July 2013 - White Rock, Visits in Nanaimo, Pedder Bay and birthday at Sooke Farm

June 26th - Visit with Garrett

We met up with Garrett in North Vancouver (Deep Cove) and dropped off all of our offerings and then went out for dinner at the Raven Pub. A wonderful visit.

Garrett, a chip off the old block!

July 2nd - White Rock - Hot, Hot, Hot!

 Staying over in White Rock has been pretty uneventful this past week other than trying to stay cool!  Garrett and his dog Kira, came over for dinner on Sunday and this picture pretty much says it all!

This picture is after the dogs went for a run on White Rock Beach.

Today is our anniversary of 36 years! First time we have not been together to celebrate the day.  Ray is over in Nanaimo getting his bone scan today so hopefully we will have some answers soon from his surgeon as to what they are going to do.  Fingers crossed!

Here are some pictures of my Dad and Betty's large back yard.

Freya thinks this is a lovely yard for a back scratch!

Hart House Anniversary Dinner - 2013-07-04 08:32

 Mom took Ray myself and my Dad out for dinner at the Hart House on Deer Lake in Burnaby to celebrate our anniversary last night.  What a beautiful venue right on Deer Lake.  The food was not as good as we would have liked but the service was excellent.  Here are some pictures of the place. They are well set up for weddings etc.

History

"The thirteen-acre estate on which Hart House stands was first purchased by New Westminster businessman Frederick Hart in 1906. A leading architect of the day, Frank Macey, designed the Tudor Revival building. The property’s gardens were developed by the Montague Moore family, which purchased the estate in 1916. Ethel Moore soon became renowned for her spectacular iris gardens, and the estate was visited by flower lovers from across the country who came to purchase cut flowers and bulbs.

In 1950 the Moores sold the property to Standard Oil executive Ralph Baker, who instituted a program of modernization and improvement. The process of modernization was continued by the Charles Riley family after they purchased the estate in the mid-1950s.

The Corporation of the District of Burnaby purchased the property in 1979. For eight years it was occasionally used as a film set for productions starring personalities including Bette Davis and James Brolin. At the end of this time the District considered the prospect of opening a restaurant at the estate. Paul Smolen, Hart House's current owner, was one of three original partners approached by the District. The partners recognized that the stately house and grounds presented a unique opportunity to create a premier culinary destination. They opened Hart House in 1988. In 2000 Paul Smolen bought out his partners and Carol Smolen came onboard. The combination of magnificent setting, outstanding cuisine, and warm, friendly service continues to enchant Hart House guests."

Hart House is on the shores of Deer Lake with the Burnaby skylight in the background.

Here are some more pictures of Ray's Mom.  I meant to put these with her birthday post but we did not have access to these pictures at the time.  So here it is ... all about Mom.

Mom with Ray learning to walk.

Mom and Dad Kyle with baby Garrett. 

Always there to share in celebrations, Kristi's first birthday.

The love of her life, Ray's dad Bill.

Mom was recognized by the City of Burnaby for being a great volunteer.

Mom's first fish caught at Macktush. 

Mom visiting us camping at Rathtrevor Beach in Parksville.
Thanks for being you Mom!

July 10th - Dinner at Garrett's and Vancouver International Airport

 We kept Dad quite busy with visiting people and getting out and about.  This past week we were doing something every day.  We had dinner on Saturday night at Garrett's new apartment and he cooked for us.  A lovely steak dinner on the BBQ. The apartment and dinner had Gramps seal of approval!

Garrett cooking, not a sight I'm familiar with.

Freya's favourite friend, half sister Kira

Sunday afternoon it was time to pick Betty up from the airport.  Ray and I took a stroll around as it has been years since we have been there. They have a lot of First Nations artwork throughout the international and domestic terminals.

The Spirit of Haida Gwaii: The Jade Canoe by Bill Reid. International Terminal, Level 3. This was installed in 1996, and is the most famous piece in YVR’s art collection; it is a bronze casting with a jade green patina. Sculpted by world-renowned Haida artist, Bill Reid. ‘Haida Gwaii’ means ‘Islands of the People,’ while The Jade Canoe represents all living beings of the world. We were living in the Charlottes at the time this piece was commissioned and saw it on the news.  It was neat to see it in person.

Monday morning it was back to the island. We had dinner at Gary and Janice's and it was great to stay in our coach in our own bed at Jason and Taunia's. Ray's also had his family doctor's appointment on Tuesday morning.  The results of the scans he had need to be discussed with his surgeon we are told, and his appointment will not be until September 30th!  Dr. Reid is on holidays for two weeks in July and 3 weeks in August so we do not know if Ray will get surgery or he has another plan for him.  The wait will be hard since we have been trying to sort all of this out since April 23rd.

So with all of that done, it is off to Pedder Bay in Metchosin, Victoria area for a couple of weeks. Looking forward to blue skies and ocean!

July 15th - Royal Roads University

 We took a lovely walk around Royal Roads University.  They have another very old heritage house built by James Dunsmuir that is now a museum.  The formal gardens are gorgeous. James is the son of Robert Dunsmuir (Craigdurrock Castle), hence building design is somewhat similar for Hatley Park.

