Author: oceandelight

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Travel Writers Welcome

Yesterday we welcomed our first media tour and it was a great experience. Michele Sponagle and Sean McNeely are on a media tour of eastern Newfoundland,  enjoying a romantic, cultural and historical trip through Trinity, the Baccalieu Trail, and Cupids. And we were lucky enough to have them stay a night at the cottages, putting them up in The Loon.

We invited Clifford George, our local historian, artist, raconteur, and larger-than-life Whiteway ambassador to talk about the history of the area, tell a few stories, and have some fun. He drew them the Salt Box picture you see below.

Of course we had to have a home-cooked meal, so we made a lovely moose stew and cod tongues for appetizers, and salmon and sweet and regular potatoes for the main. The Berry followed up with her bread pudding (the best I’ve had, but maybe I’m biased!). And of course, enough Iceberg beer and red and white wine to go around.

We talked and chatted and had a lovely evening. This morning, we served moose sausage and waffles with fruit and cream before they head off to Cupids (now how’s that for romance?). Overall, it was a lovely way for us to get back into the ODC swing after our trip!

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Hello, Whiteway

No church post today, and not even an original photo – blame it on the jet lag (or as I like to call it, jet slag, because it feels like your blood has turned to slag). We had a long arduous day of travel yesterday, as these things usually go. But our trip – the perfect blend of family time, private time, down time, fun time, and friend time – was worth it.

But my thoughts were never far from my Shag Rock, and I know The Berry is just as excited (if a little tired as we both are today) to kick of this tourist season with flare. Full steam ahead!

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Goodbye, Victoria

Mixed feelings today as we set out a long day of travel (3 stop-overs no less). We’ve had such a lovely time in Victoria, seeing family and old friends, experiencing the splendor of the west coast, and, maybe most importantly, savoring some much needed romantic and peaceful downtime after all the work we’ve put into getting the cottages up and operational for the busy season. Our batteries have been completely recharged, that’s for sure, and I have even more energy than before.

So we are sad to be ending this bountiful retreat. But, my thoughts have never been far from my WWW – Wonderful World of Whiteway. This is the first time I’ve spent an extended period away from our new home, and it has made me more sure than ever that it is where I am truly meant to be. I can’t wait to make sure that our guests enjoy our new home as much as we do. And I can’t wait to get back to the Smiling Land!

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An English Country Garden

Well, well, well – or I should say, flowers, flowers, flowers. There were flowers everywhere in the faerie land called Butchart Gardens, where The Berry and I feasted our eyes and noses yesterday. Few words to describe it – so lets go with OMG! Truly an awe-inspiring example of man and nature working together!

There are over a million plants at the historical park, and I was wishing I was Bud Vincent, Albert Legge, Allison George or some of the other great photographers I have come to know so that I could truly capture the spirit and beauty of the place. Thankfully, my new Nikon D-3100 I just got for my birthday helped me out a little. We followed up our leisurely stroll through the park with a very British – and very tasty – High Tea in the Dining Room. I do say!

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Last Day with K

On our last day with Kathryn (who lives on Galiano Island, not in Victoria), she gave us a tour of the Victoria Flying Club‘s flying school, where she has 15 of the 200 hours she needs to get her commercial pilot’s license. She’ll be flying high then, but for now she’s grounded unless she’s with an instructor (phew for now, says me! it’s not a small thing to imagine your youngest daughter flying a plane!). I tried to drop hints that Gander might be a good place to finish her program- if only because then I’d at least have one daughter in the same province as me!

Needless to say, Kathryn is excited about this new venture. I was hoping to see a takeoff but logistically it didn’t work out this trip. But you can see video on her blog of one such takeoff. It’s pretty awesome.

We had a great lunch at the school’s cafe, hugged and kissed, leaving us wondering when we will see each other again and thankful for Skype. WWV (Wonderful World of Victoria) and my WWW (Wonderful World of Whiteway) are so far apart – there’s a continent between them – and I’m cherishing every moment I get with my family while it lasts.

