LEAVING VANCOUVER ISLAND

What are you looking at?

We’ve had a very busy week since arriving here at Cousin Neil’s and Carol’s.   We attended a belated birthday party in Victoria for Georgia on the 10^th of July.  Her other grandparents were there as were Robin’s sister and husband.  Richard and Georgia came partway out of Victoria and joined us for a very good supper at the Olive Grove. 

James Bay area of Victoria

Harbour at Oak Bay, Victoria

On the way home, Mt Baker in Washington State was visible across the Saanich Peninsula north of Victoria and the American Gulf Islands.  It isn't all that often that one gets to see Mt Baker anymore

On July 11^th, Aileen and I drove out to Port Renfrew and walked down to Botany Bay and Botanical Beach.  We sat on the beach with our lunch and the weather was gorgeous.  A highlight on the drive home was discovering a set of waterfalls alongside the road that we didn’t know existed.  We’d caught a glimpse while driving so turned around and looked over the bank.   I was able to crawl down and get a partial view of the pools and falls.

The Friday of that week was a catch up day doing laundry and shopping.   Saturday saw us once again on the road to Victoria where we attended a 65^th wedding anniversary for Aileen’s Cousin Pat and Irene, which was the reason we stayed a couple weeks longer than planned on the island.  Aileen got to meet several relatives she didn’t know she had.  Again, the weather was beautiful and the view from the deck of the house where the party was held was exceptional.

The patio view where the 65th anniversary party was held

Aileen in the purple with some newly found relatives.  Pat and Irene, the two in front celebrating their 65th, were the only two we'd met before and that was only about four years ago.

We had dropped Mitzy at Richard’s so she had a cool house to spend the afternoon in.  After the party was over, we went into downtown Victoria and picked up Aileen’s school friend Bev.  Bev brought along a flash drive with a batch of photos she wanted to share with Aileen so I downloaded them onto Aileen’s laptop before we went to supper.   Since we’d had such a good meal at the Olive Grove Wednesday evening, that’s where we went.  Supper was very good again.

Sunday was a day of recuperation then we joined the party going on here.  Carol had her Dad, two sisters and a brother, two spouses of them plus a couple other relatives over for supper.  Neil did ribs on the grill while others prepared potatoes and a couple different salads and deserts.  A visiting good time was had then most of us gathered around the fire pit for a couple more hours.

Tomorrow, our stay on Vancouver Island comes to an end.  We are heading back to home base near Salmon Arm for a couple weeks or so to take care of some business and visiting.  Sorry if we missed you and at this time we have no idea when we will return for another lengthy stay on the island.

Trees grow a little crooked along the west coast.  Aileen and Mitzy posing for me

Aileen, Mitzy and me on Botanical Beach

The Olympic Peninsula in Washington State is just visible in the distance

More scenes from Botanical Beach

Some of the pools and waterfalls along the road from Lake Cowichan to Port Renfrew

WE RETURN TO DUNCAN ONCE MORE

We have returned to my Cousin Neil and Carol’s yard near Duncan to mooch dock for a few more days.  We are off to Victoria tomorrow for a visit with son Richard and his family and inlaws.  We have another trip to Victoria on Saturday to attend a 65^th wedding anniversary celebration.  Next Tuesday, we expect to depart Vancouver Island with the thought that it will be next year some time before we return.  If we missed visiting you, sorry!

We went for a water taxi ride part way up Bute Inlet from Campbell River yesterday and that was fun.  We got to tag along, for $90 each, on a run to deliver a lady to a private lodge.  Since we were the only other passengers, the skipper, who also owns the company, gave us a scenic tour on the return.  We were about three hours on the water and it was mostly a little on the rough side so very difficult getting pictures.  We were very fortunate in having friends Gay and Doug look after Mitzy while we were on the boat ride.  They have offered their services again so if we happen to return there next year, we already have an idea of which boat ride we’d take.

We had a great visit with old friends, Lynda and Perry, in Cumberland on Sunday.  We shared a tasty lunch during our visit.  We’ve been doing our walks morning and evening as the weather has been very nice, which means warm in the daytime.

Totally Outrageous, the boat we were on 

Some of the islands north of Campbell River

A similar boat to the one we were on which we eventually passed

The lighter blue mountains are part of mainland BC

BACK TO CAMPBELL RIVER, A HIKE AND A BIRTHDAY

We are back near Campbell River moochdocking at Aileen’s Cousin Bill’s for a few days.  Friends Gay and Doug joined us for supper Wednesday then Aileen and I visited their place Thursday morning.  Another friend mentioned Dick’s Fish and Chips, down on the water, had gluten free batter so we thought we’d try that for lunch.  Well, the batter may be gluten free, but it is all cooked in the same cooker so cross contaminated.  We went to Fusilli Grill which is dependably gluten free and tasty.

Aileen and I went for a stroll around some of the trails in Strathcona Park near the Mt Washington Ski Hill.  We’d read about it on Rick and Paulette’s blog and thought it sounded like fun.  The scenery was certainly very good.  For the first half of our walk, we only saw four other people but it got busier later. 

