Vancouver, Canada - Olympic Memorabilia

I love to play Scrabble, but no one in my house will play with me, which means I don't get to do so as often as I'd like.  That changed when I started playing Scrabble on Facebook. There are two players with whom I've always got a game going, one in Vancouver, Canada and one in Louisiana.  Both are pretty good, and we're evenly matched.  Sometimes we play a word every couple of days, sometimes a word a day, sometimes a couple of words a day. 

[Side bar:  If you like Scrabble and have never read the book Word Freak, I highly recommend you check it out.  It is about competitive Scrabble and the year in the life of a journalist as he penetrated this wacky world.  The scores of professional players are far beyond anything I've ever even approached.  My highest score ever was 469; my biggest word score 88.  Professional players regularly score in the 700s and above.]

Oops, I digress.  Back to postcards.

When the Winter Olympics were on, I asked my Vancouver Scrabble buddy to send me an Olympic postcard.  And she did!  Not one, but four.  (Thanks, Kathie!)  She's pretty funny and I think if we ever have a chance to meet in the off-line world, we would spend a lot of time laughing.  Each of the cards has a funny message on it, but my favorite is that she signs herself as "the polite and friendly Canuck" on each one, knowing full well that this is how the world press kept referring to Canadians during the Olympic Games.

Campobello Island, New Brunswick

Campobello Island in New Brunswick, Cananda, lies just off the coast of Maine.   It is the home of Roosevelt Campobello International Park, which includes the Roosevelt summer home, seen above.  This international park is the only international park (as opposed to national park) in the world, being jointly managed by both Canada and the US.

I am fascinated by the four eastern most provinces of Canada and hope to visit someday (my bucket list is geting pretty long).  I want to see the tide change in the Bay of Fundy, eat scallops in a seaside restaurant in Nova Scotia, ride a bike around Prince Edward Island, and hike in Gros Morne National Park on Newfoundland Island.

This postcard was sent from my uncle to my grandmother, both of whom are long gone now.  When I found this card, I could hear his voice with a very specific intonation, saying "L.L. Bean".

British Columbia

Another card from a Postcrossing participant, this time from British Columbia. The sender is pointing out where there is a wine region of British Columbia ("start in Osoyoos and head up the Okanagan to Salmon Arm").

A postcard like this always reminds me of how much I don't know about the world. I am aware of British Columbia, I've always wanted to see Vancouver, but there's a lot more to the province than just its major city. The description from the website link above describes the Okanagan Valley as "begins in Canada's only true desert environment adjacent to the US border". I wasn't aware there was any desert-like environment in Canada, let alone adjacent to the US border.

The site also describes Ice wine, which is wine produced from grapes that are left to freeze on the vine before they are picked and pressed. Interesting.

British Columbia becomes yet another place to add to the list of places I'd like to see some day. This postcard collecting business can cause wanderlust!

Oh Canada!

I've never been to Vancouver before, and often get confused between Vancouver, Canada and Vancouver, Washington. Both are supposed to beautiful.