Dalton Dover kicked off the outdoor festivities, and Alli Walker led the way for Dylan Marlowe and Josh Ross on the mainstage.
We opened the month by walking from Dundarave to OEB Breakfast with Nazie Joon for Sizdah Be-dar / Easter Monday / April Fools' Day. Since Elahe had a meeting downtown, we savoured cake and coffee at Breka, strolled around Canada Place admiring a huge cruise ship, took selfies along the waterfront, watched float planes come and go, imagined life aboard a luxury yacht, walked up Denman in time to catch the sunset from English Bay, and then enjoyed dinner and beers at Babylon. The improving weather continued to make walks even more appealing. We were pleased to join Lisa Bewley in celebrating her daughter's engagement at a fun dinner party at Old Mill Boathouse at Rocky Point. It was great to see Vicki and Zebin after many years, and especially fun when Elahe became the DJ! We enjoyed a wonderful sunny afternoon in Port Moody. Joe and I ran into Joshua Lee, another former Cameron student. We attended the inaugural Coast City Country Festival at BC Place. The outdoor street party started with Austin Snell on the Robson Roundup stage. We then watched Carter Faith and Chayce Beckham perform on the BC Place mainstage. Next up was Nate Smith and Elle King. Walker Hayes had me dancing and Bailey Zimmerman had full support from the younger TikTok crowd. There was absolutely nothing country about Nickelback, so we didn't last four songs before heading for the exit, but the majority of those in attendance were drunkenly rocking out to their hearts desire. Day two of the festival was much better, as it contained far more country content, and featured Niko Moon! Dalton Dover kicked off the outdoor festivities, and Alli Walker led the way for Dylan Marlowe and Josh Ross on the mainstage. The rain could not dampen our enthusiasm for Niko Moon. Back inside, we watched Brett Young, followed by Dierks Bentley, who used the last fifteen minutes of his set to indulge his silly sense of humour and band members with "Hot Country Knights". Luke Bryan did an excellent job by keeping it simple and singing his hits. I made a few trips to Langley, having new brakes installed, visiting Mom, and going to Brogan's Diner for "breakfast" with Dad. We met Sheyma at La Foret in Burnaby. Mostly we enjoyed Elahe's cooking at home. We made a sunset ferry passage, travelling back to Cowichan Bay to discover lots of new growth, a lush green yard, and gorgeous views. We were pleased to host our neighbour friends, Stephanie, Phil, and Sophie, for dinner and a visit. Elahe provided a delicious meal and the Canucks came through with a dramatic comeback overtime victory. I am consistently spoiled with wonderful food. With the Warriors' elimination from NBA contention, my April sports viewing became all about the Canucks' playoff run. We watched a selection of tv shows, and I absolutely loved "Derek". We also saw some more movies. I even got back to doing a little reading.
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We hiked Old Baldy Mountain. The changing, inconsistent weather at least provided rainbows. We were happy to have drinks and brief visits with some of the neighbours and Elahe spread some love through her baking. While in Cowichan Bay, we made modified efforts to celebrate the coming Persian New Year with cake and a bastardized Haft-seen. We returned to the mainland in time for Chahārshanbe Suri, the Persian Fire Festival celebrated on the final Tuesday evening before Nowruz. I jumped all five fires TWICE just to make sure that the old year's negativity and misfortunes were cleansed and good luck and health were ushered in for the coming year. We watched another great Ambleside sunset, enjoyed kebabs with extended family, and danced in a crowd to live music. Each trip to see Mom seems more difficult than the previous one. We enjoyed Chinese food and puzzling with my family in Langley. Elahe had never observed Saint Patrick's Day before, so we celebrated all weekend with wonderful people. Some of my favourite people gathered for drinks at Carlos O'Bryan's Irish Pub at the Quay in New Westminster on Saturday night. The party continued at Dublin Crossing in Vancouver on the 17th. The entertainment featured Celtic dancing and live music, including the Cat Murphy Band. After Saint Patrick's Day, our focus returned to the Persian New Year. We attended the 1403 Nowruz Market at Lonsdale, planned and hosted by Termeh, the daughter of Elahe's friend, Narges Joon. We admired artistic renditions of the haft-seen, sampled Nowruz treats, soaked up the atmosphere, and met Persian police officers. Elahe takes pride and pleasure in her haft-seen, so I was happy to be able to contribute some unexpected blooms that provided Spring life. We welcomed Spring & rang in the Persian new year at Hessam's with great company, tasty treats, plenty of drinks, a huge meal, & joyful dance. It was fun to watch the Canucks with Joe (Lucas & Liz) at