mid-trip update

We decided to skip the suspension bridge once we found out how much it costs to walk across it. Instead we took a ferry to Granville Island, which turned out to be mostly a tourist trap. We did, however, appreciate that a lot of the shops had hand-made merchandise, and you could watch the workers hammering out metal for jewelry, working with hot glass, and making shoes. Here's Jon enjoying some gelato at a coffee shop. I love the dog in this picture.




We spent most of the rest of the day on Robson street, the major shopping area in Vancouver. We stopped in at the Aveda Academy because we had to get a closer look at their earthy version of a chandelier.



It's taken us a while to rest up and allow ourselves to be in 'vacation mode'. I keep thinking that we need to stop spending money, and to always be out doing something. But the reality is - we have enough money, and we have an abundance of time. Why is that so difficult for me to accept?

Late Friday morning we decided to do this kayaking thing we'd looked forward to so much. The water out there was mezmorizing -- the perfect evenness and subtle ripples on the surface could have put me to sleep had I not been paddling through it.






Jon and I were in a tandem kayak, all sealed up in our seats with our lunch in the storage compartment. Our plan was to paddle out for an hour or so and pull up on a beach on Twin Island. On the way there, we noticed some dark clouds ahead of us. Why is it that every time Jon and I decide to go on on water in any sort of boat or kayak, the sky turns gray and a downpour eliminates any hopes we have of staying remotely dry? I'm not exagerrating here. It happens *every time*. Here's our proof for this one --



When the rain started coming down so hard, I had a choice: do I flip out, or laugh? It was a struggle, but I chose the latter option. To be alone out on the ocean in a tiny kayak, the rain violently dancing on the water and completely blurring my vision, well, I have certainly never experienced anything like it before. I thought, "if nothing else, I am really living right now. I'm not sitting in front of a television. Am I safe? At least at this moment, I don't really care."

The rain clouds did eventually retreat, and Jon and I enjoyed our picnic lunch on a rocky island. That beach we were headed for was never found, but I like where we ended up a lot more than a beach. Besides, it's so much more fun to stray from our plans rather than follow them.