Auburn Val U Inn

The vast majority of people rave about Vancouver, often saying it's one of the best cities in the world. However, my friend Donna arrived there in January and hated it, and for better or worse, I usually trust her opinion. I was trying to go into this with an open mind though, and I had a good start when I checked into one of the best city centre hostels I've ever stayed at. I think it used to be a hotel, as the dorms were so ...

... enjoying the exhibits. Zachary would have been going berserk here, "Fish, fish, fish!!!" We then walked up to the Pike Street markets. This is a huge area with a great variety of stalls. The fish area was great with huge legs of Alaskan King Crabs as well as Dungeness crabs and salmon, halibut and a great variety of fish. We then wandered around the shopping area. This city has character and is a place iin which I would like to live. It is ...

... every quarter hour. Today we drove from Vancouver to Seattle without much incident. We had to wait an hour in the queue to get through US Customs. The crossing was marked by a Peace Arch surrounded by pretty gardens. Again found it difficult to find motels near the city. During our drive through the city we drove past the port area of Seattle which looks very interesting and we are looking forward to ...

... to see Don's First Pitch! (And the car was taken care of.) And when we all got to our seats and talked, Debra had a chance to learn about Huntington's Disease and Don's trip to New York to raise awareness of HD. First thing Monday morning, after Debra got a chance to discuss it with Mr. Kellar, we got the happy call about the largest single contribution of the HD campaign. Hallelujah and Amen!

... the way we strolled down to Pike Place Market which is a big fish and vegetable market, with lots of other bits and pieces thrown in (doggy pampering products, the first Starbucks shop). Then we just went for a bite to eat in our next door bar and had an early night to recover after the train. Yesterday then, we walked all over the city, went down by the harbour and Pioneer Square which is the oldest part of Seattle. We then did the obligatory and went ...

... some Good News, he'll give you some from his pocket-sized New Testament. That's how he became known as America's Pacin' Parson. Don's current cause is Huntington's disease, a devastating hereditary, degenerative brain disorder for which there is, at present, no effective treatment or cure. One out of every 10,000 Americans has HD and those affected by HD often face discrimination both on the ...

Don's signature Bible verse is Psalm 37, verse 23: "The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD: and he delighteth in his way." (KJV) This seems an appropriate dedication for the caricature artwork that arrived today and we've installed on our homepage at www.pacinparson.org.

... or pets, and I work for a company that gives employees a three-month paid sabbatical when they've reached the ten-year mark. I've also spent way too much time in the last, um, let's call it several years renovating my house, sometimes treading the same path to the hardware store three times in the same Saturday. I need an adventure. A few years ago, I saw an article in National Geographic's Adventure magazine about a tour to Shipton's Arch, the world's tallest known ...

... in their pocket, purse or fanny packs. Fanny packs say "Rob me!" Those people are like insurance for us because they will get robbed before we do. 2. If anyone approaches you on the street uninvited and starts talking to you, be suspicious - This may sound paranoid to some but we can't stress the rule enough. Strangers don't just walk up to us on the streets of Seattle and start talking to us all friendly, doling out ...

... relaxed. I was open to new people and new experiences. I anticipated wonderful and I got something even grander. The tired it took was worth the memories I've got. The tired goes away. The memories never will. The dreaded tour-bus. Not my first choice for seeing the world. But, limiting as it is to be stuck with a "20-minute glance" and someone else's decision on where to stop; it's better than flopping on the couch at home, fearful of stepping ...