New Year's Eve in Cloverdale?

What is there to do in New Year's Eve in Cloverdale?

Not too much.

The last big Cloverdale New Year's event was on the Millenium, a party at the fairgrounds. 50,000 people expected but the reality was closer to 5,000.

Fraser Downs is hosting a buffet from 7pm to 9pm and a live DJ from 10pm to 1am. That kind of leaves an hour in there to kill. Casino anyone? There is a hockey game on, though times not specified, but it will be on their big screen TVs. Cost is $39.95. Reservations required. Phone 604-575-5603. Fraser Downs is located in the fairgrounds off 60th Avenue and the lights at 177B Street.

The Cloverdale Legion (17567 57th Ave) is holding a New Year's Eve dinner and dance beginning at 7pm. Tickets are $50 and are on sale at the bar in the legion.

Playing at the Clova from December 30 2011 to January 5, 2012

Playing this week at the Clova from December 30 2011 until January 5 2012 is:

7pm - New Year's Eve

9:15pm - The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1

Last show lets out around 11:15pm. Admission is $8, stay for one or both movies. If 2 are in your group, admission is $15. Add $4 for each extra person.

Cocoa - Setter retriever cross available for adoption

Cocoa is a foster dog we're taking care of for Dogwood Rescue. She is 10 months old, spayed, up to date on shots, and appears to be a cross between an Irish setter and labrador retriever. She was surrendered to a shelter in Washington by a homeless person or family, I'm not sure which and I'm not sure if they were homeless when they got her or lost their home after they'd obtained her. She was scheduled to be euthanized but Dogwood Rescue was able to transport her up to BC for a second chance. She's a nice dog but has not had any training or discipline. She is eager to please and has learned to sit but she will need obedience lessons. She will probably make a good watch dog. She will bark if someone comes to the door or if she sees someone lurking outside. She is not an incessant barker. She is not destructive and can be left alone in the house unattended. She gets along with other dogs and loves to play. I will say she needs a home with no cats. She is very interested in squirrels and there is no doubt in my mind that she will chase a cat if one runs past her. She is energetic and would do really well with an active person or family and would make an excellent jogging buddy. Cocoa does have a couple of applications in for people interested in adopting her but as of December 21 she is still available. Please contact Dogwood Rescue through her Petfinder profile. http://www.petfinder.com/petdetail/21470667

Rolf Harris at Christmas

There was an entertainer I saw frequently in the late 60's and 70's called Rolf Harris. He was an Australian and he sang, played an accordion, told jokes, and drew really fast pictures on an easle with a black felt pen that he'd give to an audience member. My mother loved him. Whenever he did family friendly shows at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre she always took us to see him.

Rolf Harris was also known for his adult raunchy humor and used to do an act in the 70's at the Cave, a Vancouver supper club, no longer operating. Those acts I never saw but my mother bought several of his records and the routine was on them so I got the picture.

Rolf Harris used to do a Christmas show at the QE. He'd always start off coming out singing "Jake the Peg" and wearing his extra leg. Some of the other songs I remember him singing are Waltzing Matilda, Tie Me Kangaroo Down, Two Little Boys, and Six White Boomers. He also sang traditional Christmas songs and he'd invite the audience to sing along with him. Unfortunately my mother always took him up on that offer and she'd be the only person in our section singing and she wasn't very good and people would be looking around trying to see who it was. It was very embarrassing.

Aside from the audience participation singing I always enjoyed Rolf Harris's shows. With the Christmas songs being played all the time on the radio now I've heard "Six White Boomers" several times. Now I'm starting to listen to the words a little more carefully. Before I'd just enjoy the cute song and melody. In the song Santa reunites a joey kangaroo with his mother. The joey kangaroo is in a great big zoo somewhere in Australia. How joey got there is never revealed in the song. But what is now very clear is that Santa is a thief. His reindeer drawn sleigh swoops down into the zoo and Santa swipes joey and puts him in the sleigh. Shortly after he removes joey from the zoo the reindeer switch over to kangaroos pulling the sleigh through the Australian sky because its too hot for the reindeer. Eventually joey spots his mama and Santa lets him go out in the wild again.

I'll never think of that song the same way again.

Playing at the Clova from December 16 to 29, 2011

Playing at the Clova starting Friday December 16 2011 until the 29th is:

7pm - Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked

Show lets out at 8:30pm. This movie premieres everywhere on December 16 and when the Clova plays a premier their contract is for 2 weeks and no other movies playing with it.

Admission is $8 or $15 if there are 2 in your group. Add $4 for each extra person.

Bring your own reusable popcorn and drink container and fill up at the concession for $2.50.

Playing at the Clova from December 9 to 15 2011

Playing at the Clova this week starting Friday December 9 until the 15th is:

7pm - The Rum Diary

9:15pm - Tower Heist

Last show lets out at 11pm. Times are approximate. The Clova doesn't start the movie until all patrons have finished their purchases at the concession and cleared the lobby. On busy nights this could delay 10 minutes or so. Admission is $8, stay for one or both movies. If 2 in your group admission is $15. Add $4 for each extra person.

Santa's Parade of Lights Sunday December 4 2011

Cloverdale's Santa Parade of Lights will be on Sunday December 4 2011 starting at 5pm and lasting until about 6:30pm depending on where you're standing on the route.

The parade starts at the parking lot in the Cloverdale Fairgrounds on 60th Avenue and 176A Street. It goes down 176A Street and then turns west down 58A Avenue to 176th Street and proceeds along there. I think it ends at 57th Avenue and they head west up to the Cloverdale Bypass. I know I see the vehicles whipping as fast as they can go along the bypass back to the fairgrounds.

As for weather conditions - I've been out there in pretty bitter cold wind. The only time the parade was cancelled was when it snowed a few years ago. We still wandered down but clearly nothing was happening.

The parade features a lot of trucks that come over from Vancouver Island brightly decorated in Christmas lights. A lot of local business are in the parade too with decorated cars and trucks and last year there were some horses from Fraser Downs that participated.

There will be various vendors set up along the parade route and in Hawthorne Square on 176th selling food like hot dogs and hot chocolate.

They'll be collecting donations for the Surrey Food Bank and the Christmas Bureau so remember to bring some non perishable food items with you if you're planning to attend.

Playing at the Clova from November 25 to December 1 2011

This week at the Clova starting Friday November 25 until Thursday December 1, 2011 is:

7pm - Moneyball

9:30pm - Anonymous

Last show lets out at 11:40pm. Admission is $8 or $15 for 2 people. Add $4 for each extra person. Price is for one or both movies.

Christmas Decorations going up in Cloverdale

Yesterday I noticed the beginnings of Christmas decorations going up in Hawthorne Square in Cloverdale. That's on 176th Street, halfway between 58th and 57th Avenues.

Today I saw a man up a ladder putting more decorations up. So far its mostly wreaths and greenery. No Christmas lights up yet.

I remember last year the Christmas lights went up before Halloween and the day they put them up was very blustery. Nasty rain and wind. These past couple of days have been a cold wind but the rain is holding off. Its cold enough that the weather forecast is for wet flurries overnight and into tomorrow morning. I doubt they'll get the Christmas decorations up today. Then need a cherry picker for the string that goes across each end of 176th Street and for the tall trees just north of the main street.

All this in preparation for the Santa Parade of Lights which this year will be held on Sunday December 4 2011.

Playing at the Clova from November 18 to 25 2011

Playing this week at the Clova from November 18 to the 25th 2011 is:

7pm - Footloose

9:15pm - 50/50

Last show lets out around 10:45pm.

Admission is $8 or $15 if there are 2 of you. Stay for one or both movies. Tuesday is $5 per person.

Playing at the Clova from November 11 to 17 2011

Playing this week at the Clova starting on Friday November 11 until the 17 2011 is:

7pm - The Ides Of March

9pm - The Help

Last show lets out at 11:20pm.

Admission is $8. Admission for 2 people is $15. Add $4 for each extra person. Tuesday night is $5 per person. Stay for one or both movies at that price.

Playing at the Clova from October 28 to November 3, 2011

Playing this week at the Clova from Friday October 28 to November 3 2011 at 7pm nightly is Puss In Boots. Show lets out at 8:30pm. This is a premier release which means its a single showing for 2 weeks. The Clova's contract for new releases is that they play only that one movie and its for a 2 week run. So even though the current play bill shows until November 3 I think we can safely say Puss In Boots will be playing at the Clova until November 10 2011. Admission is $8 or if there are 2 in your group $15. Add $4 for each extra person.

First Christmas Song of the Season

And the winner of the first Christmas song of the season goes to Global TV Morning News. This morning I heard them play a rendition of "Baby Its Cold Outside". Not a traditional Christmas carol but I hear this one played every day during December up to Christmas Day. They played it just before signing off for a commercial. Yup October 25. Not even Halloween yet!

Another Haunted House and Pumpkin Patches

I was driving down Highway 10 heading back into Cloverdale and I noticed a sign saying that Capella's farm is open from now until Halloween offering hayrides, pumpkins, and a haunted house. The hours are 9am to 6pm. Its still light outside at 6pm. I'm not sure what fun a haunted house will be in the daylight! They are located on 160th Street a couple of blocks south off Highway 10, cross the railway tracks and Colebrook Road and they're the first farm on the left (east) side of the road.

There is a pumpkin patch on 20th Avenue I think its called the Hazelmere pumpkin patch, about a block east off 184th Street. Their signs say they're open on weekends in October. However today for the first time in many years I decided to ride my horse up into that area and noticed they were open, this would be around 3pm Thursday. They have hay rides - a tractor pulling a wagon with some bales of hay on it - to their pumpkin patch and also have a petting zoo. I noticed goats but there were probably some other small farm animals too. A few cars were parked there and some kids moving around the field. I heard one of the patrons ask them about their hours and the woman said during the week it depends on the weather if they open for a few hours. It was a sunny afternoon. Friday its supposed to rain so maybe not open. Its supposed to rain all weekend so I'm not sure how that will go over. Wear gum boots!

