August 23-24

A weekend of birthday celebrations. Saturday was warm, and Anna and I went to Ragley again for yummy organic food, and snapdragon flowers. We headed to Sooke Pot Holes after that, where we walked up a new trail and checked out a beach we hadn't been to, yet. After, we headed home and I got ready to head downtown, for Glenda's birthday dinner at Pagliacci's. The bread is as good as ever, I'm happy to report.

Sunday was low-key, and pouring with rain. Anna decorated cards in the morning, and we headed out to Jaydon's pool party in the afternoon. It had stopped raining when we were back, so I got out and did a bit of gardening, then we walked down to the new walkway they've built along the bridge over DeMamiel Creek and threw pinecones and stones in the water. In the evening, I got back to scrapbooking--I actually completed Anna's 6 month old page for her baby book. I kept joking that my goal was to finish her baby book by the time she's in kindgergarten, but now I'm actually concerned I'm not going to make that.

August 16-17
August 16, Best of East Sooke Day. It was the perfect beach day. Anna and I headed to Ragley Farm first, where we checked out the amazing new flower garden there, and said hi to Josie. Then we stopped at Bill's Food and Feed for an ice cream, and then went to Aylard Farm Beach for sandcastling, wading, a *short* dip on my part--but still, the most I've ever swam there, considering how frigid it is normally, being open to the Strait of Juan de Fuca. We saw sandpipers, a mink swimming in the water, and two weddings. Anna wished the first bride congratulations, and I had the experience of standing in my bikini while talking to a couple in wedding finery. surreal. Our final hour was accompanied by the sounds of waves and a string quartet! Very glad we managed to pack the sand bucket Laurie gave us in Ontario in our luggage--it makes for some superior castles indeed. Once home, I embarked on making a corn moon feast, complete with salmon, corn, padi pan squash, beet tops, and strawberry shortcake, with all produce courtesy of Ragley Farm (except the corn.) And watermelon.

On Sunday, a thunderstorm woke me up. Plans for a run were postponed, and instead we had a nice leisurely breakfast of Ragley Farm eggs and toast, and read stories. Anna napped that afternoon, and I mowed the insane back lawn, which had been well watered and not cut since we'd left for Ontario. A few of the pics of the garden show how overgrown it all is--the peas collapsed over the NEW stakes I'd put up, since the last ones were too short. Seems I need something ten feet tall if I'm going to grow the same variety next year. When Anna was up, we went to Witty's beach for a barbeque picnic. I packed hot dogs, the hibatchi, more watermelon--and as I closed the trunk, I heard an ominous rumbling. More thunder. But we drove through the rain and watched the clouds move past the beach. We stayed dry, right to the end. A bit too cool for the hoped-for swim, though. We'll have to try again. This morning, more rain--but then totally clear skies for 90 minutes, during which I got in a run around Matheson Lake. Beautiful! Now it's time to face my serious return to work... vacation's been grand. I look forward to the next one!

July 30-August 13 Ontario vacation 2008

We flew out on Wednesday, and went straight to the cottage. Boat rides, family visits, barbeques, games, swimming in the lake... an amazing new playground and great sand castle building at Innisfil Beach Park... Nicole came up for the long weekend and we had wonderful days of adventuring and nights on the patio, then a side trip to Ottawa for me (dang, forgot my camera, though...) where I visited first with Sarah, Andrew, Christopher and met Katherine for the first time, and then visited with Liz, Matt and Alice, and was treated to an amazing dinner at a gastro pub, and then a morning at a nordic pool spa in the Gatineaux. Ahhhh.... Flew home that night, then spent a couple days in Scarborough--took Anna to the Toronto zoo, paid a brief visit to the amazing spectacle that is the Scarborough Town Centre, and made my pilgrimage to downtown Toronto on public transit for a dinner out with Nicole (Banu, an amazing Iranian restaurant this time). Then we stayed the night with friends in their new home in Keswick, on the other side of Lake Simcoe from the Mitchell cottage. Then back to the cottage for our final weekend there, and Cindy and Colin's party at Cousin Laurie's cottage. We had a couple of relaxing days up there before flying home again on the Wednseday. Meanwhile, TiF was having a grand time at camp Glynis.

