Mom-Day Adventure: Sidney Stroll in Hawaiian

Mom and I teamed up today for another Mom-Day Adventure! She'd been wanting to take me to Glendale Gardens, and we made it all the way out there...to find it was closed! We'd neglected to check their schedule ahead of time. Whoops! We settled on heading out to Sidney and having a wee wander around (I promised not to drag Mom to every thrift shop!). 

What to wear? Practically speaking, I needed to be able to walk around, be covered from the sun, and also look fabulous.

Sartorially speaking, I settled on this lovely 90s Hawaiian dress and a silk cocoon.

• Cocoon - NancyMac, consignment; last worn here (2nd outfit) over yellow for a Zoom Happy Hour in Aprilo
• Dress - Hilo Hattie's, vintage 90s, thrifted; first seen here (2nd outfit) in June for one of the last Zoom Happy Hours
• Shoes - Seychelles, thrifted; last worn here in July 2020 with pink, floral and a denim vest

I haven't worn this dress "in the wild" yet, and it met all of my sensible criteria - when in doubt, wear a dress! 

The flowers on it are hibiscus, but I associate plumeria/frangipani more with Hawaii - I remember Mom buying little cream flower earrings with yellow centres when we were there in the 70s. 

That memory led me to this silk cocoon/kimono/cover-up thingy. 

It works with the cream/brown in the floral...

But it's got a stripe of yellow down the back! It billowed in the light ocean breeze. 

Without the cover-up.

Such a pretty dress. A man hollered at me, "I have a shirt just like that!" while we were heading back to the car.

It has a side slit for walking. 

Oh, there's my slipper. 

Masked up. We did end up going into many of my usual thrift favourites but I didn't take anywhere near the amount of time I normally would. Count yourself lucky, Mom. 

This is a leopard print mask - it worked with the neutrals the best. 

• Mask - by Mom

I needed a purse to carry all my stuff, and I liked how this cream one worked. 

I'm a minimalist when it comes to what I carry - the biggest factor is my sunglasses case, as it's big and bulky. I had to switch to a little satin bag for my eyewear so that it would fit in this bag. 

The stuff: 

Good walking shoes for a garden...and for the little town of Sidney. I can't believe it's been over a year since I wore these - they've been a stalwart in my wardrobe for years, but have been neglected as I'm not on my feet as much in the office these days. 

Simple bling: 

I love my Whiting & Davis bag - we were in an antique jewelry store, and one of the other customers was admiring it and was astonished at its age (1930s). 

• Bag - Whiting & Davis, vintage 30s, vintage fair
• Earrings - Biko, consignment
• Amber ring - c. 1996
• Silver/amethyst ring - vintage mall

I took a few pictures while we were in Sidney. This is the main street, Beacon Avenue. 

It was pretty quiet - this was around 11:00am - but got very busy around noon. By the time we left at 3pm, this was filled with cars. 

We popped into the Dog's Breath's Antique Store (no link - they only have a FB page), as I'd never been in it. 

Of course I found something. It's a snake bracelet! 

I was informed that it was real tortoise shell, which is no longer harvested or traded. Tortoise shell is similar to early plastics like celluloid (the handle links on my bag above are celluloid) in that it can be formed and shaped through steam/heat. This would have been a long strip (all the bends including the snake neck would have been cut out as you see them, not in straight form) that was then heat-treated into a coil.

I actually paid $60.00 for this instead of the $65.00 on the tag. Thank you, kind proprietor! 

Whether this is real tortoise shell or not, it's been worked by hand, for sure. 

You can see the carving lines on the edges and in the bends of the bracelet here. After reading a bit online about tortoise shell, I think this is celluloid. 

It's quite flexible, so even though it's very small, I can get it on my wrist by pulling it apart slightly. 

I suspect it is Art Deco. It has some age on it. 

I like this little back detail - this keeps the heavier front from swinging around, balancing the bracelet. 

So cool, and such a special souvenir of our day! 

Here's Mom, resting in a convenient chair outside the store. 

She's in a mint-green top, with a vintage necklace - a gift from when she was a child in the late 40s/early 50s. 

And here's me with a sailor who has taken his boots off. 

There are a few of these benches in Sidney. 

After visiting many shops (Mom found a great pair of viscose pants, and a lovely summer nightgown), we wandered down to the waterfront - destination, the Rumrunner Pub. 

The waterfront in Sidney looks out onto the San Juan Islands, which are part of the United States. That little green bit in the centre belongs to Canad - it's the north end of Sidney Spit, which is the darker green closer island you see in the water pics below (it's a long skinny island).

There were people everywhere, enjoying the view and checking out the sculptures, like the diving girl above. 

I liked this dog walker. Of course, there are very expensive condos all along here too. 

Looking across the grass, there's a band-shell for outdoor performances. 

Folks were relaxing in the shade, laying on the grass or sitting in the bright chairs that were scattered around. 

I crossed the lawn to the walkway along the water, fluttering my silk cocoon in the wind, in my long gown. It was hot (26 degrees) and being out in the sun with Mom filled me with joy.

See the snow-capped mountain in the background? That's Mt. Baker (a dormant volcano), which is about 100 kilometers (60-ish miles) directly to the east, on the mainland.

At the end of one of the piers. 

I liked the seagull on the piling - he was totally posing. 

Looking to the north-east, where the Gulf Islands are. The US/Canada border goes right through this section of the Juan de Fuca Strait, after detouring around the southern tip of Vancouver Island (which is what we're on). There is a dive reef way out there created from the Navy ship HMCS Mackenzie, which was made environmentally safe and then scuttled near Rum Island (link here). 

There were lots of pleasure boats and sailboats on the water. 

Looking back across the grass. 

Hey, I spy someone...

It's not this Pirate Captain sculpture.

Although I like this very much. 

It's Mom, way back there, also taking pictures. 

We both walked on the grass, which was mostly clover. Why walk on hard paving when grass is available?

We passed the Salish Sea Centre (link here 'cause I love) and the outdoor tide pool. 

I see a big skeleton inside! The otters and heron there are bronze statues. 

However, the critters in the tide pool are real. 

That's a lovely red spiky sea urchin. 

And this green thing is a sea anemone. 

I have vivid memories of sticking my fingers in sea anemones when I was a kid (I've always liked tidal pools), to make them close around my finger. 

What a view! 

The south end of Sidney Spit is behind the red flower on the left - Mom and I used to take a little boat out there and hike the island in the 90s. 

A zoom in on Mt. Baker. 

Wow. 

You can buy fresh fish on the docks. 

Don't swim in that water though, brrrr....too cold! 

We had a lovely lunch at the Rumrunner Pub. Mom remembered a story from her grandmother, who recalled that her church group was offered a boat ride to the islands with a very nice man. The church group was shocked when the police stopped the boat and arrested him...for running rum to the US. It was during Prohibition! Suddenly, Rum Island...the Rumrunner Pub...it all made sense! 

Looking gorgeous, Mom! Thank you so much for such a delightful and special day! 

Vizzini, I'm home, aren't you glad to see me? 

"Where's my Cat Gran? I thought she was coming to visit?"

After close to three hours of walking, both Mom and I were exhausted. I'm sure I'll be falling asleep on the couch tonight - as will Mom!