for 13 days as I head for NYC and board the Norwegian Dawn for thirteen days of cruising through the Caribbean before ending up in Miami and a train ride back to Vancouver.

Check back throughout the trip as I will be posting my thoughts etc to this blog.

Cheers

d

I recently saw this posted about a person's pending retirement:

" When you are retired you never have a day off"

It seems that lately that is exactly the case with me - between working for Elections Canada on the federal election, trying to get everything in place before I leave for the trip to NYC and the Caribbean cruise, trying to arrange my brother's 60 th birthday party, enjoying the outdoors with short hikes and bike rides, playing and learning how to operate my newest toy, volunteering with one of the candidates in our local by-election as a scrutineer at the advance polls, trying to keep my fantasy hockey pool players in focus, trying to decide on some holiday plans for next year in light of the current financial challenges facing my pension plans - I am keeping busy.

In one week I board the Amtrak bus for the trip down I - 5 to connect with the Empire Builder to Chicago then on to NYC.

In NYC I hope to get a hold of Denise - one of my former Y workers who is currently attending acting school and working in the Big Apple.

The weather is nice again today so it will be out on the bike again shortly for a ride to somewhere fairly close by.

More later

D