Mom-Day Adventure at Willows Beach in White Linen and a Coatigan; Plus a Wee Shop

Welcome back to Mom-Day Adventures! We were in for a gorgeous day, so Mom and I headed down to Willows Beach for a stroll along the water. We last visited this lovely locale back here in July 2023, whoa, a long time ago!

A selfie in the wind.

Back to the clothes, and then pictures of the beach.

I knew it would be cold and windy near the water, so I layered a mix of seasonal items. Note my lavender socks, a shade I picked out from the sweater along with the bangle (and my hair, of course).

• Sweater-coat - Chacok, consignment, Sidney; purchased here for $68.00
• Knit top - no label, thrifted; not tracked
• Linen-blend trousers - Nine West, thrifted; purchased here for $11.50
• Suede shoes - Homers; last seen here (2nd outfit) in June 2024 for last year's shop in Sidney

I won't be keeping this coatigan (coat + cardigan) out for spring/summer - it's far too thick, but for this early in spring, and a stroll along the water? Perfect! 

It was a challenge to style it - I don't have a lot of fall colours in my spring/summer closet.

I started with the white linen-blend trousers, thrifted way back last autumn, as they are fully-lined and a good neutral.

I added the celery/chartreuse-ish green knit top (there's a bit of lime in the sweater), then pulled my mustard suede lace-up shoes. 

I turned the coatigan inside out in the morning and removed all the shaping darts to make it a looser, flowier fit.

I loved wearing it - it was very snuggly...until it was TOO WARM. Fortunately, I was on my way home by then.

Without the coatigan, which I took off while we had lunch at Christie's Pub. 

The pockets are inadequate. Gah. The pants are also large in the waist, so I safety-pinned the sides to pinch it in a bit and thereby pull up the pantlegs so they didn't drag on the ground. It worked like a charm, and I loved wearing these.

Done up, although I didn't need to. 

I did end up wearing my scarf tied to my bag like this all day. 

No need to have that extra warmth.

But I'm always prepared! 

Accoutrements: 

I was happy of the big pockets in the sweater, where I stashed my phone and my camera. Everything else fit in the bag.

• Silk blend scarf - Vera, vintage, thrifted
• Purse - Streetwear Society, thrifted

The stuff:

I've had these shoes for ages, bought new and locally due to the appealing colour. They are getting a bit worn, but I still love them. 

Golden seaside bling: 

I did a slightly oceanic theme with the belt and cluster of brooches. This was far too much annoying jewelry to wear for trying on clothes, but I loved the peek of the stretchy belt, and the big big necklace. 

• Fish belt - consignment
• Yellow cuff - thrifted
• Carved stone bangle - consignment
• Shell brooch - JJ, consignment, Powell River
• Seaweed brooch - thrifted
• Shovel brooch - vintage 70s, Mom's
• Necklace - thrifted
• Suede earrings - vintage 80s, consignment, Powell River
• Crystal/silver ring - Uffizi Gallery gift shop
• Gold/amethyst ring - Francis Jewelers, c. 1965, Dad's

Mom gasped when she saw the shovel brooch, which I've had since the 1970s when Mom used it to close up the neckline of a top for me when I was around 12 years old. She recalled getting it on one of our early family driving/camping holidays, when we stopped somewhere on the way to Banff to pan for gold (a tourist trap, no doubt! I have zero recall of this). 

And we've arrived at Willows Beach! This is looking northwest.

It was busy, with lots of people out enjoying the sunny warm day, and many folks in bathing suits and bikinis getting their Vitamin D. 

We both exclaimed over seeing Mt. Baker in the distance. 

I love being able to see the mountains on clear days. 

The tide was very low.

Lots of sand for walking on. 

We looked for a disability ramp to get Mom down to the sand, but there was nothing but stairs.

Come on, Oak Bay, put a ramp in! Let everyone enjoy the beach! 

More views of Cattle Point (the little spit on the left).

And Mt. Baker looming in the background. 

I spotted a tall-ship or sailing ship in the distance. 

My wee camera has an excellent zoom! 

I also captured a bald eagle soaring high above us, looking for her lunch. 

Great swooping circles. 

There was a murder of crows chasing a raven away from their nests. 

The eagle wafted away.

This lady had the most delightful backpack on, and we had a moment of laughter and kindship with all of us in our colourful outfits. Mom and I had tons of comments on our colour from strangers.

She was from Newfoundland and just loved this backpack. "You are the most lovely mermaid on the beach!" I told her. Yes, I straightened out her strap (that just makes me twitch).

Mom and I gingerly worked our way down some sand-covered stairs, and sat near this driftwood fort for a while. 

We both grew up here, visiting the local beaches, and are very used to clambering over driftwood. 

Feet in the sand! 

