Hedgie Hedgehog, Leaving Maple Ridge, Canada

The Sparkle


Posted Jan 16, 2008, 12:03 pm
Hi,

From today on i'm a ToyVoyager.
My name is Hedgie Hedgehog and i'm a little orange hedgehog with a yellow and orangegardenpants.
I love to see the world and visit beautiful placeses.

My brother Hema Hedgie is going to travel arround the world also. He is a Geocaching TravelBug. He is traveling from cache to cache with a lot of different people.
I hope il will see him again after we have traveld a long time.

Now it is time for me and my host to find my first host so i can start my journey.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2122/2206822911_f49d4fdccf.jpg

My journey till now:
01* Crizle - Australia
02* Kira1997 - Australia
03* Oksana - Russia
04* Abby - Canada(i'm here now)


Future hosts - Shana10214 - USA, Florida
- Em Hoefler - Canada
- Olgamaus - Germany
- Minnihiiru - Estonia
- ................



Greetings,
Hedgie.
The Sparkle


Posted Jan 20, 2008, 1:29 pm
WhooooHoooo,


I'm going tor travel to Australia.
That sounds verry cool.

I'm going to make myself ready for this long travel.
Will take a picture from me and my brother and than start traveling.


The Sparkle


Posted Jan 25, 2008, 1:34 pm
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2077/2218807600_7fcd10ff86.jpg
It's time for me to travel to my first host: Crizle in Australia.
I'm cannot wait  to meet here and see something from here country.


http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2101/2218014959_962018e99e.jpg
This is the envelope where i'm going to travel in,


http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2060/2218015115_e0d3ba4534.jpg
Take my first look inside of my travelroom.


http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2248/2218015155_8d7b868b7c.jpg
Me and my travelbook. After my big adventure my host can read about all the placeses i vistit and the things i did.


http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2371/2218808242_d00eb97993.jpg
Something sweet for my first host. i hope she likes it.


http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2003/2218015217_69e61f50cf.jpg
And then it is time to say goodbye to my friend Luna. I will mis here a lot because she is so sweet to me.


http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2314/2218808292_fd98d15fd0_m.jpg
Time to go in the envelope


http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2275/2218808304_bdbbf71989_m.jpg
Bye mum. I hope to tell you soon about my adventures


http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2059/2218015255_3ed556e39d.jpg
And then the evelope is closed.
My mum will bring me to a postbox in The netherlands soon so i can travel for the first time.



crizle
crizle@westnet.com.au

Posted Mar 8, 2008, 9:25 am
Wheeeee! What a trip. I love flying.
I arrived in Ipswich which is about a 1 hour drive west from the capital city, Brisbane and I was so happy to come out of my bubble bed and find some other travellers waiting to meet me.

It was raining on and off for two whole weeks which is very unusual here so we couldn't really visit anywhere.
Instead, I played alot in the dolls house with Aus Bear who is my mate.
crizle
crizle@westnet.com.au

Posted Mar 25, 2008, 3:45 am
Today we went to Brisbane on the train and that was a fun trip. It takes an hour.
It is a nice city and we looked about, had coffee and then bought postcards.
crizle
crizle@westnet.com.au

Posted Mar 25, 2008, 4:01 am
Today only comes once every 4 years, or Leap Year.
Crizle and I stayed home today and visited the budgies who were very chatty and happy to see me.
Then I visited the Fairy who lives in the garden, and wandered out to look at the roadworks.
When the postie came he had a surprise.
It was Kiwi all the way from New Zealand, who is a toy traveller and here for a visit.
We really like each other alot.
crizle
crizle@westnet.com.au

Posted Mar 25, 2008, 4:08 am
We have had four great days on the Gold Coast.
I visited Pacific Fair Shopping Centre, and Surfers Paradise beach.
I stayed at Crowne Towers on the 15th floor and wasn't a bit scared of the heights.
The views were really beautiful.
I also went to Point Danger which is on the state border of Queensland and New South Wales.
crizle
crizle@westnet.com.au

Posted Mar 25, 2008, 4:12 am
St Patricks day and we had green food all day. What fun!
We also welcomed a new toy to our house.
Her name is Mira and she is a little dog bought to help the Mater Hospital Little Miracles.
She is going to become a Toy Voyager too.
crizle
crizle@westnet.com.au

Posted Mar 25, 2008, 4:25 am
What a fun time I have had at Easter.
I ate way too many chocolate eggs and felt very full.
I went to the Queens Park Nature Reserve and chatted to some ducks, then walked in the lovely Nerima Japanese Gardens.
Nerima is Ipswich's Sister City in Japan.
I saw some fish and some turtles and lots of different birds there.....but no hedgehogs because there are none at all in Australia.
There were some lovely trees and plants though and I liked the Australian Grass Tree best.
On Easter Monday we took a drive and I met some kangaroo's.
The problem was that they were not at all friendly and kept running away from me.

crizle
crizle@westnet.com.au

Posted Mar 25, 2008, 4:37 am
More fun photo's at Easter.

Today I have said goodbye to my friends here and I am going to travel right across Australia from the East Coast to the West Coast.
I LOVE adventures.
Kira1997


Posted Apr 2, 2008, 12:49 am
I  finally arrived in Busselton today gee it doesnt take long from the other side of Australia
Oksana
oksanashevtsova77@gmail.com

Posted Jun 8, 2008, 5:46 pm
Hello mommy!
Today I've finally arrived in Russia, Novosibirsk!
It was such a long trip from Australia- I was sent here on May, 16.
My new host's name is Oksana. And here I've met 3 other TVs- Mittens, NormaNikkers and teddybear Donald. So mommy, please don't worry about me- I'm fine and I have a very good company here :))
Oksana promised to take us to the cinema house tomorrow.
I will write you later. Now I need to rest, because I feel very tired...
http://i041.radikal.ru/0806/9c/96333aabbf9b.jpg
http://i028.radikal.ru/0806/20/28ceb51b525b.jpg
Oksana
oksanashevtsova77@gmail.com

Posted Jun 9, 2008, 2:15 pm
Today we had a very nice day! At first we went to the post-office, because Oksana wanted to send some travelling notebooks to Germany. We went to the centre of Novosibirsk by the Metro. It was very exciting! :)
http://i044.radikal.ru/0806/87/2ac3a149c73a.jpg
http://i044.radikal.ru/0806/25/3e3087541516.jpg
http://i032.radikal.ru/0806/a1/9e36ce205535.jpg

Then Oksana showed me some interesting places. For example this is Vladimir Lenin's monument. Look very big!
http://i014.radikal.ru/0806/a4/1b08835cf683.jpg

The local museum:
http://i006.radikal.ru/0806/35/2e8a40f2900b.jpg

And this is the House of Opera and Ballet:
http://i031.radikal.ru/0806/c3/af2f3b5ed4e6.jpg

