A Few Good Things, My Workouts of the Week, and Fireworks

A couple of weeks ago there was a Sunset Beach Social going on along Sunset Beach. We walked across the Burrard Bridge to check it out. Here's the view of the party tents from the bridge above:

After walking around the social for awhile, we putzed around downtown for a bit until it was nearly sunset, then made our way back over the Burrard Bridge as the sun set behind the mountains:

 

It was the night preceding the July 12th Super Moon, so even though it wasn't quite super, the moon was still pretty big that night:

By the way, that photo above was taken at sunset - so at about 9:15 at night. That's how bright the sky still is at 9:15 at night around here during the summer. Isn't that nuts?

Moving along, here are all my workouts from this past week. My calves have been sooooo sore from the Thursday lower body workout I did (see below). I guess upgrading to holding 25-pounds in each hand (versus 15-pounds) really makes a difference to my muscles!

7/21 (upper body)

5 mins elliptical

3x:  15 chest press on exercise ball, 12.5 lbs each hand

3x:  12 rear flys, 7.5 lbs each hand

3x:  12 overhead press, 10 lbs each hand

3x:  12 deltoid flys, 7.5 lbs each hand

3x:  12 bent over rows each arm, 20 lbs

3x:  12 deltoid raises, 7.5 lbs each hand

3x:  15 close grip chest press on exercise ball, 12.5 lbs each hand

3x:  12 tricep extensions on exercise ball, 7.5 lbs each hand

7/22 (cardio and core)

20 mins biking

40 crunches on exercise ball, holding 15 lbs

40 leg raises + reverse crunch

40 Russian get ups, holding 8 lbs

40 Brazilian crunches

40 weighted v-sit twists holding 15 lbs

80 side-to-side oblique crunch

40 lying overhead raise + double crunch, holding 8 lbs

40 plank knee to elbow

40 alternating weighted side bends, 15 lbs each hand

40 cobras

7/24 (lower body)

5 mins elliptical

3x:  12 squats, holding 30 lbs

3x:  40 diamond clamshells each leg

3x:  40 jump squats, alternating wide and close stance

3x:  40 calf raises, 25 lbs each hand

3x:  40 bridges

7/25 (core)

40 alternating weighted side bends, 20 lbs each hand

40 alternating bird dogs

40 Russian get ups, holding 8 lbs

40 Brazilian crunches

40 weighted v-sit twists, holding 15 lbs

40 leg raises + reverse crunch

40 lying overhead raise + double crunch, holding 8 lbs

80 side-to-side oblique crunch

40 crunches on exercise ball, holding 20 lbs
40 plank knee to elbow

The weather finally turned nice again this weekend, after a grey week. On Friday night after my core workout, I walked downtown to try to stretch out my sore calf muscles. While down there, I ended up grabbing dinner at a restaurant on Robson St. called Abode. Sitting out on their sidewalk patio and sipping on a sugar-rimmed cocktail called Summer Sandals...

.  summer sandals  .
.  vodka, grand marnier, raspberry liqueur, sparkling wine  .

... was a nice way to unwind after the work week. Unfortunately, the instant my pulled BBQ chicken sandwich was set down before me, an intrusive honey bee began dive-bombing my plate and my table till I was forced to say "uncle" while waving my white napkin and running inside to the dining room. No matter - they found me a nice booth inside their dining room next to a window, so my view was nearly identical anyway.

.  pulled chicken & slaw sandwich  .
.  slow roasted chicken, super slaw, fresh spinach on ciabatta  .

Yesterday I spent the morning getting some important things done around my apartment, and then headed out with a blanket and my iPod to catch some sunshine on the lawn at Kitsilano Beach for a bit. It's seriously so nice to have the sun back. It changes the vibe of the entire city.

.  mad peeps on the beach!  .

Speaking of the entire city, I got to check out the first night of the Celebration of Light fireworks last night, which was awesooooome... and it certainly seemed like the entire city was out for it. I was able to watch them right from my beach....

And there were so many people who came out for it! The fireworks were an awesome 25-minute display. Most of my pictures came out terribly, but this one was alright...

Well it's supposed to be another fabulous day today, so I hope to spend a good portion of my day outside. Have a great Sunday!!

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Vancouver Restaurant: Cactus Club Cafe

What: Cactus Club Cafe
Where: Along Sunset Beach in Vancouver

On Saturday night David and I made our way across the Burrard Bridge to walk along Sunset Beach.

We strolled along till we became a little hungry, then decided to stop at the Cactus Club Cafe, a beach-side restaurant with a nice looking patio. We opted to wait the approximately 25 minutes for a free table, and I'm glad we did.

Sitting on their heated patio (these patio heaters are one of my favorite things about the West Coast), I felt like we were in Miami (not that I've been there, hah!!) - beside a the beach but looking at city skyscrapers.

We decided to split an appetizer and ordered soups as our main courses. We also uncharacteristically ordered a couple of drinks - the "Cohiba" was both lemony and minty, with muddled blackberries and what the menu claimed was vodka... however neither one of us could taste any of the latter. For $8 each, they weren't the most expensive drink in the world, but a little steep for something that had next to no alcohol in it! They were definitely delicious anyway.

The chicken quesadilla that we split as an app had pesto and cranberries and was served with something like a Ranch dressing. It all tasted incredible and I'd definitely order it again (if we hadn't already vowed to never eat at the same place twice!).

For my main course I had a butternut squash soup that was served with an apple foam and was lightly dressed with a basil oil and topped with a seared scallop centerpiece. David had a won ton soup with jumbo prawn that he also seemed to enjoy. I am permanently compelled to order the butternut squash soup any time I see it on a menu, because I absolutely love it and don't come across it often enough when dining out. This version did not disappoint!

All in all, our meal eaten by the beach while watching the sun set was really wonderful. The patio also offered beautiful views of the ships that are parked out in the English Bay, which all light up in a sparkly display once it's dark outside.

Our walk to and from the restaurant totaled about 4.5 miles round trip (or 7.24 km, as I'll have to become used to figuring out!). I love taking walks after a meal - do you?