Kits Beach

Our final day in Canada was by far my favorite. We spent most of the day at Kits Beach near downtown Vancouver. Its a very happening place on a hot Saturday afternoon. People of all walks of life are strolling, rollerblading, sunbathing...you name it. Its a great beach that overlooks the bay that was just as busy as the boardwalk. There were probably close to 100 small sailboats racing out on the water, along the shore a group was doing sea kayaking, and right down the beach from where we were folks were playing volleyball. I ended up getting in a few pick up games which was fun (and definitely made me realize that it's been a WHILE since I played sand!) Erica and Lynden had a great time throwing the Frisbee around and people watching (Erica's favorite).
Once the sand got too hot to play on we headed to the pool. It was HUGE! Hopefully the picture in this collage does it justice but to give you an idea of its length...it is almost 3 times as long as an Olympic size pool! The water is like saline solution, very clean but no harsh chemicals to burn your eyes (or ruin your nails in my case). When we got there Erica asked me if I was going to swim a lap and I didn't think I could because I thought it was too salty...nope! I did pretty well for a girl who hasn't worked out in a while! I ended up swimming a little over a lap and it felt great. The water was the perfect temperature, the air was nice and warm (about 85) and the people watching was the best (I think that's what Erica is doing in the center picture on the collage).
We ended up heading home at around 4:00 and had a wonderful dinner with Kathy and her family and friends. Fresh salmon just caught yesterday over caesar salad and key lime pie for dessert! Perfect summer meal...oh so good! We ended our evening painting our toenails; Lynden was especially patient and really excited to get a "dark" color AND have mommy and Anna's toes match hers!
Happy 4th of July everyone! Canada was very fun but I'm ready to head back to the States!

Photo Shoot at the Park

Erica, Lynden, Kathy and I had our pictures taken today by Kathy's good friend Suzanne. She was very patient with all of Lynden's desires...one of them being playing Frisbee. We had fun tramping through the park but had to leave early because we were being attacked by mosquitoes. That's when we headed to the playground. It got hot early today so Lynden headed straight to the fountain after playing on the swings. I couldn't help but join in and we had a lot of fun running through the sprinklers as they sprung up all over the cement area.
After that (and some much deserved pool time) Erica and I took the sky train to downtown Vancouver. I've definitely done my fair share of shopping on this trip and our trip to downtown was no exception. We walked up and down Robson Street and stopped when something caught our eye...which happened a lot. We had dinner at Cactus Club Cafe (which was yummy!) and then walked around some more and then both of us felt ready to go home. We were done with the down town scene...lots of people, noise, commotion. We were ready to get back to a much quieter simpler place...like Oma's!
Once we were back we both nursed our newly acquired mosquito bites from today and tired feet with a soak in some magnesium salt and a much deserved foot massage. All in all it was a fun day, and once again all are in bed before 9:30 and here I sit...awake. :-)

Lynn Canyon Suspension Bridge

These are the pictures we took while we were on the Lynn Canyon Suspension Bridge. Erica was not a fan of being on it because it swayed back and forth and she had to keep reminding Lynden to hold onto on of the ropes. I was a bad example because I was never really holding onto the ropes while we were walking across. My favorite picture in this collage is of Erica and Lynden and the line of tourists behind her and if you look closely some of the people are actually smiling for our picture.. The pictures of Lynden and I were taken just moments before that one Thanks random tourists!

Fun at Lynn Canyon Park

Today was another exciting day in Canada, eh? In the morning we got up and drove to Lynn Canyon Park. It is home to a long suspension bridge. There were a bunch of trails around it that led many different places. We chose one that led down to a creek that fed into the big waterfall that the suspension bridge went over. Lynden and I had a blast jumping up and down and running all around. It was so peaceful I was able to bust out some of my favorite yoga poses (ha!). We made our way back home, got lost, and then luckily used the GPS on my phone and Erica's sense of "oh yea, I know that street let's go this way" direction to eventually steer us back home to "Oma." We finished the afternoon playing, reading, and lounging by the pool (because that's what we do best). Kathy taught me to play cribbage and I kicked her booty the first time around. My guess is there will be a few more rounds played before I leave here...that is if they can stay up past 9:30!

Fun by the Pool!

Happy Canada Day collage

Happy Canada Day!

Yes, these Canadian flags are held on by duct tape.

To those unaware, July 1st is Canada's birthday. When Erica and I planned our trip up here we knew it would be over the 4th of July but I wasn't aware that we would be here for Canada's version too!

We got up early this morning because like I said in my last post EVERYONE WAS ASLEEP BY 9:30...so there we all were 7:30am bright and early (earlier than I would like!). We spent the morning making fruit salad and a yummy drink I got from my friend Courtney with watermelon and strawberries in it! The American version calls for Squirt but apparently Canadians have never heard of it nor do they sell it in their grocery stores...so we had to settle for Fresca (which I bought the sugar free kind...gross) or Canada Dry (which they have EVERYWHERE).

After that we headed to the pool for the Co-op's version of Canada Day. Good times were had by all in and by the pool. Those geriatrics really know how to throw a good party! Between the 3-legged dog that I wanted to take home, the old senile Vet who became my best friend, and the burgers that I swear were made out of goat, we had a ball. Lynden LOVED the pool...I LOVED the pool and I in between raffle drawings and listening to the CCR blaring on their make-shift speakers I was able to do some reading.

After showers to remove the day's sunscreen and such Erica and I hit the mall that's within walking distance and had a BLAST at H&M (my new favorite store...cute clothes on the cheap). Oregon REALLY needs one of these! Total bummer is that the malls around here close at 6pm Saturday-Wednesday (and no, it wasn't because of the holiday for those of you thinking that) , then Thursday and Fridays they're open until 9pm...weird Canadians!

Tomorrow we're off to cross a suspension bridge! Should be fun!