Frankie goes camping.....

What a great weekend to go camping! My brother Sam and his wife invited us along, and while Rebecca and I lodged overnight in a nearby motel, Frankie and grandma slept in the trailer.

But what caught our eyes was the camper his friend Glen has: it is a motorbus converted into a mobile home, nearly 500 sq ft of living space on board, with all the amenities of home.

The next day, we visited the world renowned Cathedral Grove national park, which houses the old growth forest with some of the oldest trees on the island.

We returned home the next day and Frankie went to work at picking blackberries from grandma's yard. Harvest comes early on the westcoast as fruits are ripening by late July and early August.

Frankie's cousin Jessica and her husband Matt taught Frankie how to make blackberry jam, and we brought home a jar of this wonderful homemade concoction.

A Canadian wedding

A beautiful Canadian summer day for a wedding!

The groom, Eric is a pro golfer, born in US to Taiwanese parents. The bride, Melissa is a daughter of our good friends Jennifer and Whyte, here in Victoria.

A classic!

When I moved to Taiwan in 2009, I left my beloved vehicle to my brother Barry. I bought it in 1990 and had it for 20 years. Thru years of neglect, it needed a lot of TLC.......

Well, one year later, Barry had brought this 1984 Porsche 928 back to showroom condition! It is simply gorgeous. No details have been overlooked. It drives just like when it was a baby, and looks brand spanking new. Porsche stopped production on the 928 many years ago, and a nice set of wheels like this is definitely a collector's item.

I'm glad it stayed in the family and what a job Barry did!

Beautiful Victoria, city of gardens.

That is correct. Victoria is called "city of gardens" for our world famous Buchart Garden, and the distinctive floral landscape lining every street in this English influenced town named after Queen Victoria. I don't know why my grandpa picked this city as a permanent residence, but he sure made an excellent choice.

Victoria is at the southern tip of Vancouver Island, named after George Vancouver who was supposed to be the discoverer of this Pacific island, about the size of Taiwan. Climate is moderate with single digits in the winter and reaching the teens in the summer. Its generally cool, breezy, and misty. Best months are July, August and September with day time temperature in the 20s. Victoria had the largest Chinatown in Canada at one time due to the arrivals of laborers from China in the 1800s, all of them landing here first before being sent to various parts of BC to fulfill their obligations. My grandpa was one of them who came here in 1910 at the age of 18.

O Canada!

This is my first update since coming home to Canada.
We just celebrated our national birthday, but the weather has been dismal so far. I miss the heat of Taiwan. Its between 10 and 18C here most days and that is worse than winter in Hualien! Its great to see mom, relatives and friends. Its also great to play music with our band again.

So far I am maintaining my weight loss, although I have gained 2 to 3 lbs since coming home, which is expected. I sweat much less here, eat more, and sleep more.