I noticed pumpkins at Country Bob's produce - corner of 64th Avenue and 156th Street - for $2.99 each and also $2.99 at the Cloverdale supermarket on the corner of 176th Street and 58th Avenue.

Cloverdale Farm Market on the corner of Highway 10 and 168th Street has a corn maze set up in the parking lot and patrons go in to collect a pumpkin. I believe the admission is $5 and includes a pumpkin.

Playing at the Clova from October 21 to October 27 2011

Playing this week at the Clova from Friday October 21 to 27 2011 is:

7pm - The Help

9:35pm - I Don't Know How She Does It

Last show lets out at 11:05pm. Times are approximate. The Clova doesn't start the movie until the customers have finished their purchases at the concession. Admission is $8 or $15 for 2 people. Add $4 for each extra person. Tuesday night is $5. Admission is for one or both movies.

Stores shutting down around Cloverdale

There seems to be a bit of a downturn in stores open for business in Cloverdale.

Something similar to what happened in the 90's when most of the antique shops in Cloverdale moved to Fort Langley or New Westminster due to their Cloverdale landlords upping the rent on their shops.

Dee's Brazilian Shoes used to be on 176th Street next door to Mallory's which is next to Hawthorne Square. In late August they had a sign on their door saying they'd be closed on Sundays for renovations. Then about a month ago I walked past and the storefront now says Anca's Bridal and there are wedding gowns in the window. I'm not so sure what happened to Dee's shoes. Perhaps they're still in the store because there's a sign in the window saying they have unconventional shoes for unconventional brides. A couple of weeks I walked past and Mallory's had the sandwich sign for Dee's Brazilian Shoes in front of their shop so maybe they took over the inventory.

The store where the Salvatian Army used to be has been empty ever since they closed down a couple of years ago. Then the store was split in half and that cheque cashing place moved in to one side. I've seen signs of renovations going on earlier this year but nothing since before the summer.

The store that's a couple of doors down that has been vacant for many years and the source of constant vandalism has also been having renovations done inside but no indication on what business is taking over and when.

The consignment store that is a little further down 176 street, next to the deli on the corner of 57th Avenue closed down at the end of July.

A business that opened up a couple of years ago called Living Well or something like that and sells Sage fragrances and offers life counselling and a sauna and massage closed down in mid-September but all their products and furnishings are still sitting there like they're ready to open for business tomorrow.

Haunted Houses near Cloverdale

Its that time of year again. October. Halloween. Haunted houses.

However I can't seem to find anything new in this department other than the usual creep shows around Surrey.

The Haunted Barn will be back October 28, 29, and 30 between 7 and 10pm. Located at 3048 192 Street, cost is $7.50.

Potters House of Horrors at 12530 - 72nd Avenue is open every night between October 14 and 31 from 6 to 10pm. The first hour is a tamer version of the haunted house. Friday and Saturday night the cost is $17 for adults and $12 for under 12 years. Weeknights adults $15 and under 12 years is $10.

The Haunted Train Ride at Bear Creek Park 13750 - 88th Avenue is running between October 14 and 31 every night 6:30 to 10pm but they might stay open later if its busy. Cost is $8.50 for adults and $7 for under age 12.

If you're willing to go a little further out I recommend the haunted house Ghost Ridge in the Maple Ridge Fairgrounds just off the Lougheed Highway near the turn off for the old Albion Ferry. 23500 - 105th Avenue. Open October 21, 22, 27, 28, 29, and 30 between 6 and 9pm. Cost is $8. They open at 4pm for a tamer version. Lights on and the actors not jumping out and scaring you. Kind of takes the haunted out of haunted house!

Playing at the Clova from October 14 to October 20 2011

Playing this week at the Clova starting on Friday October 14 until the 20th, 2011:

7pm - Dolphin Tale

9:10pm - Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2

Last show lets out around 11:20pm. Admission is $8 or $15 for 2 people. Add $4 for each extra person.

Horse racing tonight

Fraser Downs racetrack is starting up again for the season after 6 months off. Tonight, October 7 2011, the first race starts at 7pm and the last race winds up around 10pm.

There is no racing on Saturday but the Standardbreds will be running again on Sunday October 9.

Pancake Breakfast at Cloverdale Legion this Saturday October 8 2011

The Cloverdale Legion is having a pancake breakfast on Saturday October 8 2011 from 8am to 11:30am. Cost is $4.50 per person and that includes pancakes, eggs, sausages, and coffee, tea and orange drink/juice. The Legion is across the street from the firehall on 17567 57 Ave.

Playing at the Clova from October 7 to October 13 2011

I'm not quite sure what's going on this week at the Clova. There is only one movie playing this week October 7 to 13 but its not a new release. Perhaps they couldn't come up with another movie for the second feature.

7pm - Dolphin Tale

Movie lets out at 8:50. No second show. Admission is $8 or $15 for 2 people. Add $4 for each extra person.

Thunderbird Drive In

When I was growing up on Cloverdale, back in the days before the Cloverdale Bypass came in and it was still called 176th Street for that 4 block stretch between HIghway 10 and 60th Avenue, there used to be a take out burger place called the Thunderbird Drive In. It was on the east side of 176th Street and 58A Avenue. It was a blue building with a signpost outside with a picture of a bird spreading its wings.

No inside seating. This was walk up to the window place your order at the outside counter. I think there was a picnic table or two near the building but I don't recall for sure. They sold burgers, fries, milkshakes, pop, and ice cream. In addition to selling ice cream cones they also served soft serve ice cream in pint containers to take home. A friend of mine worked there one summer during school vacation.

I don't recall when the drive in restaurant ceased to be known as the Thunderbird Drive In, but I think it was in the early 90's. Possibly late 80's. I vaguely recall a fire happening at this restaurant at some time. It didn't burn the building down but renovations had to be done and it was closed for awhile. At some point at least 20 years ago it was sold and the new owners named it Happy Face Burgers so that's why I'm remembering a fire and thinking the restaurant and building were sold after that. The old signpost with the soaring bird was taken down and another with a smiley face was put up in its place.

Rather silly looking actually. The bird was better.

As far as I know they sold the same fare: burgers, fries, and shakes. By the time they reopened with the name change I was a vegetarian and burger joints weren't on my radar any more.

The interesting thing is Happy Face Burgers was rarely open. It would be closed for a year and then on the rodeo weekend in May it would open for a few days and then shut down again for the year. In 1999 I met a woman who I don't really recall what her occupation was but she told me she'd been hired by the owners of Happy Face Burgers and had redesigned their menu. There's only so many ways you can dress up a hamburger and call it different names! I told her the restaurant wasn't open for business and she was quite surprised. I never remember seeing it open after that.

I'm not sure if it became harder for the business to survive after the Cloverdale Bypass was built in 1973 and the Thunderbird ended up on the wrong side of it and no longer catching customers driving through Cloverdale. . Perhaps Happy Face couldn't make a go of it either because its a bit of a pain to access from the Bypass. And they lost some of their parking lot to a grassy median.

The building has long since been torn down and a new building with a pub and beer and wine store with a fitness centre above was built in the spot.

Playing at the Clova from September 30 to October 6 2011

Playing at the Clova this week starting on Friday September 30 until October 6 2011 is:

7pm - Contagion

9:05pm - Apollo 18

Last show lets out around 10:30pm. Admission is $8, stay for one or both movies. Or $15 for 2 people. Add $4 for each extra person in your group.

Playing at the Clova from September 23 to 29, 2011

Playing this week at the Clova starting on Friday September 23 until the 29th is:

7pm - The Debt

9:10pm - The Whistleblower

Last show lets out at 11pm. Now here its a little embarrasing for me to admit that I don't recall which movie was playing first and which is the 2nd show! I got home from my walk and remembered the times and the movies but not the right order. Oops. Sorry about that. If I'm wrong I'll come back and update!

Admission is $8 stay for one or both movies. If there are 2 in your group admission is $15. Add $4 for each extra person.

Barn Tour at Fraser Downs this Saturday September 24 2011

If you like horses and Standardbred racing you might be interested in the open house at the Fraser Downs backstretch this Saturday September 24 2011. Address is 17740 62 Avenue. You get there from 176th Street. Turn east bound on 62nd Avenue and follow it along till nearly the end. There is a parking lot at the backstretch on the right hand side. That said it is usually packed full of cars and horse trailers from the people who work in the barn. Might be easier to park across the street at the Agriplex parking lot.

Barn tours start at 10:30am. Or thereabouts. They were late starting the tours last year because they waited until the qualifying races had finished when there'd be less horse and sulky traffic jams around the barns. I'm not sure what time the last tour goes, maybe noon or one. They close the backstretch at 2pm so to be safe you want to be there no later than noon to get on a tour. They have about 15 people or so in a tour and several backstretch employees leading the tours.

There is a lunch between 11:30am and 1:30pm. Last year it was sandwiches that you put together yourself, salads, pickles, and cake. Very nicely done and easily set up for the guests and backstretch workers to help themselves and enjoy.

Update on Il Uk Jo All You Can Eat Sushi

I seem to be getting quite a few hits on a post I wrote last year about all you can eat sushi at Il Uk Jo.

Last summer they were having a late night special for all you can eat sushi on weekends. They've extended it and late night all you can eat sushi is daily now starting at 9pm.

As sushi goes its average. For all you can eat late night its decently priced at $13.99.

They have all you can eat for lunch at $12.99. Dinner is $19.99. Weekends add a dollar.

They have a web page if anyone wants more information. www.ilukjo.ca

They're located on the southwest corner of 152 Street and the Fraser Highway. 15188 Fraser Highway.

