Last day in Ruskin
Last year, I didn’t get to come to Ruskin. I’d been told that our division president was coming out to Calgary during the same week, so I stuck around. And was shafted by other politics at play. So I missed …
Topic
British Columbia
78 posts tagged with this topic.
Cruising to Alaska with Mom, Day 2 - Inside Passage
I’d had a headache leaving Calgary yesterday. It returned last night. I slept terribly. But my biggest fear of sleeping in the same room as my mother – the teeth grinding and snoring, a distinct memory from …
Cruising to Alaska with Mom, Day 1 - Vancouver and Departure
A few months ago, Mom declared that she’d like to go on a cruise, but it was a struggle to find the right thing, since traveling solo isn’t particularly cheap (double occupancy is a thing), and her mobility …
Hiking in Radium for the Day
Somewhat out of the blue, Alex decided we should go for a hike. Now, to be fair, we’d been saying things like this for years, including some planning to go out into the Kananaskis and try some of the trails. I …
Happy Birthday to Me
I hate my birthdays, sometimes. Because I end up planning them. A surprise would be nice. (My 50th had surprises, which I loved.) Today, I turned 52. And it was left to me to decide what we were doing. I chose to go Fort …
A Trip into Vancouver
Today, we went into Vancouver. Last year, I went in my own to visit with Scott (and ride in his time machine). This year, it was all of us to hang out with Jen. I wasn’t too keen on trying to drive into Vancouver. …
SUP, Take Two
In theory, I should be working. I say this because there are things that need to be done to keep the team moving at work while I’m away. I say “in theory” because when I checked the Jira board today, I …
Pretending to be a Tree Monkey
Today was my first real day of vacation in … I’m not going to count, it’s been too long. And I’ll be honest, I feel a bit guilty about it. That maybe why I agreed to go to WildPlay. WildPlay, if …
My First Time on a Standup Paddleboard
Alex is the Queen of Kijiji. If she’s not selling something there, she’s finding something. And she found paddleboards. For the record, until now, I thought of paddleboards as a fad. It seemed like someone …
The Long Drive to Ruskin
I’ve lost count on the number of times I’ve driven to Ruskin. It’s definitely into the double digits. I tried not to drink too much last night. I blame Jared for the “one beer too many” …
Belated 50th Birthday Weekend
As you might recall, I turned 50 a few weeks ago. We had a great party, lots of people, amazing food. But I felt, even before the shindig, that I needed to something a bit more special, the blatantly stereotypical …
A Visit to Lake Country
A number of weeks ago, Venture’s CEO, Arlene Dickinson, announced that staff could work from anywhere they liked this summer, to take advantage of our new-found COVID freedoms. By and large it wasn’t a big …
The Long Road Home
I still wish there were trains between Vancouver and Calgary. Passenger ones, like VIA, not the Rocky Mountaineer (which, admittedly, I would still love to take, but I tend to not have an extra $5,000 lying around). But …
Resting in Ruskin
It’s a weird year, here, in Ruskin. When we’ve been here at this time of the year in the past, the back field is well under way, with flowers and shoots of whatever it is that Randy’s planning to grow. …
Salty Sea Dog Reunion, Return to Reality on Ferries
We’re back in Ruskin. And it took way longer to get here than I could have imagined this morning. We were the first ones away, having the car effectively packed by 09:00. I had no illusions for the trip ahead: …
Salty Sea Dog Reunion, Hikes and Sheds and Crabs
It was a quiet day, overall. Unlike yesterday, it was drizzly, if a bit rainy. And that was okay, at least for us – we were on the we(s)t coast, so of course it should rain. And we had no particular plans, so …
Salty Sea Dog Reunion, Whales, Shelter, and Jesus, Oh my!
