Cirque du Soleil

For a few weeks, Cirque du Soleil is in town with their show Totem. We went last night and very much enjoyed it. The acrobatics are very impressive and what some people can do with their bodies is most amazing. A great evening out.

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Lunch and a lecture in the The Shebeen Whiskey House Private Room

Professor John Stackhouse from Regent College in Vancouver gave a lunchtime lecture on “Are Christians Dumb, Delusional and Dangerous?” in the Whiskey House at the back of an Irish pub in Gastown. We enjoyed the lecture and the pies (meat pie for Reinhard and vegan pie for Sheila), but we stuck to water because it was early in the day.

Warm and sunny, time to go outdoors!

The weather is warm and sunny this week, so it is a good time to be outdoors. I went to Deep Cove today, one to buy some of the equipment I need to be able to kayak here again (the water is cold, so more stuff needed), and also to enjoy a nice hike there along the Baden Powell Trail. Great views, and cute little places for lunch.

And another evening of music

On 9 May I (Sheila) went with my old friends Roxanne and Joan to an unusual concert at a Mennonite church in Burnaby, and we were treated to the music of the Recycled Orchestra from Cateura, Paraguay. It was one of those concerts where the music is so much fun to listen to that the evening just flies by. They make all their instruments – flutes, saxophones, cellos, drums, violins and many more – with stuff they find in the garbage dump (although I think bows and reeds are purchased). The front of the violin in this picture is the inside of a paint can that has been cut open, and the back is an aluminium cake pan. If you look carefully at the violin you can see a few other familiar household objects. Here is a link to a 3-minute trailer for a planned documentary film about this remarkable orchestra – it’s well worth watching.

Another evening of Jazz

Last night we visited the Goedde House around the corner from us to listen to the singer Jaclyn Guillou accompanied by the guitarist David Blake. The house was built at the end of the 19th century by a German bookbinder, who being the first such tradesman in Vancouver did quite well and could afford to build a big house for his family with six children and three dogs. The setting was very pleasant, and the music nice. 

We are boatless!

When we sold Blue Raven, we had agreed that the sale would complete upon delivery to Annapolis, where the new owners live. A delivery crew did the job for us, sailing from Antigua rather quickly up to the Chesapeake. They arrived yesterday, and with that we are now really boatless. After spending seven and a half years on Blue Raven this feels very odd, but it was time to move on to other things. We enjoyed our time sailing tremendously and hope the new family living on it will have as many great adventures as we did. We wish them all the best.

Hot and sunny

There is still snow on the mountains, but the last few days have been warm and sunny. The flowers are out and it is a great time to walk along the beach. Alas, I am not the only one with that idea. Some people even went swimming, but I had a cold beer after my 12 km walk, which was probably the same temperature as the water anyhow.