July 12-13

Terrible to wait until Friday to get the photos up and post... but here we are. One pic in here is of my annual start-of-sandal-season pedicure, which I had done at Le Sooke Spa. It lasted a month! Very impressed.

I was oh-s-close to finishing contract work and being free last Friday, on the 11th. A day I'd waited for for quite some time--but I simply couldn't do it. I got material too late in the week to finish edits, and so we scrambled, me working until 2:15 when we had to leave at 3 to catch the ferry. The house looked like we'd been robbed, but we were packed, and on our way to Salt Spring, to Ruckle Park, where we camped for two nights. I can't describe how wonderful it was--the weather was hot, and we got a wonderful site right on the beach at Ruckle, where we sat the first night and watched the ferries float by, and the colours change with the amazing sunset. I must have taken a hundred photos, trying to capture it. That first night when we got there, I played on the beach with Anna while Tim did the multiple treks from the car to get our camping gear to our site. The smell of dry grass, the salt water, a bit of decaying crab, all rolled together with the sandstone and the calm waters took me back. The east coast of the Island, and the gulf islands, have such a different character from our new home in Sooke, I kind of forget what it's like. Until I'm back. And then I get a little home sick... not for Victoria, but for the peaceful beaches.

In the morning we met our friends at the amazing market, and I was instantly overwhelmed by the many ways to spend money on crafty things and local food. We bought some treats, and salt spring cheese, and some collard greens and fresh fish and other things for dinner. We picnicked at the top of Mt. Maxwell, then back to our site for a gourmet meal with our friends. They left to catch a post-supper ferry, and Tim, Anna and I trekked around the Ruckle Point trail trying to find geocaches. We were 50% successful.

On Sunday we went to St. Mary's Lake for a dip (well, I dipped, but my landlubbing family preferred to stay on shore), then caught the ferry and tried to right the mess at home. It didn't last.

July 5-6

Friday I undertook the enormous task of cleaning out the garage. Don't know exactly what possessed me - maybe wanting to have the car out of the sun when it gets hot, so we wouldn't bake every time we hopped in to go somewhere. Tim and I had appies at Stone Pipe, since Anna was out with her Nanas. Saturday Anna and I went to the lantern workshop, and made a lantern that we'll take to the festival later this month. Then we went on an epic shopping and errand expedition, returning home after supper. Sunday was relaxed. I went for my annual pedicure, and we hung out in the back yard (Anna had her "big friends" over,) and I made a picnic for us to take down to the river, which we did. I made hummus, grilled chicken spinach salad, and baked cookies! It was such a peaceful ending to the weekend. I stayed up late Sunday night, cleaning up, and listening to music. Nice to have a low-key weekend here, since we're headed out next weekend for our Saltspring adventure!

June 28-29 & Canada Day

Friday after work/daycare Anna and I headed out for our Friday ritual: our end of week "date." We usually go to a coffee shop and have a hot chocolate for Anna, and a coffee for me, and often a treat of some description. But now that it's hot out, we didn't want the usual. We went to the drug store to pick up antihistamines for me (my naturopathic remedies failed me once grass season hit with full force,) and a treat. Well, Anna was some pleased to find they make cotton candy in a bag. Now, we don't even need fairs, or summer. We could have cotton candy sitting around the fire on Christmas Eve! That evening, Anna and Tim hung out while I went to my friend Linda's for a girls' night. We stayed up until 1:30 (honestly can't remember the last time I did that!) around the camp fire, and camped on Linda's gorgeous Metchosin property, with a glimpse of the sea and lights at night and a beautiful sunrise. Waffles in the morning.

Saturday we hung out in the back yard, soaking up the sun. Anna and I developed a game that involved throwing a lot of water balloons on the trampoline and then jumping on them.

Sunday, pancakes for breakfast, and then to the river for a paddle. Anna's first time in our little inflatable boat. It took some convincing. We saw the most interesting stick bugs in the water, crawling along the bottom. And I actually got submerged, though the river was still pretty cool to swim for very long. The afternoon and evening involved more hanging out in the back yard, more swinging in our hammock, in fact, an entire half hour nap in the hammock. For me, not Anna. She's given up her nap. I'm still recovering from my summer cold. I bark like a seal. It's quite unbecoming. The current combination of antihistamine/sinus medication/nasal steroids/Ventolin/Flovent don't seem to be kicking it. I tried working in bed all day Monday.

Today, Canada Day. A slow morning, watering things. It's been hot. We walked down to the Sooke flats after lunch, and were just in time for the national anthem, and free cake. Then, well, you'd *think* Anna would be sick of cotton candy, but... no. So we had more. Then Anna got to stump Kernel Popcorn (KP: what animal balloon would you like? A: An elephant! KP (face fallen, completely crushed) I can't make an elephant out of balloons. How about a kitty?) Then the magic show, and not one, but two different bouncy castles. We had lunch no. 2 and Anna tried a Spiderman popsicle. The dog agility show held less appeal for Anna than in previous years, so it was off home for more trampolining on water balloons, and ordering in pizza. Now we're just waiting for fireworks. Again this year, I don't have the heart to wake Anna for them, so I think Tim & I will just watch what we can see from the yard.