In Addition

Rafting was amazing and I want to go kayaking too before the summer is up. Something else to add to Cass' post. On our rafting trip we saw a couple nude sunbathers on the shore scampering behind a log as our convoy of 8 rafts came down the river. Everybody was clapping and whistling. We were told a lot of people think the shores are a lot more private than they really are.

White Water Rafting

Yesterday, Theo and I, went white water rafting and it was AMAZING!! We went on a tour with people Theo works with to Chilliwack River Rafting. It was a great place. They provide lunch (although we were running late), wet suits, life jackets, helmets, and paddles. You provide a bathing suit and shoes that can get wet. You get to choose between the classic ride or the canyon ride. We choose the classic because it was the easier of the two and we were feeling a bit nervous. They shuttle you up river on school buses and give you a big safety talk. This includes what to do if you fall out of the raft, how to pull someone back into the raft, and the three ways you can die (getting stuck in a tree, getting foot stuck in rock, and...we can't remember the third way).

Each raft has a guide, and a solo guide also rides ahead of everyone in a kayak. We had 8 rafts on the trip with 8 to 10 people per raft. Theo and I were with Para (a girl he works with), four Aussies, and our guide Jeff. The entire trip down the river takes about 2 to 2 1/2 hours.

Heading down the river you immediately hit some rapids. They definatley don't ease you into it. Out boat got stuck on a rock and I almost went flying out. That was a bit scary. We had to keep shifting out weight from left to right to try and free the boat. Once we did, we hit they rapids again, and Theo fell out. He barely seemed to hit the water before Para pulled him back into the raft. She ended up saving a lot of people from the water.

Further down the river, Jeff says "everyone to the back of the boat...trust me", so we all squish into the back of the boat. Before you know it, we've been launched up a smooth rock on shore and are slowly tipping backwards (he did this on purpose!). The raft almost flipped backwards, and two Aussies fell out. The girl lost two of her shoes and a sock. We managed to retrive one of her shoes further down river.

During a calm part of the river, you had the option to jump out, hold on to the OS (OutSide,
Oh Shit, or Oh Sugar) line, and float down the river. Theo and I both jumped in. The water was cold, but nice. It was really relaxing.

We also had the chance to go on a short hike to see a water fall. You could walk under it if you wanted. I was not in the best shoes (converse, very slippery). Theo walked beneath and said it was really cold!

Our guide was really great. He keeped trying to tip the raft, but the seven of us were paddling too well for him to succeed. It seemed that on the easier course they try to get people into the water as often as possible.

Right before the higher class rapids at the end you stop on the shore for a snack. People who are not enjoying themselves have the chance to skip these rapids and walk the rest of the way back to the campground (only about a 15 minute walk). We definatley did not walk! Apparently on this last set of rapids I managed to split my wet suit right in the bum. It's a good thing you wear a bathing suit underneath.

After a day of rafting, we headed to Andrea's place (another woman from work) for a BBQ. We were absolutly starving at this point! The food was good, the beer was cold and we were exhausted.

This morning, we are incredibly sore. My arms, abs, legs, and butt are killing me! The guides are obviously in great shape, because they do this twice a day, 365 days a year! I'm not sure I could do it twice a week at this point.

Some of us are considering doing white water kayaking later this summer. Should be fun!

--Cassandra

Stanley Park and Granville Island

On Monday, Theo and I went to Stanley Park for the afternoon followed by a ferry ride to Granville Island. Stanley park was nice. We walked around, collected sea glass, saw the totem poles, and checked out the Vancouver Rowing Club. After walking about 8 km, we decided to head to Granville Island. This place was pretty cool. It is reminicent of The Forks...only better. It is an old industrial park in the middle of the city. The old buildings have been converted into a public market, artist studios, galleries, an art school (Emily Carr School of Art!), theatres, restaurants, and so on. We ate a late lunch at the Public Market and wandered around some of the galleries and stores.

I'll make Theo post some picks on fliker soon!

Pouring Rain and Making Bread

It's been pouring rain for most of the day with a risk of a thunderstorm. It's the first time it's really rained since I got here. I planned on going for a run this morning, but since the weather was not cooperating, I made Mediterranean Olive Bread instead! This was my first attempted at making bread without the assistance of a breadmaker or electric mixer. I actually kneaded the dough by hand!! I found out it's not easy, but it does make for a good arm workout. The recipe was pretty easy:

3 cups bread flour
2 teaspoons active dry yeast
2 tablespoons white sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup chopped black olives
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/4 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
1 tablespoon cornmeal

(I also added basil and oregano).

1. In a large bowl, mix together flour, yeast, sugar, salt, black olives, olive oil, and water.
2. Turn out dough onto a floured board. Knead until smooth and elastic, 5 to 10 minutes. Set aside, and let rise about 45 minutes, until it doubles in size. Punch down. Knead well again, for about 5 to 10 minutes. Let rise for about 30 minutes, until it doubles in size.
3. Round the dough on kneading board. Place upside down in a bowl lined with a lint-free, well floured towel. Let rise until double in size.
4. While the bread is rising for the third time, put a pan of water in the bottom of the oven. Preheat oven to 475 degrees F (260 degrees C).
5. Gently turn loaf out onto a sheet pan that has been lightly oiled and dusted with cornmeal.
6. Bake loaf at 500 degrees F (260 degrees C) for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 degrees F (190 degrees C). Bake for 30 more minutes, or until done.

