The Stork/Downward Facing Dog Blues: Monday, June 9th!

I have known a vast quantity of nonsense talked about bad men not looking you in the face. Don't trust that conventional idea. Dishonesty will stare honesty out of countenance, any day in the week, if there is anything to be got by it. -Charles Dickens, novelist (1812-1870)

Fan/Water Extractor at The Cave!

Hi Cornish Hill Man!

Don't kid yourself, it was those very hills that provided me with such a good base for Languedoc. First time I rode to Horseshoe Bay after returning, I couldn't believe how relatively easy climbs which had previously been challenging, hard work seemed almost enjoyable. (Note the "almost"!) Although I do feel that my lungs and legs are responding well to my 100+ km rides I really don't feel that when riding, for example, with Robo Man and Whirlygig, who certainly don't regularly, if ever, log such distances, that I'm not enjoying myself. In fact, they probably ride more quickly than I do, over the shorter distances, so I'm often the "total amateur"! At any rate, I know you'll be just fine, limping from one café to craft brewery to small batch distillery!!!

Send along flight info, (airline, arrival time), when you have a moment after one of your glorious walks. We'll certainly collect you at YVR so plan on that. In fact, I actually rode out to the airport yesterday, as part of my ride. Robo Man had mentioned that the poppies along the dedicated bike path out to Steveston were in full bloom and worth a ride just to see them. I set off from home at about 1:30 pm, (Leaving a grumpy Cora Lee power-washing patio deck!), and headed out to UBC then along Marine to Kent/Cambie SkyTrain Bridge. Made for Iona next but only went as far as Templeton as this provides access to Russ Baker Way, start of route to Steveston. Since I didn't make the light at Grant McConachie Way and couldn't bear the thought of touching The Dreaded Burning Ground, I decided I'd do a circuit of YVR. Made a crafty right-hand turn and made for the terminal, enjoying cycling past International/Domestic Departures.
 

Ten minutes, or so, later, I was on RBW and making my way to Railway which takes one right into Steveston itself. Shortly after hitting the dedicated bike path there I encountered the first plantings of gorgeous poppies Raymondo had mentioned. They were lovely indeed, the huge, blood-red petals, atop long stalks, waving gracefully in the slight breeze. Relished this wonderful sight most of the way along Railway. (As well, closer to home, there are similar plantings in and around the community garden, raised vegetable beds, just up from the entrance to GI, down the way from Reckless, towards Burrard Bridge.) Not far from the actual village of Steveston, Railway becomes Westwater Drive and shortly thereafter, Dyke Road. Had not ridden this particular route for quite some time as parts of it are on a hard packed gravel surface and not particularly suited for road bike tires. nevertheless, I knew it was passable, (from previous experience), so I forged ahead and was soon past jog around Reagle Terminals and on the unpaved stretch beyond, heading towards No 4 Rd. By this time one is back on asphalt and so the going is good once again.
 
Raison d'etre for subjecting my Trek to "mountain bike" terrain was the fact that I wanted to return via No 6 Rd. Once on Rice Mill Rd a bridge takes one over the Vancouver-Blaine Hwy, Route 99, just before the George Massey Tunnel, (formerly the Deas Island Tunnel), under the south arm of the mighty Fraser. Sharp left here to follow Route 99, north, (wide, paved shoulders so not a real concern as this is a busy thoroughfare), until turn-off to Steveston Hwy. Here I headed eat until I hit the water again, taking a short dipsy-doodle around the very attractive complex of condos, Waterstone Pier, that were still under construction last time I rode here. Very attractively landscaped although view, across water is to a fairly heavy industrial landscape.
 

 Short jog back to Steveston Hwy and I was on No 6 Rd. Don't usually like to travel this route on weekdays as there is often a fair bit of heavy truck traffic but on weekends mostly the odd car. Very pleasant as one rides past everything from cranberry bogs to strawberry fields, although there is more and more development, the exceptionally fertile estuary soil sprouting monster, literally monster homes where once stood modest farm buildings and tiny bungalows amidst extensive market gardens. Nonetheless, a ride you would enjoy, I'm sure. And flat!

