Raincharm’s Weblog

I have enough trouble keeping track of what year it is, what month it is, and don’t generally worry about what day it is. Part of my seasonal confusion has to do with what I learned as a child, and what I see as an adult.

All together now, “April showers bring May flowers.”

And the follow-up, “What, do May flowers bring?” (see bottom of post for the answer if you don’t know it already)

So when the flowers appear it should be May.
This picture is from just outside our front stoop, an area that is shaded most of the day.

February Flowers!

Since this is not the state I grew up in, I will give the ditty a months grace. March showers bring April Flowers.
But come on. It is not April, it is not even March. It is still February! These daffodils may not be completely open yet, but there are plenty around that are fully open.

So for 2010 – January showers bring February flowers.
My brain is going to be hard pressed to figure out the time of year in 2010.
It looks like it’s going to be a long Spring.
And rumor has it that this summer is going to be wetter than average, so Spring may last until next Fall or Winter.

But, I am not really complaining too loudly. The Spring Olympics were wonderful, and we did not have to contend with any major snowfall in the lowlands this winter. That almost makes up for last year.

Of course the school Districts all shortened their winter and spring breaks so they would be sure to have enough days to cover snow days without adding days and being in session until July. I’ll bet none of them shorten the school year because they did not need to use any snow days.

Speaking of the Olympics – two more events; 50 km cross-country race and Gold/Silver medal round for USA/Canada. “USA, USA, USA, USA.” And how about them Canadians. “Own the Podium!” They seem to have taken that to heart, winning more gold medals than any other country, and that is without the Men’s Hockey potential. Red Mittens, Red Mittens, Red Mittens. (Part of their Own the Podium marketing campaign.) That’s 12 EST, 3 PST (I don’t really remember if we are in PDT or PST, so adjust accordingly) for you sport’s or Olympic’s fans. And they are making such a big deal that we all get to see it, “LIVE IN ALL TIME ZONES.” It only took 2 weeks to figure out that it is possible to broadcast a west coast event live to the west coast. Slow learners at NBC.

Answer to the question above: Pilgrims.
Hey, if you did not know this already, it’s a joke from elementary school.
Actually I would have answered furniture. We had Mayflower move our belongings from Grand Rapids to Ann Arbor when I was 4 years old. I remember distinctly the big Mayflower boxes that we got to play in, down in the basement. That is, until I cut my knee on a metal support strip and had to go to the hospital to get stitches.

We jump started the car last night and drove around for a very short while.
This morning it was out of juice, again.
So we decided it was time to visit the Toyota dealership and determine whether we just did not charge the battery long enough, or if it is time for a new battery. The car is at about 90,000 miles, so maybe it is due.
They are busy (surprised?) and did not have an appointment available for us today, but we decided to chance a squeeze in and went today.
At the worst they will have it tomorrow and look at it on Monday morning. But I wouldn’t want to drive it around and chance not being able to start it up again, so it might as well be with them.

The jump starting was more routine since we did not put the car down at the bottom of the driveway. But we did need to borrow our neighbor’s driveway to get close enough for 1 set of cables to reach. And speaking of cables, trying to get contact in the fuse box requires a small pincher end. The Mazda cables are too big. The Prius cables are in the back end lower storage, and the back end will not open. I did manage to open it from the inside, and get to the cables. It was not as tight a fit as I thought is was going to be in the end. But still, if you were out on the road with a loaded car it would be a trick.

We took this opportunity to get a walk in, from the car dealer. About 5 miles, maybe more. I last did this walk on July 27, 2009. It was over 100 degrees that day. Today was more like 50 and raining. Still, a good walk. We treated ourselves to Starbucks on the way.

And by reality we mean work.
It has been a sometimes slow (reading soooo many e-mails) and sometimes fast (I need it by 2 PM, and can’t help that you were not here when I brought it in several days ago).

And there are tribulations that nobody should have to bear.
I am not in the middle.
But sometimes it might be easier to be in the middle.
No, that is absolutely not true, I could not bear to be in the middle, and even getting near the sun would be too hot.
Those that can handle that location, are.
I am hovering in an outer orbit, ready to listen when spoken to.

And then there are the daily irritants that we all get here and there.
A dead battery.
Apparently when you leave a Prius alone for too long, it pines for its master.
Sending out little electronic signals, looking for a key.
And then it gets tired. And stops sending out signals. And goes to sleep.

