Camping Gelati

a marina on Saltspring Island

Saturday Sue, Yoshi, and I headed over to Saltspring for a day trip. Some friends of ours were camping there for weekend, so we hooked up with them for a visit. We toured Ganges a little, checked in on the weekly market, ate Gelati, then had some dinner back at their campsite. We decided to get to the ferry early to ensure we got on, so while we were waiting we stopped at one of the coffee shops nearby, and happened to run into some other friends of Sue, so we visited them while we all waited for the feryy.

All in all it was a great day.

Pics are here.

Remedied Presence

sleuth detective on the scene

What I did on Thursday Aug 12, 2004.
By Greg Fox

Thursday was a big day. I was supposed to go see one of my favorite artists play. Matthew Good had a 3 show deal here in Victoria at the Upstairs Cabaret, and all shows sold out. I wasn’t too surprised by that, but in some ways I was.

The festivities started early for me. While going home I happened to walk through Bastion square, where the Upstairs Cabaret is located, I could hear some muffled music. Instantly I could tell it was a live band, but what was a live band doing playing on a Thursday at 4:30? As I was walking I recognized the music, then it hit me. It was Matthew Good. 🙂 He was doing his sound check, and I happened to be in the right place at the right time to catch part of it.

The opening act (Wil) was awesome! He plays an acoustic guitar like no one else I have ever heard. He was backed by a drummer, and had some incredible songs. I shall definitely check him out again. I also want to buy his disc when I can find it.

I had been to the Upstairs previously for a concert, and it was extremely hot. Thankfully they had remedied that situation, and installed some fans to blow air in. I parked myself under one of those until I started to get a chill.

As Matt Good took the stage I prepared to get blown away. Honestly though, I was a little let down. He didn’t have a very good stage presence, and frankly he looked bored to be up there. I love his music very much, but his performance was a little disappointing. Most of the songs he played sounded like they came straight from the disc. He spent most of the time playing tunes from his new CD, but he did cover some of the older songs that are crowd pleasers. I just found that his style that night was too slow to really get the crowd going. When the set ended, I kind of half hoped he wouldn’t come out for an encore. Overall he seemed very flat.

One thing that I kept noticing was all the awesome picture opportunities. The backlighting, the smoke, the colored lights all made for what could have been amazing pictures. Then there were some of the people in the crowd. In particular there was this one chick who had her digital camera there. Every few minutes she was snapping a pic. Unfortunately she doesn’t know how to use a camera, and she left it in full auto mode. Every time she took a pic the red-eye reduction gizmo blinked a few times, then the camera blinded everyone with a bright flash. I hope she enjoys her pics, but she was really annoying me!

So, in the end I have seen Matthew Good play a few times now, and although I like his music, his live shows aren’t that great. I think that the next time he comes to town I will think long and hard about whether I will go. Most likely I won’t.

Strange Account

order number 36 is ready!

Hmmm, noticed something strange on the online version of my Mastercard bill last night. One of the charges is for $2 more than it should be.

Last week I stopped at a local pub to get some takeout for lunch. When I paid by Mastercard (since I had no cash), I signed the receipt, and wrote down the total. I was looking through receipts last night and noticed that the charge to my account for the lunch was $2 more than my copy. 😕

So, is it worth my time and effort to try and get it all sorted out with Mastercard?

Do I just let this one slide?

Is it my fault? The reason I think it might be is that my printing is horrible. Maybe the zero I wrote looked like a 2 so that is what was keyed in?

I dunno. I am inclined to let is slide and just say that the guy who took the order got a $2 tip. Part of me is suspicious that maybe he did that on purpose though. A big consideration is that I really hate spending a half hour on the phone with a big company to try and sort out a small error. Hmmm.

Chasing Kuuduk

Yoshi and Digger jumping into Lake Cowichan after a ball

What a perfect summer weekend! Friday night we went to the birthday party from the daughters of some friends. Nothing quite like 15-20 6 year olds running around having fun. There were pinatas, movies, hot dogs, cake, ice cream, and more.

