Ah yes, never miss an opportunity for free pancakes!
Kraus Berry Farms in Aldergrove is one of my favorite places to buy fresh berries. We go there several times during the summer to buy freshly picked strawberries, raspberries, and blueberries. We snack on them on the drive home and still manage to get home with many intact. Their berries are so big, sweet, and juicy. The Kraus farms also has a bakery selling pies and shortcake featuring their berries and sell preserves. They also serve sandwiches and milkshakes. And if you like farm animals, there is a petting zoo to visit.
On July 1 from 9am to 1pm Kraus Berry Barms is celebrating Canada Day with a free pancake breakfast served with their own berry syrup. They're located at 6179 - 248th Street.
And when you're finished at Kraus's farm, head south on 248th Street to the Otter Coop located just south of the Fraser Highway. Between noon and 3pm on Canada Day they're holding a strawberry/raspberry social featuring raspberry shortcake and there will be live music.
Time it right and you can fit in both activities.
And then don't forget to come back to Cloverdale for the Canada Day celebrations at the Millenium Park located at the corner of 64th Avenue and 176th Street. Traffic in that area is going to be a mess after the 10pm fireworks show is finished. If you can walk or take transit that's the best plan. 100,000 people showed up last year and parking is at a premium.
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Friday, June 26, 2009
Playing marbles
When I was attending Cloverdale Elementary in the late 1960's playing marbles during recess and lunch during the warm months was a big thing. Kids would set up a little space, maybe setting up a little pyramid of marbles, and invite other kids to shoot a marble. Hit the pyramid and take all the marbles. Miss and the kid who'd set up the pyramid kept your marble.
Marbles came in normal size, peewees were a bit smaller, cobs were a bit bigger and king cobs, the largest size of all. Those are the sizes I remember, could be I've missed a couple of sizes. Marbles came in a variety of colors. Cats eye was the most common, kind of looking a bit like a small billiards ball. One solid color with a different color around the middle, like an eye. Steelies were much coveted, being solid steel. My uncle worked at Western Canada Steel and often supplied me with steelies while I was in school. I guess those were ball bearings that dropped off the production line somewhere. Steelies could get a little rough with the glass marbles, often nicking them. The clearsies marbles held the same value as a steelie if I remember correctly.
Kids played against each other and traded, with each marble size or type having a different value against it. There were many different types of games. Some were friendlies where we practiced playing marbles but nobody won or lost any marbles, we were just playing. And then there was keepsies where we played to win the other kid's marbles.
My father bought me a bag called 101 Marbles when I was about seven or eight years old. It was a red pouch with a drawstring across the top. He taught me how to shoot marbles and I always did well around the school playground. The first day I came home I had so many marbles in my red bag that I couldn't completely pull the drawstring closed. Each spring when kids started playing marbles I pulled my bag out and made the rounds. Some kids refused to let me play marbles with them because I was too good.
After I'd been playing marbles for a couple of years my father bought my younger brother the same 101 Marbles red bag when he was about seven or eight years old. He went to school and returned home that night with an empty bag. I think he bought marbles sometimes at the five and dime and of course our uncle seemed to have the never ending steelies. And I suspect he was stealing marbles out of my bag.
After playing marbles for several years at elementary school I moved on up to Cloverdale Junior High and nobody played marbles there anymore. My overfilling 101 Marbles bag, which held way more than that number of marbles, sat unused on the bookshelf. One day I noticed it was gone and looked around for it.
You guessed it. My younger brother stole it, took it to school, and lost all my marbles that I'd accumulated over the years.
Marbles came in normal size, peewees were a bit smaller, cobs were a bit bigger and king cobs, the largest size of all. Those are the sizes I remember, could be I've missed a couple of sizes. Marbles came in a variety of colors. Cats eye was the most common, kind of looking a bit like a small billiards ball. One solid color with a different color around the middle, like an eye. Steelies were much coveted, being solid steel. My uncle worked at Western Canada Steel and often supplied me with steelies while I was in school. I guess those were ball bearings that dropped off the production line somewhere. Steelies could get a little rough with the glass marbles, often nicking them. The clearsies marbles held the same value as a steelie if I remember correctly.
Kids played against each other and traded, with each marble size or type having a different value against it. There were many different types of games. Some were friendlies where we practiced playing marbles but nobody won or lost any marbles, we were just playing. And then there was keepsies where we played to win the other kid's marbles.
My father bought me a bag called 101 Marbles when I was about seven or eight years old. It was a red pouch with a drawstring across the top. He taught me how to shoot marbles and I always did well around the school playground. The first day I came home I had so many marbles in my red bag that I couldn't completely pull the drawstring closed. Each spring when kids started playing marbles I pulled my bag out and made the rounds. Some kids refused to let me play marbles with them because I was too good.
After I'd been playing marbles for a couple of years my father bought my younger brother the same 101 Marbles red bag when he was about seven or eight years old. He went to school and returned home that night with an empty bag. I think he bought marbles sometimes at the five and dime and of course our uncle seemed to have the never ending steelies. And I suspect he was stealing marbles out of my bag.
After playing marbles for several years at elementary school I moved on up to Cloverdale Junior High and nobody played marbles there anymore. My overfilling 101 Marbles bag, which held way more than that number of marbles, sat unused on the bookshelf. One day I noticed it was gone and looked around for it.
