Coming from Vancouver where the streets get lined with pink cherry blossoms every spring, it was kind of a depressing shock to find that there were very few cherry blossoms in Toronto.

... but once you know where to find them, cherry trees aren't that few and far between in this city.

And the city just planted a bunch in Trinity Bellwoods. I can't wait to watch those trees grow over the next few years!

squamish meet up

Trainer extraordinaire, Katherine and I met on the internet through our love of beagles and working with dogs that have 'issues'. Through our blogs we learned that we (including Andre) were into positive reinforcement training and that we also have dogs that require a bit of extra care.

Last year our schedules didn't mesh, but this year I made sure to contact Katherine well in advance and to ensure I could meet her cute beagles and herself in person!

She took us to some magical places in Squamish that I never even knew existed in my 25 years of living on the west coast.

10 year old Daizy!



Duke was too excited to stay still for even a second for a photo - this shot is a good example of how he was during most of our hike.

Thanks Katherine for sharing your beautiful hiking spots with us! I hope we can do it again soon!!

ork posters

i finally did it (now that vancouver is part of the ork poster line-up).

an ochre vancouver and a black and white toronto neighbourhood poster are on their way to the hashimoto-yeu residence! aren't they cool?

i like how there is just one designer behind all of these city posters and that she even turned down offers from urban outfitters and macy's to ensure she builds a business and not just sell out. read about designer, jenny beorkrem, in this toronto star article.

once i get them framed, along with my 'there's always room for ice cream' poster, i'll take some photos and post them up. finally, after 2 years, we'll have some artwork on our walls!

spring time in vancouver

as we are definitely enjoying summer in toronto, i was thinking back to how i really got to enjoy springtime in vancouver this past april/may.

when i arrived, the cherry blossoms were in full bloom (満開 = mankai) and i finally got to see my beloved tree-lined streets all pink and happy for the first time since i left vancouver. what an absolute treat.

then as the cherry blossom finished my mom's wisteria started to bloom and i was lucky enough to enjoy these beautiful flowers during my stay as well.

i was definitely in flower bliss.



other vancouver highlights:

• hanging out with b and the extra week we were able to have in vancouver, thanks to the icelandic volcano (which allowed andre, b and dom to hang out!! such a treat)
  
  
• i ran the vancouver sun run and beat my goal by 8 minutes (i finished the 10km in 1 hour and 7 min)
  
  
• spending time with my grandma
  
  
• living with hannah and chris a week before their wedding
  
  
• myae and i reading our teenage diaries together and realizing just how boy crazy we were ...
  
  
• seeing lots and lots of friends and wanting to become a hermit after
  
  
• beatles rock band with my fellow high-school era beatlemaniacs
  
  
• unearthing the beatles mural lori and i painted 14 years ago
  
  
• stuffing my face with awesome asian food
  
  
• as mentioned earlier, biking in vancouver with my honey
  
  
• but most of all, family
  

bike lanes are growing all over the city

.... my bike specializes in the nitty-gritty
new york city never had an equality, it's reality
economic duality
sci-fi wasabi - cibo matto

i'm so jealous of bike riders in vancouver. the city is literally glowing with bike lanes and bicycle awareness. if a street isn't a designated bike lane, more often than not there are bike icons with chevrons painted on the street to remind drivers to 'share the road'.

when i was just planning my trip to vancouver, i asked one of my bicycle road race friends if he'd be up to do critical mass with me. his response was that vancouver doesn't really need critical mass to create awareness because people actually took the long route and went through city hall to create all the bike lanes that exist in the city. that being said, he was still up for 'the mass' because a lot of cute girls seem to always show up.

anyway, we didn't end up doing critical mass due to rain, but i now know what it feels like to cycle in a truly bike friendly city.

so now, how can we get this kind of bicycle infrastructure in toronto?

hannah and chris' wedding

it was a fun celebration and a yummy luncheon. most importantly the bride and groom were happy with how the event unfolded and seemed to really enjoy themselves.

my amazing mother sewed the bridesmaid dresses and with the help of my aunt (who is a flower arrangement teacher in japan) arranged all the flowers, bouquets and boutonnieres.

and myae did the makeup!



she had maybe 3 hours of sleep at this point - but looks pretty nonetheless!



he is almost always this happy - seriously!



me and oba-chan (granny).



the talented make-up artist and her father.









i took a whopping 500+ photos - of which 50% aren't very good, but after uploading them all i can't be bothered to change the privacy levels. so if you'd like to view the photos email me and i'll add you as family on flickr!

2nd toronto girls' cupcake ride and other bike news

i've just sent out an invite to the 2nd toronto girls' cupcake ride. ... i hope more girls come out this time!

my other bike news is that while in vancouver, andre and i both scored awesome 80's roadbikes. for me this is especially exciting because it's a boy's bike with a straight top tube that i can straddle ... and it's super light. i love it! also, andre's bike is triple butted (meaning the frame is skinnier in parts to make it even lighter).

although, i was super sad to have andre take my new bike back to toronto (i wanted to explore more of vancouver on this bike), i am really excited to see how the fixie conversion and transformation will turn out. did i already mention that this bike is the lightest bike i've ever ridden!

next up, a bike report about biking in vancouver. *sigh* bike lane network in vancouver, how i absolutely ADORE you. why does the bike lane network in toronto suck so much?

princess park, north vancouver

we have been meeting up with quite a few doggy friends, although sadly i don't always have my camera with me.

today, however, i was prepared with my camera when duke and i met grace and dave (the humans) and zuzu and hampton (the puppies).

cute zuzu (top photo) is very much hampton's (the beagle) older sister and is very protective of her little baby brother. adorable hampton is very much a puppy, but is also quite the gentleman.

we had a great time playing fetch and hiking through the beautiful princess park in north vancouver.

thank you to the puppy jones crew for being great hosts and fun playmates!!

click here for a full set of photos.

i've been a bit busy

... but i have a back log of photos to share so i hope to start posting more regularly soon!

time for a little recoup

we've arrived!! ... and here duke is taking some well deserved rest.

after duke helps out as the welcoming committee for my sister's bridal shower, we'll contact some beagle people to meet up!

escape!

i'm heading back to vancouver soon and the homeward bound countdown has started.

i will be going back for 5 weeks and andre will join me for two of them. i'll be taking duke, but sadly especially since we are still looking for a home for petey, he will be staying here in toronto.

the aozora team will be reunited on the westcoast as well. i think a post that is co-authored maybe in order.

can't wait to drink in the moist, coastal air, to be surrounded by greenery and to take rambling walks in my old hometown with duke.