Another wonderful Red Hat Lunch & The World

We didn't go downtown when FIFA was on in Vancouver because of the crowds.  Yesterday, Pat arranged our Red Hat lunch.  It was at the Tap and Barrel Shipyards in North Vancouver.  It's a nice trip across on the Sea Bus.  We didn't have a lot of sisters as many are travelling.  Pat's sister Kathleen is visiting from the UK and her daughter Sandra also joined us.

FIFA was showing the France - Morroco game on the big screen.  Lots of people at the pub watching the game:

We walked over to the Shipyards Fan Zone

The World Cruise Ship

It was docked at Canada Place yesterday.  It's been sailing around British Columbia.  It's also sailing to Victoria, Salt Spring Island, Port Alberni, Haida Gwaii and Prince Rupert.  

It's the planet's largest private residential yacht at 644 feet/196 meters - the only ship of its kind currently in operation sailing a continuous itineray across every ocean and continent.  Aboard this truly luxury ship are amenities that exceed even the highest standards of luxury travel.

Here is the itinerary for this year:

A New Year in the Southern Hemisphere

The adventure begins where summer is in full bloom: Australia and New Zealand. These lands feel like nature’s open‑air museum — kangaroos bounding across sun‑washed plains, fjords carved by ancient glaciers, and cities that hum with coastal energy. It’s a gentle, generous start to a year that will soon turn wild.

A Rare Antarctic Semi‑Circumnavigation

Few travelers ever see Antarctica. Fewer still experience a semi‑circumnavigation — a sweeping, once‑in‑a‑lifetime arc along the White Continent’s remote edges. Here, silence becomes a landscape of its own. Icebergs glow blue from within, penguin colonies chatter like tiny communities, and the horizon stretches so far it feels like the edge of the world. This portion alone could define a lifetime of travel, yet on this voyage, it’s only the beginning.

South America and the Far Pacific

From Antarctica’s stark beauty, the ship rises into the color and rhythm of South America. Think tango in Buenos Aires, the roar of Iguazu Falls, and markets overflowing with tropical fruit and handmade textiles. Then comes the remote Pacific — islands that seem to float in time. French Polynesia’s lagoons shimmer like liquid turquoise, while Hawaii offers volcanic drama and the warm embrace of aloha.

The U.S. West Coast adds a familiar touch: rugged cliffs, redwood forests, and cities that have shaped modern culture.

Summer in British Columbia and Alaska

By mid‑year, the ship reaches the Pacific Northwest, where summer reveals a different kind of majesty. British Columbia’s coastline is a tapestry of islands, inlets, and wildlife — orcas slicing through calm water, eagles perched like sentinels in cedar trees. Alaska follows with its glaciers, gold‑rush towns, and endless twilight skies. It’s a season of wild beauty, the kind that reminds you how vast and alive the world still is.

An Immersive Passage Through East Asia

As autumn approaches, the voyage turns toward Asia. Japan’s temples and neon avenues, South Korea’s dynamic cities, China’s deep historical roots, and the Philippines’ warm, welcoming islands create a mosaic of culture and tradition. Each stop feels like opening a new chapter — different languages, different flavors, different ways of seeing the world.

Southeast Asia and a Festive Finale

The final stretch brings the ship into Southeast Asia, where history and spirituality meet in vibrant daily life. From the lantern‑lit streets of Vietnam to the golden temples of Thailand, every port offers something unforgettable. And then, as the year draws to a close, the journey culminates in Singapore — a city that celebrates innovation, diversity, and the joy of gathering. Ringing in the New Year here feels like stepping into the future.

I know people are going to want to know the cost so if you are curious:

What a Year on The World Really Costs

1. Residence Purchase or Lease

To live aboard The World, you must first secure a residence. Current market ranges:

• Entry-level studio/one‑bedroom: USD $825,000 to $3 million

• Larger multi‑bedroom residences: USD $4 million to $15+ million

• Some sources cite an entry fee as high as USD $8 million for certain long‑term leases.

This is a purchase, not a fare — you’re buying into a private global community.

2. Annual Service & Operating Fees

These are mandatory and cover crew, fuel, dining, maintenance, and global operations:

• USD $60,000 to $300,000 per year (depending on residence size and services)

3. Additional Annual Costs

Typical yearly expenses include:

• Insurance: USD $1,000–$6,000

• Amenities & perks: USD $200–$1,200

• Taxes & port fees: USD $0–$5,000

• Maintenance plans: USD $1,500–$4,000

Fresh Street Market Salmon & Berry Festival

 

The Snowbirds

 

The Snowbirds’ Wings Over White Rock performance on August 12, 2026 is scheduled to start around 5:00 p.m. and run for approximately 45 minutes.

Although the official national schedule lists White Rock as a flypast, local organizers confirmed it will in fact be a full show over Semiahmoo Bay this year.

