Travelog for: Dolly

Today was the last day of school before summer break at Abby's school.

Of course, there were grad pranks, pulled by the grade 12s who are graduating.

This smashed-up car was placed right outside the front doors.





This car was TP'd



There were balloons everywhere



And there was this in the office (we all know who did it, but we're not going to say who, only that AbbyB wasn't a part of it)







There was a party in one room to celebrate a group of people who completed a specific academic program.  Abby was a part of it, so we joined in.



There was lots of pizza



And cake! (IB are the initials for the program; the other two cakes said 'IB Finished' and 'IB Outta Here')



I got the 'I' from the pink cake



I had a really fun day!

Later in the day, we went to the hair salon, where Abby's best friend was cutting a bunch of her hair off to donate to an organization that makes wigs for cancer patients.  Look at how much she cut off!

Today I got to attend a very special event, Abby's commencement.

We went for dinner first, at the Old Spaghetti Factory, in Gastown.  The menu at each location is different, and has historical facts about the area on it.



These are all the locations.  Abby says that one day she'd like to visit all of them, but she's only been to five so far.



Then, we went to the Orpheum, where the ceremony was to take place.  The Orpheum was opened in 1927, and when it first opened, it was the largest theatre in Canada.  It was bought by teh city in 1974 and refurbished, and is now the permanent home to the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra.  Abby forgot to tell anyone to take pictures of me in the theatre, but her sister was kind enough to do it.





Finally the ceremony started.  There Abby is, with the choir.  She's actually out front singing.  She doesn't want to toot her own horn, but she's very proud of herself, and you can watch the YouTube video here.



Here I am with her graduation certificate, composite photo and hat.

Today I visited Abby's gardens again.  I have seen them before, but they look completely different now.



Abby said that this year was a really good year for rhododendrons, and that they were everywhere a few weeks ago.  They also ahve some lilac-coloured ones, but they are not as pretty as they were.



Look at the size of these leaves!



Oh hello.  These gnomes are all over the front garden, and apparently every single one is named Smedvik.



Can you see me?



One solitary daisy



Poppies



Strawberry plants





I climbed lots of trees.

A maple



A ginkgo



An apple



And a fig



Abby's family grows vegetables too, but it's a little early in the season for much.  This is their assorted lettuce patch.



Help!  I'm being eaten by a fish!



Haha, just kidding.

Today we discovered a book about Canada that mysteriously appreared on Abby's kitchen table.  We brought it to her room to read it.  It was completely in French, so I read it to Yum Yum.



This page is about the origin on the name 'Canada' which is adapted from the Iroquois word 'kanata', which means village.  Next is the history of Canada from Confederation in 1867, and how all the provinces and territories joined.  Then it talks about their queen, Queen Elizabeth II, her monogram, the crown and the flag.



On the next page there is information about the 'royal flag', more about Queen Elizabeth, how she fits into Canada's constitution, then about the Governor General, who is the Queen's representative in Canada.  It also includes the words to God Save the Queen (the scroll at the bottom)



These are all the flags of the Leftenant Governor Generals.  They are representatives of the Governor General and there is one in each province.  The next page begins to talk about official symbols of Canada: The coat-of-arms, the flag and the motto.



More symbols.  On these pages are the official colours, the maple tree, the national anthem (in the scroll at the bottom), the beaver, the Canadian national horse (bred for use by the Mounties) and the official sports, lacrosse and hockey.



Even more symbols!  These pages talk about the maple leaf, the official seal, the official tartan (the book says that Canada doesn't actually have one, but they've adopted this one based on it's colours), the RCMP (Royal Canadian Mounted Police, or Mounties) and the parliament buildings.



This page is all about the different flags Canada has used up until the creation of the current flag in 1965.  The first two were not official, but used by English Canada and French Canada respectively.



Then, there were pages about each province and territory.  This is the one about where I am, in British Columbia.  It says that it was given the name British Columbia by Queen Victoria.  It mentions the dominant native tribes of the area, then talks about BC's symbols.  The official tree is the western cedar, the official bird is the stellar jay, the official mineral is jade and the official animal is the spirit bear.  Abby told me to pay particular attention to the last one, because this spirit bear is endangered and they are making an animated movie about it down in Hollywood to raise awareness.  The flag is a Union Jack to symbolize British origins, and shows a setting sun over waves representing BC as being the Western-most province.



At the back of the book were a number of pages testing knowledge on Canadian symbols, as well as encouraging the reader to design their own symbols.  On this page are some noteable stamps and the different coins.



That was really interesting.  It was nice to read something in French again, and it was good to have something to do while the weather is terrible.  I bet Synapse would have enjoyed this, but he has decided to learn some of it firsthand in Montreal for a week.  Lucky Brain cell.

Today I got to see Twelfth Night at Bard on the Beach in Vanier Park.



(I was in the shade when these two were taken)







There were no pictures allowed, but I can assure you, the play was very good, and very funny.  It was set in the Roaring 20's era, complete with costumes and music, but was still the same old play.

At intermission, we had ice cream.



I checked out all the cast.  There are four plays put on every year, divided onto two stages, the main stage, which generally holds comedies, and the studio stage, which generally holds tragedies.  The other plays are Titus Andronicus, King Lear and The Tempest.  King Lear is on the main stage this year because the artistic director of Bard on the Beach is playing King Lear.  There are two casts, one for each stage.



Look! There's the bard himself over the gift shop



After the play, we went for a bit of a walk through Vanier Park.  It is right at the edge of Vancouver.



There is lots of art in the park





It is very windy in the area, because it's right on the ocean, and it's perfect for sailing.