Wikipedia:

James Dunsmuir (July 8, 1851 – June 6, 1920) was a British Columbian industrialist and politician. Son of Robert Dunsmuir, he was heir to his family's coal fortune. The Dunsmuir family dominated the province's economy in the late nineteenth century and were a leading force in opposing organized labour. Dunsmuir managed his family's coal business from 1876 until 1910 increasing profits and resisting efforts to unionize. In 1905 he sold his Esquimalt and Nanaimo Railway to the Canadian Pacific Railway. In 1910 he sold his coal mining company, Union Colliery of British Columbia and R. Dunsmuir and Sons to Canadian Collieries (Dunsmuir) Ltd (CCD).

Dunsmuir entered provincial politics in 1898 winning a seat in the provincial legislature and became the14th Premier in 1900. His government attempted to resist popular pressure to curtail Asian labour andimmigration not for humanitarian reasons but to ensure a cheap labour pool for business. It also promoted railway construction and accomplished a redistribution of seats to better represent population distribution in the province. Dunsmuir disliked politics and resigned as Premier in 1902. In 1906 he became the province's eighth Lieutenant Governor but retired in 1909 and lived out his years at the baronial mansion he had constructed at Hatley Park. James Dunsmuir founded the town of Ladysmith, British Columbia.

As you can see this would be a wonderful venue for weddings, parties etc. Next it was off to Esquimalt Lagoon, a short distance away, to give Freya a swim. This is a lovely beach that we will be visiting later this week for a picnic I think.

Don't know what these ships carry.

July 16th - Beacon Hill Park Victoria

 We decided to take a leisurely stroll through Beacon Hill Park in Victoria.  This is where Kristi had most of her wedding pictures taken.  What a lovely park.  The gardens and ponds were wonderful. Lots and lots of ducks.

This is the location of Kristi and Jason's wedding pictures.

After our hour long stroll we built up a thirst!  We have been told to visit the Canoe Brew Pub as their beer and food was awesome so we had to try it out.  They have a lovely patio right on the waterway.  The food was excellent and the beer was just okay.  Too hoppy for our taste (a little bitter).

As it was a hot day we left Freya at the coach with the air conditioner on.   She was sure happy to see us and got to go for her swims when we got back.

Butchart Gardens Victoria BC - 2013-07-18 10:20

Yesterday we left early and spent the morning wandering around Butchart Gardens.  It's been quite a few years since we visited the gardens in the summer.  How glorious it was.  You will have to bear with me it was hard to pick which pictures to add.  Between Ray and I, I think we took 200 pictures!

A little close!  My arm was not long enough!

As you see we had a wonderful time taking pictures!  Next it was off to the Poppyseed Restaurant for lunch. We had a table right by the window to view more flowers! The Saltspring Brewery produces a Heather Ale specially for the restaurant... awesome beer.

Time to go home and rescue Freya from the air conditioned coach!

July 22nd - Drive through Sidney and Food Truck Fair

 We decided to take a drive to Sidney where, years ago, we visited with our little boat for a weekend.  We could have been the "dinghy" for all of the yachts in the harbour.  The sun was shining, the water blue and it was just as pretty as we remembered it.

A lovely walk between the Sydney Pier and the Marina:

The Sydney Marina where we moored for a couple of days.

Fish Market where we bought a crab for a snack.

Next it's off for a drive along Beach Avenue the section before Beacon Hill Park.  Old and new beautiful houses along the water. What a view they have!

Our final short stop is to check out the Food Truck Fair held in Centennial Square downtown Victoria. There is a beer garden and live music scheduled later in the afternoon.  The line-ups for food were too long for Ray to wait so we drove over the blue bridge to Spinnakers Restaurant and had a lovely lunch on the patio before returning home to Pedder Bay.  It was a lovely morning adventure.

Birthday at Sooke with Wayne and Karen - 2013-07-29 07:39
 

Spent the past 4 days with our friends Karen and Wayne Stolth at their family farm in Sooke to celebrate Wayne's and my birthday which happens to be on the same day.  Met some of his large family and had a wonderful feast on Friday July 26th thanks to Karen.  Freya loved chasing sticks and her ball in the hay field and then going into the river for a dip.

The Birthday People!

Wayne's Dad used to take this trailer around as a museum of logging artifacts.  Ray managed to get a few pictures of it as it rests between the trees.

Really old chainsaw.

The Sooke Potholes are only a couple of km's up the road so Ray went off to get some pictures for me to blog.  We were there 2 years ago at the end of September, but there were no bathing beauties then.  Ray was able to see lots of people enjoying the water today. 

We have had absolutely beautiful weather.  Before we left the Victoria area Ray managed to get in to see his surgeon on a cancellation.  Yes, he will be getting another surgery this fall and it will be his final one that Dr. Reid can perform for him.  This last one should keep his legs from collapsing on him.  Hopefully the pain will reduce somewhat as well.  Positive thoughts!

Yesterday we drove up to Qualicum Bay for one night and today we will continue on to Brown's Bay just north of Campbell River to spend the next two weeks.  We are looking forward to seeing all of the cruise ships up close and personal!