How NOT to do laundry

Phew—yesterday was a whirlwind of a day, although I certainly took my time doing things, and now I'm going to pay the price this morning as I finish the tasks that I was supposed to finish yesterday!

There is nothing like having several open suitcases and mad packing! Actually, what I love is being able to change the number of suitcases I bring—I'm bringing samples—lots and lots of samples, so I have three suitcases. Two with samples, and one with clothes, which I still need to pack, and I'm leaving in three hours! 

There are loads to be said for black pants! Anything goes with them. A few shirts, a couple of casual things, and toiletries. DONE!!! The thought of taking multiple pairs of shoes that match each outfit makes my head spin. Keep it simple!

To top it off, I had to do laundry last night, and, well, I failed at it. Yep --- I didn't realize the dryer was set to "damp" setting -- must have been DH and his darn shirts. So I tried drying the sheets twice before I clued in. I'm still trying to get two more loads of laundry dried this morning. Sigh.........

Update: just drying the last load as I write!

I was certainly not made for domestic home life. But there is certainly something to be said about wearing the same clothes all the time. Wash them, dry them, and pack the same stuff as last week. No thinking required! At least for the casual stuff. Based on that, I can certainly get rid of many clothes in my closet. Yes -- it's time for an overhaul! 

This was the situation in the kitchen yesterday morning. I had sorted out some items before I left, and then I added a few yesterday as I thought about what I needed for the show and my presentations afterward. YES --- if you are in the Winnipeg area, I'll be at Carellen Sewing on Monday and Tuesday after the show -- June 22 and 23. So be sure to get on the list—I've got some cool things to show you. 

The quilts that need to be packed

And all this had to be packed as well. 

More items that need to be packed

Everything fit without having to push and shove the zipper closed. Both sample suitcases weigh less than 50 lbs, and I'm good. I detest carrying massive, heavy suitcases, so I broke my stuff down into two suitcases. And thank goodness for the Air Canada app, as I was able to change the number and weight of the suitcases from the comfort of my house. No need to see anyone at the airport this morning. You have to love that! 

I am NOT getting an upgrade this morning. It's becoming harder and harder to get an upgrade. You get points to request an upgrade, but there are way too many people on the list (I'm at number 9 on the waitlist), and the planes are flying full or almost full, so no chance. Well, I'll keep trying. 

The quilt was trimmed and bound, and is now packed. I also worked on a name tag, which is on the visual to-Do list, and it's all done except for binding it. I threw it and the thread into the suitcase. The beauty of going to a sewing show is that if there is something you need to finish, you can do it as part of the show! 

As I was standing in the kitchen making lunch with the meager food items still in the house, Miss Murphy came in and, like Linus from Peanuts, she just shed debris behind her. She must have been sleeping under the shed. She never used to sleep there, but she is encroaching on Lexi's secret places. I'm sure Lexi is not happy about that. 

So now there are leaves and straw strewn across the floor. Thankfully, the cleaning service is coming today, but I might just whip some of that up, so they don't think we live in a pigpen!

OH MURPHY!!!!

I barely remembered to check out the pond, and I NEED to clean that pump before I leave. The pineneeddles are the worst. They are constantly falling, and they are hard to get out of anything! But the flowers look nice. I must remember in the future --- do not book travel in June. That is the prettiest time in the backyard, and I'm missing a good part of it. Plus, the weeds grew while I was away, and they will have to sit for another week. It's going to be a jungle out there when I get back. But seriously? Who cares!!!! It's a few weeds. Life is way too short to be worried about keeping an absolutely weed-free environment. It's all natural! 

Lilies are beautiful

I'd rather do the fun stuff than weed, do laundry, and clean! I do the bare minimum, pay someone to do the work I hate, and let's have fun! I made choices in life on where to spend my money!

Here is the puzzle I scooped from the roadside while riding the bike. It's an old-fashioned puzzle to be sure. I didn't even check if there was a year on it, but I would say this is from the 60s. I added it to the pile, and I'll get to it when I get back - well, maybe not exactly when I get back, but this summer. 

My roadside puzzle find

And here's the state of the current puzzle I'm working on. Yep -- only the purple is left. Actually, there are two different purples there. I thought this would be a hard puzzle, but it's actually quite easy. Sort by color, which I did when I put the pieces out, and then just do one color at a time. It shouldn't take that long to finish, but I didn't dare take any more time yesterday!!!

