Updates

Looks like our short Autumn season has run its course and that we've settled into the long, dark and wet Winter of the Pacific Northwest. The temperature here this morning was a balmy 16 degrees, and that after a light dusting of snow last night. Lots of ice on the local roads so we'll probably be staying mostly inside today. Supposed to be alternately rainy or snowy for the next 10 days although, if the La Nina weather pattern holds true, it will probably be that way until next April.

We are so looking forward to our Christmas trip to Valdosta to see the kids and grand kids next month. Will be nice to get out of here for a few weeks... departing on Dec. 15 and returning on Jan. 10. Have booked a beach house in St. Augustine, FL, for a week after Christmas which should be fun for the whole family, and will be a welcome chance to thaw out and dry out for us.

After that we have a trip planned down to San Miguel de Allende in Central Mexico in Feb. for 6 weeks. Supposed to be a pretty, quiet and SUNNY place. Hope so. This area can really get you down during the winter months.

Vancouver, BC

Realized that I'd never closed out the Canada trip after we returned in September, so here are a few photos from our last stop in Vancouver BC:

We were really looking forward to our stay in the "other" Vancouver. It's often described as one of the prettiest cities in the world, characterized by a sweeping harbor all around, dramatic mountains behind, and numerous parks and green belts within...sort of a mini-Sydney, Australia. Must confess that it's charms were generally lost on us however. Probably didn't help that the weather was rainy and gloomy during our stay, but aside from a few pockets of very nice neighborhoods - most noticeably along the harbor front - the city reminded us of Seattle what with all of the stumble-bums hanging around the downtown area, which gave the whole place a sort of Skid Row ambiance. Really a creepy place once you left the "tourist" areas.

Anyway...not our favorite place in Canada - we much prefer Victoria over on Vancouver Island, which is a short flight or ferry ride across Puget Sound from Vancouver City.

We did have some pleasant outings, however, and here's the evidence:



This is the old Steam Clock in the Gastown area of the city...their "Old Town" district. Located a short stroll from the harbor front - lots of cobblestones, trendy shops and restaurants. Made for a very pleasant day out in the city.




A view of the city skyline from the shoreline promenade in Sydney Park - one of the really pretty city parks that are dotted around the business and residential areas of the city.



Copenhagen has its "Little Mermaid". Vancouver has this "Little Diver" statuette in Sydney Park - one of the stops on a pleasant 6 mile shoreline walk around the peninsula that sticks out into the harbor just opposite the city, and which has some grand views of the town, the harbor, and the strait beyond. Am told that you can often see Orcas and even larger whales passing close to the seawall.

Although Vancouver turned out to be a bit anti-climactic, overall we enjoyed our Canada trip very much. As I've mentioned before the wilderness areas of Alberta and British Columbia rank right up there on our list of the prettiest places we've seen on our travels.

We're already planning a trip for next summer - this time a bit further north into the Yukon and Alaska. Plan is to take the Alaska Marine Highway (ie the ferry) up to Skagway, retrace the route of the Gold Rush Stampeders thru Whitehorse and Dawson City, then meander thru Alaska for about 8 weeks before returning in mid September. Should be quite an adventure. Looking forward to that one, and am greatly enjoying planning it - should keep me busy for the next few months anyway.