Life at Lilfred Lodge

Monday I headed out for an afternoon at the UBC Botanical Gardens. Bus connections proved a bit tricky, but I've finally purchased a copy of the ever elusive transit map for Vancouver.UBC is a beautiful campus and has been filled with housing available for sale to the public. Apparently, the university leases the land and the buyer owns the home. Bit strange, but it is a lovely community of diverse neighbourhoods, still handy to everything but a bit off of the beaten track. The Gardens were a lovely place to spend a quiet day walking. Not as lush or jam packed with flowers as Butchart, but lots of tall trees and Asian themed gardens. I had a peaceful walk in the woods, had my pick of quiet benches, and walked a lovely labyrinth in the company of a giant wire Minotaur and his tiny hare (you read that right). The solo dwellers needed some space, so I left Jen to spend some time with her boy and headed for a sushi dinner and to see Mama Mia! at the local movie theatre. The day ended with some hot tea on the beach after sunset. Lovely.

Tuesday was rainy and a bit dreary, so I took the SkyTrain for the loop and saw a bit of suburban Vancouver. Then I took a SeaBus to the market and bought us a bit of dinner. I cooked some yummy mushroom raviolis, which unfortuantely seems to be the one food Jen absolutely hates. She had a date with her little sister, so I headed up to the Wired Monk to watch the open mike night. Jen joined me later in time to see her boy's set. It's a funky little spot and had some really talented (and really not-so talented) musicians playing.

Wednesday was cold! I took a walk along Kitsalano Beach to Granville Island and grabbed some clam chowder to eat on the dock. I hopped on the False Creek Ferry and crossed over to the Sunset Beach side. They're tiny little ferries, that are actually quite fun for the short ride and the same rate as a bus (http://www.granvilleislandferries.bc.ca/). I found a little bench and read a bit, but it was too cold to stay out for long. I took another little ferry back to the Kits Beach side and walked back to Jen's place. In the evening, Jen took me out kayaking along the coast of Jericho Beach. It was really nice to have a chance to be out on the water and have a chat about how things are going for her out here. It was a nice night to be out and kayaking on the ocean didn't prove to be anymore difficult than what I have attempted before (although it was quite calm out). At the end of the night, Jen took on her pre-trip laundry and I headed to the Beach for another great set of fireworks. Tonnes of people filling the beaches and a harbour full of sailboats out watching the show. My dad would have loved this place.

Thursday was a highlight for the week. Jen had passed-on a gift card for a local spa located near her work. On another rainy day, it sounded like a delightful way to spend some time and they had the exact appointment time I was hoping for. I headed downtown and spent a lovely afternoon sitting in a eucalyptus steam room (great for clearing out the rest of the Pemberton black lung), having a fantastic shower, and getting my feet done. These are really pedicures done right! I had a curtained off room with a massage chair, glass of red wine, some tea, magazines, and a lovely asethetician. I was very pleased to find out that the spa provides its employees with two weeks of paid vacation. This should happen way more often than it does. After the pedicure, I relaxed in a very calm lounge area and had a fantastic hot beverage made from rooiboos tea, a splash of apple juice, a wedge of lemon, and a sprig of mint. Write that down, it's fab! I then went to have a quick tour of Jen's office. It's a great space, with an even better view. She looks out over the harbour and out to mountains. I might not get any work done there... I then walked back to Jen's place in the rain. It was a long trek, but it felt like a good day for a long walk. We finished the day with a fantastic dinner at Abigail's Party (http://www.abigailsparty.ca/). I had a pulled pork sandwhich, but this version had a pomegranate and maple marinade. Just when I thought a pulled pork sandwhich couldn't get any better, maple showed up!

Now it's Friday and we have another transition day. Jen will be flying out for her Great Malaysian Escape and Laura will be flying in from Toronto for her West Coast Adventure. As luck would have it, they're both at the airport at roughly the same time, so Jen's brother is going to drive us out and pick Laura up while we're there. A good old-fashioned hug-&-run :)