May Long Weekend 2022

May 21-23

The last time I blogged through a summer, it was 2008, the summer I was working freelance, having left the Sooke library in the little building on Anna Marie Rd. It was a year before Scott would start school, a year of independence and control over my time--a golden period before life would change again in 2009. Now, it's the last summer before Scott moves to Toronto for University... and I'm feeling the same desire to capture every weekend and our adventures before life turns to another chapter.

This weekend was patio-opening weekend, or "Easter Road Pub" opening weekend, as it would be known to some. Originally I was going plant shopping Friday night after the Home Energy Evaluation was done, and out for supper, then celebrating my birthday at Il Terrazzo on Saturday with Glenda and Marthese, after a patio visit with another friend. Then a hike on Sunday. Instead, I came down with a crappy cold (first one in 2.5 years!) right on my birthday, so all weekend plans had to be postponed. Friday evening I unpacked the newly-delivered patio furniture , and we enjoyed our coffee out there Saturday morning, taking stock and planning the work to be done around the house.

Despite being sick, I managed to get a ton of house chores done with Tim, and the patio was starting to shape up. I also assembled my new standing desk! I busted out the rustoleum paint and redid all the ornamental iron around the house, and it looks great. In the evening, I took Scott out to Langford for their Concord Floral rehearsal, and picked them up. It was sunny... which made me remember again that I need to get new sunglasses.

Sunday I managed to drag myself out to get plants for the pots on the patio. I came home and potted them, and now the herb garden is complete, and everything's in place. I tried out a new recipe--Hakka noodles. Tim's old school friend Fred came over with his wife Alina and their daughters, and we christened the patio with our first hosting--learning about their travels, the pet snake, and Agatha's love of sun chips, while Scott went to the final marching band rehearsal before the Victoria Day Parade!

It threatened rain Monday morning, but the skies held off. I got up early to french braid Scott's hair for the marching band uniform requirement and take them to the 7:15 am call time. Tim and I watched the parade, and Glynis biked down to take pics. I didn't think it was a Reynolds milestone that we would see, after Covid hit right after their first marching band practice ever, back in 2020. But here we were this weekend, being spared at least that one little loss... After, we had a very low-key afternoon. I ordered the sunglasses. And later, we're ordering pizza.

Return

Wow, look at this old blog. Look at all the broken Flash... lol. Sorry about that. But hey, it's been eleven years. ELEVEN YEARS. Twelve, really, since that last post didn't really count... It's been since I started back working full time--first at a school, then Open School BC, and now for a BCPS central agency. I've published a book since then. Moved twice. Said goodbye to dear TiF, still alive and well when I last journaled here--and said hello to another cat, and a dog. A lot has happened personally, and the world is entirely different from 2008.

But here I am, feeling like sharing here again, even though I don't know why. I mean, who blogs any more? Who reads blogs? I don't know. But something is saying to come back to this place, which will need to be re-titled (my baby is now mid-adolescence).

Maybe the urge is because it's blocked off from the rest of the social media world. This *isn't* somewhere other people are, and that's what makes it appealing. I can return to that lit-up journal of old, and share in the relative certainty that nobody is going to see this.

Almost started blogging again

The weather's been so damn fine I just about started blogging again. Guess my brain thought it might soon be summer. Oh, but this is allll just a tease, I know. Silly January sunshine. This weekend, likely more snow or something.

But I am dreaming of Ruckle Park and what I will cook on a single burner and how warm the saltwater will be...

Stay tuned for Summer Weekend Blog 2009. Coming... soon?

August 30-September 1 Labour Day Weekend

Truth be told, this doesn't feel like a summer update anymore, since the weather has cooled off, and we had a lot of rain during the week. And I caught another cold. The mornings and evenings are crisp, and it feels as though fall is here. Leaves are starting to turn too, though not as early as some years, when it's been dryer in the summer.