My current puzzle

I also have a hardcover book that I'm trying to finish. It is translated from Japanese into English, and I just couldn't get into it at first. Now I'm down to 100 pages, and well, I read what I could yesterday. But I had Monday sewing and other things to do, and well, I guess I'll be taking the book with me on the plane!!!! 

M and Dillon had a photo booth at the party tent, and it was pretty fun. You could keep one photo, and one was printed for a memory book for them. How cute!!!! They had all kinds of props - glasses, hats, and signs. This is one of me with the bride and groom. And Little Bear, of course, since I was his sitter. I grabbed that sign "Flawless," which was appropriate for the bride, groom, and, of course, Little Bear. BTW -- it was getting cold, and when I went back to the hotel to rescue Bear from the sitter, I changed into warmer clothes! 

Flawless, of course!

And this is probably the only photo of my outfit that you will see!! I've always had a chuckle in the past when people said, "That's my bad side!" What does it matter? Oh yes -- it matters. I think I got all the photos on my bad side! It's the part in my hair that I'm referring to!

Me and M on her wedding day!

But it doesn't really matter -- it's all about the stunning bride. And how did she get to be taller than me? 

What you can't see in the photo is that I made a new hairband for the wedding. The flowers matched my outfit!!! Well, I'll just have to take a better picture of that when I'm back!!! And the flowers were on my good side, which is closest to the bride! I must be more aware of that in the future!

Anyway -- I'd better get moving, as I still have to throw those clothes into the last suitcase, walk the girls, and make a bed!

Remember, the blog timing might be off for the next week, but I think I'm only one hour off, not three, so it won't be as bad!!!

Have a wonderful day. 

Ciao!!!

The long way home - part two

I'm exhausted this morning! I seemed exhausted all day until it was time to sleep! I just woke up - the blog is going to be late!!!

Travel days are long, and even though yesterday was a short travel day, we lost three hours due to the time change. It was easy - we got up, caught the hotel shuttle back to the airport. We hung out at the lounge for a bit, and then I suggested we go down to the gate to try something new. 

DH is always grumbling about having to stand in the Zone 2 boarding lane instead of Zone 1. Well, if you want, we can try out the NEW (OK  - not new), but relatively new thing called Digital Boarding. I had tried it last time I was in Vancouver, and it did NOT work, so I had asked the staff to ensure my digital boarding was set up. And now was the perfect time to try it since Vancouver is the only place where it exists at the moment. 

The lines were already getting long, and I discovered a separate line for Digital Boarding. No one in the line. TZone 1 was boarding, and I just walked up to the machine. It scanned my face and accepted me; the gate opened, and in I waltzed before they even finished loading Zone 1. DH had some issues with his, but he was right behind me. 

So this is pretty exciting, as with this technology,  you no longer need to show your boarding pass or ID, but just get accepted by the technology. YES --- technology, which is often a failing proposition for me. The last time I tried it, it didn't work, but this time, it worked like a charm! The last time, it was just a screen with face recognition. This was more permanent, with an opening gate. I guess others had issues as well. 

It takes a wee bit longer to be recognized than if you walked through and showed your documents, but I imagine that will be sped up, and more lanes will be added as time goes on. But like all the other things we have used in the past (priority status for security, airline status), there will come a time when this no longer saves much time. For now? I'll enjoy using the technology and hope it comes to Toronto sooner rather than later. They are already using that face recognition technology in the NEXUS line in Toronto. 

Oh shoot -- I thought I had taken a picture of my boarding pass. But if you want to see if you can use that technology, there is an indicator on your boarding pass. I only saw it after I was on the plane, but I knew it existed, so I was determined to try it. Remember -- it is only at Vancouver at the moment, you have to set up your digital profile, and probably only at certain gates in Vancouver.  

I watched another Harry Potter movie while on the plane. That leaves three more to go. What will I watch when those are done? I guess I'll just find other movies on the plane. I used to read, but I found the movies are fun to watch. 

After the movie, I turned on the map, and instead of showing us where we were going, it showed all kinds of aerial views of other places in the world. This was Mount Kilimanjaro. How cool to see that from the air!