Playing at the Clova from September 16 to 22, 2011

Playing this week at the Clova starting on Friday September 16 until the 22 is:

7pm - Mr. Popper's Penguins

8:50pm - One Day

Last show lets out around 10:40pm. Admission is $8, stay for one or both movies. If there are 2 in your group admission is $15. Add $4 for each extra person.

Pancake Breakfast at Cloverdale Legion this Saturday September 10 2011

The Cloverdale Legion is holding a pancake breakfast this Saturday, September 10, 2010 between 8am and 11:30am. $4.50 per person for pancakes, eggs, sausage, coffee, tea, and an orange juice drink. The Legion is across the street from the firehall 17567 - 57th Avenue.

Playing at the Clova from September 9 to 15, 2011

Hmm. Not sure what's going on but the Clova is playing 2 movies this coming week that they already played earlier this summer. That popular they're making a comeback? Starting on Friday September 9 until the 15 is:

7pm - Crazy, Stupid, Love

9:15pm - Bridesmaids

Last show lets out around 11:20pm. Admission is $8 or $15 if there are 2 of you. Add $4 for each extra person. Admission is for one or both movies.

Playing at the Clova from September 2 to 8, 2011

Playing this week at the Clova starting on Friday September 2 until the 8th:



7pm - Fright Night



9pm - Horrible Bosses



Last show lets out at 10:38pm. Admission is the same price whether you stay for one or both movies - $8 for one person, $15 for 2 people, and $4 for each extra person after that.

Activity at former China Cup Tea Company

The China Cup Tea Company, formerly the Chinese restaurant, on 176th Street next to the Clova closed its doors earlier this year. The building has sat empty with a for lease sign in the window. A couple of months ago a for sale sign also appeared in the window.



Tonight I walked past surprised to see lights on inside the restaurant and two women in there cleaning. I thought they might be the new proprietors and getting the place ready for operation again. However I realized that one woman was sweeping up huge chunks of glass.



Oops. I guess someone must have busted in a window earlier this evening.



I walked by today around noon and all the windows were in place. Obviously a glazier had been in to replace the window because all windows were intact when I walked past awhile ago.



And sadly its doubtful the two women are the new proprietors. They were likely called in to clean up the mess or they work for the glazier and that's part of the service they offer.



**Updated** when I walked past in the morning its clear that the side window on the right side of the door was smashed in and a piece of plywood has been nailed up. The window is not repaired yet. And there is still glass shards on the sidewalk.

Man Suing City of Surrey over Blueberry Cannons

There is an article in the Cloverdale Reporter about a Cloverdale resident suing the City of Surrey over failure to conrol the noise from the propane cannons in the blueberry fields, namely the ones in the vicinity of Highway 10 and 168th Street.



Click here for the full article.



This fellow has been one of the more vocal opponents of the noise from the blueberry cannons and he is suing Surrey over their inaction to enforce their own bylaws. I can see how he has a point. Those cannons aren't supposed to be firing between noon and 3pm and I hear them pretty much every day during this time period.



On the other hand the city bylaw officers have to be reasonable people. They can go out to a farm once they've received a complaint and maybe someone will be home maybe not. Though I would think during berry picking season there would be people around. The bylaws officers remind the farm owner of the city's noise bylaws but they want to be nice about it and just inform them of the violation and ask them to comply in the future. That's all it takes. They don't need to be nasty and hand out fines. So whether the bylaw officers are following up on complaints I don't know. I'm sure they keep a log book of their calls and incident reports that they'll have to produce in court.



The thing is I've been hearing those propane cannons in the blueberry fields since 1974. That was when I lived up on the hill on 182 Street. The cannons I heard were on 168th Street and 160th Street and Colebrook Road areas so they can be heard some distance away. I'd say I was living in Cloverdale before blueberry farming even started in the area and before propane cannons came into use and you don't hear me complaining about it even though I was here first. Its just a fact of life when you live in a farming community. Farmers got to do what they got to do to protect their crops. If some farmers think buying or renting propane cannons to scare away the birds works for them then more power to them.



I'm in the camp that believes the birds get used to the noise after awhile and stick around munching on blueberries. That's been my observation since the mid-70's. The best devices to deter birds are nets or predatory birds like hawks. However nets are costly to put up and the nets make it nearly impossible for a farmer to use a blueberry picker machine.



The article says the man suing the city lives in the area of 168th Street and Highway 10. Most of the houses in that area are new. And when I say new I mean built after 1975 long after the propane cannons in the blueberry fields had been established. Certainly some of the houses in this area, the small acreages on Highway 10 and a few houses up 168th Street and some of the offshoot streets have been there since before I was born but the majority of the houses in this area were built after the blueberry fields had been established in Cloverdale. The Cowtown development between 168th Street and 172 Street, roughly between 58th and 60th Avenues was built in the late 70's. The houses west of 168th Street are still being built in those new subdivisions.



It seems unreasonable that anyone who has purchased a house in this area of Cloverdale since after 1970 didn't look around and see there were farms south of Highway 10 in the 168th Street vicinity and figure out that with farms might come unpleasant odors or noise.



Location, location people.

Free Outdoor Movie at Unwin Park Friday August 26 2011

On Friday August 26 2011 Rio will be playing in Unwin Park. This is a free outdoor movie. Bring lawn chairs and a picnic. The park is in Newton 13313 - 68th Avenue. Starts at 8:30pm and the schedule says it lets out at 11:30 which kind of puzzles me because Tribute says the movie is 96 minutes long.



Oh well. Have fun!

Flynn Flies Again!

Not 90 minutes after I posted the last article about the Flynn truck tailgating me on 24th Avenue, I was headed south out of Cloverdale on 176th Street around 3:30pm. I'm in the slower right hand lane where I usually travel because I'm not much onto speeding.



I see a truck roaring up in the left lane, passing vehicles in the lane I'm in and then getting back into the left lane. There were no vehicles around me so the white truck was able to fly past me at least 100km in the 80km zone on 176th Street.



Yup, it is another Flynn truck with their advertising and website plastered on the vehicle. Not the same truck I saw on 24th Avenue 90 minutes earlier. The second truck had a ladder and the first truck didn't.



Now I ask myself do I want to call a company to work on my roof knowing their employees break the law, have no regard for other lives, are impatient, and likely to rush through things. Nothing like taking your agression out on my roof! No thanks.



But great advertising! To show you're a bad driver who breaks the law that is.

Flynn Gets Another Bad Driver Award

Today just before 2pm I'm driving back from White Rock along 24th Avenue. When I'm going this route I turn left onto 176th Street and take that back into Cloverdale.



The speed limit on 24th is 60km. I'm driving between 60 and 65. In my rear view mirror I see a white pick up truck flying along the road. It catches up to me and is riding my ass. It keeps swerving into the other lane trying to pass but there is a steady stream of west bound traffic. It wouldn't do much good to pass me. I'm a safe following distance from the car in front of me, about 5 or 6 car lengths distance. We're both travelling the same speed. The impatient truck would only be able to pass me and still be stuck behind a car traveling around the speed limit. I mean really. How fast does this guy want us to be driving in a 60km zone?



At 176th I have my turn indicator on to go left back to Cloverdale. The white truck has enough room to illegally pass me on the right and roars off to catch up with the rest of the cars in front of me - about 6 cars.



I can see the advertising on the truck: Flynn. And their website http://www.flynn.ca/



Oh oh. Brings back memories. Here's another post I wrote about the bad drivers giving Flynn bad advertising.



Clearly the only qualification for getting a job at Flynn is you must be a bad driver. Flynn doesn't give a rip about the name and website plastered all over their truck and the bad advertising their dangerous drivers give them.



Amazing.



Makes you wonder what kind of a job they'll do on your roof.

Playing at the Clova from August 26 to September 1 2011

Playing this week at the Clova from Friday August 26 until September 1 2011:



7pm - Cowboys and Aliens



9:15pm - The Change Up



Last show lets out about 11:05pm. Admission is $8 or $15 for 2. Add $4 for each extra person in your group. Tuesday nights is $5 per person. Stay for one or both movies.

Playing at the Clova from August 19 to 25 2011

Playing this week at the Clova from Friday August 19 until the 25th is:



7pm - Crazy, Stupid, Love



9:15pm - Friends With Benefits



Last show lets out at 11:05pm. Admission is $8. Or $15 for 2 people. Add $4 for each extra person in your group. Tuesdays is $5 per person. Stay for one or both movies. Bring your own reusable popcorn or drink containers and fill up at the concession for $2.50.

Free Outdoor Movie in Cloverdale tonight Saturday August 13 2011

Tonight (Saturday August 13 2011) at 8:30pm at the Cloverdale Millenium Park - corner of 176th Street and 64th Avenue - there will be a free outdoor movie - Ghostbusters!



Best place to park is to come down 62nd Avenue off 176th and park in one of the lots.

Outdoor Movie in White Rock Friday August 12 2011

Fresh air cinemas will have an outdoor movie screen set up on the west beach in White Rock on Friday August 12 2011 and playing The Goonies starting at 8:30pm.



The area around the pier can be a bit of a pain to park because White Rock has metered parking up and down Marine Drive and the surrounding streets are for residents only who have parking stickers.



The movie screen will be set up near the famous white rock, a little east of the pier.

Playing at the Clova from August 12 to 18 2011

Playing this week at the Clova from Friday August 12 to the 18th:



7pm - Cars 2



9pm - Captain America: The First Avenger



Last show lets out at 10:35pm. Admission is $8 or $15 for 2 people, stay for one or both movies. For each extra person add $4. Tuesdays nights $5.

Free Outdoor Movie at Morgan Crossing Thursday August 11 2011

Outdoor cinemas is putting on a free movie in the courtyard at the shops at Morgan Crossing, 103-15775 Croydon Avenue, Surrey. Avatar starts at 8:30pm on Thursday August 11, 2011.



