Day 10---Bigger than Bodega

Top of the steps down to the beach

Looking south

Went for a beachcombing walk along the beach behind the motel this morning.  Fog bank off in the distance, but it was a nice day, sunny, windy and pleasant

And looking west

We left the motel about 9:30 on our drive down the coast.  A little light fog which soon cleared up.  What a beautiful coast Oregon has, between the ocean, the mountains and forests.

Dalingtonia or pitcher plants

 We stopped at a wayside where a short walk brought us to a boggy area where Darlingtonia californica live.  They trap and dissolve insects for the nitrogen in their bodies.  Interesting seeing them in their native habitat.

This is what is "bigger than Bodega"

Notice the ATVer on the top!

We stopped at a couple of places in the Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area.  The extent of the dunes is amazing, being 40 miles along the coast, from Coos Bay north.  They are huge, as you can see by the pictures.

Queen Anne's Lace
a common wildflower

A dandelion-kind of flower

A creek in the dunes

Climbing a dune

Me trying to climb a dune

Coos Bay bridge

Sea stacks near Port Orford

Fish and chips, onion rings

Fish wrap and salad

Crescent City Marina

We stopped in Port Orford for the view, then for lunch at The Porthole in Gold Beach.  As you can see, we ate well.  Sienna's quota of one quilt shop a day was met in Brookings, and after that we were soon in California.  Stopped for the night in Crescent City, where we walked the Marina, which appears to have recovered from the tsunami in March 2011.

Show no fear!

Day 9---On to Oregon

                                photo by Sienna Landry

Sienna went with Billy and Simer to the UBC campus yesterday.  Simer gives her a hard time about choosing to go to UW when she could have chosen UBC.  Below is an evening view of the Undergraduate Library.

Sienna and I really enjoyed our jampacked days in Vancouver and vicinity, but it's time to say goodby and head back home to California.

We left Vancouver at about 9:45 with 940 miles on my odometer from the trip up, and a nearly full tank of gas...filled up in Bellingham on my way up, the third tank of the trip (full at home, filled up in Cottage Grove OR...I love my Prius).  After about 45 minutes at the border, we finally were on the road.  Traffic was great through Seattle, not so great around Centrailia.  I always seem to hit traffic on that stretch in central Washington.  Slowed us down to zero at times, but we finally reached Portland, just in time for the evening rush, and boy, does Portland have rush...reminded me of San Jose.  Finally through Portland, we stopped outside of Salem for coffee and a short walk.

Back in the car, we left the freeway at Corvallis, a University of Oregon town, also in a novel series by S. M. Sterling which I really enjoyed.  A beautiful drive through the coast range on Oregon 34 brought us to Waldport just as the sun was setting.  Down the coast in the evening fog, we are in a motel called Deane's Oceanview.  A funky 50's kind of motel, I really like the retro feel.

                                              Photo by Sienna Landry

Day 8--Metrotown to the Beach

A map of the three layers
of Metrotown Mall

Started off by going to Metrotown Mall in Burnaby,  a huge place.  Three stories, too much mall for me.  Simer and Sienna went looking for boots and anything else they could find.  I walked around for an hour and then met up with them.  We then left for the beach on a beautiful day, 70's with a light breeze.

Spanish Banks

The beach was crowded, but very nice.  We had fish and chips after parking...a trick in itself.  With my parking mojo I found a place not 300 ft from the fish place, and in the shade.

The second sticker is pretty good too.

We went home where JJ and Devin Robbie, his son, had come for a visit.  On the way home we saw this bumper sticker which I really like.  Think about it.

Devin Robbie and JJ

Like Robbie's son Jarron, Robbie has grown so much in the last year.  I have forgotten how fast kids grow.  I enjoyed seeing them.

Sienna getting a facial from Amar

Day 7---Butter Chai and Babies

 Our first outing of the day was to Granville Island, a major tourist attraction.  Got there early and walked around looking at things.  Filled with fruits, vegetables, flowers, clothes, jewelry, clothing, etc, etc, etc.  We were searching for butter chai, which we found at Granville Island Tea Company.  Worth searching for, very tasty spiced tea.

A dalia with very striking colours

Simer and Sienna with public art

Relaxing...I bought a hammock

On the left, fabric I bought for Simer for her 2nd quilt.  A wonderful batik star...with a limited size so she won't go crazy.

An idea for the future

Simer and I went to Richmond to Fabricland to get some cream fabric for background for her quilt.  While there I saw this piece of fabric...what a great idea for applique on wholecloth.  Don't like the colors, but think what wonderful colors could be used.

Robbie, Miriam and Jarron came over this afternoon.  Jarron has changed so much in the year since I've see him.  He's 18 months old now, walking and talking.

Me, Miriam, Jarron, Sienna and Dalbir

Day 6--Park and Pork

On Simer's bucket list was the horse-drawn tour of Stanley Park, and she accomplished that today when she took Sienna and I on the trip.  This was a very enjoyable ride, and a recommendation for anyone.

Our trusty steeds, Pepper and Matlock

Sienna and Simer on the ride.

At a stop on the ride we saw the totem collection at the park.  Our ride leader, Heidi, said that totem is translated as "our clan" or "our kin."

