Woodwards Department Store, remember the first $1.49 day?

I loved Woodwards Department store.  I remember my grandmother taking me when I was very small. When we were first married, we bought our furniture on the 30/60/90 plan.  You put 25% down, paid 25% for the next three months and weren't charged any interest!

I also remember buying all my groceries there for years!  Their food floor was the best.  They had fresh goat milk delivered every Tuesday and I would be there to get it for Cheryl when she was little.  She couldn't tolerate cows milk.  

I saw this article and thought it was interesting:

One hundred and seventy-four years ago today, on July 19, 1852, Charles A. Woodward was born on a backwoods farm in Gore, Beverley Township, Canada West (now Ontario). While he was born in Ontario, his life's work would forever become part of British Columbia's history.

His story is one of determination, vision, and perfect timing.

As a young man, Woodward left the family farm to work as a storekeeper. In 1875, he opened his first general store on Manitoulin Island, Ontario, gaining valuable experience that would shape the rest of his career. But he believed the greatest opportunities lay in Canada's West.

In 1891, Woodward travelled to British Columbia, arriving in Vancouver just five years after the Great Vancouver Fire of 1886 had destroyed much of the young city. Vancouver was rebuilding at an incredible pace, fuelled by the arrival of the Canadian Pacific Railway and a growing population. Woodward recognized that the city had enormous potential.

In 1892, he opened his first Vancouver store at the corner of Main and Georgia Streets, in what is now Chinatown. Business was promising, but he had bigger ambitions. On September 12, 1892, he relocated to the corner of Hastings and Abbott Streets and incorporated Woodward's Department Stores Ltd.

That corner would become one of the most famous shopping destinations in Western Canada.

Only a few years later, the Klondike Gold Rush transformed Vancouver into the gateway to the Yukon. Thousands of hopeful prospectors travelled through the city on their way north, purchasing clothing, tools, food, and supplies before beginning their journey. Many of those purchases were made at Woodward's, helping the business grow rapidly during one of the most exciting periods in Canadian history.

Charles Woodward believed that customers deserved quality merchandise at fair prices, and he worked hard to earn their loyalty. His stores became known for friendly service, dependable products, and later, the legendary "$1.49 Days," which attracted enormous crowds searching for bargains. For generations of British Columbians, a trip to downtown Vancouver wasn't complete without a visit to Woodward's.

The company continued to expand well beyond Vancouver. The first store outside British Columbia opened in Edmonton in 1926, and over the following decades the chain spread across Western Canada. By 1975, Woodward's had grown to 18 department stores, making it the largest retailer in Western Canada.

Woodward's success in business led to a career in public service. In 1924, he was elected to the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia as the Liberal member for Vancouver City. It was an impressive victory. Twenty-seven candidates competed for six seats, and Charles Woodward received more votes than any other candidate, finishing first in the election. He served until 1928, choosing not to seek another term.

His family's influence continued for decades. His son, William Culham "Billy" Woodward, served as Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia from 1941 to 1946. His grandson, Charles Norman "Chunky" Woodward, became president of Woodward's and later gained recognition as the longtime owner of the historic Douglas Lake Cattle Company in the Nicola Valley.

Charles A. Woodward passed away in Vancouver on June 2, 1937, at the age of 84. He is buried in the Masonic Cemetery in Burnaby, where his mausoleum remains the only one in the cemetery.

Although the Woodward's department stores are gone, their legacy remains. The beautifully restored Woodward's Building still stands at Hastings and Abbott, and the famous illuminated "W" continues to shine over Vancouver's skyline. It has become one of the city's most recognizable landmarks and a reminder of a businessman whose vision helped shape retail history in British Columbia.

For many people, Woodward's was more than just a store. It was where children visited Santa at Christmas, where families shopped for school clothes, where wedding registries began, and where generations found everything from toys and furniture to groceries under one roof.

A Promise, a Legacy, and the Miracle of St. Jude

 

In 1940, inside a modest Detroit church, a young entertainer named Danny Thomas stood at a crossroads. His pockets held seven dollars — the last of his money. His wife, Rose Marie, was expecting their first child. His career was sputtering. Nightclubs and radio gigs barely covered rent, and the dream of show business was slipping away.

Yet in that moment of fear, Danny did something extraordinary.

He placed all seven dollars into the collection box.

And then, quietly, he made a promise to St. Jude, the patron saint of hopeless causes: If his career succeeded, he would build a shrine in gratitude.

It wasn’t a grand announcement. He didn’t even tell Rose Marie. It was simply a desperate prayer from a young man who felt he had run out of options.

No one could have imagined how far that promise would reach.

Against every odd, Danny’s career didn’t just recover — it soared.

Radio led to film. Film led to television. By the early 1950s, Make Room for Daddy made him one of America’s most beloved entertainers. Audiences saw a charming father balancing family and fame. What they didn’t see was the private vow he still carried, tucked away like a sacred thread running through his life.

It took him 22 years to fulfill it.

In 1962, Danny Thomas’s promise became real: St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital opened its doors in Memphis.

