You let the dog sleep where?

This is where he does sleep - well sometimes. Note the wrap around human for warmth. The second picture is where the dog is supposed to sleep:

A pianissimo weekend trip to Vancouver

We left Gabriola on the 9am ferry - It was a bit misty and it turned into a lovely day. By 12:45 after an uneventful ferry ride with a huge crowd of hockey fans, we were at Claire's apartment. We actually did have lunch (at a Thai restaurant) before she started putting the piano together and by mid-afternoon it was finished. The first sounds were marvelous. Claire hasn't played for awhile it didn't seem that way, sounded great. In the evening we went to the Fife and Drum a ballet by Joni Mitchell and the Alberta ballet. It was very good - this was the opening event in the cultural Olympiad that accompanies the Olympics. Going home we passed the hockey crowd again. Vancouver won 5-1. But they didn't look happy ...... Sunday morning brunch at Oysi restaurant a bistro with Jazz. Excellent. In the afternoon Claire continued her return to the piano. We couldn't get a reservation on 3pm ferry - it turned out there were karate and gymnastics competitions in Van. The ferry we did catch, the 5:00 was packed with kids in gymnastics outfits.
A very pleasant weekend.

Got my Oympic acreditation

Monday was a crazy day because it started at 2am in the morning with 100 k winds and the power going out - five times before it finally failed. All the big ferries were canceled (the run from Gabriola to Nanaimo is more sheltered and was just running late). As it happens the float planes started running again first and although the flight was more than a bit bumpy in a 6 seater beaver I got to Vancouver for lunch with Claire. Coming across the strait and flying into Vancouver harbour over the mountains is an amazing trip that I could do over and over again. After getting accredited and outfitted in my mountain uniform I had the opportunity to visit the Main Press Centre for the Olympics. it was very interesting and it was great to meet some of the Whistler team and the photo managers. They seem like a good bunch and the humor reminded me of OR humor at its best. The MPC is much like a small town with everything a print journalist could want including a shopping mall, bank, massage room and food court, to say nothing of 600 work stations and about 200 photo-editing suites. All the camera companies have facilities to fix camera/lens and they have the latest "stuff" to loan the photographers to try it out - long lenses etc. The big agencies - Reuters, Getty etc have seperate private spaces. The 2600 reporters could actually cover the games without leaving the building. All of the main spaces have the names of Islands in the Salish Sea (Strait of Georgia), the main press conference room is Gabriola. When or if you watch the Olympics you will see the mountain backdrop of Vancouver fairly frequently. Just think of me up at the top of the mountain at the biathlon course with the press photographers. PS WOP on the badge stands for Whistler Olympic Park.

A warm and sunny day in January

The sun came out yesterday - yeah! The guest cottage looked very welcoming in the warm sun yesterday (it was about 11 deg. C). If you haven't visited us yet, this is where you would stay.
The daffodils in the village are about 4 inches high and ours are beginning to peek through. The indoor pot of tulips etc. is doing rather well. No tulips outside, the deer eat them. We all still have colds but feel much better. Claire's new piano has arrived on Gabriola and we will take it into Vancouver next weekend. Monday I will fly to Vancouver to get my Olympic accreditation and uniform and also go to a training session at the "big house", the main Olympic media centre, should be fun. I will stay with Claire Monday night and go home Tuesday morning on the ferry.

Yes, thats a real olympic torch - Oscar's

Year of the clinic kick-off IV
One of the GHCS events is to watch the Olympics at the Roxy on the big screen so Oscar brought his torch - he paid $400 to keep it - he got the uniform for free. Its still raining so we definitely live on the wet coast, but it is also 10 deg C so its infinitely better than the rest of Canada. I think we have all had or are having "the cold". It seems to last a few weeks - ugh. Tessa is wearing her bright fluorescent green shirt because she was manning a booth on the Tour de Gabriola, an arround the island bike event in June.

Rainy Day on Gabriola

Actually its really warm at 9 centigrade and not very heavy rain. Any way I thought this multi-media mask - a flaming heart, would brighten up those of you who had a cold damp day or even a snowy day. Its by Kim Nightingale and lives in our guest cottage living room - Claire wouldn't have it in the bedroom!

Year of the Clinic Kick-off III

Margaret and her image from the Krones art show. It was an amazing collection of collage and other multi-media images of Gabriola's finest.

Year of the Clinic Kick-off

The firefighters and Tracy and one of our junior firefighters

Year of the Clinic Kick-off

June as Marylin Monroe for the "Who is that star on the red carpet" event at the Roxy on March 7th.