Weekend Warrior

This weekend I’ve visited two vastly different extremes of the lower mainland. On Saturday my friend Lindsay convinced me that that I should accompany her and her friend on a snowshoeing trek up Cypress Mountain. When she texted me late on Saturday morning I initially balked, justifying my reluctance with, “I’ve left my backpack at work and I don’t have the appropriate gear.” But then I thought, “I’ve never been to Cypress since moving here and since I don’t own a vehicle, how can I pass this up?” It would be absurd to turn down the offer of some physical activity in the mountains. How can you regret slogging up to the top of the world to take in a view like this--especially when you get to drink a little bit of celebratory wine?


And today Steve and I took advantage of Translink's little known FareCard savings--that a pass holder can take up to two other adult passengers for free on Sundays--and went to Boundary Bay Park in Tsawwassen. Although the sun was unhampered by the cloudless sky, the wind off the water gave the day an icy edge. However, the ocean side walk offered up stunning views of the mountains and downtown Vancouver and we spent the afternoon walking along the beach all that way to the U.S border. It's been a great weekend of exploration and seeing this vast metropolis from many different viewpoints; here's to urban exploration!

Seeing Spring Through the Fog

With this perpetual shroud of fog that's engulfed Vancouver this past week, I've felt as though I'm living on the set of some zombie movie. I keep expecting to see zombies lurch out of the fog gnashing their teeth in anticipation of their next kill. I'm actually surprised that the Vancouver members of Crawl of the Living Dead haven't taken advantage of nature's ominously cloaked landscape and organized a zombie crawl down Robson Street or through Vancouver's sprawling downtown.

With January wrapping up to be one of the snowiest in years, I find myself reminiscing about leisurely Sundays spent wandering around Lighthouse Park, or lounging in the sun on the back patio of Crave on Main Street. I'm yearning for the days where I can ride my bike again without fear of slipping on ice or being hit by drivers who don't know how to contend with the snow. At least March brings the promise of cherry blossoms. I'm also waiting for the crocuses to thrust their way up through the dirt, extending their delicate petals towards the light. Although in some ways I've relished the fogginess of the last ten days, I think I'll be happier when the fog recedes and I'll be able to see the landscape once more.

Bodegas Real is a Real Steal

Before Christmas I wandered into Liberty Wine Merchants on Granville Island. Feeling experimental, I asked the clerk to recommend a nice full bodied red wine. He steered me towards the end of the aisle and hoisted up a black box of 2005 Bodegas Real Tempranillo-Shiraz declaring it the best value. The 3 liter box—the equivalent of four bottles of wine—cost only $37.99, which works out to approximately $9.50 a bottle. Seeing my dubious apprehension (wasn’t boxed wine the biggest faux-pas since jello-mold salads?) he quickly reassured me, “Most wineries in Europe already use boxes instead of bottles because shipping costs are based on weight and of course, glass bottles are heavy, so most vineyards are switching to boxes to cut down on shipping costs. Besides, the bladders are now less oxygen permeable, which doesn’t allow the wine to spoil. They’re even allowed to put a vintage year on it now! Don’t be surprised if you start seeing boxed wines more often.” What could I lose at this price? If it tasted awful I could always use it for cooking, right? I bought the box and set out for an evening of taste testing.

Tenuously I poured myself a glass from the spigot and swirled it around and inhaled the scent of field berries, which reminded me of summer. The opaque, blackberry coloured wine budded smooth on the tongue, blossoming into an intense berry flavour. Although quite fruity, the well balanced dryness complemented the distinct hint of oak. It remained silky, never changing to acidic or biting. Typically I favour Australian, Chilean and Canadian wines because the European wines I’d sampled in the past hadn’t made my taste buds sing, but this Spanish wine won me over; it’s my favourite red wine of the new year for the flavour and value. Tip: The Robson Liberty Wine Merchant location charges $39.99 for a box while the Granville Island location only charges $37.99. Sometimes it pays to live on the south side of the bridge.

A Day Out at the Eastside Cultural Crawl

Back on Sunday Nov 23rd, I made it to my first Eastside Cultural Crawl, which happened to be the 12th year of the event. The day dawned crisp and sunny and I set out with two friends to enjoy perusing as many of the 300 artists as we could in a single day. It proved challenging, and we certainly missed many, but we still saw an impressive number of studios despite our limited time.

We started on Railway St. and viewed many of the live/work spaces where many local artists reside. We also paid a visit to 339 Railway where I met Janna Hurtzig, visionary and founder of Astrosatchel handbags; I own two of her creations which I've loved and abused for several years now. I was also struck by Nadine Stefan's paintings and her innovative use branches, which she strategically placed behind the canvass, pressing it forward and adding dimension. In the Razstone Studio I met Kevin Ross, who makes stunningly beautiful and impressively tall--up to 12 feet--pots by using a combined technique of hand coiling and wheel throwing. Having experimented with pottery in the past, I listened in awe as he explained how he makes his pots how he even makes his own clay from scratch!

From there we meandered south, viewing wonders like the organic yet modern infused furniture design of Peter Pierobon at 716 East Hastings. At the Parker Building I found myself overwhelmed by four floors bursting with creativity. I found Elizabeth Barne's abstract paintings intriguing and inspirational. I also fell in love with the vibrant yet bohemian pottery of Silvia Dotto. I loved them so much I made arrangements with her the week after to purchase some of her lovely pots at her studio. It's too bad she's decided to discontinue her line of serving bowls with their dark hematite exterior contrasting against the vividly coloured interior, but I understand an artist's need to grow and expand. My imagination and creativity was stimulated by the innovation and creativity I saw in a single day. I'm already looking forward to next year!