Sea meets sky (and mountains).  The two really big boats (next to my head) are giant barges.



More mountains.  The dark area is Stanley Park, the largest park in Vancouver.



Here is a little docking area.  The Seabus also stops here.



This is the plantetarium.  Vancouver's Maritime Museum is nearby, but we didn't walk over there.

Today a package arrived.  Who could it be?



It's Lemmy the fox!

Abby is learning how to drive (finally, she says), and I thought I would try too.

Hmm, I can't quite reach the steering wheel...



That's better, but now I can't reach the pedals!



Oh well, I guess driving is not for me. 

Abby's driving took us out to Stave Lake and Hayward Lake this evening.

This is in Stave Lake Park.  The lake is behind me.





A little further to the left of this picture and back a bit (no good vantage point, sorry), is the Stave Lake dam.



Then we drove to Hayward Lake and its dam, which is part of the Stave Lake dam.

This is the crane they used to lift the flood gates of the dam before there were electric motors to do so.



The top pf the dam we drove across.  In the wooded area behine me we saw a deer, but there was no safe place to pull over and take a picture of it.



Hayward Lake and the mountains behind it.

Today is Canada Day, Canada's 141st birthday.

In celebration, Abby gave each one of us a little Canadian flag pin to wear for the day.



We all settled down to watch the Canada Day celebrations in Ottawa, the capital.

The Prime Minister being interviewed



The Governor General arriving with her Mountie Escort



The Royal Salute



Singing of the national anthem



The Snowbirds, which are part of the airforce and perform all over North America in air shows.



Blue Rodeo played a few songs.



Abby tried to take a patriotic shot of me with the flags in her front yard, but it wasn't windy enough.



Then we went to the local celebrations.  There was food, face painting, entertainment and many people promoting local business and events.







There was also a farmers' market, with a special sign just for today.



After that it was time to cool down with a smoothie.



Happy Canada Day!

Today I checked out the local community gardens.  Community gardens are a plot of land, where anyone may sign up to grow things on.









This centre also educates the public about things like composting.









Afterwards, we decided to go on a bit of a heritage walk.



We walked along part of the Trans-Canada Trail, a trail that stretches thousands of kilometres across the country.



I decided to climb an apple tree.





The sign reads:

In 1876 Thomas and Ann Haney came West to Maple Ridge from Ontario.  Thomas Haney had trained as a brick-maker, so he sought out land with clay suitable for brick-making.  In 1876-77 Thomas and Ann Haney purchased 160 acres of land for $1000.  Here the Haneys built their home and raised their family on land that stretched from the river to Dewdney Trunk Road and from 222nd to 225th Street.

Thomas Haney opened the first brickyard in Maple Ridge, running it for eleven years, after which he began a livery stable.  He became a municipal councillor and a land assessor in 1877.  Thomas Haney also drew up the first town plan and soon the townsite came to be known as 'Port Haney'.

The Haneys were a generous family, often helping newcomers to find land and settle in Maple Ridge.  Visiting priests were invites to hold mass in their home every Sunday.  The Haneys served breakfast to all those present.  In 1881, when the congregation grew too large, Thomas Haney built the first St Patrick's Catholic Church on his property, donating both land and money.  Descendants of the Haney family lived in the home until 1979.  It was donated to the municipality, along with the acre of land it stands on, as a heritage site for the enjoyment of future generations.









This is just outside the fence.  It reads:

Port Haney was one of many communities whose life depended on the river.  Take a walk to the Fraser River and the wharf.  Just follow the trail through the highway underpass and across the tracks to the Fraser's banks.  For many years the centre of the town was by the railroad tracks and the river.

Log Sorts, the Haney Brick and Tile Company, and other industrial activities took place on the banks of the Fraser and Pitt Rivers and Kanaka Creek.  Riverboats stopped at the wharf unloading passengers and freight.  Prior to construction of the Lougheed Highway, this was one of the main loading areas for livestock and raw materials, such as wood, to be taken into New Westminster and eventually, to Vancouver via the CPR (Canadian Pacific Railway).



In order to get to the wharf, I had to walk through this tunnel...



And cross the train tracks







There was information here about the Japanese population before World War II:

Japanese settlement in Maple Ridge began by 1896.  These early settlers worked in labour positions and farmed.  By 1911 over 75 families and 300 people of Japanese descent were living in the District.  By the 1920s the Japanese community had built their own Buddhist temple, school, community hall and the Berry Growers Co-op.  They were involved in all aspects of the Maple Ridge community, including local politics, sports, festivals and fairs.

From Maple Ridge to Manitoba - During the early years of World War II the Japanese Community of Maple Ridge took part in community relief projects and fundraised for Victory Bonds to support Canadian soldiers overseas.

On December 7, 1941, Japan bombed Pearl Harbour, bringing themselves and the US into WWII.

This action brought out divisions in the community, turning neighbours into enemies.  In January of 1942 Prime Minister Mackenzie King authorized the RCMP to register all Japanese people, including those born in Canada and Britain.  The local Japanese community was shocked.  Some received the news after spending an evening volunteering for the Canadian war effort.

The Japanese were soon ordered to leave for interment away from the BC Coast.  On April 24, 1942, the Maple Ridge Gazette reported that the last of 118 Japanese families had left the area, most heading to work the sugar beet farms of Manitoba.  All their property and many of their belongings had been sold with proceeds to Federal coffers.  In 1949 the District of Maple Ridge voted to disallow their return.



The view upriver



Abby would have taken a few more pictures, but we were sidetracked by an old, drunk Finnish man on the wharf who decided to tell us his story.

After our walk it was time for some gelato.

I am on my way home!  Yum Yum and Lemmy saw me off.