In the garden near the theatre:
http://i009.radikal.ru/0806/74/e799d252ebba.jpg
http://i021.radikal.ru/0806/40/85035cc6e45a.jpg
http://i037.radikal.ru/0806/64/e12a9e7e307e.jpg
http://i010.radikal.ru/0806/8c/f016743b05cf.jpg

Some other monument:
http://i034.radikal.ru/0806/20/2b3f4d782579.jpg

All these are situated on the main square of Novosibirsk-
Lenin's Square:
http://i003.radikal.ru/0806/c6/266ae4e3bba9.jpg
http://i043.radikal.ru/0806/88/c60c890c1ca4.jpg

Later in the morning we went to the cinema house, we watched the new American cartoon "Kung Fu Panda". We liked it very very much, because the panda there was so-o funny! :)
http://i014.radikal.ru/0806/8c/fd6afc3dc1b6.jpg
http://i030.radikal.ru/0806/0a/97d7c7c6478a.jpg
http://i028.radikal.ru/0806/5f/98edf9391105.jpg
http://i036.radikal.ru/0806/45/5b6a9270b499.jpg
http://i012.radikal.ru/0806/2b/8dba41f38db6.jpg

And in the evening Oksana went to the concert hall to watch
some Celtic musical festival and we asked her to  take us with her. The festival was great!
http://i026.radikal.ru/0806/e7/8fa67d2564fc.jpg
http://i003.radikal.ru/0806/1f/541abe529c24.jpg
http://i045.radikal.ru/0806/bc/9cbd8088ef41.jpg
Oksana
oksanashevtsova77@gmail.com

Posted Jun 16, 2008, 6:11 pm
Yesterday evening Oksana took us with her to another Siberian city- Krasnoyarsk. She decided to go there to visit some dolls' exhibition and see the city. We went to Krasnoyarsk by train. It took us about 14 hours to get there.

http://i056.radikal.ru/0806/b5/d18c23802716.jpg

http://i055.radikal.ru/0806/e8/6b443c7b0803.jpg

On the square near Krasnoyarsk railway station.
http://i035.radikal.ru/0806/94/1a06a3759aa3.jpg

http://i033.radikal.ru/0806/87/98a45b131b1f.jpg

The church not far from the hotel where we lived:
http://i034.radikal.ru/0806/8a/3f4945889fb9.jpg
http://i037.radikal.ru/0806/97/7177d01d9ca7.jpg

We were very lucky because on June,12 Krasnoyarsk celebrated not only the Russia's day, but also Krasnoyarsk's 380th annyversary. We could see the carnival on one of the main streets of the city. It was great!!
http://i034.radikal.ru/0806/be/383d755cd5e3.jpg

Here we are in the Patio Pizza. We are going to eat pasta :))
http://i058.radikal.ru/0806/80/646e27a4ebcd.jpg

Krasnoyarsk has many very interesting and beautiful buildings. There are many old wooden buildings:
http://i056.radikal.ru/0806/33/24c13532aa28.jpg

In the historical cetre of Krasnoyarsk:
http://i048.radikal.ru/0806/6a/ca88be0e22e1.jpg

Krasnoyarsk has many flowers and trees on the streets.
Tulips are just everywhere there!
http://i052.radikal.ru/0806/3c/4dda5ebb8b49.jpg
http://i051.radikal.ru/0806/c4/96168a681fdb.jpg

We could see many artificial trees with electric lamps instead of flowers. They looked fantastic in the evening!
http://i048.radikal.ru/0806/dc/9bbffbfb2d8a.jpg

There are many sculptures from plants and flowers on Krasnoyarsk streets:
http://i028.radikal.ru/0806/de/bbd1282c2d8f.jpg

We are on the bench of  conciliation/peace:
http://i039.radikal.ru/0806/41/5627909a35b7.jpg

Some church:
http://i049.radikal.ru/0806/ca/5200570cc0a3.jpg

We had a small trip on the steamer "Rocket" about the Krasnoyarsk river Yenisey. The steamer was very fast!
http://i051.radikal.ru/0806/d7/44d9024fbe7c.jpg
http://i033.radikal.ru/0806/f8/109c65eca691.jpg

We visited the local Krasnoyarsk museum which was build in the beging of 20th centure in an Egyptian style:
http://i056.radikal.ru/0806/df/d768602584ed.jpg

That's the way Russian old house looked like many years ago:
http://i029.radikal.ru/0806/70/2478c624d2e4.jpg
http://i035.radikal.ru/0806/8e/14730ad74f65.jpg

http://i055.radikal.ru/0806/e0/fefc19b08d80.jpg

http://i056.radikal.ru/0806/f4/6151c21fb006.jpg

http://i037.radikal.ru/0806/60/ff934b61af6d.jpg
Oksana
oksanashevtsova77@gmail.com

Posted Jun 18, 2008, 4:02 pm
Today morning  left our hotel and went to the exhibition of dolls and teddybears. It was very interesting!
http://i058.radikal.ru/0806/35/328d78c3bdaa.jpg

http://i051.radikal.ru/0806/a4/cf7787e90b7c.jpg

http://i051.radikal.ru/0806/3b/79930e0f459f.jpg

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http://i056.radikal.ru/0806/1a/c5cff2527bb5.jpg

http://i039.radikal.ru/0806/6e/363acbb4c514.jpg

http://i037.radikal.ru/0806/cb/0e29a9edb55a.jpg

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http://i033.radikal.ru/0806/bf/0fe1e10992a3.jpg

http://i033.radikal.ru/0806/b7/058670235018.jpg

In the evening we are going to take our train and return in Novosibirsk. See you soon! :)
Oksana
oksanashevtsova77@gmail.com

Posted Jun 24, 2008, 6:25 pm
Today night Oksana and we went to the republic Altay to visit the festival of ethnic music "Live water 2008".
It took us one night to get there by bus.
The nature was very beautiful there- we lived  near hills, forrest and river.
http://i058.radikal.ru/0806/e5/31a884a13adc.jpg
http://i058.radikal.ru/0806/13/2b6f622dcc5a.jpg
http://i037.radikal.ru/0806/a0/4dab1e83c80c.jpg

We saw this lizard many times near our tent house!
http://i047.radikal.ru/0806/af/45dcbd4e58ca.jpg

The place where we lived:
http://i053.radikal.ru/0806/93/3c4c9d3d307d.jpg

http://i055.radikal.ru/0806/22/31ade9eeac49.jpg

http://i057.radikal.ru/0806/19/44ae6163180d.jpg

http://i058.radikal.ru/0806/4d/4145db4c34c5.jpg

http://i058.radikal.ru/0806/67/1b86310f3d06.jpg
http://i028.radikal.ru/0806/21/c62060ec99a1.jpg
http://i028.radikal.ru/0806/2f/263ca0b2702f.jpg

