Mom-Day Adventure at the Westsong Walkway in Greens and Blue, and a Wee Shop

Welcome back to Mom-Day Adventures, Gentle Readers! I missed seeing Mom last week, so it was extra-awesome to have our walk and lunch together today. 

We revisited the Westsong Walkway and had lunch at Spinnakers - the last time we ventured this way was here for Mom's birthday in May, and we haven't had lunch at Spinnakers since here in July 2023!

I had this sweater/dress combo lined up in my closet, and of course the top goes so well with my boots...

It just created itself! I added a floof of navy blue, chose a green trenchcoat, and bam, I'm ready to go! 

• Sweater - Zara, consignment; purchased here for $15.00
• Denim dress - Emoji X Peacebird, consignment; last worn here (2nd outfit) in January for brunch
• Floofy underskirt - Noa Noa; last seen here in February 2023, under a leather dress
• Boots - Slacker Vagabond, Fluevog; last worn here in February for our trip to Powell River
• Leather coat (below) - Jeno de Paris, vintage 70s, thrifted; last seen here in March

This dress is a one-of-a-kind - it's a one-off Emoji the Brand collaboration, with patches and odd things. I usually layer something under the skirt part of it, as it's very short and has slits on the side. 

This floofy underskirt has been with me for over 10 years - Dots had a section of Noa Noa for a year or so, which I raided heavily. I have a black, lined version of this, and my striped frock coat still. 

I made sure my "coat off" outfit would still work.

This bright green sweater gets its first wearing - I love this colour. 

I looked like this during my wee shop after lunch, only a lot wetter. Rainy season is here! 

I was alternately sweaty indoors and cold outside. You can't win this time of year. 

Incognito.

My scarf was only on my purse while shopping.

Ta-dah! 

I was much soaked after walking home in the pouring rain.

Accoutrements: 

Boo! I lost one of my fingerless gloves at some point - it must have fallen out of my pocket. 

• Silk scarf - Yves Saint Laurent, vintage 80s, thrifted
• Leather purse - Club Monaco, thrifted
• Plastic belt (worn on raincoat) - vintage 90s, thrifted
• Wool beret - consignment
• Gloves - Parkhurst

I'll need to swing by Roberta's Hats and buy another pair. I need blue gloves! 

The stuff: 

My boots are quite soaked here - you can see how dark the toe is. They'll be fine - they're leather. 

Blue and green bling: 

I wore the wee frog on my beret, and the two pins on my dress. 

• Necklace - consignment
• Frog pin - thrifted
• Silver/kyanite ring - consignment
• Silver/malachite ring - consignment
• Lapis lazuli ring - Wendy Brandes
• Earrings - Stella & Dot, consignment, Vancouver
• "You look great" pin - Fluevog - free! 
• LOVE pin - Justin's 40th? birthday

Mom picked me up and we parked near Spinnakers. 

A ginormous cruise ship is in town. 

We set out along the Westsong Way - Mom was slow due to the weather and not walking for a while, but that ended up being a gift.

We spotted a Cooper's Hawk in the Garry Oak. That green dome is the Provincial Legislature at the Inner Harbour. 

Isn't she pretty? 

People jogged past us, and didn't even know it was there. 

There's something to be said for slow walking. 

You see more! 

Another cruise ship is coming in.

It had been foggy in the morning, and rain threatened.

This is the Norwegian Sun. 

Lots of people on deck watching their approach. Note the schooner in the background. 

A swirl of kelp. 

It looked like a monster lurking below the surface. 

While the weather was good, seaplanes took off every 10 minutes - they must have been backed up, waiting for clear skies. 

I see a Coast Guard vessel, a cruise ship, a two-masted ship, a seaplane and that schooner in the far distance. 

Planes were taking off TOWARD the Inner Harbour - I've never seen that before.

They usual fly from the Outer Harbour, and curl around the south of the island. 

This one's landing.

Vancouver must have been having similar weather. 

We sat and rested for a bit and watched the planes landing. 

And then we realized there were hummingbirds resting on the trees across from us. 

That's no hummingbird! 

That seaplane is coming right at us! 

