farewell to the tulips of 2013...

We don't need to drive far to see tulip fields...

as the Tulips of the Valley are just across the river from our place.

  

Heidi called on Friday...

to see if I might want to join them on a trek to the tulip fields sometime soon.

We realized we better go right away...

or we would miss them this year...

since this was the last weekend the fields were open.

Off we went.

Heidi, Maggie, Lucy and Grammy.

And when we arrived...

Maggie couldn't believe her good fortune.

Her good friend and neighbour was arriving at the very same time.



 Tiptoeing through tulip fields with friends makes it all the more fun!

Lucy thought so too.

Though some of the fields had already been mowed...

 ...we still found lots of colour.

Popping pinks...

...and bright reds.

Lucy really wanted to do a little picking!

For the record ~ 2013!

Maggie and her friend skipped around the entire field.

They picked up the pace a little when they noticed a real-life princess standing in the flowers.



Tulips make a great backdrop for wedding photos...

don't you think?

 She made it!

 (Lucy that is)

Farewell to the tulips of 2013...

at least those on Seabird Island.

I will continue to enjoy the tulips in my garden for another week or so.

It's been a busy weekend.

I'll be back to tell you about it...soon.

whistler ~ here we come...

 Once again our favorite feed company hosted a ladies get-away.

We know from past experience...

that one must sign up quickly...

or the bus will be full.

We did just that!

This year we found ourselves on a bus headed for Whistler.

Fifty-three women...

and Patrick (the driver).

Now this bus takes a long time to get to Whistler...

since there are many stops en route.

The first stop was at Lonsdale Quay in North Vancouver...

for coffee and such.

The view was great!

A little further down the road...

we stopped at 'The Village at Park Royal'.

Some shopped...

some browsed...

...and some just enjoyed sitting in the sunshine and having lunch with good friends.

We got to Whistler just in time to check into our rooms at the lovely Fairmont hotel before dinner...

which was a multi-course dining tour in the village. 

We walked about from one restaurant to the next...

...enjoying beverages and appetizers

 ...and a delicious entre of our choice.

For dessert...

we sampled some of Canada's finest chocolates...

 ...and joined the 'aging' bear on the bench outside the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory.

I have been to Whistler a number of times in the past few years...

and never has the village been so quiet.
 Usually there are tourists lined up to take a photo right here...

where the awards ceremony for the winter games 2010 took place.  

This time...

we had the rings to ourselves!

 It was nine o'clock by the time we trekked back to our hotel...

and one could hardly call it dark outside.

The moon lit our way!

We had planned to take the gondola up the mountain in the morning...

 ...but found ourselves 'between seasons' and most of the lifts were not running.

So what could we possibly find to do all day?

We slept in far too long...

played tennis...

 ...and ate breakfast at lunch time.
It certainly is nice to have good friends who also have connections to our feed company!

You might even want to check out Lovella's blog...
or Marg's blog...
where they will likely be posting an entirely different version of the same event. :)

We had a great time in the village...

enjoyed the sunshine...

and were all carrying a bag or two by the time we caught the bus home.

It's a bus trip with a view...

one I never tire of.

We stopped for dinner in Squamish on the way home.

All fifty-three of us were in one room...

and it seemed all fifty-three were talking at once.

Worksafe BC would not have approved of the decibel level in that restaurant!

We took a photo of the 2013 Whistler tour group after dinner.

But just with one camera...

not fifty-three.

It wasn't mine...

so I don't have a group photo to share.

But it was a great group to travel with!

With dinner over...

we boarded the bus for home.

Mt. Baker was a welcoming sight as we entered the valley from the west...
as was the smell of the freshly mown hay!

While many of us were off on an excursion...

the farmers back home were bringing in the first crop of grass.

When the sun shines in April...

they must make hay!

 Thank-you to Vivienne and Diane of Ritchie Smith Feeds 

for hosting and organizing this event for us.

We had a great time!

who knew?

The blossoms are out in full force.

Who knew  our local airport drive could look this scenic?

Who knew that after one week without rain...

the cranberry fields down the road would be thirsty?

As I was  taking a photo of the irrigation in progress...

from the freeway overpass just north of our place...

a passing cyclist caught my eye.

And got caught in the eye of my camera. :)

Who knew one could pedal a bicycle along Highway 1 (Trans-Canada Highway) in Chilliwack?

Is that even legal?

I'm thinking it is fool hardy!

Who knew that ginger came in liquid form?

My sister brought me some from Australia...

and I'm adding it to stir-fries and the like.

Handy!

Who knew that a roof needs washing on occasion?

There's a good reason that some of us are not too fond of moss!

And those are a few random shots of  life in my neighbourhood this first week of April, 2013.

Have a wonderful weekend...

chilliwack...a cash mob story

Chilliwack made the news again last week...

when it was revealed that two of the ethnic restaurants in our town had received racist e-mails. 

While the RCMP were investigating a possible hate crime...
the community as a whole rallied around the targeted businesses.

A 'cash mob' was organized by several local residents...
an initiative that encouraged locals to flood the two targeted restaurants with their business last Friday.
And they did!

Between the Bay Leaf and Shandhar Hut...
an estimated 1,500 people dined on Indian Food in Chilliwack last Friday.
That number is simply amazing and way beyond what the organizers had hoped for.  
In the end it turned out to be a 'good news' story.

  We have eaten at the Shandar Hut in the past...

and have always enjoyed the food and the wonderful people that prepare and serve it.

We hope to dine there again in the future.

We wish both targeted establishments all the best!

My brother is visiting from Iowa this weekend.

