Thursday, October 14, 2021

Mom-Day Adventure: Westsong Walkway in the S-Dress

Happy Thursday! Today, Mom and I had a rainy stroll along the Westsong Walkway, and this is what I wore. 
It's the debut of the S-dress! It felt fittingly spooky, and I'm also doing a snaky theme to go with the S shape. 

  • Dress - Marimekko x Uniqlo, thrifted; purchased here for $39.99
  • Boots - Groovy Husymans, Fluevog; last seen here in September with That Outrageous Eye dress
  • Coat (below) - Jeno de Paris, vintage 70s, thrifted; last worn here in April

I layered a black full vintage slip under this for warmth. 
And did matching purple tights.

Sorry, the indoor colours are all whack - the stair picture is the most accurate. 
This was a lovely dress to wear - hooray! 

What a cool piece. 
I also have green tights for variety. 

Masked up - this mask always looks indigo blue but it's purple. 
I only wore it while we had lunch. 

Outerwear - I had an inspiration. 
I adore this deep emerald green leather trenchcoat. It's vintage and is incredibly good quality (made in Canada), and it's great in the rain.

But the original belt's biggest hole is uncomfortably super-tight - it's always fit that way, even though the rest of the coat is really roomy. 
So I swapped in my grommet belt. 

Oh. My. Gosh.
Why did I not do this years ago? 

So much more comfy! 
The weather is indeed rainy, no bones about it. We are in for rain rain rain pretty much solid for at least a week. I decided to carry my giant new golf umbrella (birthday present from L). I didn't carry a purse, just my regular black leather backpack. 

Accoutrements: 
Ruth, my former coworker from ~2008-2011 gave me this belt. Ruth, if you are still reading, I think of you every time I wear it! You inspired me to start this blog in 2008 and here I am, still going. 

  • Belt - gift from Ruth
  • Silk scarf - vintage 80s, Lanvin, vintage mall
  • Leather gloves - Danier
  • Mask - Lazy Susan's

The stuff:
Yes, I wear my Fluevogs in the rain. They're leather, exceptional quality and very comfy.

Snaky bling: 
Mom noticed immediately that the S of my dress was echoed in my Murano glass snake pendant, which she bought me for my birthday when we were in Venice in 2014 (you can read about it here). 

  • Necklace - Murano glass, gift from Mom
  • Silver earrings - Israel, consignment
  • Lucite/crystal bangle - Alexis Bittar, consignment, Sidney
  • Silver/gold cuff - JPL, vintage fair
  • Silver snake ring - BC Museum Gift Shop, c. 1986
  • Silver/onyx spider ring - gift from Mom & Dad, c. 1986

When Mom buzzed to pick me up, Vizzini ran to the door. 
"Let me out, Woman! That nice cat massage lady is here!"

Sorry, buddy, she's not coming up. 

I love Mom's outfit - great fall colours! 
A red faux leather jacket with a soft grey sweater. 

We drove over the Johnson Street Bridge (Mom's first time over the new bridge!) and parked near Spinnakers Pub. 
The last time I was here, it was much nicer weather - we walked along that section near the green grass here in July for the Day of Indolence. 

However, a little rain doesn't deter a couple of born-here Victorians. We headed past Spinnakers, away from town, towards Esquimalt proper. 
Westsong Walkway goes from Songhees Point to West Bay (hence Westsong) - it's an easy paved walkway all along the waterfront, with slight inclines. All links, including this one here, 'cause I love.

Most of the flora is indigenous to the southwest coast of Canada, like these massive arbutus trees. 
We encountered many folks using the walkway, from walkers to runners to a friendly gent in a wheelchair. I even saw one of my coworkers! 

It rained for about half of our walk. 
The big umbrella was awesome and covered both of us. 

"It's just a heavy mist," we both nodded. 
Looking back towards town. That's the new marina, with loads of fancy yachts. 

I like the tunnel-ish feel from these big hedges. 
We just strolled along as the rain came down. 
I can see a bit of town in the distance. 

We spotted some kayakers as we came within view of Coffin Point. 
That's Coffin Point Island on the left. We saw a heron take off from there on our way back.

There was still quite a bit of traffic on the water, although nothing like it would normally be. 
That's a Harbour Air float plane - I've been on tons of them. They usually have a flight every 20 minutes, but we only saw two take off and one land over more than two hours.

Looking south - the far piece of land past Coffin Island is Work Point. 
The kayakers are getting closer to that float plane...

And there it goes. 
The planes don't take off until they are fully out of the Inner Harbour. This section we are looking at is the Middle Harbour, and then...the Outer Harbour. It all makes sense! 

There it goes, off to Vancouver probably. 
It poured for about half an hour - we couldn't even see the USA to the south! 

Then it started to clear up a bit. 
I see a tiny bit of Washington State there in the far distance, that bluish strip on the horizon.

There are all kinds of little bays winding in and out. 
I love the Garry oak hanging over the path. The buildings there are condominiums. 

Mom admiring the view. 
At this point, it was just spitting, so I furled my brolly. 

