Visiting Family in Vancouver

September 29, 1982

When Mui’s Aunt Leman and Uncle Faruk traveled from Turkey to Canada to visit their son, Rıfat, we took the opportunity to see them in Vancouver, British Columbia.

Left: A Roundtrip 360-mile (576 km) trip to visit family.
Right: View from RIfat’s apartment on Beach Drive.

We even managed to squeeze a bit of sightseeing into our day-trip.  First, we went to Queen Elizabeth Park, a former stone quarry that is home to beautifully landscaped gardens and the Bloedel Conservatory.

Later we walked around Gastown, a neighborhood that dates back to 1867 when “Gassy” Jack Deighton canoed in with a few barrels of whiskey and opened a saloon.  Though the city that grew around the saloon was destroyed by the great fire of 1886, today’s Gastown rose from those ashes.

Live steam winds the weights and blows the
whistle of the clock that sounds the
Westminster chimes on a regular basis.

For those intrigued by Gastown’s most famous landmark, here are some scans from the brochure we picked up on that trip.  (Click the images for larger, legible versions.)

 

Despite our best efforts, we have not managed to get back to Vancouver, but it is high on our list of places to return to.

Visiting a Friend

September 17, 1982

For a few years, Moyra and I attended the same school in İzmir, Turkey — the American Collegiate Institute (ACI).  As two Americans attending a school whose charter was to provide American-style education for Turkish girls, we bonded immediately.

Moyra left after junior high to attend a different high school, and eventually returned to the US.  I stayed on at ACI through high school, completed my university education in Turkey, and got married before moving to the US.  As luck would have it, we both ended up on the West Coast — Moyra in Oregon; I in Washington.

On one fine fall day, Mui and I drove to Portland to meet up with Moyra and her husband, Don.  I have to admit I was nervous on the way there.  Though we had corresponded in the interim, it had been ages since we had seen each other.  My concerns were for naught.

This is one friendship that has survived distance and time.

Trojan No More

September 17, 1982

On our way to Portland, Oregon to see a school friend of mine, we made a detour at the Trojan Nuclear Power Plant in Rainier.  Though it’s long been mothballed, the plant was operational at the time we visited.

On our way to Portland (blue marker), we stop in Rainier (yellow marker).

Graphic depicting the recreation area near the power plant.
[brochure scan]

The 499-foot (~150 m) high cooling tower was demolished in 1996.
(glimpse of the reactor dome to the left)

After that detour, it was onto Portland ...

Cousin Rıfat

September 15, 1982

Mui’s cousin had moved from Turkey to Canada before we were married and made the move to the US.  Though we were planning to visit Rıfat in Vancouver, British Columbia, our first opportunity to spend time with him was when he and his girlfriend (Lorraine) came through SeaTac Airport.

We lost Rıfat to cancer at the young age of 50.  May he rest in peace; or as they would say in Turkey, “Allah rahmet eğlesin” (may Allah grant him mercy).

State Fairs

September 1982

Early fall found us visiting a few state fairs … for fun in once instance; to man the KCPQ-TV booth in another instance.  Not that the latter precluded us from enjoying ourselves.

I still prefer Coke over Pepsi.
Evergreen State Fair, Monroe

Keeping company with Bogart and Monroe.
Western Washington State Fair, Puyallup

To this day we fondly remember the fresh-baked scones that were served with clotted cream and strawberry preserves at the fair in Puyallup …… yummmmmm.