For those not familiar with the area, the best way to get there from Cloverdale seeing as how 168th Street is currently closed with bridge work, is to take 176th Street south to 24th Avenue. Head west like you're going to Home Depot or Walmart. The intersection for those 2 box stores is the lights at 160th Street. The next set of lights a block up is Croydon Avenue. Turn right like you're heading towards London Drugs. I guess park anywhere in the strip mall though the closer to where the movie screen is set up the better. Shorter distance to walk! The best place to set up your chairs for a good view of the movie screen is near Mink chocolate and coffee shop.

King Tut's Donair in Cloverdale

While I was at the Blueberry Festival in Cloverdale yesterday a fellow dressed up like King Tut was walking down 176th Street handing out flyers to King Tut's Donair.



They have 12 different types of Doanirs and a 13th option to create your own. The options are Turkish donair, Lebanese Dorair, Greek Donair, Californian Donair, etc. A regular donair costs $4.99 and super king is $6.99. They sell samosas at 2 for $1.50 and salads and rice dishes.



Their flyer says they offer 15% of to local busineses and service workers.



Oddly enough their flyer gives a web address www.kingtutsdonair.com but when you type it in it goes to a page with advertising and links so I'm not sure what's up with that but it sure doesn't have anything about this particular restaurant on that web page.



I also saw a bumper sticker stuck on a lamp post advertising King Tut's Donair and calling itself Cloverdale's first original donair restaurant. I guess technically they did open their doors first but Shannon Donairs was under construction way back when the store currently housing King Tut's was Rico Burrito.



So what's more important? Who had the idea first to open a donair restaurant in Cloverdale or who opened first?

Free Outdoor Movie In Fraser Heights tonight August 5 2011

If you're looking for something to do tonight there is a free outdoor movie at the Fraser Heights Recreation Centre (10588-160th Street) August 5 2011. Its Toy Story 3 and the estimated start time is 8:30pm. Bring a lawn chair or blanket and snacks. Keep an eye on the weather forecast. Might be cool so bring a sweater or jacket.

www.freshaircinema.ca

Playing at the Clova from August 5 to 11 2011

Playing this week at the Clova from Friday August 5 to the 11th:

7pm - Larry Crowne

8:55pm - Midnight in Paris

Last show lets out around 10:30pm. Admission is $8 or $15 for 2 people. Add another $4 for each extra person in your party. Tuesday night is $5 per person. Price is for one or both movies. Times are approximate. On busy nights the Clova does not start the movies until customers have finished their purchases at the concession. Bring your reusable popcorn or drink container and fill up at the concession for $2.50.

Donair Grand Opening

On Tuesday August 2 2011 Shannon Donair on 57th Avenue in Cloverdale, almost on the corner of 176th Street had a grand opening, so this is sort of a semi review. More about the grand opening than the food.

We received a flyer in the mailbox that they were serving free donairs between noon and 2pm. I walked down with my dog about quarter to 1 thinking I could tie her leash to the nearby signpost while I went in. I was also hoping that I'd beat the rush for free donairs. No luck. There was a good line up of people. I couldn't see how many were inside the restaurant but there were about 20 outside the restaurant, including a couple with a dog on leash. There's always a possiblity of trouble with dogs on leashes so I decided to continue home with the dog and come back on my motorbike. I was back around 1:25pm and parked on 176th Street. I saw the couple with the dog walking down the street with their donairs so that tells me at least a half hour wait. The line up was to the doorway of the tattoo shop next door, so about 12 people on the sidewalk and however many inside I couldn't tell.

I got in the line even though I wasn't planning to eat a donair. My husband was at work and he's a hard worker so I was getting one for him. He eats meat and I don't so it would be a nice change for him because we don't cook meat in the house. The donair choices were beef or chicken and I believe falafel (vegetarian, chick pea).

I'd been in line for close to 10 minutes and barely moved when a man came out of the restaurant. He announced that the free donairs would be ending and they would be half price till the end of the day and the cut off for the free donairs would be the man in the blue t-shirt, a couple of people behind me, who was the last person standing in the line.

Fair enough. They have to cut off the free donairs at some point. Good decision and very nice of him to come outside and make the call. Great customer service.

Line is still moving slowly. I'm wondering why they didn't make a bunch of donairs ahead of time expecting a crowd for a free donair or have more people to help out on opening day. I finally get inside the door and its a few minutes before 2pm and about 10 people inside the restaurant ahead of me in the line up. The woman behind the counter announces that all donairs will now be half price, the free donairs are over. About 4 people ahead in the line get disgusted and leave. The man who had come outside is about halfway back in the restaurant putting ingredients together. One woman in the line ahead of me tells the female behind the counter that the man had said the free donairs were until the man in the blue shirt. The man (proprietor I assume) rushes back to the counter and quickly tells the woman that's correct. The cut off for free donairs is the man in the blue t-shirt and they continue on. It appears the two of them are serving the donairs, though occasionally one of them has to stop and do some other food preparation. I'm not sure what their relationship is. Perhaps husband and wife? There was an older couple working in the back of the restaurant cooking food. Assuming they may have been one of their parents?

Anyway part of the reason the line up is moving slowly is that in addition to getting a free donair people are buying more donairs or pop. Great for business. They're making sales. That's what grand openings are all about. When I am third in line the woman behind the counter complains to the man working beside her that it is now quarter after and the free donairs are over. He tells her not to worry about it. I checked my watch. Five after. Maybe her watch is running fast? The two customers in front of me both want to buy extra donairs. I'm hoping like crazy the man will be the one serving me and sure enough he is. Whew! There are still 2 behind me plus the blue t-shirt man. After him are a few other customers who have been made aware they'll be buying half price donairs.

My husband ate the beef donair. Now we have to take in account this is opening day. Things are crazy with lots of people showing up for a free donair. Its possible the restaurant scaled the product back a bit. We plan to return so we can get a fair assessment. My husband said the beef was grisly and there wasn't a lot of beef in the donair. Again, this could very likely account for planning on free donairs and using smaller portions and a lower quality cut.

Shannon Donair is a small restaurant, mostly take out, with a counter and some stools. It is bright and clean inside and they've done a good job. We're looking forward to trying it again on a less hectic day.

Their hours are closed on Sundays and open 10am till 9pm the rest of the week. I don't know. They might have to adjust those hours once they get a better feel for the customer base. 11am till 7 or 8pm might be sufficient for Cloverdale.

Good luck with your new restaurant!

Blueberry Social at Otter Co-op on BC Day, Monday August 1 2011

If you're looking for something to do on Monday's BC Day holiday, you might consider a drive out to the other side of Langley. The Otter Co-op is on 248th Street, just a little south of the Fraser Highway, so if you're driving up the Fraser Highway towards Aldergrove, turn right at 248th Street and their parking lot is a bit up on the left hand side. If you're driving east along 16th Avenue, when you get to the 4way stop at 248th Street, hang a left and drive north until you see it on the left.

I've never known the Otter Co-op to have a blueberry social but I've been to their raspberry social on Canada Day a few times. They set up in front of the store with tables and chair and guests get raspberry shortcake and a beverage. Free! Couldn't ask for better! They have a band set up to enterain the guests and on Canada Day the old truck museum in Coquitlam brings over some trucks for the guests to admire.

All I know is their blueberry social will have a band. I don't know about vintage vehicles. Its from noon to 3pm on Monday August 1.

Oh the beverages are their generic brand water, pop, juice. I think they also had coffee available.

Free Donairs in Cloverdale Tuesday August 2 2011

Had a flyer in my mailbox today from Shannon Donair who are having their grand opening on August 2 2011.

Grand Opening specials are free donair wraps from 12pm to 2pm. After 2pm the special is half price on all wraps and plates to closing.

They are located on 57th Avenue near the corner of 176th Street - Unit B, 17581-57th Avenue.

Cloverdale Blueberry Festival Saturday August 6 2011

The Cloverdale Blueberry Festival takes place in downtown Cloverdale on Saturday August 6 2011 from about 9am to 5pm.

There are all kinds of events taking place. 176th Street is closed off to traffic between 58A Avenue and Highway 10. Also 57th Avenue is closed and some of 176A Street too.

There is a Show N Shine taking place on 176th Street. Lots of nice old cars. I have some photos from last year here.

The Cloverdale Legion will be serving up blueberry pancakes, eggs, sausages, coffee, tea, and orange juice/drink from 8am to 11:30am for $4.50. Located at 17567 57th Avenue. This might also be a good place to try to find a parking spot to wander around Cloverdale.

Other parking spots? Perhaps try parking along 58th Avenue or 177B Street and walking downtown. There are public parking lots on 176A Street at 58A Avenue and betwee 58th and 57th Avenue. Get there early. I'm not sure when and where 176A is being closed off.

There's a pie eating contest and various entertainment happening around Cloverdale. Doesn't seem to be any set hours. There will be vendors selling blueberries, fresh produce, and crafts.

The free trolley bus will make an appearance for the day giving rides around Cloverdale.

End the day at the Cloverdale fairgrounds, corner of 176th Street and 60th Avenue, from 5pm to 9pm. Admission is $5 and includes a burger at the BBQ. There will music and dancing. Gino Gerussi will be performing. For those of you who don't know who he is, back in high school his claim to fame was his uncle was Bruno Gerussi of the Beachcombers TV show fame. He was in a band back in junior high and still has a band, though I doubt its the same group. He sings a wonderful rendition of Billy Joel's "She's Got A Way" that I hear frequently on QMFM 103.5.

Last year the day of the Blueberry Festival was HOT. Its really tough to be walking around in the heat looking at cars when the pavement is just burning and reflecting up on you. And that was pretty early in the morning! Hopefully we'll still be having some of the weather we've been experiencing most of this summer. Cool and dry.

