Travel day - day two!

Thanks for the kudos on the quilts, but I have to say the library quilt was all KU's idea, and so was the theme of the other one. We just got very lucky to make it all happen. I was just the supervisor! 

Well, this was a first that we had two travel days to reach our destination, but we are here! We are at the wedding venue!!!

Since I was up at a ridiculous time, which meant the blog came out on time back home, it's going to be super late this morning for those back home, because I hope I'm on BC time now. It sure messes up your sleep when you travel, but that's OK. 

I got Little Bear up, and we went for a walk. He's like that --- he has to do his business first thing, and I'm not a believer in pee pads, so off we went. 

I had checked the map, and there was a Tim's not so far away, so we walked there. It was early in the morning, and not many people were around. If I think Lexi is slow, this guy is a sloth!! He has to sniff everything and likes to take his time, and when he starts to get too slow, I just pick him up! I can't do that with Lexi!

Grandma and I walked to Tim's!!!

Since pet dogs aren't allowed at Tim's, I preordered on the app, and when it was ready, I went in with him to pick it up. I just might use that app more often! 

We spotted this giant mural on a wall. It's all about a retired naval ship (HMSC Saskatchewan) becoming an underground reef in the harbor. 

A historical mural in Nanaimo

We spotted an orange poppy, which was very pretty. Bear, of course, couldn't care less, but I made him stop. 

Orange poppy

We had some time to kill before we left, so DH and I walked to Tim's for breakfast (carry out), then did an Adventure Lab (geocaching) in the area. We spotted this building in downtown Nanaimo, which used to be what? 

A former bank in Nanaimo

It was a bank, of course - the Commerce Bank, or was that The Bank of Commerce? All banks seemed to have these huge facades to show they were prosperous. Had lots of money? Now they are just ordinary buildings, but back in the day, a bank was something special! 

And we spotted this artwork in the square outside the public library. Those are piano keys in a circle. We couldn't read the plaque in the center, but that's OK. We completed the Adventure Lab and saw a couple of things we would not have seen otherwise. 

Artwork in the square

As we checked out, we saw this in the lobby. The hotels take their pet guests to heart around here. Sadly, Bear didn't stay long enough to be the pet of the day. 

The pet of the day!

But he loves the elevator. Bear and M used to live in a high-rise in Vancouver, and he would run to the elevator, then sniff all the other dogs as they went up and down. What is so cute is that he HOPS over the crack between the car and the floor. And when I let him out of the room without his leash, he went ripping down the hall and then came to a dead stop. He had no clue where he was supposed to go! There are always tons of laughs when he is around. 

Sniffs in the elevator

And he loves to pose for pictures! The silly little guy. On our way out of town, I tried to find him a sweater with a proper opening for his leash, but alas, none was to be found at that time, and then M suggested we put his leash on the outside of his sweater! DUH!!!! He's so little, and the harness is bigger, so that worked like a charm. 

Grandma - hurry up!!!!! 

We loaded the car, and we were off. We made a couple of stops along the way, and both were on the way to Tofino. I wanted to stop and finally meet a friend whom I had met online many, many years ago. And now the secrets start anew. I will share more about her with you in a couple of days. I was super excited to meet her and see her studio!!! And that's all I'm going to say. 

She lives in Nanoose Bay, so we were off the highway for a bit, and I spotted this giant "rhubarb". OK, so it's in the same family, but the stalks were quite fuzzy. I don't know what it's called, but it was HUGE. And we had just been talking about rhubarb at the quilt retreat and how some people love it or hate it. 

A giant "rhubarb" plant

OK --- I had to Google it, and it's called a Gunnera and is strictly ornamental, but those leaves can grow up to 6 to 8 feet wide! Wow -- and then the AI Overview told me I am in the perfect location to spot that plant. Nothing is a secret when you are connected to the internet! 

Then, as part of my wedding duties, we needed to pick up some party-rental items, which is why we rented a full-size SUV. We needed to pick up an arch, which the party rental guy was certain would not fit in the vehicle, but I knew it would. And yes, the ends had to come between the front seats, but only by six inches, so it all worked out just fine! 