Waiting for the concert:
http://i058.radikal.ru/0806/02/1a7b2d0cfb07.jpg

http://i037.radikal.ru/0806/fb/b535caec0925.jpg

http://i039.radikal.ru/0806/7f/b293d69f09db.jpg

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http://i048.radikal.ru/0806/18/052fd6f9ed7b.jpg

http://i006.radikal.ru/0806/9f/5492a37d94d1.jpg
Oksana
oksanashevtsova77@gmail.com

Posted Jun 28, 2008, 6:40 pm
Today morning we went to the beach. In fact there is no real sea in Novosibirsk, but there is a big river Ob (it devides the city into two parts) and the Ob reservoir, which is called here the Ob sea.
We had a nice picnic there- played in the sand, sunbathed, ate many fruits and other tasty food, played in the forrest, etc.
We came home in the evening- we felt very tired but happy :)
http://i067.radikal.ru/0806/b6/c1728b31135d.jpg

http://i065.radikal.ru/0806/ad/d8a3b9ff873d.jpg

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http://i065.radikal.ru/0806/cc/c55fb81e726c.jpg

http://i061.radikal.ru/0806/61/a21f2c6cc2bb.jpg

We saw many beautiful sailing ships!
http://i066.radikal.ru/0806/cc/02b1ed358150.jpg

http://i074.radikal.ru/0806/1f/5d346bc6bef8.jpg

http://i060.radikal.ru/0806/84/b803cb1991ba.jpg

http://i065.radikal.ru/0806/85/8a5f9a21e999.jpg
Oksana
oksanashevtsova77@gmail.com

Posted Jul 5, 2008, 5:13 pm
Last Sunday- on June,29 Novosibirsk celebrated it's 115 annyversary. We enjoyed the City Day very much!
Many ballons, flowers, lots of music, happy people with children...
http://i066.radikal.ru/0807/fc/18b449bb005a.jpg

http://i068.radikal.ru/0807/8f/7bc1948cb6d4.jpg

At the fair:
http://i033.radikal.ru/0807/5c/3a1074214331.jpg

http://i026.radikal.ru/0807/ae/8d96594ef596.jpg

http://i069.radikal.ru/0807/dd/2abc02d061f9.jpg

With the beautiful roses:
http://i064.radikal.ru/0807/e0/d68c873816c5.jpg

http://i049.radikal.ru/0807/69/d15d019271ed.jpg

http://i018.radikal.ru/0807/cd/ec4d1c2cacdf.jpg

http://i066.radikal.ru/0807/90/fdf1abb6f442.jpg


A kiss :)
http://i050.radikal.ru/0807/f3/026649ca9be6.jpg

http://i077.radikal.ru/0807/fa/be6b758da599.jpg

The street musicians  from Ecuador:
http://i039.radikal.ru/0807/95/3c8d10d3311d.jpg

The fountain-bear :)
http://i081.radikal.ru/0807/58/8ee414122a11.jpg

One more fountain:
http://i069.radikal.ru/0807/f9/a19db15e1f0d.jpg

http://i032.radikal.ru/0807/71/88f24056c4ec.jpg
Oksana
oksanashevtsova77@gmail.com

Posted Jul 13, 2008, 5:07 pm
Today is our last day which we spend all together in Novosibirsk,  because tomorrow Oksana will send Mittens to Brunei, Donald to Moscow and Norma Nikkers to South Africa  to their new hosts. :( So we've decided to spend this evening at home. At first we were watching the detective story about Miss Marple by Agatha Christie.
http://s53.radikal.ru/i141/0903/85/55af9dfc80e6.jpg

Then we talked a lot with our new friends who live with Oksana.
http://i021.radikal.ru/0903/af/54fd2efc72c8.jpg

http://s48.radikal.ru/i119/0903/17/421b30a59e4b.jpg

We were reading a very interesting fairy tale by Alexander Volkov "The Magician of the emerald castle"

http://s47.radikal.ru/i115/0903/b5/b29ba3875f9a.jpg

http://s45.radikal.ru/i109/0903/ff/f11cdcb3ab7d.jpg

Looking for the countries we are going to visit in the map. Hey, we've found Brunei and South Africa! :)) It's pretty far from here...
http://s40.radikal.ru/i090/0903/5d/2d8dc37c8367.jpg

And we played the cards. It was very funy!
http://s43.radikal.ru/i102/0903/86/f45a151e7d22.jpg

We all  feel a bit sad because tomorrow morning 3 of our friends will have to leave- I will certainly miss my dear friends Donald, NormaNikkers and Mittens  :( But I hope we will meet again some day! :)
Oksana
oksanashevtsova77@gmail.com

Posted Jul 13, 2008, 5:16 pm
Today 2 new TVs have arrived-  Elizabeth and Smith.
They are very cute!
Besides that Oksana got a parcel with a new teddybear which she bought in Moscow. The teddybear's name is Tven and he is so-o lovely!
http://photofile.ru/expressphoto/balasearomathonisstitesor/large/1128031.jpg

http://photofile.ru/expressphoto/balasearomathonisstitesor/large/1128032.jpg

In the evening Oksana made a bath for us. We were
playing there with tortoises and paper ships. We had much fun there!
http://photofile.ru/expressphoto/balasearomathonisstitesor/large/1128034.jpg

http://photofile.ru/expressphoto/balasearomathonisstitesor/large/1128035.jpg
Oksana
oksanashevtsova77@gmail.com

Posted Jul 19, 2008, 5:15 pm
Today Oksana went to Ikea and took us with her. At first we went shopping, then we had our lunch in a cafe and watched children skating in the skating rink. And then we went home.
http://s57.radikal.ru/i157/0807/26/6db02a77c413.jpg

http://s49.radikal.ru/i126/0807/c8/23820d74a584.jpg

http://s46.radikal.ru/i113/0807/e2/267a47a529e3.jpg

On our way home Oksana showed us the monument to the Hero of the USSR that lived in Novosibirsk- Alexander Pokryshkin- he was the marshal of the air force.

http://s54.radikal.ru/i145/0807/25/415d850353ac.jpg
http://s42.radikal.ru/i096/0807/61/0dadd534177c.jpg

What we liked about Novosibirsk is that there are a lot of beautiful flowers around!
http://s45.radikal.ru/i107/0807/64/6738b47daddc.jpg

The Karl Marks's square:
http://s61.radikal.ru/i172/0807/89/20128fcf8af0.jpg
http://s51.radikal.ru/i131/0807/e8/5d56f1d7172e.jpg

When we came home we felt hungry again and Oksana taught us how to cook pirozhki. They were so-o tasty! :)))
http://s56.radikal.ru/i152/0807/74/76ec629d2ff0.jpg

http://s57.radikal.ru/i158/0807/1c/d0b38db99e69.jpg
http://s49.radikal.ru/i125/0807/14/9bb3ab38981b.jpg

And we fed the Guinea pigs that live with Oksana:
http://s57.radikal.ru/i156/0807/b0/1194e9410540.jpg
Oksana
oksanashevtsova77@gmail.com

