Canada, eh?

Last week, I went to Vancouver, British Columbia for a few days on a trip for work. Vancouver is nice -- my only real complaint (other than the fact that Bryan didn't get to come) is the incessant rain. When we asked when it would stop raining, the locals would say with a straight face, "March or April, usually." Uh, ok.

Below is a view of Vancouver from Granville Island, one of the big tourist attractions there.

These are houseboats. Literally -- boats that look just like houses. I guess when it rains 8 or 9 months out of the year, you adapt.

When I checked into the hotel, the woman at the front desk informed me that I got a room with a "mountain view." She was very pleased with herself for bestowing such an honor, so I was anxious to see this alleged "view." I got to my room and laughed, because the clouds and fog were so thick, I could have had a room with a "compost heap view" and not know the difference.

I took the picture below just before I left for the airport. Of course, because I was leaving, the clouds lifted a bit. If you look really hard, you can almost see the mountains.

The funniest part of the trip was the ride back to the Vancouver airport. The cab driver asked me where I was from and what I do. When he found out I work in Congress, he proudly informed me that he was an American, and had moved to Canada several years ago. You have to ask yourself: What sort of person leaves the U.S. to become a cab driver in Canada???