A puzzle and a rehearsal

Today is the day!!! The big wedding, but FIRST - I have to tell you about yesterday, and then you'll hear all about the wedding tomorrow. 

I'm not sure where the others were, but I asked the previous day if anyone wanted to go for a bike ride! I had a couple of takers, but when push came to shove, they were working out in the gym! But that's OK - I thoroughly enjoyed riding the bike. And sometimes being by yourself on a bike is best! 

Off for a ride

However, I had to sign a waiver, which is normal, and wear a helmet, which is the law. I decided to ride the bike into Tofino (about 4 KMs) to see what I could see. Oh my gosh --- what fun that was. You never forget how to ride a bike, and if you maintain your balance, it's a piece of cake. The bikes are single-speed, which I am not used to. Even my townie back home has three speeds. 

That meant a wee bit more oomph to get up a couple of small hills, but really, the road is flat, and all was great. You cannot help but smile when you ride a bike, unless you have been in the pouring rain for hours and your shoes are filled with water, and you have to set up a tent, but only after you finish climbing this 5 KM hill!! 

I've had a day or two like that in the past, but seriously? It's so much fun. When I am home, I NEED to get my bikes serviced and get out there!! To heck with walking --- let's get on the bike! My knees didn't seem to mind it so much, and everything feels fine today. 

I have to tell you a story about the seatpost, which is why I took the picture above. It's for adjusting the seat height, and I feel dismay when I see people riding a bike with the seat in the lowest position. That is the HARDEST way to ride a bike. Your leg can't extend fully, and you have ZERO power. Your knees will not thank you later. And you struggle. At one point yesterday, the seat fell right down. I guess the latch wasn't as secure as it should have been. I put it back up, and all was good. 

I remember on one of my bike trips that, unbeknownst to me, the seat was slowly descending, and after a break, I got on my bike and couldn't figure out what I could barely pedal. Then it dawned on me that the seat had slipped lower. Once that was fixed, I was back in business. So if you have grandchildren, spouses, or anyone who rides bikes, make sure the seat is the correct height!!! It's important, and pedaling won't be as much of a struggle. 

What did I discover in Tofino? Oh my -- there was a cute little cafe called Rhino, and well, I stopped. And I had a tea and OH MY --- look at the donuts. So I had one!!

The breakfast of champions!!!

I figured I deserved it since I rode the bike there!!! 

Then it was back to the hotel and Bear, and we were exploring and decided to check out the library, which is just a big open space on the third floor. Guess what we found? By the way, we had already been out on the beach several times. 

This is a Stave puzzle. Technically, you are not supposed to look at the picture. I don't think the picture came with the puzzle, but the hotel had conveniently placed a copy on the table. I was not familiar with Stave puzzles, but each one is handcrafted and is the Cadillac of wooden puzzles. If you check out the prices on the website, you'll see what I mean! 

A jigsaw puzzle - how could I resist

Once I flipped that card over, where it said NOT to look at the picture, I turned the picture face down. I placed all the pieces face up and realized there were many with special shapes. They were insanely beautiful. The signature piece in each is a clown, which I did not get a picture of, but we spotted the clown. 

Insanely intricate pieces

And there are often puzzles within the puzzle. There is a note inside the box that tells you if you have any of those and how many there are!!

I started traditionally—digging out all the edge pieces. But wait—this is NOT working. I was struggling when M came along. So we worked on the puzzle together. Dillon spent time with his mom in the gym, while M and I worked on the puzzle. It was a beautiful memory for us. And she's good at it!!! If only she were closer - I could have a speed puzzling buddy!

A great teammate for puzzle assembly

Once we figured out how the puzzle works, it was "easier." I use that word very lightly because every single piece of this puzzle was a struggle and therefore a win when we got it in. 

Between the two of us, we worked amazingly well as a team, got the bottom (waves) part of the puzzle together. The sun was cut into the shape of a sun!! 

Progress on the puzzle

She had stuff to do, so she left. Then my aunt came up to visit while I attempted to work on the sky, but I wasn't getting anywhere. But it was at this point, when I couldn't figure out what went into that weird opening, that I realized the two puzzle pieces that spelled out an island fit in that weird space. And then I realized that the TOP of the puzzle was not a straight line. It was puffy clouds!!!! 

Very weird shapes

Then I had to run some errands, so I left the puzzle in this condition. OH NO!!!!!  

DON'T touch the puzzle.

