Old Friends

I've been friends with these two ladies Margot and Linda, for almost forty years but I doubt I've ever told them just how much I value them. This year I gave each of them a "Nicer Place" card with their Christmas cards. They are both very generous ladies, great cooks, work very hard in their careers, good mothers and fun to be with. Together we have volunteered for organizations and traveled many miles to conferences. We've supported each other during difficult times and shared our happy ones. No, we do not see each other all that often even though we live in the same town. We all have busy lives. The important thing is that we know we will always be there for each other. Sometimes I am so busy giving my cards to strangers I neglect to give them to people close by. So..... thank-you my friends for making the world a nicer place to live!

The "V" Factor

In the middle of British Columbia lives a most interesting man. His name is Brian Vike and for years he has managed a web site where people could talk about strange happenings. People have told stories of UFOs, missing time, strange lights, ghosts and Sasquatch sightings. He also has done many radio shows on the topic. Because of health difficulties he has gone from his web site to doing a blog, The Vike Factor. Here people can still write in with strange stories. Now the reason I've sent a "Nicer Place to Live" card to Brian is not so much for what he does, as for how he does it. He responds to everyone with sincere interest and kindness. He has provided people with a place to tell their stories where they will not be ridiculed and laughed at. He is a very down to earth man and quite aware that many, perhaps most, of the stories have logical explanations. It does not seem to matter to him if the stories are misunderstandings, obviously make believe or wonderful examples of the paranormal. He treats every person with respect. For that he deserves thanks.

The picture I've included with this submission is specially for Brian. Unfortunately the quality is not too good as it is a photo of my photo. If you look to the right of the rainbow you can see (with a little imagination) , peeking over the hill, the face of my very own space alien! Appropriately, just beyond the hill is the little town of Rachel, Nevada and the entrance to Area 51.

The long short day

I've met several nice people this month thanks to B.C. Ferries. About 10 days ago I met two ladies from Seattle who were on the same boat as I was. They stopped to watch me work on my eggshells and we chatted for a while. Then one of the ladies chose an eggshell to take home and give as a gift to a new mom. The shell was covered in beads and a collage of animals inside gold outlined flower petals and inside the shell were more of the animals and the figure of a baby boy. I was quite happy to see the shell going to a new family. I gave each of the friendly ladies a card.

Yesterday my husband and I decide to go to Vancouver and have lunch with our daughter and her boyfriend. We had a nice visit then started back to the Ferry for the trip home. At the Ferry Terminal we watched, with the other walk-on passengers, as an incoming Ferry boat struggled against the very strong wind and waves in an effort to reach the dock. I gave a couple of my cards to some of the interesting people I spoke with while we were watching and waiting for our boat to be loaded. With the crashing waves and strong winds and obvious problems of the other boat, we were not really surprised to eventually hear all sailings for the rest of the day were canceled. We were now stranded on the wrong side of the water along with hundreds of other people. After a few phone calls, we headed to my brother's house via a bus and the sky train. Rush hour had the trains packed and a very nice young lady stood and gave me her seat. I was very impressed. We took my brother and his wife for dinner to a local Fish & Chip place where we were served by the friendliest, funniest yet efficient that waitress I've met in a very long time. I just had to give her a card along with the tip. The next morning my brother got us back to the Ferry Terminal by 5:30 A.M. and we got on the 7:00 A.M. sailing. We met many of the other "stranded" passengers from the day before. We were easy to identify as we all looked like we'd slept in our clothes! One of the ladies was going to be many miles from her car when we walked off the boat so we offered her a ride, as our car was parked at the Terminal. She was interesting and very pleasant to talk to and we felt privileged to have met her. I had no hesitation in giving her a card as she got out of our car.

So, thank-you B.C. Ferries for enabling me to meet some nice people I'd have never met otherwise!

You might notice that comments have been added below. They include a few more details of the day. It was suggested that I add them. :-)

October Travels

Mid October and time for another road trip! We were not sure exactly where we were going except at this time of year we knew it should be south.

