And the GBS Adventure Continues - Vancouver!

Back now to our regularly scheduled programming...

So after Di and I landed in Vancouver we took the scenic bus tour downtown from the airport and then the scenic luggage drag tour down the sidewalk from Canada Place to Waterfront Station...and we took the seabus across to North Van to introduce Di to our purty new apartment!

C met us...well...at the apartment...and we showed Di around for most of the early afternoon with a walk through the park and around down our usual walkin streets. It's quite the scenic little walk and it's become our workout walk, so it's quite fun. Then we took her for milkshakes and sandwiches at my favorite new little soda fountain place on Lonsdale and met up with our friend from Victoria, Steph! Yay!! Reunion time!!! It was such a glorious day too. Far from the snowy -20C weather we'd left behind in Winterpeg...the sun was shining and it was damn near balmy out. We strode down the beautiful hills of North Van in hoodies and vests and sunnies...and ran into our friends that live nearby, which was a pleasant surprise as Di wouldn't have gotten to meet them otherwise! Then almost got mowed down by the Elvidge Sisters as we walked back up the hill. Hehe. Kidding! But it was funny how we saw damn near everyone on our walk!

But after meeting with Steph we took a quick trip to C's Starbucks so D/S could visit there and it also happened to be right near the beach. Awww. So sweet! Di got to touch the ocean and sit and bask in the sun on the rocks for a few moments. Sigh. (Note: S has all the pics from the early part of the day as she was the only one who had a camera!) After frolicking on the beach for a bit we headed back to the apartment to freshen up and get ready for the show!

We took the seabus over again...



And met up with the Elvidges briefly before the show (what the HELL was up with the whole weekend and no matter what city, no matter where we were, we always got back to our seats RIGHT before the band hit the stage...???)

We said a quick hi to Glenn (hehe), found out seats and were just taking off our coats and seated nicely when the gorgeous intro of Sean's recorded voice singing the GBS song comes over the speakers and the lights go out. Pefect timing! Which really could've been the motto for the whole weekend. It may not have felt to be that true at first, but in the end...it most certainly was. Our seats for Vancouver totally kicked ass though as the 4 of us were together and the Sisters were on the other side right near the front. We had a walkway/access way right in front of us so there was TONS of dancing room. It was so great!





The Vancouver show was probably the best show of the four for me, though the Seattle show was a VERY close second or tie even. Seattle all around was the best, but the Vancouver SHOW was probabbly still the best. I love having dancing room but not having to worry about jackasses pushing from behind or drunken losers trying to work their way to the front. It was great. The band was awesome and Sean did a spectacular rendition of Feel it Turn...



And for an encore, they did something they didn't do in Winnipeg, which was totally and utterly brilliant. They did for all the West Coast shows and I was in pure awe every time. All five of them came back out onto the stage, right up as close to the edge of the front of the stage as possible. No instruments, no earpieces, no microphones. They asked the crowd to be quiet, which took damn hear half an hour, and as soon as they felt they had everyone's attention Alan broke out into Old Brown's Daughter. A song that we'd all wanted to hear sung live so very, very, very badly. Not only were they doing it live, they were doing it a capella. And it was stunningly beautiful. Alan's voice carried throughout the hushed crowd brilliantly and I've never been more completely in awe. In the brief quiet gaps when he'd pause for air, you could've heard a pin drop in the big theatre. Never have I heard a crowd so totally enveloped in a performance.



I got some better pics of the beautiful a capella versions of Old Brown's Daughter later on at the other shows, but that was the first time I'd heard it done that way and I won't ever forget it.

After the show we took off in search of something to eat at a little hole in the wall down the street and then checked out one of our favorite haunts, the Railway Club.





Of course our new mascot had to come along too...


Don't worry though...I don't like seafood.......


We love the Railway Club and we love how it always reveals something new to us every time. This time we sat in the back like we never had before and had tons of fun. Met up with some old friends and lovely musicians alike, had a few drinks, a few laughs, a few scares and called it a long and glorious night. Only to do it all again tomorrow...

The Latest Addition to the Smith-Knight Family...

Last time, dear readers, you met our lovely fish Foster. Well now I'd like to introduce you to the latest adorable member of the family...

