I do love my new digs, although I am always leaving something at home that I meant to bring to work, as I don't have routines yet as to where to put what. It will come, though, and meanwhile, it is all unpacked and clean, and, with a few very minor exceptions, just the way I want it.
And I have had my first non-working guests, both short and long term. Elaine and Andrew came over after work for some drinks, and, well brought-up folks that they are, oohed and aahed appropriately (did I mention that already?).
And friend Peter came to visit for a week from San Francisco. Now Peter does more opera, symphony, ballet, and art than any person that I know, but he can also sit for days in Palm Springs looking at the quail and the bunnies and the road runners and the coyotes from my patio. So I knew that my deck, with the Fraser River and the barges and the log booms and the jumping fish and the industrial activity would appeal. And so it did. (I even found him some binoculars..)
We did manage to get off the deck though, first to walk the path along the river and finish up at Rommers, my local pub....
...and on Tuesday, we took the ferry to Victoria.....
One forgets how wonderful the ferry ride is until a visitor arrives. It was a perfect day for a ferry ride, too. Friends Andrew and Elaine (see above) are the type of people who, where ever in this world that they go, know the right hotels and the right restaurants and the right things to do. They have never, ever, steered me wrong. In any event, they recommended the Hotel Oswego, right behind the Parliament buildings in downtown Victoria, and, in the height of the season, I managed to score a reservation. It is really a wonderful place, at a reasonable (or what passes for reasonable in Victoria in the summer), convenient, and great service.
......and putting us right in the scenic Inner Harbour of Victoria....
And within walking distance of the famed Empress Hotel, where Peter wanted - of all things - to "do" tea......
I liked it better when they required jackets, but they still do have some standards - no flip-flops, no torn jeans, and, most importantly, no baseball caps.
It was fun, although not the way I would have chosen to spend $63 (each, albeit Canadian). And bitter sweet in the sense that I was reminded of the time, many many years ago when we (David and I) took friends Bill and Pollyanna, and we couldn't get in because Bill didn't have a jacket. David has been dead for almost 10 years now and Bill is dead now too.....) Well< another item off Peter's bucket list...
Outside the Empress is this lovely statue of Emily Carr, the idea of whom I really like (I probably wouldn't have liked her in real life, though, too eccentric and messy and strange, but imagine her in a canoe in the wilds of Northern British Columbia painting those weird and wonderful landscapes and totems.....)
.....and back to our hotel for a rest in the bar.....
I was tired, so stayed there; Peter went out for dinner at a nearby restaurant, Harbour House. He tells me I can recommend it - totally retro, from the steak and lobster and osso bucco on the menu to waiters in tuxes, but good atmosphere and good food - assuming you are, like I am, into retro... (the best thing about retro is the quiet...)
The next day, we got an early start with breakfast at the Blue Fox, a funky old place I've been going to for years. I am happy to say, the breakfasts are still great - don't pass on either the bread - home made - or the potatoes - skimp on dinner, if you must.....
Then we knocked another item off of Peter's bucket list, heading out early for the infamous Buchart Gardens. Originally a quarry, still owned by the Buchart family, and, well, gorgeous.....
I hadn't been to the gardens for years, and it was wonderful even for me, and those of you who know me know that I am not particularly a nature person.
Afterwards, we checked out the Victoria Art Museum, where I had never been. It is actually quite a nice little place, with a good exhibit on Jock Macdonald, a Canadian artist about whom I knew absolutely nothing. Not to mention the Emily Carrs....
Friend and colleague Lois lives in Victoria. She and husband Alf picked us up (after the obligatory afternoon nap - it is so nice that Peter likes to nap as much as I do)...and took us for a driving tour of beautiful Victoria.....
......and for dinner at Pagliaci's, a funky old Italian restaurant downtown.....
The food was only okay, but the atmosphere and the company were great!!!!
The next morning we drifted around to a few books stores (yes, indeed, there are a few of them in down town Victoria) and art galleries, before heading to our last stop, lunch at the Bengal Lounge at the Empress this was my quid pro quo for doing tea....).
I much prefer it to the tea, certainly the best presentation of curries and the fixings that I have ever seen, and, as I recommended to Peter (note the glass), they make a fine martini, as befitting the Raj atmosphere it portrays. Loved it.
And then, off to the ferry and back home.
