Some Quality BC Time with Esparzas

The Esparza segment of the posterity (Leslie, Alex, Lola, Mila, and Yet-Unborn Baby Girl,) visited BC last week, and we spent some quality time in some beautiful places here in the Vancouver area, most of which was recorded in pictures.  I had a plan for an organized post that would thoroughly explain it all, so organized that I was not finding time to get it posted.  So, Debby took the bull by the horns and just posted all the photos from my phone, leaving the rhetoric to me. So, it may not be organized, but it will be complete - long (lots of photos,) but I'll try to keep the verbage to a minimum

On the first day, before Alex arrived (separate flight,) Mom and Grandma went for a pedicure, So Grandpa got to take the girls for a while.  We picked up A&W (big up here) burgers and poutine (Canadian french fries-with Mozerella cheeze and gravy,) and went to a park.  Here's  Mila begging for more poutine.

Lola just wanted to play in the gravel and on the toys, in what we thought was a park, but turned out to be the playground of a school, which soon let out for recess.  We were thronged by young Chinese kids who were very interested in these two little light-skinned girls.  So, I started taking pictures of them together, and it wasn't long before a teacher was right there, advising us in no uncertain terms, that we could not be there and I could not take photos.  So we had to leave, Grandpa feeling like some kind of perv.

Next day, after Papa Alex arrived, we boarded a ferry bound for Vancouver Island...

...and there, we took a little stroll through the Garden of Eden, aka Butchart Gardens...

Something about this place makes you want to push a stroller under a flowering arch.

Lola seems right at home here in Heaven

Even though this is almost as far away as they can get from their S. Florida home, and still be in the North American Mainland, they all acclimated well to Pacific air and time zone.

Mila, however, missed pretty much the whole garden, as she had better things to do.

If we are in Heaven, where does this stairway lead??

A single stock from the ground provides all this green stuff.  Wish it worked that way back in our arid Idaho desert home.

Looking across Victoria harbor at the Empress Hotel

Red double-decker tour buses - a little taste of London, here in British Columbia.

This is how you know it is not London - the Totem pole on the lawn of the provincial government building is from the Haida First Nation (Indian) tribe.  Even though it is on an Island, Victoria is the capital city of BC.

Back over on the mainland, you  can hop on this carriage and ride all over Stanley Park in Vancouver

Looking across the harbor from Stanley Park at part of the Vancouver skyline

Part of our walk through Stanley Park involved this little train game, so we wouldn't get lost in the woods (Lola's idea.)

Just putting dogs on notice that the Canadian geese militantly own this park.  They hardly get out of the way for humans, unless you have a shotgun in your hands.

Down on the beach, however, this dog had other things to chase.

Speaking of dogs, it's not all fun and games, and the park police are not kidding. $2,000! - mortgage the house, sell the kids.

Lawn Bowling anyone?  Sorry, members only.

The sun lovers of Vancouver.  Problem is, the water is anything but warm this far north.

Back at home, in the park across the street from our apartment, these girls love to swing.

Waiting to head back to the US, Mila, annoyed by the bustling traffic on the street,

gave them a piece of her mind.  Bye bye Esparzas.

  So, we've now had visits from VanderLouws and Esparzas, and we look forward to the Colin Croshaws in August, Delgadillos in September, Chipman's in November(?), the Matt Croshaw's whenever they can, and to friends in between.  Life is good. Our work is fulfilling and we are happy.