He has fond memories of his favorite ethnic restaurant in this town from his childhood.

Canton Gardens...

has served Chilliwack for over 100 years.

Originally they were located in the  historic Royal Hotel...

the one I told you about in yesterday's post.

We will be paying them a visit this weekend...

for 'old times sake'.

Have a great weekend...

more chilliwack news...

The  Paramount Theatre has been a fixture in our city since before my time.   Going to the movie theatre wasn't something that happened in my childhood home...so I never paid much attention to our theatre until I was in my late teens.  Then I went on occasion...to the likes of Ben Hur, Nicholas and Alexandra, Butch Cassidy and the Sun Dance Kid, and the Poseidon Adventure.  Historical, educational...productions based on real life events.  It was a grand old theatre...with a large balcony...back in the day.

(photo credit Ian Meissner)

On Sunday we drove through the old part of our city...and got a bit of a surprise.  Oh, we knew it was coming...just not when.

The forever fixture is being demolished.  Where the theatre once stood...were a few concrete walls, some steel supports and a pile of rubble.  We pulled into the parking lot behind the building...and thought for a moment we were at a drive-in theatre.  Cars were coming and going...parking for a time just to have a look. Some had their camera.  We visited with those who were parked next to us...and reminisced.

 

(photo credit ~  Chilliwack Museum)

When the Paramount Theatre first opened on June 9, 1949 it was billed as being 'completely ultra-modern, including the modern miracle of air conditioning, soft restful spring chairs, sound installation and a popcorn and candy bar in the lobby.'  It accommodated six hundred and eight people on the first floor with another 292 on the balcony level.  It had a sloped floor and high screen and it was boasted that even the shortest theatre-goer would be able to see over the tall lady with the high hat in front of them.

On November 3, 2010 the Paramount Theatre closed its doors for the last time.   After 61 years...it could no longer compete with the new multi-plex theatres on the outskirts of town.  Landmark Cinemas donated the theatre and the property to the city of Chilliwack.  Though it seemed like a generous gift at the time...it was soon discovered that to refurbish and restore the old theatre would would not be the fiscally responsible thing to do.  The tax payers would not say 'thank-you'.  Last summer our city council voted (6-1) to demolish the old building.  So now we will  have to wait and see what the future holds for that site. 

Though The Paramount is gone...we have our memories.  And some even have theatre seating as a souvenir...complete with popcorn stains and old chewing gum.  The seats were given away...in sets of four...by way of random draw from all who applied.  My name was not in the hat...though I considered it throwing it in.

 

We carried on past the demolition site...and went for lunch at another lovely old spot in our city. The Royal Hotel has been in business for over a hundred years...and served up wonderful Chinese food back in the day. For many decades I had not entered the building...but in the recent past we have been there for lunch several times.  The Royal Cafe is under new management...and is a nice new/old place to go.

Thanks for joining me today on a tour of my historical hometown. 

 

chilliwack ~ in the news...

Chilliwack is a Canadian city in the Province of British Columbia. It is a predominantly agricultural community with an estimated population of 80,000 people. Chilliwack is the 2nd largest city in the Fraser Valley Regional District after Abbotsford. The city is surrounded by mountains and recreational areas...lakes and parks. (That according to Wikipedia.)

Chilliwack is known for its water.  Not only is there water rushing down the mountains...in creeks, rivers and waterfalls...but we have had the best tasting untreated drinking water in the country.  Maybe even the world...they say.  That all changed last week.

I ran the tap for a drink one afternoon...and caught a whiff of chlorine.  I dumped the glass of water...and went to the computer to do some research.  Sure enough, as of that day Chilliwack water was being chlorinated.  It seems the 'powers that be' have dictated that our city will add bleach to its water supply...just to prevent anyone from ever getting sick due to water borne bacteria in the future.  We were willing to take that risk.  We do not want bleach in our water.  We have no say...it seems.

Water has been the big news story over here this past week.  Not all news is good news! 

 

There are a few other things making the news in our community as well. I'll take you downtown one of these days.

changes in my neighbourhood...

Saturday morning dawned sunny and clear...

a beautiful day in my neighbourhood.

It was the perfect day for the garage sale next door.

Of course I went to check it out!

 Stuff...everywhere!

Moving day is fast approaching ...

and our long-time neighbour is cleaning house.
She had her first garage sale a few years ago...
but then her house never sold overnight.
Now her days next door are numbered.

Her daughter was orchestrating the garage sale.

She was enjoying coffee and sunshine on the patio.

We will miss her (in the pink)...

a good neighbour for many years!

I came home with treasures for my granddaughter.

Maggie will be most thrilled with Barbies...

that come with their own private jet...

and motorbike.

As I left the garage sale...

I noticed a lot of action at the nearby intersection.

A tractor rally?

I went down to see what going on.

 This intersection was the scene of a serious car accident two weeks ago.  

The road was closed for hours...

and the jaws of life were called out.

The accident was caused when a vehicle pulled into the intersection while unsafe to do so.

However...the driver of the car that was inching forward could hardly be blamed...

since a hedge on the adjacent property totally obstructed the view.

After years of complaints from motorists about that hedge...

the neighbours made arrangements with the owners of the property to have a 'hedge-removing' bee.

 The owners agreed...

and the hedge came down in short order.

 The shrubs were hauled away.

The neighbours even brought in sand to fill the holes.

Neighbours working together...

make for a great community.

I've seen a lot of changes in this neighbourhood over the years.

Some good...

some not so good.

It's always sad to have good neighbours go.

As for the hedge...

I'm glad it is gone!