Just looking at these fir logs, pebbles and bits of wood brings back my childhood. 

I left Mom while I explored down the beach a bit. 

Looking to the south, back where we started (the tallest clump of trees).

Pretty views of the islands in the strait.

Time to go exploring. 

Found a dead crab!

And a piece of beach glass, which I slipped into my pocket. I have a habit of collecting stones and things from the beach.

There's Mom! She was in green pants, a cobalt blue jacket and a floral blouse, all bought by me over the years.

Hello! 

I hunted around for a stick and drew a rose and put our names in the sand. I have to ensure we exist!

"Helen & Sheila." And there's me! You can see how windy it was.

Time to go see what Mom's up to.

Full confession: I was getting hungry. 

One more look down the beach. 

The mountains to the south are the Olympic range, in Washington State. 

There's the sailing ship again, way off in the distance.

You can see a bit of the city of Port Angeles there in the distance. 

Some crows hopping around at the water's edge.

People rowing along close to shore.

I zoomed in on Cattle Point with the mountain looming up behind.

I like the silhouettes of the intrepid explorers. See the people on the bench? (right near the pointiest part of Mt. Baker).

Another shot a few minutes later, and the bench folks are gone. 

But I see a wee bird on the far left, getting into the shot. 

Oh my, someone's feeling brave. 

The Pacific Ocean is NOT warm here. 

The sailboat had gotten a bit closer.

So pretty.

We strolled back to the car. 

This seagull was squawking away, while the starling just looked at it. 

We had a lovely lunch at Christie's Pub (our usual salmon filet burger and salad, yum!). 

What a pretty blouse! Someone who loves you must've bought that! (snicker). Thanks so much for the wonderful day, Mom! I really needed that. 

I strolled over to House of Savoy to say hello and visit my old clothes (they buy from me at my closet sales - I enjoy seeing the old pieces again).

It's the final wave of pink blossoms - these massive blooms fill my heart with happiness. 

I had a nice chat with Emilie and bought a couple of things (not shown: a present for L's upcoming birthday). 

I'm always on the lookout for good quality basics, like a white top with some detail. I like the shape of this - it doesn't have to be tucked in.

The fabric has a woven pattern, very geometric. It had a few snags, which I snipped off.

It was $35.00 (Emilie generously gave me a small discount - thank you!).

I fell for this awesome black and white "keyboard" skirt. 

It has interesting pleating at the waist, pockets and it's fully lined. 

Ooh, I love Marimekko! 

I usually end up with the collaborations, as real Marimekko is rather pricey. 

Washable, excellent! 

Not that I wash my skirts - I usually spot-wash as needed. 

There's the tag.

This was $65.00, but would have been in the $200-400 range new. Bargain! 

From there, I popped into Good Things Consignment to see if they had any appealing jewelry. YES! 

I found some pieces for my "red set"! The earrings and necklace pendant were both marked down half price, to $22.50 each. The bangle was $22.00. 

I did a bit of research - this is likely red jasper. 

I have plenty of chains including a silver wire that will work well with this. 

It's stamped "Mexico 925" so we know it's silver.

It didn't seem to have much wear. 

The earrings are matching half-ovals, set into silver.

The link to stud is different - haven't seen this kind of post before.

Stamped "950 Mexico".

95% pure silver! 

The bangle is more of an orange-red - I wore it right away, stacking it with my purple stone bangle. I thought at first that it might be high-density moulded plastic, but it's actually carved (you can see the lines in the flower petals and leaves). 

This led me down a path - it's probably synthetic cinnabar. Real cinnabar is a toxic mineral that was ground down into powder and mixed with lacquer and then carved into many decorative objects. I saw the same bracelet online (advertised as "old Chinese") for between $35-75). I really like the weight and feel of this, and anticipate it'll be worn a bunch.

I had a bit of luck at Pocket, my last stop before heading home. 

Yes, my neon green collection is getting out of control! But you have to admit, the silver Western-vibe fixtures really make this belt stand out.

It was $28.00 which felt a bit high, especially since I can see the (possibly) Zara or H&M tags that used to be attached.

I couldn't find this belt online, though, so it is what it is. I'll wear it a bunch, I'm sure.

I waffled over this purple/black/tan mesh top, but went for it. 

It'll be a useful layering piece. 

It's by Soya Concept, a brand I've seen at Dots. 

I saw one online retailing for over $50.00 - this had been marked down to $23.00.

L and I are now off together for four more whole days! What a treasure, just like spending time with Mom.

Signing out for the weekend, and wishing you a Happy Easter (if you celebrate) and I'll be back on Monday with tales of adventure. 

Thanks so much for visiting my little corner of the blogosphere, my friends! I so appreciate each and every one of you. Sending all the good vibes!