Aerial view of Mount Kilimanjaro

And someone else had the tail camera on the plane activated. I think that is cool as well. If something went awry, would you really want to see what was happening to the plane? We had just landed at this moment. 

The tail camera of the plane

Since we did not check luggage, we were able to zip right off the plane and into a limo for the journey home. Let's say that two certain girls were pretty excited to see us!! 

The girls are so different. Lexi is so calm and just wants to be close. 

MOM - I'm so glad you are home

Murphy is moving a mile a minute, and there is no way she was stopping to look at the camera. 

MOM - you're home! You're home! I need a walk! 

While we had nothing to eat in the house, we managed to find a couple of snacks, so we didn't go hungry. It seems like we ate so much over the last couple of days that I wasn't really hungry, but I needed something in my stomach. 

I found SIX flowers in the pond. By the time I got home, they were closing up for the evening. I can't wait to see them today. 

Six lilies in the pond

The peony had bloomed and was decimated by the recent rain, so I didn't get to enjoy it this year. 

The peony is almost done.

But now the rose bush is in bloom. 

The rose bush

Those demanding girls made it quite clear what they really wanted from me - a walk!! And they would not stop giving me attention until they got what they wanted. Again, Murphy is moving a hundred miles a minute, while Lexi just prances in place. 

I had to unpack last night because I have to shake the sand out of the suitcase, wash some clothes, and repack today as I leave tomorrow. If you think that is bad, DH is already on another plane this morning. I don't know how people do these quick turnarounds. I like my house - I want to travel, but not back-to-back. My cousin will be traveling back and forth across the 3-hour time zone. I'm exhausted, and I don't know how she will survive for an extended period of time with that kind of travel! 

We were in contact with M and Dillon as they traveled home. They got home after we did, but they had a long drive and then a ferry to cross. I think they had a bit of an emotional day. So much pressure, prep, and excitement, and then it's done! But we got to see a few of the wedding pictures and OH MY -- they are beautiful. I'll share some of them another day. 

I had done some work on my current jigsaw puzzle after eating my snack, but then I left it and tried to sleep. And while I was tired or I thought I was, when I tried to get to sleep, I couldn't, so I read, watched some YouTube, and then got up to do more work on the puzzle. 

I accomplished quite a bit. Before I went to bed, the pink was more or less done, but I got the red, orange, and yellow done as well. It's a challenging puzzle because the colors are worked in THREE areas, so if it doesn't fit in one spot, it fits in another, but which one? 

Working on the jigsaw puzzle

There is more purple than anything, so that will slow me down, but at least it will all be in the same area. 

Oh my gosh -- so I woke with a start at the moment that the girls like to be let outside. I'm not sure what triggered that, but the sun was pouring in the window. It's going to be a late start to the day. Sigh.....

We have Monday sewing today, and I have some pictures to prepare for the presentation. Then I have a quilt to bind and another one to do some embroidery on. It will be a busy day, and I must try NOT to have a nap, or I will not get to sleep later tonight. 

Murphy is circling my chair like a crazed dog. All she wants is a walk. The poor thing is NOT going to be happy when she sees me leaving tomorrow. But DH is only gone for a couple of days, but he does NOT walk them, so she won't be happy!

In addition to watching the movie, I watched a couple of episodes of The Reluctant Traveler, hosted by Eugene Levy. They were interesting and explored non-tourist things. I thought the show was great. But he said something, or it was said in the trailer, and I thought it quite interesting. 

Here is a quote that was used on the show - it is attributed to St. Augustine. "The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page."

WOW! I find that very fascinating, and since I like to read, I must read more than one page. I won't be able to finish this book, but I'm OK with that. WAIT -- I totally get that there is a cost to travel, but guess what? That exploration can simply be in your own city or your own country, and neither has to cost a lot of money. It's the idea of exploring that is being referred to. 

I know people who have never been outside their province. I would have gone mad years ago! I first traveled outside my home province when I was under 10, and ever since, I have traveled. That first trip? By bus with my Mom to Portage La Prairie. It didn't cost us much, as we stayed with my Mom's pen pal, Hilma. 

But to get out and explore? It helps to keep that curiosity and kid-like sense of adventure alive. I would die if I couldn't wander around. NOTHING has to cost a lot if you shop around! And get creative! 

