MELT

All photos taken on January 24, 2024.

The morning was heating up, once the skies cleared and the sun popped out. Our choice to come one day before the weather got too warm, was likely the right one. We rolled up into Amisk Wuche parking lot. We checked to the left, we checked to the right. Yup! No bison in sight.

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You Can Dress Me UP and You Can Take Me Out!

Photos taken during November and December 2023.

Its the old Benjinator here with a few helpful hints to help old dogs meet new friends. I must admit, I was a bit of a mess when Where’s Allan (WA) and Where’s Patty (WP) arrived. I had been to the spa and then spent a month with my other fur grans, but I was in need of a good grooming.

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Deviation

All photos taken on December 12, 2023.

Feeling bad about taking up the morning with chores and our visit to Granville Island, while Benji was penned at home, we opted for an after coffee hike at Pacific Spirit Regional Park. Another grey afternoon, but a quick walk in the forest should lift all our moods.

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Sorry, Got a Fry

All photos taken on December 12, 2023.

Our morning was busy shopping for the kids and dropping off our purchases. As we were going about these duties, we soon realized our time here was getting short and we would need to do our best to fit in some lase minute stops.

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Extending the Bike Season

All photos taken on December 11, 2023.

OK, so December 11, 2023 was officially the latest in the season we had ever ridden our own E-bikes. It mattered not that we were in Vancouver or that we would likely extend the latest date on future rides before we headed home. We were thrilled how comfortable we felt and after Stanley Park, opted to keep on cycling.

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Biking the Sea Wall

All photos taken on December 11, 2023.

As I mentioned in a previous post, it took me 28 days from our Vancouver arrival date, before I unloaded the E-bikes from the car. It then took us another 4 days, before we actually used them.

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Time to Get Going!

All photos taken on April 13, 2024.

As most of my posts are time shifted, I thought I would interject a couple of more timely posts. At long last, we found the time to break out our trusty E-bikes and go for a spin around the town. The last time they had been ridden in earnest was December 16, 2023 during my father/son bike ride in Vancouver. They got extremely dirty during that process and I just packed them up in the car to get them home. Once there, I stuck them in the shed, realizing I would need to give them a good cleaning…some day. That happened about a week ago.

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Rough Road

All photos taken on February 1, 2024.

Another week, another walk. Again, we chose what we thought would be the perfect day, sunshine, low winds and a temperature that would start around 0C when we started our walk and be up to +4C by the end. What we did not plan for was the rumply, bumply frozen trail surface, due to the previous days at +13C and +8C.

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Making the Rounds

Photos taken during November and December 2023.

Heya, Benji here! with all the comings and goings lately, there has only one constant throughout…my doggie bed or as you call it Benji’s Donut. Speaking of donuts, nah better not go down that rabbit hole. You think I’d be happy with the same old, same old, but from time to time, I gotta mix things up. Sometimes, I’ll turn in circles before I settle, others, I will try to dig my way to comfort and still others, I’ll just plop down. Its not easy being me.

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Sealing the Deal

All photos taken on December 11, 2023.

As we stood enjoying the Coal Harbour views, we spotted some anomalies along the water’s surface. We could see movement and soon found out that seals were at play.

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A Bit of This, A Bit of That

All photos taken on December 11, 2023.

With visits to the kids place off the table for now, we set about planning our day a bit differently. We did a bit of packing and a few other chores, before setting off with Benji to walk to the Stanley Park Tea House, Sea Wall, 2^nd Beach, Peaked Pies and then home.

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Sorry We Mist You!

All photos taken on December 10, 2023.

Another day of rain, fog and mist. Umbrellas were up, umbrellas were down. Puddles and splashes everywhere. We stayed inside for most of the morning except for a bit of shopping.

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Saturated

All photos taken on December 9, 2023.

The winter season in Vancouver is mostly grey and rainy. Oh, there are a few sunny days, but when the sun shines here in winter, it typically gets cold. Today, the light rain never stopped once dog training was over.

