Paid Vacations

July 21st - Another early morning drive from Victoria to Hornby Island.
Ah, the sun and fluffy white clouds!

... watched a remote controlled sailboat race (July 22nd)

... visited friends (July 22nd),

... amongst them Anna and Ava (July 22nd),

July 24th - went hiking up Mount Geoffrey
with the visiting Alberta Snikles,

After our hike up the mountain, it was time to cool off and have some lunch.

That evening we went down to Ford Cove to watch Alex and Paul
swim in the rather cool water.

July 28 - Peter enjoys a much needed chair
massage at the Saturday Market.

Sunday July 29 - picnic at the beach. Here
Meka enjoys a roll in the warm sand.

Some of us attempted a game of frisbee in the frigid waters
of Whaling Station Bay.

Some of us enjoyed the warm sand ...

One of us happily got buried in the sand,

 and all of us enjoyed a bite to eat, al fresco!
Check out Alex's six-pack.

The next day the Alberta Snikles started on their journey home and Judith drove back to Victoria to go to earn her next paid vacation.  Frank and Mary Jane stayed home to recover from 2 weeks of visitors and Peter stayed on Hornby for more 'healing.'  Thankfully, we are all recovering nicely and looking forward to warmer weather in August.

11-11-11

November 11, 2011 will be remembered for several reasons this year.  First there is the obvious one - remembering all those who fought for our country.  Peter and I attended the ceremony held at the epitaph in front of the BC Legislature.  Amazing to see how many people - and how many different ages of people - also attended the ceremony.  In the rain no less!

November 11, 2011

Secondly, it is a banner year because of the 11-11-11 occurring twice in the day.  This apparently happens rarely.  There is something about the 11-11 thing in our household, although I'm not sure what.  Or why.

Thirdly,  Peter and I played squash today.  Wish there was a photo to prove it, but you'll just have to take my word for it.  And, in case you wanted to know, Peter let me win the game. :)

Saturday September 24th

Last week PeJu were smart and purchased a case each of Campari tomatoes and freestone peaches.  All BC grown.  Naturally, our meal choices this week have been influenced by these purchases.  Friday night Judith realized the box of frozen puff pastry in the freezer might make a nice companion ingredient for some of the peaches.  Besides, it really had been in the freezer too long anyway!  It HAD to be used up.  So, Judith did her best to make some peach strudel.  Needless to say, it was heavenly.  Unfortunately, we neglected to take a photo of it and it was gone by 10 am Saturday morning.  But we wanted you to know that these kind of good things happen and brighten up our lives.  May you all be blessed with strudel too!

Sunday September 4th - Saanich Fair

The Saanich Fair is huge! And it was packed too! Lots to see, hear, taste, smell, and touch.

Llamas of all kinds and sizes ...

Rides ...

Fun for the whole family.

I wanted to go on this one ...

Did I mention it was really hot and dry?

A classic Ferris wheel

This woman had been doing this one for years!

August in a nutshell - Part 6

Back to work - Peter seemed amused by Judith riding her mountain bike with a long dress and fancy sandals!

Another lovely evening picnic at Willows Beach.

Aug 20 - it's the weekend! Is there any better way to start the weekend than a stop at Fol Epi for a latte and pain au chocolate?

August in a nutshell - Part 5

Aug 13 - mmmmm, roasted bananas for breakfast.

Aug 13 morning - we drove out to La Push, which is on the other side of the Quillayute River mouth about one mile south of Rialto Beach.  Here you can see we are waiting for the fog to burn off and testing the water.

Aug 13 afternoon - Just after our picnic lunch at the beach the sun managed to shine through.  Here we were visited by a flock of pelicans.

Aug 13 - a view toward the mouth of the Quillayute River.

Aug 14 - time to leave the campsite and head back to Port Angeles. On the way out of the Olympic National Park, we stopped at the Salmon Cascades on the word of a young Park Ranger that she had seen salmon jumping.  We did in fact see salmon jumping and in this photo you can just see one below the surface of the water. Really!

