Clarisse's 90th Birthday Blues: Wednesday, January 28th!

Sit down and put down everything that comes into your head and then you're a writer. But an author is one who can judge his own stuff's worth, without pity, and destroy most of it. -Colette, author (28 Jan 1873-1954) 

Hi Patrice, O.K. I’ll buy it! as long as it comes with the malt cabinet, full! Great looking pictures and I’m sure it’ll get snapped up pretty quick.  Sorry, kind of..that you didn’t see anything that worked for you up in the Okanagan but I’m sure something will present itself in due course.  

 

Great party pictures for Clarrise’s birthday too, what a milestone and a pretty common achievement these days that has me thinking I might have to think longer term as far as being able to look after myself in the future!.  I wasn’t aware that you were heading out of town on the 2nd but sounds like maybe you’re California bound to see Los Horitos and co? 

We had a nice weekend last with a few friends who share the same birthdays with mine being on the 29th and Karen, Katie an Steve being on the 28th. We rented the Sunshine Inn up at the Valley which I may have pointed out to you. it is an old lodge that has 6 bedrooms and sleeps 36 people and we can rent it out for large functions. 

luckily the rain abated mid day on Saturday and we were able to get out for a nice walk to a waterfall not too far away with everyone in tow including dogs and kids...you may have seen some pictures on facebook as everyone put a bunch up afterward.  We all had a great time with a Mexican feast that everyone pitched in on and then went over to the community center and played ping pong, pool and foosball for an hour and a half or so before retiring back to the lodge for a nightcap.

I had an interesting day yesterday as I was contacted about a job that requires loading certain points of the roof cables on B.C. place with approx. 5000 lbs. to set of some weight sensors to see if they actually work. The idea is to mimic a one meter wet snow load scenario. 
 

it’s a great job for me as I need to design the rig to hold the weight using some water bags and a structure to hang them on. I consulted with an engineer named Rudolph Beckman that I have worked with in film many times and he joined me up there as well as Dave Edgar who is the one who contacted me through a mutual film friend. Dave is the one who installed all the new catwalks along the cliffs and in the tress at Capilano suspension park as well as all the infrastructure in the upper regions of the roof at B.C. place. I must get on with designing now but have a great day and we’ll talk soon, give my love and birthday wishes to Clara and the rest of the clan. Cheers, Al

hi patrick,can i come over about 1 p m on thursday to pick up sweater?

What a day for a ride. Bit cloudy when I left home at about 11:20 am and I dithered about taking my sunglasses. Glad that I did as by the time I was close to Stanley Park sun had burst through the clouds and I would have been squinting for rest of ride. Decided I'd do a run out to Horseshoe Bay as I'd not been that way for some time. Did a quick run along Spirit Trail to Bewicke Park to see if there was any sign of construction of bridge over Mosquitoe Creek but nothing that I could see. Apparently City of North Van and Musqueam Band have come to some sort of agreement that will allow a continuation of Spirit Trail all the way to Lonsdale Quay. Apparently bike path on Low Level Road is now complete so need to check that out soon.

Had 49 km on the clock by the time I was riding past Troll's in HB so I knew I'd have to do some dipsy-doodling once over Lions Gate if I wanted to log 100+ km. Accomplished this by doing four loops of Lost Lagoon once I was back at parking lot near Second Beach. Only complaint I had is that the fairly constant, reasonably strong head wind seemed to shift directions to keep itself in my face over the entire course of the ride! What else is new? Need some excuse for the fairly low AVG. Nothing to do with my pins, perhaps a bit weary after pretty good workouts of last few days or maybe I'm not eating enough kale! Dear Reader! Stats for ride: http://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/685040558#.VMmBL_QB_jM.email

Distance 101.25 km | Time 5:14:29 | Speed 19.3 kph | Elev Gain 853 m connect.garmin.com

Howard Gold four loops of Lost Lagoon.... yawn...

Patrick James Dunn Put your money where your sleepy mouth is Howard! 

Howard Gold OK... I think I could manage 19 KPH... maybe... not sure about 100KM though. We're thinking about coming to Van around spring break time...if you're around I'll bring my bike 

Howard Gold Oh.. and my first comment was more empathetic then critical... I know what its like when you want to complete a distance but run out of route. I often run 200m circles around the house here to make up mileage.

Patrick James Dunn I wasn't being nasty either, I was just hoping that we might ride at some point! I had to chuckle about your house circling for the same reasons. 