It’s amazing what one good night’s sleep can do for you. I felt substantially better after a restful night (though I’m told I snored horribly), ready to take on the day. My day started, with a quick …
Salty Sea Dog Reunion, Hangovers and Sunsets
I awoke somewhere around 08:00. I think. The morning until about noon is a bit hazy for me. Yes, I overdid it. Way overdid it. I was a bit woozy, and although my head didn’t hurt as much as it should have, it was …
Salty Sea Dog Reunion, Arrival in Tofino
Today. Oh my, today. Perhaps one of the best days I’ve had in … well, a very, very long time. And there are parts that I will regret tomorrow. But for now… I couldn’t sleep. The bed in the …
Salty Sea Dog Reunion, Three Valley Gap to Ruskin
It was a comfy bed. Until it wasn’t. I dunno if it’s just me getting old, but I find it’s hard to find a mattress I’m truly happy with. I had to pry the family out of bed with a crowbar at 7:30am. …
Salty Sea Dog Reunion, Calgary to Three Valley Gap
Over six months ago, during our weekly FaceTime catchup, Mom decided that we needed to have a joint birthday celebration. She was due to turn 80 in April, I turn 50 in July. And although we were still in COVID …
20 years from Ontario
Two decades ago today, I did something immensely stupid: I left home. Literally and figuratively. Twenty years ago, I was still sleeping in my room on Gatestone Avenue in Oakville. While I had lived on my own at …
Vacation 2012, Day 2.5
Well, kids, this vacation is certainly having some ups and downs. I’m taking that as a good thing, by the way, since without variation things can get a little dry. That’s also a joke, incidentally — “dry” …
Vacation 2012, Day 1
Hey kids, You’re both sleeping right now. Soundly so. You’ve both had a big, exciting day, and I’m frankly amazed you made it as long as you did. You normally don’t pack this much into a few days, let alone a few hours. …
New Years Tea, 2012
This year, we continued with our burgeoning tradition of having afternoon tea on 1 January. In our previous two years, we ventured into the mountains to the Banff Springs, which boasts one of the best afternoon teas I’ve …
A rainy train
Every year, the City of Vancouver puts on a light show in and around the miniature train in Stanley Park. Last night, after the kids had gone to bed, Allen, Jean, and I discussed the possibility of going. The catch was …
A visit to the North Pole
During one of her many perusals of the local newspaper, Jean (aka “Granny”) came across an ad for “North Pole, BC”, billed as a “gateway” to the North Pole via Maple Ridge. (Perhaps …
Catching up with a few Radical friends
Not long after our trip out to the Lower Mainland entered the books, I hit up some old friends of mine through Twitter, to see if they’d be interested in a get-together. I hadn’t actually seen some of them in over a …
Our first family flight
I remember the excitement as a kid on those early mornings where we got up to rush to the airport to fly somewhere. It was a hurried affair that I simultaneously loved and loathed. While most of me vowed to never deal …
I Believe
Dear Canada, I must, in true Canadian form, say “I’m sorry”. I doubted. All I could see was fault, all I could see was mediocrity, all I could see was the world laughing at our attempts to be more than our …
My favourite trains (so far)
I rarely remember my dreams. I have to wake up in the middle of them to remember what they were about, and quite often I’m so tired that by the time I can get my mental faculties together to try and remember the dream, I …
We have a travel-safe baby
I’ve had the luxury of travelling many places of the last few years. Of those times, I’ve been on more than a few planes that were exhibit to babies that did not travel well. And by not travelling well, I mean they …
Family reunion in Ruskin
Allen organised a family reunion, mostly for the local folks. The family is scattered far and wide, but it’s not easy for everyone to come out. I think Alex and I came from the furthest distance away. Flying wasn’t easy. …
Raining in Ruskin
We flew out from Calgary this morning to Abbotsford, to attend Alex’s family reunion (hosted by Allen at the family “farm”). I haven’t been here since sometime last year, and I’m struggling to remember …
Thanksgiving in Ruskin
I had a quick jaunt out to Ruskin (a section of Maple Ridge, BC) for the Thanksgiving weekend. It was a trip I wasn’t sure I was going to be able to take at first. Reason: Too much work, and too tight deadlines to allow …
BC Vacation - Three Valley Gap to Calgary
No rooster, just the sounds of patrons leaving their rooms. I think I prefered the rooster. The Chateau’s name is a little misleading. One is brought to think of the Canadian Pacific (now Fairmont) hotels, with the old …
BC Vacation - Ruskin to Three Valley Gap
We awoke about an hour earlier than we have in mornings past, but for no real reason. We didn’t even hear the rooster! The porridge was followed, almost as soon as we could get ready, by a cat hunt. Allen has plans for …
BC Vacation - Fort Langley
That stupid rooster woke us up again. We’ve taken to mocking it. If it crowed normally, we probably wouldn’t mind so much. I fell back asleep, though, and Alex went into the house. She came back to wake me up for …
