30 March, Blenz Coffee, Nelson & Granville, Vancouver, Canada – 12:32pm

Two short flights, stopping over in Denver for an hour and I've left the sun of Texas and arrive in the rainy cold North west of the United States. I've been to Seattle several times before and it's always been good weather so it's almost good to arrive to what they'd consider to be their typical rain filled climate. I'm staying with my family-in-(soon to be ex)-law and it's really good to see them all again, and who doesn't like to be greeted with a combination of minute weiner (dachshund) dogs and strawberry shortcake.

Spend a day just catching up on family news, relaxing and enjoying some tasty codeine as a remedy for a cough which is a combination of Peruvian flu mixed with too much Texan whiskey. On a Monday morning we do a 200mile road trip north, through the cool college town of Bellingham, over the Canadian border and up into Vancouver, British Columbia. Myself and my sister in law, Shelby, have lunch with some of her Canadian friends, Matt and Lyle, before she heads back south over the border, abandoning me in the land of maple syrup, moose and chips with gravy and cheese curds (poutine).
 

Matt, mandolin player from Headwater, Vancouver, Canada

 

Spend the rest of the afternoon, wandering around Stanley Park, hoping it won't rain and watching all the cyclists, runners, swans and raccoons wander past me. Obviously, where else would I go on my first night in Canada, but a nightclub, Hawaiian themed, playing music from the 60's with Shelbys friends. But we had a great time and I get back to my hostel (HI Hostel, Vancouver)in the centre of town not too late. It's good to be in a hostel that offers more than bread and jam as a breakfast, so I fill up on bagels, cereal, muffins, coffee and orange juice before heading out to shoot the canadian band I had found.

A couple of hours, hanging out with Matt, Jonas, Patrick & Tim, of the band headwater, taking some photos and making some acoustic session videos, followed by a lunch of an amazing pineapple/chicken sandwich. After lunch, I head off to the Vancouver Art Gallery, which isn't huge but has some great modern art and a great exhibition by Ken Lum.

For the first time in two months, I decide to go to a cinema as I need a good relaxing evening and all my hostel is offering is various pub crawls. Surprisingly, I enjoy the Matthew McConaughy film, The Lincoln Lawyer, despite the people around me having to put up with my persistent coughing throughout the film.

Headwater, Vancouver, Canada

Wednesday morning and I'm now in a coffee shop, drinking an overpriced, but good, gingerbread latte and awaiting the return of Shelby to pick me up and bring me back into the USA where I'll be spending the next month and a half traveling down the west coast and back through texas on the way to Nola for the jazz fest at the start of May. (that's New Orleans to you and me)