Latin American Birthday Party

Danny & I were very fortunate to have been invited to the 11th birthday of the son of some friends who hail from Guatemala. Great fun and great food was had by all!






A week ago "Uncle Danny" was a huge hit with his little water balloons. This time around we bought strong, large balloons and he figured out how to fill them up with water using a water cannon at the Stanley Park Kids Waterpark. This was an even bigger hit!

Here's a Piñata, commonly used for kids birthday parties in Latin America. I think these should be immediately adopted into birthday parties across the globe!

Summer BBQ

I had the great pleasure to host a family & friends at a BBQ, giving me a chance to introduce (or reintroduce) Danny. Ages ranged from 2 to 84 and [I think] great fun was had by all!



If you think I look more than a little exhausted, you'd be correct. You try entertaining wee ones with boundless energy for several hours! Uncle Wobert [sic] was in fine form!
Being the ingenious guy he is, Danny found a highly effective way to create a huge number of water balloons.
They were the absolute hit of the party, especially amongst the younger set!

Scenes from Granville Island

It was another perfect day. I strolled down to Granville Island to buy the remainder of items I need for the party I'm hosting tomorrow. Before actually going shopping, I took a number of photos in & around the market.

Canada Day at Granville Island

I'm cheating a bit with this first shot. Danny carried through with his promise to make me & my mom some special strawberry crepes. I just commend mi amigo for being quite a good chef!

We did make it down to Granville Island around noon and explored every facet of the Island. They put on a really good show for young & old this year, though perhaps a bit more fun for the younger set.
This dog is a Pomeranian and one of many "little dogs" that have been rescued and were putting on quite the show on an obstacle course.

CKNW Orphan's Fund Pledge Day

This morning I woke up at 4:30am and got my [very sleepy] self down to the Hotel Vancouver by 5:30am. Honestly, I made it on time! My friend, Colette, arranged for me to help work the phones at her company's very special Pledge Day.

It was an absolutely exhilarating experience. I received two donations of $1,000, one of $500, and many, many more below that. But each & every one is important. If you haven't yet donated and you're doing reasonably well this year, please do give it strong consideration. You can donate any day of the year here. Here are some photos I took and here is a video I put together:

Day 3: Portland, Oregon

Today was definitely a "family" one; not my family but that of my friends. Erik was out fishing on the coast so Ginette and I and her kids joined her neighbour, Stacy, and her children. We headed up to the expansive and beautiful Washington Park in SW Portland.

We initially made a B-Line for a large children's playground. This gave the kids (and Uncle Rob) a chance to burn off any excess energy.

We then strolled over to the magnificent Rose Garden.




Later in the day was wonderfully mellow, just hanging out and playing with the kids. For dinner, Ginette invited over her mom and we had delicious spaghetti, made from fresh tomatoes from their garden.

Because I had to catch an early morning flight the next day, I opted to stay at a hotel near the airport. Ginette drove me downtown, where I caught the Max Red Line to PDX.

Day 2: Portland, Oregon

My friends, Ginette & Erik, live in a nice suburb of Portland. The second day of my trip consisted entirely of what I most love to do while I'm down here with them: staying around the home and relaxing! Besides their 2 little boys, Cade & Chase, they have two of my favourite dogs anywhere, Terra & Keisha. Plus this time around they had a guest dog, Rowdy.

The specific things I got up to during the day were:

• Photographing the 10 Hot Wheels cars I brought down for Cade.
• Keeping Chase generally amused.
• Making spaghetti sauce from fresh tomatoes.
• Making an appetizer consisting of sliced tomatoes, mozzarella cheese, and basil leaves (the first and last came right from their garden!)

In the evening we attended the birthday party of Bruce, one of Erik's co-workers. He and his wife, Katie, live in a beautifully decorated home in a really cute neighbourhood.

CKNW Orphans' Fund Pledge Day

The first week in December signals the start of the Christmas season but more importantly, it's the week when the annual Orphans' Fund Pledge Day is held. If you're not familiar with it, the Orphans' Fund has a long tradition here in Vancouver, raising money for a variety of charities. What I like most about it is that 100% of the donated money goes to the charities. How is that possible? Because Corus, the parent company of radio station CKNW picks up all of the administration costs. I think this is excellent and is a prime reason why I keep donating year after year. Even though the Pledge Day is now over, you can still donate. Just visit the Orphans' Fund link above and donate what you can. It's very, very worthwhile!