We were pleased to spend New Year's Eve sampling ciders, enjoying yummy treats, making new friends, and catching up with old ones at Lisa Bewley's place. Others, including Zebin and Shireen, stopped by to visit for awhile, but by the time the fireworks marked midnight, we rang in the new year with Lisa and Kayvon. Auntie Janet treated us to lunch on New Year's Day. It was nice to catch up with Judy Minniss at Starbucks to visit for a couple of hours and then to take June to see the Lafarge Lake lights. The memorial service for Lisa's dad, John, was held at St. Mark's Evangelical Lutheran Church, located across from Nana's old house near Trout Lake, on January 4th. Lisa shared anecdotes about her father, we sang two hymns, and the pastor read from scripture. Afterwards, 47 of us gathered for a reception at the Vancouver Alpen Club, enjoying German food and beer while we discussed happier times. We were very happy to return to our own home on the 5th, and then to host friends the following day to celebrate Epiphany and Guy's birthday by playing "Christmas Cards of Insanity" after dinner. The next day, I packed away all of our Christmas décor. We delivered a new dryer to Nanaimo on the 10th, before some more wet snow fell on the 11th, rendering many roads slushy and slippery. We had an enjoyable visit when friends from the local "walking club" stopped by for tea, coffee, and panettone. We were happy to join Debbie and Shaun for dinner, drinks, and games at their place on the 13th. The sun finally broke through on the 14th, encouraging us to bike to Gordon Bay and hike the short path to the point. What do you want for dinner?...steak?...pizza? Yes!!! The 17th was VERY rainy with stormy weather, but inside, our kitchen was blooming thanks to a thoughtful gift of mixed bulbs from Dick and Ann Orman, and roses from John's service. Shaun and Debbie joined us for a few drinks and a dinner of steak, spanakopita, roasted cauliflower, potatoes, and garlic bread in early celebration of my birthday. Despite losing to the women in "Gimme Five", we had an enjoyable evening. Afterwards, I watched two champions retain their belts on the UFC 220 main card. On my birthday, we attended the Honeymoon Bay Society's volunteer appreciation luncheon and received some more flowers. For the remainder of the month, the weather was inconsistent: some days it poured rain ALL day; sometimes the sun made an appearance; other times we experienced more wet snow and slush. Occasionally we were graced with the right conditions to fully appreciate the beautiful landscapes that surround us. We continued to walk whenever we felt it would be enjoyable. On the 27th, we stuffed ourselves with a huge sourdough bowl full of chili, garlic bread, Caesar salad, and unique beers at Shaun and Debbie's. We chatted while playing Yahtzee and Nintendo Wii. On the 30th, we hosted Debbie and Shaun for dinner and Moscow Mules, making use of their Christmas gift copper mugs. Lisa continues to volunteer and did some more Lifeline installs. We have been reading a lot, and I have gone back to reading several sports biographies. Although we did watch several movies this month, our focus has been more on binge-watching television series. We discovered "Big Mouth" and began watching "The Office" from the start.
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The weather is far less consistent in September, but we still managed to enjoy the outdoors everyday, continuing to walk, hike, and cycle locally. After last year's bumper crop, we weren't sure how many peaches to expect this year. Our tree couldn't match last year's spectacular output, but we did receive more fruit than we'd anticipated once again. A lot of time was spent finalizing travel arrangements and adjusting to cancellations. We also did all of our autumn and winter preparation in advance: sweeping the chimney, splitting kindling, clearing gutters (we even finally got around to having the shed gutter replaced), closing crawlspace vents, packing away patio furniture and garden hoses, etc. We got to do plenty of socializing with friends before leaving Honeymoon Bay to travel once again. On the seventh, we joined five other guests at Anna and Dave's for a lovely evening and barbecued salmon. The following night we indulged in more treats and plenty of cranberry mead at Guy and Bonnie's wine-tasting party. On the ninth we volunteered to help out with the "Lake to Lake Walk" (from Shawnigan to Cowichan), which turned out to be mostly visiting with other Honeymoon Bay locals who had also volunteered. That evening we were spoiled by yet another delicious meal of both chicken and ribs while catching up with Shaun and Debbie. We grilled several times, enjoying steaks, burgers, and spicy sausages. Thanks to Dick and Ann, we had lots of fresh produce, many Greek salads, and tomatoes in all of our burgers and sandwiches. Before flying out of YVR, we always make sure to visit with family. We once again stayed with June and went out for dinner at "Indian Wok" with her and her sister, Auntie Janet. We took another trip down Fairy Lane with our niece, Katrina, and went out for Thai food with my parents. Beer and samosas at John's have become a welcome tradition. It was also great to run into Ping at Costco and chat with two Michelles, Bruce, and Christine at Lakeview Elementary.