I got to miss helping with Charlie and Sheila’s haying by leaving the day we did because of an appointment to have the motor home serviced.  They didn’t miss me as they had three of their sons, a couple of the son's spouses and their renter’s daughter to help. 

Aileen's birthday today.  She wanted to keep it low key this year.  Next year is a big one.  Bill’s son Tony and Rita will join us for a BBQ supper tonight.  We plan to visit some old friends in Cumberland for lunch tomorrow then we have a boat ride booked for Monday morning which will take us up through the islands to one of the mainland inlets.  This is a scheduled freight run on about a 30 foot aluminum boat.

Lots of boardwalks to protect the fragile alpine bogs and about two kilometers are fully wheelchair accessible

Battleship Lake

Mt Washington Ski Hill in the background

Lake Helen MacKenzie

Some of the Mt Washington accommodation in the background

THE SUN RETURNS AND A FINAL GOODBYE TO MOM

Good bye, Mom

The sun returned alright, with a vengeance!  We went from needing the heater to needing the air conditioner overnight.  Our high today of 32C is nothing like many parts of Western North America though.

The last while saw me gathering and organizing photographic material for my Mom’s memorial service which took place yesterday.  I put together a short slide show set to music with long pauses on each image so people had time to actually look at them then the funeral home employees projected the show on their large screen TVs.  I think it was the nicest service I have ever been to.  Our son Richard was the very able MC who held things together.  My brother Sam did a beautiful eulogy.  My sister’s Wendy and Becky along with Sam’s wife Sharon led us in three old hymns with great audience participation.  Several other people got up and shared memories.  There was a large turnout and lots of visiting occurred while sharing in the bountiful spread of food prepared mostly by our families.

This afternoon, a group of us travelled down Island to inter Mom and Dad’s ashes on the summit of Mt Prevost which was one of their favourite places during their courting years and for many years after.  Unfortunately, there was a steep hike involved so that meant many people wouldn’t have been able to attend. 

It is a relief to finally have all this behind us.  Aileen and I will soon depart Vancouver Island and try to resume our exploration of new areas and return visits to places we’ve seen in the past.  We have a few things to attend to in Salmon Arm so that’s where we will head July 17.  Our last commitment on the Island, so far, is the 65^th wedding anniversary of one of Aileen’s cousins in Victoria.

Tomorrow we are going to Campbell River for a couple days then hope to find a quiet spot for a few days to put the last couple months behind us.

One of the most popular tourist attractions in this area is the Coombs Market.  The main building is known far and wide for the goats that live on the sod roof.

On the way home from the market, we saw this deer family on the side of the road

Sunset at Qualicum Beach the other night

The last resting place for my parents

The group who made the climb to inter the ashes.  That's me on the far right.

WHERE HAS THE SUN GONE?

This has sure turned into a wet Spring.  Nothing like Eastern BC and Alberta though.  The forecast keeps promising better weather a few days ahead but we never seem to get there.  We enjoyed the Grandfriend’s Day at Georgia’s school.  After school was over for the day, we and Richard picked up Georgia and went out to Langford where Georgia was having her last play group of the season.  Prior to dropping her and Richard there, we went to Bin4Burgers where we had very excellent hamburgers.  When we went in the door first off, one of the waitresses said hi, your name is Georgia, right?  It seems she worked with Georgia several years ago at Frank Hobbs School.  Another small world moment!

I took Cousin Neil and wife Carol geocaching our last evening at their place.  Neil and I had gone up Mt Prevost after lunch.  I wanted to check it out as there was some discussion about spreading Mom and Dad’s ashes on the mountain.

After returning to Errington and my brother’s yard, I listed our pickup on Kijiji, Craig’s List and Used Nanaimo.  Used Nanaimo was where the most replies came from.   I had quite a number of people interested and managed to eventually sell to the second person for my full asking price.  The buyers wanted to have it inspected by their own mechanic so I drove it up to Campbell River for that.  He gave it a great report.  Aileen and I met the buyers a couple nights later in Courtenay to make the transfer.  We hated to part with the truck but it just didn’t make economic sense to keep it.

I did up the brochures to hand out at Mom’s service.  I used the same template I worked up for my Dad and Sheila’s Dad a couple years ago then had them printed at a local shop.  Sheila and I folded them one evening.  I copied some old pictures of Mom with my camera and cleaned them up in Photoshop Elements.  The next step is to put them together in a slide show to display at the memorial service on the 30^th.

This past Thursday Aileen met Heather, the lady we bought the motor home from, in Courtenay for lunch.  They get together once a year or so.  Heather bought a nice apartment with a beautiful view looking over the ocean just south of Campbell River.  Aileen would love to have the view but doesn’t want to be in a strata (homeowner’s assn.) again.

On Friday, we drove down to Mill Bay to meet Richard and get Georgia for the weekend.  On Saturday, we went to a 65^th birthday party for my brother Sam put on his kids.  There were several family members from out of town so nice to catch up with them.   We were fortunate to slip through the afternoon and evening without rain actually falling.  It was very threatening though.  We took Georgia for a walk in the rain this morning.  She enjoyed about a quart of salmon berries we found along the way.  She’s like a little bear when it comes to wild berries.

