Exploring Vancouver, British Columbia

Our family reunion at Shuswap Lake last July ended on a sweet note, with a cherry picking outing at a u-pick farm in Kelowna. We then split and went our separate ways. I followed a sister and her family to Vancouver while the rest of the family stopped at Banff National Park on their way back to Calgary.

My last visit to Vancouver was thirteen years ago; incidentally, the occasion was also a family get together. I had wonderful memories of  Granville Market and Gastown, so they were the places I hit as soon as I got the chance. As someone who loves a good firework show, I regret missing the Celebration of Light fireworks festival (one of the world's most prestigious fireworks competition and this year's festival ended yesterday), but we were just too tired to brave the crowd at English Bay.

Looking at the Vancouver skyline from Lonsdale Quay

Gastown

I couldn't resist :-)

Signs at Granville Island

a

Granville Island, a bustling boating community

Vancouver is the quintessential cosmopolitan city, albeit a little more congested these days, but very pedestrian friendly. Not so friendly with the currency exchange rate. I was taken aback when I  purchased something, and learned that  the U.S. dollar was worth only 90 cents Canadian! (What have you done, Obama?) I was shocked and embarrassed. Today, I'm glad to report that the greenback has returned to a more normal rate; at last check, it's worth $1.04 Canadian.

I'm sure many will agree with me when I say Vancouver offers some of the best Chinese food outside of Hong Kong. From dim sum, seafood, baked goods to all sorts of Chinese delicacies, you can find just about anything here, and they are all superb! On the weekends during the summer months, you can hang out at the Chinatown Night Market, a vibrant outdoor market dotted with food vendors, shops and entertainment, similar to the ones you find in Asia. It's like a farmer's market, only it's at night, and instead of fresh produce, myriad vendors await to serve up some fabulous food. The varieties run the gamut from Malaysian to German. You will definitely enjoy the sights and the food in Vancouver.


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Keukenhof Tulip Garden in Amsterdam, the Netherlands

I've often heard about the tulip craze in Holland (now the Netherlands), but never really knew the nitty gritty details. After visiting the magnificent Keukenhof Tulip Garden in Amsterdam earlier this month, I decided to find out more.

I was surprised to learn that the tulip was not native to Holland. It was the Turks who introduced the tulip to the Dutch back in the late 1500s. The Dutch were instantly smitten with the unique, colorful tulip, a flower that was very different from other flowers they had known at the time.

At the turn of the 16th century, the Dutch were about to embark on its Golden Age, an era that put Holland on the map. Dutch trade, arts and science dominated Europe. The highly lucrative East Indies spice trade brought riches, power and influence to Amsterdam merchants. With new wealth came fancier homes, more ornate architecture and bigger gardens. The exotic tulip became a “coveted luxury item” and was highly sought after. Prices for the tulips skyrocketed, and thus began the financial speculation known as Tulipmania, which lasted from 1634-1637. People were literally betting their farm on the tulips. Per Investopedia, “at the peak of the market, a person could trade a single tulip for an entire estate, and, at the bottom, one tulip was the price of a common onion.” Ouch! The more I write about this, the more it sounds like our recent real estate bubble. History always has a way of repeating itself, doesn’t it?

Even after the bubble had burst, the Dutch continued to cultivate their favorite flower. Today, tulips are huge businesses in the Netherlands. The country is also one of the biggest exporters of bulbs and cut flowers. If you're planning a trip to Europe this spring, choose Amsterdam and put Keukenhof Garden on your itinerary. Let the kaleidoscope of colors from the 7 million flowering bulbs take your breath away. Keukenhof is opened to the public in the spring, from mid-March to mid-May, and from my experience, early May is the perfect time to visit. To avoid the crowds, go early on a weekday and plan to get lost in the 80-acre garden.

Now you know the rest of the story.

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About blogging and Sandhill Cranes

When I left my IT job to go cruising end of year 2000, the tech bubble was beginning to burst. That was the same year I learned about Google as the upcoming search engine. How times have changed in nine years! Today, we are faced with another bubble, the housing bubble, that has almost brought the US economy to a standstill. Google is now a household name, the new standard for search and advertising. The internet has taken a new life of its own. From email to chat and Skype and now blogging and social networking, the world continues to get smaller and smaller. The last couple of years have seen the blogging scene exploded. I had kept my cruising log on Yahoo Geocities, but when it closed last year, I too jumped on the blogging band wagon. I am very late to the game, and there is much to learn.