Now it is time to begin another adventure - exploring Australia for six weeks and New Zealand for an additional three weeks! On August 1st, we checked out Bright Angel Park and its suspension bridge over the Koksilah River. Alison, Katrina, and Annika arrived for their first visit to our piece of paradise on August 2nd. It was 42 degrees(!), so a trip down the Cowichan River was certainly in order. "It's my first time ever tubing... and it's awesome!" - Katrina (age 7) Katrina loves making new friends to play with... By our standards, the beach was "mayhem", as lots of tourists and visitors had already descended upon Cowichan Lake for Sunfest and an early start to the BC Day long weekend. The Thursday night kickoff party featured The Washboard Union and was headlined by Old Dominion. "Uncle Michael, this is one of the best days of my life!" On Saturday morning we checked out the Honeymoon Bay Market. Debbie and Shaun joined us for a steak and prawns dinner before we headed once more to Laketown Ranch for Sunfest. Tim Hicks opened for this year's event headliner, Toby Keith. The girls managed to head out really early to catch a discounted 6:20am ferry sailing. Lisa and I had a relaxing day and then went to the final concert of Sunfest 2017. The evening was kicked off by Maple Ridge's own Madeline Merlo (who we've seen perform twice before), and then the Canadian talent continued with a performance by Bobby Wills. Sunfest 2017 closed in style with the very talented Little Big Town. We read several more novels and I enjoyed several more beer varieties. We spent the evening of August 12th with friends celebrating Shaun's 50th birthday and our 22nd wedding anniversary. On the 16th, friends we met a year ago through "Take a Hike Vancouver Island" came to explore our area and enjoy an afternoon together. We hiked Mesachie Mountain, checked out the beach at Gordon Bay, and then chatted over beers and barbecue in our backyard. There were only five of us to enjoy the Honeymoon Bay Retreat's "Southern BBQ Buffet", but we had a nice visit with Joe, Dave, and Anna. We weren't in attendance for Alison's birthday party, but Jeff was kind enough to send me some photos of the celebration. "The Money Fight" between UFC king, Conor McGregor, and the best ever pound for pound boxer, Floyd Mayweather, unfortunately went exactly as expected with the boxer eventually taking advantage of his vast experience to earn the technical knockout. I much prefer mma to boxing. Lisa continues to spoil me with delicious food and great coffee everyday. On the final day of August, we explored the Forest Research Centre trails. We ended the month with a final bike and hike to Gordon Bay.