And on that note, I must get the girls out the door. The blog should be on time tomorrow, but only for one day, as I'm going back in time zones for a week. 

Have a super day!!!!

Ciao!!!

The long way home

Thanks to everyone for your lovely comments about the wedding. Can you believe that, even though I am always taking pictures, I have very few from that day! I have no pictures of myself and only three shots of the bride and groom. No pictures of any guests and none with other family members. What was I thinking? 

But they had a photographer who took a ton of photos, so I guess we'll have to wait until those come and try to get a few shots. 

We were busy that day, and yet we were not. I'm happy that we took M's advice and lived in the moment, and not for the sake of photos. And it's hard to believe that my little girl is married!! And she picked a great man to marry, and I'm so very happy for them. 

Well, it was a sad morning yesterday as we said our final good-byes to M and Dillon and started our long journey home. 

BUT WAIT!!! There was still time in the morning to get in one last bike ride.

But first things first. Bear and I had our last walk on the beach. He is such a character, and I took some great videos of him and sent them to his mom. Yes -- I got way more photos of Bear than I did of people on this trip. He has such an attitude and is quite the little man. He seemed fascinated by walking in these shallow areas of water. 

Little Bear is walking in the water.

I left him in the room with DH, got a bike, and off I went. It's only a 15-minute ride into town, but what a glorious ride. It wasn't nearly long enough to warrant this donut, but what the heck. I'll have to eat light for the next couple of weeks to compensate. This one was a strawberry cheesecake, and I asked them to put it on a plate rather than in a bag. 

The breakfast for champions! 

I then sat on the deck and watched people go by. It was a wonderful, enjoyable morning and a great way to relax and get the day's events organized in my head. Not that I had much to organize, but I had stuff that had to be done before we left. 

I would love to have a "real" bike with more gears and ride the entire road between Ucluelet and Tofino. I'm sure one can rent a bike somewhere in either town. The path along the road looks amazing and, in some parts, is "hidden" in the forest, while in others it winds right along the road. I MUST get my bikes serviced when I'm home. While the path won't be so spectacular, it will still be fun. 

On the way there, I saw a box sitting at the roadside, and it looked like a donation box waiting to be picked up. WAIT -- maybe it was for someone to pick up. Anyway, I spotted a puzzle in the box and on my way back, I decided to stop and check it out. Of course, I had to! 

The donation box by the road

I was going to leave it, and I actually rode away, and then I thought—NO—I'm going to go back and get the puzzle and carry it home on the bike. I know --- how silly of me. So I did. It's an interesting puzzle -- it's one of the Post puzzles dated from 1943. I'll get more details on it when I'm home -- it's packed away, and I'm not about to unpack it to get you that information. 

What I noticed as I was packing it is that there are things "wrong" with the picture, and once you assemble the puzzle, the idea is to identify them. There is a lengthy list of those items on the back. How fun is that!!!!

After I got back, Mister Bear and I sat by the window for a bit. The poor little guy is still pretty exhausted, although he was much more himself on the beach earlier. He'll spring back when he's with his peeps. I bet he was confused as to why he got to see M, and then she was gone! 

Grandma -- I'm still exhausted.

The staff at the Wick Inn are amazing, and they must have codes to remember guests' names. I had been looking for some of the missing items of the rental stuff we picked up/ Thankfully, I had asked the front desk to search for them ever since the wedding. When I went to the car in the morning, I noticed the missing items still had not been loaded. So I got the staff hunting for the items again. They had found some, but not all. 

Eventually, all the items were found and put in the car. But good planning on my part to ask a couple of hours before we left, so it wasn't a mad scramble when we were leaving. 

OH - and there are two buildings on the property. They are relatively close to each other. Anyway, as I walked up to the desk in the second building, the guy called me by name, and I had never seen him before, and he mentioned that they were still looking for the items. The staff was extremely attentive, and I was very impressed. 

I also chatted with another staff member about the Lynn Whitaker wind sculptures, and I was given a brochure listing all the sculptures. OH MY --- I would so love to have one of these on my front lawn, but I'm afraid it would go missing. They are stunning. I believe Steffich Fine Art on Salt Spring Island is the only place in Canada where you can buy the sculptures. 

