Chanterelle 101

Friends of ours took us out mushroom picking on Sunday.  This is one thing I had never done in my 20 years of living in Squamish.

After mid-morning lattes and thick slices of apple cobbler we set off in search of the gorgeous chanterelle.

A mere 3 minute drive from our house and we were in the woods.  This is one of the things I absolutely LOVE about living here.

Into the forest....

First we got a tutorial in what a chanterelle is and what it is not by our resident expert.

The mushroom whisperer.

Chanterelle on the left, not a chanterelle on the right.

I wasn't too successful in identifying a chanterelle.  I found lots of mushrooms.  And a few times I thought I had bagged one.  But the elusive fungi eluded me for most of the morning.

 Not a chanterelle.

Not a chanterelle.

Not a chanterelle.

 Definitely not a chanterelle.

 Not a chanterelle.  But this fungus looked positively floral, causing me to comment to my fellow pickers, "Fungi are flowers of the rainforest."

Of course, Joe found chanterelles.

Finally!  I found some chanterelles!  With help, of course, from Mr. Mushroom himself.

So proud.

Happy hunters.

And then there's this guy.

Lunch!

Thanks everyone for a most enjoyable morning.  Let's do it again soon.

"She's Been Working On The Railroad..."

Waiting for passengers on the Rocky Mountaineer Train

Paige came 'home' last night to spend the weekend with us.  

Her seasonal job as a host on the Rocky Mountaineer Train ended this week after 6 months of incredibly hard work.

Her job involves making sure thousands of tourists from all over the globe have a fabulous time while riding in her coach.  Serving drinks, food, and basically catering to the never-ending needs of her guests.

And most importantly, teaching her passengers about the plants, animals, waterways, topography and history of British Columbia, Canada and the railway that tied them together.

Pyramid Falls which can only be seen from the train.

Paige loves her job.  She's been doing it for three years now.  She is very good at it.

And nothing makes a parent prouder than a happy child doing what they love.

Paige gets mentioned in poems guests write for an onboard poetry writing contest.

"Paige she is our leader, she sure can run a train..."

Paige has many hand-written notes pushed into her palm by very grateful passengers as they disembark.  Tears have been shed by both parties during fond farewells.

"Paige, you have a truly amazing personality..."

And how great is this?  Mentioned by name in a passenger's glowing review on TripAdvisor?!

I have always been extremely proud of Paige.  But when total strangers instantly recognize those strengths, traits and qualities in her?  That is when my heart swells.

Paige, you do your mother proud.

Great Britain By The Numbers

I was scrolling through our holiday photos today and was struck at how much travelling we were able to cram into 39 days while in the United Kingdom.  Here are some stats from this trip (in no particular order):

Total miles travelled by air:       10, 446
      
Vancouver to London return:     9, 418
Bristol to Dublin return:                  404
Bristol to Edinburgh return:           624

SO EXCITED!

Miles travelled by car on the opposite side of the road:  1, 800

Not only did Joe have to drive on the opposite side of the road, but he had to do it in a right-hand drive vehicle and shift with his left hand!

Miles travelled by train:  266

Victoria Station, London

Number of photos taken by my trusty little Lumix camera:  2, 729

Countries visited:  4

England

Wales

Ireland

Scotland

Hedgehog sightings:  1

Weeks spent with my sister and brother-in-law:   2

Number of times Kevin mowed the lawn: 1

Number of wild horses who thought they were a parked car: 1

Number of tea rooms visited:  6

The 'Old Schoolhouse Tea Room' in the village of Abbotsbury, England.

Number of pubs visited: 34

Temple Bar in Dublin, Ireland

Number of meals Joe cooked using Heinz beans:  3

Number of times Joe almost got run over in the streets because he was looking the wrong way:  5   

London, England

Number of scotch eggs eaten at the beach:  2

Number of times Joe was seen dancing on Edgware Road in his shorts and loafers:  1

Number of dogs begging for a bite of my supper:  1

My little friend Buster.

Number of 'Sausage, Bean & Cheese Melts' eaten:  0

IMPROVED RECIPE!

Number of bets placed on the royal baby's name:  1

Joe put 5 pounds on the baby's name being Beatrice.

Times we rode 'The Tube':  0

Pounds spent on high tea at Fortnum and Mason:  127.13

Number of monuments we climbed to the top:  1

Sir Walter Scott monument in Edinburgh, Scotland

Number of boot sales we attended:  2

Number of English coasts we visited:  3

North Devon Coast

 Jurassic Coast

South Devon Coast (aka The English Riviera)

Number of Canadian friends we met up with:  2

 Me and Julia

Joe and Stephen

Number of meat pies eaten with gravy, mashed potatoes and mushy peas:  12

'Take-away' steak and ale pie at Gabriel's Wharf in London.

Number of hikes in the Quantock hills:  3

On our way to the 'Blue Balls Inn' in Triscombe

Number of postcards sent:  42

Number of times I went 'butt-surfing':  1

Number of cricket injuries:  1

Just seconds after this photo was taken, Joe went diving through the air (Superman style) in hopes of beating the ball back to the wickets.  He landed on the sand with a thud, knocked the wind out of himself and sported some painfully bruised ribs for a few weeks afterwards. 

Number of clothes dryers in England:  0

Number of 'hop-on hop-off' bus tours we went on:  5

Number of bunnies Joe shot and killed: 13

Number of Banksy murals I posed with:  1

In the 'lounge' at Roger Wilkins' cider farm in Mudgley, Somerset.

Number of naps we took in public spaces:  1

Snoozing in Saint Patrick Cathedral Park in Dublin, Ireland.

Number of times I swam in the Atlantic Ocean:  1

'Big Mama' diving in at Meadfoot Beach, Torquay, England

Number of mementos and souvenirs purchased in charity shops:  9

Number of apartment rentals gone wrong:  2 (out of 3)

Glitch #1 in Dublin, Ireland

Glitch #2 in Edinburgh, Scotland

Number of apartment rentals gone right: 1 (out of 3)

Our apartment building on Edgware Road in Central London

Number of Oscar Wilde statues in Dublin:  1

"We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars."

Number of Irish friends Joe made:  1

In the Temple Bar area of Dublin

Number of near-concussions from walking head-first into trees:  1

Here's Joe nursing his sore head and trying to fix his sunglasses after walking (head down) into a HUGE tree limb at Montacute House.

Number of Roman baths visited:  1

Bath, England

Weight of our luggage leaving Vancouver:   80 lbs
Weight of our luggage leaving England:     150 lbs

Pounds of Danish butter confiscated by Canadian customs officer:  4

Number of happy travellers:  2

Another fantastic trip abroad.  Another wonderful opportunity.  We are already thinking ahead to next year.  Perhaps a home exchange in Ireland?  We'll just have to wait and see.