Posted Jul 26, 2008, 1:16 pm
Some days ago our host received her traveling notebook "Getting to know you"  and she also got 2 notebooks which she ought to decorate and send to the next person. Here we are enjoying reading these notebooks:
http://s54.radikal.ru/i145/0807/6f/276aca484526.jpg

And then Oksana took us to her favourite park. Look how many yellow leaves there! And it's only July in Novosibirsk,
but looks like it's autumn:
http://s53.radikal.ru/i140/0807/f3/b4f047e11e07.jpg

And here is our  company on the stone heart. It's a stone monument in the Pervomaysky garden. Some years ago there was a festival of stone sculptures and this heart was one of the works. At first it was clean- without these writings, but then young people wrote there their works of love :)
http://s54.radikal.ru/i143/0807/de/6d2cc0da6207.jpg

http://s54.radikal.ru/i143/0807/b5/82242fb2bda3.jpg

What a strange fish! It's near the cafe called "Aquarium":

http://s40.radikal.ru/i089/0807/b3/1605924ce6aa.jpg

A sculpture of a girl with a cat:
http://s57.radikal.ru/i157/0807/e6/dae42bd247a2.jpg

We had a long a interesing stroll, so we felt very hungry and Oksana took us in the cafe :)
http://s46.radikal.ru/i111/0807/a7/94a5d2f30534.jpg
Oksana
oksanashevtsova77@gmail.com

Posted Jul 26, 2008, 4:49 pm
Today evening Oksana took us for a walk and showed another part of Novosibirsk.
This locomotive is  situated near one of Novosibirsk's
universities:
http://s53.radikal.ru/i141/0807/d3/02b412bbc500.jpg

http://s53.radikal.ru/i140/0807/19/64a0b4ddcc94.jpg

Some monument:
http://s61.radikal.ru/i173/0807/6f/b55c54bc3048.jpg

The funny scultpure of a yard-keeper:
http://s45.radikal.ru/i110/0807/12/355292c804b6.jpg

http://s61.radikal.ru/i173/0807/2a/2a60726faf09.jpg

A funny wooden man in one of the yards:
http://s51.radikal.ru/i131/0807/2e/fda2bbbc0fe7.jpg

What a lovely lady!
http://s44.radikal.ru/i105/0807/bd/7d36335ec53e.jpg

In fact there are 3 ladies:
http://s56.radikal.ru/i152/0807/07/fb6c9039beff.jpg

http://s59.radikal.ru/i165/0807/4d/b118f75d2a2f.jpg

Near the cinema-house:
http://s61.radikal.ru/i174/0807/83/14e3f497019d.jpg

Some old yards- rather old, dilapidated perhaps, but very cozy:
http://s49.radikal.ru/i124/0807/89/142261a2df04.jpg

http://s57.radikal.ru/i157/0807/cf/8f29214afc4e.jpg

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http://s57.radikal.ru/i158/0807/a9/58039047031b.jpg

The house of Alice (from the fairy-tale):
http://s52.radikal.ru/i138/0807/30/7ad11b17ade0.jpg

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http://s59.radikal.ru/i166/0807/b2/026556d03e07.jpg

http://s61.radikal.ru/i173/0807/c7/ef71ff11766d.jpg

Some monument to people who died during the Great Patriotic War 1941-1945:
http://s59.radikal.ru/i163/0807/59/3e93bc2361e0.jpg
http://s59.radikal.ru/i163/0807/a9/495d9e0b9166.jpg

The sculpture of a poet:
http://s39.radikal.ru/i086/0807/b9/c33c7a9ef6a5.jpg

http://s46.radikal.ru/i114/0807/45/a135c4f0c2cc.jpg
Oksana
oksanashevtsova77@gmail.com

Posted Aug 2, 2008, 4:47 am
Hey, I feel so-o happy today, because
today we've had total solar eclipse in Novosibirsk! It was great!!!
The eclipse started at 16:41, in about an hour it reached the full phase, the full phase lasted about 2 minutes. It was dark almost like at night. We could see the stars! And then the sun started to appear again.
http://s49.radikal.ru/i123/0808/34/ed3e7657f530.jpg

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Oksana
oksanashevtsova77@gmail.com

Posted Aug 12, 2008, 5:43 pm
Today morning we got up at 5 a.m.- very early! It's because we had our bus to Tomsk. Tomsk is another Siberian city- a very old one. It's more than 400 years old. It took us about 5 hours to get there by bus. We like the city very much, because it has beautiful architecture, lots of churches, old wooden houses.

http://s50.radikal.ru/i128/0808/42/d42c1761c1aa.jpg

http://s44.radikal.ru/i106/0808/1d/f0820d7c4190.jpg

http://s56.radikal.ru/i154/0808/aa/3e633292a3ca.jpg

Here I'm in the Garden near river Tom.
http://s59.radikal.ru/i165/0808/d1/8f9e844098f3.jpg

http://s53.radikal.ru/i142/0808/94/8058b1f652d6.jpg

http://s42.radikal.ru/i097/0808/66/f78370f73202.jpg

And here we are at the Tomsk State University- also a very old one and very beautiful too!
http://s48.radikal.ru/i121/0808/bf/4649d9d48ea5.jpg

It is surrounded by a beautiful garden. We saw squirrels  there!
http://s58.radikal.ru/i160/0808/7a/2fca12a53a5c.jpg

And we found two stone ancient idols that were brought from Altai:
http://s56.radikal.ru/i153/0808/38/6e14af3b2a26.jpg

http://s58.radikal.ru/i159/0808/c9/bf5e73fa193a.jpg

Look what a lovely sculpture of a cabbage and a baby! Small children in Russia think that they were found in a cabbage or were brought by a stork :)) This sculpture stands near the maternity hospital.
http://s51.radikal.ru/i132/0808/0d/89dd2cb1402c.jpg

http://s58.radikal.ru/i162/0808/66/a9de677731d2.jpg

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The main street of Tomsk- Lenin's prospect:

http://s42.radikal.ru/i095/0808/0c/dbbcbce7a0d4.jpg

http://s56.radikal.ru/i154/0808/5b/188ddaf37128.jpg

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http://s61.radikal.ru/i174/0808/dd/a3c9d4fe4685.jpg

On the embankment:

http://s49.radikal.ru/i125/0808/3f/e65bd1aa5381.jpg

We saw a kite there!
http://s60.radikal.ru/i168/0808/24/3516ae08e297.jpg

And there were so-o many weddings there :)
http://s57.radikal.ru/i158/0808/ce/7744f847a7b7.jpg

The emblem of Tomsk:
http://s42.radikal.ru/i096/0808/ca/1fcc7c32166b.jpg

The Tomsk drama theatre:
http://s44.radikal.ru/i104/0808/06/d18bb8372ae7.jpg

The funny monument to the famouse Russian writer- Anton Pavlovich Chechov:
http://s47.radikal.ru/i118/0808/e3/0bd2bc678bd7.jpg

