Kitsilano Beach

Today's break from the hospital was an hour in the sun. What a gorgeous Sept. and Ron and I have missed it. This is the famous outdoor salt water pool. It's massive and people are swimming lengths. Makes my 71 lengths look miniscule. There are rows of sun bathers leaning against the logs.
There were some boys practicing walking a tightrope. I'd never have thought of that. And don't want to start, thank you.

Fairview Shacks

Ron is up in a chair a lot more and working hard on his lung exercises. After my morning with Ron, I drove Brenda and Peter to the airport as they are going on a cruise to to Danube River. Back to the hospital.
The beginning of UBC was the Fairview Shacks on the spot where VGH is now. I walk past this 4 - 6 times a day going to see Ron. This is where our Uncle Joe left with the other students and 'Trekked" out to UBC to protest the University still being unfinished.
Today my walk was on South Granville street. I love them raising and refinishing old buildings to look Heritage like the new ones being built. Vancouver has many mobile gourmet food trucks around the city now.

Right by the Ocean

Ron finally got his breathing tube out today but is very weak and still sleeping a lot. My break from the hospital today was just down MacDonald St. from Brenda and Peter's. Silly thing, we've always just driven to their place and I never realized that they're just 3 blocks from the ocean. Oops. Vancouver is such a beautiful city. The first picture is looking toward Kitsilano Beach and downtown, then the Jericho Yacht Club and West Vanc with freighters waiting to come into Port.
I had Brenda and Peter over for dinner tonight. I definitely needed to have something to do and pleasant company. You can see my beautiful garden thanks to them and dear aunt Gwyn.

Off to Chinatown

Between hospital visits, I went walking in Chinatown today. Saw some interesting people on the streets and amazing variety of stuff in the shops. The lamp posts have dragons on them and there is a lovely War Memorial acknowledging the efforts of our Chinese pioneers in building and defending our country.




I spent some time at the Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden. What a beautiful place. You would never know you were in the midst of the noise and frantic pace of a huge city. It is the first full scale classical garden built outside of China. It is modeled after the garden of a Chinese scholar, in the Ming Dynasty of the 15th century. Considered to be the most learned in China, these scholars spent their lives pursuing mastery of the 'three perfections' poetry, painting and calligraphy. Nature is transformed year round here from pink plum blossoms in the spring, to ponds of jade green water reflecting willows, black bamboo and floating lotus flowers in summer, with turtles and coloured koi swimming by. Harmony is created by balancing yin and yang, opposite forces. This truly is a window to another world. The gift shop had terracotta warriors and beautiful artwork.

More Touristing

I can only visit Ron 5 minutes at a time. He's still sedated and on the breathing tube.
I went downtown where there was a large Taiwan Fest with examples of music and culture. This is the statue in front of the Art Gallery.
I looked in Christ Church Cathedral, built in 1859, the oldest stone church in the Lower Mainland. It is a beautiful Gothic style with many stained glass windows.

Next stop was the Vancouver Outlook. We used to know this as the Sears Tower, but Sears left the building some time back. You walk all around the top, a magnificent 360 degree view with placards every 4 feet telling what is is front of you.

South shows False Creek, B.C. Place right out to the Airport, past Burnaby and further out to Mount Baker 50 miles away.


East overlooks the rail yards, harbour, PNE, SF University and up Indian Arm.




North looks to the North Shore Mountains, Stanley Park, Lions Gate Bridge and Canada Place with the Cruise Ships.
Ron and I went up the CN Tower in Toronto in 2009 so this was very interesting to do this in your home town area.






West looks to UBC over downtown skyscrapers and the ocean,

Tourist in Vancouver

Ron had his open heart surgery yesterday but instead of 6 hours, they'd discovered an aneurysm on his Aortic valve on the CT scan, which blew when they were finishing the valve replacement, so had to repair and replace that making the surgery over 12 hours in total. He's still in the Cardiac Surgery ICU, out of it. To pass the time I went to Burnaby Heritage Village Museum, a 10 acre site of 1920's Burnaby. Here's one of the first cabin's with the outhouse out back. They had a replica of an old Interurban station my mother talked about and one of the street cars.
There was a wedding party in the living room of an original house.
I walked down to Deer Lake, very tranquil in the middle of a city. I've lived here all my life and have never been to either place.

Open Heart Surgery

Ron is having his Aortic Valve replaced today at VGH and I'm patiently waiting.