Luckily we found out it was dead on a grocery run, not when running out the door to work.
Also luckily, my carpooler was able to pool me in.
Further he brought his charger and long jumper cables with him.
After work (we couldn’t be late!) we tried connecting the charger.
Only in a Prius the little starter battery is in the back, and you can’t open the door when the battery is really dead.
The jump-starter location is on a fuse panel. But that is too far from the battery for the charger to do the job.
So we resorted to a good old fashioned jump-start.
Except the Prius was nose-down in our dungeon driveway, and even the long cables were not long enough to reach.
So we actually enlisted Carl as a cable minder and strung two sets of cables together.
I am sure this is a no-no, but the good news is that it worked and nobody got hurt. (And I don’t think the car got hurt either.)
This battery is not the big drive the car battery, it is the run the starter, radio, lights, etc 12-volt battery.
It came on with no real effort … once we had it all set up.
Kind of like painting all set up and very little painting.

The Olympics have not been fully left behind. I watched the 1st period of the US vs Finland Hockey game at lunch today. Now we are watching the delayed broadcast of today’s other events. Last night we had to stay up almost to midnight to see the Women’s Free skate. This is Prime Time?? Don’t get me started.

Because in the end, it just means I had to stay up a little later than usual.

Today was the end of our Vancouver Olympic Games Adventure.
We started by getting up at a rather leisurely pace.
Then off to a restaurant on the 99B-Line that was our primary bus to and from campus.
We were fully packed and carrying all of our gear on this jaunt.

We arrived about 9:30 AM at the restaurant and walked in. The door was unlocked.
A very nice woman approached and told us they did not open until 10 AM, and they were only just setting up the kitchen. She did say they could get some coffee on. Then a nice man poked his head out and said he could start cooking, so figuring we had a full 2 hours until the train-bus left, we stayed.

Breakfast was quite good, but it was a bit after 10:30 when we left. Ashlan assured us we did not have to do any fancy check-in for the train-bus and we let her be the tour guide.
The 99 B-Line continued to carry us toward central Vancouver. The 99 B-line is named so because it has very few stops, and like most of Vancouver’s buses they are fairly efficient at getting people on and off. However, at one stop, we stopped. For several minutes. Still not sure why, but eventually we were underway again.
Reaching Main Street we changed to the No. 3 that would take us to the train station. It took a few minutes, and several stops later we were there.

It was about 11:10, with the train-bus scheduled to leave at 11:30. Close, but OK.

We approached the bus, the driver said, “3?” We indicated only 2, and he loaded our luggage, made sure we had passports, and motioned for us to board. I did manage a hug for Ashlan, but did not manage to dig for my wallet and leave her a bit of Canadian cash. We boarded, sat, and the bus moved.

I think Amtrak just sells as many tickets as they can for the train-bus, and adds buses as they fill up. There was a second bus at the station, and it followed us on the route down.

The first stop is the border. There is a special bus customs area, but you have to wait for the buses in front of you to clear. After 15-20 minutes a bus we could not see was done we were in position to watch the routine for a Greyhound bus. There were suddenly about 7 border patrol surrounding a bus bay containing a cardboard box. They looked at it for some time. After several minutes and much discussion, one of the patrol produced a box cutter, and opened the mysterious box. It contained another box, made of wood (from our vantage point it looked like wood). Our driver said the Greyhound driver had apparently not made sure his bus was clear before boarding passengers, and nobody claimed the box. After their review of the contents it was reloaded into the bus, and everybody went on their way.

Our bus then unloaded, and into to station. Declarations reviewed. The man said, “Didn’t you get any mittens?” I indicated the part where I had listed the mittens, and he explained that, “Everybody has mittens!”

Red Mittens of the 2010 Vancouver Olympics

That was that. No searching for my sunglasses that mimicked multi-tools for the Olympic venue x-ray machines. No other questions, just mittens. Back on the bus. The ride went really quickly. After some bird watching I read a paper, and then a book.

Home is home. Little food, but we raided the freezer. Mail is being sorted and recycled. There are a few bills and other pieces that need attention.

All in all this vacation is declared a success. 
We got to go the Olympics!
Ashlan survived a week of us visiting.
We got to know Vancouver a bit, after having done mostly hit-and-run visits over the last 2-1/2 years.
We all understand curling. The rules at least, if not the subtle strategy. We all agree it is a bit like bowling. Almost everybody can do it, but it takes work to be good. 
WE GOT TO GO TO THE OLYMPICS!!!

Thanks Ashlan.

Gold medal in Women’s Ski-Cross.
And they won gold in Ice Dancing yesterday.
That is helping ease the sting of losing in Hockey to USA a few days ago.
Canada is playing Germany in men’s Hockey right now, leading 1-0 at the end of the 1st period.

