Dear friends,
Yes, we are home again once more. This time with David. I could easily see that China has been good to him. He looks fit. The skin on his face is clear and smooth, which indicates proper food, and his eyes are clear. We were very happy to see him.
Our second eldest daughter, Karen, travelled from Vancouver Island by ferry to bewith Ben and I when we went to the airport for David. He was supposed to land at 11 am. The airport was very busy and it took a long time for him to clear customs. There were so many Chinese people on that flight from Beijing, of course, and they all seemed to come through before David appeared, dressed in his nice shiny black shoes that he had made for him in China. He says his feet are too big for him to be able to buy ready-made shoes there very easily. He only takes size tens. He has a son who wears size 14 shoes! You would think they were boats, I guess. ;-> The custom made shoes look excellent. He really travels light! His only luggage was his backpack and a green vest with many pockets, that looks likes a hunting vest. It is a great advantage to be able to carry your luggage aboard and take it off with you from the plane when you arrive.
We came into Vancouver the evening before and stayed at the Chinese owned Executive Inn Express, which is close to the airport. A fine woman named Lucy, from the south of China runs a pleasant steak house restaurant there. We always pay her a visit, and have known her for years. One of these fine days she and her husband may find time to visit us in Kelowna, we agreed. David will stay there again the night before his flight back to Beijing.
On the way to Vancouver we saw a black bear, and at two different times, gracefulwhite-tailed deer. David seems to marvel at all the space there is here. I read tonight that many people from the PRC are beginning to come to visit Canada. More Chinese came this year than Americans. Americans seem toa be staying very close to home these days. I'm sure they are worried about terrorism. Maybe one of these days some of you will visit Canada. Evidently, Canada is going to become one of the approved destinations soon, but already many people come from the PRC. I'm sure you would want to experience Canadian life and use your English, but there are large areas in our cities where you can live and shop without needing to know a word of English. Chinese languages are used there.
We decided not to take the high level Coquihalla highway because there was an overhead lighted sign warning of heavy fog at high levels. So we took the older route, which takes two hours longer but is more interesting and has varied scenery. From the Coquihalla you look out over long vistas of mountains, mountain meadows, little lakes, and trees, trees, trees. At the highest levels one can become sleepy, so we take coffee with us, and get out and stretch our legs before climbing to the summit. Once we had a bad accident because we didn't know we should do that. It is a toll highway, and costs $10.00 per car. There are plenty of warnings so that a person can turn around or go by another route before they reach the toll booth.
The Vancouver airport is one of the finest in the world. It is a very pleasant place. We enjoy it. Los Angeles is a mess by comparison. I've never seen such a lovely airport anywhere on our travels. We waited behind panels of glass, watching for David and when he finally came we went to get a printed copy of his ticket and to have some lunch. The copy of the ticket allowed certain parking privileges. We drove to the hotel where David and I had a nap while Ben and Karen went out for a walk. They visited a big store called Costco, where they sampled all kinds of foods that were being promoted. They bought a lovely big, colourful bouquet of flowers for our eldest daughter, Jeannie. She was very happy with them when we went to her family's apartment for dinner.
I love to go to Jeannie's place because it is always filled with all kinds of her newest art. She sometimes dissolves discarded paper, cooks it, adds some glue and cools it to make her own paper because she doesn't like being dictated to by the perfectly smooth, flat sheets of commercial paper. Her work is very beautiful and full of lightness and joy. Like me, she likes to add found objects to some of her work, so there was a sailing ship with some glass in the wake flowing back from the prow of the ship and in the sails. It was painted on her hand made paper which has some ripples and interesting texture and the edges are as they were when she formed the piece. Sometimes she impresses some things into the paper to make indentations that she can work with later for a more 3D effect. Anyway, as most of you aren't artists I should stop writing about it.
