One of the highlights of going to the Vancouver Art Gallery (VAG) has you not even getting through its doors but up a side set of steps and into the Gallery Café. For decades it's been run by the same couple. They have recently decided to retire and so new owners will be taking over later this summer. I have to admit I was a bit over the menu. There is only so much quiche a person can eat. The desserts were heavenly but carbs don't do it for me these days.

It was well worth just sitting and enjoying perhaps the best outdoor patio in Vancouver. The food wasn't for me but they did have lovely imbibers, great music, and some of the best lookouts around. It was heavenly to sit with a glass of bubbles (some smuggled-in food more to my liking) and soak up the sun.

There are chanteuse-like starlings that nest nearby and they'd whistle along with the classical music and mellow jazz. I worry with the café closed for a few months. Who will feed them? They've gotten used to singing for their supper:) The stairs leading to the café will continue to be a favorite for brown-baggers and take-out lunch eaters, so they won't starve but the pickings will be leaner and no more gourmet desserts. I love to sit on these steps and regard the Wall Center, my favorite tower in Vancouver. I love its clean lines and simplicity. It speaks of civilization advancement but also tranquility. A totem of clear-steeming.

I won't leave you without one more look inside the VAG and at the Affinities, Canadian Artists and France Exhibit​. Pictured below is Shimmering Afternoon, Beaupré, Quebec by Farquhar McGillivray​ Knowles (1859-1932. A collection standout for its mood and brush mastery.