Rosie!


Rosie is the awesomest hamster around. She was born December 31st, 2005 and she is a baby Black Bear Hamster. How FRIGGIN cute is she???


She has all the latest in hamster habitats...we've outfitted her with the kickass Safari Habitrail, complete with bunkhouse and cool exercise wheel. Not to mention a wicked little ducky water bottle. Auntie Katie set her up with some yummy gummy treats and Auntie Amy spoiled her with some wooden vegetables to knaw on. So far she likes neither. Haha.





She's all black except her feet are white/pink and she has a white little chin and stripe down her neck.


She's pretty cuddly already too, which is good as far as hamsters go! Christine is like Lenny over here though and keeps waking up the poor little dude while she's trying to sleep. Can't really blame her though when the little bugger is this cute!!


We also got her one of those balls to run around in and after about 10 minutes of trying it out in a few different directions she now motors around the apartment at lightning speed and bounces off the heat registers and the door to my room about a billion times a night. And we thought she'd be a QUIET option as a pet. Jebus.




I think our little household is complete for now. Foster is our new mascot and looks awesome with his little mohawk and Rosie is so soft and cuddly you can't help but make squeaky "oooh she's so cuuuuttteeeeee!!!" noises every time you see her. So much for not being allowed pets in our apartment!




Hopefully we never have to fix anything around here or we'll both have a fish or a hamster in our closet. I think it will be alright though, our new building manager isn't nearly as odd and intrusive as the old one...I think it's cleaner around here too. Yay!

And best yet...so far no one has complained about all the times our friends moon the security camera at the front door....SCORE!

I may post another photo post later, continuing on with the incredible story of the GBS Weekend O' Fun. Stay tuned!

Introducing.....Glenn. Um. And...Foster...

Lets take a moment on the story train here for a story of a different kind...

Monday Katie and I hung out with C, but then she had to go to a work meeting. So Katie and I decided we'd go to the pet store and get a little fishbowl for our fake glass fish that hang from wires. C and I thought it'd be cute...

While there Katie and I decided to look at the real fish (and puppies...sadly, they had no puppies...) and for some reason Katie decided I should get a real fish. The even bigger question is why I thought this was a great idea. Next thing I know we're buying fish food, water purifier and a little orange and black goldfish with a mustache. Yeah.





We were pretty excited about it though...except we hadn't actually BOUGHT a fish bowl whild at the Pet store. We figured they were all pretty small and/or ugly and we'd find a better one somewhere else. Well we got back to the apt and let the newly named, Glenn, hang out in his plastic bag while we went and found him a bowl. We found a $2 bowl at the dollar store...which was rather small but we were running out of options! SO we went home and got Glenn settled into his new habitat, which was, again, rather small. But it was to be just temporary as we planned on getting him a new, bigger, bowl...

C didn't know about the real fish, so it was all a big surprise when she got home. Yay! Here's our Glenn...awww...our first pet!





But sadly...the next day Glenn showed signs that his health was waning...though we didn't really figure that out til well, it was too late. I think the bowl was just too small and he wasn't getting the air circulation he needed. Poor little dude. We're sorry!! R.I.P Glenn!!!

We were pretty torn up about our first attempt at keeping another little being here alive going sour. But we really loved the idea of having a little fish or something in the apt...so we decided to get another one...

I didn't have the opportunity to go back to the pet store til Friday, and well, luckily Glenn came with a 30 day warranty...though in his case apparently a 10 or even 5 day warranty would've been plenty, haha. Oh Glenn...we hardly knew yee...

Enter, Foster.

When Katie and I were picking out a fish I saw one with black on his tail and fins and thought he was cool, then we saw another with even MORE black on his tail and fins and a little black mustache. Aka, Glenn. So when I went back to the store and they still had the little dude with less black on him that I had originally spotted first, I knew I had to get him. Even though he bares a striking resemblance to Glenn, it seemed only right. And now...our darling Foster...who, is now the child of over proctective parents. If he were our toddler, he'd be wearing a helmet. He's got a bigger fish tank, rocks, a plant and an air filter. Yay! And he seems to be liking his new digs...I think he's the coolest fish in town...










Foster the Fish......Welcome Home.