Merry Christmas from Snowy Vancouver

We always get excited to see snow because we don't get too much of it. A lot of rain, yes; after all this is the Pacific Northwest, but substantial snow that stays in the ground for days and days is quite unusual, especially in downtown Vancouver. At this time of the year we usually find ourselves wishing for a white Christmas, but these past two weeks have been a lot more than we wished for. Several heavy snowfalls, inches and inches of snow, several days of sub-zero temperatures - this is the first time we have seen this kind of weather in mild, rainy Vancouver. Snow is fun when it's fresh and powdery but when it piles up and turns into deep puddles of slush, it becomes a nightmare. The one good thing perhaps about all this snow is there seemed to be a lot less cars on the road for once, and pedestrians ruled. Zexiv said he imagined he was Frank Hurley, photographer of the Endurance, trudging through deep and blowing snow, trying to get to Stanley Park to get that once in a lifetime picture. He said parts of the water next to the seawall were actually frozen, and formed interesting and intricate patterns.

When things calm down a bit, after the holiday season, I hope to go through my notes and photos and tell you all about our Germany trip. Let me simply say for now it was a trip of a lifetime - perhaps comparable to our Alaskan vacation many years ago - and that Zexiv lost a bit of weight lugging around his gear everyday. If you are a photographer, a toy collector, a lover of old and historical structures, or a beer drinker, it is the place to be ...

A safe journey to all who are travelling this holiday season and a peaceful and joyful Christmas to all who read this!