but it rings at 6:15 and we rise

A little bleary eyed we woke to a another dry but overcast day. We assembled our luggage by the road to wait for the bus. The 3 boys in our group, and one adventurous adult (not one of the wise chaperons) played touch football on the wet grass. The boys didnt even break a sweat.

When all the choristers had gathered we proceeded off to a full breakfast at the U of BC cafeteria.

Flowers are in full bloom everywhere, and some of the girls collected a few to decorate their hair.

The journey from Vancouver to Powell River consists of 5 parts. A Bus segment followed by a ferry, followed by the bus and ferry again, and finally the bus to Powell River itself. We were quite amazed at how winding the roads were, but everyone faired very well on the bus.

The choristers were quiet on the first segment, many choosing to write in their journals or sleep. Ali, our bus driver, took us back downtown and through beautiful Stanley Park to the the Lion's Gate Bridge. All along the way Ali pointed out the various historic sites.

On the first ferry the choristers offloaded from the bus and went right to the front and top of the ferry. There they met choristers from Australia, the Waratah Girls Choir. The air was filled with excitement as both choirs exchanged pins and small coins. Our choir then discovered that the Seattle Children's choir was also on board. You could feel the excitement as the choristers discussed their countries, language differences, and food preferences.

The "bunny hugs" are a big hit. The choristers look very sharp in them and have received many complements about them.

Lunch took place at a lovely Roberts Creek Provincal Park on bay. The choristers were able to walk the beach and enjoy the sunshine while it lasted. The picnic was a delightful way to break up the long and winding road we travelled.

Around 2 pm we finally arrived at the hotel. A very nice and friendly place with an open balcony surrounding the parking lot. Settling everyone into rooms went quickly and the choristers took a well deserved break. Showering was a popular activity.

Around 4:30 a line rehearsal was called in the parking lot. We then proceeded to supper at the Granada Family Restaurant. The choristers will be having breakfast there every morning and a roast beef supper on Saturday night. The food was a delightful buffet of pizza, teriyaki chicken, and spaghetti with salad.

The owner, Gus, has been serving choirs since the inception of the festival. A tradition he created is for the choir to sing for their supper. After dessert, the choir sang "Viva la Musica".

After supper the choristers rehearsed for about an hour. Then the nightly chorister meeting was held to review the days successes and plan for tomorrow.

Another unique custom of the people of Powell River is to honk and wave to the choirs as they go by. The choristers quickly got in the habit of waving back.

Tomorrow fortunately will not have to start so early. Wake up is set for 7:45. Breakfast will be at 8:30.

What is the best thing that happened to you today?

"We went for a picnic. The nature was really nice. We decided we needed it after our long travelling"

"The supper!"

We met lots of cool people from Seattle, Nebraska, Australia, Powell River, and Windsor. We are having a great time!"

"I really liked the ferry rides with the Australians. The Australians taught us neat terms like 'bunny hugs' are jumpers. They kept on wanting to know who our great video guy was"

"The best part was riding the ferry and talking to the Australians and getting to know them and their country"

"The supper was awesome!"

A Slide Show taken by Chorister 90