We had a reservation on the Coho Ferry out of downtown Victoria. We had to be there early as that is when all passengers go through the process of immigration/customs. As all travelers are aware, crossing the border can be a "not too pleasant" experience these days. Well the agent checking the cars in line was an exception to the usually stern and unsmiling border crossing people. She was friendly, smiling and cheerful. Because of her we had a very pleasant start to our trip. I did not give her a card at the time as (call me paranoid) I was apprehensive of passing on anything that someone else might not understand. We all know to never attract extra attention of border guards! So now that I am home I will be mailing one to her instead.

On the boat a mother and daughter sat near us. When I realized they were not from this area I gave them our window seats. They had been at a family reunion and were returning home to California and Oregon. The daughter owns a book store in Coos Bay and when she noticed the books we were reading she suggested other authors we might like. Next time we travel down her way we will definitely stop and visit her store.

A pretty drive (lots of fall colours) took us to The Dalles Oregon for the night. In the morning I was up early so took my book and went to the coffee room while my husband still slept. There I got talking to a most interesting man. He told me about his job. It was something I'd never heard of before. He follows and tracks by car, privately owned passenger cars that are included in freight trains. He makes sure they get to their destinations and in good condition. He was fun and educational to talk to.

After a bit of fog in the morning we traveled in sunshine to Mountain Home in Idaho. We explored the town then went for dinner at a restaurant beside the motel. It was noisy but funny as it was full of families with very young children. Our waitress was Kelly, a very nice 18year old girl. She handled all the child caused chaos with efficiency and smiles. We liked her so I gladly left a card with her.

The next day we continued south and tuned through Twin Falls, to Jackpot Nevada. From there we eventually went through Wendover, turned south and dove through a wonderful purple and pink sunset to arrive at a Motel 8 in Delta, Utah. We walked to a nearby Mexican restaurant. It was authentic enough that the waitress spoke very little English and I knew little more than "Gracias". However we all managed and I left a card along with the tip to express my appreciation for the effort she made to serve us well.

The next day, still in sunshine, we drove to Bryce Canyon. Before long we realized that we were meeting the same couple at every viewing stop. They were from the eastern U.S. and attending a conference in Salt Lake City. We enjoyed our conversations and took pictures of each other for each other at one of the viewpoints.

After driving the marvelous otherworldly road past Escalante we arrived in the small town of Torrey for the night. We found a most interesting building where we had our dinner. The floors and booths all sat at different angles, pan flute music played in the background, walls were covered in interesting hangings or were painted with colourful scenes and the pretty cloth napkins smelled very strongly of detergent. The place was charming! Although she was very busy our waitress served us well and kept us laughing. I happily gave her a card.

Early the next morning we explored the incredible canyons in Capitol Reef National Park then continued east. Eventually we came to the top of a road that I'd heard of but had never seen. The picture on this page was taken half way down the hill. At the beginning of the very steep downhill drive we stopped at a viewpoint. There we spoke with lovely family from Arkansas. We shared travel stories and discovered that many years ago they had visited and enjoyed our home town of Victoria. Hopefully someday I will visit their part of the country.

Through Monument Valley we went and on to Page Arizona for the night. We reached the town of Hurricane ,Utah late the next morning. It looked like it was trying to live up to its name with strong wind and snow or rain in the surrounding mountains. We stopped at a gas station/McDonalds for gas, coffee and to check some phone messages. While we were sitting at the table a nearby lady overheard some of our conversation and offered us some information on the weather conditions we were about to drive into and gave a more accurate time for how long it would take to drive to Salt lake City. She was very friendly and helpful.

Eventually we passed through the wind and rain and reached Twin Falls Idaho for the night. At sunset we found the very beautiful Shoshone Falls on the outskirts of the city. The only other people there were a couple from California. They too were on a road trip and like us, kept extending it "just one more day". We enjoyed talking with them so when we left I gave them all our brochures on where we had already been as that is where they were headed, as well as a nicer place card.

The next day we headed home via sunny Osoyoos in the Okanagan Valley in B.C. However on the way back to Canada we stopped for gas in La Grande Oregon. The lady running the facility was great grandmother and one of her great grandsons was there "helping" as much a very young boy can! Because it was raining she showed me where the inside staff washroom was when I started to ask for the key to the outside restroom. I thought that was very kind of her. Then when I went to buy a cup of coffee the pot ran out before I filled my cup so she insisted that I not pay for it. She was a very nice lady.

The next day we were back home and full of lovely memories of spectacular scenery and wonderful people we met along the way.