Sienna and I infront of the totems

The Girl in the Wet Suit

Lion's Gate Bridge

After we left the park we went to a barbeque restaurant for lunch.

I had spare ribs, while Simer had pulled pork and Sienna had poutine and a caesar salad.  A good meal, as you can see.              

After we ate we drove to Rokko Saris.  I had bought some sheets (chumbal) there last year and wanted to see if they had any new patterns.  Not only did they have new ones, but they also have what they didn't last year, cotton yardage!  The top left is the sheet, while the others are the yardage, which they call African yardage.  I don't know where it is made, says Holland on the selvedge, but I don't think that's its origin: possibly African after all.  Price was right too, $22 for a queen sized chumbal and $18 for four yards of the open cloth.

This evening I went to Hillcrest Community Centre for swimming, while Sienna went with Simer and Amar to Queen Elizabeth Park.

The swimming area of the centre

Sienna with "The Tourist" at the top of the park

A beautiful sunset of Vancouver from the park

Day 5--Sun in Surrey

Dragged my grand-daughter to Surrey BC for obligatory family visits.  A beautiful day, as you can see by the sky as we left Vancouver over the Alex Fraser Bridge.  I really like looking at this bridge with its suspension lines.  It reminds me of Bells Bridge in Glasgow Scotland but is much larger.

Stopped at Frontier Cloth Shop in Surrey where I bought some plain cotton suit pieces that will be great background material.  What a buy! 5 m pieces for $9 canadian each.  Then visited my husband's cousin and her family.  While there went with her daughter to Fabricland.  Disappointed with Fabricland--prices in Canada approach the stratosphere ($25/m) and the choice in this store was not great.  All I bought was a remanent for the twister Halloween quilt I'm in the process of making.  Then visited two other homes...this took all day and lots of cups of tea.

On the way home stopped at the Nanak Sher Sikh Guruwara to pay our respects.  Caught my grand-daughter, Sienna, coming toward me as I took the picture.

After we got back home we decided to go out for Chinese (very tasty) and then drove and walked the UBC campus with Simer and Amar.

Days 3 and 4--Hangin' in Van

International Border
In the rain!

I picked up Sienna from UW today and we drove to Vancouver.  Weather was cloudy but warm until we got almost to the border.  Then the thunder and lightning started!  Wow, what a show, which continued until past the time we got into Vancouver.  The wait at the border was 45 minutes...what can I say, nothing you can do about it.

Too Cute

Simer and Billy holding Billy's quilt

Reached Vancouver, and I finally got to give Billy her quilt.  It is a batik Storm at Sea for which Billy picked out the border.  The back is a brushed cotton with peacock feathers.  I think it turned out nicely.

Day 4 was spent doing nothing much.   We did do some family visiting and deep water aerobics. That's it, except for Sienna doing some shopping (a pair of yoga pants from LuluLemon) and some great pizza.

Day 2---Cottage Grove to Kent

So busy last night I didn't get this posted!  Anyway, here's the day.

Left Cottage Grove this morning after filling up the car.  Could have gotten a few more miles out of the tank, but who chance it?  I now know it is 436 miles or so from home to here.  Cloudy this morning, but cleared by wiithin an hour.

First stop was at Fabric Depot off I-205 in Portland.  Acres of fabric, and Pat and I both think that this store may be bigger than Hancocks of Paducah.  The Depot also has scads of craft supplies, quilting notions, some regular fabric, some household fabric, and some yarn.  I bought some pretty fabric and the backing for a wedding quilt I'm making for Lara, my brother Jim and Randi's daughter.

I had planned to eat at a "Drive Ins, Diners and Dives" place called Arleta Library Cafe and Bakery.  Unfortunately, they had run out of food by about 1:15, when I got there.  Definitely of the "Dive" persuasion, I was disappointed, but asked them where to eat.  They said "Space Monkey Coffee" next door.  Had a really great pulled chicken sandwich on the greatest bread.  Nutty, seedy and very hearty, if I live in Portland I would find out where to buy it.  After drinking my iced latte (it is, after all, a coffee shop) I left Portland about 2:00.

I left Portland and drove to Lakewood.  To tell you the truth I don't remember much of my drive through Washington.  I know the traffic was not bad until Tacoma, but I was listening to "Hunger Games" and do remember that.  A good book, now I guess I'll have to watch the movie.

The Shibori Dragon

I stopped in Lakewood at a really great oriental shop called "The Shibori Dragon."  Check them out online...a fantastic selection of fabric, plus some yarn and beads.  Bought some really nice fabric there.

Surani and Bebeji (Mohinder Kaur Dhia)

Drove from Lakewood to Kent to visit a family friend, Ranjit Singh Dhia and his family.  Our two families have been friends for four generations, and we try to keep it going.  Surani and her daughter Sienna are at UW for orientation, and she drove down from Seattle to see Ranjit.  His mother, Bebeji, took care of Surani when she visited India in 1982, so she knew her well.  We had a great meal and a nice time looking at pictures.

Back:  Gurjote, Manjit, Ranjit, Harjot, Surani, Bebeji
Front: Anaahad, Sienna