By Friday, the weather had changed, but we thought we would try to dodge the raindrops and do the walk around Stanley Park. I enlisted friend John (he of bridge playing fame) - noone knows Stanley Park better than John. After fortifying ourselves with sushi from a local joint with the improbable name of MoMo's, we were off...
Note the Starbucks cup. When John runs around the park, he runs. When he walks, he drinks Starbucks.....
Saturday was still raining, but tourism waits for no rain, so we were off on another adventure. And adventure it was. Peter thought it would be good to try the Vancouver public transportation system. Actually, from the new place, it was not too bad. One block up hill (and it was a hill only by Vancouver standards, not by San Francisco standards), and then a short bus ride to the Sky Train, which takes you right down town. Time elapsed - 40 minutes. Not bad, really, and a good option for things downtown, as you can never find parking down town, and if you do you have to mortgage your firstborn to pay for it.
We recuperated at old favourite Earles (in my opinion, the best of the local chains)....
....and then headed off to the Vancouver Art Gallery....
Generally speaking, I don't like the Vancouver Art Gallery. I hate the space (the former law courts, renovated, but not enough), and their permanent exhibits are sorely lacking. However, it was raining, and although Peter is a very easy guest, I was desperate for something with which to keep him amused. As it turns out, they had a visiting exhibit called 500 Years of Italian Art, coming from - of all places - the Scottish Museums. It was actually quite good, and, as I have mentioned before, I love going to museums - of all sorts - with Peter. He was an art history major, and a font of information. He did not disappoint, and it was a lovely afternoon.
Only to come home on Saturday evening to no power. While we were blissfully wandering around looking at Madonnas, there was apparently a freak wind storm, which left over 700,000 people without power. It was actually quite fun. As my place is right on the river, and right across from the industrial park on Mitchell Island, which has generators, it was almost as bright as daylight. Cheese and crackers and fruit and wine are not too terrible for dinner. And neither Peter nor I are so addicted to our electronics that we missed either phones or computers. I did end up with a shopping list, though. I had candles, but no matches (check - got a barbque lighter next day), had a flashlight but no extra batteries (check, ditto), and got a battery pack for recharging electronics, just in case. Anyway, a tree had come down over nearby train tracks and hydro lines, so power was out in my neighborhood for 28 hours!!!! So, the benefit of old neighborhoods - wonderful old trees. The drawback - above-ground power lines for them to fall on. Oh, well, another adventure, and it was more fun for sure sharing it with Peter.
Still raining on Sunday, but we managed to amuse ourselves at the world renowned Museum of Anthropology at the University of British Columbia.
This is always my favourite here.the Bill Reed sculpture which has pride of place...
(Those of you who have passed through Vancouver Airport in recent memory have seen another of his work...)
There was a good temporary exhibit here as well....
... and the standing exhibit here is, of course, wonderful..
I could have taken pictures of totems for days, but you are, no doubt, happy that I controlled myself....
Dinner was the Tandoori House, a neighborhood joint but one I was already familiar with. It will certainly become my go-to Indian restaurant in this part of the world.
Still raining on Monday, but we now have power. Still a lazy day on the (partially covered) deck though, with the highlight being dinner at the Shanghai River, previously gloriously reviewed in these pages. It is worth coming to Vancouver for their vinegar ribs alone. Yes, for sure, one of the (many) great things about Peter is that he loves food as much as I do!!!
And Tuesday, after a morning of errands - sorely ignored this last week - and a last meal (lunch at the Boy with Knife, a reconstituted old favourite which - thank god - is still good - I dropped Peter off at the airport.
....and went home for a well deserved rest.
What else can I tell you? Not much. Finished the Henry James short stories which I was reading when last we spoke, and also finished at early Le Carre mystery - A Murder of Quality....I actually like his early stuff. Not quite so dense as he later became. And, on the basis of a peripheral mention in a book review, am starting to reread The Once and Future King by T.H. White (just happened to have it in my admittedly now much-reduced library). And, of course still reading The Economists passed on to me by John and - pleasant surprise - the old New Yorkers brought as a house gift by Peter.
So, for the moment, all is quiet on the Western front. Back to work, and eating (less I hope) at home in my lovely new kitchen. I'll get back to you soon.
And I have had my first non-working guests, both short and long term. Elaine and Andrew came over after work for some drinks, and, well brought-up folks that they are, oohed and aahed appropriately (did I mention that already?).