Jenny, our granddaughter made a very interesting black bean soup with spices and fresh limes, and also some big round flat bread with onions in it that reminded David very much of some unleavened bread he buys in China and likes very much. I think some of Jenny's inspirations came from food from India. Our grandson Jesse and his Japanese girlfriend were there. Jesse and Jennifer are both learning Japanese. That began when Jesse was in high school, when one year, a class he was in made a trip to Japan. He stayed with a Japanese family, and since then he has been learning Japanese. This year Jenny's class plans to go to Japan, and she is already saving money for the trip. Maybe one of these days such classes will be able to visit the PRC! :-)
Karen had to catch the nine o'clock PM ferry to get back to Vancouver Island because she had to work for a lawyer the next day. She has a lot of contract jobs and works through two companies she has set up. She takes piano and singing lessons, too. Karen is also a runner and runs in marathons. She won an international award for her narration on a tape for seniors, to help them to remember how to drive skillfully. The award was present in Vienna.
Jenny just won an award for a photographic poster she designed. It is going to be in bus shelters all over the Island and now it has won a further award so she is going to receive the award from the Governor-General. Whether of this province, or the whole country I forgot to ask. Every time I turn around another one of our family has developed an interest and skill in some kind of art and is doing very well at it. It is fun to have a family who share your interests, but does different kinds of things. Like Panpanpan, Karen's daughter is learning the electric guitar. Her son is studying one of the big jazz instruments. I have forgotten which one it is. Can you imagine? What a grandmother! Forgetting something like that! ;->
So we really had a wonderful time at Jeannie and Grant's place. The next morning she called us at the hotel before we left for home, and we had more great conversation following up our discussions from the night before. And yesterday she called, too, and we had more. I just love my kids. They are my best friends. Except for Ben, of course. I think family always make the best friends. You never really lose track of them, either, as you can with other friends. I always seem to have thought patterns and interests in common with other family members, even cousins, or second cousins, and so on.
On the way hokme all went well. But it rained very, very hard in the mountains. Just as it had for a long time in the mountains as we entered Vancouver in the first place. It was dark and oncoming vehicle lights reflect in the dark, wet pavement, so we were glad that we had set out early enough to get through most of the more dangerous, dark and winding roads by the lake before night fell. We stopped a few times. Once we went to an Earl's Restaurant and both men had Caesar Salads, while I had a small six ounce steak and some whole little squashes cooked lightly, as well as some wonderful mashed potatoes with garlic, and a thick piece of pan-fried bread. The steak wasn't cooked as I asked, and then, when it came back it was over-cooked. I like it firm and a little pink in the centre, with no blood running out. They decided not to charge us for my meal because the chef messed up my order. I had enjoyed the vegetables very much, anyway, and gave most of the overcooked meat to David who didn't seem to mind.
When we were almost home and it was dark and raining hard, we ran into the most dangerous part of the whole trip. There was some highway construction going on and we had to travel on a dangerous and narrow gravel strip with a bad drop right beside our car, and no shoulder to help if Ben went a little too far to the right. Cars coming from the other direction were near by on the left against the mountain. It was so dark and raining, and the windshield wipers kept smearing the windshield so that the lights of oncoming cars glared agains the oil smear. I sat in front and almost pressed my nose to the windshield to see and help Ben as his co-pilot. He thanked me that night, and again in the morning after we were safely home because he had a very hard time seeing where he was going.
Anyway, we are all safe and sound and tomorrow David goes to our physician, and then our eye doctor, and on Tuesday to our dentist. I think he's fine but there was something the Chinese doctor told him to have checked, and also, just before he left he was surprised to break a tooth. So those things will be attended to, and then he'll visit us a little longer and then fly off to the wedding. On his return he'll fly up to see his son, daughter-in-law, and the little grandson he has never seen yet. I have received photos by email and the little guy is such a pretty and charming looking little fellow. I think he's about 2-1/2, which is a nice age, as you all know.
Well, that's some of the story about our trip and doings. I hope this isn't toolong. David has been getting over jet lag. It's still bothering him. In fact, I found myself rather tired for the past two days, but Ben seems to be fine.
With affection for you all,
Mary, writing from Canada