Soon back on Vulcan Way and with the wind at my back I sped towards the CSTB, taking a short dipsy-doodle back along River Rd, past the site of one of Richmond's Summer Night Markets and then back to make my way over bridge and up Cambie. Have done this route often enough that I have most, if not all, of the lights timed so that I can sail on through the busy intersections. It was about 5:40 pm by this time, so traffic was fairly light anyway. A few loops around Olympic Village once I was on E 1st Ave and then I was beetling down Charleson Rd/Lamey's Mill Rd and pulling into the Heartbreak Terrace at about 6:10 pm! Stats for ride:

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/517282770#.U5Xv7aBaY8E.email 

Quite pleased with AVG especially since climb up Cambie always inflicts a loss of speed that is hard to recoup on downhill side as numerous lights to negotiate with slow dipsy doodles! Walked in the door and I'd not even taken off my helmet when Cora Lee came from downstairs announcing we'd been invited for dinner at the Sutherlands so I was to shower immediately! Chloë arrived from work a minute later and she helped Cora Lee prepare the zucchini we were planning to bbq, along with salmon steaks. We were "pooling" things as it had been a spur of the moment invitation. Sutherland's freind, John Harnett, from St John's was in town attending a conference, and they had invited him for dinner. As well, Joanne, friend and neighbour, was back home after being in Alberta for almost a month. We'd not seen her since the wedding in Mexico so it was lovely to reconnect with both of them. (We'd met John a number of times, over last few years, on other visits.) Grand time around patio table and then we watched next episode of Game of Thrones before toddling off to our respective beds!

Speaking of beds, loose change is fine for me but you'd better visit your Swiss bank, as opposed to your piggy bank, if dealing with Cora Lee! She and Joanne just left for Yoga in the Park led by friend, Agneta, and she needs plenty of cold, hard cash to pay for lessons! Very windy at the moment so I plan to wait until this afternoon for a "maintenance" ride. Need to take a run to Young Brothers for fruit and vegetables and to Cheap Thrills for a few ingredients for One Pan Mexican Quinoa I'm planning to make for dinner this evening. Will be the first time I've tried recipe but am really looking forward to making it.
 

Finally, speaking of you being in the way, don't fuss about that at all. Cora Lee and I have already decided that Gayle will be busy vacuuming while you cook so you'll hardly be in the way, especially since I'll be cycling, Cora Lee at meetings, while you two discharge domestic chores! Perhaps Krissy's/Mark's place seems more appealing now! Chat soon. Fondestos from Downward Facing Dog! Cheers, Patrizzio! Pics: Power-Washer Woman and last night's bbq with Sutherlands!

Hi Brenda Louise! Was wondering if you were enjoying the Good Life in Ottawa and see that you are indeed! Lollygagging around in PJ's all day! Great view. Wave to the Ferrari drivers for me! Enjoy the rest of your Bytown lollygagging! Fondestos from Downward Facing Dog Cora Lee! (She and Joanne went to Yoga in the Park led by friend, Agneta, this morning.) Cheers, Patrizzio!

Pics: Janet's fabulous desert for Friday's bbq; Shewa and Janet; Janet and Eyob.
Hi again, Brenda Louise! I forgot to attach snap of Race Track Girl! Cheers, Patrizzio! 

Hi Raymond and Folk Fest Lady!

I'm hoping what you mention, Raymond, turns out to be true. With the Penticton Granfondo and long rides at Falcon Lake I should be in reasonable Whistler shape, if I survive the Okanagan event! Trust tutoring and gardening go well! Cheers, Patrizzio! Pics: Friday's bbq with Eritrean couple.

The wild flowers along the Richmond Railway cycle path Worth a trip out to Steveston for the flowers.

Hi Raymond! Thanks for the last message but unfortunately the images were not attached. I'd like to see snaps so if you could resend that would be much appreciated.

As I mentioned in my earlier message, I did wait until about 4:00 pm this afternoon before I left for a ride. Turned out that I didn't need to do any shopping as Cora Lee had other errands to run. Decided I'd follow up on some hill climbs, as you had mentioned. Haven't done any "repeats" of the Foreshore Hill for probably more than a year so thought I'd start out with three, back-to-back, ascents so did just that and then finished off with a ride through campus to give me the additional distance needed for the overall run.

Stats for today's ride:

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/517622491#.U5aHPjpxohY.email 
 

Back home I set to work right away chopping and dicing the ingredients for the One Pan Mexican Quinoa I was making for dinner. Pleased to say that it received the seal of approval from Cora Lee. In fact, I was more than delighted at result as it was rather tasty, if I don't say so myself. Although it goes well all by itself, since ingredients are all vegetables it could be used as a side dish with most any meat or fish main course. Quite a simple recipe. I've included it in case you or Sylvia might be interested to try it out. Speaking strictly for myself, I much prefer eating Quinoa this way!