You guessed it. My younger brother stole it, took it to school, and lost all my marbles that I'd accumulated over the years.
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
No more radio controlled aircraft at Fry's Corner
Even since I was a little girl I remember radio controlled aircraft flying around Fry's Corner, at 176th Street and the Fraser Highway. Sometimes I'd think it was a real plane. Then my parents explained to me that no one was sitting inside the planes. Instead someone was on the ground holding a remote control box and controlling where the plane flew.
Even when I got older and started driving, whenever I saw the little planes flying around I used to hope for a red light at the Fraser Highway so we could stop and watch them.
But progress happens and the Fraser Highway is being extended and the lease ran out for the flight club and the planes flew for the last time on June 21.
Currently they're looking for a new home and hoping to remain in Surrey.
Fry's Corner will never be the same. I know it'll be hard to break the habit of glancing to the sky everytime I drive past hoping to catch a glimpse of a model airplane doing its maneouvers.
Even when I got older and started driving, whenever I saw the little planes flying around I used to hope for a red light at the Fraser Highway so we could stop and watch them.
But progress happens and the Fraser Highway is being extended and the lease ran out for the flight club and the planes flew for the last time on June 21.
Currently they're looking for a new home and hoping to remain in Surrey.
Fry's Corner will never be the same. I know it'll be hard to break the habit of glancing to the sky everytime I drive past hoping to catch a glimpse of a model airplane doing its maneouvers.
Monday, June 22, 2009
Cloverdale Post Office
Cloverdale's post office used to be located in a large building located on the southwest corner of 176A Street and 57th Avenue. This was a full service centre where mail was processed, stamps sold, and mailboxes for Cloverdale residents were located inside. Door to door mail service didn't come to Cloverdale until the late sixties. I still remember our old mailing address:
Box 165, Cloverdale, BC.
Back in those days mail was sorted through each post office in the various communities around Surrey. Postal codes didn't come in to our area until the mid-seventies.
The post office stayed in operation until about the early 1980's. When we walked into the building there were several teller wickets - usually without a postal clerk - through which we could see a few people in the back sorting mail from various conveyer belts. Eventually one of them would grudgingly approach the wicket to serve the customer. This was not a friendly bunch who worked here. They probably all lived in Whalley!
After the post office closed down in favor of running a sub-postal outlet from the Shopper's Drug Mart, they still kept boxes open inside the building for another year or so. This must have been a similar scenario across the province of BC. Around the mid-eighties all those post office box stores started opening up around town.
The old post office still has two mailboxes out front but the building has remained empty for the better part of the past 25 years with a big "For Lease" sign out front. The building has had the odd occupant on a temporary basis over the years but I've always been used to seeing it empty with the realtor's sign out front. Today I drove past and glanced at it and through a window on the north side I noticed a woman in an office working on her computer. But there is no sign on that side of the building identifying who or what lurks within, so I figured this calls for a little more investigation and went around the front.
The old post office is now home to the regional Pharmasave Head Office.
Box 165, Cloverdale, BC.
Back in those days mail was sorted through each post office in the various communities around Surrey. Postal codes didn't come in to our area until the mid-seventies.
The post office stayed in operation until about the early 1980's. When we walked into the building there were several teller wickets - usually without a postal clerk - through which we could see a few people in the back sorting mail from various conveyer belts. Eventually one of them would grudgingly approach the wicket to serve the customer. This was not a friendly bunch who worked here. They probably all lived in Whalley!
After the post office closed down in favor of running a sub-postal outlet from the Shopper's Drug Mart, they still kept boxes open inside the building for another year or so. This must have been a similar scenario across the province of BC. Around the mid-eighties all those post office box stores started opening up around town.
The old post office still has two mailboxes out front but the building has remained empty for the better part of the past 25 years with a big "For Lease" sign out front. The building has had the odd occupant on a temporary basis over the years but I've always been used to seeing it empty with the realtor's sign out front. Today I drove past and glanced at it and through a window on the north side I noticed a woman in an office working on her computer. But there is no sign on that side of the building identifying who or what lurks within, so I figured this calls for a little more investigation and went around the front.
The old post office is now home to the regional Pharmasave Head Office.
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Organized playtime at Greenaway Park
When I was a kid my mother used to send me down to Greenaway Park everyday during the summer. Located on 60th Avenue and 179th Street, this was a half mile walk down to the park and a half mile walk back up a good sized hill for a youngster. My parents never drove me anywhere in Cloverdale. I walked to my friend’s houses, to the park, to the store, and to school.
Greenaway Park hosted a free summer program during the summer months for kids, aged about five to ten years. There was a play leader or two, usually high school students hired by the City of Surrey who organized games and activities for the kids. Games were as simple as playing hide and seek or statues and occasionally a more challenging scavenger hunt which meant we had to leave the park to find all the items on our list.
I remember one time there was a watermelon hunt in the bushy area of the park. Three watermelons were hidden amongst the trees and then the kids were sent in to find them. Finders keepers. Unfortunately I never found a watermelon, but hefting a good sized watermelon half a mile uphill was not something a young girl would be good at.
