The new Sea to Sky Highway

Also know as the "Highway to the Whistler 2010 Winter Olympics" is finally finished. At least "our" section is finished.

It was a week or so after we got back from Calgary that the new section opened - but I am slow to blog - as usual. Most people in the world won't care that the 6 years of highway construction we have lived with is finally over - but for us it was a big exciting event! LOL

There is still a few small areas of the highway that are not yet finished but the major roadwork between Horseshoe Bay and Lions Bay is now completed. The highway construction began in September of 2003. So we have been driving on about 13 kms of highway that has been under construction since then. The highway was a two lane road that had to be changed to a 4 lane highway because of the Winter Olympics in 2010. We live about 90 km south of Whistler. The entire highway from Vancouver to Whistler was upgraded to a 3-4 lane highway - the entire 100 kms or so. Our section of the highway was one of the most difficult sections to be built and there was a part of the highway that was not able to be widened at all so a new highway was carved out of the mountain above the original road.

The first day that the highway opened Jim phoned on his way home from work to say he was driving the new highway. He came home and we took a drive together on the highway and I brought my camera and took some pictures. It was a beautiful sunny day and so exciting to be driving on a piece of road that we have been waiting for almost 6 years to be finished. I had been in for a walk with Jenny earlier in the day and had driven home along the old road at 2:30 and by the time Jim came home at 4:30 the new highway was open.



As you can see in the first picture the original road to the right is now an off ramp to Horseshoe Bay and the new 4 lane highway head up the hill instead of snaking along the side of a cliff right along the water. The original road was very winding and there were many, many car and truck accidents along this road. There have been a few times over the years that we were not able to go home because the road was closed due to an accident or a rock slide. This is the only road to get home or to the 2010 Olympics in Whistler.


The new highway is quite a steep climb up Eagle Ridge. Look at the brand new pavement!



Driving over the top and then you come down to the left of the Horseshoe Bay ferry traffic which now has to merge into you!!


And here is the view from the new highway - around the top of the hill. Isn't that lovely!



As you can tell the new highway has me pretty excited. It does make the drive a few minutes shorter - so not much of a savings in time but it is just such a nice drive now. Did I mention that we have been driving in a highway construction zone for 6 years!! Orange cones...traffic control people.... mega sized dump trucks.... sitting at midnight for 25 minutes while they blasted rock.... listening to them blast rock....driving over gravel and holes at 20 km hour.... Now you know why I am so excited :)))

Beading workshop

I loved the Beading workshop. Eileen Neill had so many lovely little beaded items for us to look and and get inspiration from. It is amazing how simple the stitches really are - a few basic stitches - back stitch - stop stitch and a few others.

I started a little piece when I was at the workshop but I didn't like the first few beads that I put on it so when I got home I ripped it out and started again.

My little Dear Jane table has temporarily turned into a beading table. I - of course - bought some beads, containers for the beads, thread, and some other bits and bots. I could see beads getting a bit addictive. They can be almost as pretty as fabric!!




This is the little piece I am working on at present. I had put some blue beads on at the workshop but they were too big and bright. I may add a few of them on at a later time. This is a 5 inch square of batik - made into a little "quiltlette" There is still a lot more to do on it yet.



See the lovely little beaded edge on it. So easy to do. I am going to put a bunch of fringes on the bottom and beads around the other three sides.


This is the Macro setting on my new camera - always fun to play with.


I can work on it more tonight while the Canucks play the St. Louis Blues in the 4th game of the series. The Canucks are up 3-0 in the series. So the St. Louis Blues need to win the next 4 games in a row - or they are eliminated. So I hope the Canucks win tonight. It has been exciting to watch some playoff hockey - it has been quite awhile since there has been any good playoff hockey in Vancouver. So sorry to all you St. Louis fans.

Knitting needle roll

Before we went off to Calgary I made a little knitting needle roll for Jessica. She has taken up knitting and has been busy making scarves and blankets and such. I didn't post about it before we left because it was a surprise.

I made it out of Laurel Burch fabric. Perfect fabric for Jessica. I included the collection of knitting needles that I got from Jim's mum.



It was a pattern that I found online. Very easy to make up and I might just make a few more.



Love the cats!! I love Laurel Burch fabric. I have a great collection and it was nice to find a good use for some of it.




All rolled up with a couple of black ribbons.

I am working the next two days and then I am going to a beading workshop with Eileen Neill on Saturday. I am quite excited about this workshop. If you go the the website and click on the Beading picture you will see what I am going to be making. It is really cool! I have always wanted to do the beading embellishments on quilts but have never been brave enough to figure out how to do it myself.

I have made up my little "quiltlett" and I am all ready to go! I hear she is a wonderful teacher and I have seen her fabulous collection of beads she had for sale at our Quilt show last September. So I plan to take lots of money with me to the workshop!!

Wish me luck!

A few more really cute pictures of Hunter

Here is Hunter with his Grand Dad - wearing his Canucks Jersey. Like a good grandson he favours the Vancouver Canucks over the Calgary Flames!! Go Canucks Go!!! Boo Hiss Flames! Grand Dad says there are still a few seats on the Canucks bus for Uncle Shane.



Here is Hunter with his little walker. He is so cute pushing the walker all over the room. He crawls very, very fast and he loves to stand up. I find it amazing how fast he can walk with the little walker. He doesn't yet walk on his own. He can use the walker to pull himself up and then walks all over -- just too cute. He just loves the walker. It plays music and he reaches over the handle and pushes the little music button and then dances to the music.



Here is his new little birthday chair. It is so cute. It is just the right size for him to sit and then it talks - reads a little book, sings songs, counts and plays music. I sure don't recall all these cool little toys when Jessica was a baby. He is very serious here -- wondering when Nana is going to stop taking pictures!!!



And of course a bath picture! I just love the bath pictures. He is just so darn cute in the bath. I would bath him all day!

Happy Birthday Hunter!!

We are back from Calgary and I have lots of birthday pictures - so many it is hard to chose just a few. We had a great time.


Jessica and I made Hunter's Birthday Cake. It is fun to be ONE!!!

Jessica made Hunter his own little cake to eat. I don't think he was too sure about the whole cake thing - although he quite enjoyed the whole Icing thing!!


Here he is with his Nana and Grand Dad.


He had just a ton of presents to open. His little pal Lorelie gave him a drum set.


Isn't that just too cute ---- a Rock star in the making!! He sat there for quite the long time on his drums - drumming away. His uncle Eric would be proud!!