Friday, September 2, 2016

MOVED TWICE

Our friend Bev D's mother passed away on the weekend so Monday morning Aileen and I helped Bev clean out her Mom's room at the lodge.  After that, we moved the motor home down to Duncan and parked at my Cousin Neil's (and Carol's) property.  They have a nice big yard so no problem fitting us in.  We enjoyed some good visits and good meals while there.  It is so nice to have all these friends and relatives who allow us to mooch-dock in their driveways.
On Tuesday, Aileen and I went to the Red Poppy in Ladysmith for lunch.  It is a gluten free deli and bakery and Richard had given us a gift certificate for there.  We enjoyed our lunch.  In the afternoon, I helped Neil and Carol move a bunch of rocks that were in the way for a guy coming to remove some diseased trees.
Richard and Georgia came up Wednesday and we met them at Providence Farm.  Aileen and I had ridden with Carol as she was taking some donations there.  She actually attended school there for two years so was very familiar with the farm.  Georgia enjoyed meeting a bunch of animals.  After lunch at the Old Fork, this time with poor service, we went for a walk out toward the Chemainus River Estuary.  I got to pick up a few geocaches along the way but we didn't get to the river before running out of time.
After lunch on Thursday I went caching.  I ended up on top of Cobble Hill Mountain, although I didn't know that's where I was going, and only got four caches.  It drizzled on me for a while and then at the top it was more like rain.  I spent most of my time in the trees so stayed sort of dry.  I gained nearly 1,000 feet of elevation.  It was 3.8 kms to the top with my wandering and 5.3 total back at the car.  
Summer is definitely over as we have had quite a bit of rain and much cooler temperatures this past week.   We moved back up to Campbell River today and are again parked in Bill's driveway.  We are here until Monday when we are to move down to Seal Bay RV Park for the Escapees Fall  Rally.  Next Saturday,  after the rally, we will likely move down to Miracle Beach Provincial Park, hoping to spend some time with John and Anne.  Sometime after that we will be leaving the Island and heading to Salmon Arm to visit our daughter Bev (and Kev) for a few days.  Then it won't be long before we cross the border on our annual trek south.

From the internet:
The history of Providence Farm
The Sisters of St. Ann purchased the 400-acre farm near Duncan BC, now known as Providence Farm, in 1864. The farm was first a boarding school for young Native girls (1864-1876) and then enlarged to make room for orphaned girls from the Academy in Victoria.
It next became a boarding school for boys in 1904. In 1921 a larger school was built, now known as Providence House. In 1950, girls were enrolled as externs and in 1956 Providence House become a day school for girls and boys. On June 22, 1964, the school bell rang for the last time.
The many endeavours and ministries of the Sisters of St. Ann, through over 150 years of service, have been motivated by compassion, deep faith and a trust in Divine Providence.
The Sisters of St. Ann partnered with the Vancouver Island Providence Community Association in 1979 by providing the land for a shared vision of community service. In September 2009, at the celebration of Providence Farm’s 30th Anniversary, the Sisters of St. Ann formally transferred the stewardship of Providence Farm to the Vancouver Island Providence Community Association.

WHAT WE DO NOW
We are a therapeutic community that provides programs for people who are encountering barriers to education and employment. Our programs are based on principles of horticultural therapy and vocational training that guide our success that –caring for the land together is by nature healing and therapeutic.
The Sisters of St. Ann gifted the beautiful 400-acre Cowichan Valley property to the Vancouver Island Providence Community Association (VIPCA), also known as Providence Farm, to develop innovative programs to service the needs of the community.

Today there are 34 full-time and part-time staff, and 130 people participate in our programs.

Paddle boards are very popular at Qualicum Beach, BC

The calm ocean made for a nice evening

Art venue at Providence Farm

The old school at Providence Farm

Dahlia in the garden

Extensive flower and vegetable gardens behind the school





While Richard and Georgia made a quick visit to a toy store in Duncan, I zipped around and took a few photos.  This is a three dimensional subject against a two dimensional mural 

I thought this looked a bit like Tuscany, but in Duncan

Aileen, Georgia, Richard and Mitzy out for a hike

Oooh, do I want to go that way? 


Michaelmas Daisies viewed from the motor home doorway at Neil and Carol's

Daisy closeup

I spied this interesting Arbutus tree on top of Cobble Hill Mtn.  It was raining at the time.

With the rain and low cloud, there wasn't much of a view

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