Halloween 2011

Halloween in my humble opinion is very much a North American holiday. In the UK there isn't a tradition of getting dressed up and gathering sweets and chocolate from strangers at this time of the year. However, in the spirit of the season Nancy invested in a Halloween costume for Sam which you can see in the photos. He seems to think it is great and it will be interesting to see how much candy he can collect with it. Also as the cold of winter creeps in.... Sam's Granny invested in a "beanie" hat or as the Canadians refer to it a "toque" for his head and ears.

Light the Night Walk 2011

As many of you will remember from last couple of years Nancy and Wendy have raised funds for the charity The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, in memory of Bob. The culmination in October is the Light the Night walk to honor and support people battling blood cancers. This was the third time the family attended the walk and this year we had Kris and Emily join us along with a number of local friends.

Light The Night Walk events are evenings filled with inspiration and the carrying of illuminated balloons - specifically with gold balloons in memory of loved ones lost to cancer was an amazing sight. Hundreds of people turned out last night and was certainly an evening to share memories.

Later in the evening, we all headed to the Player's house for a post-party when Nanaimo bars were on offer and many friends to chat with.

More Emily and Kris Fun

With Emily and Kris in town, enjoying the sights and sounds of the city - especially with good times being had while I am working at the office. As they are updating their travel blog, it saves me time by sharing their blog posts than creating my own. Check out this link which has some great photos, including Sam swimming.

http://jumpedupholiday.blogspot.com/2011/10/enjoying-sunshine-in-vancouver.html

Auntie Emily and Uncle Kris Arrive in Vancouver

Auntie Emily and Uncle Kris arrived in the early hours of Friday morning (4.32am to be precise) from Honolulu and I picked them up, while being half asleep. The highlight of the first twenty-four hours for them seems to have been meeting Sam for the first time in person. Sam was particularly happy with his gifts from his new housemates, which included a T-Shirt from Australia (see photo) and a Hawaiian outfit for next months holiday.

It is great having Emily and Kris stay with us and we celebrated in style with brunch at Cafe Zen, where they serve the best eggs benedict on the planet. This was followed by a leisurely stroll along Spanish Banks beach with a view of the city in the background. The Stanley Park seawall was on the agenda today and then a wander around the shops in Gastown, including a fantastic used book store, which was literally filled to the brim with books - certainly not stroller friendly for Sam.

More adventures and stories to follow in the next couple of weeks with Em and Kris in town.

Canadian Thanksgiving 2011

This weekend is my third Canadian Thanksgiving in Vancouver and obviously Sam's first, which was spent with the family - Scott M (and new girlfriend) as well as Betty. It was low key event, with a harvest full of food and wine at Scott's apartment and a good time had by all. Sam certainly enjoyed himself, although we had beef instead of turkey, so his first taste of turkey will have to wait.

Anyway, what are Canadians thankful for? The American thanksgiving holiday is famous for the celebration of the Pilgrim Fathers and the Mayflower ship landing on the East coast of the USA. Many Canadians are unsure on why they are thankful and receive a public holiday, especially as I ask a few of them the question at this time of the year. Thanks to Wikipedia, I discovered that the history of Thanksgiving in Canada goes back to an explorer, Martin Frobisher, who had been trying to find a northern passage to the Pacific Ocean. Frobisher's Thanksgiving was not for harvest but homecoming. He had safely returned from a search for the Northwest Passage, avoiding the later fate of Henry Hudson and Sir John Franklin who died.

I forgot to get some photos of our thanks giving meal, so enclosed is a recent photo of Sam enjoying one of his meals.

Sam's First Live Footy Match

Today, Sam experienced his first footy match live and in person, the Vancouver Whitecaps were playing against the Portland Timbers. Vancouver Whitecaps were playing in their new stadium with a retractable roof for the first time and they introduced it with a massive fanfare. In addition to the retractable roof, there were internal covers that block off the upper deck, and seats that pull out to field level to create a more intimate setting. Also the stadium has a new HD giant screen which is only second in size to the screen at the Dallas Cowboys stadium.

All of this stuff received positive reviews, but the Whitecaps look like a side that simply didn't have enough for this season. It was the visiting Portland Timbers who spoiled the Whitecaps’ B.C. Place launch. The Timbers won with a solitary goal, which was impressively taken from the edge of the penalty area.

Sam (with his head phones) watched the majority of the first half with wonderment, especially at the big screen. By the second half he was snoozing away, but awoke for the final ten minutes.