The thing I love about living in the West End is that once you walk in a block from the bustling Robson or Davie Streets the sound of cars and crowds turns into lawn mowers and birds chirping. Green grass grows in small corner parks like urban savannas while sunbathers find a level surface on which to stretch out and avoid the game of frisbee being played over their head. One of such metropolitan refuges is Barclay Heritage Square and one of its main features is Roedde House.
Roedde House at 1415 Barclay was built in 1893 for Vancouver’s first bookbinder, Gustav Roedde. In 1927 the house was sold by Gustav Roedde in 1927 to H.W. Jeffreys and it later became a boarding house called the ‘Oehlerking Rooms.’
The City of Vancouver bought the Gustav Roedde House [in 1966] and made it the centrepiece in what came to be called Barclay Heritage Square, bounded by Barclay, Nicola, Haro and Broughton Streets in the West End, and which features nine historic houses built between 1890 and 1908.
In 1990 the restored Roedde House Museum opened its doors for community events and tours. Having done many tours of Victoria during our girls weekends, I’ve become pretty familiar with the architects that formed our big coastal cities in BC, however I had no clue that there were murmurs that Francis Mawson Rattenbury built Roedde House. Rattenbury being the designer of the Vancouver Art Gallery (former Court House) and Victoria’s Parliament Buildings and Empress Hotel [VancouverHistory].
John and I have yet to make our way over to Roedde House for a tour (Tuesday to Friday, 2:00pm to 4:00pm), or even Sunday tea (served from 2:00pm to 4:00pm) but it’s definitely on our list of things to do. They also do group tours by appointment, lecture series, musical evenings special events, and you can book the entire house for a small dinner party at a per hour rate.
Since my mother’s birthday and Mother’s Day are so close together in the month of May, I figured a consolidated post wouldn’t make me look too cheap, would it?
Reasons for not writing on the subject yesterday include the fact that my mom was out of the country and wouldn’t have been able to read this anyway. Instead of writing out some sappy words I’ve decided to include some photos, sort of a visual aid to demonstrate just how far John and I have come.
In short, we wouldn’t have been able to get from here…
To here…
…Without the love and support of two ladies, whose strength (and patience) is that of a super-human.
Now for the sappy part… John and I are both the youngest our families and are really close with our mothers – who I think both refer to us still as their “babies” to friends, family, and that lady at the checkout in the grocery line up last week. While our older siblings were off at school we’d chill with our moms during the day, I’d like to think that I was my mom’s sidekick during those years. You know we’d hang out, go to the store, take a bus to see Oma and Opa, and I’d pretend to nap while she watched All My Children.
We might not get around to saying it often enough but our moms are the bee’s knees and while one is only a few cities away and the other is across the continent, both never leave our hearts and thoughts.
The people I have featured in my What The Surrey or Surrey File series are not your stereotypical products of Surrey that other Metro Vancouverites or Canadians tend to imagine.
I’m extremely proud to have been born and raised in Surrey and the people of the city are hard-working, dedicated, determined, unbelievably driven and intelligent individuals. A prime example is Paul Hillsdon, a high school student who will be running for City Council in 2008.
Over the past year or so, as my projects have come and gone I’ve become frustrated. I developed policies and plans to fix many of the problems I encountered in daily life. I created the South of Fraser Transit 2011 proposal because transit is lackluster out here. I created the Surrey Cycling Initiative because biking anywhere wasn’t a safe or viable transportation alternative in my city. I created the Transit Metropolis Vancouver vision because I wanted to be able to move around the region quickly, comfortably, and cheaply. [Paul Hillsdon]
I first discovered Paul after he found me, leaving a comment on a blog post of mine about transit in September 2007. I’ve been following his projects since including my current favourite, Civic Surrey. We then met in December at TransitCamp Vancouver [PaulHillsdon][Miss604].
Paul is also the brains behind numerous transit and sustainability initiatives and proposals in the region and by running in the municipal elections, I think we’re all hoping his well-researched ideas come to fruition. His platform revolves around four pillars: Sustainable Development, Green Spaces, Transportation Options, and Vibrant Communities.
According to the Surrey Now, “If successful is his bid, it’s believed Hillsdon would be the youngest member to ever hold a seat on council.”
You can find all of this information and more on his campaign site, PaulIn08.com which contains a blog on which you can ask him questions. It’s times like these I still wish I lived in Surrey, but I’m pretty sure I could get my family members to rally for Team Hillsdon (at least they better!)
If you would like to support Paul’s effort consider clicking on that donate tab on his site, writing about his efforts on your blog (or newspaper… or talk about him on your radio station) and look for his name on the Surrey City Council ballot this fall.
Due to family business this morning (which always comes before the blogging world) I had to miss about 85% of DrupalCamp Vancouver.
The good news is that John was here all day and the first words out of his mouth when he saw me were, “whoa! there’s some really cool theming going on.” This leads me to believe he’ll have much better wrap up posts than I will so I’ll simply syndicate some information and pics.
Big thanks to the folks at So.Cial for the delicious sandwiches at lunch (x126)
DaveO worked very hard to supply Drupalists with cozy, organic cotton and bamboo t-shirts for DCV08 and I must say, they are super comfy.
VIDFEST (Vancouver International Digital Festival) 2008 is fast-approaching and I’m just now beginning to comprehend how many elements, conferences, galas and events all fit under its 4-day festival umbrella.
The Vancouver International Digital Festival is an event for the top creative minds working in digital media. Join visionaries from games and digital entertainment, Web 2.0, interactive design, animation and mobile applications, at this annual ‘must-attend’ in Vancouver, Canada. [VIDFEST]
Here is some more info from their “core facts” sheet:
VIDFEST 2008 is presented by New Media BC and runs May 21-24 on Granville Island. Venues include the Granville Island Hotel, Arts Club Theatre and the Emily Carr Institute
Nexon North America is bringing Wired Magazine’s Chris Anderson to VIDFEST 2008 to deliver keynote speech on the economy of “freeâ€
There are several local webby companies up for PopVox Awards and anyone is encouraged to head to the website and vote for your favourite in categories ranging from Best Digital Animated Short, Best Mobile (Game) to Best Do-Gooder site (Social Change Initiative) or Homegrown Award (Best BC-based Venture).
May 21st – VIDFEST and VIGS Opening Reception at the Vancouver Art Gallery
May 22nd – International Partnering Forum (IPF) and Convergence 2008 (featuring my panel, yay!), then Happy Hour
May 23rd – Creative Exchange Conference (featuring speakers such as Heather “Dooce” Armstrong and Chris Anderson of Wired with the Keynote), Schmooze Lounge and the PopVox Awards
May 24th – Pitch ‘n’ Play and Recruiting Fair
There’s a TON of action going on having to do with all facets of digital media. You can purchase single tickets for Chris Anderson’s keynote, or daily passes for each of the mini festivals within starting at $50 for the PopVox Awards ceremony only, going up to $375 for VIP, and $875 for a joint pass for VIGS and VIDFEST.
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