A Three-Hour Tour

We said our goodbyes to everyone this morning and hopped in the car on our way out of Canada. We had just turned out of the driveway when Melina started wailing, “I MISS MY COUSINS!!” It was sad and sweet but mostly hilarious so of course I grabbed my phone and recorded some of it. I’ll send it to the family later as it was the perfect ending to her insane behavior with the family. She was so crazy and over-excited to be with her cousins that she seriously couldn’t control herself and was an uncharacteristically difficult child when everyone was around. But as soon as it was just our family she was back to angelic. Hopefully next year she’ll have matured a bit and her cousins can see the real Melina!

So of course I wanted to see the seals one last time before leaving so we again visited the pier to show Diane. We also saw starfish and a gigantic jellyfish in the water, so it was doubly exciting for all. Then we drove into Sidney to catch our ferry to Anacortes, Washington. While waiting I grew more and more nervous about what I had heard referred to as the “yo-yo ferry,” especially upon realizing I had left the dramamine at home. My tension mounted as the ferry pulled from the dock and I realized it was a three hour ride, a detail I’d forgotten since planning the trip, and Diane was nearing nap time (the train ride to Seattle was still to fresh in my memory). But all my apprehension was completely unwarranted, as it turned out to be a perfectly smooth and gorgeous two-hour journey where we gazed at beautiful island scenery and pods of dolphins. 

 The girls were fantastic and before we knew it we were back in the car clearing customs with Diane fast asleep and Melina happily playing the “quiet game,” her new favorite (much to Zach’s delight). Then we made what turned out to be our fatal mistake: we woke Diane to visit the Arts Festival in Anacortes. Diane wanted to touch everything and Melina fell asleep in the stroller and we had to bribe her with twizzlers to keep her from screaming once back in the car. Then Diane cried almost the entire way to Seattle in a way that we know now for sure can only mean one thing: carsickness. We averted danger but it meant making many stops along the way which forced us to use the horrible port-a-potties in the Washington gas stations (YUCK what is wrong with a state that doesn’t have real bathrooms near the highway?!?) and we arrived in Seattle late, hungry, and cranky. 

Thankfully our luck again turned and our Hostel in Fremont turned out to be a gem with a large and cheap room for our family, and we remembered that the wonderful Juan had pointed out a nearby perogie joint so the decision for dinner was easy and tasty. And to top it off, the baby monitor reaches to the street below the hostel so after finally getting the girls to bed Zach and I enjoyed some ice cream together outside. 

Hopefully our trip home tomorrow will be so uneventful that I don’t need to write anything, so this may be my last entry on this trip. It was tough but I’m so glad I did this, and thanks for your support-  this journal sure will come in handy when I make our photo album!

I’ll start planning next year’s trip on the flight home…

Sometimes You Win…

Today was our last full day on Vancouver Island and it was pretty darn wonderful. We started the day searching nearby Patricia Bay for harbor seals, but no luck. We did see lots of bird and shellfish, including 6 sand dollars that we can hopefully get through customs. 

Then we set off to Victoria where we sampled chocolates and spent hours in the Royal British Columbia Museum. At first I was disappointed when we went straight to the animal displays; honestly, when you’re used to the Smithsonian, replicas of a Mastadon and a few elk just aren’t impressive. But the special exhibit detailing the race to be the first to reach the South Pole was fascinating, and Melina was devastated to learn that “her” British team not only lost to “my” Norwegian team, but also all died before returning home. So I taught her the phrase, “you win some, you lose some.”

Then we went up to the third floor, and all four of us were captivated by the displays of British Columbia from the first natives through the modern day. It was complete with totem poles, sawmills, mines, and a replica of Victoria through the years, complete with a mini movie theater where the girls enjoyed Charlie Chaplin films and a train station where Diane got excited every time we heard the train whistle and “chicka chicka”-ed like a train until she got distracted by an always exciting flight of stairs. 

We had all had such a great time, and on the ride down the escalator as we left we were deciding what our favorite part of the museum was, and Melina enthusiastically said, “right now! On the escalator!” Then a few minutes later she was again mourning the death of the Brits on their way back from the South Pole and I said, “but remember, sometimes you win…” and she finished my sentence with, “And sometimes you die.” I love that kid.