A brochure with ALL the wind sculptures

There are so many different ones at the Wickininnish Inn - it was fun to see them all. 

And I love these downspouts, which are called rain chains. How fun, and apparently, they make beautiful noises when it rains. I want them!!!!! But where the heck would I install them at my house? I need a new house! Wow -- when you Google rain chains, a HUGE variety pops up. I'll try to find these ones because it would be fun to install one in the backyard. 

Rain chains

We spent the last hour visiting with M and Dillon, and then we were off. It's only a temporary goodbye, so while bittersweet, it's not the end of the world. But we had to leave Little Bear behind. I missed him all day. 

But there we were with all the party rental items back in the car. The flowers were still attached to the arch, and they smelled beautiful. 

Party rental items have finally been found.

I drove to Tofino, so DH drove back. We had such incredible weather - I really can't believe the luck. It was cool when we started, then the wedding day was perfect, and after that it got hot. And yes -- I got sunburned from sitting in the sun the day before. Not bad, but I should have had sunscreen. The young people had sunscreen! 

I snapped a few pictures of the road. The first part is very twisty and turny, and the trees are beautiful. 

The road back to the populated side of Vancouver Island

And then we were finally back in civilization. We dropped off the party supplies, and then we had one more stop, which I'll share with you tomorrow or at least this coming week. 

I think if we were ever to go back to Tofino, we would fly. You can take a wheeled plane or a float plane. We had to drive this time to get Bear and the party items. It's a long drive. 

We filled the rental with gas and were lucky enough to be able to drop it off at the seaplane dock. We didn't have long to wait before we were ready to get on the plane. I got lucky and got to sit up front with the pilot on the smaller plane, which had room for only five passengers. 

Up front with the pilot

And YES -- I had to get a picture of me with the headphones on. I have no clue how they can understand a single thing - I hear babble the entire time. and OH MY -- look at that sunburnt face!

On the seaplane

I spotted the Canadian flag on Grouse Mountain that was set out for the FIFA tournaments, but it was very far away. And the next thing we knew, we had landed. The airport shuttle arrived within five minutes, and we were whisked away. Now, if we were adventurous, we could have taken the red-eye flight home, but I don't think that occurred to us. Our friends did it the night before. We had booked a hotel near the airport and will fly out this morning. Besides, you lose a day due to a lack of sleep. 

We had to wait a bit for the hotel shuttle to come and pick us up. But as soon as we got checked in, we looked around for a restaurant, found the neatest little place, and decided to walk there. 

On the way, we spotted this building. It's an Escape Room place - E-EXIT!!!!! I was tempted to go and have a better look, but I don't think it was open. How fun, but I don't think I could handle the stress of getting out with the clock ticking!!!!

Escape room

So the restaurant was called The Story Cafe, and it's relatively new. There are a lot of antiques in the place, as everything has a story. I LOVE the concept. 

The story! 

I think it would be more fun if there were an actual story attached to each item, but let's face it, many antiques are floating out there with zero provenance. But the concept is very cool. This was an antique cash register!!!! Remember—back in the days when people used cash to buy things! 

Antique cash register

And while the food at the Wick Inn was amazing, I really wanted some good old-fashioned burger and fries. And this was my dinner! We had not really had lunch along the way - I had gotten a huge fruit parfait before leaving, but it was only fruit and yogurt. I really wasn't too hungry after eating that giant pastry for breakfast. 

Dinner last night

And this car sits outside the restaurant! The staff was very friendly, and we had a great meal. 

The car outside The Story Cafe

As we walked back, I spotted this sign. Can you tell me what it means? Is it that there is no parking at this point in time, but there will be in the future? It just doesn't make sense, or am I missing the point of it? 

What does this sign mean?

Our hotel is right across the street from the Costco in Richmond. As we walked down the street, it was amazing how many grocery carts were abandoned along the way. I guess the parking lot isn't big enough, or do people avoid it and park along that side street? Anyway, someone is responsible for rounding up the carts each night for the next day. 

Carts on the street near Costco

At the end of the street and around the corner, there were a few that had been put together. But what a job. If I need a cart for something like dog food, I always take it back to the store. It's not a big deal! And it wasn't huge, but it was amazing how some people left items in the cart they didn't need, like extra packaging. I guess it could have been worse than it was, but still—take that home with you!!!!!