Sometimes we had to pay money for organized events that involved a bus ride and admission somewhere, maybe a quarter or fifty cents. Before Greenaway Pool was built I remember being bussed to an indoor pool when I was about eight years old. I don’t remember where the pool was, but I think it may have been the Canada Games Pool in New Westminster. I was one of these kids who started swimming as a baby so by the time I was eight I’d had lots of swimming lessons and was a pretty decent swimmer. I was also small for my age. I was swimming in the deep end of the pool and a lifeguard spotted me and asked me to swim the width of the pool and back to prove that I was a good enough swimmer to be in the deep end. So no problem. Away I went. I hadn’t been back to the side of the pool I’d started from than a different lifeguard also asked me to swim the width of the pool and back to make sure I could swim. So I did it again. I got back and was starting to get tired by now. And then a third lifeguard asked me to swim the width and back. I swam the width yet again but now I’d had enough and went back to the shallow end of the pool to relax.
By the time kids get to the end of elementary school this type of summer activity is no longer cool. The pool was now open at Greenaway Park and that was more the recreation of choice for older kids. I still remember this type of activity going on in Greenaway Park until the late 70’s but seems to be a thing of the past. Greenaway Park is pretty much deserted except for a few local families bringing their kids over to use the playground. No organized activities for kids. No organized swim times in the pool either. No organized tennis matches. Greenaway Park’s prime time has passed.
Greenaway Park hosted a free summer program during the summer months for kids, aged about five to ten years. There was a play leader or two, usually high school students hired by the City of Surrey who organized games and activities for the kids. Games were as simple as playing hide and seek or statues and occasionally a more challenging scavenger hunt which meant we had to leave the park to find all the items on our list.
I remember one time there was a watermelon hunt in the bushy area of the park. Three watermelons were hidden amongst the trees and then the kids were sent in to find them. Finders keepers. Unfortunately I never found a watermelon, but hefting a good sized watermelon half a mile uphill was not something a young girl would be good at.
Sometimes we had to pay money for organized events that involved a bus ride and admission somewhere, maybe a quarter or fifty cents. Before Greenaway Pool was built I remember being bussed to an indoor pool when I was about eight years old. I don’t remember where the pool was, but I think it may have been the Canada Games Pool in New Westminster. I was one of these kids who started swimming as a baby so by the time I was eight I’d had lots of swimming lessons and was a pretty decent swimmer. I was also small for my age. I was swimming in the deep end of the pool and a lifeguard spotted me and asked me to swim the width of the pool and back to prove that I was a good enough swimmer to be in the deep end. So no problem. Away I went. I hadn’t been back to the side of the pool I’d started from than a different lifeguard also asked me to swim the width of the pool and back to make sure I could swim. So I did it again. I got back and was starting to get tired by now. And then a third lifeguard asked me to swim the width and back. I swam the width yet again but now I’d had enough and went back to the shallow end of the pool to relax.
By the time kids get to the end of elementary school this type of summer activity is no longer cool. The pool was now open at Greenaway Park and that was more the recreation of choice for older kids. I still remember this type of activity going on in Greenaway Park until the late 70’s but seems to be a thing of the past. Greenaway Park is pretty much deserted except for a few local families bringing their kids over to use the playground. No organized activities for kids. No organized swim times in the pool either. No organized tennis matches. Greenaway Park’s prime time has passed.
Friday, June 12, 2009
Loxtercamp's
Growing up on 182 Street the closest corner store was Loxtercamp's located on the corner of 60th Avenue and 184 Street. It was named after the man who owned/operated the store. There were a couple of gas pumps outside and this was the place to go to get air for our bike tires.
We'd either walk or ride our bikes there. 60th Avenue was a lot more quiet back then than it is today. Ten cents allowance would go a long way. There was penny candy and often candy that would be 2 or 3 for a penny such as licorice, gum drops, or Double Bubble gum. Chocolate bars were ten cents each and we used to buy half size chocolate bars for five cents. They would be half the size and price of a chocolate bar, but they stopped producing those halfers by the early seventies, about the time chocolate bars increased to twelve cents each.
We could buy popcicles for a dime or a couple of freezies and even a can of pop or bag of chips. The selection was endless. A dime doesn't go the same distance these days as it did back then!
Usually our money went a lot farther because Loxtercamp was usually hitting the bottle while behind the cash register and would sell us our goodies and often give us change when none was due. As kids this was great, but as an adult I would do the honest thing and give the excess money back.
I don't know whatever happened to Loxtercamp but by the early seventies there were a couple of women working as clerks in the store. They were sharp enough handling the cash and gone were the days of showing up with a quarter, buying a couple of chocolate bars and a bunch of penny candy and getting twenty cents change.
In 1974 the store had a new name out front - French's - purchased by a family with that last name. The son was a year ahead of me in junior high school and often worked the cash register. By that time chocolate bars had climbed to fifteen cents apiece and shortly thereafter twenty cents. Highway robbery as far as I was concerned.
The store is still there and for many years has been known as the Cloverhill Market. There are still gas pumps outside and the store has expanded with a larger retail area. Probably doing a fairly decent business with the influx of new homes in the area and its still the closest corner store around if you're not driving a car.
We'd either walk or ride our bikes there. 60th Avenue was a lot more quiet back then than it is today. Ten cents allowance would go a long way. There was penny candy and often candy that would be 2 or 3 for a penny such as licorice, gum drops, or Double Bubble gum. Chocolate bars were ten cents each and we used to buy half size chocolate bars for five cents. They would be half the size and price of a chocolate bar, but they stopped producing those halfers by the early seventies, about the time chocolate bars increased to twelve cents each.