My aunt, cousin, DH, and I went into town for a late lunch. Poor Bear - even though we ate on an outdoor patio, he wasn't allowed, so I had to put him on the outside of the little fence, and I was on the other side. It was an open fence, and with a few bits of French fries, he was just fine. I know—people food, but I had to keep him entertained. He loves being with people, and this situation was not satisfactory for him. However, he was able to watch people and dogs go by, and that did keep him busy. 

I swear that dog is a people magnet. Everyone stops to talk to him!!! And he loves it. He just saoks up all the attention. 

DH and I explored the property and found this little path through the woods. 

The entrance to the Rainforest Beach Trail

What a pretty trail, and Bear had fun walking along the wood chips. He is not a fan of walking on pebbles, but wood chips are OK. 

The path to one of the beaches

There is a beautiful spot in the forest to stop if you wish. 

A wonderful clearing in the forest for faeries! 

We didn't have any rain yesterday, so that was good, but it's not warm. Which is probably OK, but I could stand a couple more degrees of heat. Since I didn't have a jacket with me and I know that the temperature on a bike is about 5 degrees lower than if you are just standing, I put on my jean jacket and then my flannel shirt jacket. I was toasty as I could be. 

OH -- there's a picture of Bear on the beach. For some reason, it's very hard to get him to look right at the camera. 

Grandma --- NO pictures please!!!

Then we were off to the beach (Shell Beach) for the rehearsal. It took three tries for us to get serious, pay attention, and decide who was doing what and when. Actually, M had it all planned out, but we needed to get on board. So that got done, and all was good. Then we went into the dining room for the rehearsal dinner. Actually, we were in the wine cellar, where they have a long table for a more private event. 

Practicing at the rehearsal

They really are a cute couple, and I wish them so much happiness. The big bet for today is who is going to cry at the wedding!! 

Bear was not too happy to be in someone else's arms. He was pulling on the leash to get to me, but he soon settled down. 

When he hears a voice he recognizes, he freaks out! When one of M's friends walked by when we were working on the puzzle, he went wild!!

I didn't get a picture of the wine cellar, but let's just say there was a lot of wine there. And here is the dessert from last night's dinner. I mean, you can always eat dessert. 

Dessert from the rehearsal dinner

The food is amazing, and earlier in the day, I had read up on the Executive Chef, who isn't that old. So they asked if he could come to our table, and he did. What a nice young man, and I had told the single girls at the table about him. I was praying that the pictures on the internet were not old. I pleaded that if he was not good-looking, the photos on the internet were airbrushed! Thankfully, he lived up to his pictures! Hmm -- I can't find that link to him at the moment. WAIT --- found it. 

OH -- if you go to this link, you can see a photo of the wine cellar -- just scroll down. 

So you want to know what happened to the puzzle? When we got back from Tofino after lunch, we had about 35 minutes before we were to be at the rehearsal location. I was going to take a nap, but the moment I lay on the bed, my mind went to the puzzle, and I'm wide awake. So off to the puzzle Bear and I went, and I was under a lot of pressure to complete it in 35 minutes. At least at this point, I had figured out how the top border would look—somewhat —and there were fewer pieces. 

The completed puzzle

But see what I mean about the top border? It was crazy, and there were small openings along the top as well. On the left, they almost look like seagulls. 

There were even cutouts in the top.

What a little treasure it was to find that puzzle and work on it with M in the morning. 

It was a great day, and as the day progressed, more and more people arrived. Not everyone is staying at this hotel, so I was on pickup duty once yesterday, and I have to pick someone up this morning for the beach yoga session. I think that is only for the young ones. But I'm OK with that -- I'd much prefer to go for a bike ride. 

I have to say that the bride is pretty chill, which is exciting. She says she spent so much time planning and has this massive spreadsheet of who needs to do what when, that it's all coming together. I just need to remember to pick someone up today and finish sewing that pillow! I completely forgot about it yesterday, and I need to get that done this morning. 

The weather today looks halfway decent - it's cool, and we hope to have some sun. WAIT -- speaking of sun, when we were on our final run of the wedding procession, and the bride started down the "aisle," a massive wave crashed on the rocks, and the sun came from behind the clouds! A sign!!!! 

It was a fabulous day, and everyone had a great time!!! A few more people are arriving this morning, and then I think we'll all be here! 

On that note, I'd better get Bear up and out for his walk, as I don't want to be late fulfilling my pickup duties! 

Have a great day!!!!

Ciao!!!!