Monday, August 20, 2012

Aug 18th, 19th & 20th - Outfits #19, 20 & 21 - Trip Up the Coast

I'm baaaack! I took a long weekend - L and I went to visit his folks in Powell River, which is on the British Columbia west coast. It's a fair bit of travel, so I had Monday off.

Ooh, I almost forgot! It's Visible Monday at Patti's "Not Yet Dead Style"! Go!

I packed very minimally, only a cardigan, one top, one skirt, one dress and a single pair of shoes. Saturday's travel outfit:
Cardigan last worn here (2nd & 3rd outfits), top last worn here (both outfits), skirt last worn here, and sandals last worn here (2nd outfit). Layers for temperature control and length of sleeves and skirt for sun coverage.

I also only took one pair of earrings, my silver feathers.
However, we have a convertible, and the weather on Saturday was gorgeous and hot, so I knew I'd need more coverage.

Enter, the hat!
I also used the scarf to cover my chest and lower arms from the sun.

Cardgian (no label, consignment), top (Planet), skirt (Cute Options), shoes (Wild Diva, swap from Caro), hat (Delux), scarf (Chapters). 

On Sunday, we met up with our good friend Kelly, who'd moved back to PR earlier this year, for breakfast. We found the most awesome greasy spoon - I had steak and eggs! Delicious.

I wore the purple dress (last seen here), my Smoking Lily obi, and the cardgian again.
I left some of my in-laws' hideous brown velvet floral couch in. So not my style!
I wore the same shoes, but we don't wear them in the house (not even for pictures).

Dress (Lady Dutch, consignment), obi (Smoking Lily).

These are the accessory items:
Vizzini took a liking to the feather pin on the hatband. Naughty boy!

Today, we got home after a very long drive (pictures below of the travel both ways), and I changed into an outfit for going out for lunch and also to the passport office. Time to renew our passports - oh joy.
Looking away because I have no make-up on! 
My faded denim vest (last seen here), my fluttery silk maxi skirt (last worn here, last outfit), and my purple flats (last worn here). That's just a black camisole underneath - not part of the capsule.

Vest (InWear, consignment), cami (Esprit), skirt (Le Chateau, consignment), sandals (La Canadienne, consignment).

You can stop reading here if you're not interested in my travel pictures. I won't be offended.

Once we got out of town, we drove north along the highway (there is only one route), to a section called the Malahat. It starts here, at Goldstream Park, a lovely place, lots of trees, hiking and yeah, there's Goldstream River, where salmon spawn (which is quite disgusting when they start to rot).
It's very lush evergreen forest and big mountains, and the sides of the road are very steep.

This section of the highway used to be more hilly - many decades ago they blasted down through the rock to make the highway easier to drive. It's still an uphill drive - my ears always pop near the top.
We had heavy traffic until we got over the hump.

This is the Malahat lookout, at the peak.
We never stop there - that's for tourists!

Coming down off the Malahat, I can see the mountains further up-Island in the far distance. We'll skirt around those and go past them.
Lots of traffic on an August Saturday, both ways!

As we went through Duncan, I was assailed by this awful thing:
I absolutely loathe those floppy balloon people! They seriously creep me out.

Agggh!! Another one!
All the more reason to get through Duncan...fast!

As we sped past the teeny-weeny Nanaimo airport, I caught one of the small planes overhead.
It clouded up as we drove up-Island. Dang, no sunshine for us this weekend!

Once we passed Nanaimo, there's the "new highway", a lovely long straight stretch of road.
We go about 140 KM/hr here. Zoom!

And 3 hours later, we arrive at the Courtenay/Comox ferry dock (hi, Peg!). This is looking north.
The tide was way up, and the beaches were quite stinky.

We patiently waited to get our tickets.
I like this shot of L.

Looking south.
I walked along here last Christmas (go here for my travelogue in December - it's much different in the winter!).

The mighty Queen of Burnaby got us across the strait to the mainland.
Although it was cloudy, it was still very warm out, almost muggy. I went out on deck (my skirt puffed out quite majestically - very satisfying and romantic) and took some pictures.

Looking at the mainland in the far distance.
The sailing takes about 1 hour and 15 minutes.

And looking back at Vancouver Island.
You can go up and down the levels on the ferry. You can almost walk all the way around it.

Not up here, though.
At Christmas time, they put a tree up there with the radar thingy.

Up at the bow:
I always want to ring that brass bell, but you're not allowed that far forward.

L is in the forward lounge, reading his book and chillin'.
All of the seating areas have giant windows. Most people either plunk down for the trip (locals) or wander around the ferry (tourists).

Looking back along the top deck.
None of this deck is open to the public. I remember when I was a kid, this ferry (and others of this size/fleet) used to be on the big Victoria/Vancouver runs (they have much bigger and newer ferries now), and this top deck was open. Of course, you could also smoke indoors!

Looking down at the Zodiac boat.
People fall overboard sometimes. I guess this is the most efficient way to fish them out of the ocean.

There was an announcement of porpoises off the starboard side, but I couldn't see them. Aw...

The smokestack!
Even though I know the horn doesn't sound from here, I always think that it does. The horn is really loud.

Waiting in our little car as the ferry pulls into the docks at Powell River.
The walk-on passengers just walk off the ramp. Once they're all off, they unload the cars. We were lucky to be off 3rd!