Grandfriend's Day at Frank Hobbs Elementary

Aileen,Georgia and Richard

Checking out the classroom

Day Lilies at Cousin Neil's

The Cowichan Valley from the top of Mt Prevost.  For those who read Rick and Paulette's blog, found on my sidebar, they live up in the top right of the photo.  That is Cowichan Bay coming in toward the two lakes. 

One of the roses outside Charlie and Sheila's dining room

AND THEN WE MOVED DOWN THE ROAD

After a busy three days in Campbell River, we moved down to Duncan and are moochdocking at my Cousin Neil’s.  He and Carol are great to get along with so we enjoy being able to visit with them.  Aileen went out checking garage sales with Neil and Carol Saturday morning.  We had supper with Neil and Carol Saturday night.  Neil went and picked up his Mom, my Aunt Susie, and we had a great visiting time.  After supper, we sat around a campfire until about eleven pm. 

I have been schooling Carol in the fine art of geocaching and we plan to go find a few Thursday after supper.  I went out with her hiking group to Stocking Creek Park on Sunday morning.  I’ve been having a good time caching in the area, mostly along the Cowichan Valley Multiuse Trail.  Being an old railway grade, it is great for cycling.

Yesterday we went down to Victoria for the day.  We had lunch with son Richard then left Mitzy with him while we picked up friend Bev D and went on a whale watching boat ride.  It was a pretty ride but pretty scant on whales.  We did see little bits of whales when they surfaced for air or were lunge feeding but the sightings were so brief, you didn’t have time to focus on them let alone find them in the camera view finder.

Tomorrow we are off to Victoria again to attend Grandfriends day at Georgia’s school.

Stocking Creek

Para gliders on the Victoria waterfront

A lighthouse we passed on the whale watching trip

The famous Empress Hotel on Victoria's Inner Harbour

The Athena is the world's largest private schooner sailboat.  Rumour has that it is for sale for $95 million dollars!  It is over 290 feet long and over 40 feet wide.

WE ACTUALLY MOVED ON UP THE ROAD

It’s time for another update on what’s been happening in our world.   We’ve been in Campbell River parked in Cousin Bill’s drive moochdocking for the past couple days.  It was time to get on with our life again now that Mom has passed.  My sister Susan, who is Mom’s executrix, and I went to the funeral home and made the arrangements for a celebration of Mom’s life which will take place June 30.  I put some time and effort into making a brochure to give people at the service.  I lined up a printer at a reasonable cost who will cut the sheets for us as well so all we have to do is fold them.  I don’t envy Susan with all she will have to do to settle the estate and am just glad it isn’t me.  Last Thursday, I helped two of my sisters and a brother in law clean out Mom’s room at the care facility.  For a small room, there was a lot of “stuff” to remove.  Hopefully some of the grandchildren will adopt some of it then the rest will go to the thrift store.  I plan to put together a photographic remembrance highlighting Mom’s life when we return to Errington in another week or so.

I have been out caching both on foot and on my bike the past few days.  I continue to be amazed at all the trails that are out there that most people wouldn’t know existed.  It just reinforces how much more a group can accomplish rather than one person.   I’ve been wearing shorts and a tee shirt and many of these caches are off the trail in thick brush so my legs and arms have been getting brutalized.   I have found several areas that I hope to return to next time.  They are fairly level roads suitable for riding my bike to cover more ground but are behind locked gates to prevent motorized travel.

Aileen’s sister Anne came down from Port McNeill for last weekend and she and Aileen had a great visit.  I spent most of both days helping again on the wheelchair ramp addition to the Errington Communtiy Hall.  We had good volunteer crews both days and got lots accomplished.  That was probably my last effort there as we plan to be away the next couple weekends.  I enjoyed helping and learning some new skills.  The ladies and I did get out caching/walking on Saturday evening so Anne was able to claim some caches for her and John.

We’re having trouble getting much decent weather.  We were forecast to have about ten days of decent sun but we had some heavy rain Tuesday night and now it is raining this evening, Thursday.  It looks like we may be getting showers tomorrow, which is moving day down to Duncan where we will moochdock at my Cousin Neil’s.   We already have trips planned to Victoria next Monday and Wednesday.  If the weather will cooperate, I plan to ride some of the Trans Canada Trail in the Duncan area to do some geocaching.  Are we getting bored with retirement?  Not a chance!  Some days I don’t even get to read a book.

A Great Blue Heron down at the marina today

The passage between Campbell River and Quadra Island is always busy with boats

Part of the Campbell River Marina

When I got back to the car after geocaching late this afternoon, I saw this large barge of containers heading for Alaska.  That's why they call this the highway on the sea.

Some of the forest I was geocaching past yesterday

Pilings left over from a long ago logging operation now provide protected nesting for some birds.  Note the efforts at preventing larger birds from roosting and frightening away the smaller birds.

A little colony of tent caterpillars 

The Heron got his minnow