#silentsunday #photography #troutlake #newyork

A Very Porter Easter in Vancouver

We have a long-running tradition of celebrating Easter with my sister and her kids. The kiddos are similar aged and the Easter Bunny always gives them an awesome egg hunt with clues and riddles.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/canadianveggie/54461603711/in/album-72177720325755201

Normally, my sister hosts us in Kamloops, but this year both of my sisters traveled to Vancouver. With my dad already living in Vancouver, it was basically a full family reunion, and the the first time that my whole family has gathered in Vancouver. That put the pressure on to cram as much as possible into 4 days. Everyone was keen to spend time together, but also checkout the Vancouver tourist sights. We were lucky it was sunny all weekend and the cherry blossoms were in full bloom – peak Vancouver spring weather.

Easter Egg Hunt

The main event of the weekend was the Easter Egg Hunt, and the Easter Bunny spent hours getting everything ready.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/canadianveggie/54465345691/in/album-72177720325755201

The kids had to find 12 eggs each, hidden around our house with clues to guide them.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/canadianveggie/54467918069/in/album-72177720325755201

It took them an hour to find every egg and decode the puzzle at the end, which lead them to the grand prize – 3 baskets full of bunnies, chocolates, and troll dolls. I was proud of them for reading all the clues and solving the puzzle on their own. But with the kids showing off their smarts, the Easter Bunny might have to up the difficulty level next year.

Vancouver Tourist Attractions

https://www.flickr.com/photos/canadianveggie/54465536344/in/album-72177720325755201

The most requested tourist attraction my family wanted to visit was the Vancouver Aquarium. The kids loved watching the sea otters and seals.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/canadianveggie/54464528822/in/album-72177720325755201

We also took the kids to Science World, where they spent hours with all the interactive exhibits.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/canadianveggie/54465366236/in/album-72177720325755201

Taking public transit was a novelty for the Kamloops kids. They had a blast sitting in the SkyTrain driver’s seat and surfing on a busy bus. I’m sure the adults were wondering why we didn’t just drive, but I was happy to indoctrinate the kids to my new urbanist ideology. 😂

https://www.flickr.com/photos/canadianveggie/54487990436/in/album-72177720325755201

We also continued the multi-model adventure with a ride on the False Creek Ferries.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/canadianveggie/54461963440/in/album-72177720325755201

To make the most of the great weather, we showed my family some of the cooler parts of Vancouver – with a picnic at Trout Lake, a wander around the Olympic Village, and time spent exploring the seawall around Second Beach.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/canadianveggie/54464532847/in/album-72177720325755201

Family Baseball Game

https://www.flickr.com/photos/canadianveggie/54460765412/in/album-72177720325755201

The only tragedy of the weekend was Kerry destroying her knee and tearing her MCL in the first (and probably last) All-Porter Baseball Game.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/canadianveggie/54487145027/in/album-72177720325755201

She spent the rest of the weekend hobbling around on crutches and in a wheelchair, which limited all the exploring she had planned. Impressively, she remained pretty positive in the face of a tragic accident and still made the most of her trip. I hope she has a speedy recovery. And next time she visits, I promise no baseball.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/canadianveggie/54488270788/in/album-72177720325755201

By the end of the weekend, Astrid was an exhausted, grumpy mess, and Emily and I were ready for a quiet night alone. It was a lot to squeeze into 4 days, but we loved having everyone visit us.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/canadianveggie/54465374221/in/album-72177720325755201

More photos from the Easter long weekend.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/canadianveggie/54489547461/in/photostream/

#Easter #easterEggHunt #familyReunion #OlympicVillage #ScienceWorld #TroutLake #VancouverAquarium

#silentsunday #troutlake #newyork #moon #photography

$20,000 reward for help catching the person or persons killing #endangered #grey wolves in #Washington State. Three are now dead. These animals need protection. The killings threaten the survival of this species. And it's a great way to pay off those student loans President Joe Biden couldn’t cancel.

Got info on the killers? WDFW wants to hear from you
https://www.kuow.org/stories/20000-dollar-reward-offered-after-third-endangered-gray-wolf-killed-in-washington-state

#Wolves #Greywolves #CenterforBiologicalDiversity
#KlickitatCounty #TroutLake #BigMuddyPack #WDFW

Christmas tree chipping events held around Vancouver
A steady stream of non-perishable food and cash donations flowed into the parking lot at Trout Lake Community Centre Saturday for the first day of annual Lions Club tree chipping events in Vancouver.
#holiday #donation #community #event #Vancouver #TroutLake
https://bc.ctvnews.ca/christmas-tree-chipping-events-held-around-vancouver-1.7165145

A crow taking off after a nice refreshing bath
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#vancouver #TroutLake #AmericanCrow

Not a Green Heron, but I'll take it
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#vancouver #TroutLake #GreatBlueHeron

My best photo of the Green Herons hanging around Trout Lake. I love that one's extendo-neck!
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#vancouver #TroutLake #GreenHeron

A quiet bit of preening

-- Trout Lake, July 23
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#vancouver #TroutLake #CanadaGoose

Six years ago this month, Vancouver's Trout Lake froze over--a very rare thing--causing many of us to use it as a temporary skating rink. 😆​⛸️​ #vancouver #IceSkating #TroutLake

@stephenhui hi! I’m Rhiannon and I live in #EastVan with my husband, two kids, two cats, and elderly dog. Here’s a recent photo of one of my favourite regular hangout spots in the city, #TroutLake. I post about #climate #ActiveTransportation #PublicTransit #SocialJustice #Parenting and more. I’m an immigrant from the US.