Saturday Sue and I stopped in Chemainus to search for treasure, then had an ice cream cone. Then we headed up to JJ’s cabin on Lake Cowichan. Amazing day. The water was really warm, the breeze off the lake light, the beer was cold, the food plentiful, and the company very enjoyable. As soon as we arrived it was time for lunch. Yummy hotdogs. Then we played a game that Sue and I purchased at Starbucks on the way up: Kuuduk. Very fun game. I can’t wait until I figure out some of the strategy involved. After the game Sue and I swam a bit, and soon it was time for dinner. Greek salad, corn on the cob, ribs, and a big pile of crab! Add some excellent fruit flan for dessert, and it was quite a nice summer time feast.

The dogs (Yoshi and Digger) had a grand time chasing each other around, swimming when they felt like it, and jumping off the dock.

Yoshi and Digger swimming in Lake Cowichan

JJ and Digger jumping into Lake Cowichan

As the sun started to set on the day, the warm light led to some spectacular shooting conditions. I took a few shots, and am pretty happy with how they turned out.

My shots from Lake Cowichan are here.

Sunday was a morning for exercise. Sue did a 13 km run with her training group, and I went for a leisurely ride with the guys. Our pace was slow, and our breaks numerous, but it was exactly what we all needed. The temp was stunning too. In the sun it was nicely warm, but in the shade the temp dropped a couple degrees, and it was perfect for riding. Add in a slight breeze every once in a while, and presto, the makings for a nice ride.

This afternoon Sue and I did some grocery shopping, and some house cleaning. Tonight I am not sure, but I know it will be relaxing.

Shower Tomorrow

willow dipping into a pond at Beacon Hill Park, Victoria BC

Woke up this morning to the sound of rain
Refreshingly different.
It has been record breaking warm the past few weeks
so the coolness is a nice change.

nice flower

I don’t mind the occasional shower in the summer
I know the sun will return.
Temporary is where it is at, but right now we really
need this moisture.
If nothing else it drives away the annoying Sea Gulls.

flying seagull

The dog doesn’t seem to care if it is raining or not
he always want to run and play.
The cat, indifferent as ever
sits at the window and watches the drops fall.

cat toy stuck to the window

Myself, I don’t mind walking in the summer shower.
It reminds me of who I am; an Islander.
The weather changes often, sometimes for the better, sometimes not.
Change is good though, it keeps you on your toes.

an inchworm standing up

I wonder what is in store for tomorrow?

Wind Reflections

oak bay marina

Ahh, loverly night last night at the Oak Bay Marina. A few of us from the photo club met there for our latest meeting. Loads of really nice boats, and pretty decent conditions too. The light was a little harsh, but at least the wind wasn’t too bad. Unfortunately for me I wasn’t feeling too inspired, so I ended up leaving early. Strange really. There were some awesome lines, and really nice reflections too.

The pics I did take are here.

Bonus S’mores

enjoying the beach

This past long weekend saw myself, Sue, Yoshi, and Digger travel to Long Beach to camp with Steve, Rhae, T, and Steve’s sister Gina and her husband Stuart. We also took Digger with us for company for Yoshi. The Green Point campground has a “bare” policy (which means everything except your sleeping necessities must be kept in a vehicle when you are not in your campsite or are sleeping). As a result of this policy, we asked K if we could borrow her van for the dogs to sleep in, and she readily agreed. I admit that having it was a very big bonus for the trip, but Sue and I both agree that it is better to borrow than to own! 🙂

The weather didn’t really pan out like it was supposed to. The reports leading up to the trip indicated it would be sunny and warm (up to 26C), but really it was foggy almost the whole time, and not exactly hot. IT was interesting how each night the fog would clear away for about 3 hours or so, just enough for us to see the sunset.

Pics are here.

Sue and I headed up on Saturday, then came back on Monday. While there we walked the dogs on the beaches a few times, flew the kite a bit (including extreme kite flying with Steve), visited with everyone, and kicked back with a few drinks each night. The really nice thing about Long Beach is that although it is always quite wet there, this means that campfires are usually permitted. This weekend was no exception. Camping just isn’t the same without a campfire.

