Harvest Festival

Here are some shots from the Harvest festival today. Josie wore her Halloween costume. It was a lot of fun.

Vancouver

We have been in vancouver for the past 10 days. It was a great time. I must say, though, vacation with 2 small kids is mainly about trying to keep them entertained while not feeling like you could be doing this at home for much less money.

Canada, I must say, is so much more civilized than the states. I know, I do love to bash the good ol US, but its true. Neverminding the big picture things, like healthcare for all and free higher education for all native peoples etc. It was the little things that stood out, like how even in the big cities there were lots and lots of open, free and clean washrooms. The people are unbelievably cool, friendly and patient. It was a whole different vibe. A good example is when the train was late, very late, as in hours and hours, and nobody was losing it. Not a single person complained (actually, one lady was kvetching, but it turns out she was from the US). The train station staff busted out donuts and tea and coffee and turned on the tv, and everyone chilled... for 8 freaking hours. The vibe was contageous and it was impressive. Also, the grub on the train was complimentary as a result of the delay. Oh Canada.....

Edmonton was great, working class town with a wonderful system of parks and a killer river running through it. They miss Gretzky there, let me tell ya.

Vancouver is amazing. It rivals SF in beauty (and real estate prices) and whoops our asses in vibe. Even the bus drivers were cool, really cool. They were friendly, took their time explaining things, waited till we were seated before taking off, etc. The natural beauty is wonderful. The skyline is impressive, the parks are pristine. The public playgrounds and pools are wonderful. Lots of construction work. Where do I sign up for my Canadian work visa?

Anyhow, the latest on Josie is all good. She is so smart and feisty. She makes up a lot of songs these days. She still enjoys dancing. Her swin lessons are continuing. I cannot see much progress swim wise, but she loves it and has a lot of fun. She is a big girl at school now and has a couple boyfriends, both imaginary. She describes them as looking like circles. She loves her brother and is good to him more often than not.

Enjoy the photos and movies. I will post more on lazlo's site.