My Week In Canada

It has been several years since I went up to visit Canada, but a couple of weeks ago, my parents and I drove up to visit my Aunt.

When I was a kid, we would take a long drive almost every year to Canada for vacation time, to visit some of my extended family members.   It was not an overly exciting place as a kid to visit, but there were a few things I liked.  I have a better appreciation now for the natural beauty, among other things.

Due to some unfortunate circumstances, our trip turn out to be about 4 hours longer than it should have.  Because of this, we wound up staying a brief night in Cranbrook, Canada, called The Prestige Rocky Mountain Resort.  It was so late, only the restaurant bar was open for food.  I ordered some wings covered with Birds and Bees sauce (which was salted honey).   I would describe them as "wings with honey and fairy dust."  They were that good.  The celery was okay.

We had planned to be at my aunt's place the day we left.  It didn't happen that way.  In order to see one of my cousins, we got up super early, and were on our way...

This area (below) is known as Frank's Slide, due to a devastating disaster in 1903, that buried a town, in Frank, Alberta.  I was told (decades ago) that one little girl was the only sole survivor.  It was chilling to drive through that area every time.  Being a little girl, back when I heard the story, made me wonder what it was like to be the only survivor of something so horrible.  After doing some research, I have come to find today, that there were more survivors than just one.  Still devastating, though.  For years, only the rock remained of the tragic slide, covering each side of the highway.  Over time, trees are now forming on some of the rubble, and the Earth is starting to heal.

Right after Frank's Slide, a cute little church stands.  It's surroundings has changed throughout the years, and it has had a few renovations, but it is basically the same place I remember as a kid.

Also along the way, is the world's largest truck:

There are many sign warnings for moose, but we didn't see any this trip.

We did see a whole bunch of deer, however.  That was fun.

Here are a few photos from a small museum in Claresholm, Alberta.

One photo I was hoping to get a better picture of, didn't quite compare to the one I took several years ago, when cameras still used film.  This was Lethbridge then:

This is Lethbridge, now.  My photo is more clear, and true to color, but the flowers are more sparse, and the setup is less fancy.

Another area of the garden, then:

...and now (the other side).

It is still nice to see, but not as grand as it once was.

Even though we stayed in Canada for about a week, the visit seemed brief.  I enjoyed my time there, and enjoyed seeing old sights.  It is good to be home now.

( Last four photos are back in the states, in or near Bonners Ferry, Idaho).

To read about this year's Bite of Seattle click here.

Meet My New Plant

It is getting warmer outside, and so the stores have plants and flowers for sale right now.  I have managed to keep my impatiens for two years now.  It has never bloomed flowers, and doesn't look as nice as it once did (because I read it is good to trim them back), but hey, it is still alive! (Maybe it is going through it's awkward teenage years?)

Anyway, because of its success, I have decided I need another plant, a geranium.  I have always loved geraniums, and the red color is so bright and cheery.  Yesterday, I was admiring someone's potted geraniums outside their door.  All the sudden I noticed a pretty cat was patiently waiting for that door to open. Seeing the cat and the flowers really brightened my day.  That is when I decided I wanted a geranium, too. (I want a cat, too, but that will have to wait for now).

The Real Forks, Washington

Last Summer, my friend Danita, came for a visit from Las Vegas.  We only had one full day to spend with each other, so I asked her what she wanted to do.  To my surprise, she said she wanted to visit Forks.  

Some of you may have heard of a book and/or movie called "Twilight."  It was made into a series of books, and then a series of movies.  I read them, I liked them okay, but I would not necessarily call myself "a fan."

My friend Danita, obviously is.  Especially since she wanted to see Forks long after the book series and movie series was over.  She said she could go with this other friend of hers, but since we had limited time to spend together, and I don't mind seeing new things, I decided to take her.

Before our trip, I did some research.  She wanted to go to Forks before all the fan related stuff was gone, which she said has been happening recently.  I found a place online that gave out maps for the "Twilight Tour."  What I didn't know was that absolutely no scene from the movie was actually filmed in Forks!  I knew that some of the scenes weren't, but all of them?  I wondered if my friend knew.  I decided to tell her, because I didn't want her to be disappointed when we got there.  She must not have minded, because we wound up going anyway.

I recently decided to watch the movie because I swore I saw the photo above in one of the movies.  It wasn't in the first movie, that is certain.  I also noticed that Edward Cullen's car had an Oregon license plate!  Couldn't they at least have a Washington license plate on the car?  Am I being too picky?

The town is small.  Which I expected.  It actually did not take long to get to each tourist attraction on the map.

This is "Bella's house."

This is Forks High School.

This is the place where Bella and Michael worked.

This is City Hall.

This is just some scenery around city hall and the "Cullen's house."

This is the "Cullen's house."  Actually, it is a bed and breakfast.  I looks pretty nice.

They even have a mailbox that says, "Cullen."

The Community Health Center, where Dr. Cullen works.

He even has a reserved parking spot!

The vampire threat seemed pretty high, despite how sunny it was outside.  This was taken at a place to eat on the "Treaty Line."  They had very good hamburgers there.  They even had a little area set up for fans to sit in.

Even though it took only a few minutes to get to each attraction around Forks, it took forever to drive out to La Push!  It was worth it, though.  It was my favorite part of the trip!  The beach was beautiful!  My photos don't do it justice.  Also, the sand was not black like most beaches I have been to in Washington, it was actually the color of sand!  I didn't know we had sand-colored beaches in Washington till then.

We came across some sand art while we were there.  Below, a volcano:

a starfish:

part of an octopus head (the whole thing was impressive, though): 

An alligator:

a crab:

and last, but not least, SpongeBob SquarePants!

It was getting late, and earlier I had suggested we should go see "Ferris Bueller's Day Off" which was playing for free at the Mural in Seattle Center.  We thought we had plenty of time to get there.  We wound up not taking the ferry (which was a mistake), and wound up on some back-roads on the way home.  If I had known my GPS was going to take me a totally different direction going home, I would have stopped to get gas first.  I was beginning to wonder if my car would even make it to a gas station as far into the woods as my GPS took us.  Eventually we did make it to a gas station, and a much needed facility.  We grabbed some snacks, and went home.

Overall, we had a great time!  It was nice to spend time with my friend, see something new, and embrace nature.

So, if you are looking for a place to take a day-trip this summer, I would definitely recommend La Push.  However, make sure you have gas before you leave the area.  You may want to ride the ferry on the way back, too.