The team typically stages from Boundary Bay Airport, then enters the bay from the southwest, performing over the water with arcs toward the pier and Marine Drive.

🌅 Best Viewing Spots

These are based on past years, crowd flow, and sightlines along the bay:

1. White Rock Pier (the classic spot)

• Unobstructed views of the full performance box

• You’ll feel the aircraft pass almost overhead

• Fills up early — by 3:30 p.m. it’s usually shoulder‑to‑shoulder

2. East Beach (near the Grand Chief Bernard Robert Charles Memorial Plaza)

• Excellent angles for formation entries

• Less crowded than the pier

• Good if you prefer space and a quieter vibe

3. West Beach / Marine Drive (near the Boathouse)

• Great for photography — aircraft often bank in this direction

• Restaurants and benches nearby

• Slightly more crowded than East Beach but calmer than the pier

4. Centennial Park Upper Walkway

• Elevated view over the bay

• Perfect if you want to avoid the Marine Drive crush

• Bring binoculars for the best experience

🚗 Traffic, Parking & Road Closures

White Rock usually implements the following patterns for major waterfront events:

Parking

• West Beach lots: typically full by 2:30–3:00 p.m.

• East Beach lots: fill more slowly; better chance until ~4:00 p.m.

• Centennial Arena: reliable overflow parking with a 10–12 minute downhill walk.

Road Closures

Expect intermittent closures or restrictions along:

• Marine Drive (especially near the pier)

• Oxford Street hill (traffic control for pedestrian flow)

RCMP usually sets up soft closures rather than full barricades, but delays are guaranteed.

Transit

• Route 361 and 362 run along Marine Drive.

• Buses often switch to “drop‑off only” near the pier once crowds build.

• If you’re coming from Surrey Centre or Guildford, the R1 → 351 connection is the smoothest.

Timing Tips for a Stress‑Free Experience

• Arrive by 3:30 p.m. if you want a prime spot.

• Bring a hat and water — August sun on the promenade can be intense.

• If you prefer less crowd density, East Beach around 4:15 p.m. is ideal.

• The Snowbirds often do a warm‑up pass 10–15 minutes before showtime.

Cashless society?

I hope everyone will read Dave Ramsey’s comments from the UK about going cashless. It’s a two minute read. No one has explained it better. He brings up several situations I'd never considered. 

NO CASH means ABSOLUTELY NO CASH. Here is an idea. The next store you go in and order a drink or want to buy their product and they tell you “card only” …. Walk away, I have done this out of principle.

Dave Ramsey:

HERE'S WHAT NO CASH ACTUALLY MEANS:

A cashless society means no cash. Zero.  It doesn’t mean mostly cashless and you can still use a ‘wee bit of cash here & there’.  Cashless means fully digital, fully traceable, fully controlled. I think those who support a cashless society aren’t fully aware of what they are asking for.  A cashless society means:

* If you are struggling with your mortgage on a particular month, you can’t do an odd job to get you through.

* Your child can’t go & help the local farmer to earn a bit of summer cash.

* No more cash slipped into the hands of a child as a good luck charm or from their grandparent when going on holidays.

* No more money in birthday cards.

* No more piggy banks for your child to collect pocket money & to learn about the value of earning.

* No more cash for a rainy day fund or for that something special you have been putting £20 a week away for.

* No more little jobs on the side because your wages barely cover the bills or put food on the table.

* No more charity collections.

* No more selling bits & pieces from your home that you no longer want/need for a bit of cash in return.

* No more cash gifts from relatives or loved ones.

What a cashless society does guarantee:

* Banks have full control of every single penny you own.

* Every transaction you make is recorded.

* All your movements & actions are traceable.

* Access to your money can be blocked at the click of a button when/if banks need ‘clarification’ from you which will take about 3 weeks, a thousand questions answered & five thousand passwords.

* You will have no choice but to declare & be taxed on every pound in your possession.

* The government WILL decide what you can & cannot purchase.

* If your transactions are deemed in any way questionable, by those who create the questions, your money will be frozen, ‘for your own good’.

Forget about cash being dirty.  Stop being so easily led.  Cash has been around for a very, very, very long time & it gives you control over how you trade with the world. It gives you independence. 

If you are a customer, pay with cash.  If you are a shop owner, remove those ridiculous signs that ask people to pay by card.  Cash is a legal tender, it is our right to pay with cash.  Banks are making it increasingly difficult to deposit cash. 

Please open your eyes.  Please stop believing everything you are being told. Almost every single topic in today’s world is tainted with corruption & hidden agendas. 

Pay with cash & please say no to a cashless society while you still have the choice.   

My take:  Criminals will continue to use Bitcoin so it can't be traced.  I love going to the grocery store with a $100 bill and watching Gen Z cashiers look at it as if it's quaint!  Watching them make change is hysterical.  