the Village Pub. The Alaska Cruise & Travel Show was very lame, but it did allow me to transform into a lumberjack, gave us an excuse to wander around downtown admiring the Spring blooms despite the rainy weather, and eat at Five Guys. It's always nice to get outdoors; we enjoyed walks in Cowichan Bay, downtown Vancouver, around Deer Lake, at the Quay in New West, along the Fraser Foreshore Urban Trail, and in Tsawwassen. We loved exploring Centennial Beach and the Boundary Bay area. We even returned for a second visit, checking out more real estate, and the Easter weekend market at Southlands, where I enjoyed sampling snacks, ciders, whiskeys, and mead. On Easter Sunday, we paid another visit to Langley Lodge. The sunshine allowed us to take Mom outside to the garden where she promptly fell asleep on my shoulder. Afterwards, we had Easter dinner at Dad's, did a fun finger puppet project with the girls, worked on a puzzle with Alison, and admired Annika's newly found hide-and-seek prowess and patience. Whether at home on the island or the mainland, out with friends, or celebrating with family, we continue to enjoy great food together. Amongst everything else, I managed to find time to watch a few games. We watched some television and I watched some podcasts. We watched six movies on Netflix. After finally surpassing my old score and posting what I consider an unbeatable result on Blockudoku, I wasted some more time playing another hexa merge game.
Elahe and I enjoyed many walks together in beautiful locations, often accompanied by gorgeous sunsets and scenic nature. On the 4th, Bashi generously spent the afternoon advising and guiding us through the completion of our first paintings together. Afterwards Mina joined us for pizza and they surprised me with belated birthday presents! We enjoyed a trip to downtown Vancouver, walking along the water, eating at "Five Guys", admiring the sunset, and window shopping. I met more of Elahe's friends at a fun (dance) party that happened to coincide with the lunar new year. I watched an entertaining, but disappointing, Super Bowl with my dad. Valentine's Day brought more thoughtful gifts, delicious baking, meaningful cards, time together, and "Persian Style" pizza at Crispy. Our Valentine's Day Ambleside SeaWalk sunset stroll did not disappoint! The following day was Maman Mina's birthday. On the 16th, we hiked the Baden Powell Trail to Quarry Rock overlooking North Vancouver's Deep Cove. On Saturday night, we celebrated Maman Mina's birthday some more with dinner and dancing at Saray Turkish Cuisine. Elahe stealthily captured some poignant photos of the sad reality of a Family Day "visit" with Mom. Fortunately, a quick visit with Shawn, Sydney, and Rob was much more refreshing (and Shawn confirmed there's nothing wrong with the car). We spent the afternoon of Family Day celebrating Annika's seventh birthday in advance since we knew we'd be back on Vancouver Island before the end of the month. Dad picked up Chinese food for lunch and Annika did a lot of painting with us. That evening we had another nice visit with Maman Mina. Annika was happy to have her big sister do her makeup for her. We spent the final week of February on the island. Elahe met more of the neighbours; we enjoyed the change of pace, and signs of the approaching Spring. Thanks to Elahe, we continue to eat well. After ringing in 2024 with champagne and balloons on the dance floor, we spent a quiet New Year's Day together, and then enjoyed what may become a new tradition - a belated 'Christmas' gift exchange. Elahe prepared a delicious meal and hosted as we exchanged gifts with her mom and sister. Every gift was thoughtful, generous, and well chosen. The birthday of a great friend is a good excuse to have a wonderful time together, so I was pleased that Karyn and Elahe were able to join me in celebrating Joe with a trip back to the '80's at the Lougheed Village Bar for the biggest "Back to the Future" fan I know. The Indiana Jones pinball game capped the evening off perfectly. Friday after work, Bashi picked up pizzas and brought them to share with us as we chatted and enjoyed a couple of beers. The following day, the three of us walked and checked out an open house at New West Quay. Even though it was only the 6th, Elahe surprised me with a "Happy Birthday" serenade along with a candle on some baclava after dinner at "Pasargad Restaurant" as we celebrated my birthday month with friends. That was followed by beer and pool at "Cat & Fiddle Pub". We attempted to visit Mom the next day, but were stopped at the entrance to Langley Lodge and informed that only one designated primary contact per resident was allowed to visit due to a Covid outbreak in the facility, so we had Dad deliver the chocolates we'd hoped to share. After braving the Langley Costco on a Sunday, we spent five hours at my Dad's visiting, playing games, painting, and enjoying a meal. The girls are growing up quickly, so I appreciate our time