Holiday Tail Ends and Musings

Well, folks, this is the end of my travelog. Photo heavy, text light. But in this last travel post I have a few things I feel I need to write as much for my own information as any. Chemo and drugs have really done a number on my memory. I marvel every day at what I don't remember! HA!

Before I start on that, though, there are a few more things I want to show from Vancouver.

I got a kick out of this cat that sits on his perch outside the apartment beside Matt's. We sat there for a while watching the cat watching us and, from the safety of his perch, watching dogs and people walk by. Then he made a giant leap into a little window above the door of the apartment and was gone.

This living wall is outside one of my favourite places (for a multitude of reasons) ... Whole Foods. It's where Hannah stops almost every day to buy a matcha tea (which she loves and I would like to love) and more. There's one on Cambie street a short walk from both Hannah's and Matt's places. I have to confess that we ate there everyday while we were in Vancouver. It's just so easy. And fast. And healthy. And there is so much selection. If you're ever near a Whole Foods, check it out. Of course, there's good reason that some people call it "Whole Paycheque". Shopping here regularly will sure boost one's food bill, but how comforting to know that they stock all organic and, as much as possible, local foods. Fabulous! And, in addition, they have a reference desk right there in the main part of the grocery section where you can talk to someone about the food items, how to prepare them, recipes, tips, etc. Very cool! And then there's the daily buffet section! WOW! SO WONDERFUL! All healthy, freshly prepared food. Everything from pizza, wraps, sandwiches, and baking to a hot food buffet, selections of soups, both hot and cold, a salad bar to swoon over, a breakfast bar ... an endless number of choices. You just fill up a bowl, pay by weight, and you're done. And everything you're eating is pesticide and herbicide free. I could go on but I'll leave it at that. I LOVE WHOLE FOODS!

We spent some time at the Farmer's Market at Trout Lake, which is a little piece of heaven where Hannah has often spent evenings or afternoons with friends. It's a sweet little Farmer's market with some interesting booths.

We even saw a wedding shoot by the lake.

And while I'm not trying to be the Sartorialist ... as if ... I did take a covert photo of this woman's interesting street fashion at the market. A cool touch on the back of her jeans, I thought.

I have only a few regrets about our holiday.

1. We didn't get to see Nora, Luke's girlfriend, who arrived from Chicago only two days after we left. 
2. We didn't get to Nanaimo to see Uncle Norman and Aunt Ruth. Uncle Norman just had some pretty major shoulder surgery and we would have loved to stop by to distract him from his pain for a bit. 
3. We didn't get time to visit some of Kevin's relatives in the area.
4. I kind of wanted to see more of the island ... visit Barb and Kevin in the northern part of the island ... but we knew we'd never manage that this trip. There's so much of the island we'd like to explore ... Tofino and some of the islands for instance ... but all of that will have to wait for another trip.
5. And I would have liked to walk around Butchart Garden. I haven't been there since I was a teenager and I remember being enthralled at the time.

I also regret that I had two days while in Vancouver where I didn't feel so good. I was tired ALL DAY and couldn't seem to snap out of it. I was feeling some pain during that time in the area that, for me, usually signals a kidney infection, but it subsided after a couple of days, thank goodness! It may have been a muscle thing but I don't think so. I've had enough kidney infections in the past to know how they present for me and this was that same feeling. A couple of days before we left for Vancouver I went to the doctor because I was feeling so crappy and was getting worried about our trip. It turned out that I had a sinus infection and so was on antibiotics. Maybe that's what my miserable couple of days was about. At least it passed and then I felt better after that. But we did kind of lose a particularly sunny (and rare, according to Hannah) day in Vancouver. It would have been a good beach day but I just couldn't swing it. We still did things ... just slower, shady things.

Speaking of sinus infection ... it sure puts an unpleasant spin on air travel! Holy WOW did my ears hurt when we were landing! They were still popping a day later. Now I understand how little ones feel when they're having ear pain when flying. Not fun. Not fun at all!

After spending so much time on my feet, I'm feeling more inclined to consider trying another medication that might alleviate the stiffness and pain in my feet and joints ... particularly my hips. In fact, I notice that my hips seem to be especially stiff lately. It takes longer than usual to get moving at a normal pace without frankenwalking. I'll be making an appointment soon to talk to my doctor about the recommendations from the rheumatologist. Sometimes the bottoms of my feet really hurt. If there's something that doesn't have too many unpleasant side effects, it would be worth a shot. What are the chances that a side effect could be weight loss? HA! The only ones that do that are the ones that make you sick to your stomach, it seems. Not such a good trade off.