But if the hummingbird is chill, we are. 

Fluffed up. 

That's a nonchalant shrug.

We chatted and said hello to people who went by (our colourful leather coats were very popular). 

Time to head back to Spinnakers for lunch.

Grey and overcast. 

It started to spatter rain as we went under this arbutus tree. 

Looking down at the ocean below. 

Mom looking resplendent. 

We enjoyed hand-tossed pizzas for lunch - she had smoked salmon, goat cheese and shrimp and I had roasted mushroom, spinach and goat cheese. Yum! Thanks so much for the lovely day, Mom - I love you! 

I walked to town, not minding the rain. I had a browse in Flavour Upstairs on Johnson St., but nothing grabbed me. I walked over to the Beacon Ave. Thrift Shop on Pandora Ave., and found two things.

I'm so excited - it's the Perfect White Denim Skirt! The pockets are real, it has a walking slit in front.

It fits just right, and hits at my knee, almost like a pencil skirt. 

The denim is thick but has a high polyester content (60% cotton, 35% polyester, 5% spandex). It's stretchy.

It's by Talbots, so I knew it would be good quality. I'm surprised to see it's still in stock on their website - it's called the Denim A-Line Skirt (here, all links 'cause I love, as always), and it's on sale for $69.99. 

And at $9.00, I also knew I could resell it if it didn't fit. But instead, Peak White Denim Skirt has been achieved. Yay! I hope I don't wreck it too soon. 

I also found a marvelous red mock-neck sweater. 

I moved my old red turtleneck into Limbo last year - it was getting pilly and worn out. This is the perfect shade of red. 

I saw this and checked it very, very carefully for moth-holes. A Woolmark pure Merino wool tag. 

I had to use the CA number database to look up this brand, as someone removed the tags at the neck. 

It's by Tabi, a now-gone mall boutique for Ladies of a Certain Age. 

I was happy with $8.00 and know I've found a better quality red base sweater than the previous one. Always Be Upgrading! 

From there, I walked up the block and had a browse in WIN for an hour before they closed. I like picking up seasonal things for cheap there. 

Three aqua skull glasses at $1.95 each? Sure! I actually dropped one on the concrete floor after I paid for it - and it bounced! These aren't high-quality (the colour is painted on), but they are fun. 

I found this giant loop belt. 

It's trying really hard to be a Suzi Roher belt (it's very similar to this one on her site for $575.00, yes, you read that right). 

However, the "leather" on the elastic is crumbling a bit (being PVC). A true Suzi Roher would use real leather. 

But the loops are curved, and it fits great and looks cool on - I'm very happy with the $12.95 I paid. 

I scanned the skirts and found this unusual one. It's has a flat upper section, then is pleated from there. 

"It's like window to art!" said L when I showed him. The upper panel is printed with a Victorian scene, then there's a stripe of large-scale leopard print, then a pastel floral scene, a row of checkers, then a small-scale leopard print. And it's the same on the back (I hear you cheering!). 

I was shocked - again - to see Marc Cain selling for so low. I paid $14.95 for this.

Their skirts start at $300 and go up to the $500 range. I'm sure this is a wool blend - it feels like it. It fits me perfectly - another win at WIN! 

I quickly ran through the aisles, just running my hand over the clothes and eyeing the increasing rain outside. This stopped me.

The dark blotches are water. This is a vest with many zippers. 

More water blotches.

Can you unzip the black part? 

You can adjust the neckline as you like. 

It looks good this way too. 

The answer is, yes, you can remove the black part. 

I zipped it back on - it's nice to know I CAN, even though I likely never will unzip it. 

Big pockets! 

One on each side - they are uneven, did you notice? 

I recognized the name - I have another top by Sun Kim - this olive green over-top vest thing with the wired collar here.

Made in the USA and only $24.95.

While I took pictures, someone was rolling about. 

"Feed me!"

And so I did. 

And now, my friends, I'm going to sign off for the weekend. It is a long one for us, as Monday is the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation - and I'm swapping over my closet for the season, so stay tuned! Sending you all warm wishes, and thank you so much for reading!