together. After hearing so many wonderful things about her, I got to meet Elahe's close friend, Nazie Joon, when she hosted us for a delicious dinner. There was just enough snow before we left for the island to remind us to take the forecast of more snow during the trip seriously. After a cold and windy ferry crossing, I was happy to have all-wheel-drive for the drive home, as the highway was covered in snow and ice much of the way and lanes were no longer visible or distinct. We made it safely to Park Place around 11:15pm, only to discover that the temperature inside the house was down to just 6.5 degrees! Elahe calmed my anxiety with reassurances and the distraction of new household items that she'd intended to surprise me with throughout the week. I discovered that despite the fact that the switch was not visibly 'flipped' out of place, power surges the week before had simply tripped the breaker. Even so, it took several hours for the house to reach a more desirable temperature, so I plugged in an electric blanket for Elahe, and we slept most of the night on two living room couches in front of the gas fireplace. Elahe's first visit to the historic Kinsol Trestle was my first time seeing it in the snow, and we very much enjoyed our walk in the sunshine. We made quick detours to see how the other half experience their high school years at Shawnigan Lake School and Brentwood College School. Knowing that more snow was on the way, we checked out Bright Angel Park while the trails were still clear. After four or five very cold days ("feels like -20"!?!), it warmed up enough for it to snow a lot, creating a beautiful wonderland outside the windows. Throughout it all, we kept warm, cozy, and happy with plenty of hearty meals, coffee, tea, baked goods, and drinks by the fireplace & candlelight. Elahe spoiled me for my birthday, showering me with gifts, food, attention, and her incredible love. Roast beef with Moroccan spices, Purdy's chocolates, panettone, & wine. In celebration of my birthday, we spent a three day / two night getaway exploring Salt Spring and Pender Islands while staying at Poets Cove Resort (featured in a separate blog post). We returned to Burnaby before Elahe's niece went home to California so that we could spend some quality time together. After a rainy walk along Ambleside's Seawalk, we warmed up with coffee & almond croissants at Crema, then had a spicy dinner at Indian Fusion. The following evening, Bashi treated us all to a wonderful dinner at Saray Turkish Cuisine. Afterwards, I was surprised with another birthday cake, complete with knife dancing by Bashi and Dorsa! While belatedly celebrating my birthday with Karyn, Avery, and Joe at Browns Social House on Wayne Gretzky's birthday, Elahe once again surprised me with a different delicious cake! Sports are always more fun with a friend... and when your team wins! On the 28th, I visited my Mom while she slept, then watched the 49ers' come from behind win in the NFC championship with my dad. After that, I was surprised with an ice cream cake, bringing my birthday month to six surprise cakes, and seven total desserts because of the initial baclava! I watched eight movies in January. We began a new series; I followed the NFL playoffs through a Kelce lens, and I turned Elahe on to another recent favourite.
Elahe and I caught a morning ferry to Salt Spring Island and checked out several locations around the island, including Ganges town (pictured above) and Fernwood Point Wharf (pictured below). We checked out Salt Spring Cheese, sampling their wares, and ended up enjoying delicious mango and chocolate goat milk gelato. The Salt Spring Brewing Company's tasting room was the perfect place to eat our packed lunch with a delicious flight of four beers. We took an afternoon ferry to Pender Island where we checked into Poets Cove Resort for a wonderful two night stay in an ocean view room. We had dinner at HUB at Hope Bay on my birthday. We very much enjoyed having the outdoor hot tub for our private use. We had a much more comprehensive look around Bedwell Harbour, and spent a leisurely morning enjoying the view with coffees on our patio. We had savoury crepes for lunch at Slow Coast Coffee. We spent time exploring the island's many sites: Gowland Point, Mortimer Spit, Hope Bay, and hiking Mount Norman. Before heading back to the resort, we decided to check out "downtown" and have double burgers at Copper Otter. We had the hot tub all to ourselves again on night number two. The highlight of our final day on Pender was the Oaks Bluff hike. We continued to explore Pender Island and hiked some other trails, including Mt. Menzie, before enjoying fish, chips, and beer with a view at the Port Browning Marina Pub in front of Hamilton Beach. Before heading to the ferry to the mainland, we decided to grab a quick coffee from Vanilla Leaf Cafe. We then unexpectedly met long time friends of my parents on the ferry, so I had a nice extended visit with Marg and Chris Brown.