We were supposed to be at the Ski-Cross, but they cancelled our tickets due to lack of snow in the standing room only area. It was a wet snow-storm today. Looks like our cold/wet-weather gear would have been put to good use. As it was it has been snugly stored in Ashlan’s room.

We spent the day touristing instead.
First to Stanley Park and the Vancouver Aquarium.
A pretty good aquarium. Both large and small mammals and lots of different fish.

Pictures in the gallery are: Interesting trees – kind of like Madrona trees, but lighter, Scarlett Ibis, Blue Hyacinth McCaws, Tortoise (sorry – did not get more detail), Butterfly (again, no detail, but I really liked the pattern on the wings), 2-toed sloth reaching for food (Ashlan could not believe I took a picture of the butterfly and not the sloth), Pacific White-sided Dolphin, Belugas and a Sea Otter preening.

Then it was back on the buses to Granville Island.
We were going to go to Swiss House for lunch, but there was a 1-hour wait (in the rain) for more $$ food than we had planned. So we opted for the public market instead. A good choice.
Ashlan was on a Perogy mission. It was kind of like the Amazing Race. You enter this market full of many different stalls, all with different kinds of food, and you have to search through all of them to find the Perogy stand. We finally did. After noshing on perogies, piroshki and cabbage roll we set off on a dessert mission. raspberry custard and dark chocolate tarts rounded out the food fest.

This meant we had to abandon the market and head back out into the rain to get back to the bus line.

On the way a touristy shop beckoned. As we picked out a few cards, the person in line behind us had a pair of the Red Mittens. I asked here where they were in the shop. She said you had to ask for them. They did not have the large, but they did have the larger of the small. So I asked for a pair. But when the clerk requested $22 for a pair of $10 mittens I realized these were black market red mittens. I declined to pay the black market rate.

Oh, and anybody watching the Colbert Reports from Vancouver, check out the set of nations flags in the background. The clip we saw today included a Skull & Cross-bones.

So we are packing tonight. The vacation ends tomorrow, and Ashlan’s vacation starts back up. Canada 4 – Germany 1 at the end of 2 periods. One other educational note. When we were watching Switzerland vs. Slovakia women’s hockey we kept hearing a chant of, “Hoc-key, hoc-key, hoc-key.” Then at Curling, with the Swiss in attendance, we realized it was probably, “Hopp Schweiz.” However, we are not able to translate Hopp to anything, but that is what Ashlan saw on a sign. Hoch translates to Great, so maybe that was it. In any event, it was unlikely just, “Hoc-key.”

Curling

Our day revolved around curling. Two matches – women’s in the afternoon and men’s in the evening.
The women’s was more fun, probably because it was earlier in the day. But the Canadian team was competing, and the crowd was really in to the game. There were 8 women’s teams and 6 men’s teams. The American men competed in the evening, but truth be told they were not as good as the rest. We saw at least three misses. Again, the weather was beautiful outside, but it was chilly inside.

Quatchi - a sasquatch

Piping in the curlers

Curling action - Canada front, Japan back

Not much else to say. Other than curling, all is food.
Breakfast at the Only U Cafe – good start.
Lunch was bagels from a Safeway. We had gone to the Curling venue to pick up our evening tickets, and then bused back to our favourite Oakridge Shopping Center. Home to Safeway, Zellers and The Bay store. And the mittens are only in child sizes now. Jane noted the lines for the downtown Vancouver Bay store. I don’t know if they still have the adult size mittens, but I don’t think I am up for their around the block lines.
Dinner at a burger joint on Main Street between Curling matches. Pretty good food as well.

Tomorrow. The idea was to get up early, but it is after midnight, and we have only been back for a short while. We’ll see.

We did not have tickets to the USA – Canada game, but we did watch it on TV – LIVE because we are in Canada.
It was a fun game, and gave us a chance to rest our legs. 

HOCKEY, HOCKEY, HOCKEY - Olympic Style (excuse the trees)

We stayed out of downtown today, taking a 5-mile walk through some of the UBC Endowment Lands and down to a different beach. Highlights of the walk: 

Deciduous forest 

Endowment Lands

Beaver pond area 

Beaver Pond

Coniferous Forest, with resident gnome 

Conifers

Downtown Vancouver 

Downtown from Spanish Banks Beach

More from the beach 

Across Burrard Inlet

We followed our walk with a bus ride for shopping – including groceries. Busing with eggs and tomatoes is just more exciting. But we made it back, with all of the groceries in one piece.
Well, the bread was not quite loaf shaped anymore.Nachos and Greek Salad.
It sounds like an easy day, and yet I am ready for bed.