Three nice ladies and two nice men.

I've come across several nice people recently. The first was a grocery store clerk in Friday Harbor Washington. Her quick witted comments had us laughing before we finished paying for the groceries and we were still chuckling as we walked back to the Marina.

A few days later I met a friendly helpful woman who was organizing a fund raiser for Hospice in Nanaimo B.C. She had arranged for the Victoria Police Chorus to do a benefit concert and had worked very hard to make it a success. From talking to her I realized that she has been a caring person all her life. I enjoyed meeting her.

My next nice person I met just this morning. She was the Lab Tech who was taking my blood. She made it as painless as possible while we were having laughing discussions about life and travel.

To recover from the blood work I went across the street for a coffee at McDonalds. There I met a pleasant gentleman who let me go ahead of him in line, as he was waiting for his daughter to join him. Apparently he meets with his daughter for coffee as often as he can during the week and on weekends he tries to spend time with his grandchildren. It was great to meet a man who keeps family connections strong.

This last person I've not actually met but I have heard about him. He is a winner of one of the Arthur Awards given by Stuart McLean from the Vinyl Cafe. Apparently this man, Stephen Lakomski, was at work one day at a Canadian Tire store in Ontario and met some anxious people who came into the shop with a broken vehicle. They were on a tight time schedule as they had to be at an airport in the U.S. to catch a flight for a long awaited holiday. When it was apparent the vehicle could not be fixed right away, Stephen went home, got his passport and drove them to the airport across the border. When they came home from their holiday a week later he was there to pick them up and drove them the several hours back to London, Ontario. Not only had he fixed their vehicle but he had contacted the manufacturer because he felt the problem was a flaw during production. The manufacturer agreed and covered the cost of the repairs. When I heard about this man I knew I just had to send him Nicer Place card

Houseguests

A couple of times a year my sister-in-law makes the journey from Edmonton and stays with us for several days. She takes her holiday time from work to visit her 92 year old mother who resides in a nursing home. Usually she brings a daughter but this time she brought her son and his friend. They also were using holiday time to visit at the nursing home. No one could ask for nicer house guests. The fellows took over making the morning coffee and by the time they left I was feeling like I was the guest ! They even bought me a new coffee pot. I imagine that had something to do with the convoluted process I had of twisting the coffee pot cord around the cupboard door handle to make it work. Apart from being just nice people I gave them each "Nicer Place" cards for the fact that they would willingly take their holiday time just to visit a very elderly lady in a nursing home. I also appreciated the fact that they were trying to strengthen family contact. It is so easy, with the busy lives we all lead, for cousins, nieces, nephews, grandchildren to drift apart when they all live in different parts of the world. They brought us all a bit closer again.

Ranger Rendezvous September 11-14

Very early Thursday morning we started off across the Strait of Juan de Fuca in our Ranger Tug.
We were heading for Bremerton, Washinton to meet with 30 other Tug owners. Click on the picture to see a closer view of all the boats. The ocean was very calm and we entered only one patch of fog. Unfortunately the fog patch was 25 miles long! However by the time we were past Port Townsend we had clear sky and hot sunshine for the rest of the trip.

The people we met at the rendezvous were wonderful. Everyone was happy and helpful. The first couple I gave a "Nicer Place" card to were David and Maureen. They were the organizers of the event and their effort made the weekend absolutely wonderful. Another charming and generous couple were Bob and Nita. I happily gave them a card as well.

On Friday we took the foot passenger ferry to Port Orchard, a charming little town about 15 minutes away across Sinclair Inlet. We wandered in and out of stores and stopped for a while in a framing/gift store. There we met a persistently friendly resident cat and its very nice owner. I just had to give her a card, partly for the cat and partly for the conversation. We stopped for an early lunch in a very old restaurant. The food was good and the staff was great. I left a card with them too. After lunch my husband went his own way and I found a bead store. There I met the very friendly helpful owner. She was so interesting to talk to that I will make a point of going back to her store next time I am in town, possibly next year.

Saturday all the boats (and the owners) did a trip to Poulsbro for lunch. We found a table on the balconey of a little restaurant and got talking with another couple. They were pleasant and funny so I gave them a card as we left.

