A day with the Coquitlam Bates whanau

 It was delightful to spend some time with the Coquitlam Bates whanau, hosted as we were by Terry and Pat in their lovely home. Pat's Mum, Lopes, is now 96, still pretty sprightly though the memory is not quite as sharp; Pat now cares for her full-time while Terry is still working.
Lillian and Eddie came round in the morning for a visit bringing with them their grandaughter Caitlyn - she was a bit shy but definitely lovely to meet the next generation of Coquitlam Bates's.  She is Simon & Jen's daughter & has a brother Trevor.  Quite the family gathering & catch up....... not nearly long enough but limited by our desire to make the most of fine weather for outdoor activities over on Vancouver Island.

Miss Molly posing. So cute!

Pat took us to Belcarra Regional Park where we checked out the fishers trying to catch crabs - a perfect day for hanging out on a wharf hoping to catch a feed for dinner. We then moseyed on through a bit of the forest where we saw signs warning that bears had been seen recently in the area.  Was quite pleased to get back in the car!!

 

Next she drove us up for a great view over Vancouver city from Burnaby Mountain Conservation area. In order to get there we went through the campus and UniverCity of Simon Fraser University - what a stunning place to live & study.
We loved the Japanese Sister City art works [Tancho Crane & Kamui Kintara (Playground of the Gods)] and garden at the top, and were impressed with the view over the city. Vancouver is huge!

           

We then returned to base (managed to take photos of some murals in PoCo) so Pat could prepare the evening repast. It was lovely to meet a friend and neighbour of Pat & Terry's over afternoon tea with the lovely neighbour dropping me off at Pat's hairdresser to get a tidy-up haircut. The hairdresser was lovely and cut my hair as I wanted so I felt a lot tidier with less hair sitting thickly on top. Pat, Caroline & Lopes picked me up and, after collecting a few supplies we headed home for dinner. 

  

It was a lovely evening of chat and singing, with Lillian and Eddie joining us for the delicious meal. The Jamaican Bates's once had their own band so music comes easily - a delight to be able to sing along to a few songs. Great to hear about Lillian and Eddie's holiday home at Harrison Hot Springs [Tourism Harrison] and the plans that they have for the Thanksgiving Weekend - a big event in Canadian homes. 

Pat, Terry with Molly, Me, Lillian and Ed

The next day we enjoyed another breakfast before Pat took us to the SkyTrain station where we caught the 1015am Expo Line to Waterfront where we connected onto Canada Line to Bridgeport - some great views of the city when above ground.  From there we caught the bus to Tsawwassen Ferry Terminal to catch the ferry to the island.

It was interesting watching out the window as we drove across the flat delta area - lots of vegetable growing on the rich delta soil but also a relatively new suburban & retail development (Tsawwassen Mills a First Nations development), which seems to be daft place considering the potential for earthquakes to cause significant liquefaction!! It does sound as if it is generating jobs & economic development for the tribe but I wonder whether that will continue considering how far it is from the city centre - this article & comment are enlightening.

Anyway, we arrived in Swartz Bay around 2.30pm where we were met by Caroline's cousins Janet & Bruce to begin our Vancouver Island adventures. Many, many thanks to the Bates whanau (families) for their hospitality - looking forward to one day hosting some of the Canadian clan in Christchurch. ALL FOLKS, BOTH FRIENDS AND FAMILY ARE WELCOME ANY TIME.