I compiled this from video clips I took on the second day of Pancake’s visit. Henry is a little better but still doesn’t like when the bunny hops straight at him.

P.S. You know how YouTube suggests similar videos to watch? You have to see these! Cute overload!!

• Momma cat adopts teeny tiny orphan bunny
• Cat giving a bunny a bath
• Bunny chasing his cat friend around the yard

This weekend was the 11th Annual Gibsons Landing Fibre Arts Festival from August 19-21. I don’t think I’d ever been to Gibsons before. The town is technically on the main mass of British Columbia, but is considered the Sunshine Coast. The quickest way to get to Gibsons is by ferry, and the crossing is only 40 minutes.

Chelle and I planned to get the noon ferry, but missed it by about 10-15 minutes. But that was okay, it gave us time to park the car, grab some coffee, get our tickets, and wander around a bit. We got the 1:35pm ferry and got into Langdale Ferry Terminal in good time and caught the bus to the high school where the merchant mall was.

Sunshine Coast — photo taken upon arrival at Langdale Ferry Terminal

The Gibsons Fibre Fest offered classes on Thursday and Friday, the merchant mall and juried exhibit was open all three days, and on the Saturday there were festivities in the Landing. Also, the term ‘fibre arts’ is very inclusive: knitting, crochet, spinning, weaving, dying, sewing, quilting… the festival has it all. We were going mainly for the merchant mall, and Chelle had quite the score. She got some Bombax Silk from Hummingbird Fibre Arts. I nearly fell down over all the Malabrigo at Unwind Knit & Fibre Lounge (Gibsons’ new local yarn store).

Hummingbird Fibre Arts

One of the Festival Directors taking a photo at Unwind Yarns' booth

Had there been other festivities on the Friday, I think we would have gone earlier to wander around… but you always forget travel time. I’m a bit young to remember The Beachcombers (TV show) but it’s what Gibsons Landing is famous for — Molly’s Reach and the Persephone are both in the Landing. We ended up catching the 5:30pm ferry home with a few of the other knitters and fibre artists we knew.

On the ferry home from Gibsons (from left to right: Shannon of Unwind Yarns, Siobhan, Petra, Viki, and Chelle. Faye is visible on the floor at Chelle's feet.)

So what did I buy you ask? I bought a lovely skein of 100% merino wool at Shannon’s booth, Unwind Yarns — Throwing Sheep Into Rainbows. I’m thinking it will become a shawl (similar to the one being photographed above). The second photo is very true to colour; the colourway is called Splotch. I also picked up some beads for earrings.

Unfortunately, the board of directors has announced that the 2011 Gibsons Landing Fibre Arts Festival is cancelled. Many assume it’s due to the arts funding cuts in the province, but there are several reasons which the board outlined in a press release. Hopefully some Gibsons residents will step up and resurrect the festival in a couple years. Even though this was my first year attending, I am hoping it will just be a small hiatus.

Henry’s not quite sure what to make of him. They sniff each other, they ignore each other, they frighten each other when the other moves suddenly… I’m going to be very amused for the next two weeks. The bunny’s name is Pancakes and he will be visiting for a couple weeks.

One of the best things about summer is all the local produce available. There are many local farmers markets operating throughout the Lower Mainland, and I occasionally stop by the Main Street market after work on Wednesdays. However, it is so awesome to have the Richmond Country Farms located in the same location, every day of the week, with set hours. It makes bringing home fresh, local produce so much easier. Don’t get me wrong, I still love the variety of local businesses at the Farmers Markets.

Richmond Country Farms

Nursery at Richmond Country Farms

Selection of Local Produce

Resident Ducks at Richmond Country Farms (look at those awesome colours!!)

View all my photos on my Flickr set: Richmond Country Farms.

Richmond Country Farms is located off Highway 99 in the Steveston area of Richmond (this side of the George Massey Tunnel). It is open from April to late December with a special Pumpkin Patch in October. Most of their produce is from their own acreage but they also seasonally source from other local BC farmers. They also have a nursery and sell turf by the roll (to golf courses no less!).

Last Friday my mom and I went for a bike ride on Deas Island Regional Park. Highway 99 decends in Delta on Deas Island and travels under the Fraser River to emerge in Richmond. Whenever I return to Vancouver, just before we go into the George Massey Tunnel, we pass over Deas Slough. Deas Slough always looks so picturesque, quiet, and beautiful despite the highway running right through it.

