What a Grind

It’s every Vancouver fit freak’s rite of passage. People love it because they earn bragging rights. Not because it’s a great hike.
Which is a shame, because tourists in heels or flip-flops and not-so-fit newbies in jeans and hoodies are under the unshakable impression that the Grouse Grind is The Thing to Do around here.
Lured by [...]

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Owls in the park: feathered, furious

White Rock’s Centennial Park is owl-central.
The densely-treed oasis spans the Duprez ravine, offering peek-a-boo views of Semiahmoo Bay and West Beach.
But the next time you’re walking (or jogging) through there, take a moment to look up, waaay up. You might see one of the many Barred Owls who call the mature, second-growth conifers home.
The dark-eyed [...]

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Farewell to a Queen

It was an emotional final sailing on the Queen of Saanich.
Passengers making the voyage home from Vancouver Island to Tsawwassen late Sunday afternoon were surprised to learn they were part of BC Ferries history.
A smattering of applause greeted the captain’s request that passengers observe a moment’s silence to mark the Queen of Saanich’s last round [...]

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This is not a grave

Roadside memorials – white crosses, wreaths, and personal mementos marking the scene of a fatal accident –are they dangerous distractions to drivers? Maybe not.
Surprising findings out of the university of Calgary, where researchers say roadside memorials may actually make the roads safer.
According to a recent Canadian Press story, several of the school’s studies suggest the [...]

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Ghost stories I have known

Do you believe in ghosts?
I can’t remember when my fascination with true B.C. ghost stories first began.
Maybe it was reading about Vancouver hauntings each year at Halloween, when the pages of the Sun’s lifestyle section would feature stories involving strange, unexplained disturbances in local restaurants, theatres, various recording studios and Gastown comedy clubs. These [...]

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