The tide was low - you can see sand! 
Lots of kelp including big whips of bull kelp (classified as a brown seaweed, link here if you are into that sort of thing). 

I see more of the US there, on the far horizon. 
That little island was actually connected to the walkway land from the low tide, but I didn't want to risk walking on moss and rocks. 

I'll stick with a path. 
I see a crane in Esquimalt - tall buildings are springing up everywhere! 

That dark strip on the left is part of the Breakwater, and the little blip in the centre is a Coast Guard ship. You can click any of these pics to embiggen them. 
You can see definition appearing in the mountains in Washington now. 

We rounded a corner to this picturesque bay. 
This whole area is lined with condos and apartments, with more being built. 

More twisty arbutus trees. 
Their bark is peeling off, totally normal for this time of year. 

A lovely little gazebo on the water! 
I love the colourful leaves on the other side of this bay.  

The whole southern tip of Vancouver Island (which is a very small tip on a big island - here's a map of all of Vancouver Island, to give you an idea of the size of it) is a migratory bird sanctuary.
The red arrow on the left is where we walked. The two other red arrows are places I regularly walk: Clover Point and Ross Bay Cemetery.

I liked this sign. I appreciate knowing how far I've walked.
We started at Catherine St and walked to 8. Maitland Ave, a total of 638 meters, or 1.2 kilometers for the round trip. 

I love the rich salty smell of the seaweed at low tide. 
We headed to the gazebo. 

But first a look back. 
Condos and the Coast Guard base. See the red ship?

Looking south again. 
What a lovely view. 

This tree still has lots of apples. 
They look tasty - I hope someone picks them. 

I used the timer and took a pic of Mom and I in the gazebo. 
Yay! We hung out and chatted for a while, then headed back as we were both getting hungry. 

A zoom in on the Breakwater. 
A Helijet helicopter is just taking off, also probably going to Vancouver - I've taken Helijet once, back here in May 2010 when we flew over to Van for our friend Tony's 40th birthday. They're very loud, but it's only a 35 minute trip (same as float planes) instead of hours and hours by driving and ferry and more driving. 

And a plane coming in. 
The weather is definitely trying to clear up. I can see the steam coming from some sort of factory in Port Angeles. There's a ferry that goes from Victoria to Port Angeles, but I don't think I've ever been on it.

I leaned over the railing and spotted sea anemones in this tide pool. 
They are just to left of that whitish rock, under the water. If you stick your finger in one, they'll close around it. 

Look, it's practically sunny. 
I like that bench out on the point. 

We got closer to Spinnakers Brew Pub - our stomachs were growling! 
The condo on the right is in a "bag of shame" - most of the waterfront condos have to be remediated for dampness every couple of decades. Welcome to the west coast! 

Looking down the bank to the water. 
Well, hello, you lovely gnarled branch. 

Finally, we arrived at Spinnakers Brew Pub (about them here - they were Canada's first in-house brew-pub). 
This is our preferred after-vintage-fair spot to meet up, as well as a usual stop on the Day of Indolence. 

Mom and I had a table in the downstairs restaurant (the pub is upstairs). 
Mom pointed out the textured detail on the upper arms/shoulders of her sweater and admired her circle necklace. Oh, apparently I bought her that. I guess I should know these things... *cheeky grin*

I hoovered down my mushroom flatbread pizza, but caught a bit of Mom's salmon and chips and coleslaw. Mmm, chips in tartar sauce!
Showing Spinnakers' craft malt vinegar (so good!) and we both had their root beer (my fave). 

The obligatory mom-daughter selfie! Mom matches my umbrella.
Love you, Mom! Thank you so much! 

I hope you enjoyed our adventure, my friends, and now, I'm off to have a nap before L gets home - we have Nick and Casey coming over for Scary Movie Night and I don't want to fall asleep!

31 comments:

  1. This could well be my favourite of all of your outfits (and that is saying a great deal).

    STUNNING.

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  2. I agree with Lynette, I think this might be up there in my all-time Sheila favourite outfits, you look fantastic - and so does your mum in her super-cool red jacket and fabulous necklace.
    That mushroom flatbread pizza your mum had sounds delicious.
    Well done for braving the inclement weather. If us Brits stayed in when it rained we'd never go anywhere! xxx

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    1. Aw, thank you, Vix! Oh, I ate the mushroom pizza - Mom had the salmon and chips (I only ate one chip!).

      Eh, it's not a big deal - rain is a regular thing here! Thanks so much!

      Delete
  3. As ever I thoroughly enjoy your days out, love your gnarled branch picture and at risk of being a bit of an anorak I think your seaweed might be sea lettuce;)
    It just goes to show what can be found on our doorsteps.

    Paul

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    1. Thanks, Paul! It may well be sea lettuce (I just used the generic "seaweed" for all of it).

      I know, we have some amazing places here.

      Delete
  4. Sensational dress! Love the snake theme. I adore snakes and own a handful of jewelry pieces starring serpents as well.

    Deep jewel tones like those in this dress sparkle more than the gems their hues hail from on you, dear Sheila.

