What's Going On In Vancouver

Just a brief update:

* It's barely over a month since we moved into our north Vancouver neighborhood. The house now has a new roof and I'm still finding roofing nails in odd places like the shrubbery and slats between deck boards. No bare feet outdoors.

* A duo of frogs has taken up residence by the fish pond in our backyard. At first, their "ribbett riddee" sounded quite charming. Now we're getting a bit tired of the constant barrage from their froggy throats. But the funny part -- Murphy thinks a HUGE creature must be making all that HUGE noise -- so when the frogs start up their nightly chorus, he rushes outside to see if he can ambush monsters. If he only knew; these frogs are hardly an inch long!

* I saw my nephew Austin play in a rugby game yesterday. Rugby rules are still unclear to me. But how can the bottom person in the pile (I think it's called a scrum) survive all that squishing?

* People actually say "hi" to strangers here on the street. Almost fainted the first time that happened, after living in Germany for four years.

* There is no good English word to substitute for stau (traffic jam).

* I found some potential walking partners and take my first walk with them tomorrow morning. Yes! After several months of hotel stays and restaurant food, exercise is a priority. Unpacking boxes might fit into the category of aerobic exercise, but I need a little more intensity. Plus it's fun to talk and walk.

* That's all I can think of for the moment.