Playing at the Clova from July 29 2011 to August 4 2011

Playing this week at the Clova from Friday July 29 to August 4 is:

7pm - Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides

9:30pm - Transformers: Dark of the Moon

Last show lets out after midnight. 12:10. Times are approximate. The Clova doesn't start the movie until the lobby is cleared of customers lining up at the concession.

Admission is $8 or $15 for 2 people. Add $4 for each additional person. Tuesday nights $5. Stay for one or both movies at that price. Bring your own reusable popcorn and drink container and fill up at the concession for $2.50 each.

SOS Security Solutions Cloverdale

There's a company in Cloverdale called SOS Security Solutions. They are in a building on 176th Street next door to the Clova Theatre.

A little bit of trivia. My father owned that building in the sixties and sold it in the seventies.

I don't know anything about SOS Security Solutions other than I've seen their office when I'm walking down 176th Street. I use a different security company.

Across the street from us we have what we refer to as the party house. Its a rental - obviously! There were some young men in their 20's there last year and they moved out to a bigger and better party house but they recommended two females they know to the landlord and those girls moved in. Well it wasn't long before their boyfriends moved in and the house became party central. I'm pretty sure all the neighbors have the landlord's phone number to complain about the late night loud parties. Their parties don't bother me. What really bugs me is some guy in a blue Camaro that badly needs a good, quiet muffler!

Nobody in this neighbourhood used to have blocks on their lawns to prevent people from driving on the lawns before those kids moved in and turned it into a party house. One neighbour's lawn was messed up pretty badly by one of those kids peeling out and creating huge ruts. We have concrete parking bumpers along our lawn to keep the partiers off. I think one of those kid's friends didn't see the bumpers and drove over one because it was dragged out of place by several feet. Those things are heavy, over 100 pounds, and about 6' long. You couldn't see that?!

The landlord was over there a couple of weeks ago and came over to talk to us when he saw us working in our yard. He told us he was getting ready to evict them when they told him they're leaving at the end of July. He's still trying to collect their rent but that's his problem. We told him we suspected they were going to have one last good party before they left. We've seen them moving stuff all month. Just how much stuff do they have in that little house anyway?!

This past Saturday night they had an eviction party. There were cars all over the street and they were pretty loud. I was watching TV after midnight so they weren't bothering me but I could see how their next door neighbor with 5 children under age 8 would be a little ticked. The following morning the house was toilet papered.

One of the partiers arrived in a van plastered with SOS Security Solutions advertising. He - or she I didn't see the driver - parked it on our neighbour's lawn. That's always nice. At least its dry right now so couldn't cause much damage but I bet the driver didn't ask the house owner's permission to park there before going over to the party house. It was still there on Sunday morning so I'm assuming the driver had too much to drink and did the responsible thing by not driving the van home.

That's the picture of the SOS van above parked on the neighbour's lawn with the party house in the background. Talk about great advertising! Does SOS Security Solutions not care where their employees park their vehicles and that they're driving them to and from parties instead of using the company van for business purposes?

A company I used to work for had company vans with our company name well advertised on them that were assigned to the staff members who drove them for maintenance calls. They had to keep them at their houses instead of at the office in case they were on call and there was an emergency and they had to leave ASAP. Also sometimes that day's schedule may have included a call to a location closer to their home and they would start there instead of coming in to the office first. They were not allowed to use the vans for personal business. Just to and from their house, the office, and to service calls. Many companies have a similar policy especially when there may be times for after hours emergencies and dispatching service calls directly from the employee's house. Otherwise they don't want their staff driving a well advertised company vehicle to somewhere that might give them bad advertising.

There was that very sad story in the news in May of the 22 year old woman who was driving home from a baseball game at the Cloverdale Athletic Park and was killed by a drunk driver. The woman driving the van fled on foot but was captured a short time later. She was driving a van that said Precision Restorations on it. Like there's a big clue to the police! If they couldn't find the driver one phone call to the boss would have told them who was in control of the van. Apparently Precision Restorations has a company policy that their vans are only to be used for business purposes and they did not have any service calls that night and there was no reason for their employee to be driving it. They fired her for violation of company policy. That was probably the easy way out for them. Very sad.

At least the driver of the SOS Security Solutions left their van parked all night on the neighbor's lawn instead of getting behind the wheel.

Shannon's Donairs Getting Closer to Opening for Business?

Tonight Shannon's Donairs has some noticeable changes from when I walked past this morning. The city of Surry's inspection and renovation tags are no longer in the window. The appliances have been pushed back from the centre of the room to their designated places. The cooler closest to the door has pop in it. There is a menu board posted on the wall. Prices seem to start at $5 and up depending on the type of donair.

Does this mean that Shannon's Donairs might actually be opening soon as the sign out front has proclaimed for many weeks?

When they open this will be the second donair restaurant in Cloverdale, not counting one of the pizza places that serves them.

On the other hand King Tut's Donairs opened in Cloverdale earlier in July. They have a sign with their hours posted. They have unusual hours. They open at 11:30am I think every day but close at 2:30pm several days a week and at 10:30pm the rest of the week. I'm not sure if this means the operators have other things to do after 2:30 on those days or if they've figured out business is slow on those afternoons/evenings and it makes more economical sense to close. The unfortunate thing is I've walked past some evenings when the sign says they shoould be open till 10:30pm and the restaurant is closed. Reminds me of their predecessors Rico Burrito and Clover Creek BBQ never being open. Again the reason could be as simple that business slowed down and their was no point staying open if there were no customers. 10:30 is kind of a late hour for Cloverdale eateries.

Have an answer for missed garbage pick up on stat holidays for Cloverdale residents

Ah ha! I finally have an answer from the City of Surrey on what options are available for Cloverdale residents on missed garbage collection on statutory holidays when our pick up gets bumped to Saturday.

Harry Janda phoned to tell me they are going to implement one of my suggestions on their website and add the phone number for Emterra for missed pick ups on Saturdays. As he said even though no one at the City of Surrey is working on the weekend, Emterra is open and answering their phones and can dispatch a truck back for a missed pick up.

In the meantime he also suggested Cloverdale residents can phone him on his cell which he answers on weekends to assist residents 778-846-0597. His direct line at the city hall is 604-590-7208 but he's only at work on week days.

So I hope this helps for anyone in Cloverdale wondering what to do if for some reason the garbage truck misses your house to pick up the garbage can.

I still don't have an answer on the city's 10 days reponse time to their website's form and I'm still waiting for a response. Mr Janda does agree that 10 days is unacceptable and doesn't know why this has fallen through the cracks, though its probably what I suspect and that the city staff figures a missed garbage collection is going to resolve itself within the week the next time the truck swings by.

Honeybee Festival this weekend July 23 & 24 2011

I was driving past the Honeybee Centre on the northeast corner of 176th Street and Fraser Highway and noticed the sign says they've having a honeybee festival this weekend Saturday and Sunday July 23 & 24 2011. From 10am to 4pm

I'm not sure exactly what the festival includes. I checked their web page and got this link.

There still isn't a whole lot of infomation other than photos of honeybee festivals from previous years. People with bee beards, tasting honey, and someone bbq'ing what appears to be smokies. It has a link to click for their poster but seeing as how they didn't update it from 2010 it shows the dates and events for 2010. Not exactly helpful for 2011!

It says free fun and entertainment so it might be worth stopping in if you're in the area. I buy my honey here. Love the cranberry and raspberry honeys!

Our Tax Dollars at Work?

On Saturday July 2 I posted about a missed garbage pick even though the garbage can was out at the curb well ahead of scheduled pick up time.

Without rehashing my last post too much, I phoned the city's hotline to report the missed garbage pick up. No one was answering it on a long weekend. There was no option to leave a message on an answering machine. Only a warning that if you don't report a missed garbage pick up within 24 hours they won't be able to arrange another pick up.

Whenever there is a stat holiday in the week garbage and recycling is bounced a day back. For Cloverdale residents who get pick up on Fridays that means our pick up is on Saturday. Seeing as how city hall is closed on weekends it is a physical impossibility for Cloverdale residents to report a missed pick up within 24 hours.

I filled out their complaint form on their web page on July 2 and received an automated response that someone from the city would respond in 10 days.

Today is July 16, 2 weeks later, and I am still waiting for a response.

Our tax dollars at work!

I suppose the person at the City of Surrey decided that our garbage would be picked up the next Friday and seeing as how its 2 weeks later and there have been 2 garbage pick ups since then the problem has resolved itself.

Actually the problem resolved itself on Sunday July 3 when we took the garbage can to the dump in Port Kells, Wastech. I wasn't going to have a garbage can sitting out all week.

10 days response time is unacceptable to me for any business involved in customer service. Certainly by close of the next business day is the bare minimum most companies should strive for in providing acceptable response times.

I have now sent an email to Darryl McCarron who is the Manager of Marketing and Communications at the City of Surrey.

I have let him know I am still waiting a response from the city and have asked him if he thinks 2 weeks plus is an acceptable response time.

I have also asked him what options are available to Cloverdale residents whose garbage and waste pick up is missed on a stat weekend.

So now I wait and see if I get a response for him.

Will keep you posted!

Lining up at the Clova for the latest Harry Potter movie

I was walking the dogs through Cloverdale around 8pm on Thursday night when I noticed a group of about a dozen mostly teenage girls sitting in front of the Clova Theatre. They'd brought camp chairs with them and seemed to be having a good time. I was on the other side of the street otherwise I might have found out how long they'd been there.

And the wait? At exactly 5 minutes after midnight Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 will be playing.

The Blueberry Cannons are Warming Up

I heard the first blueberry cannon of the season yesterday. It was one huge bang. I heard quieter bangs a few more times yesterday and figured one of the local farmers must be putting their cannons out in their blueberry fields and testing them.