We could buy popcicles for a dime or a couple of freezies and even a can of pop or bag of chips. The selection was endless. A dime doesn't go the same distance these days as it did back then!
Usually our money went a lot farther because Loxtercamp was usually hitting the bottle while behind the cash register and would sell us our goodies and often give us change when none was due. As kids this was great, but as an adult I would do the honest thing and give the excess money back.
I don't know whatever happened to Loxtercamp but by the early seventies there were a couple of women working as clerks in the store. They were sharp enough handling the cash and gone were the days of showing up with a quarter, buying a couple of chocolate bars and a bunch of penny candy and getting twenty cents change.
In 1974 the store had a new name out front - French's - purchased by a family with that last name. The son was a year ahead of me in junior high school and often worked the cash register. By that time chocolate bars had climbed to fifteen cents apiece and shortly thereafter twenty cents. Highway robbery as far as I was concerned.
The store is still there and for many years has been known as the Cloverhill Market. There are still gas pumps outside and the store has expanded with a larger retail area. Probably doing a fairly decent business with the influx of new homes in the area and its still the closest corner store around if you're not driving a car.
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Mowing the lawn
I remember growing up that I hated mowing the lawn. My father had hay fever, or so he claimed, and so he couldn't mow the lawn. My mother always had me do it, never my brother, always me. He got to stay inside and watch TV. Even when I was gone for several days on a band trip and came home, the first thing she did was send me outside to mow the lawn. It was so embarrassing. Some of the students were still walking home and right by our house where I was mowing the lawn.
We moved to a different house when I was in high school on 1.6 acres and the previous owners sold their riding lawn mower to us. So I was a bit happier about that. Oddly enough my father's hay fever seemed to clear up and he wanted to mow the lawn now too.
But now that I'm older I can appreciate the benefits of a good work out from mowing the lawn. We did have a riding mower but sold it a couple of years ago thinking the lawn, just under a quarter acre, would be manageable with just the push mower. But in this recent heat and going out to mow the lawn I've been wishing we hadn't sold the ride on mower.
Still its not easy going outside when the temperatures are high and I have to remind myself mowing the lawn is excellent exercise.
And I always brew iced tea so its waiting for me when I come back in the house.
Mowing the lawn is the easy part. Its getting those darned weeds in the flower beds under control....
We moved to a different house when I was in high school on 1.6 acres and the previous owners sold their riding lawn mower to us. So I was a bit happier about that. Oddly enough my father's hay fever seemed to clear up and he wanted to mow the lawn now too.
But now that I'm older I can appreciate the benefits of a good work out from mowing the lawn. We did have a riding mower but sold it a couple of years ago thinking the lawn, just under a quarter acre, would be manageable with just the push mower. But in this recent heat and going out to mow the lawn I've been wishing we hadn't sold the ride on mower.
Still its not easy going outside when the temperatures are high and I have to remind myself mowing the lawn is excellent exercise.
And I always brew iced tea so its waiting for me when I come back in the house.
Mowing the lawn is the easy part. Its getting those darned weeds in the flower beds under control....
Sunday, June 7, 2009
McDonald's commercial
Is anyone getting annoyed at the latest McDonald's commercial about enjoying summertime and celebrating summer by getting any size of soft drink for $1? Its not the content of the commercial - its the jingle. Deck The Halls.
I love Christmas carols during the month of December, but not during the summer. Can't get that ditty out of your head. Who wants to be humming Christmas carols this time of year.
Why not bring back some of those retro commercials. Remember "Grab a bucket and mop. Scrub the bottom and top. There is nothing so clean as my burger machine." Or something along those lines about "at McDonald's its clean."
"You deserve a break today so get up and get away to McDonald's."
Yes, much better than changing the words to Deck the Halls.
Remember the classic commercial where the customer pays for his order with a dollar bill and turns to walk away only to have the cashier call him back and say "you always get change at McDonald's."
Those days are long gone.
I love Christmas carols during the month of December, but not during the summer. Can't get that ditty out of your head. Who wants to be humming Christmas carols this time of year.
Why not bring back some of those retro commercials. Remember "Grab a bucket and mop. Scrub the bottom and top. There is nothing so clean as my burger machine." Or something along those lines about "at McDonald's its clean."
"You deserve a break today so get up and get away to McDonald's."
Yes, much better than changing the words to Deck the Halls.
Remember the classic commercial where the customer pays for his order with a dollar bill and turns to walk away only to have the cashier call him back and say "you always get change at McDonald's."
Those days are long gone.
The Swimming Hole
The recent heat spell brought back memories of what to do on a hot day when I was growing up. One of my favorite things was to go to the swimming hole at 28th Avenue and 192 Street. These days this area is known as Stokes Pit or Campbell Heights and the lake is not safe to swim in, taken over by an unhealthy algae many years ago.
But when I was a kid the water was clean and the swimming hole was packed with families come out to cool down. There was a huge mound of sand near the lake and the kids would climb to the top and either run or roll down the hill straight into the lake.
Even with the industrial development in the area the lake still exists and the area is still used by people going for walks or bike rides. The lake is murky and I wouldn't want to stick my foot in there to cool off, and going for a swim is out of the question. But before outdoor swimming pools were built around Surrey, the old swimming hole was a popular place for families to come and cool down during hot summer days.
