Ahh, the photoclub. A chance to get out in the fresh air, exercise ones mind, and get creative. We met at Clover Point, and as usual it was busy, and very windy! Cool. Literally. It was on the chilly side, and many of the interesting subjects were moving due to the wind. We made the best of it though.
I woke up early this morning because I was planning on riding to work so I could get in early. Instead of being greeted with sunshine, I lay in bed listening to the rain.
Something about rain in the summer is very refreshing and invigorating. I love the smell after a short shower. The damp earth, and the raindrops on the flowers have an intoxicating effect. The warm weather can make one feel slow and subdued, but a quick summer shower undoes all that. Even the sidewalks look nicer when wet during the summer.
In the end I decided to drive in with Sue since none of my bikes have fenders. Getting an extra bit of sleep always feels good.
On Thursday, the kids played themselves out,
and adults set up the camp.
It was also prep time for dinner. What a fine West Coast feast it was!
When it was bedtime, not everyone wanted to go to sleep.
Friday it was off to the beach.
The dogs played while Little E got busy making us some mud pies.
We even found wildlife on the beach!
Unfotunately there was a wardrobe malfunction at the beach. 🙁
Back at camp there was some silliness, some snacks for dogs, and some napping.
All too soon the families had to pack up and go home!
It was a very fun weekend, but I didn’t relax as much as I have in past camping trips. Something about helping to tend to 3 dogs, 6 kids, and 9 adults that can be a lot of work. Enjoyable, but not necessarily relaxing. I look forward to doing it all again next year!
Other notes from the weekend:
– we could hear the Parksville fireworks from the campground, but couldn’t see any of them at all. we could also hear the crowd cheer after the finale
– some people drive way too fast in a campground that has lots of children.
– kids “sleeping” in tents still need supervision lest they find the makeup bag
– digger really does live up to his name
– every kid deserves a wagon. I think every single kid we went camping with enjoyed the little red wagon that K brought with her
All the pics I took are here. There are a lot of them too!
Happy Canada Day everyone! I hope you all have a great long weekend. If you have to work Friday … sucks to be you.
Congrats to Ann and Sue! Both of them did the Qualicum Beach Triathlon this past Sunday while I played the support role (a role I think I am pretty good at). Both of them did very well, placing high in their age brackets.
This tri is one of the more interesting to watch. The pool has lots of glass so you can watch your favorite athlete(s). The ride is multiple laps on a road course, and the run is also a couple laps. This means that with very little walking you can see you athlete(s) multiple times. Very fun.
As tiring as it is to compete, spectating is also tiring. Yoshi can attest to that.
The rest of my pics are here
Tonight was the big vote. I got out and did my duty shortly after work. Pretty quick and easy, but I kind of laughed over how low-tech the Canadian system is. Well, at least my riding was low tech, I am not sure about all the others. You get a piece of paper. You get a pencil. You put an X beside the name you like. None of those fancy schmancy voting machines, nor punch out ballots. Paper and pencil is perfectly adequate for us Canadians! I still have yet to see who won.
One thing I have learned during this election campain is that I need to learn more about the Canadian political system.
I just realized one very odd thing about my vote though. I walked into the local polling station and presented my voter information card. They directed me to the appropriate table (the number on the back of the card). The ladies at the table marked down my number, then handed me my ballot. I marked the ballot, handed it back, and they tore off a small part of it. At no time did anyone ask for my ID. Very strange. As long as I had the magic card, I was allowed to vote. What if someone had stolen my card from my mailbox? Would they have been able to vote as me?
Mmmm, good breakfast this morning.
Last night the photo club met to go shoot at the Crystal Garden. Unfortunately a couple members went the wrong day, so there was only 3 of us there for the shoot. I had forgotten how interesting that place is. The butterflies were amazing! It is sad to think that this place will be shutting its doors for good some day. If you are in Victoria, and are looking for a place to get some great photo’s, the entrance fee is definitely worth it.
Today was the day for my latest blood donation. Number 21 for me (I think). It is quite neat to go to the clinic and have the staff recognize me. Again, no problems for me, but one nurse did remark on my good blood pressure (120/80).
Neither Sue nor I was in much of a mood to cook last night so we both agreed to go out for dinner. We headed to the Gorge Point Pub. I must say, that it was one of the best dining experiences I have had in a long time. Withing a couple minutes of sitting down a server came by and dropped off menus. We ordered drinks, they came quickly. The appy arrived, and no soonerhad we finished eating it, the plate was taken away. Our main meals showed up very soon after that.
Once we were finished eating, the dirty plates were taken away quite quickly. The server brought the bill very soon after. This was magic to us since one of our biggest peeves about a restaurant is having to wait forever to get the bill once we are finished eating. When teh server came with the bill I gave it a quick glance then handed over the credit card which was processed quickly.
In all it was a great experience, and the food was very good too.