I heard the cannons again this morning. The only reason I paid attention was because there were several bangs within seconds of each other which is a violation of Surrey bylaws. I think they're allowed one bang every 5 minutes. But if they're setting them up and testing them I guess that's a different story. What are the farmers going to do? Stand around all day positioning their propane cannons and testing one every 5 minutes. I haven't heard those cannons again but I do hear some off in the distance.

Its probably just about time for those hungry birds to flock to the blueberry bushes. I have a dozen blueberry plants in my yard with decent sized berries on them and some are starting to turn blue. I pulled one off to try yesterday and it was sour. Needs a couple more days of sun which doesn't seem to be in the forecast for the next 5 days.

So how do I protect my blueberries from bands of marauding birds? Simple. I cover them with nets.

Some blueberry farmers do that too because of the impact to neighbors. I know Save On Foods was advertising last year that they only sell blueberries from farms that do not use propane cannons.

I say farmers have to do what they have to do. Nets over acres of blueberries is not a good option for many. It is expensive to set up and if the farm uses a mechanical blueberry picker it can be a pain taking the netting down so the machine can go down the rows. However some farmers have said these nets pay for themselves rather quickly.

I'ts my opinion, and this dates back to the mid-70's growing up in Cloverdale when the cannons first started firing, that the cannons don't work. The birds get used to the noise and stay in the field chowing down on blueberries.

Somewhere out there are some very good blueberry cannon salesmen.

Playing at the Clova from July 15 to July 21 2011

Playing this week at the Clova from Friday July 15 to the 21st is:

7pm - Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2

This is a first run premier and the Clova has to play it for 2 weeks and not have another movie showing the same night. So even though they only say the 21st, expect the movie to be extended another week until July 28 2011.

In an interesting move the Clova will also be playing the Harry Potter movie on Friday July 15 2011 at 12:05am, so get in line late Thursday night if you want to be among the first to see this premier. Admission to the midnight movie is $10.

Admission to the Clova is $8. Make that $15 if there are 2 in your party. Add another $4 for each extra person.

Steer clear of Gateways Learning Centre drivers

Today I was driving up to the YMCA near the Panorama Shopping Centre. Its the one on the hill going up Highway 10 just after the lights at 152 Street.

Today I was riding my motorbike which always gives one an interesting perspective on bad and dangerous drivers out there. I saw a car plastered with advertising for the Gateways Learning Centre. I was at a stop at the lights at Highway 10 and 152 Street. There were a couple of cars in front of me and a semi truck and trailer first in line at the red light. I was in the slow lane so I could change lanes on the other side of the lights in preparation for a right hand turn on 150th Street. Beside me is a lane for right hand turn only for people heading north on 152 Street. I could see on the other side of the lights that a semi truck was pulled over with its hazard lights flashing. You know the universal sign for I can park anywhere and block the lane while doing it. The driver was probably in McDonalds.

The car with Gateways Learning Centre pulled in to the right hand turn lane and disappeared out of my sight - blocked from the semi. I mean call my silly but I expect a car to be in a lane that says right hand turn only to actually be turning right.

Oddly enough when I got going up Highway 10 and pulled into the right lane so I could turn right ahead at the Y, I now saw the Gateways Learning Centre car driving a couple of cars in front of me and then turn into the Panorma Shopping Centre. Obviously the only way that car could do that was to drive straight through in the right hand turn lane and then change lanes in the intersection and cut off the semi who was first in line at the light because the lane was blocked with the other semi parked near McDonalds.

Again it just never fails to boggle my mind why companies allow bad drivers to operate their company vehicles and break the law.

Do I want to do business with a company whose employees thumb their noses at the law? Do I want to do business with a company whose employees are bad drivers? Not likely. That's why I do my own advertising on this blog about these companies and let people make up their own minds.

Gateways Learning Centre website says its in Abbotsford and they have franchise opportunities available. If I was in the market for going back to school and seeing how this company likes to illegally pass other vehicles on the right, I'd give this company a pass!

Adopt a Vizsla Mix Dog

Lita is our foster dog from Dogwood Rescue. She is listed as a Vizsla Weimaraner mix but I'm not sure about the Weim part. She has some characteristics of a Vizsla, head and tail, but she is a black dog and I think she may be crossed with a whippet.

She came from either Utah or Idaho. Ended up at the dog shelter because her owners got divorced and neither could keep her. They had her since she was a puppy so perhaps that's how they knew her breding to be a Vizsla Weimaraner mix.

Lita is an adorable dog. Very friendly. Gets along with everyone. Loves to snuggle. She will get up on the bed or couch to snuggle with someone so a home where dogs are allowed on furniture is a must.

Lita will need to go to dog obedience classes. She knows to sit. But not stay. She is very good at recall and will come immediately when called. She walks well on a leash and is smart enough to get herself untangled.

Right now she is being fostered at our house in Cloverdale. However we are undergoing renovations and she will be transferred back to Dogwood Rescue's operator in West Vancouver later in July. Please see her profile on Petfinder for more information.

More information on adopting Lita

Playing at the Clova from July 7 to July 13 2011

Playing this week at the Clova Theatre from Friday July 7 to the 13th:

7pm - Super 8

9:05pm - Bridesmaids

Last show lets out at 11:10pm. Admission is $8, stay for one or both movies. If there are 2 people price is $15. Add $4 for each extra person. Tuesday nights addmission is $5.

Wallace and Carey still bad driving

Almost a year after the last time I saw a Wallace & Carey truck run a red light, they've done it again in the exact same spot.

Tonight about 8pm I was at a red light on 184th Street and 16th Avenue waiting to head home to Cloverdale. It was red for about 10 seconds after I rolled to a stop. I watched a truck to my left barreling it along 16th Avenue. Just as my light turns green the truck rolls through the red light and I'm amazed to see its Wallace & Carey again.

I don't know if its the same bad driver that ran the red light before but if its a different one then this driver follows the same rules of speeding down 16th Avenue in Hazelmere and running red lights.

Here's a new flash. If you go the posted speed limit - 60km - that would give you plenty of time to stop when the light turns yellow and then red.

It just boggles my mind that companies allow bad drivers to drive their company vehicles that are well plastered with their name and give them bad advertising.

I don't know if its the same company or not but there is a Wallace and Carey in Calgary that sells Western wear. I bought one of their shirts at the Bay when I was at the Calgary Stampede a few years ago.

Oh well. Nothing like putting a bad driver behind the wheel of your company truck to give your company a bad reputation of red light runners.

Pancake Breakfast at Cloverdale Legion this Saturday July 9 2011

The Cloverdale Legion is holding their pancake breakfast this Saturday July 9 between 8am and 11:30am. Cost is $4.50 and that is for pancakes, eggs, sausages, coffee, tea, and orange juice/drink.

The legion is located at 17567 57 Avenue.

Greenaway Pool full of Swimmers Today

I drove past Greenaway Park around 2:00 today. The first thing I noticed was a huge lineup of people along the fence of the pool. There were a lot of people inside Greenaway Pool. So this tells me the pool was actually open for once during its posted opening hours of 1pm to 3pm. I guess they were about to switch for the next half hour shift. I'm not sure what the head count is but once its reached the lifeguards don't let anyone else in the pool and then they do half hour shifts for swimmers. At the half hour mark everyone has to get out and the people lining up are allowed in. Seeing as how the temperature was 26C when I drove past I can see why people were wanting to swim today no matter how cold that pool is!

Thoughts on Cloverdale's Canada Day 2011 Celebration

For the most part I stayed away from the corner of 64th Avenue and 176th Street on Canada Day. I heard the speakers and singers but it was too muffled for me to hear what was being said or sung clearly.

We wandered over to the Millenium Park around 8:30pm. When we got to the corner of 176th Street and 60th Avenue there were several traffic control people assisting pedestrians on the crosswalks. Traffic was still going through in all directions.

When we walked past the bus stop near the senior's centre there was a notice on it that there would be no bus service on July 1 between 10pm and 11pm but I don't recall where it said it was being rerouted.

There were also traffic control flag people on the intersection at 62nd Avenue.

We got in and found a spot in the park - standing - shortly before Trooper came onstage.

Now I like Trooper. I bought their Hot Shots album back in 1979 or 1980 whenever it came out. I've heard them before at the Maple Ridge fairgrounds about 5 years ago. I remember when I was younger and they had paper signs posted on telephone poles around Cloverdale advertising they'd be playing a concert at Lord Tweedsmuir or in one of the community halls in the fairgrounds. These are local guys from White Rock and Langley.

On Canada Day they were off. It took the sound team about halfway through the first song to figure out the lead singer's microphone wasn't working. Then they got it sorted out. It might have been better to leave it as it was. That singer just was not good. Out of tune. Or maybe his vocal cords have changed as he got older and he's not the singer he used to be. Maybe the sound system wasn't so good in a park that size. I don't know. I was disappointed after really enjoying them before.

Of course they wait until near the end of their set to play their big songs. We had already moved well back in the park by 10pm so we could get a quick exit. They finally played The Boys in the Bright White Sports Car. Off, off, off. Very sad. Just when you think it can't get any worse they bring Mayor Diane Watts onstage to sing Raise A Little Hell with them. No thanks. Very bad. We left.

Now it gets interesting when we make our way back to 176th Street. Traffic has been stopped between 60th and 64th Avenues. There are police vehicles at both these intersections blocking any traffic from entering this area. Conceivably people can drive out again because a lot of people have parked their cars in parking spaces accessed from 62nd Avenue. The flag people at that intersection were not doing a good job. They would not let any pedestrians cross at the intersection, on the north side that is. All everyone did was go to the south side and push the button. Not that they really had to push the button seeing as how no traffic was coming down 176th.

