Vancouver

Tomorrow we are heading up to Vancouver - the site of the 2010 Olympics, and the draw that will cast the media spotlight upon Bellingham (the closest US city to the south) and turn our beloved town into the next Mecca for retirees and anyone else looking to relocate to a city with seven months of drizzle. And if that doesn't entice them, then the multi-hour border lineups will certainly work. Basically all businesspeople here are banking on the effect of the Olympics on Bellingham. I personally like this town the way it is, and see no real improvement in the quality of life being enhanced by more sprawl and pavement and tacky architecture. If our city has trouble operating responsibly on what money it has, why would anyone think this problem would be solved by the need to offer more services on incrementally more revenues? But I digress.

Busy day, and looking forward to taking the train into Vancouver. The train ride is about the same amount of time I've spent sitting at the border, so relaxing and looking out the window should be quite pleasurable. I haven't taken Amtrak in years. And the round trip price is only $42, about the same amount I'd pay in gasoline. And what price can one put on inept border guards and the tedium of driving the same stretch of highway with the same angst-ridden drivers? The train should be a good time.

Oh, and the picture was downloaded from the internet. Definitely not the weather for Vancouver tomorrow. Clouds and rain tomorrow, and a bit of sun on Sunday. I won't be writing until Sunday, as my computer shall remain stateside.