Aug 14 - in Port Angeles the Snikles dropped PeJu off at the ferry terminal for their ride home. Here is Peter all packed up and ready to go!

Aug 14 afternoon - after a lovely sunny ride back to Victoria we arrive at the breakwater. So many times PeJu have stood on that very breakwater and waved at the Blackball ferry!

August in a nutshell - Part 2

On the ride over whales were spotted.  Here everyone is waiting for the whales to surface again - except for Alex.

Aug 11 - Our first view of Port Angeles is the Coast Guard Station.

Aug 11 - The ferry arrived arrived about noon, so we promptly went shopping for some lunch items and found a picnic table in need of some love.

Aug 11 - Our campsite at Sol Duc Hot Springs Resort. Bedrooms (tents) on the lower level and the dining room (picnic table and fit pit) on the upper level near the front door (the road).

Aug 11 - after dinner the whole gang went for a hike along the river.  PeJu turned around early and decided to go for swim. Here Judith proudly stands after her first skinny dip of the year (on her birthday no less). The Snikles didn't return until after dark.

New Workstations

What's wrong with these pictures?

Judith's new workstation ...
Peter's new workstation ...

What's new?

There I was, just sitting at my desk, minding my own business this morning, and what do I see out of the corner of my eye? A rather large bird flew across our backyard and up into a tree just outside my office window. So I took a photo of it, studied it for a while and watched it dive down to the ground, catch a garden snake, then sit there in the tree and devour the snake. Ah, how wonderful to have nature right on your own doorstep!

The only other thing new these days, is that Peanut came to the rescue and got our genuine German-made Cuckoo Clock working again! I was quite excited as it hasn't been cuck-cuckooing for many years now with all our moving around and whatnot. So now we have both the grandfather clock and the cuckoo clock ticking away in our living room. Tempus fugit!

Kill A Cow Friday

Every week we host Kill A Cow Friday
"An event that is not for the faint of heart"

It all began in the Greek ghetto many years ago when Pantyman discovered his two great passions, shopping for the finest cut of beef in the city when he should have been scouting locations for some totally lame ass TV show or movie about something unbelievable at best, and the BBQ, his sacred possession that gets him through the week!
With the loyal support of his wife, two children and the other families within the gated community "the compound", every Saturday they humour Pete (not me, the other one) as he sets up even in snow for another spiritual BBQ featuring two inch thick steaks from his secret beef source, Jolly Foods "opps, sorry Pete everyone knows now".
So after many sad and lonely Saturday nights away from the Greek Ghetto not knowing what I would do without Pantyman, and after a pain staking search for meat that would rival Pantyman's we have found our version of Saturday! "Kill A Cow Friday"
FYI, Saturday is movie night at the community hall, so you see it had to be Friday, even though this one guy "Peanut" that operates heavy machinery (Patron Saint of Heavy Machinery actually) thinks we should have it on Wednesday night because he works weekends, one would wonder if he thinks the world revolves around him!
Anyway, it is nothing close to Pantyman Saturday, but it will have to suffice, being on a little island where all we can find is free range grass feed drug free cows that graze on acres of waterfront property over looking endless sunsets!
We now have a formula that is working and the four founding members seem sufficiently suffonsified! We currently have a Sommelier (AKA Mixologist), BBQ Commodore, BBQ Rear Commodore, and a Social Convener.
So if you want to come to "Kill A Cow Friday" and you are either an ex-pat from Pantyman Saturdays or have the ability to operate heavy machinery, dig fence post holes 2 feet deep in less than two minutes through solid rock, pick rocks faster than Judith, or weed the garden endlessly, feel free to fill out a membership application, find a female sponsor (men cannot be trusted when it comes to meat), be interviewed in person at the Greek Ghetto by the famous Pantyman (must bring sacred offering of beer of course), and shower the founding members with gifts of chocolate, salt, wine, etc, etc, etc at there doorstep ever morning until they feel you are worthy. "Kill A Cow Friday" may be just what you've been searching for!
I am sure this is how the Mason's got started! ;)