Mom and Dad,
A few more pics!
I went for dinner with Candise the other day, her kids are at her ex’s parents in Alberta for three weeks so she packed up her minivan with a sleeping bag and a cooler and went for a three week drive, we grabbed dinner while she was packing, she’s currently in Peachland and is exploring interior BC.
Went for dinner Thur night with Nahanni, Kurtis’s sister has started a wine tour company in Kelowna and has been so swamped she asked K to come there and help drive the van for a week, so I’ve been keeping N entertained while he’s away.
Friday was the start of Pride Weekend, the whole idea of gay pride and of looking out for those who might get stepped on due to different sexual or gender ideas, etc, is all pretty new and fascinating to Samira, she really wanted to check out at least one event so we went downtown to Robson Square for a public dance and drag show, it was really fun, the drag queens LOVED Samira and we ran into some friends as well. Turns out my friend Shannon, who I have known for a long long time, grew up in Rosetown.
At Pride, the best picture ever taken of someone offering me gum, lol.
After the Pride Public Disco Sharmin messaged asking what we were up to and if we had eaten so we met up for dinner Friday night. While I am still sad that Sharmin and Kiyan couldn’t work out their differences I am also kind of thrilled at how she has exploded into single life, she is dating and exercising and is really just bursting with energy.
Breakfast the morning after, lol. Saturday morning and we’re moving a bit slow. Samira lives next door to The Cambie, the oldest bar in BC, it’s about 10 years older than Vancouver itself and the building is a protected landmark, unfortunately the bar itself isn’t and the owner just lost it in an ugly divorce, there is a campaign to find a way of getting it to stay open as Vancouver is extremely lacking in such landmark old places but I think it will close. Because of that we have been popping in there more often, especially for breakfast, it’s a special place and somewhere that always makes me feel very relaxed and comfortable.
Rae and her partner Graham just moved in together, after years of saying they never would and bought a place a block from Samira’s so we called them up to join us. Rae is from Winnipeg originally and is so much like me in thought and action that she refers to us as “astral siblings”. I know I cannot travel with many people and put up with them but when Rae joined me in New Orleans for a week two years ago it was clear I would never have an issue with her.
After breakfast on Saturday I went home for a nap and then it was my friend Rob Curtis’ 40th so we had a party in the park, about 40 of us and blankets and music and BBQ.
Luana and Samira.
I’ve mentioned Lu before, she’s married to my friend John, the geologist and diamond mine guy that you two met at Geoff’s BBQ (the baldish, handsome guy). John and Lu live a little further out in the suburbs and have two little girls so we don’t see them as much anymore but I love love love Luana, she’s very Brazilian, very thoughtful, quirky, smart and interesting. She’s currently a sex educator in schools but would like to open some sort of sex clinic at some point.
John and Lu have two daughters, Catie and Sofia, this is Sophia who, about 6 months ago, informed her parents that she wants to be an actor, they made a few cautious phone calls and with very little effort Sofia has booked three commercials already and on Saturday came from a fitting for a fourth.
This is Michael, and his four sons. I have mentioned before that for some reason our group has picked up several Mormon refugees over the years, like Candise (it really really does seem like an ugly and warped church is many ways), Michael and his sons are the latest additions, all 5 of them are sweet and artistics and soft and adjusting to life outside the church.
After the birthday party a few of us went to an Indian restaurant because my friend Mike Lee and his family have been going to this place for 40 years and it’s closing so Mike convinced the owners that on their last night they should let Mike spin some records (he’s a DJ) and have a little party. It was wonderful, it wasn’t a place I had eaten at before and the food was great, they aren’t sure if they will reopen or not but they have to close because their rent increased by $16k a month as they are downtown (the rent stuff is completely ruining the downtown).
Nahanni, the owner Raj, Tyler, Mike and Kurtis in the background playing the music, Mikes parents.
It’s Sunday morning now and I am at work catching up on some things, tonight Fan and a few of us are going to the Night Market, I’ll get some pics there too.
Love you both,
D
A Bit Gone 