Mountains and Ocean

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Crash landing in Vancouver - Stepped off the bus with 1.5 pesos - (thinking that my last little budget didn't leave much to spare) - called Mike collect - "Hey, its cousin Charlie, got in a little early . . . nope, can't get on the skytrain, don't got a dime . . . alright, thanks, see ya soon" - Met my Uncle outside the bus station - First stop on the tour: Main and Hastings - a bust must have sent a couple dealers running, and tossing their rocks - fiends were tweakin' out, searching the sidewalks for a little crack in the crack - "Hey, watch your step around here Charlie, there's a needle, there's another" - Here's Canada's first Safe Injection Site - Free Heroin Store - I guess if their gonna do it anyway - clean - safe - We grabbed the next bus - crack dealers speckle the street down to the pot cafes - "See, that guy in a hat, he's one, she's holdin' for'im" - You'd have to be very high, or a real jerk, to be afraid of the people around here - Compassion might be better than fear - cruisin' down Hastings - "Now we're into the Toronto-like downtown, kind of..." - Asked at my cousin Kevin's bar on Granville if he was around - "He'll be here at 10:30, you can stop by then if you like" - Walked up to St. Paul's Hospital tryn' ta find cousin Leslie - Success! Whoo-hoo! What a great first night in Vancouver!

A girl said "Vancouver's gotta be Canada's best city. You've got the Rocky Mountains and the Pacific Ocean right there." It's a little different from Toronto and Montreal. Greener than both, and smaller. Mikes' apartment is up in West Vancouver, across the Lion's Gate bridge from Stanley Park and downtown. You can fish for crabs right off the pier, walk quiet streets lined with big green trees, gardens full of all kinds of colours.
Since my cousin's Riley and Adam came along, Mike's had to settle himself down a little, and this neighbourhood has been home for 12 or 13 years...Long story...

So it was last Saturday night that I got in to town. Haven't written because I haven't had much to say. Its nice to have familiar faces around in a new place. Visiting with family has definitely been the highlight of the last few days. My Mom was the only one of her brothers and sisters to settle into Toronto. The rest have either settled in to B.C., or been rambling around a bit for work. Vancouver was a regular stop on our way to Christmas vacations in Kamloops every four years or so. I'm glad to take a little time here at this age, and on my own. Yup. So, if my cousin Carrie does come down this weekend, I can likely get a ride back up to Kamloops with her, and if not, another bus!

Lates

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Photos

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