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.

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.

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.

Summer has arrived

Okay, it’s been a really long winter. Now that summer is here, I’m makin’ a Summer To Do List, to make sure I squeeze in as much summery goodness as possible.
1. camp at Sombrio
2. have many, many picnics.
3. Take Anna to Saltspring market (Saturday afternoons - and maybe camp on Saltspring too)
4. find a sunscreen I like.
5. swim outside, lots
6. explore potholes further than last year (maybe see leechtown site)
7. have a supper picnic at Witty’s Beach and swim in the evening
8. make a sandcastle
9. play at French beach
10. make homemade berry shortcakes
That's really just a top ten. There are many more.

In fact, I’m going to celebrate summer every weekend, and report on it here. With a picture.

I’ll have to backtrack a bit, because I’ve just had three awesome summer weekends.

May 31-June1

We headed out to Bamberton, on the lovely Saanich Inlet. We camped overnight there, and spent two afternoons picnicking on the beach, and swimming (well, I swam), and exploring the water's edge with its apparently thousands of little crabs. Anna saved a few from the beach, too, and now she's their hero.

May 24-25

Last weekend, after Anna’s swimming lesson, Anna and I went to Witty’s Beach with Glenda and Everett. Had a lovely picnic with pasta salad and kiwi fruit. Tried out the beach umbrella. Poked in the sand, checked out crabs in the water. I was three when I spotted a large crab at Witty’s Beach and I ran screaming to my grandmother who was sunbathing on the shore. This is a pretty strong early memory for me. So when my three year old daughter spotted a large crab, surely as big as the one I saw that day 32 years ago, and wanted to bend down and touch it--I was amazed. Totally impressed. My daughter is very cool. I did the worried mom thing though and told her to just look—those pincers still looked pretty damn big. The crab was blowing bubbles. We thought maybe it wanted back in the water, and moved it into a tide pool. Sunday was the big half marathon and brunch day. I’m still a tad sore, but not as bad as I thought I was going to be. We won’t discuss the time. Turns out I’m the slowest runner in Sooke. We went to grandpa’s new pad after and played with an enormous bottle of bubbles.

May 17-19

The first was my birthday weekend. Got that inaugural sunburn on Friday while sitting out on the patio working on the laptop. Went to Japanese dinner sporting said burn, and then out for drinks and cake. Little issue with coming home and car insurance, but we’ve overcome that. Saturday was all about buying some shade and garden supplies... patio umbrella (since part of our old one is still hostage at the old house) and a beach umbrella. Luxton Fair with Anna, and she rode the carousel and got some long awaited cotton candy. Game night that night, and birthday cake. Sunday we hung out in the back yard all day, in the hot weather, and I built a lovely raised garden bed, and Anna played with a neighbourhood friend with a sprinkler under the trampoline, and we blew up the baby pool. Anna’s pretty big for it, now.

Monday, I ran 20 km and turned 35. Hung out with friends on the patio eating mousse cake. Ordered an obscene amount of takeout for a three person family in the evening, drank a cosmo, went for a walk, and collapsed at home for a rather early bedtime. Sleep is good.