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Time to Get Growing

All photos taken on April 13, 2024.

As most of my posts are time shifted, I thought I would interject a couple of more timely posts. This one deals with the current state of my yard (or garden if you are from Europe). Yes, folks, at long last, our part of the world has come out of winter slumber. Now, we are in a current state of windy days, whether they be dry or wet.

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Obstacles!

All photos taken on January 24, 2023.

After our stop for bison viewing, we drove on toward Beaver Pond Loop for the first of two winter walks. We chose this day, as temperatures were supposed to climb above freezing later in the week. We did not wish to encounter wet or slippery conditions. Little did we know the road block we would face near the end.

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Recalling My Past

Photos taken in November 11, 12 and 15, 2023.

Benji here. From time to time, I like to reminisce about the good old days. So many good memories from being with my fur grans, but, this one brings a little tear to my eye.

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Commercial Drive

All photos taken on December 9, 2023.

Another Saturday morning, another Benji the Wonder Dog training session. This time, it was off to Moja Coffee on Commercial Dive. Below is a map showing our 10.9 km (6 3/4 mile) driving route there and back.

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Duty Calls

All photos taken on December 8, 2023.

Today was a busy day of helping the kids. I walked over first, with Benji, while Pat stayed home to take care of some chores. Pat would join later and we were able to help out a fair bit with chores and shopping.

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Granville Island – After Dark

All photos taken on December 6, 2023.

Like most parts of Canada in December, sunrise and sunset occurred here, during our waking hours (just after 8 AM and around 4:30 PM), so there was never any difficulty being out in the city, during hours of twilight and darkness. Combine this with twice weekly training sessions for Benji, the Wonder Dog and my evening photo ops were plentiful.

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Benji, Go Car Car.

Photos taken during November and December 2023.

Benji here again, dear readers. Until my FurGrans came back, I had forgotten all about the words, Benji, Go Car Car. For the first couple of weeks, the offer was never made, but then one day, the memories all came flooding back.

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Where Buffalo Roam

All photos taken on January 24, 2024.

We recently went through a period of extreme cold, with temperatures as low as -47C/52 1/2 below F (not including windchill). While we managed a few short walks around the neighbourhood, we had no desire to go for long walks or pause for photos.

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The Blue & White Collection

All photos taken on January 5th, 2024, during our walk at Bunchberry Meadows.

These ancillary photos from our hike deserved their own gallery space, so without further ado, I will attempt to assign art gallery titles to them:

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Rain Forest Remnants

All photos taken on December 6, 2023.

It was strange being in a temperate rain forest, as it transitioned from autumn to winter. It seemed that every surface was either covered in green moss or surrounded by patches of green grass and green ferns.

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Dampened Spirits

All photos taken on December 6, 2023. 

Given all the appointments and errands we had been running by car, it did not take much time for Patty to twist my arm for another trip to Pacific Spirit Regional Park on the UBC peninsula.

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Mission Impossible – Car Seat!

All photos taken on December 5, 2023.

We woke up to a new task challenge this morning. Your mission, Parental Unit, should you decide to accept it, is to find and acquire a car seat, compatible with the stroller we recently purchased.

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Eagle Eye

All photos taken on December , 3, 2023, near the Stanley Park Teahouse.

Every time we walked this way, we kept hoping that the resident bald eagles would make an appearance. Well, it seems today was our lucky day. We heard the shrill cries from above and I managed one distant flight shot, before losing them in the trees. But, eagle eye Patty was with me and she soon spotted where they had landed.

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On a Day Like Today

All photos taken on December 3, 2023.

We were on our own with Benji today and did our best to enjoy the sunny breaks between the shopwers. Our route today would take us past Lost Lagoon, through Stanley Park and up beside the Stanley Park Teahouse. Below is the route map for this 6.5 km (4 mile) hike.

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