Vancouver final day & departure

Here's some ramblings and more that I may have left out before.

I think these fairy princesses were the same folks who wore the fabulous pink frocks two years ago. Can you imagine, Halloween twice a year, and in the summer, people would applaud your outfit!

On our final morning in Vancouver, we got up and went out for coffee... no wait, we stayed home and had coffee! It was shock to my system as well.

I think I spent too long at Gay Pride the day before as this outfit seems totally "gay" to me... wait a minute, I packed this from home and fully intended on wearing it just like that... nope, I was gay before I left home.

Robb & Lewis needed to do some work things (even though Monday was a holiday in British Columbia), Lyle and I got out of the way and took a walk along the water. Everybody was out. Young, old, gay, straight, dog, child, bike, rollerblade and skateboard... all out and about on a lazy holiday Monday.

Lyle lets the Granville Street Bridge rest upon his head...

Robb & Lewis met us down by the water and we had our final coffee together. You knew we'd have coffee again before we left. (this one was THREE blocks from the condo. Across the street from yest another Starbucks.)

Apropos of nothing, my petite friend Cathy and I recreate my photo opportunity as Shrek and Florence Henderson.

As the husband had to go through immigration to renew his visa we knew we needed to allow some extra time. Since it is normally 2 hours in advance for international departures, we allotted 3 hours. Then since there was no one at the airport in line, the whole process took ten minutes, leaving 2 hours and 50 minutes to kill in one of the world's most boring international departure terminals. UGH.

After three days of a knotted stomach (cause you never know with U.S. Customs and Immigration) the hubby pigs out on a rare Canadian delicacy, a Tim Horton's Maple glazed doughnut.

Our flight from Vancouver to L.A. took about two and half hours. Once we got to L.A., we were early and they had to wait for a gate. Then the luggage took an eternity to arrive at the claim check. It took so long that Alaska Air was forced to make announcements (three times) letting people know their bags were ACTUALLY coming in the next five minutes, no make that five more minutes, no wait it will be about five minutes more... From the bags to the shuttle bus, to the car park to the cashier and voila! We had no been on the ground longer than we had been in the air and we weren't even home.

Glad to be home. Happy to be with the dogs.

Other observations about being in Vancouver:

We took a Prius taxi. Tree hugging hippie Vancouver has quite a few of them. There was enough room for three of us to sit in the backseat together.

We met a woman in the elevator and she used the term "carbon footprint" in casual conversation. And also mentioned that we all needed to watch ours. (Could she tell we owned a Range Rover?)

The recycling program for cans and bottles in the city is to have a caddy on the outside of public trash cans where you can leave the items that have a deposit paid on them and other people come by, pick them up and take them in for money. Recycle and give homeless people a job at the same time.

I am totally looking forward to attending the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver even though I hate the winter up North. I've already made my condo reservations with my friends in advance.

Our view from the 34th floor for four days.