The Cold & the Beautiful

Hi All

Just a few pics from this morning's coffee walk before work...sunny and 1 degree celcius!

Love

G

English Bay

English Bay Seawall

[The temperature rating is just for shock and awe value to Australian readers...Canadians can ignore this pic]

The Seawall Reopens

Hi All

Late last year part of 'The Seawall' was closed after a big storm. This weekend is reopened with little fanfare but much joy in the hearts of Vancouverites.

G

Migratory Ducks

Early Morning

Siwash Rock

Ship Entering Burrard Inlet

Back in The Hill Country

It was yet another holiday in Sri Lanka (Diwali this time), so I took the opportunity, along with two friends, to travel through the hill country by train. It was an 11 hour journey which began in Colombo and ended in a small town called Ella (which sits at the edge of the southern range of the mountains). As a train fanatic, I enjoyed every minute of the trip...it also brought back memories of when Geoff and I did the same trip 9 years earlier! T

View over Ella (toward the south coast)

Tony getting on board
Tony waiting for our ride back to Colombo
Henrik (from our room's balcony)
Winding through the hill country at 2000 metres
A stop in a hill town

A Friend's Death

We make and break plans to meet with friends and family all of the time, citing work obligations, and other commitments; and then the unexpected happens...

"A Macedonian volunteer attached to the United Nations Volunteers (UNV) team died early morning yesterday (Nov. 4) when the motorcycle he was riding had collided with an Army vehicle in the Cinnamon Gardens police area, police said.

Police said that Mr. Roman Mirceski (36) died on the spot after being involved in a head-on collusion with the military vehicle. Police have taken into custody the driver of the military vehicle and he was to be produced before the magistrate yesterday. The United Nations Development Programme said that the victim had been supporting the VOICE Project as an ICT4D Specialist".

I only knew Roman for a few months, and with both our busy lives, we never met up as often as we should have. Thanks Roman, for reminding us to prioritize friends, to enjoy the most casual get togethers, and to not take our mortality for granted.