But when I was a kid the water was clean and the swimming hole was packed with families come out to cool down. There was a huge mound of sand near the lake and the kids would climb to the top and either run or roll down the hill straight into the lake.
Even with the industrial development in the area the lake still exists and the area is still used by people going for walks or bike rides. The lake is murky and I wouldn't want to stick my foot in there to cool off, and going for a swim is out of the question. But before outdoor swimming pools were built around Surrey, the old swimming hole was a popular place for families to come and cool down during hot summer days.
Thursday, June 4, 2009
Get a refund on your plastic bags at Home Depot
Further to my blog about Home Depot charging for plastic bags, we were talking to a Home Depot employee today and he said if customers bring back plastic bags to the refund desk, then Home Depot is required to refund five cents per bag, even if you don't have a receipt to show that you paid for the bag. So hunt around your house for any old Home Depot bags and bring them back for a refund!
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
20th Anniversary of Tianamen Square
In recognition of the 20th anniversary of Tianamen Square in Beijing, China I thought I'd share my visit to the monument about one month after the massacre. This is part of a larger article I wrote shortly after my visit in July 1989. I was working for a company specializing in tours to China and reservations dropped sharply during this time and cancellations were more common than new bookings. Tourism was down all over China.
The Chinese Department of Tourism devised a plan to hold an international tourism seminar and invite foreign travel agents who were directly involved in promoting tourism to China. They would promote China as a safe place to visit and a country culturally rich in tourism attractions and prove to the travel agents that normalcy had returned to China. In return, the travel agents would educate their clientele and bring the tourists back to China.
In the summer of 1989 I was employed by a company that sold package tours and hotel accommodations in China, and our company received one of the coveted invitations to the 1989 Beijing International Tourism Seminar. The Chinese government paid all expenses: airfare, hotel accommodation, meals, and some sightseeing. In return we would have to attend two days of seminars and listen to a representative from the Chinese government explaining the Tianamen incident. During this time China was considered an unsafe place to visit and the Canadian government had issued a tourist warning discouraging citizens to travel there. I decided to accept the invitation the opportunity of a free trip to China might not ever come around again. Thanks to the Tianamen Square massacre my hours had been cut back to part-time and I was in the process of seeking alternate employment.
I now cut partway through my article which mostly described the mass confusion at the airport and hotel. Here is the part about Tianamen Square.
After lunch we reboarded the buses for a city tour. We made an impressive calvacade and the citizens of Beijing paused to gawk. Policemen stopped traffic at intersections to allow us to pass. I was in bus number eleven of the twelve bus parade and behind us followed ten smaller buses full of media. We did not get a travelogue from the young tour guide standing at the front of the bus. I do not know if his English was so poor that he did not feel comfortable talking to us or if this was his first effort at guiding a group and he didn’t know how to deal with us. We passed many buildings with ornate Chinese design with no clue of what we were looking at. Up one street and down another, we weaved across the capital city and then the buses pulled up to the infamous Tianamen Square, only a couple of blocks away from the Beijing Hotel where the silent journey had begun. The 1989 Beijing International Tourism Seminar attendees were the first group allowed in since the June riot. I expected to see soldiers, tanks, and other army vehicles strategically located throughout the square. Instead I saw a few soldiers stationed at the perimeters or the adjacent crossroads preventing pedestrians from crossing the street to Tianamen Square. I was disappointed there was not a tank in sight. We were told we could not take pictures within one hundred feet of the guards and to exit our buses, walk to a designated spot where a group picture would be taken with our fellow bus mates, reboard the buses, and leave. Instead we became a mass movement as we made a beeline to the infamous monument in the center of the square. We could not climb onto the monument and there were twelve soldiers guarding it, complete with a rope a barrier that cordoned off the steps. This did not deter one adventurous TV cameraman who stepped over the rope and backed up the steps. He did not have his camera pointed at the soldiers but instead panned his camera around the travel agents milling in the square. He was curious to see what the soldiers would do and received a prompt answer when one soldier approached him and gently led him back down the stairs. The cameraman then attempted to find a volunteer to mount the monument so that he could get a shot of the soldier leading somebody else down. He was unsuccessful. We wandered around the square searching for blood, bullet holes, and any evidence of the bloody June massacre. I took several pictures of the monument and broke the rules by snapping some soldiers. I photographed bullet holes and noted freshly cemented sections, evidence of some quick restoration work. Some steps looked like a giant chisel had chopped off huge chunks of cement. Further up the stairs was a red patch, too faded to make out exactly what it was, but the general consensus was that it was blood. The stones in Tianamen Square were badly marred with obvious signs that heavy artillery had driven over them. Black smudges remained where vehicles had been set on fire and the tires had melted into the stones. One fascinating black smudge had the appearance of a darkened outline of the upper torso of a body with outspread arms. It is unclear if a person actually burned to death there, but the remaining outline made for good supposition.
As the official picture taking of the group ended in disorganized confusion, the guides requested the group to return to the buses. It was a hot day and the sun beat down on us and the humidity was overwhelming. We returned to the bus and were refreshed with damp facecloths and tins of Coke. We were next taken for a quick visit to the Forbidden City and quickly ushered through like a herd of cattle before returning to the hotel.
The Chinese Department of Tourism devised a plan to hold an international tourism seminar and invite foreign travel agents who were directly involved in promoting tourism to China. They would promote China as a safe place to visit and a country culturally rich in tourism attractions and prove to the travel agents that normalcy had returned to China. In return, the travel agents would educate their clientele and bring the tourists back to China.
