Wednesday 2 May 2012

Cold in Canada


Back in Jamaica yesterday after a week spent in Canada, celebrating my father's milestone birthday. It included lots and lots of family time, with a short layover in Toronto to see friends and my pseudo-families there.  I spent a lot of time being cold and wet and am exceedingly glad to be warm again!
Me chilly as usual - in front of Burrard Bridge in Vancouver - we were having the obligatory Granville Island tour.

Downtown Vancouver - it's not always that grey, but mostly...
My lunch from Granville Public Market




My sister, Erika, who took many of the pictures on this blog, including shots 1, 2, and 4 above.

 My Dad bought himself a birthday present of a new motorcycle, which has just a little "omff".  Both my parents ride and enjoy touring around the lower mainland, Vancouver Island, and even down to Arizona and back.  However, this bike is apparently just for trips to the coffee shop!

Apparently I can't use the crop function properly in my photo editor, but you get the idea...
 On Saturday a big birthday party was planned.  What my Dad didn't know was that his parents and 4 sisters and 3 of their spouses were going to show up.  It's had to keep a secret from my Dad, but you can see from his expression that he really was surprised to see everyone there when he walked through the door. We even had a laptop on the kitchen table where his brother was "present" via Skype.

My Mom was in on the surprise, but even she wasn't sure if he had suspected anything until this moment.
The party had a 60s theme, so my aunts all wore matching embroidered shirts that my Grandmother had made them way back when.
Can you feel the heat?  Good times were had by all.
Other than copious amounts of family bonding, I spent some time shopping and a lot of time eating.  We also did a little bit of enjoying Vancouver and surroundings. It is a different kind of beautiful than the tropics, but no denying it, Vancouver is stunning.

Boats at Deep Cove

Donuts at Deep Cove - no, I didn't eat them all by myself!
Thanks to my sister for the pictures - all of the birthday party shots and the three at the beginning.  She is a great photographer and posts lots of her images on her blog: Digital Echo.

Lovely to see so many of you, friends and family!  Do come visit if you get a chance...