The day started with a few tasks to finish.
And the internet in Ashlan’s apartment took a hike.
So we ended up hiking to a nearby school building with wi-fi.

Finally off on the bus to downtown.
Crowded buses are the norm. We are getting better at finding our way to the places where handholds are better. And we got onto the Canada Line, new underground train – also packed to the gills.

The Cauldron

The Olympic Cauldron - Gretzky was here

The Crowds

The crowds

Two in the crowd

Jay & Carl & the flame

The Rings

The Olympic Rings

The Steam Clock in Gas Town

Gas Town Steam Clock

St. Paul’s Hospital

The Monolith telling us we are either at the UBC Hockey arena or Home, or both.

Home on the left, Hockey to the right

Early Day 3

Very early. As in 2 AM, when little one decided to come home before her friends.
Except that she had forgotten one small thing – her room key.
So, we got one of those early morning phone calls. Except that the phone was not in reach, and Carl decided it wasn’t one of our phones at all and that we should ignore the phone. But I finally managed to struggle off of the bed, and got the phone on the second call.

Sleeping quarters

Two phone calls and one hour later I was able to buzz little one into the room and finally fall back asleep.

 Not so early, Day 3.

Ashlan slept in a bit.
Carl & I went over to the fields next to Thunderbird Arena and I ran a mile, give or take, slowly. Then we walked around campus and found a Starbucks and a Post Office.
Ashlan called to see where we were. Checking up on her old folks – kind of cute.
Showers and lunch and we set out again.

Mid Day 3

Down to the beach.
I do mean down. 470 steps.
The reward, a beautiful sandy beach. (Clothing optional, and yes there were a few taking advantage)
Unlike many of the beaches around Seattle, it was not windy, and rather warm.
Carl & Ashlan played catch – baseball, and later football.
I soaked in the sun, almost took off my sweater, but that is as far as I considered going.
After a while we climbed back up the steps, and across campus.

Carl & Ashlan have a catch

Ashlan & Jay - Winter in the northwest

Evening Day 3

We decided on dinner and a movie for our evening entertainment.
Right as we had picked a restaurant phones rang with contact from Seattle friends fresh out of a curling match.
We rendezvoused at Hell’s Kitchen for dinner.
Traded tales of the games and Vancouver in general.
After too short a time they left for another match.
We traded Hell’s Kitchen for Scoops and frozen yogurt, foosball and Guess Who?
Finally time for the movie – Crazy Heart.
A really good movie. I seem to be seeing a lot of film with music as the central theme lately, but that is OK with me.
The last bit was the ride home. We have been riding the bus to get places. Friday night in Vancouver is a jumping time. The buses were all packed, and we packed in with the rest of the city.

Back to early morning – when Ashlan was attempting to get home, sans keys, at least one bus passed her by because it was too full. Seattle and Vancouver are often compared. The widespread size of the city and much larger population are easy to see. Less obvious, until you are one the ground, is the use of the transit system. They have buses, the new underground Canada Line and the Skytrain. Our week here is definitely a skewed perspective, but there have been no buses that stayed empty for long.

Yesterday – 1st Women’s hockey game.
Slovakia 3 – Switzerland 5
It was a very evenly matched game. Lots of hustle.
Met a family in line for water, coffee and a beer that gave me a line on where to find the red Canadian Olympic mittens.

I had wanted a pair of the red mittens since I saw them a week ago.
Of course I have generally cold hands, so mittens hold a special place.
When we got into town the buzz was they were hard to find. Places with mittens would only have small or extra-large, etc. One of Ashlan’s friends had gotten hers in Victoria. Even on-line they were being shown as out-of-stock. So, off to Zeller’s in search of the elusive hand-warmers.

Then back to UBC for a Vera’s burger, and on to see USA vs Finland.
A raucous crowd. We were seated four rows up from the goal corner. Great view of the Finland goal for 2 periods (where most of the action was). The final score was USA 6 – Finland 0. But they had some good chances, including a penalty shot. The row in front of us was full of college kids from the University of Wisconsin, including an American cheesehead. Apparently 7 of the USA women’s team players and the coach are from UW. It was a fun game and we got to wave our flag a bit.

After the game we walked down to the grocery store and came home to make dinner. Men’s figure skating, a bit of skeleton and Canada Men’s hockey accompanied our meal. Ashlan then decided she needed some “alone” time and took off with a few of her friends to go join the thousands in downtown Vancouver. I am fine with hanging out and not doing much tonight. Kind of tired.

THE Red Mittens

Vancouver 2010 - USA, USA, USA, USA

Badger, er USA Women's Hockey Team Fans