To be determined.........

 

I knew I had that string around my finger for a reason. Downloaded the pictures some 2 plus weeks ago, and that was as far as  I got with this blog. This was January 2nd, when we got a chance to see the Canucks in game 2 of their record breaking 11 game losing streak. (They did finally win last Wednesday against the Washington Capitals, finally.) (They have lost the last 2 though, just sayin.)

There I am, the lonely long walk down the storage facility corridor. Had to get some things out of the condo to make it look tidy. For? Tbc.

Seems like over a month ago we celebrated Christmas Eve at my sister-in-law's in Kits. Many, many laughs, don't get together often enough.

Ritsue and Joey bonding.

It was time to go home. Junior, Ritsue and I said our good-byes as we headed off on different SkyTrains. When will we see you again, Junior?

As it turns out, less than 24 hours. A great Christmas dinner (mostly Ritsue's doing, with some encouragement from me..) Glad the kids and their better halves could make it as well. What a blessed feast!

Some awesome sunrises in January out on our deck looking towards Mt. Baker.

Another day, another sunrise, ahhhhhhhh.

Even though we are on the 11th floor, we have been getting plenty of visitors.

I couldn't get this pic to rotate when it transferred to the blog, but trust me, this Elk burger on a toasted Italian bun was so tasty and flavorful, rowr!

Waited too long this year to get a Christmas tree on sale at Rona, so it was time for Ritsue's coffee plant to step up and save the day!

Will always cherish and remember that view.

....okay, back to the hockey game on Jan. 2nd, Canucks against the Seattle Kraken. We got there a little early, but the line-up was long. At least we were under shelter, it was raining pretty hard that night.

I think we had really good seats. We were in the corner, could see everything. Sadly we saw the Canucks lose 4-3 in a shoot-out. Overall, it was a pretty entertaining game.

.....better with the naked eye, believe me......

Ritsue wore the Chris Tanev jersey I gave her. Unfortunately, in my opinion, the hardest working Canuck at the time was traded shortly after that. (We did see one other guy with a Tanev jersey at the game, cool.)

The, a picture says a thousand words, my continued quest to make the perfect hash browns, this was my best yet, at my age?, pic. (Phew!)

Where's Waldo? (Aka- where's the goat?)

A fall outing for Junior in the hills above Summerland and Okanagan Lake brought him close.......(you have to look real close to see it, on second look, you can't see it in this blog pic just a white spec.....)

 

His good camera work got him, nice shot!

Yes, I am behind the times, our greeting for the kids in our building on Halloween, pic.

Thanks to Ritsue and Moscrop Secondary school who had a slide show for Remembrance Day. One of the slides shown was of my father who was standing guard at the Cenotaph at Victory Square in Vancouver at a Remembrance Day ceremony so many years ago. (Guessing the late 1940's, hmnnn.)

Having fun messing around with the dash cam I bought for my truck.

Ritsue received a picture from her mother that she took from her house looking at the neighbour's in Hiroshima. (....kinda unnerving...)

Had a chance to finally get out for dinner with the kids, and Aaron. A good time at the Keg in Burnaby, cheers!

My prime rib go to, this pic's for me!

.....rainbow outside our condo pic, better with the naked eye.

A first for me! (not having Gobo root silly, but making a Gobo root pyramid! No, the Sneaky Weasel in the background didn't play a part, well, maybe it did.)

We call him Cheeky, because he sits on our railing and won't share the feeder with the other hummingbirds in the neighbourhood.

Saw a lot of these very pretty, very dangerous mushrooms around the hood this fall while I was out on one of my many retirement walks.

I think I will miss the many, many views I have had of Mt. Baker from our condo over the years. (That's what pics are for, right?)

I had to go to an appointment out in Surrey on a Saturday, so Ritsue and I decided to try and find some authentic South Asian cuisine. Close by was the Brew Estate, and we scored! They had their own craft beer which was very tasty.

Very strong taste.

That's right! (and the food was very good, too, lol. We'll be back!)

Another Mt. Baker sunrise.

Ya, I'll go with that.

Shopping at Langley Farm Market in Burnaby. (and no, this was not on the list, yikes!)

Ambivalent, that's me.......

 

My attempt at humouring myself was successful. We went to see a Japanese film, Kokuho, at this year's Vancouver International Film Festival. They had staged a red carpet outside the theatre for selfie pics. Being part of the film industry for so long, I knew where to be in my mind, lol. (Kokuho hit number 1 in Japan this year, and when it comes out in North America in 2026, I recommend it highly!)

In with the new. Had an exceptional day with Junior watching him change his alternator. (No, seriously!)

He did it with very little coaching from me, a proud moment for both of us. (Lol, not sure where he got his mechanical aptitude from.)

Ya, own it! (or at least return it to Lordco for your core charge refund)

Out with the old.........

Before we rewarded ourselves with a pint, I watched Junior show his bow prowess at the range in Burnaby.......

Very impressive again, he had similar results all the rounds I watched.

That following week-end it was time to go check it out again. (Meaning a trip back to Vancouver Island, this time back to Parksville.)

Could this be it?

The many, many bunnies seem to think Rathtrevor Beach Provincial Park IS it.

Not sure what I was going for in this one......

Well, I think a 13 minute walk from our hotel was a no-brainer.

All that ambivalence makes one awfully thirsty. Thank-you Rod and Gun! 

......and the food was a nice chaser.........

Well, if you're going to live anywhere, you better get used to the not so nice days.....(This was our commute from Parksville up to Comox.)

Very peaceful, though......

......albeit chilly.

The, I always love them, the Comox Marina, marina pic.

Took a small hike on the Nob Hill Staircase to get a better look around Goose Spit Park in Comox. (I can see my truck!)

Yay, a heron!

As usual, the week-end went by so fast, and soon enough we were in a line for an early morning ferry at Duke Point in Nanaimo. 

....back on the Mainland, the mandatory, check-out at Walmart, pic of our pic, pic.

I been taking my ambivalence with me on many walks these days, like Deer Lake trail in Burnaby.

Lose that Mt. Baker view? (One way or another, construction or moving.)

More time these days to be at home and enjoy Ritsue's cooking, like these scrumptious dumplings.

Well, I'm sure whichever team this is, facing the Lillian Way Briar University Hockey team, this must be there star player, lol.

Absolute blast from the past. I was looking for a picture of my dad in uniform for Remembrance Day, when I came across these oldies but goodies. That's my dad with a young me, and later my mom with a wet me way back in 1959 in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia where he was stationed at the time.

Okay, I'll keep it to a couple. This one is with mom, like yesterday.