We had very chilly, frosty start to the day Tuesday...cold and clear! I had an early appointment in Victoria so had to leave at 7:30...it took awhile to defrost the heavy layer of frost on the car windows! But once the sun took hold, it turned out to be an absolutely beautiful day.
I was back home just before 9:30, so we headed into Sidney to drop Steve's glasses off to have new lenses put in. It was only supposed to take about an hour, so we walked through Sidney and along the waterfront. Unfortunately, once back to pick up his glasses, Steve was informed that they were having trouble and it would take longer. We'd have to return later this afternoon. Well okay then...apparently they had tried phoning us but I had actually forgotten our phone at home. That doesn't happened often!
Wednesday (Dec. 2)...and another bright, clear, sunny day. We met Dave and Leslie at Thetis Lake Regional Park on the outskirts of Victoria at 10:30 for another physically distanced hike.
As you can see from the above map this is an unusually shaped lake...
Margaret is around 15 years old, mostly blind and deaf but managed to walk a good portion of the trail before hitching a ride...
Just under 2 hours later (with plenty of stops to admire the views) and 5.8 kms/3.6 miles, we were back at our cars. It has been decades since we have been to this park and it is absolutely beautiful with great hiking trails. The lake and beach is very popular in the summer.
Of course, after a great hike, we all would have loved to find a pub with an outdoor patio where we could go for burgers and beer...but that wasn't in the cards today. It seems most outdoor patios have been shut down for the season and even if there was one open, we'd have to sit at separate tables as you're only allowed to dine out with your household members.
So 'plan B' was the drive-thru at A and W...a bit of a let down but Dave and Leslie came to the rescue by picking up some beer and after our burgers, we went to Esquimalt Lagoon. We sat on logs on the beach and enjoyed great scenery and conversation...and they even "cheered" my birthday (a day early). Thanks Leslie and Dave, for the birthday wishes, beer...and the bottle of wine!
Olympic Mountains in Washington State and in the foreground a couple of seals swam by...
Another great day with great friends!
We were up super early Thursday (Dec. 3)...neither of us could sleep, so it was just after 5:00 when Steve got up to put the coffee on. No idea why we couldn't sleep...maybe I was excited because today is my 65th birthday! Yup...I'm officially a senior now!
I enjoyed a morning of receiving birthday wishes...via FaceBook, text and phone calls! There was even a knock on the door with Andy dropping off a bottle of wine...such a surprise, thanks, Tami and Andy! Absolutely wonderful, especially under the current COVID restrictions...my spirits were lifted, for sure!
Beautiful sunrise this morning but what blue sky there was soon disappeared and we had a cool, blustery day.
After lunch, we met our son, Rob, and grandson, Conner at Tulista Park on the Sidney waterfront. Rob is working from home this week (and apparently Conner had a bit of a tummy ache when he woke up...wasn't long before he was fine. Hmmmm...I wonder if dad being home had anything to do with it? LOL).
This Navy Bomb Disposal truck pulled into the parking lot in front of us for a few minutes. They may be taking part in Trident Fury 2020. It's a joint Canada-US Naval exercise off of Vancouver Island with Canadian frigates and aircraft as well as the US Coast Guard and aircraft.
They had some wonderful homemade birthday cards for me...thanks guys!
We thought these three boats with flashing lights were maybe part of the Navy exercises...
But overheard one of the guys say that they were from Titan Boats, a local builder here in Sidney...
They were doing sea trials on these new patrol boats before shipping them to Vietnam...
Our good friends, Rob and Nancy, also stopped by the park to say hello. Rob and I share the same birthday, so it was nice to actually see them in person this year to wish him a happy birthday! (Darn...forgot to get a joint birthday photo.) We all stood outside chatting...and getting totally chilled to the bone! Steve and I had planned on walking the waterfront but we were too cold, so after saying goodbye, we were in our car warming up! We even ended up stopping at Tim Horton's for a latte and mocha!