However, when we arrived at the rental place, the order wasn't ready. The pick-up time wasn't until 4 PM. WHAT??? Apparently, that was on the order, and this was 10 AM. We certainly didn't want to hang around for six hours. They said they could have it ready by noon, so off we went to find some place to eat and sit with Bear. 

Fortunately, the weather was decent, so we went to the Qualicum Beach Golf Course (we played there about 30 years ago) and sat on the back patio. The kitchen didn't open until 11, but we at least had a place to park our butts while we wiled away the time. And Bear got to test out his new bowl. Yes -- DH and I tried to learn to golf together, but it just didn't work out. I didn't need a constant instructor with me, and I bowed out of playing golf.

Grandma - the new bowl is nice

Here's the thing -- it would have been nice to leave for Tofino at 10 AM, but we are on vacation, and what the heck is the hurry? Just go with the flow, and it all worked out just fine. 

I don't have any pictures of the scenery as I was the driver on the way to Tofino, but it's a beautiful road. We didn't stop along the way at places like Cathedral Grove, but I remember that place well from years ago. What a fun trip that was, and I can't remember who all was on that trip. Darn --- I wasn't blogging at the time, and my memory is crap for travel from years ago. I could have flown to the moon and back and not remember it now! But we have a picture of M as a two-year-old in her oversized green fleece standing beside a huge log. My parents were with us as well. 

We decided to go straight to the hotel since we arrived at 3 PM. We are at the Wickaninnish Inn just outside Tofino. It is one of M's favorite places to vacation. We got checked in, and look—Bear has a welcome basket!!!!! Although I think the ball flinger might be a bit too big for him!!!

Grandma - my very own welcome basket!!!!

While this place is beautiful, I knew it was the "right" place when I saw all the wind sculptures around the property. We saw the same one that we have and many more. It is one thing I have purchased for our backyard that I don't regret. I don't regret anything I have purchased, but this was a bit pricey, and I have zero regrets. Unfortunately, many of the sculptures are in sheltered areas, so we can't really appreciate that they are wind sculptures!

Wind sculptures

M and Dillon had posted a picture of themselves on the beach in these orange rain coats, and I thought - wow - they bought matching rain coats. Nope -- those are for guest use in the hotel. All of them are XL, so they are huge, and while they are not super warm, they are enough to take the bite off. I just came back from a walk on the beach with Bear, and since I don't have a coat, this came in very handy. There are also big, thick rain pants, and you can borrow rain boots. 

My orange raincoat

This is the view from the dining room last night. The beach is rough with lots of rocks, and yet we saw many people out surfing earlier. There are lots of waves, and people seem to flock to the place for that. 

The view from the dining room

So we met up with Dillon's parents, us, and, of course, the bride and groom. It was all very nice as we don't know them well, but they are nice people, and we all get along, which sure helps. I am forever grateful that his parents have "adopted" M and made her feel so much like a part of their family. 

This was my dessert! Oh my—that was so delicious. 

The dessert for dinner

While we were in the restaurant, we ran into friends of ours who also traveled here from Ontario. More family members and on our way out, we met more family members. It's like Italy all over again, and so fun to see people we haven't seen in a long time and even those we've seen recently. 

After dinner, M, Dillon, his mom, and Bear went for a walk on the beach. 

M, Bear, and Dillon on the beach last night

What a fun evening, and then it was time for bed! 

I decided that last night was a good night to share the things I had made for the wedding. They loved every one of them. And now I have two more people in my small circle who share a fun secret. All will be revealed tomorrow, but they LOVED the surprise, and I'm so happy!! They were so excited they wanted to share everything last night, but alas—I want to save the surprise for the wedding day.  

Bear and I have already been out to the beach, he has had breakfast and is now trying to snuggle up wth DH. But as I look over my shoulder, I can see he is giving me the evil eye! He's so cute! They are super attentive at this hotel! But that's OK. We have stuff to do today - I think somewhere along the line there is a rehearsal, but I think we are free to do what we please all day, and I spotted a beautiful bike path along the road, and there are bikes in the lobby. So I might just wander over and go for a ride. 

And on that note, I'm out of here! The bride and groom are beyond themselves with excitement - perhaps a wee bit nervous, but let's have ourselves a wedding!!! 

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!!!

