Maui

After arriving overnight, driving in the dark along the coast to find the Ka'anapali Villas where we would be staying we finally got to glimpse the beauty of the island of Maui. Far left is Donna overlooking a place where whales can be spotted. Unfortunately we were too early in the season to see them.

Left is a lava rock beach close to Makena Cove, south of the island where we were 3 days from sealing the deal.

Below, some trees behind Makena Beach where I was ambushed by a Mosquito and Donna standing on Makena Beach.

See these photo's on Facebook

Coffee Anyone?

How do you like the new blog? I decided to disenfranchise the blog from AAF website and we originally experimented with Wordpress.

Although Wordpress has great customizable features, it's a bit restricted so we've gone for the old Blogspot domain.

We’ll continue to post images from the Maui trip and the Wedding of course, but this is going to allow us to move beyond and merge it with our current activities at a later stage.

We're Moving!

No, not physically, but our 'Maui Wedding' blog discontinues at this address from here on!

Some people have voiced concern that they are unable to access at this server, so to make it more easy (especially for those a little more technically challenged) we have moved to a new domain and created a new blog:

Saturday Morning Coffee

All the posts here have been transferred over to SMC and the photo journey will continue whilst we bring the blog screaming into the present.

This Maui Wedding blog will remain here for the meantime. But update your shortcuts lest one day you find this blog disappears!

Flying Cattle

We finally set out from Vancouver airport on 24th October, Gina is pictured above, at the check-in. I guess we were all so excited about going that we didn't think that the taxi ride to the airport would get us there so punctually. As you can see in the picture the place looked a bit empty. At first we thought it was going to be a quiet flight....until we realised that we were about an hour too early. We were there before the check-in desks were even open. Now that's excited.

Anyway once we were finally on the flight we realised that this holiday chartering business was not as comfy as one would like. The 5 hours on the flight with WestJet felt longer than the 8 hours from Heathrow to Calgary with Air Canada. WestJet were cheap, so cheap that they even felt they could charge us extra for in-flight video entertainment. The only problem is if you didn't want to pay you still had to face the video screen that had been installed on the back of every chair, blinking away an advertisement that bragged the advantages of buying the rights to view more then the advertisement itself. In the end the dumb video was out of order anyway and no one would get a chance to sample the fine array of movies they would've had to offer. Gina found a better use for the back of the chair in front of her and simply fell asleep. Nice one.

View the photo's

The Evil One

I am at soon to be sister-in-laws apartment in Vancouver (or Hongcouver as it's popularly known).

Why am I wearing rubber gloves whilst checking my email? That would be said sister-in-laws cat, Zooey, or, as I liked to call... Sauron.

Sauron is a man-hating cat. As soon as I entered the apartment he made his feelings heard with constant hissing. I didn't get any photos of Sauron, he skulked around the apartment and kept his distance.

Little did I realise he was plotting and biding his time before he pounced. The next day when, Gina left to go shopping, he saw his chance to strike, whilst I was lying on the couch I suddenly felt a claw scratch the back of my head- and there he was- hiiiisssss.

Attempts to shoo the little critter, and grab the scruff of his neck resulted in the first of many injuries inflicted by critters during this holiday. Eventually I was left no choice but to arm myself with broom, rubber gloves and boots. I didn't manage to get him out on the balcony where I could hang him, so instead I got him into the bedroom.

He tried messing with me again only once, but it was short lived.

Till we meet again psycho devil cat.

Photo's on Facebook

Sasquatch!

First the grizzly and now this guy! Someone must have radioed ahead and told Snow White I was coming to Canada for the first time... because Snow White then got on the blower to the bluebirds, and the bluebirds spread the word to the rest of the forest to be on the lookout for me.

This one didn't talk much, but he was used to having his picture taken and offered to pose like he was just caught sneeking out to the liquor store.

Actually I think we actually had caught him sneeking out to the liquor store. Mrs Foot was not pleased.

Here's a nice view of some valley at sunset which is quite beautiful. This was just before we entered the (teehee) desert. Yes folks apparently Canada has a desert...

Photo's on Facebook

Uncle Bob and Aunt Dora

Here's a picture of Donna's Aunt and Uncle. Bob even managed to smile for the camera, which I'm glad about, because he truly is a funny guy to be around.

Bob has a dry humour which the Canadians tend to have difficulty with. The truth is there are probably a lot of Brits that would get offended by Bob, but all I could do was laugh.

Aunt Dora is a born again believer, but Bob isn't a Christian, he's kind of anti in a way. So please pray for him everyone.

I've given it a lot of prayer, I'm going to come back one day and bring a missionary team to Trail to stay with Bob and Dora and try to win Bob for Christ.

I know he'll appreciate it once we get him saved... Jesus loves you Bob!

Trail, home of 'Fluff n Stuff' and The Colander!

Here is Donna with Aunt Dora outside her church, the Family Worship Centre, Trail, BC. Below is a picture of the street the church is on. You can just make out on the photo (if you zoom in) that the church is right across the street from Fluff n Stuff: Adult Boutique!

It brings to mind the childrens hymn we sang at first school:

"Cross over the road my friend, ask the Lord his help to lend..."

Indeed. Your own jokes in the comments please...

We stopped here overnight to visit with Bob and Dora, Donna's aunt and uncle and we ate, ate, ate. It started at the infamous Colander. Here they just serve you spaghetti, meatballs, chicken and potatoes till you can't reach the table because your gut has pushed it further away during expansion. I have to admit though, it's great food!

Comments Anyone?

I'm taking off the private message function at the bottom of the page.

Instead, at the end of each post there is a link which is unhelpfully titled "0 comments" which then incrementally increases with each comment left.

Just click on the link and leave your message in the box, for all to see, including Wes and Donna. This way, it's just easier to respond to specific posts (and correct me for being an ignorant Brit).

Happy commenting!

Cranbrook to Trail

A turn-of-the-century mill grain elevator in Creston, which is pretty cool. I wonder if Canada has laws like England that list protected buildings? A country as large as Canada would probably be able to do it and still look good, in contrast to England, with lots of small crappy buildings and crappy streets which have trouble accommodating 21st century transport and housing development.

Below is a stream that runs parallel to Highway 3. I have no idea where it was we stopped. But I just had to get a shot. Raw, natural beauty.

Wild mountain goats we ran into on the Skyway between Creston and Trail. I think the largest free roaming animal we have in England is a badger or a fox (we do have boar apparently but they are rarely spotted). You would never see goats mountain sheep, moose or bears roaming wild around the English countryside, so to see it is breathtaking.

And they just don't care, they don't run away, they just ignore you as you drive on up, pull out your camera and start taking shots. I actually have these guys on video so when I work out how to edit it on the puter, I'll upload for all to see.

Edit (16/5/07): Doh! Elsie wrote to correct me:
"Sorry Wes More editing ! Donna is not doing her job. The buildings in Creston are not mills, but grain elevators. The pictured animals are not goats but Rocky mountain sheep. We do often see goats on that route, but those were sheep."