New Westminster Quay is always a great place to walk. Elahe came to Cowichan Bay for the first time, and we ended up spending twelve days on the island. Her first evening in the village happened to coincide with "Ladies' Night", so we checked out the local shops and waterfront. I was very happy and grateful when the weather cooperated for us to visit Maple Bay Marina... ...and to hike Stoney Hill in glorious sunshine with spectacular views! Even though we knew we wouldn't be in Cowichan Bay on the 25th, we decorated the house and tree for Christmas. We walked almost every day while on the island, including trips to: Cees & Miep Hof Memorial Park... Cherry Point Beach... Cowichan Bay Estuary... and exploring Duncan's downtown. Before heading back to the mainland, we had a selfie photoshoot. No matter where we were, we ate well and enjoyed planning and preparing meals together. On the first official day of Winter, we enjoyed the festive lights of Burnaby Village Museum. In Persian culture, the Winter Solstice is celebrated as Yalda Night and it made for a great first visit to Mina Joon's for dinner. Bashi joined us to stroll around Lafarge Lake to admire the light displays. Afterwards, we enjoyed pizza and beer together. Visits with Mom are nothing like they used to be, but they are still filled with love and I am grateful that she still knows me and is happy to see me. She was particularly talkative during our December 24th visit. We spent Christmas Eve with family in Langley. We exchanged gifts and enjoyed a traditional turkey dinner. Later, Dad opened the present and shared the birthday cakes we brought in celebration of his 79th birthday. I was relieved and pleased that the girls liked the table top curling game that we'd given Dad as part of his Christmas gift. Elahe surprised me with several thoughtful gifts on Christmas morning. As we did on many other days in December, we enjoyed the use of her building's hot tub and pool. We spent much of Christmas Day with Elahe's extended family, as one of her cousins hosted dinner and a fun evening that included a "Secret Santa" gift exchange, dancing, and Pokemon. I was happy to meet many more of her welcoming relatives. We attended a party on the 29th and I met a few of Elahe's friends. Our plans for New Year's Eve were cancelled the day before as the friend who was set to host a party was sick with bronchitis. We ended up celebrating with a group of eight at Mojito's Pub in Surrey. Over the course of an entire busy month, I read absolutely no books, but I did still manage to see a few movies and two comedy specials. I was able to share two of the best shows in recent years with Elahe.
After an unorthodox first date on Halloween where Elahe met my father, sister, and nieces on the same day that we first saw each other in person, we continued our unusual courtship. On November 1st, Elahe and I met her sister, Bashi, at a cafe before the two of us went to dinner in Kits at Dark Table. This utterly unique dining experience provided us with romantic, hilarious, and memorable moments as we dined together in complete darkness, sometimes on "surprise" food items. Afterwards, we continued to visit late into the night at the 24 hour cafe, Breka.
The Fall foliage provided a wonderful backdrop for brunch and a walk. The BC Lions won the Western Semi-Final as Elahe watched her first ever (North American) football game and met two of my friends. On Sunday the 5th, I visited Mom and she even requested a "walk" to the garden! Afterwards, Dad took me and the girls to Brogan's Diner. I then visited with Alison and Johnny for awhile. That evening I attended the Thomas Anders (of Modern Talking) concert with Elahe and Bashi. Elahe and her sisters used to listen to illegal bootlegged cassettes of the German hits when they were in high school in Iran, so the music is nostalgic for them. After the concert we continued our evening at the Robson Street Breka cafe. On the evening of the 6th, we went to my friend Lisa Bewley's new art studio for a paint night date with a few surprises. First, Lisa did a short tarot card reading for each of us before leading us through our painting session. I selected "Shot in the Dark" Shiraz-Cabernet as a nod to our Dark Table date earlier in the week. The next morning... we took an Uber to YVR to fly to Morocco!!! I made several separate blog posts of our time in Morocco. We returned from holiday on the 19th, then attended the Canucks game along with Prince Harry and Megan Markle on the 20th. Elahe had never watched a hockey game, so I was pleased when the home team provided a win over the Sharks as captain Quinn Hughes and the Canucks continue their amazing start to the season. Despite being sick herself, Elahe took wonderful care of me and consistently prepared delicious meals and treats for us. Unfortunately, we returned from holiday feeling sick. Not only were we tired and ill, but we feared passing along our illness, so we stayed in and did nothing for several days until we began to recover and were confident that we were no longer contagious. Eventually we went for a walk around Deer Lake on the 24th and Bashi brought beer and pizza that evening for a much overdue visit and trip recap. The next night, Elahe joined Bashi and their mom for a birthday party for a family friend, while I once again enjoyed beer and pizza while watching the Canucks with Joe.