Memories of Salt Spring Island

I arrived on the West Coast just in time for the first fall storm. Thankfully, it was just some wind and rain, but nothing too serious. I debated bringing a jacket but settled on a vest, and while the temperature is a bit on the cool side, I'm good! Is anyone ever ready for winter? No power outages here, but I guess it's a common occurrence - at least on the island. 

We had a great day visiting - just so many memories to relive and so many topics to discuss -- well, we could go on visiting forever. But we had a few errands to do in Ganges, so after lunch, we headed out. 

If you remember my wind sculpture in the backyard, it was in Ganges that I was first introduced to them, as this gallery (Steffich Fine Art) is the sole distributor in Canada. 

Steffich Fine Art

Unfortunately, they were closed on Monday, but I might get a chance to pop in to say HI later today. They have some of the sculptures in the garden areas in front of the gallery, and every time I saw them years ago, I coveted one, and now there's one in my yard. Those flowers have grown up quite a bit and are blocking a good view of them, but they are fascinating. 

The sculptures at the gallery

Then, we popped into the gallery next door to check out the artwork. OH MY --- there were some very cool pieces of art. Beautiful eagles made with cutlery -- the artist's name is Carl Sean McMahon. His work is not cheap, and I can only imagine how heavy they are, but stunning!!!!

We also spotted another artist that I love - Richelle Osborne. I didn't take pictures of the art. I feel bad taking pictures of other people's art, but I guess I could have asked permission! So I'll direct you to their website. 

And then I found something that I adore! This artist is Manuel Castro, and I did take a picture of his art (after asking permission), but I didn't load the image. But I would buy that for my backyard. The only problem is finding a place where Miss Murphy (the bull in the china shop) wouldn't run through it and break it!!!! The pieces I want are not on the website but in his Etsy shop. Here's the link to his Etsy Shop. 

We popped into the library to check out the Libby app for my aunt. So, when we got home, I downloaded it for her so she could check it out. Libby is a great way to access e-books and audiobooks without buying them. Yes -- that is the cheap way to go, but let's face it --- the number of trees that were felled to support our book fetishes is probably huge!!!! 

I've left her with some "lessons," and now she's on her own to figure it out. We chatted about Hoopla, but let's do one thing at a time! She's lucky because she has access to 68 libraries in the BC Library Consortium. Before we left, we checked the actual shelves for craft/quilting books, and I spotted one I wanted to check out before buying. 

We borrowed the book, and I'm almost done with it. Yes -- it's a great book, but NO -- I don't need to buy it. So, my curiosity was satisfied without incurring a cost. I know you are curious, so the artist's name is Emily Taylor -- and the book is Collage Quilter. I could see that as a class?????

We checked out a few other things in town, but driving around brings back many memories. DH, M, and I used to spend our annual family vacations on this island when M was small. We would wander around for hours, checking out the outdoor market, signing M up for classes at the small craft shop/toy shop, Geocaching, and lunching at the restaurant under the tree! 

Every time we come here, we always say we would love to live here, and well, that was over 20 years ago, and we still don't live here! I think this is my first time coming this late in the year. 

Look at how low the clouds were yesterday!!!!

Low clouds on SSI

On the way back from Ganges, the rain had stopped, and the clouds were starting to lift. 

Clouds are starting to lift

So we popped down to Bourgoyne Bay, where there is a little park. Oh, we should not have done that as there was an Adventure Lab (part of Geocaching), and I had to do some! 

The trail along the bay

I was only going to do the first three of the five caches since they were relatively close to the car, but how could I leave this Adventure Lab unfinished? I walked very fast to get the last two. They were related to these wood sculptures along the path. 

A stop along the Adventure Lab

The views of the bay along the way were stunning, and the trail through the woods was amazing. It is a beautiful area, and I wish I had more time to explore it! I checked this morning, and there are TONS of geocaches on this island. While we did get some over the years, my little smiley faces (a logged geocache) are sparse!!!!

Bourgoyne Bay

Back to the house and more visiting for the remainder of the afternoon! I must say that I'm sleeping like a log here. Not only is it pitch black, but there is ZERO noise. Nothing! And with all the running around, I'm catching up on sleep! 

All is good. Let's hope the weather is taking a slight turn for the better.

Have a super day!

Ciao!!!!