Well we have made it to the North Shore in Vancouver 🇨🇦.
We are now shacked up in a fabulous 20th floor apartment with amazing views, looking after a gorgeous dog ‘Skye’. She is a German Short-haired Pointer (GSP).
Our assignment looking after her is for 3.5 weeks and we are going to be doing a lot of walking!! Nearly three hours a day. And then we have to fit in some sightseeing! Day One and we are pretty tired, a 6.30am start and then a 7km walk this morning followed by a 2km walk this afternoon means we need a nap before dinner!! Crikey I am glad we decided to do this before we get old! 😜
Seriously though we are stay in the most fantastic apartment with views to the East – South – West. It is pretty high which is going to take a few days to get used to. We are just up from where the ferry docks (Lonsdale Quay) and have lots bars, eateries and shops around us. Of course every day we are out exploring with the adorable ‘Skye’. She is an absolute pleasure, so well behaved and has such a placid and quite nature about her. I am in love with her!
Yesterday when we were out walking we headed to Mosquito Creek, a gorgeous urban/forest hike which took us up along side a stream. On the way we came across a mother deer and her two fawns. This was in the middle of surburbia! Just two blocks along from us on the corner of 5th and Mahon. It is a native housing project that has a shelter belt on the corner, and she was just hanging out in there. We also saw her the next day, when she just popped up onto the footpath, while we were out walking again [surprise!]. Not quite sure why she is ‘town’ but we did hear on our travels about animals raising their babies close to a busy ‘town’, as it gave them a bit more security?!? Co-existing! Deer [which are apparently domesticated] wreck the gardens, and when we were in Victoria – it was important to keep the gates closed because of the deer there as well.
Mosquito Park is just lovely and we enjoyed walking up through the reserve. It was busy with other dog walkers, who all ignored the ‘dogs must be on a lead’ sign. We followed suit, as our girl is so well behaved and we felt quite comfortable with her. We did come across a sign that said cougars had been spotted!! She immediately was back on-leash! I am not taking any risks with her.
The next day we walked in the neighbouring Mahon park and it was less populated, but just as lovely. The trail wasn’t as well maintained, and a bit lumpy and muddy under foot. We did however come across another dog walker (whose dog was off-leash) and we talked to him, and asked about the cougar sitings. He said he would be more worried about the bears 😧 But he did tell us we were safer with a dog, than without!!
So the neighbourhoods here are again being gobbled up by developments. There are planning notifications everywhere, but when we popped out of Mahon Park we walked along this lovely street where the old houses are being replaced by either larger houses, or removed and two are put in its place. Not sure about these two skinny houses! A semi-detached house might have given both a bit more usable space!!
We have found that there are service lanes in between the back of properties. We saw this in Everett as well, but they are not all as tidy as this one!
This is our building from up the hill – it is called The Observatory and is 28 floors. The lovely old building just sneaking in on the right is the school.
So we are staying really close to Lonsdale Quay. It has lovely shops, and the waterfront all around it is being developed into hundreds of apartments. It used to be ship building yards but that industry is no longer viable up here, so some of the area is up for development. They have a lovely public park which hosts events, markets and the like. They have left the big crane, restored it and now it looks like it is where the sound/AV technicians can base them selves under it. Looks cool 😎
The have left the docks, which are being developed into a park – the tide comes in here and you can see a huge anchor and a propeller at the back (along with a pile of driftwood). On the artists impression, there are trees, grass and seating so it will be a fabulous space.
Colin spied a boat from the apartment, so we checked it out while we were walking around down there [no dog!]. Actually a second one appeared overnight – they are both huge! There is a helicopter on one, and a ‘small tender’ under it on the middle deck!! It is worth $300,000,000 … that be a lot of moola!!
Maybe he could get the little one, like the one that is moored alongside 😂
So wandering along the waterfront you can walk out along the pier that has been gifted as part of the development. In this picture you can see the crane that was restored, and also our apartment. It is the tallest one, with the triangles on the roof – ‘our apartment’ is actually the one where the building [behind the crane] ‘touches’ our building. There is a swimming pool, spa and gym for use, but I think with all the walking we may get enough exercise 😄
This is the night view … it is incredible watching all the lights come on, and there is always something happening day or night, so it is very interesting for us. I am sure if you lived here you wouldn’t even notice!!
Well, we have plenty of days to get out and explore the fun stuff, although the weather is raining today, so just some planning towards the next adventure and probably some washing – we still have to do the boring stuff and a bit more often as we only have one bag each! I am hoping my clothes will wear out and then I can get new ones.
See you soon 👋
Maytheroadriseuptomeetyou ... 