And friend Peter came to visit for a week from San Francisco. Now Peter does more opera, symphony, ballet, and art than any person that I know, but he can also sit for days in Palm Springs looking at the quail and the bunnies and the road runners and the coyotes from my patio. So I knew that my deck, with the Fraser River and the barges and the log booms and the jumping fish and the industrial activity would appeal. And so it did. (I even found him some binoculars..)
We did manage to get off the deck though, first to walk the path along the river and finish up at Rommers, my local pub....
...and on Tuesday, we took the ferry to Victoria.....
One forgets how wonderful the ferry ride is until a visitor arrives. It was a perfect day for a ferry ride, too. Friends Andrew and Elaine (see above) are the type of people who, where ever in this world that they go, know the right hotels and the right restaurants and the right things to do. They have never, ever, steered me wrong. In any event, they recommended the Hotel Oswego, right behind the Parliament buildings in downtown Victoria, and, in the height of the season, I managed to score a reservation. It is really a wonderful place, at a reasonable (or what passes for reasonable in Victoria in the summer), convenient, and great service.
......and putting us right in the scenic Inner Harbour of Victoria....
And within walking distance of the famed Empress Hotel, where Peter wanted - of all things - to "do" tea......
I liked it better when they required jackets, but they still do have some standards - no flip-flops, no torn jeans, and, most importantly, no baseball caps.
It was fun, although not the way I would have chosen to spend $63 (each, albeit Canadian). And bitter sweet in the sense that I was reminded of the time, many many years ago when we (David and I) took friends Bill and Pollyanna, and we couldn't get in because Bill didn't have a jacket. David has been dead for almost 10 years now and Bill is dead now too.....) Well< another item off Peter's bucket list...
Outside the Empress is this lovely statue of Emily Carr, the idea of whom I really like (I probably wouldn't have liked her in real life, though, too eccentric and messy and strange, but imagine her in a canoe in the wilds of Northern British Columbia painting those weird and wonderful landscapes and totems.....)
.....and back to our hotel for a rest in the bar.....
I was tired, so stayed there; Peter went out for dinner at a nearby restaurant, Harbour House. He tells me I can recommend it - totally retro, from the steak and lobster and osso bucco on the menu to waiters in tuxes, but good atmosphere and good food - assuming you are, like I am, into retro... (the best thing about retro is the quiet...)
The next day, we got an early start with breakfast at the Blue Fox, a funky old place I've been going to for years. I am happy to say, the breakfasts are still great - don't pass on either the bread - home made - or the potatoes - skimp on dinner, if you must.....
Then we knocked another item off of Peter's bucket list, heading out early for the infamous Buchart Gardens. Originally a quarry, still owned by the Buchart family, and, well, gorgeous.....
I hadn't been to the gardens for years, and it was wonderful even for me, and those of you who know me know that I am not particularly a nature person.
Afterwards, we checked out the Victoria Art Museum, where I had never been. It is actually quite a nice little place, with a good exhibit on Jock Macdonald, a Canadian artist about whom I knew absolutely nothing. Not to mention the Emily Carrs....
Friend and colleague Lois lives in Victoria. She and husband Alf picked us up (after the obligatory afternoon nap - it is so nice that Peter likes to nap as much as I do)...and took us for a driving tour of beautiful Victoria.....
......and for dinner at Pagliaci's, a funky old Italian restaurant downtown.....
The food was only okay, but the atmosphere and the company were great!!!!
The next morning we drifted around to a few books stores (yes, indeed, there are a few of them in down town Victoria) and art galleries, before heading to our last stop, lunch at the Bengal Lounge at the Empress this was my quid pro quo for doing tea....).
I much prefer it to the tea, certainly the best presentation of curries and the fixings that I have ever seen, and, as I recommended to Peter (note the glass), they make a fine martini, as befitting the Raj atmosphere it portrays. Loved it.
And then, off to the ferry and back home.
By Friday, the weather had changed, but we thought we would try to dodge the raindrops and do the walk around Stanley Park. I enlisted friend John (he of bridge playing fame) - noone knows Stanley Park better than John. After fortifying ourselves with sushi from a local joint with the improbable name of MoMo's, we were off...
Note the Starbucks cup. When John runs around the park, he runs. When he walks, he drinks Starbucks.....
