fascinating folks on the left coast

Sitting on the ferry from Victoria back to Vancouver (I just saw a whale fin! I’m not kidding!)... thinking about all the fascinating folks I’ve had the chance to get to know during the last few days here in BC:

- Bruce Cockburn (actually, he spells it Cowburn, but pronounces it just like one of my musical heroes...sorry, I couldn’t resist...) of the United Church of Canada, who coordinated the “F-Word” (“faith-based fundraising”) stewardship conference together with folks from the Anglican and Evangelical Lutheran churches...

- Nathan Dungan, whose keynote addresses were riveting and inspiring - if you ever get a chance to hear him, or have him come and speak to your community, DO IT!

- Jane and Rick, who hosted me in their home and introduced me to the undeniable and extraordinary benefits of bopping to the “Momma Mia!” soundtrack as pre-concert and pre-worship vocal warm-ups...

- The LMF gang - Henry, the only pastor/strawberry farmer/soccer-coach-who’s-never-played-soccer that I know... Martin and company who recently broke the Guinness World Record for marathon board game sessions (they played Settlers of Catan: Cities and Knights in the LMF library for 50 consecutive hours)... Brad and Esther who put on an incredible fondue meal spread that lasted 3 delectable hours... Ruth, who has written a book and CBC documentary film on letters from Mennonites in Stalinist Russia... Rick who strapped down my guitar and drove me to Vancouver in his Mazda Miata convertible...

- Hans, who learned to play the accordion at age 70 and is now a regular at various Vancouver churches and nursing homes...

- Corny and Agnes, who told me about watching his father being taken away to Siberia in the 30s (Corny), and served me grape juice, cherry tomatoes, and plum jelly all grown on their little Vancouver back yard (Agnes)...

- Ingrid, who pastors and intercultural church and speaks English, German, and Spanish and is now learning Farsi... and who spent her Monday morning lugging me to the train station to drop off a bag and then off to the ferry to Vancouver Island...

- Andrew and Monica and Isabella, whose house (with chickens in the back yard)and Italian bakery in Victoria have been a wonderful halfway-through-the-tour resting point... not to mention gourmet local foods and delightful conversation...

Now in Pacific Central Station and on VIA's wireless connection, so I can post this... grateful indeed for the generosity and hospitality of so many wonderful people.

Edmonton, here I come!