Let me know if you might be interested in a ride sometime this coming week. Cheers, Patrizzio!



One Pan Mexican Quinoa

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 jalapenos, minced
• 1 cup quinoa
• 1 cup vegetable broth
• 1 (15-ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 (14.5 oz) can fire-roasted diced tomatoes
• 1 cup corn kernels
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 1 avocado, halved, seeded, peeled and diced
• Juice of 1 lime
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves
  

Instructions

• Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add garlic and jalapeno, and cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant, about 1 minute.
• Stir in quinoa, vegetable broth, beans, tomatoes, corn, chili powder and cumin; season with salt and pepper, to taste. Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat and simmer until quinoa is cooked through, about 20 minutes. Stir in avocado, lime juice and cilantro. Serve immediately.
  
  

Hi Corinne--Below is a message I started to you last week just before my computer quit on me. Argh!!! It is over its hissy-fit now and I m desperately trying to catch up. So, here goes ...

 Hi Corinne--Thanks for the update on your Naramata visit. We will look forward to welcoming you and Michelle and Wayne sometime on Friday (July 11). You can join Patricio in the guest room for that night and Michelle and Wayne can "camp" in the den as they've done before. Alas, you and Patrizio will have to move out of the guest room for the previously-booked Bensons on Saturday. (As it now turns out, it will only be Ted who is coming for the ride and the weekend. Debbie is staying home to deal with some problems with one of their dogs. I suspect that it must be very sick and/or on death's door as she has been okay with leaving them in the past. It's amazing how attached she is to those doggies. I feel bad that she is not coming but, if she's feeling bad about the dog, she wouldn't really enjoy herself here.)
 

We have a single blow-up bed (in addition to the queen size, which will be in the den), and the long couch is quite comfortable for sleeping if you don't want to bother with bringing a blow-up mattress with you. Some extra bedding would be good but you don't have to bring it as we have lots. I just got some new stuff for our room and haven't passed on the old ones yet. We also have a sufficient supply of towels. 

Thanks for the offer to bring some steaks and veggies for a BBQ here on Friday night. I'll take you up on the offer of veggies, especially if you were to make my favourite scalloped potato dish. Yum!! And a couple of appies? Please don't bring steaks; we'll get some here. We could all (including Ted) go out on Saturday night for an early dinner at the Heritage Inn in downtown Naramata, or, we could have a lighter meal here. 

We'll most likely need a reservation if we are going to the Heritage Inn, so think on it and let me know what you decide. If you all do end up staying over till Monday, we could do another dinner here on Sunday. But we could arrange all that after you arrive. We'll have some time on Sunday to shop, prep, etc. while the two boys are biking and the other two are …? Cheers for now. Looking forward to our time together. Lynnie XOXO 

Hi Lynne and Souvlaki Man! I'm just dashing off this note before turning in for the night. Sorry to hear that Debbie won't be joining us for the race weekend. As well, not a big deal about bringing our blow-up so I'll have it when I arrive. I'm happy to sleep on it before everyone else appears and that way you won't have to change sheets in guest room for Ted.

With respect to food we can certainly take care of the vegetables and appetizers but we'd still like to contribute some main course. Let us know what you might like, steaks or otherwise. Speaking strictly for myself, I'd prefer to have dinner at your place on Saturday evening, alone if needs be, and am happy to make something for myself if everyone else decides they'd rather go out. Sarge said he was planning to ride in the Mediofondo, (92 km), so he will be cycling on Sunday. Don't believe Flamin' plans to enter event but she may well want to do some local riding. I will be bringing Sarge's bike with me and I can certainly put Michele's on as well.

Anyway, those are my thoughts. I'll let the others chime in with their own when they have a moment. Sutherlands are in the midst of post-flood renovations so they are somewhat preoccupied at moment.
 

Again, thank you both for having all of us. As soon as we manage to get through next two weeks, (Friends, Pat and David Coffaro, winery owners in Sonoma, are coming to Vancouver from June 16th to 20th, last two nights with us.), I will let you know when I plan to drive up to Naramata. Given the need to balance getting to know parts of the route I've not yet ridden and managing not to completely exhaust myself before actual event, I think I'd like to arrive on Tuesday, July 8th, so that I can take at least three familiarization rides with some respite/rest in between. Hope this will not be unduly inconvenient. I won't really need any significant care and feeding so please don't fret about me being underfoot. I plan to be out most days as I want to drive to certain spots, bike on rack, and then cycle a given section, looping back to where I've parked. Might even indulge in some wine tasting after completing ride for the day! 