While we didn't do much all day, and I have been sleeping well, I was exhausted when we got back to the hotel. I lay on the bed and was out in seconds. I did get up to plug in my phone, but then I was back in bed. I had to get up this morning because my back isn't happy if I stay in bed too long. 

And that ends another crazy day. 

We have the shuttle booked for the morning, then to the airport, and then home!!! I bet the girls will be very excited to see us!! Flying west is great because the time is in your favor, but going home, we lose three hours and don't arrive until very late in the afternoon!!! But that's OK. I have a book, and I need to watch the next Harry Potter movie! 

And we did NOT get upgraded. We are number 5 and 6. There are two seats available, so two people will get upgraded. Four people still haven't checked in, so it would only be by a miracle that four people don't show up that we would get upgraded. I suspect we will not be upgraded. I'm OK with that! It's only a five-hour flight. It goes by fast. 

On that note, I'm out of here. Have a super day!!!!!

Ciao!!!

It's all abut Bear

NOOOOOOOOOO -- time goes by so quickly, and it's time for us to leave today. I confess I'm a bit sad. Not only were we here for a beautiful wedding, but we had a wee vacation, and spent a lot of time visiting with friends and family. Not nearly enough time, but we did what we could. Not only do we have to go home, but others must as well. Several people left yesterday, and I think the last of the guests, including the bride and groom, will leave tomorrow. We have a two-day journey home, so we need to leave today. 

Now we could probably have pushed and done it all in one day, but too many connections that could go wrong, so it's best to leave some flexibility in there, and no sense killing ourselves. 

We had breakfast with long-time friends in the Pointe Restaurant. The view of the ocean was spectacular, and the company was great. 

There are two bald-headed eagles in the neighborhood - could be more - we've only seen two at the same time. They were flying in very close proximity to each other, and OH—we could see why. One of them had a fish in its mouth, and the other one wanted it. They had a bit of a mid-air fight, and the fish dropped. WAIT --- I haven't seen any fish in the ocean, so what the heck was it? Anyway—whatever it was, it got dropped. 

Then we spotted one of the eagles, and perhaps he was looking for what they dropped. It was beautiful to watch soaring over the waves. We had seen them the day before as well. 

The eagle is looking for his lost lunch.

And here was my rhubarb waffle. A lot of decoration on that waffle. The portions are not huge, but the prices are! This hotel has the Relais & Chateaux designation. In my unsophisticated world, that means absolutely nothing. To DH and alas to M, that is a huge deal. I just see $$$$ when the bill arrives. 

My rhubarb waffle

But you can't beat the service at the hotel. Everyone has been super attentive, supportive, and helpful, remembering your name and why you are here! They are also young, and many have accents from around the world. As a matter of fact, I don't think I've seen any middle-aged staff members, let alone older ones! 

Bear and I had wandered out for a walk along the beach, and it was spectacular, as usual. I noticed that the tide seemed quite far out, and we never got the waves we had the previous day. But I'm pretty sure that's all in my head!!!! 

What was interesting was that this is the view in the morning. The sky is clear and sunny, and the view is spectacular. 

The view in the morning

This was the view (from a different window) a few short hours later. The fog just rolled in, and we couldn't see a thing. You couldn't even see the beach chairs close to the hotel. It was wild, and it stayed like that for a long time, but eventually the sun burned off the mist, and we were back to a wonderful day. Hmmm - that reminds me of the Stephen King book called The Mist. Very creepy book!!!!

The beach is gone in the mist!!!!

But let's talk about Bear because it's his day!!! He is so funny, and as I was getting dressed to take him out, I spotted him lying on the bed like this. What a pose. I think he knows he is special. 

Grandma, hurry up! I'm waiting!!!!

And then we were off for our walk. This is all pre-fog, and with few people on the beach, it was amazing. WAIT --- I had to drive one of the girls back to their hotel. More on that in a bit. 

Grandma -- I love the beach!!!!

And look at this cutie!!!! He is such a good dog and listens pretty well. I will say that the wedding was a bit much for him - he is 10 or 11, so it makes sense. 

Grandma - I'm so handsome!!!