Some of my other favourite shots from our vacation is on Tim's Picasa site, here: http://picasaweb.google.com/tim.mitchell/OntarioSummer2008
To view mine full size, go here: http://picasaweb.google.com/thepaperhat/

July 26-27

(Thanks to Glenda for supplying me with some pics from this weekend!)
Saturday Anna and I headed into town to meet Everett and Glenda for a day of fun. Sadly, I forgot the camera. We started out at the mall, where Anna got her hair cut and we had lunch with Everett and Glenda, and then we went to the bug zoo. After that, we went to St. Ann's and Beacon Hill Park for Luminara. The kids were total troopers about walking all the way back to the parkade way past their bed times after that! As for Sunday, Anna was off having an adventure with her Nanas, and Tim and I hiked Peden Ridge with Aunt Glynis, which is up from the Sooke Potholes. Then we went out for lunch on the patio at Fuse. Glynis' pics of the hike are here: http://picasaweb.google.com/keesha.d71/PedenRidgeHikeJuly2708

July 18-20

Friday Anna went to her Nanas' for a sleepover, and Tim and I worked and then went to Sombrio for our first solo camping trip since Anna's arrival. I packed like we were going backpacking, strapping everything to our pack, taking small amounts of things and completely dismantling our camping "go" box for the purpose. Tim decides to look up the distance between the parking lot and the beach, and finds out its only ten minutes long! I had remembered it longer. The good news is, this means we can bring two beer each. Ever since hiking the Juan de Fuca trail end to end in 2002, when after a couple of days on the trail we came upon people camping at Sombrio with coolers, etc. and we had just our dried noodles and water filtered from the creek, I have fantasized about drinking a beer at Sombrio beach. The beach is one of the most beautiful in the world, without a doubt. We were blessed with excellent weather. We walked the length of the beach when we arrived, and gathered pretty stones, and Tim tried out a rope swing on the south end. We explored the little suspension bridge to the next part of Sombrio, then got the wood for our beach fire. We had an amazing supper of chorizo sausage and instant noodles sitting by our fire in the sand, and slept so well there, too. We had a leisurely morning with a huge breakfast and head out for a hike up to Minute Creek, then back to strike camp and meet Anna back at home. Sunday we stayed home, but in the evening I headed out for the Victoria School of Writing reception, which kicked off my week of workshops in creative non fiction with Rita Moir, which was amazing.

July 14-17th, half days of summer fun

This week I worked just in the mornings, and Anna and I headed out for an adventure every afternoon.

Monday - we met Linda and her son Jake at Matheson Lake, and the kids had fun despite the coolish temperatures. Windy, and no one went in the water. Bizarre after our Saltspring weekend of scorching hot weather.

Tuesday - Sooke Pot Holes. Anna and I took a picnic to Sand Pebble Beach, and explored a trail for a bit before heading down to dip in the water and relax on shore. Tim met us a little later for some pothole fun.

Wednesday - Bought swimwear. Ventured into the bikini territory. Figured I'm 35, it's a now or never kind of thing. This year, pot belly be damned, I'm wearing a two piece, and enjoying it. And I have been! We met Dana, Jake and Darcie at an old favourite beach on Cordova Bay, just south of McMorran's. The water was deliciously warm, and I swam, and played with Darcie and Jake in the water, though Anna was still reluctant to get wet. Up top, the playground has been totally revamped and is much nicer. On the way home, we went to Kelsey's for dinner. They bring Anna a brand new package of three crayons, which she can keep, to colour her place mat. I had a childhood favourite dinner--barbequed ribs, coleslaw, and root beer. Turns out that's tastier when you're 12. Go figure. But Anna really enjoyed her mini hamburgers.

Thursday - Anna and I headed to China Beach, where I backpacked her down to French Beach, a 2.5 km hike. Not long, but she's at my maximum pack weight now, so it was a good workout. The beach was wonderfully breezy and warm at the same time, and we soaked up some sun before heading up again. We stopped at the French Beach store, now reopened, for ice cream--we made it just in time, but we were shooed out by the owner who needed to gate the entrance at the road. All in all, still a good end to this mini-vacation.