I haven’t written a proper post since Mom’s visit in early September. A lot of that has to do with the fact that we were very busy over this period - 2 weddings, a couple of trips to Galiano, hanging out with our niece and nephew when Jus’ mom came to visit, Reifel, concerts and more! It was a busy period, with lots of fun stuff to share.
Some new fruit trees to add to the orchard.
We’ll go back to the end of September to start this recap. The photo to the right is of three fruit trees (apple, cherry, plum) that we picked up at the City of Vancouver tree sale. They had stopped doing the sale for a few years, but we were happy to see that it was back!
The trees were actually much bigger than I expected, which was a pleasant surprise. We’re going to need to prune them pretty heavily, but that’s OK. I’m also going to need to find one more plum tree, so that we can get proper pollination for them, or there will be no fruit.
We will need to wait for the ground to soften up before we’ll be able to plant them, so that might not be until we get back from our big trip. We will have to wait and see how much rain we get, and if the ground softens up at all.
Hanging Out with Ethan and Addison
The tee box on the only hole I played well all day - a rare birdie!
On Truth and Reconciliation Day (September 30th) we had a chance to hang out with Ethan and Addison. This was a nice opportunity, and we made the most of it. I had promised to take Ethan golfing for ages, so we decided to go out and play 9 holes at Glen Eagles golf club.
Ethan’s actually quite a good golfer - he kicked my butt this day!
Established in 1927, Gleneagles Golf Course in West Vancouver is widely recognized as one of Canada’s premier 9-hole public courses. The course is set against a backdrop of coastal mountains and Howe Sound. It’s not a long course, but the par-35 layout offers narrow, tree-lined fairways and pristine greens that really challenged me on this day. I wasn’t playing particularly well and really struggled.
They also had one hole closed for renovations, so it wasn’t a “normal” round. We got paired with 2 nice locals and had a pretty great day, despite my struggles. The was one birdie on a par three to help salvage the day.
The course also features a restored 1950s log clubhouse—complete with the Great Hall—providing a scenic setting overlooking the ocean. We stopped for a drink and some food after the round, before heading back into North Van to meet up with Justine, Addison and Maureen.
While the boys were golfing, the girls had headed into the downtown to do some shopping. They seemed to have had a fun day as well, and we met them down at Lonsdale Quay after they came back on the Sea Bus. We went out for dinner and had a fun night to wrap up a great day.
A fun night out for dinner - hot pot at Ethan’s suggestion.
Galiano Weekend
The first weekend in October we headed back over to Galiano. The weather this fall has been spectacular, and so we wanted to keep taking advantage as much as we can. It turned out to be a bit of a weird weekend for weather - while it was warm and sunny, there was a lot of cloud on the Vancouver side, which left us socked in for much of it. But it was perfectly clear on the Porlier Pass side. So weird.
Wedding Season
It’s probably been 10 years since I’ve been to a wedding. So it’s quite curious that this week, we have two of them! Matt and Alex got married on Tuesday and Katie and John the following Sunday! So strange, but we were honoured to be involved in both.
Matt and Alex had a small private ceremony with just family in Stanley Park. They had amazing weather and while we did not attend the ceremony, we did get an invite to the wedding dinner, which was lovely. We had a great night and it was very special to share the big day with them and their parents.
A Long Overdue Trip to Reifel
Saturday morning we took the day to head out to Westham Island to go to Reifel and the farms. It was yet another perfect day, so we had to make the best of it. The rain is going to come eventually…
We had a completely jammed weekend. After our trip out to Reifel, we headed home to basically get ready to go out for the evening. One of my favorite bands, 54-40 were playing at the Commodore Ballroom, for the annual Thanksgiving show. While we had seen then earlier in the summer out in Delta at the Barns to Beaches Festival, it’s always a great show. Their Thanksgiving show in Vancouver is sort of like the Skydiggers Christmas show in Toronto. It might be a toss up which I’ve been to more over the years (I think the Skydiggers), but I love both traditions.
Before the show we met up with our friends Ken and Bahar, and got introduced to two of their friends, who were a riot. We had a nice dinner and a fun evening at the show. The band was, as always, amazing and they played all the hits and some new stuff as well.
Saturday night was a lot of fun, but we had to be up at a decent time on Sunday for Katie and John’s wedding! Katie is one of Justine’s older friends, going back to university. We’ve enjoyed hanging out with her since she moved to Vancouver and have been very happy to see her relationship with John blossom. We were honoured to be asked to be part of the wedding.
Katie and John had found a gem of a location for their big day. Minnekhada Lodge is located in Minnekhada Regional Park, a 200+ hectare park located in Coquitlam, BC. It’s a beautiful spot with more than 10 km of hiking trails with a fantastic lookout as well as a marsh filled with flora and fauna. Forest, marsh and rocky outcrops make this regional park a gem to explore any time of year.
Minnekhada Lodge started construction in 1934 while Minnekhada was under the ownership of the Hamber family and based on a design by architect Bernard Palmer, who would later be part of the Lion’s Gate bridge design. The apparent budget was $50,000 and construction was completed in 1937.
In it’s heyday the Lodge hosted a who’s who of BC’s titans of industry, visiting dignitaries, government officials and even royalty. It is believed that Princess Elizabeth (now Queen Elizabeth) visited in 1939 with her father King George VI.
The lodge is a beautifully crafted building in the style of a traditional Scottish Hunting Lodge. Visitors who take the time to appreciate the details will note the remarkable joinery and relief and stucco work. The large dining hall with its massive stone fireplace, elaborate timbers and traditional chandeliers overlooks the nearby blueberry fields and the pool area below.
Justine and I were also helping out, as it was very much a hands on affair. We arrived early to help set-up the venue - put out flowers and set-up chairs and such. I was also asked to take some pictures, and that is an on going project. I ended up taking over 1,300 photos and I am still working through them to give Katie and John the best of them.
The wedding was a spectacular success. Planning an outdoor wedding in Vancouver in October was bold - but it worked out perfectly. We had a beautiful day, sunny and all blue skies. The ceremony was emotional (not a dry eye in the house) and very lovely, the food was great and the fun times lasted well into the evening, when we had to vacate the venue. Thankfully there was a shuttle back to the hotel we had decided to stay at for the night.
Monday I headed out in the early afternoon to meet up with Bill to go for a hike. My knee has been bugging me, so we had to do something a little less strenuous, and Bill once again found the perfect hike for the day. He picked the Bowen (Island) Lookout trial on Cypress Mountain. The Bowen Lookout is an incredible viewpoint that is located near the Cypress Mountain ski area and overlooks Howe Sound, out towards Bowen Island. The hike is relatively short, with a steep climb. It ended up being about 5 km round trip, which was perfect for what I needed. We again had a perfect day and Bill and I went for a beer after the hike to continue to get caught up.
