Tag: Life

Daytrip Breathtaking

The day after we got back from the camping trip we had a daytrip over to Saltspring Island to visit with some of the same family that we were camping with.

It was a great day, but pretty long. We got on a morning ferry and Sprout enjoyed the trip. The boat was full and some cars actually didn’t make it on. Weird thing was when I walked to the front of the ferry there was an empty spot that they could have fit another couple cars in.

Once in Ganges we met up with Sox’s family, got some food, then headed headed out to try and find the beach on St Mary Lake. We had some trouble finding it, and when we finally got there we understood why. The beach was all of 30 feet wide. Tiny.

We spend the next three hours there. Sprout and his cousin had a ball playing in the sand and water. Getting buckets of water, pouring them out, getting more. Sandcastles were made and demolished. Rivers were created, rerouted, filled in, and created again. Lunch was eaten and the playing resumed.

I had heard about a photography exhibit at ArtSpring called Into The Light. I had also heard about a gallery called Galleons Lap. I was hoping to check them out, but I was adamant that I wasn’t going to leave Sox at the beach with two children and no car. When Beet started getting sleepy, Sox suggested I take her and go. I did, and I thoroughly enjoyed the exhibits. There was on picture in particular that was breathtaking. It was called “The Horns at Sunrise” by Steven Friedman. Awestruck. I literally stood there and stared at this picture for minutes. I perused the rest of the exhibit, then went back to that one image. If I had the cash burning a hole I would have that picture with me right now. Alas and alack I have not a spare grand. 🙁 I was definitely glad I got to see the show. Galleons Lap had some excellent images too, including a very creative set of pinhole camera pictures from Victoria.

The rest of the day was fun, and the return trip to Victoria was easy as pie.

Fireworks Release

Tuesday night I zipped out to Macaulay Point Park to watch the fireworks and to take a few pictures. It was a little windy and tiny bit chilly standing out in the dark near the water as I anxiously waited for the show to start.

Shooting fireworks can be easy and fun provided you have the right equipment. Start with a camera that has a bulb setting (ie the shutter stays open as long as you press the shutter button). Must, must, must have a sturdy tripod, and a cable release is pretty handy too.

With the camera pointed in the right direction, fix the aperture and focus then get ready to shoot. Try to anticipate when the big bursts are going to happen and mash the cable release button. Vary how long you keep the shutter open. Take lots of pictures.

I’m very happy with a number of my images, but of course I had over 75 to pick and choose from.

Can’t wait for next year.  Hopefully I can make it out again.


Lagoon Feeding

Sunday was a fun family day. We headed out to Witty’s Lagoon with some friends for a special CRD exploration day. The drive out was fine, but the walk down to the beach was long and a bit arduous with the chariot stroller Sprout was in.

Once on the beach he had fun. CRD had a tent set up, and they had seined a couple tide pools to show us the different fish and wildlife that live in those waters. Very cool to see the Shrimp, Peneye Gunnels, Fluffy Sculpins, Pointy Sculpins, pipe fish, and crabs. My favorite though was the barnacle covered rock. I’d never seen barnacles feeding before so that was pretty interesting.

At our blanket we also built some sand castles, dug holes, ate lunch, then got ready to leave. Sprout really didn’t want to get into the stroller and ended up walking back to the car, which was a distance of over a kilometre. Over that same distance Sox also ran into three different sets of people that she knew. Weird.

Family days are fun.

Bluebells Nicely

I am getting caught up on some of the pictures I took in May while I was off work. I don’t think I ever posted some of the Blubells that have overtaken our backyard. When they are in full bloom it is a sight to see the yard choked in blue. Very pretty. Sadly they are on Yoshi’s side of the yard, so you need to watch where you step. Of course, since they are on the dog side, the flower don’t get mowed until they are done.

I managed to get out in the yard between rain showers, so I took some other rain drop shots that I thought turned out nicely too.

Visiting Tired

We are just winding down an incredible weekend. Tiring, lots of visiting, lots of food, and lots of fun. Friday night we didn’t really do too much, but Saturday we watched the Oak Bay Tea Party Parade with some friends. We then stopped at the office to check on a couple work things while Sox did some shopping at Nicholas Randal. Then it was home for nap time.

Saturday evening we went to one of Sox’s co-workers houses for a pasta feast. Lots of adults, and lots of kids at a lot of home made pasta. Very, very yummy.

Today we went to another of Sox’s co-workers for a visit, some playtime, and some lunch. Home again it was nap time for everyone except me. Don’t feel too sad for me though since I got to finish my novel.

This evening we had some friends and their three kids over for a big home made pizza feast that also celebrated a couple birthdays. After a quick bath we managed to get the kids in bed and asleep.

Just thinking about doing all this makes me tired!

Recommended Clean

Friday Sox got the call from PreTech Collision that our car was ready. PreTech came recommended from the Honda dealership, so we took our car there to get the body work done.

I realized after the fact that I never took any pictures of the damage done to our car, but the fixed up car is looking good. It seems to be in better shape than when we got the car, which is just fine in my book.

The best part? They completely cleaned the interior which included a carpet shampoo. Sure the car stinks of cleaner, but at least we know it is clean.

I met Sox down there after riding in from Oak Bay on my bike. The Enterprise car rental people drove Sox, Sprout, and Beet down there and I was there to help do the transfer of car seats to our car. One funny thing was that Sprout didn’t want to get out of his seat. He wanted to just sit there eating his crackers. After giving him ample warning that his seat was coming out, I did it. But I left him strapped in it as I removed it from the rental. He thought that was funny, and I thought it was a fair compromise.

Soleil Afternoon

A while ago I saw that Cirque du Soleil was coming to town. I knew Sox had been wanting to see a performance of theirs for quite a while, so I got us some tickets for her as a birthday present. This happened a few months ago.

We set up some child minding with Gramma, and we tried (unsuccessfully) to train Beet to take a bottle.

Today was the performance, and I was a little nervous about how Beet would be with Gramma. I knew Sprout would be fine since he would be napping. Without the bottle, Gramma might be in for some trouble.

The show itself was fabulous. I thoroughly loved the show. The performers were amazing, and managed to make a lot of what they do look easy. I know for a fact that juggling 7 balls is not easy. I know that the acrobatics are not easy. I know riding a bike on one wheel while facing backwards is not easy. Yet, the performers all made those actions look normal.

The music accompanying that performance was excellent, and the singer was amazing. All in all it was an extremely enjoyable show. I just thought of this now, but I almost wish I could buy a DVD of the performance so I could see it again.

Arriving home I opened the car door and didn’t hear screaming. As we climbed the stairs I saw that Gramma was reading her book. I knew then that it wasn’t a difficult afternoon like had been envisioning. Yay for sleeping babies, and yay for adult fun.