Friday night we had dinner out with Aunt Glynis, who brought us a lovely blackberry pie. The next morning, I took Anna to the dance studio in town to register her for ballet lessons starting this fall. She's been so into dancing, and has noticed other girls from her daycare get to go to dance classes... and she wants to go too. I never thought I'd have a tutu sort of girl, but she's aching for the whole outfit, and can't wait for her first class. She romped around the studio when we were there, checking herself out in the mirror. The class runs all school year, so we'll see if the interest lasts... it's a pretty long term commitment for this age I think. (Or heck, even for my age? Would I register for a yoga class that ran 10 months?) Then we got groceries and headed home, where Anna hung out with her friend from across the road, playing princesses and blackberry picking, and making sticky dough scones with blackberries, and a blackberry smoothie. We were somewhat exhausted by the end of the day.

On Sunday, we lazed at home until we had to leave for East Sooke. We went for one of our favourite walks--around Creyke point, and then to Ragley Farm for the 7 km Dinner. All the food had been grown or raised within 7 km of Ragley, and it was totally delicious, and super nourishing. It was a long dinner, and Anna met a little girl who just moved into our old neighbourhood in East Sooke. They checked out chickens and geese and cows together.

Monday we left early for the Saanichton Fair! It was a marvelous time, though I'd forgotten just how high up the Ferris Wheel is. Anna and I went on together. From the top, I could see my old Saanichton home (or at least the house that replaced the one I spent my first five years in), on the crest of the hill of Stelly's X Road. I was worried Anna would be scared, but she's such a daredevil--"I'm not scared," she said, and you know, she wasn't. Me on the other hand... Apparantly I've developed a bit of a fear of heights in my old age. I remember being not so scared on the Ferris Wheel before, but perhaps I'd been on the kiddie one. It wasn't until we were at the top of the wheel, surveying the land below us that I spotted a MUCH SHORTER ferris wheel on the other side of the midway. I'd taken Anna on the grown up one when we didn't have to. Well, turned out all right in the end. We saw Donna and Erin at the Parklands booth, where we got hot dogs. I cleverly avoided the cotton candy, thinking four fair visits worth already was enough for one season. We saw goats and bunnies and sheep and cows. Anna milked a fake cow. We saw a 12.5 pound zucchini and lots of other impressive produce and home arts, and so the day was nearly complete... just a couple of stops before home: 1, to Yarrow Point beach, just north of Cole Bay, my favourite beach in the world. I come once a year, now, and always at this time, as a sort of marker of the true new year. This year I didn't swim. The tide was out, and the day cool enough that the prospect of getting into my swimsuit wasn't appealing. The camera battery wore out before we got there, so no pictures of the ten or so seals that came to say hello... I'm totally serious. Damn camera battery. And then no pictures of Anna shucking the corn at Silver Rill farms on the way home, but she did--and we had a wonderful meal of peaches and cream corn from the Peninsula, truly the best corn on earth. Yum.

I had thought I would continue the weekend update posts until the astronomical fall, and document the next few weekends--the Sooke Fall fair next weekend (we're entering peas, photographs, felt pen art and a seashore arrangement!) or the weekend after, when we plan to take our last camping trip for the season. Or the final weekend of astronomical summer, when I'll be doing the Great Lake Walk (56 km around Lake Cowichan) with friends. Usually the last really nice day when you could stand outside in a tank top and be comfy comes the third weekend of September--at least it has for the last two years, because that's when we've had Anna's birthday party, and those were beautiful warm days--but not this year. And other years I've still been swimming in the ocean in September, but not this year. Now that it feels that fall has fallen, I feel the summer updates are done. Climatological fall is here, and with it my desire to turn inside, be cozy, and get back to work, too.

I set out in May to get the most out of summer, and I think I succeeded. There were about 50 things on my full summer to-do list. I managed all but about 12! I can enter fall and winter, the gray and the rain, with a full store of Vitamin D, and good summery memories. Time to go deflate the wading pool for another year, and pack away the bikinis.

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.

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.