Other notables from the weekend: T is a real cutie. Naked babies wandering the beach are quite funny. Specially when they squat and pee in the middle of the blanket! :O

While sitting around the fire Sunday night, Steve decided to make some s’mores. He had been having trouble cooking all day, and this was no exception. His first attempt ended up with two wasted marshmallows. I saw him throw one away, but the other one had disappeared. Steve went about making some more that were much more successful. While he was enjoying the fruits of his labour, out of the corner of my eye, I noticed something whitish moving. I glanced over, and saw a shadow dart away. I grabbed flashlight just in time to see a mouse stealing the marshmallow that Steve had dropped on the ground! Cute little guy with huge ears! That would have been one huuuge sugar rush for him though; the marshmallow was as big as his body.

Monday morning we learned that Gina had fallen ill in the night. She spent most of the night in the bathroom, and it wasn’t a good scene. Her husband took her to the hospital to get checked out, and the doctors there felt she will be just fine. Scary for a little bit, but we know she will be fine in the end.

Our last walk on the beach was after Sue and I had torn down camp, and packed the van. We drove to Wickaninish to walk them. They went nuts as soon as we let them go. They were running as fast as they could down the beach, right towards a trio of people. They were watching the dogs head straight for them, and you could see them tense up. At the last moment the dogs seperated, and split off in two directions, passing within a few feet of the people. Sue and I were worried that they were going to take them out! Later Digger beatled off into the logs, and was scampering along them. At first we thought he was looking for a place to relieve himself, but we quickly learned what he was doing as soon as he started rub his shoulder against a log. Yelling at Digger, he jumped up and stopped after a couple of good rubs over a dead seal. Yep, that wasn’t a log, but a rotting corpse instead. Dogs are disgusting. Luckily the dead seal was pretty new, and wasn’t horribly stinky. Sue took Yoshi on leash away from me and Digger, I picked an enticing stick, and took him to the surf for a quick dip. I managed to get the stick and digger together right as a wave broke a couple times. It was funny to watch his reaction to a wave breaking over his head! In the end he was a little “fishy” smelling, but not too bad.

The drive home was pretty uneventful, but the lunch at Coombs was awesome! The OCM burger at the Old Country Market is wickedly good! That was our weekend, the next one is almost upons us!

Slickety Molson

Indy cars

The weekend of July 24-26 was Molson Indy Vancouver, and some friends and I snagged some tickets to it. What a fun weekend. Fast cars, hotter than hot temps, and rednecks galore (from sunburns).

On Friday we got to the ferry terminal on time, and got in the line up. Once on the ferry we zipped up to the cafeteria lineup. I had one of those AHA! moments while in the lineup. Whitespot has had the BC burger on their menu for a very long time. Being from BC, I assumed that is what it stood for. My AHA! moment was when I realized that it really stands for bacon and cheese! I can’t believe I never figured that out before. On with the story. After getting off the ferry we bombed over to Marc’s place, and dropped our gear, and grabbed the beer. His apartment was a little stuffy, but we made due by opening all the windows, and spending most of the time on his deck.

Pics from the weekend are here.

Saturday morning arrived very early. Dragging ourselves out of bed we got ready, then went for breakfast at Slickety Jim’s Chat n Chew. Excellent breakfast eats with very unique names for things (french toast was hungry man honey butter). From the restaurant we walked down to the track to check things out. We saw some of the SCCBC practice and qualifying, and we watched the champ car qualifying. During the day we also wandered around the SCCBC car paddock, then went to check out science world. We never really figured out where their evolution of speed display was, but we saw a couple of the bond vehicles.

Eventually we made our way to the champ car paddock and began to walk amongst some of the most amazing racing machines I have been close to. While I was walking around, I noticed a scooter zipping towards me. Paul Tracy (the eventual winner of Molson Indy Vancouver) was piloting the machine. Cool.

