12/23, Saturday. Sunny, cold. I rented a car and drove to Canada via Sumas/Abbotsford border crossing to avoid delay. Cut off to Hwy 9 via the southern shore of Lake Whatcom. Looks pleasant. The short stretch between Park Road + Hwy-9 junction and Saxon on Hwy-9 is more scenic, thanks to the Twin Sisters. The flat farmland around the border has view of Canadian mountains as well as Baker. Colder.
I planned to go to Golden Ears, but about 10 km away, a sign said that the park is closed, so I drove to Pitt Meadow instead. I walked around Alouette River south of the golf course. There were a few people walking and a couple of dogs. One guy on bike. The dikes are dry, even with snow on the slope of the dikes. The small river was frozen on the top. Saw one bald eagle, 2 herons, many ducks and geese. Very pretty with blue sky and red branches. Took me 1.5 hours to complete one loop.
Dinner was at some friend's house. A potluck. Way too much food.12/24, Sunday. Cloudy, still cold, ~-2°C. Dragged two grandfathers with me after lunch to Pitt Lake. Without the blue sky, everything looks bleak. I'm surprised to see a few people also brave the chill and came out for a walk. Quite a few birds. 4 Canadian Geese walking on the lake.
7 of us had a casual raman meal at Smoking Pig. Later in the evening, 9 of us ate up the Buche de Noel.
12/25, Monday. Rain and snow occasionally. Yet another cake.
