What happens when there's a note under the door?

Well, today dawned cloudy, but since it was supposed to clear up we decided to walk the entire sea wall trail in Stanley Park.  We also decided we'd walk to Stanley Park, then back by way of lunch at Tanpoppo - our favorite sushi restaurant in town.  

So, we took off from the condo at about 10 am and headed NW into Stanley Park - a truly beautiful park, akin to Central Park and Golden Gate Park.  Anyway, we passed along through bikers, rollerbladers, and a myriad of other people out and about enjoying the wonderful setting.  The weather continued to clear as we walked, making frequent out of the way stops so Lee could geocache.  The walk itself is 9 km - or about 6 miles - and is a complete loop around the Stanley Park peninsula.  We went off the beaten path several times, once to avoid being in some wedding pictures, another time to check out the "Artists' Circle" and the artwork for sale there.  Thought about you, Joanne, on that one.  Watched water dogs chase sticks into the low tide, and an artist who set up rock cairns that were spectacular - I'll post pictures of those later.  There were tons of paddlers in the water in outrigger canoes - Lee got pictures for you, Jeff.  With all the offshoots, we walked about 9.3 miles (not kilometers!).

About 2 pm we got to Tanpoppo's for the $12.95 all-you-can-eat sushi lunch.  With that, and a pitcher of Granville Ale, our tired legs were able to make it back to the condo to start getting things ready for tonight's performance of King Lear at Bard on the Beach and for our departure to Powell River tomorrow morning. Lee stopped at the bank, while I went to get bread and a few Lush items, and then we met back at the condo.

Lo and behold:  there was a note under the door of the condo when I opened it.  It was from the man we are renting from, saying "Bad News - your car was broken into around 4:30 this morning.  A police report has already been filed, but please call them and follow up."  Sure enough, someone had broken in the rear driver's side window and taken a few things - like Lee's cell phone and about $100 in cash stashed away.  So, Lee mainly spent the next 1.5 hours calling ATT and AAA to get things taken care of - canceling his cell phone, trying to arrange to have a new window put in so the car can be locked up.  Therefore, no King Lear tonight.  Not about to chance getting the car stolen because it can't be locked with no window.  Oh well, better to lose out on a play than lose a car - which, given our luck so far on this trip, would probably happen.  About now, I am wondering what we did earlier this year to warrant such bad karma.

Other things I've noticed around this city have been interesting.  Their taxis are mostly Toyota Corollas and Priuses.  Lee took pictures to show you, Lou.  The fashion sense here is not like San Francisco - anything apparently goes.  Delene would be having serious issues with many of the fashions we've seen - she is the fashion police these days.  They do like their beer - but it is expensive.  We went to the BC liquor store last night and had an eye-opener:  stuff we pay $10 for at home sells for more than twice as much here.  And our economy sucks so much that the conversion rate of dollar to looney is 1:1.  Unreal.  

Since most bad luck and deaths come in threes, we hope that this is the end of the string of bad luck - we head out for Powell River in the morning about 8:30 and hope to have a new window in within a couple of days.  The weather is supposed to be clear, and hopefully we have a safe place to park at the B&B in Powell River, although more to keep the critters out of the car than thieves up there.