We also were able to meet all the cousins plus Marc, Glenna, Tyler, and Deb for afternoon tea at Murchie’s, where the atmosphere was laid-back and the cakes were uber sweet. A huge hit for all of us.

We returned to the house for John’s 75th birthday party. This was the reason for our trip, and it was heartwarming to see the whole family gathered to pay their respects to such a loving and generous man. Nick’s Korean pork dinner was delectable and loved by all, including Maddie who upon her first ever taste of pork declared, “I am NOT a vegetarian!” We sang and toasted and Kristin and John entertained us with some beautiful and impromptu singing. 

Before settling in for the night we handed the baby monitor to Glenna and took Melina on another seal “hunt.” This time Liz directed us to a nearby pier, where we skirted a barbed wire fence to get within 100 feet of about 20 harbor seals resting and swimming on and around a breakwater. HEAVEN. A few swam up to check us out, and as we walked back to the car we would periodically see a sleek little head pop out of the water as if to say goodbye. Melina and I contemplated jumping in to live as part of the pod, but we figured it would be warmer to sleep in a bed so we returned home. 

What a perfect end to our time on Vancouver Island.

The Sooke Potholes

We made a lot of effort this morning to get out and on the road early on a mission to visit a few cute towns and end the day at the butterfly gardens. We did none of that. What we did end up doing was to take a wrong turn which gave us the opportunity to visit the fisherman’s wharf of Victoria, a quirky jumble of houseboats and whale watching tour operators. 

After a quick slide break at a cool playground we hopped back into town and drove for about an hour to the highly recommended “Sooke Potholes.” We had understood these to be holes of water that you could sit and swim in. Sounded cool and reminiscent of tide pools so we were picturing a beautiful ocean setting where we could picnic and relax while the kids searched for shells and crabs. 

Unfortunately Diane was showing signs of carsickness on the way over so we skipped the town of Sooke and our picnic and instead ate burgers and pizza from a food cart (side note: when Zach ordered the pizza straight off of the menu the guy looked at him like he was crazy and said, “OK…but it will take 7 or 8 minutes…” Dude, if you don’t want to make it, take it off your menu!). Then we leaned that the park is not on the ocean, and that the potholes are just deep sections of a small creek, and you have to hike to them. Not far, but still rough with the kids. And the water was VERY cold. Fun.

We did end up having a nice time wading in the water with the girls and skipping rocks, but honestly it was a lot of driving for something we can do back in Virginia any time we want. And then the girls fell asleep on the ride back and we were treated with one of Melina’s hysterical hissy fits when she woke up. Ugh.

Thank goodness the day ended with lots of fun in the pool and a trip to the Sidney street fair, which was kind of like Fridays After Five, so was right up our alley. The parade of dogs fascinated Diane and Melina scouted out every free sample she could find. We even chatted with Alan, the owner of the lavender farm who had been so kind to us yesterday, and running into someone we knew mad it feel like C-ville, and for the first time I realized our trip is almost over. Bittersweet.

Lavender and Lucy the Lamb

This morning started with another wonderful breakfast from Zach, but it will be the last on this trip. I think he has burned out a bit and Nick will be taking over with a savory bread pudding, so we’re in for a double treat: yummy food + relaxation! 

The families all split up this morning so the four of us found ourselves at a nearby lavender farm in the late morning. We parked the car and were immediately greeted by four wagging, wiggling sheep dogs that soaked up our attention and led us to all the other animals on the farm. We met a miniature palomino pony, ducks from India, sheep, geese, peacocks, Flemish giant rabbits (although they were only 6 months old so not very giant), and the piece de resistance, a 10 day old orphaned lamb that Melina fed with a baby bottle. We were all in heaven. The owner of the farm, Alan, led us around and answered all of our questions on his menagerie and we bought some wonderful lavender products to help us remember this special place. 

Just outside the farm we found the mother load of blackberry bushes so filled every container in the car. We have had one driver honk at us while picking berries on the side of the road so I hope it’s not illegal or something, but it’s too late to worry now since the cobbler has already been made and consumed.

