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Weekend with Kate
By ruth | May 27, 2008
Weekend before last, Kate came to visit. She’s currently living in L.A. so it’s not a long flight, and she’s in the same time zone as us.
She arrived on Friday while we were still at work, so we left her a key and a map and she went to Granville Island and found herself a beer. After we got back, we went out to Presto Cucina for Italian, then down to the beach to see the sunset.
On Saturday we had (as is obligatory when guests come) breakfast at the Naam; then walked along the sea wall to Granville Island. Dave was melting in the heat so we went to the Net Loft for a cold caffeinated drink, then showed Kate some of the sights, before going to the market to buy the makings for an evening of barbecued deliciousness. 
We left Kate at the Maritime Museum and went home to start getting things ready. Kate came back in the early evening, and Anke and Michael arrived laden with meat, olives, gherkins, antipasti, bread, beer, and wine. We’d already catered for six people, and there were only five of us, so we had plenty to keep us going. We sat out on the deck enjoying the first warm weekend evening of the summer, and keeping well hydrated. Dave’s home made burgers and the pork tenderloin that Anke and Michael brought were probably the highlights.
We had a slow start the following morning, but got our act together to drive to Horseshoe Bay, park, and catch the ferry to Bowen Island in time for Bowen Island Sea Kayaking’s afternoon trip. Kate had never been sea kayaking before and is now a convert. Howe Sound is ideal for it – sheltered, and surrounded by majestic snowy peaks; while Bowen Island is a house-voyeur’s dream – multi-million dollar waterfront homes you can only see from a boat. You can even see the ski slopes of Cypress Mountain (still with lots of snow on them) from your kayak.
My arms are not kayaking-fit so I was aching by the end of the trip, and very keen to have a beer and some snacks. We went to the extremely popular pub/ restaurant in Snug Cove, then had time for a brief wander through the woods before catching the ferry back.
For dinner we had the steak we hadn’t barbecued the day before, and Kate says she’s still thinking about it now. (Marinated in Jamaican jerk sauce.)
Monday was Victoria Day (a Canadian holiday – hurray for Queen Vicky), and I was actually pleased to see it raining hard. Kate wouldn’t have got the real BC experience if it hadn’t rained at least once.
In the face of indecisiveness from the others I decided we’d go to Capilano Suspension Bridge, for a taste of the rainforest, and because the bridge is cool. There’s a free suspension bridge at Lynn Canyon, and Capilano Suspension Bridge is extremely touristy and over-priced, but I had a hankering to see what they’d done with it. Turned out to be an excellent decision – Dave and I got half price tickets (limited time offer) for being BC residents, plus free entry for a year; and Kate got a hefty student discount.
The bridge really is scary and impressive; the nature tour was quite interesting; the ‘treetop’ walkways were fun; the white water in the canyon was sufficiently roiling; and I took lots of photos of totem poles. We got very wet in the rain, but the forest gave surprisingly good shelter; and Kate got to wear a particularly fetching free yellow waterproof poncho.
Shortly after that, Kate had to get back to the airport and fly back to L.A. to ponder the wonders of steak and sea kayaking. She was probably glad to escape the rain though.
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Topics: /upto | 2 Comments »
June 6th, 2008 at 12:25 pm
more photos of those totem poles, please?
June 6th, 2008 at 12:41 pm
Sure – have a look at http://www.flickr.com/photos/ruthanddave/sets/72157600856210875/