But it wasn’t just another hospital.

It became the first fully integrated pediatric hospital in the American South — a radical act of compassion and courage during a time when segregation was still deeply entrenched. Children were welcomed regardless of race, religion, or ability to pay. Families who had nowhere else to turn suddenly had hope.

Danny traveled tirelessly across the country to raise the funds needed. Benefit dinners, charity events, personal appeals — he poured himself into the mission.

And Rose Marie was beside him every step of the way.

Their children — Marlo, Terre, and Tony — grew up with St. Jude woven into the fabric of their family life. The promise Danny had made alone slowly became a shared responsibility, embraced by everyone he loved.

By the time Danny reached his seventies, St. Jude had become inseparable from the Thomas name. His children weren’t introduced simply as his sons and daughters — they were introduced as part of the family behind St. Jude.

On February 4, 1991, Danny attended the hospital’s 29th anniversary celebration. He was surrounded by children whose lives had been saved because of the institution he had built from faith, determination, and seven dollars.

Two days later, he passed away from a heart attack.

He wasn’t buried in a private cemetery. He was laid to rest on the grounds of St. Jude itself — the living shrine born from his promise.

Rose Marie joined him nine years later. Today, both rest in the Danny and Rose Marie Thomas Memorial Garden, a peaceful space that reflects a lifetime of shared devotion.

Their work didn’t end with them.

Marlo Thomas has become one of St. Jude’s most recognizable champions, serving as National Outreach Director. Tony and Terre have remained deeply connected to the mission that shaped their childhood and their family identity.

Danny Thomas received the Congressional Gold Medal for his extraordinary humanitarian legacy — a medal bearing his name.

But the memorial garden bears both his and Rose Marie’s.

Because history remembers the promise Danny made in that Detroit church, but it also remembers the family who spent generations helping him keep it.

Visitors to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital can still walk through the Memorial Garden today. It is quiet, serene, and deeply moving — a reminder that one act of faith can ripple outward in ways no one could ever predict.

Danny Thomas gave away seven dollars when he had nothing left.

From that moment grew a hospital that has saved thousands of children, changed the future of pediatric medicine, and inspired millions.

A promise made by one man became the legacy of an entire family.

And the miracle of St. Jude continues.

Canadian Forest Fires

 

This is the Boreal Forest that spans across Canada

Every summer, as wildfire season tightens its grip on North America, the smoke doesn’t bother checking passports. It drifts, it settles, it stings the eyes and burns the throat — and it crosses borders without hesitation. Yet every time thick smoke rolls into Canada from fires burning in the United States, a familiar chorus pops up online: “Canada, do better.”

Here’s the thing.

Canadians don’t respond in kind.

When wildfire smoke from the U.S. blankets our cities, we don’t spend our time blaming an entire country. We don’t flood social media with accusations or finger‑pointing. We understand something simple and obvious: wildfire smoke doesn’t recognize borders. It doesn’t care about politics, geography, or national pride. And right now, Canada is battling 857 active forest fires, most sparked by lightning — not negligence, not policy failures, not national character.

What we do have is a long, proud history of helping our neighbours.

For decades, Canadian firefighters, pilots, aircraft crews, and emergency teams have headed south whenever American communities are overwhelmed by catastrophic wildfires. And the United States has done the same for us. That’s what neighbours do. They show up. They lend hands, equipment, expertise, and courage.

And that help comes with real sacrifice.

Just this week, Nicholas Dale, a helicopter pilot from Sooke, British Columbia, lost his life while helping fight a wildfire in Colorado. He left behind a family. He gave his life protecting people in another country — people he didn’t know, but cared enough to serve.

Wildfire smoke doesn’t care where a border is drawn. Neither do the brave men and women who put on a uniform and answer the call.

So the next time smoke drifts across the 49th parallel, maybe pause before pointing fingers. Remember that Canadians have consistently chosen cooperation over blame. Remember the firefighters who cross borders without hesitation. Remember the pilots who fly into danger for strangers. Remember the families who carry the weight of that sacrifice.

Vancouver mail history

Mail delivery has certainly changed over the years.  This is how Vancouver handled mail in the 1950s from the train that brought mail from across Canada to the Pacific region.  Who knew this?

The tunnel was built in the 1950s to move mail between the main Vancouver Post Office on West Georgia Street and the CPR station—the site that is now Waterfront Station. It stretched roughly 2,400 feet and used two conveyor belts to move mail directly from arriving trains into the sorting plant.

 BC POSTAL HISTORY

VANCOUVER MAIL PROCESSING PLANT: TUNNEL-CONVEYOR

The following article first appeared in the May 1959 Postmark Magazine. It describes a labour-saving innovation incorporated in the “new” Vancouver Mail Processing Plant with the launch of a mile-long underground conveyor linking the VMPP and the C.P.R. Station. Capable of moving tons of mail in minutes, the innovative system streamlined sorting and transport while operating around the clock with minimal human intervention.

