Long weekends can be exhausting -- but, oh so much fun! On Friday, Mom and I went to Merle Normans at Guildford Shopping Centre and had our eyebrows threaded. (Threading is an alternative to waxing.) They do a great job of shaping brows. We met Sue for an early lunch at the Bread Garden, along with her co-worker, Kerrie. Later that day Mom, Sue and I were joined by my nieces Lauren, Natasha and nephew Carson for dinner at Boston Pizza. (Carson has transcended his shyness and now says "hi" to his Auntie Peggy!)
On Saturday afternoon Mom, Alyson and I went to the NDP picnic at Robert Burnaby Park. There were over 500 people at the event and NDP MPs from Burnaby, New Westminster and Coquitlam gave nice, short speeches, followed by an inspiring talk by Jack Layton (leader of the NDP). The burgers were good and the setting and weather even better. What a nice summer we've had so far.
Sunday afternoon was picnic day at Derby Reach in Langley. If you've never been there, you really should check it out. It's a beautiful GVRD park on the banks of the Fraser River. Lauren, Natasha, Alyson, Sue, Al, Mom and I dined on grilled hot dogs and Mom's famous potato salad, while Daisy drooled.
Continuing with long weekend activities, early Monday morning my friend Kathy and I set out for a hike near Squamish, BC. The Stawamus Chief is a popular hiking destination for locals and visitors alike. To get there, take the Sea to Sky Highway (Highway 99) north past Horseshoe Bay (about 42 km from Horseshoe Bay). The Stawamus Chief is about a kilometre or two north of Shannon Falls, and just south of Squamish. Kathy and I were actually quite nimble on the steep climb, doing the ascent in just over an hour. Coming down was a bit of a different story. It's amazing how tough it is on your quads, knees, and big toes descending such a steep grade. It took us an hour and twenty minutes to retrace our steps down the mountain. The trail was more crowded on the way down, which made us glad we had set out earlier in the day. There are steep stairways, a few vertical ladders (no kidding) and lengths of chain anchored to rocks in some places to assist you in the climb. There's definitely a sense of awe when you reach the summit -- we humans are very small compared to mountains and oceans. What an amazing view of Howe Sound! Planet Earth is a a gorgeous one, to be sure. Of course, there's also a sense of achievement when you finish the descent. And sitting down never felt so good!
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