Shellfish Festival in Comox

 My apologies.....this is a dreadful picture....they were all blurry.....but I wanted to record the amazing dinner we enjoyed for Maggie's birthday last Sunday. It was a gourmet meal, including a fabulous salad, brats and ribs, lots of laughter and especially warm birthday wishes to our Maggie!











This past Friday, we gathered at our house for Michele's dinner party....:-)  as it was the annual drive by of vintage cars, which goes right past our house. Michele made chicken, ribs and cake, Bill made appies, Ter made potato salad, I made Caesar salad, and despite the rain (we ate inside) we did get out to watch the cars go by after dinner.........






Then we braved the elements to sit in the gazebo (blankets and all) - with the electric fireplace cranking out heat - and finished our dessert and wine outside. Hardy Canadians, eh??????










Sunday we headed up to Comox with Maggie and Ingrid to take in the annual Shellfish Festival - and altho it was very windy and cool, no rain, it was well attended!






Held at the Marina Park, I forgot to take pics until we were leaving.....duh!!.....but there were amazing booths with oysters, scallops, clams, gooey ducks, halibut, rock fish, crepes with strawberries and whipped cream (ok, that is not seafood) - cooking demonstrations, displays from the Fisheries Dept, Hydro, community groups and lots of kids and dogs!!

Evening market, dinner and aging.........

Every Tuesday evening in Parksville, throughout the summer, there is a street market - crafts, organic veggies, clothing, jewelry, gifts, toys....the works.













oh - and FOOD - hot dogs, chips, ice cream, Texas barbeque, smoothies....you name it.......

....even organic, vegan, Mexican food......!!!!!!!!












this market was the first of the season, and it had been cool and rainy all day, but it was fairly well attended.......









the streets are closed to traffic, so people wander around taking in the booths, listening to live music, and enjoying the social atmosphere.......










this couple sang and played for the evening...great!









and we managed to get out of there with only a couple of purchases....new kitchen shears, nail clips and tweezers.....................3 for 5 dollars!!!










Oh oh.....the old blonde mare has received her Gold Card!!!!

Can you say "DISCOUNTS"  ????????????

June in Parksville......

OK, Mother Nature....the deck is ready - gazebo, outdoor dining, lounge area, barbeque area....now where is the sun and the heat.......??????















June 5 was Venus crossing the sun......totally cloudy day until just before the cross was to happen....so went to the beach to watch.........










We enjoyed what there was of the sun.....the beach is lovely in any weather.........















Still lots of snow on the mountains behind Parksville.....









so I made southern fried chicken, a big bowl of raw veggies and blueberry tarts for our picnic.........fleeces and all.........










and behind us there were a gazillion young folks playing in a volleyball tournament, despite the cool cloudy weather........!










Next picnic was at the 100 Stairs (a staircase to the beach, above which sits 11 benches for people to enjoy the view)...with SUN.......!!!








and during the hour or more we were there, we saw 18 eagles......wow......and altho the camera is poor, there is a juvenile sitting in the top left branch of that tree right in front of us.........









and 6 on the beach - one on that big rock - fishing, eating whatever the tide left, and providing a treat for we eagle lovers.

baby sitting......

Ter and Lar had to go to Victoria for the day, so we "dog sat" - took the 3 pups for a walk to start.....

Newbies....we forgot poop bags, so Miki and the 3 waited for me to come back and resume the walk.....

Walked around the hood and then down to the bluffs overlooking the ocean....great places to walk dogs in their neighbourhood.......

Ter does such great dog pics....but us trying to get them into some kind of pose was hopeless......!

We saw a mama deer on her hind legs eating something off a tree, and her baby to the left heading into the woods..........

Molly is a senior too, so part way home she just sits down when she has walked as far as she wants to, and rides the rest of the way in her stroller, tongue lolling all the way.....go Molly! It was such fun - and although I got the feeding routine out of order later in the day, we had a ball!

Victoria visits........

One of our first stops in Victoria was to visit Josh and Brian (who were hoping to be Botas's new Dads), but Josh had to have sudden open heart surgery, which put the skids to that plan. The good news is that Josh is doing really well!~!!!

The guys have built a gorgeous deck and patio area at their home, so we had a great visit in that lovely space. 

This is 14 year old Shale, who would have been Botas's big brother........

And this is brother Buddy...also 14, arthritic, but hanging in there!!!

Dawn at the cottage.........what a lovely way to wake up...........














and a family of otters playing in front of the deck........















Dax especially enjoyed putting both feet in the dog water bowl on the deck.........










on Sunday morning, along came the Swiftsure sailboats on their way back to Victoria harbour......











Back in Victoria we had dinner with Mary Lois at the 5th Street Bar and Grill.........










....before going to the University of Victoria to see ML perform with her choir.......












then it was brunch with Bev and Mick (from PM and Collingwood, Ont - remember them....???) at the Ogden Point Cafe on Dallas Road. They are here to pick up their RV and drive all the way back to Ontario.








And we got to meet - twice!! - with grand daughter Nicole, shown here at the coffee shop she works at............

and our girl makes a mean latte, let me tell you - on the house, yet!!!! Thanks Nic!

visit to Sooke and Victoria.....

We made the 2 hour drive south to Sooke for a 4 day stay....and were welcomed by - what else - a beautiful black cat!! What is it with there always being black cats in our lives.....

















We were so lucky to be able to stay at Brian and Josh's cottage, next door to our cottage where cousin Rachelle lives now......












how about this for an idyllic view......we sure miss this place........













The Olympic mountains in Washington state, across the sea............











we brought the 2 cats with us, and they so enjoyed the new scenery and being able to go out on the deck without being "out".........









We enjoyed a drink on the deck before heading to Jutta and Andrew's for dinner on the day we arrived........










here is the magical deck...........ours for 4 days....and the sun is even out!!












At Jutta's we had a great visit and forgot to take pics, except for when Vanessa was playing guitar for us.......!!....one of her new skills since we saw her 6 months ago......