Being away on vacation, sick, and away from home, I watched far fewer films than usual this November.
Our first stop on the Marrakesh city tour was the Koutoubia Minaret. I feigned extreme sensitivity to the scents in order to be excused from the argan, spices, and fragrances sales pitch the group was taken to. While Elahe and the others purchased quality products, I explored the local shops, visited with some locals, and then enjoyed espresso with guides. I was more interested in the photo opportunities provided by the architecture of the Bahia Palace. In Arabic, the palace's name means "brilliance", and the palace was intended to capture the essence of Islamic and Moroccan style. The palace is famous for its decoration, with stucco walls carved with Arabic inscriptions, geometric patterns, arabesques, and muqarnas. Its floors are paved with marble and zellij tiles. Perhaps the most renowned element is the cedar-wood ceilings painted with colourful floral patterns, along with the carved and painted wooden canopies of major doorways. The tour ended in the city's largest and most famous square. By the time we made it to the pool, the sun had long passed its zenith and the hotel towers were blocking its warmth from the unheated water so my 'swim' was very quick. At dinner, we discovered that several other tour members also intended to walk to Jemaa el-Fnaa Square to experience its nighttime transformation, so we walked there as a group. We had few plans for our final "free" day in Marrakesh, so we happily accepted fellow traveler Chris's invitation to join him on a walk to a park. Along the way, we managed to stumble into a private tour of the opera house despite it being closed for major reconstruction and renovation. We enjoyed the company along the way, but after a hot walk in the sunshine, the "gardens" were a disappointment. We were happy to take a cab back to the hotel for a relaxing poolside afternoon with coffee, treats, and quick dips. Our last night in Morocco was perfect. We went for a stroll and found many kids playing with soccer balls in an upscale mall square. I was able to consolidate them into one big game that included me, and to allow more girls and younger boys to also be included. I played for 90 minutes and was rewarded by seeing the extreme joy on the youngest boy's face when I set him up to score two goals. Each time he sprinted into the cafe to report his success to his mother. We watched the sun rise through the bus windows during our transfer from our Marrakesh hotel to the Casablanca airport for our flight to Frankfurt. After Air Canada cancelled our return flight to Vancouver, we were left with a 16 our layover, so Exoticca provided us with a voucher for a nice hotel near the airport where we relished the welcome treats upon check-in and the quality breakfast buffet complete with mimosas.
We began the day's tour with views of the Kasbah of Ouarzazate. Next was a visit to the Kasbah of Taourit, the former residence of Pache Glaoui, the Lord of the Atlas Region. This area, especially the Kasbah of Ben Haddou, has become known as the "Hollywood of Morocco", so we visited a site that houses many famous sets from dozens of big-time movies. There are several movie thrones here. By far my favourite movie filmed here is "Gladiator" and I enjoyed seeing the cells, sets, props, costumes, and equipment left behind. I recognized things from "The Jewel of the Nile", "The Mummy", and "Indiana Jones & the Last Crusade". There have also been several Biblical movies filmed here. The main event of the day was the Kasbah of Ben Haddou. We were led on a walk through the UNESCO World Heritage Site. After another delicious tagine lunch, the drive to Marrakesh took us over the highest pass in the Atlas Mountains, and required another coffee.
It was a long drive through the Middle Atlas Mountains on the 13th, with stops for coffee and lunch along the way. Elahe and I shared a delicious chicken bastilla (a seasoned shredded chicken pie topped with powdered sugar and cinnamon). In Erfoud, some of the group opted for an overnight desert excursion, while others stayed to enjoy drinks and the sunset poolside with us. The following morning we had a stop at a factory and shop that transforms fossils (from when the Sahara Desert was the floor of a great ocean) into art, furniture, and souvenirs. Our next stop was to learn a little about the traditional Berber life and the many wells that dot the desert. It was the second consecutive long travel day, so rest stops for a tagine lunch (with entertainment) and a coffee with ice cream were appreciated. More than ever, today was about the journey, rather than the end destination, as most of the scenic sights were along the way, including the lush oasis of the Dades Valley. Getting a decent photo of one of the ruined kasbahs we passed in the Dades Valley area proved elusive, so I simply 'borrowed' one from the Exoticca website. The switchbacks through the Dades Gorge were an experience unto themselves, as the drive also included driving through the eastern High Atlas Mountains and the Gorges of Todgha. In two days, we covered nearly 800 kilometres. It was well passed sunset by the time we reached our hotel in Ouarzazate for dinner and a much needed good night's sleep.
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