Right now, Jim and I are aboard a 767 flying to Vancouver on the first leg of a mini tour of B.C.  We go on this trip with real sadness because our dear friend and co-worker, Bill Chapple, passed away last year after a battle with lung cancer.  We didn't post anything in these journals at the time of his passing last April because, frankly, we found it hard to accept the reality of what was happening.  Bill had served in the RCAF in the '50s, and while stationed in Australia, he worked in the asbestos mines.  Last year, doctors found that it was all through his lungs, and there was nothing they could really do.  His positive disposition sustained his spirit right to the end, as did his faith and his family.  Jim and I miss him greatly.
 

Because this tour only has three concerts, Jim and I had decided to drive the truck, and to supervise off-loading of the pianos ourselves.  This is what we used to do all the time before we met Bill, so we're pretty used to doing it.  Even if Bill were still here, we might have decided to go it alone anyway, because it's such a short trip, though we probably would have called him in the end; we loved seeing him as a friend, and also, we never worried when he was on the job.

After landing in Vancouver, we took a taxi to a truck rental where we had reserved a 16 foot cube van.  It was all gassed up and, since everything seemed to be working (ALWAYS check signal lights, etc. when renting a truck), we put our bags in the back, and drove to Annacis Island, where the Yamaha warehouse is situated.  Annacis Island is one of the islands that forms the delta of the Fraser River and is where virtually all goods destined for Vancouver are off-loaded for final distribution.  The map we had was pretty clear, so we found the place with no trouble, went around to the loading dock, and backed the truck flush against one of the many large doors.

Inside the warehouse, we found both pianos (a 7 foot and a 6'8), our skids, and our tie-down straps, all of which had been shipped there earlier in the week.  The movers were there also, whose job it was to put the instruments onto the skids and to load them into our truck.  They were pretty nice guys, and were very helpful with suggestions to make things even smoother.  Jim and I have been doing this part of the business for almost twenty years, and we know what we're doing, but often professional movers give us a hard time, even when they know nothing about moving grand pianos, so it was nice to meet guys who were helpful and knew their stuff.  It was amazing watching them work; when we do it, we use up to six volunteers, whereas there were only two of them.  In fact, John, the head guy, told us that he'd flown up to Prince George in order to set up a 7-foot, and that he'd done it himself (!), with only one other person to help with the legs.

Our liaison with Yamaha on the west coast is Tom Cuff, whom we'd spoken to many times on the phone, but whom neither of us had met in person, since Bill Chapple had always done this part of things.  Again, though it was nice finally to meet Tom, who is as nice a man as we thought he would be, it was mixed with real sadness.

We had to catch the 3:15 ferry to Nanaimo, so we didn't visit too long.  The ferry leaves from Tsawwassen, a town in Delta (another suburb of Vancouver) whose main industry is the BC ferries.  We thought we had left enough time, but when we got there, the woman at the ticket booth said that because we were driving a truck, there was a chance that we would not be on this ferry, but would have to wait for the one at 5:30, another two hours!!  Wonderful.  We pulled up behind a huge logging truck and prepared to wait it out, but the gods seemed to be with us, and we were the last truck in the long line that was allowed onto the ferry.  The poor guy right behind us looked pretty peeved; can't say I blame him.

The ferry ride was about two hours, and I spent the time catching up on email, and reading.  I suppose I could have gone out on the deck to admire the view, but there was a chill in the air, and frankly, I just wasn't in the mood.

The plan was to stay in Nanaimo overnight with friends, and drive to Port Alberni on Thursday morning so we would have plenty of time to off-load the pianos, check into the hotel, and practice, since we would not have touched a piano all day on Wednesday.  Everything went according to plan in terms of our arrival; the only fly in the ointment is that, because of jet lag, I am now wide awake at six o'clock in the morning, and can't get back to sleep.  Well, at least I'll have the experience of seeing a beautiful sunrise over the mountains on the mainland, if the omnipresent fog doesn't block it out.

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