French Fireworks: Very impressive!

Last night saw the second night of the annual fireworks competition in Vancouver, after the Americans showed off last week, it was the turn of the French team. A very impressive display that went on for 25 minutes and was watched by over 250,000 people. Sheila´s mother joined us for the evening. This Saturday the Japanese team will complete the Celebration of Light for this year.

Dieter wird 85

Wir sind heute aus Siegelbach nach Vancouver zurückgekommen. Am Wochenende haben wir Papa´s 85. Geburtstag mit Saus und Braus gefeiert. Alle Kinder waren da, ebenso die meisten Enkel und auch alle Urenkel. Es war toll alle zusammen so schön feiern zu können und wir hatten alle viel Spass. Jetzt müssen wir uns erst mal wieder erholen!

Indian Arm by kayak

I tried out my new Klepper kayak today, driving to Deep Cove and paddling from there to Bedwell Bay and around Indian Arm (not all of it, just a little bit). It was hot and sunny and I am all sore now, but it was a great day on the water.

San Juan and Gulf Islands

It is hot and sunny in our area and we just returned from a nice two day trip to the US. I picked up a Klepper kayak in Bellingham, we met some friends from the Blue Water Rally in Anacortes for dinner (where I also saw the nice schooner pictured below), looked at some boats, took the ferry through the San Juan Islands to Sidney on Vancouver Island, looked at more boats and returned on the ferry to Vancouver. A fantastic day for this and now we are off to our beach here to enjoy the sunset.

Bard on the Beach: Cymbeline

Back on land we enjoyed another evening of culture, this time at an old Vancouver tradition, Bard on the Beach (in it´s 25th year now). We went and saw Cymbeline last night, a play written late in Shakespeare´s life about a British king, his daughter who falls in love with the wrong guy and all kinds of other complications. It was an interesting interpretation of a play we had not seen before. The setting for the ´theater´ is also rather grand, tents right on the water across from the West End.

On the water in a power boat

We went out on a Grand Banks 36 foot power boat yesterday and spent the night at Keats Island close to Vancouver. Very different from living on a sailboat, but it was great being on the water again. The weather was great and we also enjoyed the hiking on Keats Island.

Canada Day

It is Canada Day today, the national holiday. The weather is gorgeous, sunny and 25 degrees Celsius. It is also the last day of the Jazz Festival and there were 14 bands at four locations on Granville Island alone. A busy day! Because of the holiday there were also all kinds of other activities such as a parade, an impromptu water slide, and a pirate attack (repelled). Tonight will be a great firework from Canada Place, also within walking distance. Tomorrow we plan to escape into the wilderness for some recovery, chartering a motor boat for two days.

Red Rock Diner

In the mid fifties, disc jockey Red Robinson introduced Rock´n Roll music to Vancouver. There is a musical on Granville Island that commemorates the event and Sheila´s mother invited us last night to join her for a performance there. Great fun, nice music and a beautiful warm and sunny evening. We made our way home with ferry and a walk along the beach just after sunset. Today is the national holiday, Canada Day, and I plan to go back to Granville Island for a day of jazz, it is the last day of the Jazz Festival.