BC Vacation - Trip to Tsawwassen
There’s a rooster not far from Allen’s farm. (Well, “farm” is using the term a bit loosely. It was a farm before he bought it, and it will be one again. But it’s going to take a bit of work.) This rooster …
BC Vacation - Fairmont Hot Springs to Ruskin
Cory had called me yesterday. I didn’t know until this morning because I hadn’t checked my cell phone. I’d had a dream that things had gone horribly awry at the office, and for some reason, that had made me want to check …
BC Vacation - Fort Steele and Cranbrook
No-one told me that we were doing any surprises this weekend. ‘Course, then it wouldn’t be a surprise, would it? Allen (Alex’s father) took Jean (Alex’s stepmom) down to Cranbrook so she could catch a flight out to …
BC Vacation - Fairmont Hot Springs and Kootenay National Park
There’s nothing quite like waking up to the sound of lawnmowers. Rousing, yet entirely annoying. We started the day off with a mom saver. This is generally a breakfast meal, though I suppose you could just as easily use …
BC Vacation - Calgary to Fairmont Hot Springs
I so wanted to get my butt out of the office, almost from the moment that I was alerted to the problem on MBUSA.com’s live server. There’s nothing like trying to diagnose the cause of a homepage failure when you’re not …
Driving home from Kelowna
It’s been a very long time since I’ve been on a roadtrip. And although it was only one-way, I didn’t mind it at all. I flew into Kelowna, but I drove back with Andrea, Tamara, and Dan. Andrea had driven the three of them …
David Bowie plays Kelowna Prospera Place
We all woke at about the same time. I was awake, though eyes closed, when I heard Tamara and Andrea whispering. I joined into the conversation, joined shortly thereafter by Dan. At that point, there wasn’t much reason to …
Turning Japanese Again, Returning to Canada
I can’t even call this a “last day”. Yesterday, really, was our last day. Today is the packing/travelling day. And the day to say goodbye to dear friends. I hate leaving friends behind. Chris is one of my …
CBC TV 50th Anniversary VIA Rail train, Kamloops
[This entry written by Geoff Sowrey, ©2002 Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC). Text used with permission of CBC. The opinions expressed within do not necessarily reflect those of the CBC, employees, affiliates, or …
CBC TV 50th Anniversary VIA Rail train, Vancouver
[This entry written by Geoff Sowrey, ©2002 Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC). Text used with permission of CBC. The opinions expressed within do not necessarily reflect those of the CBC, employees, affiliates, or …
CBC TV 50th Anniversary VIA Rail train, Safety training
[This entry written by Geoff Sowrey, ©2002 Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC). Text used with permission of CBC. The opinions expressed within do not necessarily reflect those of the CBC, employees, affiliates, or …
CBC 50th Anniversary VIA Rail train, Opening Event Pacific Central Station
T-Minus 2 days I think it’s safe to say no-one left today’s event pain-free. This was the VIP Event day. This was when we had to be near perfect, as the executives from both CBC and VIA would be on hand, along with many …
CBC 50th Anniversary VIA Rail train, First day on the job
T-minus 3 days I awoke with my alarm ready for a day of discovery. That was important because I had only met three people in the crew of 30-odd. When I arrived in the restaurant for breakfast, I stared at a seemingly …
Visiting More in Vancouver
T-Minus 4 days First order of the day was to move out of Joel and Michelle’s piano room. Although I greatly appreciate their hospitality, I do need to be with the rest of the CBC. The show starts tomorrow morning. I …
Touring West Vancouver, Dinner with Greg
T-Minus 5 days Today was supposed to be tourist day. It was supposed to be sunny and warm, with nice little chirping birds and happy people out enjoying the “last day of summer”. (School starts tomorrow.) So …
Visiting in Vancouver
T-Minus 6 days Today was much quieter than the previous two days … if you don’t count two kids, that is. After waking and spending a morning with Joel and Michelle’s family, Joel showed me his new pet project. …
Riding BC Rail's Cariboo Prospector
T-Minus 7 days Five-thirty is an unfair time of the morning. Especially if your alarm clock wakes you in the middle of a really good dream. This morning, I took a taxi to the BC Rail station and boarded the Cariboo …
Flying from Calgary to Prince George
T-Minus 8 days There’s nothing like trying to plan one and a half months of a chaotic life in excruciating detail. It’s a little easier when someone else does all the dirty work, but ultimately, it’s you that will make …
The Inaugural Run of the Steam Locomotive CPR Empress, CP 2816
Most of you know how hard it is sometimes to catch a train. Sometimes you’re running late, or the train’s early, or your watch stopped and you’re not really sure what time it is — any number of a dozen reasons why you’d …
Visiting Vancouver, Blue Jays and Mariners Baseball Game in Seattle
It was once said that the only thing to fear is fear itself. Fear is the oppressor of souls and nations. It is the beginnings of hatred and suffering. And it’s what has kept me away from Vancouver. Fear of my past. Fear …