We spent a quiet weekend, mostly just talking and reading. I finished "Amsterdam" by Ian McEwan and read all of Jennifer Egan's "Look at Me". I just finished her excellent novel "A Visit from the Goon Squad" (a book club pick) and loved it. All great books. It was a real pleasure to enjoy so much reading time.

My inlaws' back yard.
We got a bit of summer rain, but it was mostly just overcast.

Yesterday, we played bocce in the front yard. L's step-dad has dementia (he doesn't know who any of us are), but bocce was okay for him to play. It's simple: just aim for the white ball!
L and his brother V, fetching balls from underneath the rhododendron bush. A lot of them went under there.

Today, L and I headed for the cafeteria on the ferry for our traditional Sunshine Breakfast.
Yo, check out my breakfast, yo!
Actually, it's not called the Sunshine Breakfast anymore. But it was good!

As we pulled out from the PR dock, the clouds started to break.
The grey streakiness is the ferry window.

Driving down-Island.
See all the hazy silhouettes in the distance. Yeah, that's where we're headed. The clouds were magnificent!

Are we there yet?
Dang. Nope, a couple hours to go.

But at least I caught a fuzzy shot of the gnome!
"I'm a gnome with the biggest hands ever."
Car for scale. It's an oxymoron: a giant gnome.

The Malahat summit heading south - it's getting sunny!
And we're home. It's good to be here.

19 comments:

  1. Great outfits, as usual! The floppy balloon people totally freak me out as well. There was a Saturday Night Live skit about them once, that one stands out in my memory so clearly because I found it so disturbing.

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  2. What a lovely drive! I realized as I read that I have NEVER been on a ferry. Very, very impressed that you took so little clothing. I'm loving the hat.

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  3. What a gorgeous trip. I'm not a good traveler, but it looks like this is totally relaxing. Thanks for sharing pictures, especially of the ferry ride! Wacky waving inflatable tube men! They're so creepy. We don't have as many around here as when they were 'newer' - I think other people realized how creepy they were.

    Still crazy obsessed with that purple skirt. It's magical.

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  4. I love the travel photos. I guess I'm still too much of the tourist - I love to ride the ferry and walk around. But I don't usually stop at the pullout areas on the highway. You've reminded me of what else is not too far from the city here.

    Your travel wear is lovely. I especially like the added panache of the hat!

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  5. Beautiful photos! What a treat to see more of the Island through you. I've only been as far north as Parksville I believe it's called? I think I remember the very same stupid balloon advertisements when we were there.

    Your olive skirt would be a favorite of mine if it were in my closet. ;) And L's hat is fabulous! I bet you picked it out. And you don't like the floral couch? But it's so your colors!

    Nice to see you back!

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  6. I love your travel photos! I have a couple of friends who live on the Island, one day I'll get there to visit them and see all of this in person (living on a island at the bottom of the South Pacific is a really downer sometimes)

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  7. Welcome back, Sheila! Very effective minimalist packing. I especially love both your long skirts - they are amazing - and another excellent silk / denim vest combo.

    I really liked your travel photos too! L's got a great green / orange / white ensemble happening. I love bocce ball for its inclusiveness.

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  8. You take such beautiful travel photos, looks like such a scenic trip! :)

    Really like the simple capsule outfit you wore for travelling :)

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  9. The Gnome - I was hoping to get a look at him! Love the pictures and your travelogue (I can "hear" you say "tourists" with a tiny curl on your lip! : >) And you know I love your long green skirt, and all the ways you style it. You write very lovingly about L's father and his dementia; you're a good woman, dear Sheila!

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  10. That purple skirt stalks my dreams. So gorgeous. I didn't know that La Canadienne made sandals - I've only ever seen their winter boots. I'll have to file that info away for future reference.

    Giant Gnome! HAR!

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  11. Your maxi skirts are outstanding. The olive skirt , with its folds and gathers, would catch an eye where ever you travel. And the travel photos indicate that you had an action packed trip.

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  12. Long weekends are the best! Sounds like and looks like you had a wonderful time! I love your long purple skirt - very pretty! And I love that hat!

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  13. What a fun post. I love travel adventures. And you hit on several familiar themes. I remember you expressing on my blog the same reaction (of being creeped out) by those weird floppy balloon people; they're seriously weird. And your orange scarf... we share good taste!

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  14. Oh how I loved your travel pictures!!! I also ADORED L's hat!!!
    You looked fabulous but you didn't take your best accessory--Vizzini!!

    Theose balloon things ae awful--even worse--CLOWN Balloon Things {{{{{{shudder}}}}}}}}}}

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  15. Loving that olive skirt and orange scarf!
    It sounds like a whirlwind weekend...
    good times and great memories.

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  16. Love your outfits and the vacation photos. It looks so beautiful there and so green! We have been in drought for so long that I have kind of forgotten what green looks like.
    Vizzini and Harry are a couple of really silly critters. I always look forward to seeing Vizzini, he is so handsome (I almost said beautiful, but the boy probably wouldn't like that.)

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  17. Thanks for sharing your photos, I really liked seeing your trip as a picture story.

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  18. I really enjoyed your mini holiday pics, so nice to se some of the scenery in Canada. :) I have never been to your country, would love to! :)

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  19. I just love reading your island road trip posts Sheila. It's really fun to see all the familiar sights from someone else's point of view and some stuff that I never seem to notice. And, seriously, can you believe that those couches are still around?? My grandparent's has just been passed down to another generation (not me!)...yikes! What are they made of to last so long??

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