We found a very old chemistry in Tomsk. It was build in the 19th century.
http://s55.radikal.ru/i147/0808/61/369f953647c6.jpg

http://s46.radikal.ru/i112/0808/64/c4e1ec6864ac.jpg

The monument to St. Tatiana who  protects studends and helps them in their studies:
http://s49.radikal.ru/i125/0808/5b/cb0663f47f73.jpg

We enjoyed our trip very much! What a pitty that we had only one day in Tomsk!
Oksana
oksanashevtsova77@gmail.com

Posted Aug 18, 2008, 6:24 pm
Today we went to the Novosibirsk Zoo. We went there by the children's railway. It's interesting that it's a real railway, only small and only children work there. It's about 5 km long and the train runs with the speed of 10 km/h.
http://s57.radikal.ru/i157/0808/8a/0afcf74a203a.jpg

http://s56.radikal.ru/i153/0808/43/cae25037b3e6.jpg

http://s42.radikal.ru/i097/0808/65/9394a765a7aa.jpg

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http://s43.radikal.ru/i099/0808/6e/7967eee884a1.jpg

In the zoo we could see many animals like deers, monkeys, tigers and lions, leopards, different bears, etc. The Zoo is very big and it's situated in the pine forrest.
http://s61.radikal.ru/i172/0808/3c/ee1dcec7ec32.jpg

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http://s43.radikal.ru/i102/0808/25/f14d1e725248.jpg

And this ligr was born from a tiger and a lion. It's a girl and she lives in a cage with a lion.
http://s57.radikal.ru/i158/0808/5a/a1ca29206244.jpg

http://s52.radikal.ru/i136/0808/e7/a4ada930bc2a.jpg

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http://s60.radikal.ru/i169/0808/ba/1adf7f2e6d6e.jpg

Oksana
oksanashevtsova77@gmail.com

Posted Aug 18, 2008, 6:31 pm
Today our friend Hector is leaving us and going to his next host Fiona to South Africa. Good bye, Hector! We will miss you very much, but we hope we will meet again soon! :)
http://s61.radikal.ru/i173/0808/eb/6f5a455cffeb.jpg
Oksana
oksanashevtsova77@gmail.com

Posted Aug 24, 2008, 1:58 pm
Today Elizabeth is going home. We all feel happy for her, but we will miss her very much! Bye dear Elizabeth! I hope we will meet again some day :)
http://s52.radikal.ru/i136/0808/11/9ca2109757ae.jpg
Oksana
oksanashevtsova77@gmail.com

Posted Aug 24, 2008, 2:18 pm
Today we've visited the Air Show in the Airport "Severny".
http://s60.radikal.ru/i167/0808/0c/0e9d67772f3e.jpg

It was a great show! We could see many planes there, helicopters and parashutists!
http://s47.radikal.ru/i118/0808/db/86249f64f9b1.jpg

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Oksana
oksanashevtsova77@gmail.com

Posted Sep 16, 2008, 3:30 pm
Autumn has come here. It's clowdy and rainy, but today it was rather warm, so we went to the park for a walk. There we found some oaks and gathered acorns:
http://s48.radikal.ru/i122/0809/09/bf8b3ddd8b56.jpg

http://s40.radikal.ru/i089/0809/e8/a6969efb033d.jpg

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http://s53.radikal.ru/i139/0809/02/fa34fb5d325b.jpg
Oksana
oksanashevtsova77@gmail.com

Posted Sep 16, 2008, 3:44 pm
Today I'm leaving Russia and go to Canada. I will miss all my friends which I have met here! I hope we will meet again some day! :) Bye-bye!
http://s53.radikal.ru/i140/0809/07/f29cecff5134.jpg
AbbyB


Posted Sep 28, 2008, 3:23 am
Hi Mum, I have arrived in Canada!

http://i436.photobucket.com/albums/qq85/abbystoyvoyagers/Hedgie%20Hedgehog/September-26-2008-001.jpg
AbbyB


Posted Sep 28, 2008, 3:24 am
This is the famous horse clock in Maple Ridge, basically the only interesting thing in the city.  There's a legend that goes with the clock and the horse.  The horse represents a beast that fought for Mother Nature against those who were hurting the environment, but was gravely hurt in the process.  Mother Nature set up the clock as a reminder to not hurt the environment.

http://i436.photobucket.com/albums/qq85/abbystoyvoyagers/Hedgie%20Hedgehog/September-26-2008-002.jpg
AbbyB


Posted Oct 3, 2008, 11:57 pm
It's pouring outside, so everyone decided to see what we could do as a group to keep us amused.  Alizée decided to show us some yoga poses.  Greedy opted out and decided to just watch.

http://i436.photobucket.com/albums/qq85/abbystoyvoyagers/Yum%20Yum/October-3-2008-002.jpg

Here we are doing the cobra.

http://i436.photobucket.com/albums/qq85/abbystoyvoyagers/Yum%20Yum/October-3-2008-005.jpg

Hey, look!  I can do the splits!

http://i436.photobucket.com/albums/qq85/abbystoyvoyagers/Yum%20Yum/October-3-2008-007.jpg

After all that yoga, everyone was exhausted.

http://i436.photobucket.com/albums/qq85/abbystoyvoyagers/Yum%20Yum/October-3-2008-006.jpg
AbbyB


Posted Oct 4, 2008, 12:02 am
After yoga, we made tea.

http://i436.photobucket.com/albums/qq85/abbystoyvoyagers/Yum%20Yum/October-3-2008-009.jpg

The cup is actually Abby's; she found a smaller, ToyVoyager-sized cup for everyone.  Nothing beats Earl Grey on a cold, wet day :)

http://i436.photobucket.com/albums/qq85/abbystoyvoyagers/Hedgie%20Hedgehog/October-3-2008-011.jpg
AbbyB


Posted Oct 4, 2008, 12:08 am
Then, we decided to read to each other.  Shirley Sheep went first, reading us a fairy tale called Princess Abigail and the Wonderful Hat.  It was apparently Abby's favourite when she was younger, because of the name.

http://i436.photobucket.com/albums/qq85/abbystoyvoyagers/Shirley%20Sheep/October-3-2008-017.jpg

Abby encouraged Greedy to read next.  He chose When Vegetables Go Bad.

http://i436.photobucket.com/albums/qq85/abbystoyvoyagers/Greedy/October-3-2008-018.jpg

Vladimir offered to go next, and instead of choosing a nice picture book to read and look at, he chose one of Abby's textbooks, Environmental Policy.

http://i436.photobucket.com/albums/qq85/abbystoyvoyagers/Vladimir/October-3-2008-019.jpg

Zzzzzz...What?  Oh, right, we were reading about environmental policies...zzzzz.

http://i436.photobucket.com/albums/qq85/abbystoyvoyagers/Vladimir/October-3-2008-020.jpg
AbbyB


Posted Oct 11, 2008, 4:20 am
Just look at this view!  Maple Ridge, where Abby lives is on the edge of the Vancouver suburbs, so there is a lot of farmland and there are also a lot of dikes around, because it's a fairly low-lying area.  In the background, on the right, you can see the mountains called Goldenears.  Lots of wildlife lives in the marshes, including herons, muskrats and beavers, but I didn't see any.

http://i436.photobucket.com/albums/qq85/abbystoyvoyagers/Hedgie%20Hedgehog/October-10-2008-004.jpg
AbbyB


Posted Oct 13, 2008, 7:34 pm
Today is Canadian Thanksgiving, and that means a good, old-fashioned turkey dinner.  If you want to see the entire process, you can read Greedy's travelog, but I was just interested in the final product.  Bon appetit!

http://i436.photobucket.com/albums/qq85/abbystoyvoyagers/Hedgie%20Hedgehog/October-12-2008-023.jpg
AbbyB


Posted Oct 16, 2008, 2:07 am
I have been spending a lot of time attending school with Aby, so today she decided to show me around during her break.  Her school, Simon Fraser University, is on the top of Burnaby Mountain (which makes it very cold these days!)