On Sunday we started on a longer route home so spent the night in LaConner, a very picturesque town on a narrow channel. Dinner was at a family waterfront restaurant and our waitress not only tried to make our visit as nice as possible she had a bright and lovely smile. Definitely she deserved the card.

The next morning we found another long patch of fog and headed home.

The Weatherman

Recently I found a poem written by my daughter in about grade five. It was a school assignment and her topic was seasons. The last two lines were "All the seasons put together, Make a lot of lovely weather." When I read that I promptly thought of Ed Bain the weatherman on a local T.V.station. He has been giving the weather on CHEK TV for many years with a great smile and sense of humour. Although I don't always like what he says (rain, cold, fog, clouds, snow) , I do enjoy watching. The picture I have included is one of his forecasts for a sunny day. (just kidding ) Click on the photo and you can see just how dark 2 P.M. on a summer afternoon can be. Ed also gives much of his time to community events and projects. He makes people smile and recognizing nice people is the whole purpose of the Nicer Place project. Thanks Ed.

Kamloops weekend

It is nearing the end of summer so I found time for a weekend trip to Kamloops with my daughter, for no reason other than for fun. We had a great trip; did some shopping, explored a dusty desert mountain road, marveled at the smoke from numerous forest fires and stayed in a lovely motel. We also met some very nice people along the way.

The first was a young woman on the ferry trip from Vancouver Island. She stopped to look at the eggs I was working on and wondered how to make them. I was happy to give her a 20 minute lesson as well as a "nicer place" card.

Later, as I was waiting to be picked up from the ferry, I talked with a pleasant woman who had come to pick up her teenage grandaughter. She was not at all sure about accepting the card at first. I think she thought I might be trying to "sell" her something! After she read it she seemed a bit amazed as she had "never seen one of these before".

The next day in Kamloops I gave card to a most cheerful friendly waitress at the White Spot Restaurant. She made us happy we had decided to have dinner there.

On Sunday, before we headed home, we found ourselves on a gravel road wandering through desert hills, forests and along the edges of very steep canyons. We had no idea where we were! After almost an hour of wondering if we should keep going or turn back, we came upon two men and their trucks parked in a little clearing. They looked a bit startled when we asked them if they knew where we might going but one of them was able to tell us about the roads ahead. That information plus the time of day and the level of our gas tank had us turning back. I did not give them a card as they were packed in my suitcase but they surely deserved one.

August Road Trip

On August 12 2009 we set off on another road trip. This time we crossed into Washington State via the Sumas crossing as we'd never before driven that road. Weather was warm but overcast and wanting to rain. Half an hour into the drive we were stopped because of road work. There we had a long chat with the flag lady. She made the delay so pleasant I was happy to give her a card.

A short time later we arrived in Sedro Woolley and before making the left turn onto highway 20 and over the mountains we decided to pick up coffee for the road. The most convenient place we found was the Dairy Queen. When I passed the lady my travel mug asked for coffee she apologized and told me the coffee machine was broken. When I asked if there was another place close by where I could get coffee she said yes and pointed down the street. She then took my travel mug and said "wait here I will get you some coffee". As I was saying "no, no, its OK" she disappeared out the back door. A few minutes later she was back with my coffee and would take no money for it. Apparently she had gone next door and filled my mug from a coffee pot in car repair facility! Of course I could not leave without giving those two very considerate ladies a card. I enjoyed that cup of coffee more than any other on my whole trip!

The next morning we left sunny Spokane and drove into Idaho and heavy rain that stayed with us well into Montana. At a rest stop in Montana we found between rain storms, we talked to two members of a nearby Seniors organization who were providing refreshments. They gave us some coffee, cookies and sympathy about the weather. They also gave us some very useful road maps. In exchange we gave them some money for their coffee fund and a "Nicer Place" card. The day was a bit brighter after talking to them.

We stopped for the night in Billings Montana and checked into a Best Western Hotel. Just as we were about to open the door to our room the fire alarm sounded. Down the hallway two young (12 years old?) girls immediately came out of their room and headed for the staircase. When they saw us at our room door they stopped and called to us. They wanted to be sure we knew it was a fire alarm and that we knew where the exit was. They then asked if we needed any help getting out. They were two very sweet thoughtful young ladies! Unfortunately I could not give them a card. I have a policy to not give cards to children, which I feel is a sad reflection on the times we live in. However if I see the parents I will give them the card with an explanation. In this case I never saw the girls again with their parents and did not know which room they had come from. I felt I wanted to mention them because they were so thoughtful and I would have liked to have given them a card along with the verbal thank-you that we did give them.