Hello Sun Peaks Kids! Trust all goes well at on the slopes! Had our very first "viewing" yesterday:

http://davecollette.ca/mylistings.html/photos-45341603

Pics look so great I put in an offer myself before I headed over the the gym at FCCC to use elliptical while we were "banished" at 2:35 pm. Forecast was for on-and-off rain and drizzle. Still, I managed my best elliptical workout to date: 1107 calories over 70 minutes to climb 15,037' with a distance of 3.47 miles, if I read stats on machina correctly! Fondestos from Mme Coriandre. Cheers, Patrizzio! 

Hi Pat, Pictures of the Islay Inn look great - suspect it will sell pretty quickly! Bit of a surprise - to say the least - to find my wife on the doorstep last Sunday; seems like I have been a victim of a conspiracy on both sides of the Pacific! At any rate it was a secret well kept by all involved - thanks for not breaking radio silence!  Skiing is not too, too bad; temperatures are much too warm and we desperately need fresh snow - maybe this coming weekend. Trust the trip down south goes well. Regards to all Trevor

P, Enjoy your ride. May the bitches of West Van stay clear of your steely stare. I will be in town Saturday mid evening. We could stop by then or meet somewhere. Could also do the same after the football game Sunday evening. I expect your dance card is already full or constrained by mulage logistics...Fond regards to all the Cs and Ds. Happy Birthday again to Rosie. W

Hello Salish Sea People! Have you now realized that you are an indentured slave to BC Ferries, (hence petition), or simply become a Gulf Island Socialite keeping Night Owl hours? At any rate, please feel free to pop by once Calamity has polished your shackles. We will be in, probably packing and otherwise getting ready to go. Not sure how long you will be involved with Super Bowl festivities but we are tentatively planning to attend a showing at SFU downtown.

Looking forward to it but, at this point, will depend on trip preparations. Need to be there by 6:30 pm and you are welcome to join us if interested. If it transpires wouldn't be a late night as we have a very early start on Monday morning, as you know. Fill us in on what works best for you two and we'll plan accordingly. Fondestos and Cheers, Il Conduttore!

Pics: 28th is Rosita's actual birthday. Clarisse wearing earrings from Chloë and clutching bottle of wine, (Shiraz Durif, 2012, 13.9%, from a winery, Campbells, we first visited with them in '91 in Rutherglen, Victoria, a fabulous region not that far, a couple of hours at most, northeast from where close freinds, Steve and Kathleen live), from Cora Lee. Backstory: Rosie had received money from a nephew with a birthday card and asked me to buy a bottle of wine with it. I did so on the Friday before the party and showed it to her that evening. Towards the end of the night Mme Coriandre, in her cups by then, opened Clarisse's present! Kids today!

Hi Patrick, The pictures are amazing and will certainly showcase your place very well to any interested buyers. As for bridge, the gods giveth and taketh on any given night so needless to say we didn't win on Monday, but we were in the middle of the pack. Lots of work to do on fine tuning our game. We are always good for awhile, but during the course of 27 hands our tiredness sets in and a few blunders get made by both of us. Oh Well! We'll have to build up
our endurance and come better rested. Ruth P.S. Glad the birthday was a hoot!

Hi Squamish Waldorfians! Trust you are both well. We are busy with viewings and an Open House tomorrow so I'm planning a longish ride on Saturday! Probably last one until we hit California. Cheers, Patrizzio!

Hi Pat, but sans sorry please. We are all remarkably busy, or just trying to stay busy. The latter is just meant to tease.  :) 

Hi Bob! Trust all goes well with you! Sorry I've not been in touch sooner. Same story: No excuses but plenty of reasons! Main one being possible move to The Naramata. Plenty of issues with respect to Chloë and Loft, of course. Anyway, nothing is set in stone yet! Must away as I've a number of chores to accomplish to ready place for another showing at noon today. Fondestos from Mme Coriandre. Cheers, Patrizzio!

Thanks for the Naramata update. Looks lots of life's adventures ahead for you and Corinne. Speaking of the process being under way, i booked my tickets to Europe last Friday, so my ship comes in on August 17, or rather i fly to Reykjavik, for nearly a week. Look forward to treeless landscapes, simmering hot springs, rotten shark meat, but also no mosquitos. and brooding skies. Hopefully i can commit a tiny bit of those impressions to my growing collections of sketchbooks.

Now, i am trying to get flights from Frankfurt to Romania and then on to Zürich. I wonder where Heinz and Eveyln live? I have friends in Zürich and a distant relative in Schaffhausen. Did you not have a powerful aesthetic experience visiting the Klee Museum. I love his work. Return October 20.

Here is a sketch from yesterday. I made a nuisance of myself in a Korean restaurant, over in Coquitlam. It took one and a half hourse to make this before i could start on my now cold lunch. Then i completely forgot to tip so i am going back today or tomorrow, and so it goes. Best Wishes, bob