We stopped into the town of Sydney by the Sea and had some gyros for lunch (Melina reluctantly tried then devoured her spanikopita) and perused some book shops before heading back to the house for nap time, dinner prep, and lots of pool time. Melina is finally swimming again after “forgetting” how since her lessons ended in June. I think I may have oversold her swimming ability and made her worried that she couldn’t live up to my expectations. So I’m now trying not to make a big deal of it, and that seems to help. She did a LOT of swimming on her own today and was loving it and kept challenging herself to do more difficult things. Very cool!

Zach worked really hard to prepare a beautiful setting in the garden for a dinner of burgers in the hopes we could all sit together but it ended up being too difficult to coordinate everyone after splitting up for the day, so it was an easy going, come-and-go meal, topped off with the aforementioned cobbler. 

The night ended with stories from Marc (always the highlight of a family gathering for Zach and me!) And some time in the way-too-hot hot tub. So now we’re scalded and looking forward to more adventures on the island tomorrow! 

It’s Always Sunny in British Columbia

In this gorgeous mansion we are pretty blissfully free of television, video games, current events, etc., partially because that is a great way to connect with family members we don’t see very often, but mostly because the wireless router is located in the owners adjacent house so the only spot we get WiFi is in one corner of the formal dining room. So I didn’t post anything yesterday which is really annoying because I just want to go to bed but now I have too much to write. 

I used to journal all of our travels but got out of the habit years ago and now every time we come back from a trip I regret that I didn’t write anything down. As a former teacher used to say, my mind has become like a sieve. So this time Zach encouraged me to use the public format as incentive to write, but it is so against my nature to put myself out there like this that every entry is agony. Hopefully it will be worth it when I can actually remember most of our trip!

Yesterday after Zach made everyone delicious blueberry pancakes we spent most of our time wandering through the Butchart Gardens, a beautiful but overpriced expanse of the most gorgeous and meticulous landscaping I’ve ever seen. At 30 bucks a person our expectations were pretty high, so it felt a little too Disney for my tastes. But the cousins all had a blast together and the weather was gorgeous so it was a win. Speaking of weather we are convinced that the sun always shines in the Pacific Northwest, and not a drop of rain ever falls. Oh, and the only bugs they have are butterflies, dragonflies, and happily oblivious bees. We haven’t had one mosquito bite in a week and a half and believe me, if there were mosquitoes here they would have found us.

 Today was a little more stressful, as the grown up ladies had plans for tea while the men and kids hung out in Victoria. Sounds simple, I know, but try organizing 18 people in 5 cars to do anything, and you’ll understand why this was not the most relaxing activity. But we did make it to an amazing snack shack on pier with grilled oyster sandwiches and fresh fish roll ups, and I had a very nice tea time, and to top it off we discovered a free garden in Beacon Hill Park that rivaled Butchart (just as gorgeous if not as big, but free!).

But any stress melted away with some blackberry picking, a glorious pasta dinner with the entire family, and a night of talking, laughing, and gathering around the piano while the professional performers in the family did their thing. Melina has been a little crazy but overall both girls have been angels and are having the time of their lives. It really is too bad they can’t see their cousins more often- cousins are the best.
 

Family Reunion: Day 1

I’m sitting alone in the darkened formal dining room in our inn because this is the only place where the WiFi works, but I’m listening to family laugh in the kitchen about the defective toilet in the master bath. Odds are good that John tries to use it in the middle of the night despite the spatula sticking out of the top, sending another cascade of water down the chimney below in Capeley and Emily’s room. Again.

Today was both pretty uneventful and monumental at the same time. Uneventful because after a week of rapid fire sightseeing all we really did today was take a ferry to Vancouver Island, taste some wine, and settle into our home for the week at the Victoria Garden Estate. The ferry was actually wonderful- 90 minutes of bliss- since the ferry had a playground with a slide. Zach and I just sat and enjoyed each others’ company while watching the gorgeous scenery pass by our window. And the winery was decent and provided us with a fun sipping white for the hot tub at the inn.

But really the importance of today is that this is the first time, EVER, that all of the progeny of Grandpa John (Zach’s dad) are under one roof. And so far it has been kind of wonderful. The kids are bonding, the grown ups are laughing, and even the baby smiled at most of the family members she met for the first time today. I call that a success.