Blaine grandparents visit new Canadian grandson through chain-link fence

Blaine residents John and Sharon Andes recently visited with their new grandson through a chain-link fence, as a result of border restrictions that prevent the couple from crossing into Canada, where the new baby was born and lives with his parents.

John and Sharon Andes previously visited with the new baby, Stephen Cyrus Waldner, on March 21 at Peace Arch State Park. That’s the day border restrictions initially went into effect prohibiting “non-essential” travel across the border. That day, the grandparents parked on the U.S. side of the park, while their daughter, son-in-law and six-day-old grandson parked on the Canadian side. They then met in the free zone of Peace Arch State Park, where Americans and Canadians can gather without any border-crossing formalities.

After state parks were shut on March 25, the grandparents had to get even more creative. On April 13, they found a spot in a residential area in Blaine immediately adjacent to “0” Avenue in Surrey. Their daughter, son-in-law and grandson drove to the same spot from their home in Cloverdale and met them on the other side of a steel fence. They set up lawn chairs on their respective sides of the barrier and began their meeting.

“We tried to meet at the park in March, and now we had to meet through a fence,” John Andes said.

Within minutes, a border patrol agent approached the family. “The border patrol was right on us right away,” Andes said. “They know you’re there whenever they see activity around the border. We got our chairs out of our car and walked up to the border and right up to the fence, and within minutes they were there.”

The agent told the family that he didn’t want the baby passed across the border, and that the two parties were not allowed to touch each other through the fence. Other than that, the agent was polite and understanding. “He was a very nice gentleman,” Andes said. “We told him what we were doing and he was totally fine with it and said that’s great.”

For about an hour, the grandparents chatted with their daughter and son-in-law. The baby, who was born in good health and is now one month old, was awake for part of the meeting and then fell asleep.

“People are still trying to connect with their families in any way possible despite the border being closed,” Andes said, noting that he and his wife have friends in Lynden who have held similar cross-border meetings with their Canadian relatives, separated by fences, ditches and an invisible line.

The border restrictions were due to be lifted on April 21, but on April 17, it was reported that Canada and the U.S. agreed to extend the current restrictions for at least another 30 days.

Toward the end of their April 13 meeting, the property manager, an elderly woman, walked over to the Andes and told them they couldn’t sit where they were sitting. “She didn’t really want us to be there, so it kind of ended our time,” John Andes said. “It ended not so well.”

Andes said that the family will try looking for other spots along the border, and that they have also tried meeting digitally using FaceTime. In a recent video meeting, the Andes opened up some presents for the baby and gave them to him virtually. The gifts included some sports-themed toys and a small stuffed kangaroo.

“We’re grateful and we realize that these are unique times,” John Andes said. “We’re just going to have to keep doing what we can.”