At any rate, please don't change any of your regular or planned activities on my account. I've scads of reading and blogging to do and I'm quite content to sit in my spartan cell and amuse myself. Not that I want or plan to be anti-social but you'll hardly know I'm there, other than the dead giveaway of dwindling malt levels! Fondestos from a Soundly Sleeping Coriandre. Cheers, Patrizzio!

Pic: Hastings Park Headgear. Cora Lee is on the phone to California Chrome's jockey! BBQ at Sutherlands on Sunday night; dessert provided by John Harnett, friend visiting from St John's; fan and water extractor used to deal with flood after pipe to fridge sprung/sprang a leak, week ago this past Sunday!

Might I suggest a dinner after on Granville Island for those of you who are Writers Fest members and are coming to the Thurs evening author announcement? Edible Canada or...? 

 
Please join us for a special Sneak Preview Event for the 2014 Vancouver Writers Fest (October 21-26).
Thursday, June 12, 5:30 - 7:00 pm, Dockside Pub at the Granville Island Hotel

Enjoy a glass of wine and appetizers as Artistic Director Hal Wake shares some exciting details about the upcoming Festival.

Let me know if you are interested and I'll make a dinner reservation. Cheers. P
Hi Paul! Thanks for suggesting dinner on GI after Writers Fest Sneak Preview. Both Cora Lee and I are delighted to join group. We are fans of Edible Canada but any number of other spots are fine, depending on what rest might like. Will leave it up to you. Thanks.

With respect to the Alvin's concert, it turns out that Coriandre has a Friends dinner that night so we won't be able to join you for that event. Thanks for including us, nonetheless. See you on Thursday. Cheers, Patrizzio!

dinner sounds great. I've registered for the event. Lynn
 
Hi – I won’t be able to come as my week is getting kind of loaded with SLA events etc. Lynne, if this Saturday is rainy what about a movie? If it’s nice I probably should check on my cottage…(oh, these properties!) we’ll talk. Liisa

Dear Friends, For several weeks last summer I had the privilege of helping install a new two-manual tracker action pipe organ in the choir loft of St. Patrick’s Parish, 2881 Main Street. This instrument is one of the few tracker organs in Vancouver and will be inaugurated this Saturday, June 14 at 7:30 in a concert featuring Holy Rosary Cathedral organist Denis Bédard. He will be playing music by Bach, Buxtehude, Pachelbel and Mendelssohn, among other composers. 

Opus VII is from the workshop of D. Leslie Smith, Organbuilder, of Fergus, ON and represents a significant addition to Vancouver’s stock of fine pipe organs. $20 for adults at the door, $15 for students and seniors. The concert includes participation of the award-winning St. Patrick’s High School Chamber Choir. I would be delighted to see you there Saturday evening.

Hi Gran Duggacio! Sounds like a wonderful concert. Not sure if we can make it, as of this writing, but will certainly keep it in mind if our planned social engagement changes. At any rate, would like to hear more about your involvement at some point. Cheers, Patrizzio! 
 

Hi Patrick, Further to our telephone conversation, please note that I require the name of the funeral home, mom’s birth and death dates and the type of urn you have. I will book the interment date and time and we will follow up with contract for opening/closing and interment authorization form.

Trust I will hear from soon. Regards, Melody

Melody Brown | Family Services Director
Chapel Lawn Memorial Gardens | Arbor Memorial Inc.
4000 Portage Avenue, Winnipeg MB CA, R3K 1W3
T: (204) 982-8100 | F: (204) 831-0461 | E: MeBrown@arbormemorial.com | C:

Hi Melody! Thank you for sending along list of required information.

Funeral Home: Affordable Cremation & Burial Ltd., 2801 Shaughnessy St., Port Coquitlam, BC. I dealt with Melissa at 604-936-9913.
 

Mother, Anne Henrietta Dunn, was born on September 22nd, 1913 and died on August 29th, 2012.

Mother's ashes are currently in a polished, wooden box, 9" by 6" by 6", but I plan to place them in a metal urn of approximately the same, or slightly smaller, size.

During our telephone conversation I mentioned an interment date and time, Friday, August 1st, around 12:00-12:30. 

Let me thank you, in advance, for your help. Very much appreciated. Please let me know what else I might need to do, should that be the case. All the best, Patrick!

PS: As you can tell, I have copied my wife, Corinne, and the minister, Karen, who will be conducting funeral/memorial rites.