March 12, 1959, marked the inaugural run of Vancouver’s mile-long tunnel-conveyor system, through which mail bags are conveyed in either direction between the Post Office and the C.P.R. Station. The conveyor went into full operation on Monday, March 16th.

The tunnel was built at a cost of $1,140,000 through which the conveyor system operates is approximately 2,400 feet in length. Commencing at the northeast end of the Main Post Office building, it runs (from 15 to 35 feet underground) west on Dunsmuir to Richards, north on Richards to Cordova and west on Cordova to the C.P.R. Station and north into the station.

Nearly a mile of electronically controlled belting carries the mail to and from the C.P.R. Station Mail Room in approximately 9 minutes.

Dynamite charges set, skilled miners in new post office tunnel get ready to blast sandstone under Dunsmuir Street.  Crews are drilling towards each other fro opposite ends of mail tunnel which will link Canadian Pacific Railway station and block square post office.

By the 1960s, Canada Post stopped using trains for mail transport. Trucks took over, and the tunnel became obsolete. It sat unused for years, occasionally rented out for film shoots and even Halloween events. Eventually, due to structural and safety concerns, the tunnel was filled in.

Sportsmanship?

I thought sports wasn't political.  It appears I am wrong.  I watched the Argentina/England FIFA game the other day.  I was cheering for England but knew the best team will win.  I'm sure my UK relatives won't agree with me, Argentina was superior.

I always watch the national anthems.  I didn't even realize they were playing God Save the King until they showed the players mouthing the words.  I had no sound, but I was having problems with my TV.  When the Argentina national anthem was sung I heard it.  I found out Argentina's fans were chanting during the UK anthem!  Pretty disrepectful.

Then I read this that really disturbed me:

ENG1

ARG2

FT

England’s national anthem was drowned out by Argentinian boos and chants before Three Lions fans repaid the gesture as tensions boiled over before their seismic World Cup semi-final even kicked off.

Sharing a storied footballing rivalry, this last-four clash also has a sharp historical edge to it, with conflict over the Falkland Islands forming part of the narrative going into the match in Atlanta.

Argentina invaded the British Overseas Territory in 1982 but emphatically lost the Falklands War in 74 days, which claimed the lives of 907 people: 649 Argentine military personnel, 255 from Britain and three Falkland Islanders.

Argentina still vehemently believe that the archipelago in the South Atlantic Ocean, which sits 300 miles away from its east coast, should be under its sovereignty, with the cause enshrined in much of the country’s culture, including its football.

As the players lined up around the centre-circle for the national anthems, Argentina fans were deafening with their chants of “whoever doesn't jump is English”, before heavily booing “God Save the King”.

Rogers/Shaw Xfinity

We have Rogers/Shaw Xfinity TV.  The top one on the picture.  The box is smaller than a 1950's cigarette pack.  Our TV is getting old and we also have a surround sound unit that is older.  Our TV would go black, then go back on again.  This has been happening for a while.  Then our sound would cut off for 15 seconds, sometimes 30 seconds.  PVR recordings were not working right!  It was so frustrating,

We have a newer larger TV upstairs so we went up to watch TV.  It was doing the same thing on the newer TV so we figured it was the Rogers/Shaw connection.

I went online and found this:

Perform a System Refresh directly from your TV to resolve channels or box glitches. Press the A button on your voice remote, select System Refresh on the screen, and press OK to confirm. The process takes about 10 to 20 minutes, and the box will reboot automatically.

Our TV is now clearer and the audio is much better.  No more blackouts or sound loss!  

I told Cheryl about it and she just texted me and said "The picture on our TV looks way better with the restart!"

It saved calling in, hearing music have someone tell me to unplug and replug.  Yes, I did that three times and it didn't work.  So I thought "search Rogers/Shaw Xfinity problems and I found what we needed.  I enjoy repairing technology!

I'm glad the old Sony TV and sound system is still working!  If you are sight impaired Rogers will send you a big button digital remote for no extra charge! 

Third party airline cheap fares

A friend of mine got caught using one of these sites a few years ago.  Her ticket was not valid and they would not answer the phone!  I keep seeing advertisements on social media regarding cheaper air fares.  Beware, this is what I found:

Reviews for the third-party flight booking website Compare Your Fare (compareyourfare.com) are overwhelmingly negative. According to warnings from the Better Business Bureau Scam Tracker and consumer reports, the site is frequently flagged for a bait-and-switch scam. [1]

The typical pattern involves the site advertising artificially low flight prices. After a customer enters their payment information, an agent contacts them—often aggressively or via intimidation—claiming that the original price is no longer valid or that hidden fees are required to secure the seat, sometimes demanding hundreds of dollars more. 

Because of these predatory practices, consumers and travel experts widely recommend booking directly with established airlines or through vetted, IATA-accredited aggregators to avoid losing money. 

Third party hotel sites are also not what they say they are.  I was told by someone in the business, go to the hotel website, join their points program.  They will give you the best rate and possibly upgrade you when you check in.  One hotel told me they save the "worse rooms" for third party bookings.  She gave both of us a complimentary bottle of water and an upgrade!