This is one of the residential areas.

http://i436.photobucket.com/albums/qq85/abbystoyvoyagers/Hedgie%20Hedgehog/October-15-2008-006.jpg

This is the Convocation Mall, a covered, open area where graduation ceremonies and other events are held.  Today (on the other side) was Games Day.  There was a giant gmae of Scrabble, music and snacks!

http://i436.photobucket.com/albums/qq85/abbystoyvoyagers/Hedgie%20Hedgehog/October-15-2008-010.jpg

This is the Academic Quadrangle, where a lot of the classrooms are.  It's a giant square, hence why it is called a quadrangle.  The ground floor is actually the 'fourth floor' and there are two floors up in the air.  In the floors below are lecture halls and places to eat and study.

http://i436.photobucket.com/albums/qq85/abbystoyvoyagers/Hedgie%20Hedgehog/October-15-2008-015.jpg

This is the view from the roof, looking towards the North.  The mountains you can see include Seymour, Cypress and Grouse, and they are all popular skiing and snowboarding destinations. 

http://i436.photobucket.com/albums/qq85/abbystoyvoyagers/Hedgie%20Hedgehog/October-15-2008-002.jpg
AbbyB


Posted Oct 26, 2008, 8:57 am
Today we went to the Apple Festival at the botanical gardens at the University of British Columbia.

http://i436.photobucket.com/albums/qq85/abbystoyvoyagers/Hedgie%20Hedgehog/October-19-2008-004.jpg

The main event was the apple tasting and Abby bought everyone tickets.

http://i436.photobucket.com/albums/qq85/abbystoyvoyagers/Hedgie%20Hedgehog/October-19-2008-009.jpg

We had a while to wait, so we bought hot apple cider (with cinnamon and nutmeg, yum!) and wandered around the grounds.

http://i436.photobucket.com/albums/qq85/abbystoyvoyagers/Hedgie%20Hedgehog/October-19-2008-019.jpg

There is a garden below.  I decided to get a closer look.

http://i436.photobucket.com/albums/qq85/abbystoyvoyagers/Hedgie%20Hedgehog/October-19-2008-012.jpg

It is full of vegetables!  These gardens are maintained year-round with different, seasonal vegetables.  There was swiss chard, squash, pumpkins and a lot of other vegetables, and, of course, apple trees around the perimeter of the garden.

http://i436.photobucket.com/albums/qq85/abbystoyvoyagers/Hedgie%20Hedgehog/October-19-2008-037.jpg

Then, we got in line for the apple tasting.  While we were waiting, we listened to some people play the fiddle.

http://i436.photobucket.com/albums/qq85/abbystoyvoyagers/Hedgie%20Hedgehog/October-19-2008-024.jpg

I don't have any pictures to show you of the tasting itself, because it was very hectic in there, but I got to try quite a few different kinds of apples before I was full and made myself comfortable in Abby's bag.  Some people were troopers, though.  Abby, her sister and Greedy managed to try all sixty types of apple!

UBC is on the west end of Vancouver and we paused at a lookout.  Unfortunately it was a little grey and foggy and you couldn't see much, but this is the mouth of the Fraser River, the largest river in Western Canada.

http://i436.photobucket.com/albums/qq85/abbystoyvoyagers/Hedgie%20Hedgehog/October-19-2008-041.jpg

The plaque reads:  Exploration of the Fraser River - Although Spanish seamen had noted the Fraser estuary in 1791, when Alexander Mackenzie reached the upper Fraser in 1793 on his way to the Pacific, he thought he was on the columbia.  Simon Fraser and John Stuart of the North West Company explored the river under the same misapprehension in 1808, realizing only when they reached the sea that two great river systems drained the north Pacific slope.  Although the Fraser was not throughout its course a practical canoe route, the Hudson's Bay Company integrated it into a new supply system when forced in 1848 to abandon the Columbia.

http://i436.photobucket.com/albums/qq85/abbystoyvoyagers/Hedgie%20Hedgehog/October-19-2008-043.jpg
AbbyB


Posted Oct 26, 2008, 9:07 am
Twice a week a Hare Krishna guy cooks lots of vegetarian food and gives a large plateful to anyone for a small donation.  The story is that he feels that it is his mission to provide hungry university students with nutritious, vegetarian food.  It's a good mission, I think, and his cooking is wonderful.  Unfortunately, I only got a few bites in before Greedy took over my plate, but I'd rather he do that, than chew off my arm, or something...

http://i436.photobucket.com/albums/qq85/abbystoyvoyagers/Hedgie%20Hedgehog/October-22-2008-004.jpg
AbbyB


Posted Oct 26, 2008, 10:06 pm
Today we went to the local pumpkin patch!

http://i436.photobucket.com/albums/qq85/abbystoyvoyagers/Hedgie%20Hedgehog/October-26-2008-001.jpg

We didn't spend a lot of time there, unfortunately, because Abby and her sister had homework, but we still walked around the entire pumpkin patch looking for the right pumpkin!

http://i436.photobucket.com/albums/qq85/abbystoyvoyagers/Hedgie%20Hedgehog/October-26-2008-014.jpg

I think I see one!

http://i436.photobucket.com/albums/qq85/abbystoyvoyagers/Hedgie%20Hedgehog/October-26-2008-019.jpg

Watch this space, because I get to help carve it in a few days!
AbbyB


Posted Nov 2, 2008, 3:09 am
Today we are carving the pumpkin that we picked out!  Sorry for the picture quality; we were outside and it was dark...

http://i436.photobucket.com/albums/qq85/abbystoyvoyagers/Hedgie%20Hedgehog/October-29-2008-018.jpg

I helped Abby scoop out the inside of the pumpkin.

http://i436.photobucket.com/albums/qq85/abbystoyvoyagers/Hedgie%20Hedgehog/October-29-2008-024.jpg

Then, Abby attached her stencil to the pumpkin and started to poke holes along the lines.

