Expedition Canada

Sort Of Sat Jun 25 Sunset Over Van Island For a few hours on Friday the complete Cronk dynasty were all on the same continent, the first time in probably six years.  Rosalind had arrived from NZ and at the same time she was heading away from the airport in a taxi, the Norfolk branch were going in the opposite direction for a flight back to Blighty.  The clan didn’t actually meet, but a rare occurrence nevertheless.   Shortened Veg Bed The Norfolk branch left the Coast on Tuesday and spent a few days exploring Vancouver and catching up with the Kitsilano (Kits) Cronks, now including 2-month old Sebastian.  We started catching up on jobs unattended since the move.   On Monday the septic tank was emptied.  Not something you’d normally expect to read in these pages, but we discovered the previous owners had built raised veg beds over the main hatch which required some excavation by the ‘technician’. As a result two days were spent remodelling the midd...

Mountains, Waterfalls and Bears Fri June 17th Dandelion Diner alongside the parking lot in Whistler Turnaround complete we headed up to Whistler late Tuesday morning and up the Sea to Sky Highway, aka Highway 99.  Those who have driven it will attest to the beauty of the drive.  The first half runs along the eastern side of the Howe Sound as far as Squamish and then the Cheakamus River follows much of the route into Whistler as far as Daisy Lake where it heads away from the highway. Our first stop on route was the Shannon Falls, a short walk from the car park to BC's third highest falls at just over 1100ft.  It is also known for the cliff face off to one side that is a favourite of the more advanced climbers. The Sea to Sky Gondola alongside Shannon Falls takes you up to the top, near Squamish's The Chief where there are numerous trails that could fill a week. Dogs are not allowed on the Gondola on the way up, but if you hike the five hours to the top with your hound...

A Wildlife Overload Wed Jun 15th Last weekend we had a few days up in Campbell River for a whale watching trip.  The town is a little over halfway up the NE side of Vancouver Island looking across an archipelago of islands and the BC mainland.    Long famous for its fishing, the town expanded with the development of the Elk Falls pulp and paper mill in 1952.  It was closed in 2010.  Salmon fish farming is also under threat following the revocation of fish farm licences by the Federal Government to mitigate the impact of lice on native fish stocks. Fish farming has also been opposed by First Nations' groups.    Over the years the fishing harbour was expanded to include a large marina which also provides a base for sport fishing, whale watching and adventure tours such as ours. The harbour also hosts the terminal for ferry access to Quadra Island.    We had booked a six-hour whale watching trip for the Norfolk branch of the Cronks.  I wa...

And Other Wildlife Sat Jun 11th A few minutes after this picture was taken and 100m further down the road, this Bald Eagle zoomed down to a group of Otters on a rock getting ready to enjoy a large flat fish for breakfast, sending the Otters diving into the water and making off with their food.  I had no time to set up the picture and fortunately the camera was on an automatic setting.   The highlight of the week was the arrival of the Kitsilano branch last Friday and young Sebastian.  We wondered what Jack would make of somebody else getting much of the attention.  He was curious,  gentle and wanted to be part of the action.  We think they are likely to be good mates.  This time he didn't cry as soon as I picked him up!  Great fun. On the Admin front, I finally managed to switch my Apple Region from UK to Canada.  Not an easy task.  Several calls to Apple support, Music and Apple TV subscriptions cancelled and residual subscrip...

Boxes Nil Fri Jun 3rd.  That's not strictly true.  We still have some stuff in boxes, but ones that were already boxed before we packed up Eastcourt House; books, children's toys etc.  They are unlikely to be unpacked any time soon, well maybe some of the children's toys! The last week has flown by.  I guess the busier you are the quicker time goes. Last Friday and Sunday, the choir had two concerts in Sechelt and Gibsons, which were both well received.  Rehearsals have now started for the next piece, 'A Little Jazz Mass' by Bob Chilcott.  We have until the end of the month to perfect it for its first airing. Some friends came in for a drink after the Sunday concert and it was warm enough to sit on the deck and  enjoy the setting sun.  "A bear has just gone down the road" said one of our guests.  I grabbed my camera and rushed down to the road, as a large Black Bear was ambling past the mail boxes, before wandering up into the woods...