Powell River
We recently had the chance to visit my Grandparents. They live up in Powell River, BC, Canada. It is quite a trip. It is about 7 hours total including riding on two ferries. Our family has it down to a bit of a science now though. The first ferry departed at 7:30 am from Horseshoe Bay which is slightly north of Vancouver, BC. We left home around 5:00 am knowing that we would have to wait a bit to get on the ferry, but you want to get far enough ahead in line so that you do not miss that ferry and have to wait for the next one. It can be a bit difficult to entertain a 2-year-old in the car while you wait so between taking them outside to walk and sprinkling in a bit of TV you make it to the end when you get on the ferry.
The ferry food is not bad. This time Liliya and I ordered a bit too much on the first ferry. My fault mostly. I ordered a full meal plus some stuff on the side for Hannah and Liliya. We had waited in the car a bit before going up so by the time we got through the line and got our food it was basically time to get back in the car. We were traveling with my mom and she was a big help with the kids.
After the first ferry you land on Gibson’s Landing and drive along the coast and pass through the city of Sechelt. It is a beautiful drive especially if you appreciate nature. There are a couple of lakes that are as smooth as glass. Very serene and peaceful. Liliya and I plan to stop by one of these days to take photos. You have to plan ahead for that though because the ferry schedule works in such a way that you do not have much time to stop if you want to make it to the next ferry.
So, we continue along, Liliya cramped in the backseat between two car seats. Trying to keep one child calm and the other entertained. The girls were very easy considering the circumstances. They slept a lot and just overall behaved admirably. We arrived at Earl’s Cove and waited for the second ferry. It is much smaller. During this stop Liliya desperately needed to pump. My mom took Hannah off our hands so I could help Liliya with Naomi to accomplish this. Hannah loved walking around, talking up a storm, about this dog and that thing and the other. She is quite adorable.
Eventually the ferry arrived, and we proceeded to our next stop. Liliya and I stayed in the car and my mom took Hannah upstairs. She came back and talked about their experience. She and Hannah were not able to find a play area, so they went to the store. Hannah played with the stuffed animals, putting them into the toy ferries and back and forth for about 40 minutes. At the end my Mom told her to put the toys away which she did without complaint. My Mom was so impressed that even though Hannah clearly did not expect her too, my Mom offered to buy her a toy. She let Hannah choose but Hannah chose the one she thought she would. She got a stuffed animal dog. This is good because it will help us coach Hannah on how to behave with dogs. She is still a little rougher than we would like her to be.
We arrived at Saltery Bay and proceeded along the Sunshine Coast until we arrived at Powell River. My Grandparents were waiting for us at the door as always. My Grandma always has an elaborate meal prepared for us. We sat down to eat and caught up with them. Unfortunately, my Grandma was under the weather. Naomi already had a cold, but we had to ask her to avoid kissing the kids to try to keep them from getting ill as well. She managed to avoid this for the most part.
The first day Liliya and I took a nap. My nap went a little long. I pretty much woke up for dinner that evening. We enjoyed another elaborate meal prepared by my Grandma followed by an unhealthy amount of dessert. We spent the evening talking for the most part and all went to bed. While I was napping Liliya took my mom and the girls to Walmart for some basic baby shopping. She struggled to find out the difference between the loonie and toonie. That is Canadian currency. Hannah had some fun riding one of those little cars at the mall there as well.
The following morning, we gathered together for breakfast. After we were done my Grandma did her typical routine, she gathers all the dishes from the table by herself, does all the dishes by herself, and goes around asking everyone if they want coffee desert, etc. If we ask her if we can help or offer to, she declines. After we had been hanging out for a while my Grandpa and I went outside. He needed some help moving sand from his brick patio to the side of his greenhouse. I had to set a wheelbarrow up on his raised garden about 3 to 4 ft above the level of the patio. I would estimate I filled and emptied the wheelbarrow 15 to 20 times. I think he said it was 3 or 4 yards of sand that he had overordered. My foot was experiencing some discomfort but I wanted to do this for him so I pushed through that to get it down. I also watched as he finished up redoing his fence. It is quite beautiful. He had found some rot and was going to do a partial replacement but his neighbor offered to split it in half and do the whole thing.
Liliya and I were blessed with the opportunity to let my mom and grandparents take care of the kids. We took time to go on a date to a fancy place called Shinglemill. It is set at a dock overlooking a beautiful lake and hills. We enjoyed having the chance to sit down and talk. Later we went to Tim Horton’s which to my understanding is a big chain in Canada. We brought Hannah and Naomi. Liliya got some Timbits and had Hannah pose with them. It was adorable. After Tim Horton’s we went to the park and went for a walk. The play area with all the toys was closed for some construction and maintenance which was a little disappointing, but we went down to the water and Hannah played in the sand. We took some photos of the girls.
