Travelog for: Vicky Mouseham

We arrived a little early for our ferry in Nanaimo, so I decided to have a look at the view.



On the ferry now, we sat at the back and I was able to see the terminal.



Etwas and I shared tea and a cinnamon bun.



Off we go!

There is not much to see in the town where Abby lives, even though it is the sixth largest in British Columbia, but she decided to show us the most interesting thing.

This is the theatre.  It is fairly new; less than ten years old.  Lots of local theatre and dance groups use it for performances.



This eagle was sitting outside of the theatre.  It is one of many, and many orca whales, that were each painted by a different artist and auctioned off.  They can now be seen all over the lower mainland.  This particular one is called 'Sea To Sky', which is the name of the highway to Whistler, and incorporates an orca and a spirit bear.



This is Spirit Square, recently renamed due to the Olympics.  Community events are held here, with the gazebo being used as a stage.



These hydrangeas were near the theatre.  Aren't they pretty?



This is city hall.  The four flags around the balcony, from left to right are: an Olympic spirit flag, the flag of the city, the flag of BC and a flag of the coat of arms, which you can also see over the balcony.



Lastly, this is the infamous 'Beast' of Maple Ridge.  The horse symbolizes the protector of the valley.  It 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.

Today we are trying out a cake recipe that Olgamaus gave to Abby.

First, we had to harvest some rubarb.





Wow, that was hard work.  Those stalks are HUGE!

Then, we chopped up the rhubarb.





Next, we mixed together butter, sugar and vanilla.  Everybody took a turn.



Then eggs were added.



Then flour and baking powder.



Now the cream



There, that looks about finished.



Into the pan



Put the rhubarb on top



And into the oven!



While that was baking, we whipped up some meringue.



Mmm, that's looking really good.



Put the meringue on top, and then back into the oven.



Oh wow, this looks delicious!



Then, with the leftover egg yolks (the whites were used in the meringue), Abby made everyone a ToyVoyager-sized scrambled eggs!



Unfortunately we can't try the cake until everybody gets home from work.  Stay tuned!

An update on the cake:

IT WAS DELICIOUS!  Thank you for the recipe, Olgamaus!

Currently in Vancouver there is this huge Jazz festival held at many different places in the city.  I visited the Gastown location, which is one of the free venues.  We were just killing time in the morning and couldn't stick around for any of the actual performances, but I had a look around as they were setting up.



This is the main stage.  A few blocks away was a smaller stage.



Gastown is the oldest business district in Vancouver, thanks to "Gassy Jack"

I got to see a Shakespearean play at Bard on the Beach!



Today's play is Othello.





They have photos of all the actors (two plays each on two stages) on display



This is a quick photo of the main stage before the show.  Abby isn't even supposed to take photos inside the tent, so shhh!  Don't tell!



The play was very good

Happy Canada Day!  Unfortunately Abby was working and unable to take us to any festivities, but here's a patriotic photo.

Vicky was sent to her next host today.  Abby apologizes for the very cramped quarters and hopes she has a speedy trip.  Before she left, Abby slipped a Canadian dime into her shopping bag, just in case she feels the need to shop in Canada again sometime.

I've finally arrived after a bit of a long trip from Canada! My home mum, Kendra took me out of my travel-case and I immediately got greeted by a few of her animals! They were quite nice but I think one might have been afraid of me! its a good thing my host mum brought me inside because it was starting to get VERY hot outside! Air conditioners are wonderful!

Here are a few of the pets I visited with! This on is called Bella. She was very nice, and a bit sleepy it seems! Perhaps I should take a nap with her. My travels were quite tiresome!



This one was called Maxx. he was scared of me at first! Kendra says that he is still a puppy, so maybe thats why!




Tomorrow Kendra says we are going on an adventure, but she wont tell me exactly where! I'm so excited. What could it be?