He was exhausted by all the commotion the day before, and yet, he was super patient and sat for a long time while I fiddled with how to put the pillow on him. He slept a lot yesterday, but as the day picked up, he was back to his scampering and mischievous self. 

While I will miss visiting with M and Dillon, I will miss Mister Bear and his attitude as well. So we made the best of yesterday. 

The word was out that the "party" was on the beach, and as the afternoon wore on, more and more people came out and joined us on the beach. Little Bear needed a break and to escape the hot sun, so he found shade behind an empty deck chair. 

It's nice and cool behind this chair.

I mean - just look at him -- he's such a comic. He had a huge bottle of water in front of him, but you couldn't really see it because it was clear. But what a little monkey!!!!

Hey world -- look at me!!!!

At first, it was just a few people, and I spent a lot of time chatting with the groom's parents and their good friends. It was good to chat and get to know them better, since the bride and groom spend so much time with them. They went into town to get some food, and while they were away, the group exploded, and Bear and I decided we were done with the beach. 

The friends party on the beach

Besides, I don't think the younger people really wanted us old fogies around!!! Oh my -- I haven't used that word in a long time. 

But then Bear and I found a quieter place, still in view of the big group, and it was somewhat shaded. I ran into a couple about my age, and their son is getting married next weekend, but not here. He's getting married on the other side (more populated) side of the island. Anyway, we got to talk about travel, and this lady would be the perfect travel companion for me. I thought of The Celestine Prophecy as we sat there. 

No cross-body bags for her!!! She has pockets in her vest to keep her valuables. I still like my small flat pouch, and I've been wearing it the entire time I've been here, including at the wedding!!! No one knew I had it on. I mean, how can someone even think about robbing you when they can't see what to take!! 

She had friends who had cross-body bags in Italy, and got swarmed and had passports and money stolen. I will never wear a cross-body bag while traveling. Take the MINIMUM you need (passport, room key, and a credit card); you don't need more. Unless you need meds, and then that is a whole different story. 

I forgot to mention, only because it didn't fit in the flow of the pictures, but I had an amazing visit with my aunt and cousin. Oh my—how nice it would be to be a bit closer, but our family doesn't work that way, and we seem to be able to pick up where we left off. If we lived closer, that may not happen! 

The owners had a dog named Charlie, and his dog house is still here. I think it's a wee bit big for Mister Bear, but he had to explore it nevertheless. 

Grandma, this doghouse is huge!!!!

Speaking of big dogs, we saw a couple with two retrievers yesterday. TWO big dogs. I can't imagine the chaos in the hotel room. It's bad enough with Bear and all his stuff. 

And see him scampering down the hall. He's back!!!!!

Grandma - let's run!!!!!!

That little devil. He was getting his mojo back and was happy to try to scamper down a hall when we needed to reach our room. And it didn't take him long to learn where his room was. He is so darn cute!!!!!

Before the wedding, M had sent out a note asking people to send her a voice message about the wedding day. Bear and I did that yesterday. We sent THREE messages about how we felt during the wedding and to wish them the best as they start their new life together. It was a very cool idea. 

I think the bride was a bit overwhelmed yesterday (and tired), and busy with her friends. She will have a lot to process when they get home. But first, they have one more, hopefully, less busy day, and more for themselves to enjoy on their own before they take on the enormous task of packing stuff in their car. I can't even begin to imagine how much stuff they brought. They are NOT light packers, and since they are in the car, it's easy to overpack!!! 

M even said that NO ONE was allowed to comment on how much stuff they brought. I totally get it -- it's like when we go to a quilt retreat. We have an empty car and X days to quilt, so you might as well fill the car and have lots of choices. I've been there and done it!!! But on a plane? That's different - I don't want to deal with all the stuff, so I pack very light. 

One thing I noticed over the last couple of days is how M and I are pretty similar. Well, certainly not in all ways, but a couple of things came to mind. I like jigsaw puzzles, she likes jigsaw puzzles. She likes to read, I like to read, and can you believe that we read a lot of the same books? She's not into the murder/mystery ones I love, but she's into many other philosophical ones (The Celestine Prophecy) and historical fiction. 