.....and then we were eating again (and one wonders why I don't lose weight, not that I am trying to - yet another benefit of old age....) I had seen a German restaurant up the street from my new digs that I wanted to try (one of the pleasures of moving, learning all the new places - the all night bakery - yes we have one - my local bank - yes I still go into a bank from time to time, etc.) and Peter is always game to try a new restaurant.... It really is a German Club, called the Alpen House, but non-members can eat there. It is a limited menu, but very "echt" German, complete with a waitress just here from Munich - and, as it was Friday night, dancing in the back. Very funky, and yes, very retro (seems to be my word of the day), but I will definitely go back. Can't get too much of pork knuckles and spaetzle and red cabbage, can one?
Saturday was still raining, but tourism waits for no rain, so we were off on another adventure. And adventure it was. Peter thought it would be good to try the Vancouver public transportation system. Actually, from the new place, it was not too bad. One block up hill (and it was a hill only by Vancouver standards, not by San Francisco standards), and then a short bus ride to the Sky Train, which takes you right down town. Time elapsed - 40 minutes. Not bad, really, and a good option for things downtown, as you can never find parking down town, and if you do you have to mortgage your firstborn to pay for it.
We recuperated at old favourite Earles (in my opinion, the best of the local chains)....
....and then headed off to the Vancouver Art Gallery....
Generally speaking, I don't like the Vancouver Art Gallery. I hate the space (the former law courts, renovated, but not enough), and their permanent exhibits are sorely lacking. However, it was raining, and although Peter is a very easy guest, I was desperate for something with which to keep him amused. As it turns out, they had a visiting exhibit called 500 Years of Italian Art, coming from - of all places - the Scottish Museums. It was actually quite good, and, as I have mentioned before, I love going to museums - of all sorts - with Peter. He was an art history major, and a font of information. He did not disappoint, and it was a lovely afternoon.
Only to come home on Saturday evening to no power. While we were blissfully wandering around looking at Madonnas, there was apparently a freak wind storm, which left over 700,000 people without power. It was actually quite fun. As my place is right on the river, and right across from the industrial park on Mitchell Island, which has generators, it was almost as bright as daylight. Cheese and crackers and fruit and wine are not too terrible for dinner. And neither Peter nor I are so addicted to our electronics that we missed either phones or computers. I did end up with a shopping list, though. I had candles, but no matches (check - got a barbque lighter next day), had a flashlight but no extra batteries (check, ditto), and got a battery pack for recharging electronics, just in case. Anyway, a tree had come down over nearby train tracks and hydro lines, so power was out in my neighborhood for 28 hours!!!! So, the benefit of old neighborhoods - wonderful old trees. The drawback - above-ground power lines for them to fall on. Oh, well, another adventure, and it was more fun for sure sharing it with Peter.
Still raining on Sunday, but we managed to amuse ourselves at the world renowned Museum of Anthropology at the University of British Columbia.
This is always my favourite here.the Bill Reed sculpture which has pride of place...
(Those of you who have passed through Vancouver Airport in recent memory have seen another of his work...)
There was a good temporary exhibit here as well....
... and the standing exhibit here is, of course, wonderful..
I could have taken pictures of totems for days, but you are, no doubt, happy that I controlled myself....
Dinner was the Tandoori House, a neighborhood joint but one I was already familiar with. It will certainly become my go-to Indian restaurant in this part of the world.
Still raining on Monday, but we now have power. Still a lazy day on the (partially covered) deck though, with the highlight being dinner at the Shanghai River, previously gloriously reviewed in these pages. It is worth coming to Vancouver for their vinegar ribs alone. Yes, for sure, one of the (many) great things about Peter is that he loves food as much as I do!!!
And Tuesday, after a morning of errands - sorely ignored this last week - and a last meal (lunch at the Boy with Knife, a reconstituted old favourite which - thank god - is still good - I dropped Peter off at the airport.
....and went home for a well deserved rest.
What else can I tell you? Not much. Finished the Henry James short stories which I was reading when last we spoke, and also finished at early Le Carre mystery - A Murder of Quality....I actually like his early stuff. Not quite so dense as he later became. And, on the basis of a peripheral mention in a book review, am starting to reread The Once and Future King by T.H. White (just happened to have it in my admittedly now much-reduced library). And, of course still reading The Economists passed on to me by John and - pleasant surprise - the old New Yorkers brought as a house gift by Peter.
So, for the moment, all is quiet on the Western front. Back to work, and eating (less I hope) at home in my lovely new kitchen. I'll get back to you soon.
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