At the end of the day we decided to head out for dinner to the Cactus Club, good eats, and good beer too. After going back to Marc’s place so we could shower, I noticed that the t-shirt I had worn that day was covered in salt crystals. I had been feeling a little guilty that I had drank 2 powerades throughout the day, but after I saw that, I didn’t feel bad at all. Apparently I was sweating a lot. It was pretty damn hot so I shouldn’t be too surprised.

After getting cleaned up we piled into Marc’s car again, and headed downtown to watch a movie: the Bourne Supremacy. Very fun movie. I am not so sure it was as good as the first, but I definitely enjoyed it a lot.

Sunday morning was supposed to be an early one so we could get to the track and see everything. We also wanted to watch Lance Armstrong win his 6th Tour de France. Lance won. We stayed to watch his victory. When we did leave we again headed out for breakfast, this time to a slightly different restaurant. Big pancakes were on order that morning, and they were excellent. We then drove to the race site, and were very amazed at the amount of parking there. Our spot was a block and a half from the track. Very strange, but very nice that we were so close.

We had decided that we weren’t going to use our paddock passes this day, so we attempted to sell them to a scaper. Most wouldn’t deal with them since they were saying the paddock closed an hour later. We eventually found one guy who bought them for $20. Not great, but at least it helped defray the cost of beer.

There were lots of people giving things away at the race too. Near the gate we walked in was an entry booth for a Molson giveaway. The grand prize was an all expenses paid trip for two to see Molson Indy Montreal. This included VIP passes and everything. Very cool prize. Anyway, we entered on Saturday, and although it wasn’t difficult to fill out a ballot, we wanted to go check things out before the racing started. We walked past the booth, and told one of the women manning the booth that we weren’t interested, and that we already entered. We got heckled by her as we walked away! It was funny though.

We wandered the grounds a bit, watched some of the warmup laps, then watched the Atlantic series race. Good action there.

Soon it was time to hit the beer garden! 🙂 Mmmm, beeeeer. Eeeewww, Molson Canadian for $6 a glass. Oh well, when in Rome … As we were enjoying drinking our beer, another Molson rep came around to entice us into entering their draw. Fine, since we were already sitting there, we all decided to enter again. After filling in the ballot, she came back and read them all. For some reason she really liked my name, and repeated it out loud several time commenting on how cool it was. Then she saw my answer to one of the questions and changed it. The question was for how much beer I drink on average. 🙂 weird experience.

Soon it was time for the Champ car race. During the parade lap, one guy got a little to enthusiastic when trying to get some heat into the tires, and crashed into the wall close to our seats. We got to watch the clean up, and that was kind of interesting. I felt bad for that driver though. Our seats were at corners 6 and 7. I quite liked them since we got to see the cars going at a relatively slow pace through the corners, but still got to see how each car handled the different lines. Paul Tracy dominated the race, and that was fun to see. Scary moment for him when he tagged the wall, then a few laps later went into the pits. It turned out he needed more gas, and not due to damage. He had built up enough of a lead that he never lost it while stopping for his splash and go.

As with many events I attend, I was very surprised by how many empty seats there were. Attendance was around 68,000, and for some reason I thought there would be many more grandstands than that. I guess if they can’t sell out 68,000 then why would they go through the effort of trying to fit in more grandstands?

The last event of the day was the SCCBC race. We headed over to a different grandstand for a slightly different vantage point, and were we ever glad we did. The corner was at the end of the longest straightaway, so there was lots of action. Add to that the SCCBC races 4 different classes of cars all at once, and you get instant fun. It was quite an exciting race to watch.

An interesting note for the weekend was that there was there was a dentist from Victoria racing in the Atlantic Series race, and in the SCCBC race. This was Dr. Souliotis. When I mentioned to Sue that a dentist from Victoria was racing, she jokingly asked if it was Souliotis. She didn’t believe me when I said yes. Turns out that this was her dentist!

In all it was a very fun weekend, where I ended up spending more money than I meant to. 😀