Actually now that the weather’s become considerably more seasonal

these sunny images

may as well be from another land though in truth the air was way

more polluted and hazier than appears here, leaving a sooty greasy residue about the house.

L spent several many days commuting back and forth to SF until Monday when, after a last voyage, we lured our friend Erin out from New Mexico in time for dinner and the walk

we hoped would familiarize her with the pups [and they with her]. Nonetheless we, quite early

Tuesday, didn’t exactly manage to sneak off to Oakland without alarming everybody.

It took some time for the puppies to adjust, though adjust they did, long after our long term

parking, airport,

airplane

to Seattle

[where lunch was not only unnecessary but terrible] and brief flight

into sunny Vancouver, B.C. were done.

Luz met us with not quite enough time to pick up Izel from Lord Nelson Elementary but time enough to meet up with him and his mom two blocks from home at the deli and Meat Market from whence came a lavishly meaty repast that night in the Hastings-Sunrise District,

Vancouver, BC.; a fortuitous location three blocks from school, two blocks from food.

Next day Granma Linden and I experimented with walking I. to school for the parental story-reading period then, story time ending at 9:15, walked back back to William Street where Luz

packed lunch and took us over the Second Narrows Bridge, through North Vancouver,

West Vancouver and ultimately Lighthouse Park for a walk down forested paths to the rocky

shore for a picnic on an uncommonly [we were told] clear day with views of Vancouver Island,

the Nanaimo Ferry

and University Hill to the south. We made it back to the car with time to spare only

to be foiled by a waste spill on Highway 1 creating unanticipated delays on the return. Fortunately Luz had an app for that in the form of an obliging fellow-parent to collect Izel,

who on his part was extremely disappointed when we showed up all too soon

and dragged him away from his friends to draw “comics” at home with Mikey and Linden, Linden’s being far and away the more successful at placating him.

Quite early [though it didn’t feel very early] that evening we threaded through traffic to rescue Christine from the rigors of Emily Carr and await sushi at Toshi, standard procedure in a town

where, we were told, most restaurants do not take reservations…well worth the wait, and though waiting with five year olds can be challenging, worth the wait…

More [way more] B.C. to come, um…