View of Deas Slough from Deas Island Regional Park

Deas Island Regional Park dock and boat launch

View of the Fraser River from Deas Island

Bicycling Deas Island Regional Park

Take a look at all my photos from the bike ride on Flickr.

The only downside to this beautiful day was that my car died inexplicably during the drive home (thankfully before we got to Highway 99 and the George Massey Tunnel).

Being towed home

A couple weeks ago, I picked up a bike rack for the trunk of my car and this week I had my handlebars raised on my bike. I also purchased a water bottle holder to attach to my bike and my dad fixed my kick stand. All of these tasks were in preparation for going on regular cycling trips.

I will admit that I am out of shape. I have asthma, I am overweight for my height/age, and I really want to be stronger. I am going to try to go for bike rides on Fridays. With the use of the bike rack, I’ll be able to check out new areas in the Lower Mainland as well as selecting trails that suit my fitness level.

I’ve been following SmuttySteff on Twitter and she’s been tweeting about her cycling achievements. It’s been very inspirational and the other day I emailed her for some cycling advice. Steff said I can share some of her advice here:

• I ALWAYS have a hard time breathing in the first 5-10 minutes of cycling. Even now. Not as hard as I used to, but there’s a marked difference in my ease of breathing after 30 minutes than when I first start. Why? The lungs just need to warm up. Give it time. Huff, puff and wheeze through it. You’re allowed to take a break here or there, but I recommend just shifting down as low as you can and peddling lighter till you catch your breath.
• [For cycling as transportation] It’s really hard for the first four weeks. It’s supposed to suck. It’s supposed to hurt. All you have to do is make some allowances for that, but you have to push harder & further than you THINK you can, because it’s totally a mind game. Do that, that’s where the accomplishment comes from.
• Get yourself a tripometer at MEC for $15-20 so you know how far you’re cycling and at what speed. Tracking progress feels great and is more black/white than numbers on a scale or measurements — when the others aren’t coming for you, knowing there’s progress in performance compensates fabulously.

Steff had tons more recommendations and I’d like to publicly thank her for emailing me back! Now, without further ado, my bike ride!

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Tuesday night I walked to the Vancouver Police Museum, which is a real hidden gem located in the former Coroner’s Courtroom. I had signed up to participate in their first-ever Forensics for Adults Workshops. Tuesday, March 16 was the first evening with Forensic Pathology, which was all about autopsies. Kim Werker has a great post up at the Vancouver Is Awesome blog about the forensic event. Not only did we get to hear, smell, and see what an autopsy was like, it took place in Vancouver’s former morgue. We got a chance to walk around the exhibits and had a personal tour from the museum’s curator, Chris Mathieson.

The Vancouver Police Museum has organized two more Forensics for Adults Workshops: tomorrow night is Blood Splatter and the following Tuesday will be Ballistics (Bullets). I loved learning creepy and gruesome things about my city’s history that I never knew (even growing up here) and would definitely recommend a visit even once the workshops are done.

Wednesday and Thursday were full of dental and doctor appointments. Let’s skip over that… I’ve got much more interesting things to talk about.

On Friday afternoon, I met up with Chelle for some sushi before going to see Handmade Nation. We arrived early at the Museum of Vancouver (MOV) and got a chance to look around the current exhibit, The Art of Craft. The Art of Craft is part of the Vancouver Cultural Olympiad and showcases handcrafted art from western Canada and Korea. The exhibit is on until April 11 and really is a gorgeous display of unique art. Our only complaint was that crafting is such a tactile activity, but the exhibit wasn’t meant to be touched (as is similar in other museums).

The main event at MOV was a screening of Handmade Nation. When Got Craft? did a couple showings in the summer, I was really bummed I missed it. When I heard that MOV was screening it on Friday, March 19th, I jumped at the chance! Overall it was a good documentary and I’m certainly glad I got to see it. Although, I initially thought it was going to focus more on the community of crafting, it was certainly interesting to explore the small business side of handmade goods. MOV had also arranged for several local craftspeople to have a Q&A afterwards: Kim Werker, crochet/knitter and author, Erin Boniferro, owner of CollageCollage, and Rob from GotCraft? Vancouver’s largest indie craft fair.

