This morning, the clouds parted, the rain ceased, and my parents and Pam and I took a little trip to Lighthouse Park (for the uninitiated, that’s on the North Side of the Burrard Inlet, on the way to Horseshoe Bay, where the ferries to the islands often depart from). My Dad drove us all in his rental car and we managed to step around the puddles, as it has been raining for nearly a week before this brief burst of sunshine. Then we did some shopping at the Whole Foods in North Vancouver. The mountains are snow-capped and the air is clear and cool. I’m glad they got to see those peaks before they leave tomorrow (they had solid rain in Seattle and the first day here).
We’ve made the most of a short visit: Fiddlehead Joe’s on Saturday Night with both my parents and my brother and his family, breakfast with everyone at the Granville Island Hotel, where they are staying, and then a Craft Fair at the Convention Centre yesterday — I was at Gamelan practice, where my father and Pam watched for the first hour or so. Last night we feasted at home on cheeses from the cheese festival at Granville Island, as well some tasty butternut squash ravioli, tossed in a bit of butter, chopped sage, and sun-dried olives. Also introduced my parents to salmon ‘candy’ (which is a local delicacy — nuggets of smoked salmon tossed in maple syrup). Tonight we go to the Pacific Culinary School for dinner. They’ve gotten a good introduction to our new home; the city, our condo, and lots of good food. My mother is as enthusiastic about the Public Market at Granville Island as I am, and now understands why I keep raving about it.
They’re heading back to the US tomorrow. I hope they don’t have to wait too long at the border, but fortunately my brother only had to wait a half an hour on Sunday.