Hwy 99: Sea to Sky Highway North from Vancouver BC

A couple of weeks ago I decided to have a leisurely breakfast at home

It was a plate of ketchup garnished with some eggs and bacon.   I didn't want to head out without having something in my stomach.   I bought a "new to me" camera and today I was looking for photos, so I stopped at Britannia Beach

I have been here before and never have I been here when the Mountain WoMan has been open

This used to be a Company town and was the site of a large copper mine .  It is now home to the BC Mining Museum  (read here)    Behind the General Store there is a small creek and this footbridge

so naturally I walk over to the other side and see if I can find any photos .  Here is what the mine site looks

like now.  It has been restored and they give mine tours

soon I arrive in Squamish and notice another photographer snapping a photo of that mountain,  Black Tusk (I believe),  except that today it looks like White Tusk (info here).   And who do I see walking across the

street walking my direction.  Must be one of the locals.  I am a bit early for lunch so I walk up and down

the main street and look at all the stores.   I even get a chance to relax and watch the world go by.  I can't help myself.  I have to stop at this shoe store and look in the window, such an original name

The main street isn't very long.  I am about half way down the business district and looking south

This is Cleveland Street,   the main street in Squamish.   It was here that I finally found the Chicago Barber

shop.  If you live in Chicago and you can't find the Chicago Barber, then here it is.  I found it for you.  Alive and well here in Squamish BC

While I was walking my sandals didn't feel right so I looked down and found that it was coming apart

The glue had become detached.  I know these sandals are old but they have been all across the USA and back.  They have been to Montana and Hells Canyon, Oregon.  They have been to PEI and they have walked the streets of Kingston.  I try pushing the strap in but it keeps coming off

So what to do except to continue over to the Harbour (Government Pier)

It is a nice day and I notice another snow covered mountain in the background

There are not many people walking about, perhaps it's early.  I notice the stores don't open on Saturdays until around 10am, and most restaurants open at Noon.  I stay here for a while looking for more photos

and a self portrait or two

I notice the time and soon I head back to Cleveland Street where I wait for my friends.  We decide to have lunch at a BBQ place and I was still a bit early so I made friends with one of the local natives.  Of course, just as I was arriving HE took MY SPOT.  It was one of the few benches in the warm sunlight.   I was setting up my camera and he offered to move out of the way, but I told him that I wanted him in my photo.  Meet Donald (Donnie for short)

We were talking about this and that and he asked if I could spare some funds for a coffee.  I asked him how much was a coffee, and he said "$5.00" .   I said coffee's are sure expensive up here but I did help him out

Soon thereafter, my friends arrived.  I am sure you already know ScooterChick and Christos, also known as Scootard.

They had never been to this restaurant before so we gave them a try

Here is their board menu

    Chris (Scootard) & Pat(ScooterChick)

It's been about a couple of years since we had enjoyed a meal together, but last time it was at the Howe Sound Pub

Notice that they're foodies too and often snap photos of their meals.   After our lunch I mentioned that I had to go to the shoemaker down the street to get my sandal repaired.  They decided to tag along as Pat was

 

also looking for a longer handbag strap

The shoemaker takes my sandal and glues down the strap

While she negotiates for a custom made strap

Here they are coming outside.  It looks warm in the sun but it is cool in the shade.   And here's Marchello

My shoemaker.   He only charged me $7.00 ,  either that or I just go barefoot.  I wasn't sure I wanted to put any more money into that old pair of sandals which should be thrown away anyway, except they bring back so many good memories, and they are moulded to my foot and fit like a glove

Chris and Pat really are foodies.  We just had a filling meal and only walked down the street, but now it was time for a coffee break.  (Thank you again Chris)

Often times he can look too serious.

and here's ScooterChick, she's the one holding the camera


The weather here in Vancouver is virtually like Spring.  My bike is insured and ready to ride except that somehow my foot swelled up again.  For the past two days I can barely walk.  I have a manual transmission in my commuter car and I can barely drive to work.  Sometimes my foot throbs just doing nothing.  I have done nothing strenuous.  I am watching my diet and trying to eat all the right foods: apples, bananas, salad, no pop and mainly water.  In fact I have also been losing weight.  I was down to 179.5 for one day, and I was under 180 lbs for two days in a row until I started to have hamburgers again.  I gain a couple of pounds but today I am back down to around 180 lbs.

I tried to self diagnose by doing Google searches.  It's hard to find exactly where you fit in and after a while you think the worst or presume you have something worse than what it may be.  This has happened several times now and the last time I humoured the Doctor and went for all sort of tests, and Xrays and the result was, they don't know.   They prescribed Celebrex and that was that.   The last time I had this swollen attack was just before iMBC2012 when I thought I wouldn't be able to ride.   So for now all I can do is to hobble around and just look at my bike wishing we were riding somewhere, instead of just sitting in the sun with my foot above my heart.  It may have something to do with my lack of circulation or maybe you shouldn't believe everything you read on the internet