My Electronic Scrapbook: Jamie Comes To Visit! Vancouver, British Columbia - Spring 2001

Our first spring in Vancouver my sister Jamie came to visit which is so cool because she will be coming to the east coast to visit for the first time in just a couple of days! At this point we still did not have a car so we rented one for a few days so we could really share the majesty of British Columbia with her. Here she is with Reg in Howe Sound.

For geeks like us you may find this area familiar. This is where Baltar hung out with the skinny blonde cylon in season one of Battlestar Galactica. Please note that many of these photos are Jamie's not mine. She said I could share, that's my sister for you!



While we were there we saw a train go by the foot of the mountains on a grey moody spring day, so beautiful.



And yes, it just keeps getting more beautiful. We also saw a sea otter hanging out in the water, so cool! No, he is not in this photo, LOL.



We drove up the Sea to Sky Highway to Whistler. You can tell that their skiing season was over. We had been to Whistler in the middle of winter and you could barely move, it was so packed with people. At this time of year you have the whole place to yourself. We went for lunch at the classic west coast restaurant, Earl's.



I believe this might be part of "The Chief" on our way back to Vancouver through Squamish. When people climb this rock face they are so small in comparison you can barely see them!



We also took Jamie to Stanley Park, of course! Here you can see the Lion's Gate Bridge leading to North Vancouver which is where we originally camped when we first got to the west coast.



I am glad we got to take Jamie to see Stanley Park at its peak. Apparently some windstorms have really changed its appearance which makes me so sad. Similar to Point Pleasant Park here on the east coast, it just is not the same.



Jamie timed her trip perfectly! During the cherry blossom festival, making our little not-super-attractive pocket of Vancouver South look like a million bucks.



We even took her to the Rain Forest Cafe in Metrotown for lunch, one of our favourite places before it closed.



We lived just down the street from Value Village so we just had to go shopping together. That's what sisters do, right?! Well we sure do!



Jamie came to visit a few weeks after I was on the Candida Diet, you can read more about that here. I had actually gained some weight back, believe it or not. I really did look like death after being on that diet. Even still I will always be curvy. Might as well be curvy and vibrant right?

Yup, that was one of my first phases of the mega health odyssey I went on when I was out west. It was wonderful having Jamie visit and make us feel more at home even though we were so far away from Ontario. When you are that far away in a place where few people speak your language, know who you are... it all becomes very surreal.

My life was so focused on supplements, prescriptions, naturopaths... getting time with my sister was exactly what I really needed. I am so lucky, to have such a kick-ass family. One that understands I need to roam, to explore, to see everything... knowing that I am still always their daughter, their sister. I lived 19 years in Toronto feeling like a misfit. Out west, I was finally finding out who I was and trying to heal more than just my ailing body.