Canadians always begin July with a celebration - Happy 150th Canada! At our local Canada Day ceremony, the national anthem was followed by honouring Bryan Peters as the Honeymoon Bay citizen of the year. Rhiannon Morrison received this year's bursary for post-secondary education. There was cake and hot dogs for everyone. Our small community always provides me with photo opportunities. Lisa and I hosted an afternoon get-together for several of our neighbours and local friends to meet and visit over drinks and plenty of snacks. The Honeymoon Bay Days celebration was limited to a single Saturday, but still featured a free pancake breakfast, a short parade, a car show, live entertainment, and a "talent" show. Lake Cowichan is the hub for summertime river tubing. Mesachie Mountain still offers great views for just an hour of effort. We continue to enjoy the flowers blooming around our yard, particularly the different rose varieties. We've exhausted our regular television program viewing, but did watch many movies and read several more books this month. We continue to enjoy spending time on the deck listening to country tunes. We hiked to the top of Cobble Hill for this wonderful view. After the kids paddleboarded to Lily Beach, we skipped and threw rocks while enjoying a beautiful sunset. Our buddy Shaun came through again, letting everyone ride his quad up the back logging roads for views over Honeymoon Bay to the lake. We hiked Mesachie Mountain, but Mesachie Man continues to elude us. While Elliott and I ran errands, the four others biked to Gordon Bay Provincial Park. The kids swam from "The Point" to the small nearby islands. Having completed our tasks, Elliott and I enjoyed the lovely view from the beach. Afterwards, the boys went to play some basketball. On the third and final day of their visit, they went canoeing while Lisa and I got to try their stand-up paddleboard. We then spent some more time at Lily Beach and on our own deck before they had to pack up to go. The Honeymoon Bay Retreat once again featured its "West Coast Buffet", and this time around two other couples joined us for dinner after enjoying celebratory champagne. The meal was delicious and the company was great. We also had the pleasure of eating at Debbie & Shaun's (both for pizza and to christen their new smoker) as well as hosting Elliott and his family (mostly for barbecue). YUMMY! Although our photos don't reflect it, much of this month was conducted under a cloud of worry and concern for my dad who was hospitalized for over three weeks with a severe infection that then caused kidney failure, and for my mom who relies heavily on his care, company, and support. Dad is grateful to be back home, but is still healing and recovering.
The weather was pretty good this month, allowing us to spend enjoyable time outside. Lisa continues to cycle every Saturday and Sunday morning. I managed to join her on two outings. The first was just a short jaunt to the 70.2 - Mile Trestle along the Cowichan Valley Trail. The second was an exploration of Salt Spring Island which involved FAR more BIG hills than we'd anticipated. Although it was only 30km, that one left me dealing with a sore knee all of the following day. We once again attended the Lake Days Parade in Lake Cowichan, and this year's version was better than ever with more floats and participants. Our flowers continue to bloom and I am especially proud of our roses; photographing these sweet-scented beauties became my new obsession. Of course it's always nice to share these times with friends, too! We were introduced to Honeymoon Bay newcomers and have been very happy to expand our local social circle. We enjoyed joining five others for the "Taste of Thailand" dinner at the local lodge and are grateful to have been invited for other delicious dinners at friends' homes. We played a lot of tennis this month and went on multiple "bike 'n' hikes" to nearby Gordon Bay Provincial Park's "The Point". We hiked Mesachie Mountain again this month. At the end of the month, the Honeymoon Bay Fire Rescue celebrated its 70th anniversary as the Canada Day long weekend kicked off. Far too much of June was spent researching and comparing elements of our upcoming Fall vacation. I began with 145 tasks associated with the trip planning, including booking all of the various accommodation and several different car rentals. We have also coordinated ferries, domestic and international flights, shuttle and bus transfers, and various day tours, excursions, and activities. With everything now arranged, I'm truly looking forward to our exploration of Australia and New Zealand!
We got a great start to the month with lunch with June, followed by dinner at our friend Karyn's home. The following morning, the weather was so nice that we played tennis for the first time this year before heading off to the beautiful island of Providenciales in Turks and Caicos. Upon our return to Canada, we only had time for a brief visit over lunch with June before packing up our car to head to the ferry home. We rushed to return home as we were excited to host relatives visiting from Alberta. We always enjoy spending time with Grant and Linda, but rarely have the opportunity to do so. We were very happy that they came to visit and that we were able to show them around our community. Another highlight this month was a fantastic Victoria Day long weekend. After a long dreary spell, the switch was finally flipped on our warm, sunny weather. The temperature rocketed up to 32 degrees Celsius by the end of the weekend - giving me an excuse for my first lake swim of the year. We had two dinners at Shaun and Debbie's place, grilled for the first time this year, read on the deck, and spent an entire afternoon at Lily Beach. Lisa went cycling on three consecutive mornings, with Debbie joining her on Sunday. Shaun and I went quadding and Debbie and I took the kayaks out on the water. It felt like summer holidays! The end of the month felt like summer had already arrived. Lisa cycled far more and we played tennis almost daily. We continued to walk a lot and did some bird-watching, too. We continue to enjoy & appreciate the natural beauty of the place we live. This month was filled with both NHL and NBA playoff action and we became more and more hooked on "Parks and Recreation", watching several seasons of the sitcom. The world's largest hockey stick is found in Duncan, BC.