In the summer of 1989 I was employed by a company that sold package tours and hotel accommodations in China, and our company received one of the coveted invitations to the 1989 Beijing International Tourism Seminar. The Chinese government paid all expenses: airfare, hotel accommodation, meals, and some sightseeing. In return we would have to attend two days of seminars and listen to a representative from the Chinese government explaining the Tianamen incident. During this time China was considered an unsafe place to visit and the Canadian government had issued a tourist warning discouraging citizens to travel there. I decided to accept the invitation the opportunity of a free trip to China might not ever come around again. Thanks to the Tianamen Square massacre my hours had been cut back to part-time and I was in the process of seeking alternate employment.
I now cut partway through my article which mostly described the mass confusion at the airport and hotel. Here is the part about Tianamen Square.
After lunch we reboarded the buses for a city tour. We made an impressive calvacade and the citizens of Beijing paused to gawk. Policemen stopped traffic at intersections to allow us to pass. I was in bus number eleven of the twelve bus parade and behind us followed ten smaller buses full of media. We did not get a travelogue from the young tour guide standing at the front of the bus. I do not know if his English was so poor that he did not feel comfortable talking to us or if this was his first effort at guiding a group and he didn’t know how to deal with us. We passed many buildings with ornate Chinese design with no clue of what we were looking at. Up one street and down another, we weaved across the capital city and then the buses pulled up to the infamous Tianamen Square, only a couple of blocks away from the Beijing Hotel where the silent journey had begun. The 1989 Beijing International Tourism Seminar attendees were the first group allowed in since the June riot. I expected to see soldiers, tanks, and other army vehicles strategically located throughout the square. Instead I saw a few soldiers stationed at the perimeters or the adjacent crossroads preventing pedestrians from crossing the street to Tianamen Square. I was disappointed there was not a tank in sight. We were told we could not take pictures within one hundred feet of the guards and to exit our buses, walk to a designated spot where a group picture would be taken with our fellow bus mates, reboard the buses, and leave. Instead we became a mass movement as we made a beeline to the infamous monument in the center of the square. We could not climb onto the monument and there were twelve soldiers guarding it, complete with a rope a barrier that cordoned off the steps. This did not deter one adventurous TV cameraman who stepped over the rope and backed up the steps. He did not have his camera pointed at the soldiers but instead panned his camera around the travel agents milling in the square. He was curious to see what the soldiers would do and received a prompt answer when one soldier approached him and gently led him back down the stairs. The cameraman then attempted to find a volunteer to mount the monument so that he could get a shot of the soldier leading somebody else down. He was unsuccessful. We wandered around the square searching for blood, bullet holes, and any evidence of the bloody June massacre. I took several pictures of the monument and broke the rules by snapping some soldiers. I photographed bullet holes and noted freshly cemented sections, evidence of some quick restoration work. Some steps looked like a giant chisel had chopped off huge chunks of cement. Further up the stairs was a red patch, too faded to make out exactly what it was, but the general consensus was that it was blood. The stones in Tianamen Square were badly marred with obvious signs that heavy artillery had driven over them. Black smudges remained where vehicles had been set on fire and the tires had melted into the stones. One fascinating black smudge had the appearance of a darkened outline of the upper torso of a body with outspread arms. It is unclear if a person actually burned to death there, but the remaining outline made for good supposition.
As the official picture taking of the group ended in disorganized confusion, the guides requested the group to return to the buses. It was a hot day and the sun beat down on us and the humidity was overwhelming. We returned to the bus and were refreshed with damp facecloths and tins of Coke. We were next taken for a quick visit to the Forbidden City and quickly ushered through like a herd of cattle before returning to the hotel.
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Greenaway Pool
We drove past Greenaway Pool tonight and noticed its filled with fresh water. As opposed to the murky water that sits in the pool from September to May every off season, a holding place for the rain, leaves, and dirt that blow in.
The pool is located in Greenaway Park on 60th Avenue just east of Fraser Downs.
The pool was constructed in the late 60's. Its free to swim here and during the 70's it was often open for public swimming. When I was in Grade 5 or 6 at Cloverdale Elementary our class would walk over to the pool during June and go swimming. This was good for a few hours away from class during the hot weather. It was during this time that the boys discovered if they sat on the hill above the pool they could see into the girl's change room.
Swimming lessons were held during the summer months. Different levels known as Floater, Stroaker, Junior, Intermediate.
Greenaway Pool was COLD. I swore each morning a dumptruck filled with ice cubes dumped its load into the pool. I hated taking lessons here for that reason. Cold, cold, cold.
I rarely swam here other than lessons, though occasionally a few of us got together for a swim.
By the 80's Greenaway Pool was rarely open. Over the past 15 years when I've driven past the pool during hot summer days, it is closed. No one's in the pool. I have no idea why other than budget cutbacks paying lifeguards. Even though I see the pool has fresh clean water, a quick check of Surrey's website confirms the pool is closed, no opening date listed.
The other amazing thing is that on Labour Day the swimming pool is always drained empty. You'd think on the last day of summer the city could pay the lifeguards one more day to allow swimmers to enjoy Greenaway Pool one more time.
With all the hot weather we've recently been experiencing, that pool would be full of patrons if it was open. Perfect weather for enjoying a pool that isn't heated.