What I didn't know is that there are so many bloggers out there, blogging about everything from food, writing, photography to career coaching and leadership. What's even more amazing is that many of these bloggers excel in their crafts. One such blogger whose work I highly admire is Jen Yu of Use Real Butter. In her own words, she is "an engineer, scientist, programmer, web designer, photographer, cook, outdoor enthusiast, smartass, and proficient noodler." Wow! After reading her blog, you'd be uttering the same. Not only is she a prolific writer, she is a fabulous cook (her husband is one lucky dude) and an incredible photographer. And I always learn something from her postings.

Recently, Jen posted about a trip she took to the San Luis Valley in Mosca, Co to see the Sandhill Cranes migration and The Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve. I knew about the Sandhill cranes, but never heard about The Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve. It sounds like an awesome place to visit! Jen's photography of both locations are absolutely stunning. It inspired me to post about the Florida Sandhill cranes that frequent our yard. Yep, even in overdeveloped Tampa, these gentle birds are often seen grazing our land. I believe they are permanent residents here. You can read more about Sandhill Cranes on Wikipedia.




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Thought of the day: Giving thanks and feeling grateful

Since I quit the work force almost nine years ago, I told my husband that every day I don't have to work, I am happy. These days, it's hard to be happy when you see your finances dwindling before your eyes in these tough economic times. When your savings account is reaping almost next to nothing in interest and you have to change your lifestyle to accommodate the new fuel prices, life is not smooth sailing all the way. Still, I am grateful for the life I have.

Fort Myers Beach, Florida

Even more so after hearing news like my favorite movie star Patrick Swayze succumbing to pancreatic cancer, and a friend recently diagnosed with alzheimers at the young age of 54! Then today, a friend of ours, working in the Middle East the last several months, called. He's very excited about coming home next week. When asked what he'd like to do when we get together, our friend said "anything we do will feel like heaven." 

 
Perspective is a good thing. It makes us appreciate what we have, and realize how fortunate we are. So, don't wait until Thanksgiving day to give thanks. Be happy and

"Live well - laugh often - love much"

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Tomorrow is a mystery
Today is a gift
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Greed is bad

The economic downturn is taking a toll on America. People are losing their jobs and homes. The last time I remember it to be this bad was in 1981, when Reagan first took office. I was oblivious to the economic woes at the time as I was barely out of college, and didn't have any savings to begin with. This time around, I'm in the thick of it. Anybody who owns a house or 401K will know exactly what I mean.

Florida has the highest foreclosure rate after California. How did all this happen? We can lay the blame on Bush, Greenspan, the banks, the mortgage companies, the home builders, and ourselves. The bottom line is we were all greedy, and most people bought more house than they can afford. In the 80s, people had to put 10 to 20 percent down on their homes. Before the housing bust, you could have bought a house with no money down. So, is it any surprise then that when the going gets tough, the owners just walk away from their homes? What have they got to lose? What were the bankers thinking? Especially the banks that own the second mortgage or the equity line?
I could go on and on and get depressed about the whole situation. Instead, I will focus on the nice weather that recently descended on Florida. After months of cold front blowing through, the weather finally got warm enough for some beach time. This past Sunday, we went to the lovely Anna Maria Island. We got there early for some peace and quiet before the crowd of families came. It felt good to have the sun on my back, listen to the soothing ocean waves lapping against the shore, and just let my cares melt away...

That same evening, around 7:45pm, we happened to be looking out our window across the street when suddenly a bright orange ray of light shot up above the roof of our neighbor's house. We ran out the door to stare in awe at NASA's shuttle Discovery. It had lifted off a mere two minutes ago from the Kennedy Space Center, on the Atlantic side of Florida. Boaters go to that area in the hope of seeing a launch. Here, we just happened to look out the window. How lucky are we? We later learned that the seven-member crew is delivering the final set of power-generating solar array wings and a new crew member to the International Space Station.

All things considered, we are grateful to be alive and well, with family and friends, and to be living in this great country. All this pain we are feeling now will soon pass. We will be strong once again.


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