We walked on and got to the bus stop. 2 men were sitting on the bench. We asked if they were waiting for a bus. They were. We pointed out that someone had ripped the reroute sign off the bus post and said there was no service until after 11pm. They thanked us and asked if we knew where they could catch the bus. I said to try the bus stop about a block south or they might have to go to 58th Avenue.

Interesting at 60th Avenue. Not only was traffic not allowed northbound on 176th Street but no traffic was allowed east on 60th Avenue from 176th Street to at least the lights on 177B Street. Maybe all the way to Greenaway Park to get past the fairgrounds. I'm not sure. All I could see was that 60th Avenue was closed for aways. Again presumably to keep traffic out of the area while cars and pedestrians were leaving the Canada Day celebrations.

The flag people were making all traffic on 176th Street turn west down 60th.

Around this time a police car with its lights and siren on goes flying past us from the Millenium Park and heading toward Highway 10. A few minutes later on our walk we see the police car has stopped at the lights at the interesection of the former Cloverdale Mall. Its a little confusing. It is now the Cloverdale Bypass and if you head west the avenue is 58A and if you head east the avenue is 58th. Bottom line now the cop has stopped all traffic from continuing north on the Bypass/176th Street and the cars have to turn either right into downtown Cloverdale or left into subdivision hell.

That was where we were walking. Interesting how many cars took the subdivision hell option. They screamed down 175th Street to the Catholic Church and then like a bunch of rats jumping off a sinking ship they all followed each other to the right which dead ends into an alley that goes out at 60th Avenue. The problem is you can not turn left onto 6oth because there is a cement median blocking the turn. The only option from the alley is to turn right on 60th and find yourself a few feet away from the lights at 60th and 176th Street. Remember? The intersection that is blocked off for traffic going north on 176th and blocked off east on 60th. All these subdivision hell bound cars could do was turn right back down 176th and the Cloverdale Bypass. Right back where they started from. Didn't gain a whole lot doing that did they?

Now the fireworks start. We sort of walked backwards on the way home and enjoyed them. The fireworks stopped just before we got home.

And there you have it. My assessment of the last couple hours of Surrey's Canada Day Celebrations. The most interesting part of the night was caused by the street closures around the fairgrounds.

White Hotel update?

I was walking my dogs in Cloverdale this morning and saw 2 fellows up a scaffolding in front of the White Hotel on 176th Street and a 3rd man standing on the sidewalk. They were whitewashing the front of the building. One of the guys on the scaffolding dropped something and it crashed to the sidewalk. Then I heard him say he was going to throw down a hammer so I decided to play it safe and stop.

No, nothing else crashed down because he spotted me about then!

I did chat to the man on the ground and he said the building is owned by a friend of his who bought it from an older man not too long ago and they are renovating it. He said his friend is planning on selling it.

I managed to find out that there are 5 apartments in this building. Amazing because its not all that big. On the ground floor are the Sea Shanty restaurant and Danica's hair salon. I've been in the Sea Shanty a few times and I can walk in from the back parking lot and the restaurant extends all the way to the front of the street. I have never been in Danica's so I never really thought about it one way or another, just assumed it had a similar floor plan to the Sea Shanty. I guess not because the man said there is one apartment on the ground floor and 4 on the second floor. Those have to be tiny apartments. I'm pretty sure in the past when I noticed a for rent sign on the door that it said bachelor and one bedroom apartments.

So there's the scoop. Renovating it to put it up for sale. Interesting because it was supposedly renovated 2 years ago to attract a better quality of residents according to the sign that used to be on the door.

The man on the sidewalk must have been somewhat aware of the shady past because he called it a former crack house pit.

Oh well. Will be interesting to see what happens to it and if he has any success selling it.

Swimmers in Greenaway Pool! Sunday July 3 2011

Yes we finally saw swimmers in Greenaway Pool today!

It was around 1:30pm Sunday so if they were actually going by their posted hours this was a scheduled time for Greenaway to be open. There were 3 people.

Well it is a little cold today. The sun keeps darting in and out of the clouds and its windy.

Amazing I had my first sighting of someone in Greenaway Pool on a coolish day.

Why Didn't You Empty My Garbage Can?

Garbage, recycling, and garden waste is picked up in Cloverdale on Fridays. Unless there is a stat holiday during the week and then its picked up one day later - on Saturday.

The company who has the Surrey contract for waste management is Emterra.

We live on a corner lot and have 2 driveways. I put my garbage can, recycle bin, and garden waste on one driveway and my tenant puts her garbage can and recycle bin on the other driveway. No need for garden waste on that driveway because I put all the garden waste on my driveway.

Yesterday - Friday July 1 - my tenant put her garbage and recycle out a day early. I called down to her and reminded her it was a stat and the garbagemen weren't picking up until Saturday. Oh well. At least she wasn't the only one in the neighborhood forgetting the stat and putting out a day ahead.

This morning - Saturday July 2 - I put my garbage can, my recycle bin, and 2 garden waste bins on my driveway which is a side street. No exit road, about 15 houses down there.

Our recycling is always picked up first, then the garbage, and usually the garden waste doesn't get picked up until later in the afternoon. They have odd routes. They seem to go down one side of the road collecting and then the other side, and they go off the side strees as they come to them.

When I came back from walking the dogs I saw the garbage truck. In fact they were blocking the roadway picking up the garbage from the house across the street. They had about 6 garbage bags and garbage cans. A little excessive. I believe each house is allowed 2. No matter. The garbageman took them all and then went down the side street.

We went out then and were gone for several hours. By the time I got home clearly the entire neighborhood's garbage and recycling were done but the garden waste hadn't picked up yet. I grabbed my empty garbage can and recycle box and put them away and then went to get my tentant's. To my surprise the garbage can was still full. What's going on? The can was at the curb where it always is and nothing obstructed it. The recycle box had been emptied.

So I looked up the city of Surrey's website because I know there's a number you can call if your waste hasn't been picked up.

Here's the web page with the information.

Basically it says to call their hotline 604-590-7289 to report the problem but its not open on stat holidays. To further aggravate the problem it says if you don't report the missed collection within 24 hours you might be out of luck for getting the garbage rescheduled.

OK. I might not be good at math but seeing as how today - Saturday - was the scheduled pick up day and the city is closed on Sunday I won't be able to report the problem until Monday which puts me outside the 24 hour range. To make matters worse after sticking around on the phone long enough and listening to all their menu options, there is no option to leave a message on the answering machine.

I was forced to take the other option at filling out their online form for complaints so I did that.

I got an auto responder back on my email saying the problem could take up to 10 days to resolve.

Hunh? This is our tax dollars at work! And by the way, speaking of taxes they are due at city hall on Monday July 4. A 10 day response period is unacceptable. I would think most companies or government agencies should strive for a 4 hour response time or at the most 24 hours. Unacceptable!

10 days indeed! Our next scheduled pick up is next Friday - 6 days away. The problem will have hopefully resolved itself. In the meantime my yard looks slummy with a garbage can outside.

I will also phone in on Monday to city hall to let them know my garbage can is still sitting out at the curb. I will also try to find out what resolutions they have for Cloverdale residents whose collection is missed on Saturdays. It would seem logical that they would have a phone number on their website for Emterra where residents could call directly and say what's going on? My can was at the curb well in advance - and yes I think a day ahead of scheduled pick up is sufficient! - and your staff drove right past it. Well, I have to admit I did not see them drive right past it. I didn't see them at all other than picking up the across the street bags and cans and then go down the side street.

This is the first time we've had a missed collection other than a couple of years ago when Surrey switched to Emterra on January 1 and it took about 3 weeks for them to get all the garbage collected.

I'll post an update after I've spoken with the city staff.

Donairs in Cloverdale Update

I walked past King Tut's Donairs today - 176th Street near 56A Ave - and there is a "grand opening" sign out front and a bunch of balloons on the sign.

I peeked inside the window and I could see staff members behind the kitchen area but no customers inside. It was early though, before noon. They have 3 different combos you can buy for donairs and pop, running about $8 to $11.

I walked past Shannon's Donairs on 57th Ave a couple of stores down from 176th Street and they still are promising to open soon. Perhaps they're having trouble with permits or inspections. Oddly enough all their fridges and appliances have been pulled away from the wall and are in the centre of the restaurant.

Resurrecting the White Hotel?

The infamous White Hotel in downtown Cloverdale has been closed for about a year. Shortly after the police pulled a fugitive out of there after a few hours stand off the front door on sidewalk level and the 2nd floor windows were boarded up.

The street level houses 2 stores - Danica's hair and Sea Shanty fish & chips.

The building is about 100 years old and I guess many years ago it was a hotel. Even since I've been a kid its been living spaces up there. I'm not sure if they are bachelor apartments or 1 bedroom apartment or what the scoop is because I've never been inside. A couple of years ago the building's owner had put a sign on the door saying he'd renovated the building in hopes of attracting better quality residents.

Not judging by the fugitive hiding out there!

A couple of days ago I was walking the dogs past and noticed two men on a ladder/scaffolding changing the sign area. I can't really recall what was there before but they're putting up something very white. White Hotel? Whitewashed plywood type of thing. The front door was open and I glanced inside and saw the floor is a rather cheap looking laminate not placed correctly. Slapped widthwise across the hall instead of going lengthwise. I'm not sure what the reason was for doing it this way. Save money? Running low on laminate? Do-it-yourselfer who doesn't have a clue and didn't read the instructions on the box? It looks ugly, but I don't live there and I don't own it so its not my issue. Its a safe bet that whoever placed that floor doesn't live there either and doesn't care how it looks!

Anyway if that floor is any representation of what it looks like upstairs after renovations.....hmmm.

I guess after the fugitive issue the owner must have evicted all tenants or else they moved out on their own and the place has not been occupied for the past year. I don't know whether the last owner has since sold the White Hotel and somebody knew is taking it over and trying to get some revenue going again from the upstairs suites.