The next morning at breakfast a lady asked to join us at our table as the Hotel breakfast room room was crowded. She was in town with her family and visiting her very elderly grandmother. She was a very open friendly lady and eventually her two charming young daughters showed up with another relative. They were a very nice family and I gave her a card just because we enjoyed their company. It was a nice start to the day.

We continued on our trip through Montana then north along the Cowboy Trail in Alberta to Rocky Mountain House. The last of our trip was through the Rocky Mountains and home via Kamloops. Along the way I left some cards with a few of the very friendly waitresses we met.

Wedding and Travel July 2009

I met some new people this month and reconnected with some friends.

In Sidney B.C. we went for dinner at a very busy restaurant near the Airport, Mary's Cafe. The owner (I am assuming) obviously loves his customers and his family. In fact his customers soon begin to feel like family. The food was wonderful too!

Near the end of the month I went to Harrison Mills for the wedding of the daughter of a dear friend. While I was there I met a lovely lady who keeps herself very busy organizing volunteers to help make better lives for people who need help.

I also re-connected with a woman whom I first met several years ago. She seemed so sincerely glad to see me that I felt very welcome and special.

I've given a card to the wonderful man who came all the way from Palm Springs California just to perform the wedding ceremony. His love and sincerity was beautiful to see.

I've also given a card to my friend of many years, the mother of the bride, to share with her husband and daughters. They are dear and caring people.

After the wedding we drove the Sunshine Coast just north of Vancouver. In the charming town of Gibson's we had lunch at Molly's Reach (of Beachcomber fame) and later I just had to give a card to the very friendly woman working in the tourist information booth. She gave us lots of good ideas and information.

Early the next morning, still on the Sunshine Coast, we drove to the ferry terminal at Earls Cove for the next leg of our trip. Also way too early for the boat was a family from Germany. We sat at a picnic table and chatted while we all watched the rising sun. They were fun to talk to. The parents and two children were part way through a busy trip through B.C., going to places and doing things that most of the people who live here have probably never done. It was humbling to listen to them talk about how much they liked our part of the world and the people they have met.

Late June and early July 2009

This has been a busy time! I've passed the cards to a number of pleasant people that I've met in grocery stores and shopping malls in British Columbia, Washington State and Idaho.

I also gave a card to a man and his young adult daughter who were playing an interesting dice game in the Victoria Airport. My curiosity about the game prompted me to ask about the rules. They were so very friendly and happy to explain the game that I no way felt I was bothering them.

While riding on a B.C. Ferry I sat beside a lovely 87 year old lady who was traveling alone to visit family. Apparently she has recently been written about in the Reader's Digest. The magazine tells about her attending university in her mid 80's because she felt she missed out on her education as child. She was a delight to talk to.

Also on the B.c. ferry I met a couple who were just moving to Victoria. I think they will be a very nice addition to the community.

There is a bank teller in the small Washington town of Republic who deserves the card for all the help she gave a tourist who was having bank card problems.

Two young men Jeff & Jeffery ( I think) were given a card as a thank-you for their pleasant attitudes and to acknowledge the work they were doing in uncomfortable conditions. It was 10 A.M. and already 98 degrees at the Jiffy Lube where they were working in Walla Walla Washington and their air conditioner had been broken for a few days. However even though they were working in extreme heat they smiled and tried to be sure the customers were as comfortable as possible.

Cruise to Alaska

June 3rd to 7th 2009

Every day I met new people on the Ship and all of them were nice.

Many were from Australia and showed a lot of interest in the history of our part of the world as well as being very willing to share stories of their country. One couple tried very hard to find Australian money to show me when they heard that the picture of a distant relative of mine (Mc Arthur) was on the $5 bill. Unfortunately they had all the other denominations so I never saw the picture. However I appreciated how hard they tried!

Another young couple was from the eastern United States and were on their very first cruise. they were pleased to share with me how hard they had worked and how long they had planned for this. I found them to be delightful to talk to.

