It’s kind of a funny thing because most of the time when I come up to Vancouver it’s warm and sunny. My friends hear lament the fact that I am not getting a *true impression* of the weather here. My fear is that with global warming trends, the weather up here is actually going to be much sunnier, generally speaking…and I have visions of permafrost melting and releasing huge amounts of methane dancing through my head…and while I find the temperate weather enjoyable, I can’t help feeling a little bit sad inside whenever I come up and the weather is bright and sunny.
Yep. Lamenting a sunny day. I’m a nut. Thing is, the weather is finally turning and it started out sort of stormy and gloomy. The wind blowing through the trees outside the cottage were a study of fluidity and ordered chaos as the branches swayed and the leaves danced. The sea was a steely grey and the chill air had a bit more of a bite to it.
I spent some time writing home and by the time I was finished, the sun was breaking through. The afternoon has been interspersed with moments of brilliant, warm sunshing and cool, muted moments when a bank of clouds eases in front of the sun.
We had a late night last night. Ron (Hadley, the main instigator of this tour) had a gig at the Tsa-Kwa-Luten Lodge on Quadra Island, so we all went over to have dinner and listen to him & Jim (a sax-man and good friend of Ron’s and driver for this portion of the tour)play. It’s a beautiful place, and I found myself rather content if not giddy as we were walking through the forest before dinner. The sea was clear and limpid green along the shore. We passed a gnarled trunk along the way that looked a lot like an old man with a bushy haircut. We laughted and joked, too…then I snuck ahead a bit to walk quietly through the forest.
Back in the Lodge I noticed a sign reminding guests that it was a wild place and there were wild animals around with more information on smaller leaflets on the desk about bears and cougars…but I hear more people are actually killed getting too close to deer.
The dinner was mighty tasty. I had cedar plank grilled/roasted salmon with a fresh berry chutney and green salad. We also ordered the Friday night Seafood Extravaganza (4 of them) which we all shared. A few of us had a mightyfine Nk’mip merlot with dinner and I introduced Imafuku-san to Glenfiddich because he was in the mood for something with more of a kick.
Dessert was Mud Pie and the Fudge Brownies and vanilla ice cream (one order of each, shared).
The view from the restaurant is spectacular and the food is extremely well-prepared. There were deer along the road on the way home, and the ferry ride back was a fast one, owing to an emergency vehicle needing to make the crossing.
A bit of a drive back and I got to see the B&B that the other members are staying at. There’s a path to a *dotenburo* which in this case is a hot tub with a magnificent view of the sea framed by some magnificent trees. I really really really want to sit in that hot tub. Not sure I will get a chance to, though.
Back to the cottage for me and a good night’s rest…and that takes us back to where this post started.
Oh…other places to eat if you make it to Qualicum Beach…Lefty’s Fresh Foods. yum. And if you’re eating on the cheap you might want to grab some food from the Chinese Food Bar in Qualicum Foods across from The Old School House. They serve up insanely huge portions for a fairly reasonable price.
Other stuff to know (about me, anyway) – I can’t retrievge the messages from my cel so if you leave a message, chances are I may not be able to pick them up until I get back to the mainland, and possibly not until I get south of the border.
I also still don’t have a computer and will basically have very limited access to e-mail for the next week-and-a-half. best way to reach me is probably by cel.
Hope y’all have a good weekend.