My birthday dinner tonight was Chinese food takeout...they even delivered it! Absolutely delicious, thanks for the recommendation Rob and Nancy!
Friday (Dec. 4) morning we slept in until almost 7:00! Making up for yesterday's early start, I guess. It was nice to see that the sun had returned...back to blue sky, yay!
We drove to Island View Beach for our walk this morning. It's funny...Oceanside RV Resort has re-opened the trail access to the beach but there's a problem...it is too wet and boggy this time of year to use! There's an easier access if you step over the RV parks fence, hop the ditch and walk a short distance on the reserve road but they piled tree branches in the ditch and placed a picnic table next to the fence blocking off the only other access...Sheesh! Oh well...it's just a short drive to the beach.
A beach fort...
Mount Baker in Washington State in the distance...
After lunch, Steve headed off into Victoria to take the car in for a service...the first one since we've had it. Since he had a couple of hours to kill, he wandered down to the Victoria Inner Harbour.
The Empress Hotel...
Harbour Air float plane base...
Whale Watching boats have been idle due to COVID...
He walked approximately 20 blocks and enjoyed exploring and discovering some of the businesses that he never new existed or would normally miss while driving by.
While he was gone, I had an exciting afternoon doing laundry!
Saturday (Dec. 5)...and another sunny day! This week has been a beautiful week, weather-wise, with the exception of Thursday. Since we're now into a weekend, we pretty much stay put...avoiding crowds. So we did 2 laps around the campground...that's about 2.4 kms/1.5 miles.
Steve bought a Merry Christmas flag yesterday while in Victoria...
Steve decided to tackle a maintenance project today...he flushed the hot water tank...
The sacrificial anode rod is 13 months old so should be good for another year...
The wand used to flush out the tank...
After another walk around the campground, we were settling in to watch a little TV when Steve noticed that the carpet near the hot water tank was wet. We emptied the cupboard above it and he pulled out all of the shelving...but couldn't see any water. We managed to get the carpet dry but have no idea where the water came from! The tank isn't leaking and Steve can't figure out how flushing the tank could have produced a wet carpet? The sealant on exterior frame around the hot water tank seemed to be in good shape...it's a mystery!
Sunday (Dec. 6) we had more clouds with the sun and it was also a bit windier. By the sound of it, we have rain coming in for the most of the coming week. Oh well, we've had a nice stretch of sun! We had a pretty laid-back day today. Other than a walk around the campground, we took Buster out for a run...going over to Rob and Angie's to pick up our mail. We had a nice chat in the doorway with them and Angie's parents, Brian and Linda....they are out from Manitoba to spend the winter.
They were right about the forecast...we woke to rain Monday (Dec. 7) morning. I had an appointment to have an injection in my right knee, so headed off in the clouds and rain just before 8:30. With that done, I made a quick trip into Sidney for a couple of groceries and then was home just after 10. It was a foggy, rainy day...an inside day! Good time to work on some odds and ends...and this blog!
And there you have it...another week has flown by!
A belated Birthday Wish is in order. Glad you joined the rest of us.
ReplyDeleteNice that you are able to stay Safe even when visiting.
You've definitely found the perfect spot to spend the winter in your Trailer. Maybe next year we'll all be south again.
Great scenery. Nice Pictures.
Be Safe and Enjoy!
It's about time.
Thanks! Yes, we have a great spot to spend the winter. But we miss travelling... hopefully next year!
DeleteHope you are both well. Stay safe and healthy.
Glad you had some nice walks/hikes with the nice weather we had last week. Hopefully there are more in our future. :) Makes it so much harder to stay cheery with the lockdown and stuck in side the "house".
ReplyDeleteThe weather was fabulous! Hopefully we have lots more sunshine over the coming months! 🤞
DeleteLooks like you had a great birthday! Surprised to see that it is so warm there yet. We have had great weather here as well but cooling down this week,
ReplyDeleteYep, it was a good day! We've had quite a few sunny days intermingled with some clouds and rain. But as we head into winter, unfortunately we'll likely have much more clouds and rain than sun.
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