Now The Berry and I are enjoying our last few days – rainy weather be damned – but also looking forward to getting back to our cottages, back to work, and back to our first busy summer season.

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Galiano Tripping

Big things on a little island! As I blogged yesterday, we got to visit my youngest daughter, Kathryn, who lives off the BC coast on little Galiano Island. This is a beautiful place with lots of wonder. The forests are lush, the trees so green, wildlife all around and friendly people, too (that last bit reminds me of another island I know!). It was a real treat to be there and to visit with my daughter.

And don’t let the size fool you – there was lots to do (just ask The Berry who got a first-class massage for her aching shoulder at the Galiano Inn and Spa!). Lunch at the Hummingbird Pub was good – I got fish and chips, made out of Pacific, not Atlantic, cod, and I enjoyed it – which is a big stamp of approval coming from a Newfoundlander! Then we went to the sand caves, the marina, the sawmill where Kathryn works, then Montague Park, then the  bluffs and Mount Galiano, then a nice fire, soft music, a little wine, and a nice meal. We went to bed tired and woke up refreshed – just the way it should be!

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On Galiano

We came on this trip wanting to recharge our very-depleted batteries, and what a spot to do it. We’ll be coming home for the summer season recharged and more. Here I am heading on the ferry to visit my youngest daughter, Kathryn, who lives on Galiano Island. It’s a tiny little island off the coast (only 1200 or so people live here), so you have to take a ferry to get there – and boy, is it worth the journey. I’ve been coming here for a few years and they ferries have never been anything but easy to navigate. Here we are docking at Sturdies Bay, on the southeast of the island:Galiano is the perfect spot for a picnic – and nap! – on the beach, and for barbeques and wine late into the night. We’re staying at the lovely Galiano Inn and Spa, and we got to see my daughter’s place – she, too, is right on the water. Seems like my daughters are just like their Ocean Delight-loving father, hugging the coast and loving the ocean!

Kathryn’s place is actually sustainable. All their water comes from rain fall and they burn mostly wood. Very inspiring for us, given our goal to make our cottages more efficient by 2014.

Here’s The Berry and Kathryn getting ready for our steak barbeque. We’re going to have to make a trek out here more than once a year!

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The Oracle is Coming

Look out, Readers: I got a Nikon D-3100 camera – my ‘Oracle’ who sees all -for my birthday.  My first entry into high end photography, I looked at the manual, all the buttons and icons, the software, and all the paraphernalia and remembered that I am 62.  I’ll need another manual just to learn the basics.  But I will rage on in my ignorance (you know me) and take my rightful place among the other 500 million “would be” professional photographers of the digital age.

Unfortunately, the memory card was not included, so I didn’t get shots of the great, romantic day The Berry and I had in sunny Victoria, perusing a farmer’s market, having lunch outside, a little shopping, more than a little wine and napping, and floating away on my daughter’s float home.  Yesterday, we headed over to Galiano (a small island off the coast) to visit my other daughter. We’re staying at the Galiano Inn & Spa, which is just awesome. This is a cute little island, and I’ll try to get some shots if I can figure out The Oracle in time!

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Sunday Church Blogging: Christ Church (in Victoria!)

 

As you may know, I reserve my Sunday posts for highlighting Newfoundland churches. So I’m changing things up a bit, now that I have on my ‘tourist’ hat as The Berry and I explore Victoria. Here is Christ Church Cathedral, right in the sunny downtown. This church has a long history, starting in the mid-1800s, and the Queen attended a service here in 2002. I love the green space on either side – so ‘Victoria’!

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Happy Birthday to Me

 

My daughter lives on the water here in sunny Victoria. Her balcony lends itself easily to sitting and musing, chatting and drinking wine, all while listening to sea birds, waves, and tourists, and outlasting the setting sun. Which is how I got to spend my birthday yesterday – pure bliss. Purely blessed. On a decked out balcony with homemade molasses birthday cake – too cute.