According to the old adage, we should have an abundance of blooms next month, as April featured cool, rainy weather much of the time.
It was nice when the weather cooperated to allow reading on the deck. We enjoyed a sweet Easter at home this year.
We were eventually able to coordinate a time to host friends - Guy, Bonnie, Shaun, & Debbie - to share some food and see our India photos. Before taking the ferry, we strolled Nanaimo's seawall for the first time.
The best part of returning to the mainland is visiting with friends and relatives. It was great to once again check in with Michelle Ky and to have dinner with June and Auntie Janet. We also had dinner at my cousin Angel's and spent the night at her place in Abbotsford before continuing to West Kelowna the following morning. We visited with several relatives and people we haven't seen in years while in the Okanagan. We also took the opportunity to spend some time with our niece, Katrina. Finally, we fit in a hike up Mount Boucherie before driving back down to the coast.
We spent a typical November at home: reading books, watching movies, sports, and television programs, and monitoring the weather for long enough breaks from the rain to head out walking. We saw many good "based on a true story" dramas, including: "Woman in Gold", "The 33", "War Dogs", "Snowden", "Sully", "The Finest Hours", "Hands of Stone", "Jersey Boys", "13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi", and "Steve Jobs". We once again spent some fun evenings sharing laughs, meals, and beers with our friends Debbie & Shaun. We were grateful to be included in a belated Thanksgiving celebration at the Ostans' home in Victoria, where we also watched the Pacquiao fight. We had to have a toilet replaced in a rental property and have hired a roofer to put a new roof on the same place. We continue to work our way through our pre-trip to do lists, but keep thinking of more errands to add to them. We are both excited about our fast-approaching holiday.
Our usual hikes, walks, and haunts took on unfamiliar looks as the leaves changed colour with the new weather patterns. We continue to enjoy the outdoors and the spectacular scenery of the Cowichan Lake area. We were able to get together with Shaun & Debbie a few times for dinner and drinks, including celebrating Lisa's birthday. It's always enjoyable to share some laughs over a round or two of "Cards Against Humanity" or "Perudo", and recently we added "Gimme 5" to our repertoire.
For most of September we had spectacular weather. As Autumn approached, the temperatures dropped, but most days were still plenty warm in the direct sunshine, and allowed the option of being comfortably cool in the shade or indoors. We often chose to spend time on our deck. Lisa and I appreciated many leisurely days together, usually enjoying the outdoors. A lunch break in Cowichan Bay was time well spent. Lily Beach and Mesachie Mountain remain frequented local destinations. Towards the end of the month we made a trip over to the Lower Mainland to see friends & relatives and to complete some tasks such as obtaining our Indian Tourist Visas. It was nice to see everyone in person again. We once again stayed with Lisa's mom, June, and made trips to see other relatives.
We discovered that our regular path to the playground has been magically transformed into "Fairy Lane" and is now full of treasures. I dropped by my old school to have a quick chat with some former colleagues before sharing laughs with friends Enrico, Joe, and Janelle at the pub. We ran into our friend Joan at Costco and met a former student on the ferry. We got caught up with our friend, Karyn, dropping in on her twice in one day! In one well planned day, we walked in Robert Burnaby Park, visited our friend Ellie (and I got to meet her eleven month old son for the first time), renewed our driver's licenses, met our friends Barb & Rob for lunch, bought trail runners for Lisa at MEC, ran errands, had pizza and beer outside with our friend Michelle, and walked along the False Creek seawall. |
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