From Callister Park to the World Cup: Why Soccer Still Has My Heart

 Memories of Callister Con Jones Park/Callister Park: 1921-1970 Vancouver Soccer’s Spiritual Home 

Growing up, soccer wasn’t just a sport—it was part of our family rhythm. My dad coached, my sister and I tagged along, and Callister Park became our weekend home. The Vancouver Fire Fighters Soccer team was our team, and we watched them play with the kind of loyalty only kids can muster. Callister Park was located on Oxford Street close to the Pacific National Exibition in east Vancouver.

Then came the game against Columbus.

The Fire Fighters were winning, the crowd was buzzing, and everything felt perfect—until the riot started. Those old wooden boards at the front of the stands didn’t stand a chance. People kicked them loose and stormed the field with splintered pieces in their hands.

My dad didn’t hesitate. He scooped us up and got us out of there before things got worse. I never went back to Callister Park after that day, but the memory has stayed sharp as ever.

Despite that wild ending, soccer still feels like home to me. I love watching the little ones play, all determination and oversized jerseys. And every time I see parents standing in the teaming rain, cheering on their kids, I smile. I love cheering for the Whitecaps. And I especially love the World Cup—one glorious stretch of time when the whole world seems to hold its breath together.

They’re the quiet heroes of the sport.

I was enjoying the World Cup until I saw this!

Here is the definition of sportsmanship.  I think Merriam-Webster should amend their dictionary.

Sportsmanship is the ethical behavior and attitude displayed during a game or contest. It involves playing fair, following the rules, and treating teammates, opponents, and officials with respect. It emphasizes playing for the love of the game and accepting both victory and defeat with dignity.

Trump cheats at golf, cheats on his three wives and now he's interfering with the World Cup.

Life in Ukraine

 

The resilience of the Ukranian people is unbelievable.  This war has gone on far too long.  Here is an incredible story:

"Through the night, fear, and exhaustion." Ukrainian mother and daughter spend the night in a field after ballistic missile alert on their way to the sea Anna Voronina has touched thousands online with a Threads post describing how a Russian attack interrupted her family's journey.

She and her young daughter were traveling on an overnight train to the seaside when the train made an emergency stop due to the threat of ballistic missile strikes, and passengers were evacuated from the carriages.

To comfort her daughter, Anna rocked her to sleep in her arms before the two lay down on a blanket spread out on the ground.

“I quietly sing a lullaby. My daughter falls asleep — she spends an hour in my arms, then we lie down on a blanket, right on the ground. For a moment, the world feels smaller, warmer, safer. That's how, through the night, fear, and exhaustion, I'm taking my child to the sea so she can go swimming,” she wrote.

Social media users praised the resilience of the Ukrainian mother, who continues fighting to give her daughter a normal summer childhood despite the war.

How home heating has changed!

When I was a child, we had a sawdust burner furnace.  Every morning my dad would go downstairs and shovel sawdust.  Our house was warm.

We moved into a townhouse when we got married and had a natural gas furnace.  It worked just fine.  When we had our house built the plans showed electric baseboards.  We lived in our house for 38 years and they worked great.  It never stopped and we never repaired anything.

We moved to Surrey and again had a natural gas furnace.  In our second summer in Surrey we added an air conditioner.  After seven years our furnace was broken and there were no more parts so we had to get another furnace.  It's now 10 years old.  It broke down when it was still under warranty.  This year when we got our yearly service it wasn't heating properly in the very cold weather.  The service guy said "could be two things, one is $100 and the other is $600 but I don't know which one it is".  He put in the $100 repair piece.  Then he went to our air conditioner that is now 15 years old and said it had a leak.  It would be $10,000 for a replacement.  I asked about rebates and he said "no longer available".

I kept hearing about rebates so I went onto my computer and sure enough, they were available.  We contacted Jetson and found they are a Canadian company and it's new electric technology. The heat pump was invented by a Canadian!  They helped me get a $12,500 rebate for a new furnace and air conditioner.  

It was installed yesterday.  We control our heat pump from the app on our phones.  It doesn't matter where in the world we are, we can control the heat.   Jetson monitor our heat pump 24/7 from their control center.  They say if there is a problem, they will know before we will.  It's got a 10 year full guarantee!  

We've come a long way from the sawdust burner.

https://jetsonhome.com/ca/

Jetson heat pumps, known as the Jetson Air, were invented by a team of technology entrepreneurs led by CEO Stephen Lake, along with co-founders Matthew Bailey and Aaron Grant. 

Lake, Bailey, and Grant—all mechatronics engineering graduates from the University of Waterloo—previously founded the smart-glasses startup North (formerly Thalmic Labs), which was acquired by Google in 2020. Following the acquisition, they launched Vancouver-based Jetson Home Inc. in 2024 with the goal of modernizing residential HVAC by treating home heating systems like consumer electronics that integrate software optimization and direct-to-consumer installation.