She likes cucumbers, I like cucumbers. And she always wore mismatched socks when she was a kid. I swear she bought new socks (or we bought them, more likely), and I swear she took one sock out of the package and threw the other away. When she left, I found a lot of single socks and never found the mate for any of them!!!! 

So imagine my surprise yesterday when I pulled out a fresh pair of socks to find this!!!!!

OH MY  - mismatched socks

I almost died laughing. They are similar in color and feel, and when I was folding the laundry, most likely not paying attention, I grabbed these and put them together as a pair!!! It doesn't bother me in the least!!!! Oh, M—you have no idea what's ahead of you!!!!! But I love you to bits, and that's all that counts. You have learned to be flexible, and you'll go far with that character trait. Very proud of who you have become!!!!

In the late afternoon, I left Bear at the hotel and took a long walk on the beach. Something I'm not always able to do with Bear, unless I carry him. He does get interested in everything - other peeps (not his own) and dogs. I decided that I had to put my feet in the ocean - at least just to feel the water on my feet. YIKES --- that water is freezing. 

VERY cold water

People have been surfing along this shore, but they are wearing wetsuits. Others are going for short swims in the water. A bit too cold for me!!!!

And here I am on the beach. The weather has been perfect. This was about 7 PM last night. 

Me on the beach

DH and I ended up eating at The Point restaurant again last night, then we wandered back to the hotel room, where I tried to clean up some of the mess. I am usually very neat and tidy in the hotel room, but there was stuff strewn everywhere. So that all got cleaned up, and after I finish the blog, I can pack the office backpack. 

We have to make two stops on our way back to the other side of the island, and we have travel plans we have to meet at 4 PM, so we don't want to leave here too late. 

As I was packing, I found my wedding earrings. They were long and dangly, and they matched my outfit. I don't think the two greens in the earrings matched each other, but it all worked out. They were a bit heavier than I wanted, but I put my little studs back in, and my ears are almost back to their normal self. 

My wedding earrings

I bought a couple of other pairs while I was at the store, so you never know what you'll see me wear in the future!! You might as well have fun with this stuff!!!! 

After the reception, we went to the party tent. I would say that by 11 PM, most of the "older" people were gone. And I'm OK with that. The tent shut down at midnight, but it was still too early for the new couple and their friends to call it a night. So they changed, went, sat on the beach, and watched the sky. OH MY GOD ---- what a beautiful way to end the wedding night. I was so excited for them. 

I got the feeling that many of them barely slept. That was the case with the friend whom I drove back to her hotel very early in the morning. I am so glad that so many of their friends could make the wedding, and the comingling of friends from both sides was solidified that night. What a wonderful idea. 

While we had seen the stars on our walk home from the party tent, we did not see as many as if we were on the beach. So last night, I was determined to stay up until it was dark enough. That's why I puttered and put everything away. 

I know, it's very hard to see in this picture, but there are loads of stars. Not like what they would have seen hours later, but it was fun. 

A starry night

And then I grabbed these photos of the beach. 

The beach just after 11 PM

All of those photos were taken with my camera phone at about 11 PM. Wow!!!!!!! It's no wonder we pay a lot for those darn phones - the thing we are really buying is the camera!!!!!

And then I had some time before I finally fell asleep to check out some social media stuff and OH MY GOSH. Can you believe I found this?????

Well, I can't find the announcement at this point - it may have been on IG, but the World Jigsaw Puzzle competition will be held in Toronto in 2027!!!!! I will not be signing up, but I can volunteer and check it out!!!!!

I've already marked the dates in my calendar - it's the beginning of June. Good grief -- I had no idea this puzzle world was so big. I would love to get home and work on my gradient puzzle. I'll be there soon, but I do NOT have much time. When I get home, I have a couple of urgent things to finish, and I need to pack for the next trip. Nothing for months and then everything this month. Sigh.......

I think I got a bit too much sun on my head yesterday! Of all the days we have had here, the weather order was perfect for the wedding. The prayers that M sent up (and many others, I'm sure) were answered. I hope that's a good sign!!!

Well, I'll share more wedding pictures and memories another day, but I must get myself organized to take the little guy out for his walk, and then I'm taking one last bike ride into Tofino for my last donut. Tomorrow, no more donuts!!!!!

And on that wonderful note, have a super day!!!!

Ciao!!!!