I noticed a woman in a robe walking down towards the water. I guessed she was either planning to go for a swim or may not be in her right mind. I suppose those things could have been both been true. We watched as she did indeed get into that very cold water and go for a short swim. We thought it was intriguing. Liliya walked down toward the water with Hannah and engaged this woman in conversation. This reminded me of one of the various reasons I love her. In today’s day and age, it is incredibly unusual, especially for the younger generation like us, to engage a stranger unnecessarily in conversation. Liliya and I were in Network Marketing for a couple of years and got out of our shells and bubbles and aren’t afraid to talk to people. People are fascinating and can create some wonderful memories if you step out and talk to them. She found out that the woman was doing it for health reasons. According to this woman going into the cold water helps to activate the parasympathetic nerve system and helps your immune system. I have heard similar things that a man named Wim Hof does with extreme temperature therapy kind of stuff.
We left the park after Liliya was able to feed Naomi. I got stuck in the cold with Hannah at a small set of stairs. She went up and down and up and down. It was amazing how long that held her attention. I eventually took Hannah to the car and we went back and hung out with my Grandparents. My mom was working through a bunch of old family photos she had never seen and was sending them out to her brothers.
That evening we went to a local event that Liliya had found on some Powell River Facebook groups. It was a charity event and they were raising money through some food trucks and a wonderful train ride. The tracks were quite complex for such a small event. There were a fairly significant number of people there. My Grandpa was incredibly surprised that this was going on so close to his home and that he was not aware of it. I mentioned to Liliya that this was a good example of how technology can be quite powerful to connect us closer to those in our local community. I think we should strive as a society to be more in touch with the people closest to us. We had fun at the event, but we did not stay long. After the train ride was over, we went back and had a late dinner. We packed up and went to bed.
The following morning, we got up and ate an early breakfast. I went back and forth loading up the car while Liliya got the girls ready. I think it was the perfect amount of time to spend with them. The first ferry on the ride back is not very full typically so we were not concerned about getting far ahead in line. We did not have to wait long. I got out of the car and took Hannah to the same place to play as my mom did. She spent her time placing the stuffed animals into the ferry and taking them back out and looking at them. I read the titles of some books on the shelf there and kept an eye on her.
We got back into the car and drove straight to the next ferry. We knew we would make it on because we were in the front section of the line at the next one. I took Hannah out of the car while Liliya dealt with Naomi who was getting a little fussy. We walked along a small area of grass and met a nice young woman named Lindsey and her dog Suzie. Suzie was a beagle and was very fond of Hannah. The feeling was mutual as I am sure you can imagine. We spoke briefly and I took Hannah further up towards a little coffee shop. I ended up going in and getting her a cookie. It was a Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip cookie. I took he back to the car and she started going to town.
We got on the ferry and went upstairs immediately. As you might remember from the journey down, we did not get much time to eat and we had learned our lesson. This time we ordered food more appropriately. A couple of bagels and a side of potatoes. While we were eating a scruffy looking man and his child sat down next to us. The child kept scooting close to Hannah which was making me a little uncomfortable. The father was not paying attention and was focused on a TV facing away. Afterword my mom told me she had wanted me to take Hannah away because she was concerned the child might be ill in some way. She observed from the father’s behavior that he might be on drugs. And neither of them looked particularly clean. I felt sad for the child and thinking back I think the young boy may have been looking at Hannah’s food. He did not say anything though. I think I will pray for him and his father.
Finally, we were off the last ferry on our way back. We made one stop shortly before the border. We wanted to pick up something for my dad that we could only get in Canada. We made it through the border easily and finally made it home and unpacked.
I am quite grateful that we can spend time with my grandparents. They are a little out of the way, so it seems inconvenient but the time I spend with them is always meaningful. They are full of wisdom and kindness. They have wonderful stories about our family’s history and life. I always learn something when I spend time with them. There really is nothing more important than spending time developing relationships with people who are important to you. This can be difficult because it requires not only taking the time out of your schedule to visit them but when you are there not looking at your phone and being present with that person. It is so easy today to get wrapped up in the hustle, bustle, and grind. I know I often get into a rut focusing on this. I worry about making money and providing for my family and becoming rich and wealthy. The reality is though, that stuff is not important. Material possessions can only make us happy to a certain point. Relationships are much more fulfilling. I personally have spent months in my mind working through this philosophically and spiritually and realized that I just need to find a rhythm at work and home that allows me to provide a comfortable living for my family and spend the rest of my time actually enjoying them and being with them.
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