Sunday, May 15, 2016

A trip to the City


After having relaxed in our little seaside town for a week or so, we made a trip into "The Big Smoke" otherwise known as Vancouver. Our mail address is there for business purposes, and we generally go about once a week when we are in this neck of the woods, and have someone else taking care of the mail when we are on the road. We had one quick stop to make first, and in the lobby there they had a picture of the early logging days.

There are a couple things that make this picture interesting and I shall expound. 1) This is a new set, since the loggers are walking back down the road to camp rather than taking a wagon, or a crummy
(a purpose built crew and equipment transport vehicle). 2) From the angle of the light and the encroaching shadows, you can tell it's a west facing side and it is late afternoon. 3) The loggers are only carrying hand-logging equipment, a falling saw, a bucking saw, wedges and a mallet. 4) The absence of any safety equipment means it's early on. No OSHA rules.

This picture has a lot of interesting aspects and IMHO a lot of artistic merit as well. You may agree, or not according to your own personal preferences.



Then it was off down the highway with it's ever changing vistas towards the city. The breeze was strong enough to raise white caps on the water as we rolled down Howe Sound .

After stopping to visit a friend in West Van, collect the mail and do some banking, we went to a well-beloved sushi joint for lunch. Here my beloved Trippin' Sista sits waiting in anticipation,


The first item to the table was Edamame, Steamed soy beans, lightly salted. One pops the pods open and devours the beans, leaving a pile of husks on the plate as evidence.


Next on the deliciou-meter was mixed Tempura. A couple slices of Sweet Potato, a Green Bean, a slice of Zucchini and one smallish Prawn all lightly dipped in Tempura Batter then deep fried. Yum.


Two spring rolls made an appearance and were quickly consumed. They seem a lot smaller than the last time we ordered them. In fact all the portion sizes were smaller, but the prices had not gone up.


The small dumplings which seem ubiquitous in Asian fare were Gyoza. Instead of 5 you now get 4.


My darling went with the ever popular California Roll. This has Avocado, and Kamaboko which is crab flavored Pollock. It is a staple in every sushi restaurant I have ever visited.


I had a fried Tempura roll, and the Wasabi was still clearing from my sinuses as I moved on to the next item in our order.


The last item was one of their Specialty rolls, the Gold Coast. It was a larger version of the California Roll and was topped with wafer thin slices of Mango then drizzled with a Mango-Mustard sauce.


After lunch we trundled on down to the beach at John Lawson Park. This is a park I first visited 55 years ago when we first moved to West Vancouver, and have many happy memories of picnic dinners there and swimming in the ocean. 

I have given a description of the park in a previous blog post, so won't go into any great deal about the fresh sea air, the well placed benches, the passing parade of marine traffic and the bucolic 
atmosphere relaxing in the sun.

We decided to stick around the city long enough to catch a movie.The movie didn't start until 7:10 pm so we puttered around town doing odds and ends and stopped for dinner before the flick. We tried a place we hadn't been before in North Vancouver. We ordered some Calamari, which were surprisingly tender and served with Jalapeno.


Also on offer this evening was Pulled Pork Yam Fry Poutine. A liberal amount of Pork, Cheese and Gravy came with the Yam Fries. Very filling.


We also had a Meat Lover's Pizza. I am convinced that the chef finished this dish with Chili oil, since it definitely had a kick. We managed to finish barely, and settled in for the movie.


We decided to see The Eye In The Sky, which is a thriller. There was not much action , but it had a very tightly crafted plot, riveting performances and minute by minute timing that will leave you suspended on a razor's edge, until it's conclusion. There isn't enough action to keep younger viewer's interested, nor enough gunplay, explosions or fistfighting. There was also a refreshing and total lack of nudity and no gratuitous use of foul language.


By the time we returned to our little place at the beach it was after 10 pm and within a very short while it was time to retire. Thanks for coming along with us for the ride. We'll look forward to seeing you next time. Remember to visit us at The Adventures of Trippin' Sista . Please like, subscribe and comment. We love to hear your feedback. see you next time. Auf Wiedersehn!