Beer School

Just home from the 1650 at the State Meet, and despite FXK thinking that Beer School last night might affect my performance, I swam a decent 20:03. Not too bad.

I'm still going to scratch my events for the rest of the weekend. Lots of stuff to get accomplished here, and I really need the time at home this weekend. Truly. Dominic, don't roll your eyes!

But back to Beer School...

FXK sent out the invitation a while back, and when I saw that it was featuring Unibroue beers, I jumped at the chance. I am not a beer person, I will be honest. I drink beer sometimes, but I have a limited palate and a limited vocbaulary and a limited appreciation. But Unibroue is from the homeland, and close to home in that I enjoyed some of the labels when I lived in Montreal.

Fun night at the Globe Pub. Francis and Kim were both there (and old hands at the way the School works), along with CG, CG's friend and colleague Morgan, and Warren, a friend and colleague from our library.

We tasted 8 beers in all. First up was a favourite of mine: Blanche de Chambly. I also liked the apple-scented Ephemère, a bottle of which is in my fridge from a past shopping trip. La Fin du Monde and Maudite were both fine, though I might not order them myself. The Don de Dieu was likeable, but less so. I was not wild about the dark beers, the Noire de Chambly and the Terrible. I can't for the life of me recall the eighth beer either. Hmmm.

Anyway, I kind of felt how Conrad feels sometimes about wine: I didn't know how to talk about what I was tasting. I couched things in terms for wine or food, and so the Noire de Chambly came across to me like coffee and prunes. Valid reactions, but frustrating for not soundng like the people there who knew their beer.

But it was fun, really.





I didn't find a new favourite, but I was glad to get out, have a load of laughs, and hear some new things about some beverages I knew somewhat already. When I got home, I wasn't hungry, but I craved some salt. See, poutine has an important purpose in life!

Of course, it's wine I'm drinking right now, a South African Steen.

:-)

Vancouver (and New Westminster): day and night

Some final shots from last weekend's trip to BC. We stayed at the Terminal City Tower Hotel. My raging cold kept me from really taking advantage of the health club amenities, but it was a good stay nonetheless. After all, it's a lovely city - rain or shine, day or night.

So...

...views from our hotel room of Hastings Street and of the water...

...and of Hastings Street at night.

We were out in the suburb of New Westminster on consecutive days. On the first of these, we snapped a couple of shots of bridges east of downtown:

We're assuming that this is a set of Chihuly pieces gracing the plaza of a residential highrise just north of Robson Street. Gorgeous, to say the least!

3 Vancouver meals

Three recent dinners in Vancouver. How funny it is in retrospect that I ordered halibut each time. Prepared differently in each case, of course, but it leaves no doubt as to what one of my favourite fish is!

First up, Cassis Bistro. We dined there in January with Mum and Roy, and Conrad and I had wanted to go back. Halibut for each of us with a side of glazed veggies (beans and zucchini) to share. Tasty food once again. We'll happily go back.




After the Easter brunch visit to the family, Conrad and I nejoyed dinner with my sister at O'Doul's at the Listel Hotel on Robson. A rainy night out, and my cold was in full swing. That meant I didn't really partake in the wine the other two were enjoying and discussing at length with the waiter. O'Doul's does have a terrific wine list - a lot of BC wines on it - and the private dining room's display was a delight to browse.


I had the halibut.


Marie had a ravioli dish with roasted vegetables.


Conrad went for salmon, not unexpectedly!


The next evening the three of us had an early dinner at Il Nido. I was a little more hungry than the evening before, so I shared in the squid and the spinach salad
with the other two.


Marie's pork was the prettiest of the entrees.


I can't recall what Conrad had, and it didn't photograph well. The beans with the halibut were a touch al dente for my liking, but otherwise the fish was once again a terrific choice.

"Sunshine" Coast

My Grandma kept a weekend home on the Sunshine Coast. We loved visiting there when we were young. The beachfront was rocky, but when the tide was high, we could swim from the decrepit old dock over which a tree full of apples hung. Blackberry brambles grew in profusion in the area, and staining our mouths and tongues purple with the fat berries was an important summer duty. Trolling for rock cod offshore was another fun activity, and once we even went over to Skeleton Island (you know, I don't know if that's what we called it or if that's its real name) and dug for clams. It wasn't fancy, but it was a great part of our summer experience.

By the time Grandma died in 1992, she had sold her house in Vancouver and relocated to the summer home permanently. Dad inherited the house from her, and after a number of years of mixed experiences juggling an array of tenants with vacation use, he retired there in 2005. It then took a whole lot of renovation and landscaping, but it seems that Grandma's old summer home is now a nice home for Dad, Bella, and the boys.

Conrad and I hadn't been up to Pender Harbour since 2005, so on Easter Sunday the two of us (along with Marie) caught the ferry up to the Sunshine Coast. We were planning on brunching with the family, seeing the house, and returning to Vancouver in time for a late dinner. And that's exactly what we did.

The Sunshine Coast is sometimes an accurate name for what was once a bucolic stretch of summer homes and retirees, fishing boats and rocky shores shaded by arbutus trees. Last Sunday, though, the name was anything but accurate. We left Horseshoe Bay under entirely grey skies.




No, not entirely. Off in the distance, toward Vancouver Island, there was a good-sized clearing in the clouds. Could it extend over to brighten up our day?

No. The rain held off, at least until our return to Vancouver, but no, the day remained cloudy. We dawdled up the coast, stopping for an extended coffee break at Wheatberries in Sechelt. Over a snack or two from the bakery, we showed Marie photos from New Zealand.

We met the family at a resort not too far from their home. Conrad, Marie, and I were a little early, so we wandered the grounds a bit and took photos.




The sea anemones caught my eye. Marie took lots of photos of the peeling bark on the arbutus limbs and trunks.


After brunch it was time to see the house and surrounding landscaping. It looked good.
Dad showed us around while Mark, one of his friends, and Nigel hopped in the boat to go fishing for a spell. That didn't last long; even so, we had to start the drive back down to catch the ferry from Langdale. Some family photos - Carlos and Nigel didn't bother taking part - and we were on our way back south again.