A woman from Edmonton stopped to watch me as I made my eggshell ornaments and showed so much interest I ended up showing her how to make them herself when she gets home. She was interesting to talk to. Actually, I gave instructions to a couple of other charming ladies as well. I hope they all have fun working on the eggshells!

Of course I left a card for our room steward (along with the tip) for always being there to do what ever was needed, including making the delightful towel creatures. Actually I think he spent more time in our room than we did!


A few other cards were given to people that I met who were just plain nice to talk to and just by their being there the Cruise was all the better.

April May 2009

May 2009: The world is full of wonderful people. We just have to take the time to notice!

1. I heard that the manager of Picture Perfect Gallery in Victoria was moving to Ontario so felt I should give him a card. He has always been so very pleasant and helpful.


2. I was on a B.C. Ferry and on my way to Tswassen. While I was working on my Christmas tree decoration Egg Shells ( I do that when I travel to pass the time) a very lovely lady and her husband stopped to talk. They were very charming and friendly. They even bought one of my Egg Shells.

3. Later, on my way home I was again on a B.C. Ferry and two women from Surrey stopped to see what I was doing. They were quite fun to talk to. When they realized I was working with beads one of the women offered to give me a box of beads she has at her home. That was very kind of her and we are now making arrangements for my brother to pick them up from her house.

4. This lady did not receive a card, only because I had none with me. However I would like to tell you what I saw her do. I was at the cashier in a Dollar Store when a woman just entering the store opened her purse and several dollars worth of small change spilled out. The coins went everywhere! One lady just passing by immediately got on her hands and knees and crawled all along the aisles gathering the coins. Others of us helped as well but this lady was remarkable in how rapidly and cheerfully she helped out the stranger who had spilled her coins.

5. It was a small thing. An older gentleman was having a bit of trouble with a door and when a young fellow noticed he quickly stopped what he was doing and came over to help. It was a little thing but I know it was much appreciated.

Before the Blog

I distributed the "Nicer Place" cards for a little over a year before I began this Blog. The responses were interesting. Most people appeared confused by a complete stranger handing them a card. Usually I would just give a card along with a smile and a few words along the lines of " I wanted to pass on this card and you seemed the perfect person to give it to".

Often I had walked away before they had time to read what it said. However sometimes I was still there while they looked at it and every response can best be described as appreciative amazement. Complete strangers have given me hugs, handshakes and tears.

The tears were from a lovely, efficient, friendly waitress in a coffee shop in Iqaluit on Baffin Island in northern Canada. Apparently both her parents were dying and much in her life was going wrong. She said the words on the card were the nicest thing that had happened to her in a very long time and that they would help her keep going through the difficult times that were coming.

In Prescott Arizona we stopped at a Blimpie's and gave a card to a very charming woman behind the counter then sat at a table for our coffee break. A few minutes later she came over to us with two cookies and said we were the very first people to ever acknowledge the work she does with a thank-you.

Some of the many people who have caused me to smile or impressed me with their kindness and have been given cards are:

- a woman customer in a very long McDonald's line up in Quartzite Arizona. She kept us all laughing.
-a very helpful clerk in a gas station/convenience store in Parker Arizona.
-the waiter in a restaurant in Sedona Arizona
-car rental lady in Palm Springs who went out of her way to cheerfully resolve some difficulties.
-the 10 original members of The Greater Victoria Police Chorus (Canada) who are still singing and volunteering their time after 25 years.
-the funny and friendly owners of a Motel in Osoyoos B.C.
-fellow travelers from Nova Scotia who we met at breakfast in Bella Coola B.C.
-tour guide in Cuba.
-an older lady who approached me in a parking lot and asked if she could talk to me about my car as she was looking at getting a new one. She sat in my car and we chatted for half an hour.
-a young couple from England who were sharing their enjoyment of traveling the world.
-a woman who worked in small chilly General Store in the middle of nowhere along the road from Tonasket to Republic in Washington State. She loved the countryside so very much that talking to her was uplifting
-many clerks and customers in various Safeway stores.
-a friendly caring waitress in a hotel restaurant in Hollywood Florida
-numerous interesting and kind passengers I've met on cruise ships.
-a conductor on the charming tourist train in Kamloops, B.C.
-the very caring man who worked in the hospital where my father spent the last few months of his life.
-and of course, members of my family and my very dear friends who truly do make the world a nicer place to live.