http://i436.photobucket.com/albums/qq85/abbystoyvoyagers/Hedgie%20Hedgehog/October-29-2008-028.jpg

All ready to carve!  Abby did this because she didn't want to have to explain to any of our mentors that one of us had an 'accident.'

http://i436.photobucket.com/albums/qq85/abbystoyvoyagers/Hedgie%20Hedgehog/October-29-2008-029.jpg

Here's the finished pumpkin!  It's a duck!

http://i436.photobucket.com/albums/qq85/abbystoyvoyagers/Hedgie%20Hedgehog/October-29-2008-041.jpg

And here it is with the other carved pumpkins (Abby's sister was more ambitious; she carved the horse from Guernica).

http://i436.photobucket.com/albums/qq85/abbystoyvoyagers/Alizee/010-2.jpg

After the carving we took the seeds and roasted them.  Yum!

http://i436.photobucket.com/albums/qq85/abbystoyvoyagers/Hedgie%20Hedgehog/October-29-2008-052.jpg
AbbyB


Posted Nov 2, 2008, 3:28 am
Happy Halloween!  I am at Abby's best friend's house to watch Rocky Horror Picture Show.

http://i436.photobucket.com/albums/qq85/abbystoyvoyagers/Alizee/October-31-2008-015.jpg

http://i436.photobucket.com/albums/qq85/abbystoyvoyagers/Alizee/October-31-2008-014.jpg
AbbyB


Posted Nov 3, 2008, 5:30 am
What a beautiful view!  This photo doesn't quite capture how colourful everything is here.  This is in the countryside of Aggasiz (pronounced Ay-gah-see) and right after a torrential rainfall.  Unfortunately there were some other places that were slightly more scenic, but Abby couldn't take any pictures because she was too busy driving through the torrential rain (and she isn't the most experienced driver in the world).

http://i436.photobucket.com/albums/qq85/abbystoyvoyagers/Hedgie%20Hedgehog/November-2-2008-001.jpg
AbbyB


Posted Nov 3, 2008, 5:44 am
There's a small cafe in a small airport that claims to have the best pie in the world.  People literally fly here to eat a slice of pie.

http://i436.photobucket.com/albums/qq85/abbystoyvoyagers/Hedgie%20Hedgehog/November-2-2008-020.jpg

Unfortunately, sharing a host with Greedy means that one doesn't get to eat very much, so I only recieved a bite of pie before he took over.
AbbyB


Posted Nov 4, 2008, 7:23 am
As you probably know, the presidential election for the United States is tomorrow and even though I'm not in America, I'm in the closest country to the United States, and so everyone has been paying close attention.  Tonight I am watching Saturday Night Live's Presidential Bash.

http://i436.photobucket.com/albums/qq85/abbystoyvoyagers/Hedgie%20Hedgehog/November-3-2008-015.jpg
AbbyB


Posted Nov 5, 2008, 6:12 am
I'm watching the American election tonight.

http://i436.photobucket.com/albums/qq85/abbystoyvoyagers/Hedgie%20Hedgehog/November-4-2008-002.jpg

President Elect Obama is making his victory speech!

http://i436.photobucket.com/albums/qq85/abbystoyvoyagers/Hedgie%20Hedgehog/November-4-2008-007.jpg
AbbyB


Posted Nov 8, 2008, 4:46 am
Can you see the crowd behind me?  There's an event on winter preparedness in the Convo Mall at Abby's school. 

http://i436.photobucket.com/albums/qq85/abbystoyvoyagers/Hedgie%20Hedgehog/November-5-2008-004.jpg

Nobody was particularly interested (living in Canada means that you should know about winter preparedness), but they were giving out snacks inside reusable shopping bags!

http://i436.photobucket.com/albums/qq85/abbystoyvoyagers/Hedgie%20Hedgehog/November-5-2008-006.jpg

I heard a rustling from the inside the bag, which startled me, but it was only Greedy, who had discovered the snacks.

http://i436.photobucket.com/albums/qq85/abbystoyvoyagers/Hedgie%20Hedgehog/November-5-2008-019.jpg
AbbyB


Posted Nov 19, 2008, 6:22 am
Today Gina Giraffe arrived.

http://i436.photobucket.com/albums/qq85/abbystoyvoyagers/Gina%20Giraffe/November-12-2008-002.jpg
AbbyB


Posted Nov 19, 2008, 6:27 am
I visited a craft fair at the Scandinavian Cultural Centre.

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They have a boat and a dala horse outside.

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It was very crowded inside, so Abby couldn't get any photos.  There were many interesting booths and live music.  Unfortunately we had other things to do, so I did't even have time to sit down with a cup of glogg.  Oh well.
AbbyB


Posted Nov 19, 2008, 6:30 am
I got to attend the Grande Finale concert of the CBC Radio Orchestra.  It was the last remaining radio orchestra in North America, but due to budget cuts, the CBC cannot afford the one million dollars it takes to fund the orchestra each year.  It's sad, because everyone was really talented and it was such a good concert.

The concert was held at the Chan Centre at the University of British Columbia.  You can't tell, but the theatre is designed to look like a cello.

http://i436.photobucket.com/albums/qq85/abbystoyvoyagers/Hedgie%20Hedgehog/November-16-2008-027.jpg

Abby snapped this photo of the stage at the beginning of intermission.

http://i436.photobucket.com/albums/qq85/abbystoyvoyagers/Hedgie%20Hedgehog/November-16-2008-021.jpg
AbbyB


Posted Nov 23, 2008, 2:17 am
There was a windstorm and Abby and her sister were afraid that the power was going to go out, so everyone turned off computers and tvs and moved into the kitchen.  While Greedy ate all the pistachio pudding, everyone else played cribbage.

http://i436.photobucket.com/albums/qq85/abbystoyvoyagers/Gina%20Giraffe/November-21-2008-004.jpg
AbbyB


Posted Nov 24, 2008, 8:51 pm
Today I saw an adaptation of Cyrano de Bergerac at the Stanley Theatre in Vancouver.

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Any photos inside were strictly prohibited, but there was some information on the theatre outside that you can read.

http://i436.photobucket.com/albums/qq85/abbystoyvoyagers/Alizee/November-23-2008-006.jpg
AbbyB


Posted Dec 5, 2008, 3:46 am
Today I did something extra special.  Once a year a local radio station called Jack FM and a TV station called Global host the The Pan Pacific Christmas Wish Breakfast.  To participate you have to bring an unwrapped gift to the Pan Pacific hotel in downtown Vancouver before 9AM, and once you donate it you get a free breakfast.  The gifts go towards children who live in families that cannot afford to give them gifts for Christmas.

Here are the gifts that we were donating.  Abby's family made sure that all of us had at least one toy to donate.

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There was a huge lineup of people inside, so Abby too everyone outside to see a few sites.  This building will be the media centre during the 2010 Olympics.  It looks like it is finished, but the other side is still under construction.

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In the distance is Stanley Park, the largest park in Vancouver.

