Bloom Festival in Abbotsford with the God Kids

Easter Weekend is always special with the activities of Holy Week, NSRU, and a long weekend away from increasingly treacherous work.  Laura and I loved the inspirational speaker at the NSRU Pan Pacific Friday night. So many of the people we know on Facebook but rarely see were there. It's an old home week shaking hands, hugging smiling, catching up. I especially loved seeing Bill and Archie from Whitecliff and Vivian and her son Steven.  So many friendly smiling faces.  The countdown is always inspiring.  

Then Saturday we didn’t make it out during the day. We’d had all manner of plans but read books instead.  I walked Gilbert. Laura made meals.  We  lounged  till early Saturday evening. The rain letting up, we then drove to the Pan Pacific with the Miata top down. Another great inspirational speaker and more friends. 

Sunday morning we got ready early for Easter mass enjoying the celebration of Risen Christ at Christ Church Cathedral.  

After we made arrangements with Kevin and Anna to drive out to the Bloom Festival in Abbotsford. They’d been staying at the Pan Pacific so had to pick up their children after their weekend ‘date’.  Gilbert and I headed back to Burnaby in the Miata leaving Laura to catch up in her little red Smart Car.  The plan was to transfer to my new white Ford F350 2017 Lariat truck.  I love my truck.  It was a great ride out to the country listening to my iPhone music played through the Ford Sync 3 system with the sun roof open.  Great views of Mount Baker. Sunshine and blue sky.  Synchronistically with divine timing we hooked up with Anna and Kevin and the kids on the highway..  

Parking at the Bloom, the late winter had delayed the tulips.  The daffodils were out but instead of fields and fields of spectacular coloured tulips there were only a few patches. But walking with dog and the kids was it’s own entertainment.  We doubt they missed the tulips since the mud was so much more interesting.  

After we enjoyed an early  dinner at the Abbotsford Cactus Club.  While the adults had peppercorn steaks the kids had little hamburgers and fries.  Service was great. Finishing before the adults the children began to explore the restaurant with their parents retrieving squirmy bodies between the discussions of Dean Peter’s sermon and the inspirational speakers.  Kendra was definitely in Christopher Columbus mode.  Somehow we didn’t lose any children.

Walking about the Bloom, Alex had decided that day that he wanted to hold my hand while Kendra informed Laura that she wanted to be carried.  They really are the best family.   Anna, the consumate mother had  delightful tete a tete's with Laura, a grandmother several times over with another grand child due any day.  

I admired Kevin’s calm.  He shared that the Buddha had left his family to seek enlightenment. I shared that Paramahansa Yoganada’s said that one could meditate on a mountain but the real trick was  to bring the mountain into one’s heart and meditate in the world.  Kevin had very much enjoyed Dean Peter’s sermon quotes from Thomas Merton and St. Francis.  

Gilbert who’d had to wait in the truck was barkingly delighted to be re united with his little hairless buddies. He didn’t mind the bits of steak I’d brought back wrapped in napkin in my jacket pocket. It took him no time to find that.  We all hugged good byes and headed back to Vancouver our separate ways.    

