Saturday, May 31, 2014

Our Grateful Long Weekend May 23-26

It has been so long since I have blogged, I'm not sure I can remember how. Since getting a different cel phone, it has been quite a learning curve to figure out how to get the photos downloaded to my computer. But I am grateful for the new phone... and I'm grateful to finally be getting used to it.


We are always grateful to spend time with family. Shelby, Kim, Maizy and Lucy came for the long weekend... now a week ago.  We went down to the light house at Georgina Point to check out the starfish.


Shirley heard that the starfish on the west coast had some kind of plight... so we wanted to check them out.  We usually see more than a couple starfish... so maybe she was right.  Only two left!


It was fun walking around on the rocks.  Most of us kept dry... but the dogs loved getting into the water.


Beatrice and Dante also love chasing the tennis ball and bringing it back to Shelby. Beatrice usually wins the catch.


Some of the rocks on the beach reminded me of some sculptures we often see in art museums. This is sculpture evolving in nature.


I love taking photos and then looking at them to try to figure out what they might be.  Can you see a face with two eyes, a turned up nose with a moustache on one side? ...and the hair swirl back around the ear?  Isn't that fun?


There were lots of creatures clinging on for dear life to the side of the crack between two rocks.


And there was lots of driftwood randomly left on the beach. Storms have a way of leaving the logs in a hap hazard design. I was reading in the book, "The Golden Spruce," that huge waves pounding against the rocks on the coast of the Haida Gwaii (formerly the Queen Charlotte Islands) would send driftwood logs a top of cliffs a hundred feet high.  Pretty wild stuff!


Lucy posed for me under the edge of this storm worn rock.  She could be a model... or an actor?


I also asked Maizy to let me take her photo by the rock.  Rocks always look better with people.  This grand daughter has surpassed her grandmother by almost an inch already... and I don't think that she is done growing yet!


A candid shot of Shirley with Maizy, Lucy, Kim and Shelby.  Lucy saw me taking photos so stood up to give me a few more creative poses.


I am grateful for spring flowers. Walking to the car to leave the lighthouse park this iris bagged me to take her photo.


Lucy was having some fun with her food at supper that evening.  There is more than one way to get a golden cap on your tooth.


We are grateful to have our first guests use the loft.  The day the kids arrived I finished the carpet and helped Shirley put some beds up for the girls.  They so loved being able to finally sleep in the loft!


Shelby and Kim went to Victoria Sabbath afternoon after our visit to the lighthouse park to enjoy some time at the Oak Bay Beach Hotel... and we got to enjoy Lucy and Maizy. Shirley found some bird houses that the girls could paint. Fun, fin, fun... serious fun.


When Shelby and Kim returned on Sunday afternoon Shelb and I played some meadow golf.  We set up a golf course using rounds of firewood as the target to hit.  Shirley pointed out how similar father and son walk.  The fruit doesn't fall very far from the tree.


Our tenant Chris joined us at the fire pit for some hot dogs and potato salad... the kids always enjoy roasting marshmallows and making smokes.  (-Photo credits to Shirley for the last four photos.)


On Monday after the kids left to go home, we went to Victoria to run some errands and to celebrate Mother's Day at the Oak Bay Beach Hotel. Our kids got us the most gorgeous jackets for Mother's and Father's day.  We both wore them to town.


I don't know what Shirley was taking a picture of... but let's say it was this sea gull.


An Asian girl saw Shirley and I taking a selfie so came and asked if she could take a photo of us... What could we say?


The next morning I got this early morning sunrise shot of Mt. Baker from our hotel room. This photos has not been altered... this is the colour that morning. Shirley was still sawing logs. Later after a wonderful breakfast in the dining room, Shirley had a pedicure at the Spa... and I had a massage. It was one of our best Mother/Father's Days I can remember.  Where is it written that you can only celebrate special occasions only on designated days?

"All the I am, or hope to be, I owe to my angel mother." 
-Abraham Lincoln

Shelby told us that we cannot always trust quotes on the internet... and to prove it he shared his favourite quote.

"The problem with internet quotes is that you can't always depend on their accuracy" -Abraham Lincoln, 1864