This weekend I celebrated my twenty-second birthday. I haven’t had a proper party in my new apartment (not that I’m much of a party-er) so I decided to rent a button-maker and have some friends over on the Saturday. Yes you read that right… we made buttons, and it was pretty awesome! I rented a button-maker and circle cutter from Blim Art & Craft Facility and bought button parts in bulk from Six Cent Press. I designed a bunch of buttons ahead of time but also made sure to have lots of funky paper and pens for anyone who wanted to draw button designs. We had a good time through the afternoon and it quieted down in the evening.

And last but not least, on Sunday (my actual birthday) we had a family dinner at my parents’ house with my uncles and cousins. It was a really nice night and I enjoyed sitting around and laughing with my cousins. Overall a very busy (but good) week and I am looking forward to something a little less hectic this week/weekend.

I know this post is a bit late, but a couple weekends ago the BookCrossers went on a daytrip to Granville Island during the Olympics. Our pretense was to deposit books… but I forgot to bring them. Instead, here are some highlights and photos from the trip. If you’d like to see all the photos, visit my Flickr set. Also, Marina got some fantastic photos too… I hope she doesn’t mine if I post a few here!

Marina snapped this shot of us sitting on The Bench art installation. I’m crouching in a swoopy-crevice that was oddly comfortable.

We met at the Olympic Village skytrain station where the city has borrowed a streetcar from Brussels. We rode the lovely, efficient, sleek, sexy Bombardier tram to Granville Island. The Bombardier “Olympic Line” had been running since February 1st and in just 30 days had over 300,000 riders! I wish we could keep it… but we have to return them to Brussels as they are far too expensive for Vancouver to keep.

We arrive at Granville Island and began wandering around. Here is the pond beside the Kids Market.

Wandering around the Public Market… to our left and behind were lines and lines of people waiting to get into Atlantic House.

Marina got interviewed by Slovak TV on who was going to be in the Gold Medal Hockey game.

Oh yea and we left books to roam…

Red and white admiring the Burrard Street Bridge.

Me basking in the Spring (February!!) sun

Marina snapped a shot of me scratching the Swiss mountain goat’s ears… and Dale is grabbing it by the horns.

Then we wandered around Place de la Francophonie (The French Quarter).

All in all it was a lovely day!

Here’s a video I took of the tram leaving Granville Island. Please excuse the shaky camera, I was reaching up a wall and under a fence to film this.

Chan recently lost a dear friend to breast cancer. Sissy and Gretchen, being the supportive furkids they are, initiated the Pink Parade to help raise awareness for breast cancer. Henry and I decided to help out… unfortunately he doesn’t like to dress up as much as Chan’s girls do! You can easily join in too! Visit Sissy and Gretchen’s post to learn about the initiative (you don’t have to use pets).

My first idea was Henry’s hot pink mouse… but he is not a very independent player. It took a few tosses to get this shot, and after the mouse fell he looked at me like “okay, now what?”

My next idea was my hair! I dyed my hair purple several months ago and then lightened it up over the holidays. Henry loves sitting on my shoulder like this and rubbing his head into me. He also likes to chew on my ponytail too. But I still didn’t think this quite conveyed what I wanted to.

So I subjected Henry to his least favourite activity: dress up. Mainly it just confuses him. He has never liked to be “under” or “within” things like blankets or covers or outfits.

Princess Henry

However, if you catch him asleep and unawares… you can do what you like! [This is an old photo] (In real life, his tiara is pink)

It’s hard to describe and/or summarize the chaos going on here. Everyone is wearing Canada gear and I can’t tell who is a tourist unless they’re wearing a different country’s gear. Here are some photos and links I like. For all my photos, view my Vancouver Olympics 2010 collection on Flickr.

Countdown to the Olympics — 8 Days to go (taken February 4, 2010)

Lantern Trees at LunarFest on Granville Street

Vancouver Biennale art installation “Cabeza Vainilla, Cabeza ordoba, Cabeza Chiapas” by Mexican artist Javier Marin

The Olympic Cauldron! ….. wait a minute….. what’s that fence?

Let’s try that again (with some zoom)…. The Olympic Flame!

Inside the Four Host First Nations Aboriginal Pavilion. Photo taken (with permission) during screening of “We Are Here”.

Inside Canada’s Northern Pavilion highlighting the Yukon Territories, Northwest Territories, and Nunavut.