Vancouver Weekend in May

 Tom met me at the office on Friday and helped me carry boxes to the storage locker with the truck.  There we just had to check out the Kodiac 4x4 450 quad.   We both rode it around just for the fun of it, ostensibly charging the battery.
I actually found my Pfaff heavy duty sewing machine which I’d bought for offshore sailing. I’ve decided that sailcloth tape and hand stiching will be sufficient. No need to carry a sewing machine offshore. Laura meanwhile told me all about her sewing with a young family. My friend,   Anna who I'd thought might need a sewing machine,  has a sewing machine.  It’s way too heavy to send to my back east  family.  So Laura’s getting it and plans on moving her old computer monitor to make room.  She really only uses her new iPad.  The Pfaff will replace the monitor in the little apartment. Something new for cat George to reflect on.
That night Tom, Laura and I had succulent steaks at the Cactus Club. I used the $100 gift certificate I’d ‘won’ at the Turning Point Gala.  We love Cactus Club.  The steaks were mouth watering. Tom had driven in from Chilliwack to help me move office boxes to storage and return my truck.  He’d been using to unload clutter from his sailboat Naomi.
Laura, I and Gilbert drove him back to Chilliwack.  The river was running fast beside his place. The forest air was so sweet to the nostrils.  Both Laura and I were inhaling the fresh air while Gilbert was rushing about markieng everything in sight with his scent.  A late night drive back to Burnaby.
Then a day of reading.  Really.  I made bacon sandwiches then in the evening I ordered pizza.  With netflix we watched the Bruce Willis and Halle Berry movie, Perfect Stranger. What a fabulous mystery thriller!  Great Canadian Pizza too.  Lovely down day.  I got the guitar out and played and sang songs from the 60’s and 70’s.  The neighbour tonight said how much he’d enjoyed listening.  Laura liked it too saying she knew the words to so many songs. I  enjoyed bashing the guitar and bashing through  the songs.  It’s been too long.
Sunday, church at St. James Anglican. Pentecost. The choir exceptional.
After that we drove home, the three of us in the top down Miata. I swung by the new office on Renfrew.  I loved that the Serenity Store was next to it but one of my patients told me the Italian Sporting Goods store was also nearby. Sure enough, “Home of the Hunter’ was just just 3 doors down.  More ’synchronicity’.  Now if a patient cancels I can go down stairs and check out the latest in hunting and camping gear. There’s also a tattoo parlour beside the coffeeshop.  I don't know if I'll have time for tattoos between patients though. Driving up Hastings, I saw too that the new location for the walkin clinic/methadone clinic I work at is beside an East Vancouver "make your own wine" and up the street from a 'medical marijuana place'.
We then drove  back to do more reading and watching tv. I walked Gilbert a couple of times.  Not much more than that.  Pretty laid back.  I did enjoy looking at flowers. In the wee hours of Sunday morning the rains began.
It was a long long day at work, today, steady. There’s the chaos of the move.  Boxes and files everywhere.  My lawyer friend also dropped by to store some stuff at my office while she was in the neighbourhood.
The move is occurring first week of June.  The pictures and diplomas from the office are all boxed up.  Lots of the books boxed up too.
Angel will be sorting and setting up the office while I’m in Ireland for an autism conference.  I was referred an autistic patient and realized how little I knew about autistic adults. Unlike the traumatic brain injury I am familiar with, it seemed to me that a person with autism had something different from rewiring and possible more akin to a different operating system.  I’m interested in the gentleman and hope to learn more. Of course I wanted to go to Ireland too.  A chance to see where my grandfather met my scottish grandmother.  My mother’s family.  My brother and sister in law have been. I’m picking up where their exploration of the old country left off.
Just watched an NHL Stanley Cup playoff  hockey game.  Anaheim beat Chicago in over time.
Perhaps if the weather is good tomorrow or the next day I can ride the motorcycle into town. When Gilbert saw Laura’s motorcycle he jumped right up on the seat expecting her to take him for a ride.  He’s a character.  I do love his company.  Everyday he comes to work and so enjoys being a part of the office, the official greeter and therapy dog. Some days he stays home and works as a guard dog but he's more of a softy. He really gets into his role as therapy dog.
I barbecued pork chops on Sunday.  Tonight I made sandwiches with left overs. There was just a little ice cream left and some blueberries. I enjoyed these and Gilbert enjoyed licking out the icrecream container, then licking my bowl. And yes, he enjoyed some of the pork chops too.  You don't have to go calling the SPCA to say how I starve and abuse my dog.  He’s sleeping now.
We were down at the sailboat . I had to pump last nights rain water out of the runabout.  When we go down to the sailboat,  Gilbert loves running full out up and down the dock.  He also had me throwing ball for him.  Now he's tired out.  The  Little guy has had long day.