And let's not forget the people who climb over the fence when the pool is closed and go for a swim anyway. Well, what else is one to do. How disappointing to put on your swimsuit, grab a towel, walk one mile on a hot day, only to discover the pool is closed. About 10 years ago Kerry was driving home at night and saw 3 young men swimming in the pool. One of them was on the roof getting ready to jump into the pool from the improvised high diving platform. They were skinny dipping. Kerry called the police to let them know, but he thought it was pretty funny the naked men were making a lot of noise and making it pretty obvious they were in there. Memo for people sneaking into the pool at night to skinnydip: do it quietly.
It would be nice to see Greenaway Pool open for decent hours. With the influx of new development in the area and lots of families moving into new subdivisions, surely the City of Surrey could extend the hours, and post the hours so people know when the pool is open.
The pool is located in Greenaway Park on 60th Avenue just east of Fraser Downs.
The pool was constructed in the late 60's. Its free to swim here and during the 70's it was often open for public swimming. When I was in Grade 5 or 6 at Cloverdale Elementary our class would walk over to the pool during June and go swimming. This was good for a few hours away from class during the hot weather. It was during this time that the boys discovered if they sat on the hill above the pool they could see into the girl's change room.
Swimming lessons were held during the summer months. Different levels known as Floater, Stroaker, Junior, Intermediate.
Greenaway Pool was COLD. I swore each morning a dumptruck filled with ice cubes dumped its load into the pool. I hated taking lessons here for that reason. Cold, cold, cold.
I rarely swam here other than lessons, though occasionally a few of us got together for a swim.
By the 80's Greenaway Pool was rarely open. Over the past 15 years when I've driven past the pool during hot summer days, it is closed. No one's in the pool. I have no idea why other than budget cutbacks paying lifeguards. Even though I see the pool has fresh clean water, a quick check of Surrey's website confirms the pool is closed, no opening date listed.
The other amazing thing is that on Labour Day the swimming pool is always drained empty. You'd think on the last day of summer the city could pay the lifeguards one more day to allow swimmers to enjoy Greenaway Pool one more time.
With all the hot weather we've recently been experiencing, that pool would be full of patrons if it was open. Perfect weather for enjoying a pool that isn't heated.
And let's not forget the people who climb over the fence when the pool is closed and go for a swim anyway. Well, what else is one to do. How disappointing to put on your swimsuit, grab a towel, walk one mile on a hot day, only to discover the pool is closed. About 10 years ago Kerry was driving home at night and saw 3 young men swimming in the pool. One of them was on the roof getting ready to jump into the pool from the improvised high diving platform. They were skinny dipping. Kerry called the police to let them know, but he thought it was pretty funny the naked men were making a lot of noise and making it pretty obvious they were in there. Memo for people sneaking into the pool at night to skinnydip: do it quietly.
It would be nice to see Greenaway Pool open for decent hours. With the influx of new development in the area and lots of families moving into new subdivisions, surely the City of Surrey could extend the hours, and post the hours so people know when the pool is open.
Monday, June 1, 2009
Coast Capital Savings Drive Thru ATM
Earlier today I had to go through the drive thru ATM at Coast Capital Savings in the Clover Square Village on the south side of Highway 10, next to the Dairy Queen. There were no cars in the drive thru but 2 women in their late 50's or early 60's standing there. One using the ATM, the other I assume was lining up behind her. Where I was stopped I could see into the lobby and there was one person using the ATM, no line up. OK, so this is a little weird, but no big deal. I personally would not be walking into the drive thru ATM at this particular location. In fact I wouldn't go here at all unless I was with someone else or had my dogs with me. And yes, today my dogs were in the car with me. On other occasions I've often walked inside this ATM lobby area with my dogs as I've done for many years at this location. The women obviously weren't together. One finished her transaction and left and then the second woman did her transaction.
About a month ago we went through this ATM drive thru at this Coast Capital Savings. It was early evening, just starting to get dark and we were in our Ford F-250 so pretty high up off the ground. We had our 2 dogs in the back seat. A blonde woman, appeared to be in her late 40's, suddenly appeared in front of the truck as Kerry was starting to pull away from the machine. His window was still down and he asked if he could help her. She asked him if he had a toonie so she could make a phone call. He said he did not and offered to let her use his cell phone. She declined and said that wouldn't work and wandered off.
OK, that's really weird. The last time I checked pay phones cost a quarter for a call. Whatever she needed the toonie for it wasn't a phone call. We drove through the parking lot and next we see two young men, late teens, walking from around the side of the branch. We wondered if they might be her accomplices. They then went to the far side of the ATM shelter where there are posts holding up the canopy and both of them leaned against the posts so if a car drove in they would not see them standing (hiding?) there. We stayed there watching them considering if we should call the police, but after half a minute, they walked away. The blonde woman was nowhere to be seen by this point.
I have no idea if they were working together or what they were up to but two or three days later I saw the blonde walking down 176th Street in Cloverdale, near 57 Avenue.
So always remember safety at ATM's whether its daytime or night. Be aware of the people around you if you're alone. Avoid entering an ATM lobby if a person is sleeping in there. Or otherwise hanging out in the lobby. And especially avoid the Coast Capital Savings ATM at the Clover Square Village unless you're with someone else or have your dogs with you for security. That might be a high traffic area on Highway 10 but it is isolated from the other shops in the mall and someone encountering difficulty might not be readily seen.