I hope it tastes good!

--Cassandra

Running and Grilled Cheese Sandwiches!

I managed to drag Theo out for a run today. We went around the neighbourhood adjacent to us and on the Century Trail. Trail running is nice; completely different from the street or sidewalk. On Monday we're going to head to Stanley Park and Grenville Island. We plan on another trail run through the park, but we'll see how Theo's legs are treating him.

Another idea from John: Grilled Ham, Cheese, and...Apple Sandwiches! These were sooo tasty. We used two layers of mozzarella cheese, one slice of black forest ham, thinly sliced gala apple, all on whole grain bread. Delicious!

Tomorrow we're going to the Abbotsford Flea Market. Hopefully we get some good finds!

--Cassandra

Fasta Pasta

Marg and John gave us an easy pasta recipe when we were visiting at the coast. I made it for us tonight and it was delicious! I recommend everyone try it. The recipe is for 2 people, but could easily be adapted for more.

Fasta Pasta

2 cups halved cherry tomatoes
2 minced garlic cloves
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
3 tbsp. olive oil
salt & pepper to taste
1 cup grated mozzarella cheese
enough penne or rotini for 2 people

In the morning: Combine tomatoes, basil, garlic, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Cover and leave to marinate on the counter.

Dinnertime: Cook the pasta according to package directions. Drain and return to pot. Add marinated veggies (don't drain) and cheese. Toss, cover. Set aside for 5 minutes, until cheese melts. Place in your favourite pasta bowl and serve immediately. Good with baguette sticks.

Instead of fresh basil, I used dried because that's what we had. Also, I only used about 1 tbsp which was plenty for the dried basil.

--Cassandra

Halfmoon Bay, Sunshine Coast, BC

On Saturday afternoon, Theo and I headed out to the Sunshine Coast to visit his Aunt Marg and Uncle John. I was very excited to get out of Abbotsford for the weekend. 

Theo's cousin Ben, his wife Tammy, and their baby Anna were also out for a visit this past weekend. It was nice to spend time with them and also nice to meet Anna. She is very cute.

On Sunday, John's septet was playing in the Gibson's Jazz Festival. It was nice to hear him play. Gibson is a very quaint town. Theo says he wants to move there, but I think the 2.5 hour commute to Abbotsford would kill him. Even if he did get a job in Vancouver it would still be a good 1.5 hour commute.

On Monday we took our bikes out for a ride up and down Redroofs Road. The hills in BC are killer...nothing like biking in Winnipeg. You definitely feel your quads burning on the hill climbs. Afterwards, we headed down to the beach to enjoy the wind, collect some sea glass and some rocks. We saw a garter snake on the beach (second one this summer) and geese swimming in the ocean. It's strange seeing geese in the ocean, it seems so out of context. 

Monday evening we caught the last ferry to leave the coast at 8:20 pm. Theo had to work Tuesday afternoon and it was less stressful to leave the evening before, rather than in the morning. The traffic on the highways can be very unpredictable.

Our future plans include white water rafting on June 27th and camping for a few days in July.

You can check out more pictures on Theo's flicker account. Search for The Tedster's photostream.

--Cassandra

Fort Langley

Today Theo took me to Fort Langley. It is a very cute little town on the Fraser River where he claims to be a member of the rowing club. I have yet to see him go rowing there. Our plan was to check out all the shops. Instead we went on an impromptu 12 km walk along the river. I definatley did not where the best shoes, and now I have a few blisters. Damn you converse!! We saw some awesome trees on the walk, they were huge! I also saw a garter snake. Do garter snakes live here? Well, I saw some kinda snake anyways. We didn't see much wild life, but we did see some cute puppies and a very pretty golden retriever that we followed the whole way. Theo works the next two days and then on Sunday we are going to visit his aunt marg and uncle john at Halfmoon Bay. I am very excited!


--Cassandra

Aldergrove Lake Regional Park

Cass and I went down to Aldergrove today for a bike ride. It's only about 15 min away. We couldn't find their paved paths that we had read about so we went for a hike instead. The only place I could draw some similarities too for the scenery would be rushing river in Ontario. It was a fun walk though. We we're right on the border and the park is set -up a lot like birds hill. There is even a little man made lake/pond to swim in.

Shtuff

I put together Cassandra's Bike and we're looking for camp sites. Apparently you can't be spontaneous with your reservations, they don't let you book for the next day. Still we may drive and drop in some where for a couple nights. There are too many options here and cougars, grizzlys, and rattle snake warnings.
I did however get in touch with my aunt who we can go up to visit in halfmoon bay by sechelt. We'll go next week and see my uncle play in the Jazz festival. My cousin will be there with his kid as well just for the day. We are both looking forward to that trip.

BBQ

Yesterday Cass and I went to Canadian Tire based on something I heard at work.

We bought a small 30 dollar gas BBQ that runs on the small camping propane tanks. I assembled it and we had BBQ chicken sandwiches for dinner.  It was so nice to be able to cook outside of the apartment and it made some yummy food too.