Download Overload, the Critical Mass Kelowna Getaway in Westbank
This is a hard-working company. And Ted (our founder and corporate Chairman) knows it. To “thank” us for all the grief he puts us through, he closes (more or less) the office for two days, packs us off to …
A Whitewater Rafting Adventure on the Kicking Horse River
It all started when I received an email during my stay in Cincinnati. (This was a couple of weeks ago, obviously.) It was entitled “Kicking Horse Blazing Paddles”. It was a call for those interested in …
Left Vancouver, Job, and Girlfriend for New Start in Calgary
[Ed. Note: This is the actual message I sent to most everyone I knew, letting them know what had just happened.] Today, I completed two of the most traumatic experiences of my life. One was leaving Radical Entertainment, …
Wedding in Naramata
Several weeks ago, we received an invitation to a gala event in the Okanagan for one of Allison’s friends, Heather. She was getting married to her significant other, Brian. We were asked to attend the three-day event in …
Canada Day in Kelowna, Winery Tours, and Penticton
Deciding that the weather here had become too unbearable to stand for another weekend, let alone a long weekend, Allison and I opted to abdicate the Lower Mainland for places sunnier. At least, that was the plan. I …
Finding a New Apartment
It’s finally happened. I guess it was only a matter of time. Allison and I are going to prison. Specifically, the grounds of the former Oakalla Prison Farm, about a kilometre east of where we’re living now. We’re moving …
Playing Softball with the Rad Sox, Visiting Granville Island, Seeing Alanis Morrisette
A few weeks ago, I made the decision to join the company softball team, the Rad Sox (Rad, as is “Radical”). This was for several reasons: I’d get out more, meet more people in the company that I wouldn’t …
Touring in and around Victoria
Our long weekend started Thursday night, when Allison’s company decided to hold an employee appreciation event at Metropolis (an entertainment-centric mall a couple of blocks from our apartment). Interlogic was springing …
Nanaimo Welcome Wagon, Locking Keys in the Car
I’d always thought that the “Welcome Wagon” was a euphemism for a group of well-natured people who would come to the door of folks new the the neighbourhood and welcome them into the community. Little did I …
Starting to Plan the Wedding
As some (or all) of you know, Allison and I got engaged during our trip to New York. While we’ve told nearly everyone we know, we haven’t told everyone yet. More importantly, we haven’t set a date yet. There is a reason …
Pacific National Exhibition (PNE), Mom Visits
Summer has begun its slow end — the Pacific National Exhibition opened this weekend. I can only assume that its Toronto counterpart, the Canadian National Exhibition, also started this weekend. As back home in Ontario, …
Long Weekend in Kelowna, Penticton
This weekend just passsed was the BC Day long weekend (for those of you back in Ontario, that’s a fancy way of naming the Civic Holiday) — we get the first monday in August off to enjoy the weather and get out a little …
Canada Day in Vancouver, Lee Aaron, Fireworks on English Bay
Last Wednesday (1 July 1998), I celebrated my first Canada Day outside of Ontario. Until that day, I had always had the luxury of being in the same time zone (and twice being in the same city) as the National Canada Day …
Father's Day, Assembling a Barbecue, and Whistler
Today I severed the last vestages that tied me to my birthplace. This morning, I went to the local CAA chapter (known as BCAA), and turned in my car’s license plates. I thus separated myself from the suit-and-tie ideals …
Corporate Communications, White Rock, Tsawwassen, and Point Roberts
The fallout from the round of layoffs a week and a half ago came to a rather disappointing end — one of our lead programmers decided he didn’t want to work for corporate America, and quit. Just as the game he was working …
Layoffs at Radical Entertainment, Victoria Day on Vancouver Island
Well, this is my first crack at a proper Branch entry. Hopefully these will go as well as I hope they do… My weekend got off to a bit of a rocky start — my company laid off 12 people in our Vancouver office. The …
Biking to Work, Dad brings my Car to Vancouver
Once again, I’ve left writing too long, and probably forgotten details of the events of my life. So if I forget anything, I apologise in advance… A couple of weeks ago, I decided it was high time that I started …
Meeting the Family and Touring Victoria
Greetings from Lotus Land! (I still have no idea why people call it that — nowadays you could reefer to it as Grass Land … yes, I spelled “reefer” on purpose.) Undoubtedly you’ve all heard the trials …
Moving into my First Apartment in Vancouver (Burnaby)
Today is the big day — I finally get my apartment, and I can make a trip to IKEA so I can put something in my apartment other than myself! At any rate… The weather out here has been really good lately. It’s been …
Moving to Vancouver
We arrived late last night, no thanks to our most punctual airline. We made the mistake of taking a charter flight. What made it worse that the charter airline sub-contracted another charter airline to fly us to …