I do know it must be going slowly. Those 2 guys were back today again working on putting up that white sign. I'm not sure what's taking so long other than its overhead work and maybe awkward. The sign is only about 2 feet high and about 30 feet long and its in sections.

Oh well. I shall keep an eye out for a "rooms for rent" sign to show up on the door.

Playing at the Clova from July 1 to July 6 2011

Playing this week at the Clova from Friday July 1 until the 6th:

7pm - Green Lantern

9:10pm - Hanna

Last show lets out at 11pm. Admission is $8, stay for one or both movies. If there are 2 people admission is $15. Add $4 for each additional person in your group. Tuesdays is $5.

Getting the Millenium Park ready for Canada Day 2011

I drove past the Millenium Park in Cloverdale today when I had to pick up something at London Drugs across the street.

They're getting things set up. I saw several canopy tents. I saw a ferris wheel - kind of hard to miss that one its pretty tall! A few other midway rides are being set up. I saw the octopus - do they still call it that? I saw some food concessions, one selling chicken.

I heard the weather forecast on the news today - 50% chance of showers. Ha, I guess they're playing it safe! Have a 50% chance of getting that one right!

Might be a good idea to pack a light raincoat or hat. I would not recommend bringing an umbrella. In the past its been on the forbidden list for the Canada Day celebrations. Its kind of inconsiderate too with the amount of people present and everyone getting crowded together. Bringing an umbrella is sure to poke out some unsuspecting spectator.

What is on the forbidden list to bring inside the Millenium Park? Pets, BBQ's, alcohol, drugs.

Rush hour traffic jam in Cloverdale June 28

There's a bit of a traffic snarl in Cloverdale right now at the intersection of Highway 10 and Highway 15. It appears a semi truck and trailer rig were in the left hand turn lane on Highway 10, ready to turn onto the Cloverdale Bypass and head northbound. Truck stalled.

I heard it on the news so I walked the dogs over. What I saw was another tractor from the same company showed up to assist. They disconnected the trailer and left it there in the left hand turn lane and attached a chain or cable onto the stalled tractor. I guess he was planning to tow it to the parking lot of the old Cloverdale Mall. Light changes and they turn left. Except unfortunately the cable snapped. Sproing! I heard that!

The tractor has now stalled in front of both lanes of Highway 10 traffic heading west. Tractor has not blocked the left hand turn lanes heading south on Highway 15 nor the right hand turn lane that borders the Husky gas station. The crazy thing is drivers start honking. Hmm. I don't think that big truck is going anywhere. Want to get out and help push it?

The driver of the tractor that's mobile pulls over to inspect the situation. I guess there was no resurrecting that chain. He decides to abandon the stalled truck and circles around to collect the trailer that's still in the left hand turn lane.

I walked down Highway 10 and traffic is backed up as far as I can see. When I circled around Cloverdale I saw cars leaving Highway 10 at 176A or 177B Streets and making their way down 57th Avenue so they could get around the stalled truck.

The stalled truck was still there when I walked past 10 minutes later. Perhaps they should call a big tow truck?

Is Anyone Using Greenaway Pool?

I still haven't seen any swimmers in Greenaway Pool when I'm driving past Greenaway Park. Granted the weather has been a little cool but there have been sunny days, even yesterday was muggy though not hot and sunny, still would have been a good day to cool off in a pool.

And I did. I went to YMCA's pool!

According to the City of Surrey's website here are the hours that Greenaway Pool should be open:

Monday to Friday: 1pm to 3pm and then again from 6pm to 7:30pm
Saturday, Sunday: 1:30pm to 3:00pm, and then 3:30pm to 5pm, and then 5:30pm to 7pm

It also claims on Monday and Wednesday night from 7pm to 8pm its adult swim only.

I still say its hit and miss. There have been many times I've driven by the pool in summers past when it was supposed to be open but was empty. There are also times it was not supposed to be open and I saw swimmers in the pool. And not swimming lessons. Lots of people moving around and doing stuff not consistent with lessons.

So use those hours from the City of Surrey as a guideline but don't be surprised if you show up at Greenaway Pool and see the gates locked.

Its free to swim here so one might say you get what you pay for!

Canada Day 2011 Celebrations at Cloverdale Millenium Park

July 1 Canada Day is either a very good day or a very bad day to be in Cloverdale. About 100,000 people show up each year for the celebrations at the Millenium Park that is on the southeast corner of 176th Street and 64th Avenue. If you are not planning to celebrate - stay away from this part of town. Traffic is a madhouse! Sucks if you have to get into the Clover Crossing Mall. Don't even think about parking here and sneaking across the street to watch the action. The mall puts out big signs stating don't park your car here and leave. Several security officers are stationed in the parking lot ensuring that people who park their cars in the lot are going into one of the shops. They will call for tow trucks.

Admission is free. Festivities start at 10am and go on for about 12 hours. Click here for more information about Canada Day celebrations.

The headline act this year is Trooper! They will be on stage from 8:45pm until 10:15pm. I last heard them when they played at the Maple Ridge Fair about 5 years. They put on a very good show. Good enough that we plan to walk over to the park so we can hear them. We don't think we'll get close enough to see them clearly because the place will be packed but we like their music. We'll also get to enjoy the fireworks on our walk home because that's when they'll be set off.

So where to park? The streets east of 176th are packed with cars. The fairgrounds has some parking and today I saw a sign pointing at the fairgrounds for Canada Day Parking. I think they open the gates to the racetrack and park a lot of cars in there.

Just want to watch the fireworks? A lot of people bring a blanket and sit down on the football field at Lord Tweedsmuir. Another good spot we found was the parking lot of the old Shop Easy and I never remember its current name. Cloverdale Super Market? Its on the corner of 176th Street and 58th Avenue. Good view of the fireworks from there if you sit in your car. The shop is closed so you're not taking away patron's parking.

Enjoy your long weekend!

Free Pancakes and BBQ at the Cloverdale Legion Saturday June 25 2011

The Cloverdale Legion at 17567-57th Avenue is holding an open house this Saturday June 25 2011 from 8:30am until 4:30pm. They have booths and displays showing the Legion's history and part of this event is to recruit new members.

There will be a free pancake breakfast between 8:30am and 10:30am. If this is typical of the Legion's pancake breakfast, expect pancakes, eggs, sausages, coffee, tea, and orange juice/drink.

There will be a free BBQ between 1pm and 3pm. Menu unknown.

Playing at the Clova from June 24 to June 30 2011

This week at the Clova is the same as last week. June 24 to June 30 2011 is Bridesmaids and The Hangover Part 2.

See last week's blog for more information. Nothing has changed!

First Sounding of an Ice Cream Truck

I heard the first ice cream truck of the season tonight. Up and down the streets in my Cloverdale neighborhood playing the theme song from The Sting.

I guess summer has officially started.

Cloverdale Mall Development

Development signs have popped up on both sides of the former Cloverdale Mall on 58th and 57th Avenues.

I saw them on Thursday and I thought that was a little odd. You'd think they'd have had all this approved prior to tearing down the old mall!

The signs say retail space and living accomodations for 102 units. The thing that surprised me was this is to be a 5 story building. For some reason I thought it was only going to be 3 stories, same height as other apartments and condos in Cloverdale.

I guess the thing with having a 5 story building approved is that soon other tall building will follow suit. The same thing happened in White Rock. They only allowed 3 story buildings and about 10 or 15 years ago a tower was built and now there are several condo towers around White Rock.

But where could 5 story condos follow this new one in Cloverdale? East of the Cloverdale Bypass, 176th Street have seen several condos built in the past 5 or 7 years. I don't think there are any old houses left on that side that could be torn down to make way for condo development. Well, there are a couple of older shabby apartment buildings on 176A and 177B Street that could very well be torn down to build new taller condos.

But nope I think the next targeted area for new construction will be the west side of the Cloverdale Bypass. Already on the northwest corner of the Bypass and Highway 10 construction crews are preparing the ground for a new mall to be built there. Not an indoor covered mall that seems to be bad luck in Cloverdale. It looks like something similar to the malls in Panorama or Clover Crossings. Between Highway 10 and 60th Avenue west to 172 Street are several streets full of houses built after World War 2 and through the 60's. Sure a couple of houses are newer than that and on the other side of 172 Street is the area we call Cowtown because all the streets are named after cow breeds. They sprung up in the late 70's early 80's if memory serves me.

But if you take a look at the houses in the quadrant between the Bypass and 172 Street and Highway 10 and 60th Avenue many houses are one story bungalows. Most of them are in very nice condition and the house and yards are neat and tidy. Its a nice quiet neighborhood built in the days when people actually had decent sized front and back yards. On the flip side some of them are very obviously rented out. A realtor friend of mine told me the houses on the south side of 58th Avenue between 175 and 173 Streets are owned by developers. Well, there's one bungalow I think the owner lives in because it is well looked after. On the other side of the street everyone in the houses are renters, whether the properties are owned by developers or not I don't know.

I think this will probably be the next area targeted for a high density condo development once the site of the old Cloverdale Mall is underway. Oddly enough there is one new house smack dab in the middle of all these old houses that are rented out and it sticks out like a sore thumb. Its up for sale. $799,000. Probably at least $400,000 more than the surrounding houses. And what do you get for this price? 9 bedrooms and 5 bathrooms. Its a 2 story house. They had it up for sale a couple of years ago for $850,000 and it said it had 2 suites in the basement. I think that's one suite more than the City of Surrey allows. Also the house didn't pass final inspection because its water main has not been cut down to ground level. You know when you build a big honking house like that in an area full of run down smaller homes you better be sure you're building something you like and plan to live in for a very long time.

Anyway I think that builder just screwed up all the other home owners on that side of the street who rent their houses out and are hoping for the area to be developed.

I think if we come back in 10 years that section west of the Cloverdale Bypass will be full of new condos that are at least 5 stories high.