About a month ago we went through this ATM drive thru at this Coast Capital Savings. It was early evening, just starting to get dark and we were in our Ford F-250 so pretty high up off the ground. We had our 2 dogs in the back seat. A blonde woman, appeared to be in her late 40's, suddenly appeared in front of the truck as Kerry was starting to pull away from the machine. His window was still down and he asked if he could help her. She asked him if he had a toonie so she could make a phone call. He said he did not and offered to let her use his cell phone. She declined and said that wouldn't work and wandered off.
OK, that's really weird. The last time I checked pay phones cost a quarter for a call. Whatever she needed the toonie for it wasn't a phone call. We drove through the parking lot and next we see two young men, late teens, walking from around the side of the branch. We wondered if they might be her accomplices. They then went to the far side of the ATM shelter where there are posts holding up the canopy and both of them leaned against the posts so if a car drove in they would not see them standing (hiding?) there. We stayed there watching them considering if we should call the police, but after half a minute, they walked away. The blonde woman was nowhere to be seen by this point.
I have no idea if they were working together or what they were up to but two or three days later I saw the blonde walking down 176th Street in Cloverdale, near 57 Avenue.
So always remember safety at ATM's whether its daytime or night. Be aware of the people around you if you're alone. Avoid entering an ATM lobby if a person is sleeping in there. Or otherwise hanging out in the lobby. And especially avoid the Coast Capital Savings ATM at the Clover Square Village unless you're with someone else or have your dogs with you for security. That might be a high traffic area on Highway 10 but it is isolated from the other shops in the mall and someone encountering difficulty might not be readily seen.
Home Depot charging for plastic bags
When I was in Home Depot last week I noticed they have a sign saying that as of June 1 they will be charging 5 cents for plastic bags.
Crazy. I know the Real Canadian Superstore has done it for years, but really shopping bags should be part of the store's cost of doing business and worked into their budget. The argument being that its part of being enviromentally conscious, and just for the record I usually keep cloth bags in the car for my spur of the moment shopping. For me, those darn plastic bags are too troublesome to get rid of, but not everyone feels that way.
A much better method is what McGavin's Bread Basket uses and that is they give you a 5 cent discount from your order if you bring in your own bag.
Crazy. I know the Real Canadian Superstore has done it for years, but really shopping bags should be part of the store's cost of doing business and worked into their budget. The argument being that its part of being enviromentally conscious, and just for the record I usually keep cloth bags in the car for my spur of the moment shopping. For me, those darn plastic bags are too troublesome to get rid of, but not everyone feels that way.
A much better method is what McGavin's Bread Basket uses and that is they give you a 5 cent discount from your order if you bring in your own bag.
Another murder in Cloverdale
Sadly, on Thursday night May 28 Cloverdale was home to the second murder of the month, in of all places, a church parking lot.
The Westwinds Community Church is located on 176th Street, near 64th Avenue, across from the Millenium Park. A 22 year old man who was in the parking lot with friends was beaten by another group of young men and a 17 year old boy has been arrested.
The first murder happened at the Clova Inn during the rodeo weekend.
Cloverdale has a high rate of car theft and burglaries but a low crime rate for violent crimes. Twice in one month is a hard blow for this one time small town.
The Westwinds Community Church is located on 176th Street, near 64th Avenue, across from the Millenium Park. A 22 year old man who was in the parking lot with friends was beaten by another group of young men and a 17 year old boy has been arrested.
The first murder happened at the Clova Inn during the rodeo weekend.
Cloverdale has a high rate of car theft and burglaries but a low crime rate for violent crimes. Twice in one month is a hard blow for this one time small town.
What's happening in Cloverdale in June 2009?
So what is happening around Cloverdale this June? The answer is not too much.
Standardbred horse racing is still on at Fraser Downs all month on Friday and Saturday nights at 7:30.
On Saturday June 6 at 6pm the racetrack is holding a benefit for Surrey Memorial Hospital. Live music until 9pm, tickets are $25.
Also on June 6 at 7pm in the Millenium Park (176th and 64th) is the 12 hour Relay for Life.
Slim pickings this month so I'll throw in Canada Day on July 1.
Held at the Millenium Park this free all day event is from 10am to 11pm, with various musical groups and other acts performing on stage, capped off with a fireworks display. Be prepared for huge crowds in the tens of thousands. We went last year in the evening to hear the 70's/80's band Loverboy sing and the place was packed! This year's headline singing group is Bif Naked. For more information http://www.canadaday.surrey.ca
Standardbred horse racing is still on at Fraser Downs all month on Friday and Saturday nights at 7:30.
On Saturday June 6 at 6pm the racetrack is holding a benefit for Surrey Memorial Hospital. Live music until 9pm, tickets are $25.
Also on June 6 at 7pm in the Millenium Park (176th and 64th) is the 12 hour Relay for Life.
Slim pickings this month so I'll throw in Canada Day on July 1.
Held at the Millenium Park this free all day event is from 10am to 11pm, with various musical groups and other acts performing on stage, capped off with a fireworks display. Be prepared for huge crowds in the tens of thousands. We went last year in the evening to hear the 70's/80's band Loverboy sing and the place was packed! This year's headline singing group is Bif Naked. For more information http://www.canadaday.surrey.ca
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