Lotus Land beckoned and we responded. Staying at the Sylvia Hotel on English Bay never gets stale. Cathy and I arrived in Vancouver with our ultimate goal to board VIA rail and head back to Saskatoon after filling our tanks with family visits and spring wanderings among the flowers and blossoms.

An early morning walk boarding Stanley Park netted an abundance of bird sightings interrupted by the occasional snowstorm of pink Cherry blossoms.

A rather furry tree lump that appeared to this old woodworker to be an interesting burl gave an unexpected twitch as I was watching it. Upon further examination the tree burl transformed into a sleeping Racoon.

The presence of a Great Blue Heron Rookery came as a complete surprise as I saw these long legged gangly birds, so at home standing in two feet of water or flying with their long necks tucked into a tight S, landing in trees with bills laden with long sticks ready for creating nesting infrastructure. This rookery is protected and is an important resource for the preservation of this amazing bird.

We are now in Seattle visiting with Peter, Yasue and Kenny. Our time here is always full of fun, family and great discussions around a table laden with delicious food.
The blossoms in Seattle are at their peak and made a big show in Peter and Yasue’s yard.