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The Pan Pacific Hotel is attached to Canada Place, which is full of large rooms, generally used for various conventions.  It's a very iconic place on the waterfront; in many postcards of Vancouver you can see the sails.

http://i436.photobucket.com/albums/qq85/abbystoyvoyagers/Hedgie%20Hedgehog/December-3-2008-017.jpg

There was some information on the sea wall.

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http://i436.photobucket.com/albums/qq85/abbystoyvoyagers/Alizee/December-3-2008-022.jpg

Back inside, Abby put everyone away for the time being because she didn't want anyone to accidentally be donated.  The Langley Ukulele Ensemble was performing and I peeked out to see.

http://i436.photobucket.com/albums/qq85/abbystoyvoyagers/Alizee/December-3-2008-023.jpg

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Look at all of those toys!  There were many firefighters and police helping out with the collection.

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Then, it was time for breakfast.  Unfortunately Greedy only came along for the breakfast...

http://i436.photobucket.com/albums/qq85/abbystoyvoyagers/Greedy/December-3-2008-029.jpg

Oh well, I still left feeling warm and fuzzy (though not warm and buzzy because there was only decaf left!).
AbbyB


Posted Dec 11, 2008, 3:14 am
Tonight there was an event called Christmas in the Park in Abby's town.  We only caught the tail end of it because certain people were working, but I did get to see the end of parade (most unenthusiastic Santa ever).

There was a band playing Christmas songs in the park and I stopped to watch.

http://i436.photobucket.com/albums/qq85/abbystoyvoyagers/Hedgie%20Hedgehog/December-6-2008-004.jpg

Along the walkway leading to the gazebo there were decorated trees, each one decorated by a different elementary school in the area.

http://i436.photobucket.com/albums/qq85/abbystoyvoyagers/Alizee/December-6-2008-006.jpg

http://i436.photobucket.com/albums/qq85/abbystoyvoyagers/Alizee/December-6-2008-008.jpg

http://i436.photobucket.com/albums/qq85/abbystoyvoyagers/Alizee/December-6-2008-009.jpg

After, we went for gelato.  I decided to stay in the Christmas mood and order candy cane gelato.

http://i436.photobucket.com/albums/qq85/abbystoyvoyagers/Hedgie%20Hedgehog/December-6-2008-019.jpg
AbbyB


Posted Dec 14, 2008, 4:48 am
It snowed yesterday, so today Abby took me onto the roof of her school to look at the mountains. If I look a little blurry, that's because I was shivering.  It was cold up there!

http://i436.photobucket.com/albums/qq85/abbystoyvoyagers/Hedgie%20Hedgehog/December-13-2008-010.jpg

Look, the pond in the Academic Quadrangle is partially frozen!

http://i436.photobucket.com/albums/qq85/abbystoyvoyagers/Hedgie%20Hedgehog/December-13-2008-020.jpg

Brr!  Time to get inside.
AbbyB


Posted Dec 17, 2008, 10:01 pm
Today I went for a walk, despite it being -15 degrees celcius (5 degrees fahrenheit).

http://i436.photobucket.com/albums/qq85/abbystoyvoyagers/Hedgie%20Hedgehog/December-14-2008-010.jpg

Today's walk was to the mouth of Kanaka Creek.  The area around Kanaka Creek is a protected wetland habitat, home to many different organisms.  It is also a very historical place, which I learned about as I walked.

http://i436.photobucket.com/albums/qq85/abbystoyvoyagers/Hedgie%20Hedgehog/December-14-2008-011.jpg

http://i436.photobucket.com/albums/qq85/abbystoyvoyagers/Alizee/December-14-2008-021.jpg

Kanaka Creek meets up with the Fraser River, the largest River in Western Canada.

http://i436.photobucket.com/albums/qq85/abbystoyvoyagers/Alizee/December-14-2008-022.jpg

This is looking straight across the river:

http://i436.photobucket.com/albums/qq85/abbystoyvoyagers/Hedgie%20Hedgehog/December-14-2008-035.jpg

To the east:

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To the west:

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What a beautiful view!

http://i436.photobucket.com/albums/qq85/abbystoyvoyagers/Alizee/December-14-2008-076.jpg

Walking along the path in the Dense Deciduous Forest, I saw a woodpecker.

http://i436.photobucket.com/albums/qq85/abbystoyvoyagers/Alizee/December-14-2008-056.jpg

Erin came along because she was geocaching.  This is her at the first one we found:

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We came to a lookout with lots of information.

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This is the view down the Fraser,

http://i436.photobucket.com/albums/qq85/abbystoyvoyagers/Gina%20Giraffe/December-14-2008-066.jpg

And here is the mouth of Kanaka Creek.

http://i436.photobucket.com/albums/qq85/abbystoyvoyagers/Gina%20Giraffe/December-14-2008-067.jpg

Here you can see the log booms that were mentioned in the information plaques.

http://i436.photobucket.com/albums/qq85/abbystoyvoyagers/Alizee/December-14-2008-072.jpg

Then, it was time to walk back.

http://i436.photobucket.com/albums/qq85/abbystoyvoyagers/Alizee/December-14-2008-074.jpg
AbbyB


Posted Dec 22, 2008, 8:48 pm
This is the view down Abby's street.  If it wasn't snowing you would see mountains in the distance.  It snowed all day and it is supposed to snow two more times this week.

http://i436.photobucket.com/albums/qq85/abbystoyvoyagers/Hedgie%20Hedgehog/December-21-2008-003.jpg
AbbyB


Posted Dec 22, 2008, 9:06 pm
Abby's family went to see Santa today!  There was a lineup, else Abby would have asked Santa to pose with me.

http://i436.photobucket.com/albums/qq85/abbystoyvoyagers/Hedgie%20Hedgehog/December-21-2008-014.jpg
AbbyB


Posted Dec 25, 2008, 6:45 am
Things are nearly ready for Christmas at Abby's household; all we need now is Santa to come visit.  Abby's family didn't have room for a real tree this year, but they had this nice toyvoyager-sized one!

http://i436.photobucket.com/albums/qq85/abbystoyvoyagers/Hedgie%20Hedgehog/December-24-2008-005.jpg

(There was a coat as well as a hat, but it was much too big for me)

Christmas isn't here yet, but it is back home, so Merry Christmas!
AbbyB


Posted Jan 5, 2009, 7:26 am
It's Christmas!  We got chocolate as a gift!

http://i436.photobucket.com/albums/qq85/abbystoyvoyagers/Hedgie%20Hedgehog/December-25-2008-027.jpg

I also listened to the Queen's message at noon.

http://i436.photobucket.com/albums/qq85/abbystoyvoyagers/Hedgie%20Hedgehog/December-25-2008-021.jpg
AbbyB


Posted Jan 7, 2009, 12:50 am
Today Hedgie left to see more of Canada, with the help of a very nice woman at the post office.  Bye Hedgie, we'll miss you!

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