    Autumn Zenith �� Witchcrafted Life

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    1. Thank you so much, Autumn. I love snake jewelry and am always on the lookout for new pieces.

      Aw, that is so sweet of you, thank you, my dear.

      Delete
  5. Oh my, the S dress is an absolute stunner! I'm loving the purple opaques and how amazing is your Murano glass snake pendant! Brilliant idea to swap the belt to make your lovely green trench even better and more comfortable.
    In spite of the rain, I loved tagging along with you and your Mom. What a wonderfully atmospheric walk. How gorgeous is your gazebo selfie! xxx

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    1. I love it and it was so comfy to wear, Ann. I felt so clever over switching out that belt!

      Glad you enjoyed it. :)

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  6. Thanks for the trip! Loved every minute of your walk along the water. Your dress is fabulous! The best. You and your mom are a great pair and have such fun together.

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    1. Thank you, Claire, I'm so happy you enjoyed it. Mom and I have gotten a lot closer since we started doing these walks. It's been amazing. :)

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  7. LOL as Vix stated and as my daughter-in-law says about Belgium: If we stayed indoors when it rained we would never go out. And as Fred has a been known to remind me: There's no such thing as poor weather, only poorly dressed people. ;-)

    Am in agreement with everyone else who has said the dress is fabulous! It's a jammy dress! I was taken with how comfortable it looks, like a comfy fitted blanket, and the soothing color combination.

    Yay for a Mom and Sheila outing! Your Mom has a collection of interesting necklaces and I enjoy seeing what she'll be accessorizing with for each new outing. You two have a nice habit of gifting (or in your case "borrowing" ;-)) jewelry and clothing to one another. And once again we have been treated to another scenic tour of Victoria. Ditto Polyester Princess's comment about it being a wonderfully atmospheric walk. I had forgotten it is just 35 minutes to fly across the Strait to Vancouver. Not that I've ever flown but am sure you've mentioned it in prior posts. Definitely makes travel to the mainland more convenient.

    When we visited you and Victoria, we took the ferry from Port Angeles to Victoria. I don't recall the duration (maybe 45 minutes?) but it was a cool sunny day and the ride was exciting and invigorating. It's worth a ride on a nice day; my recollection is Port Angeles is a gateway to lots of mountain hikes.

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    1. Ha ha, so true, Laurie! Fred, that is an excellent quote!

      It's a total jammy dress! I can see it being in my wardrobe for a long time. It was wonderful to wear, total comfort.

      She has a great collection, and I love that she pays attention to details (gee, I wonder where I got it from?). Isn't that a lovely walk? Yes, it's so short to fly here, but of course it costs (usually about $200 each way!) - I do find that my time is worth it.

      I looked it up - the Black Ball ferry to Port Angeles is 1 hour, 33 minutes - close to the BC Ferries trip to Vancouver. Yes, I've heard there are some awesome hikes around PA - they do a big lavender festival every year too.

      Delete
    2. Definitely agree with you Re:time being worth it. The older I get, the more that realization settles in! Ah, didn’t know about the lavender festival, thanks for mentioning!

      Delete
  8. I love that dress and the matching purple tights on you Sheila! It was a great find :) And it's nice you still had a good day out despite the wet weather!

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    1. It really was, Mica, lucky me! The weather doesn't stop me and Mom!

      Delete
  9. As you looked towards the north coast of Washington yesterday, I might have been looking back from there towards you! I was doing just that at some point, wishing I was traveling to Victoria. My dear husband and I are on a short tour of the Olympic Peninsula. We spent Wednesday afternoon through Thursday morning in Port Townsend, then hiked in part of the Olympic National Park near the north coast. (Today we’ve been on the west coast of the peninsula.) Such a beautiful place!

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    1. Oh, how cool, Linda! I hope you'll pop up here at some point - drop me a line (my email's in my profile) if you'd like to meet for coffee or a shop, etc.

      That sounds amazing! I am slightly ashamed that I have never been to any of those places!

      Delete
  10. Sometimes I just love to stroll in the rain, in a nature reserve, when it's not too cold. Your dress is gorgeous, would love to wear it.

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  11. Fabulous dress, love it with the purple tights and snake-themed jewellery.

    Your day out with your Mom sounds like fun, despite the rain. Lovely pics too.
    Love the last one of you two together.
    x

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    1. Thanks, Phyl! Yes, it was a really fun day - I love our days and adventures.

      Delete
  12. Ooooh, that dress looks just as good on you as I thought it would! You and your mom look fab in your cool and colourful leather outerwear.

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    1. It's a really great dress - the perfect jammy dress, if it had pockets! Thanks, Shelley!

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  13. woww, This is a Magnificent Dress and fits you like a dream!, love it!. And love the way you accessorized with some Sneaky Bling, so appropriate!.
    Love your green jacket with the contrasting belt (lots of possibilities) and love these shoes (they're really fabulous, I always admire their design!)
    So beautiful photos of you with your Mom, rocking it!
    besos

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    1. Isn't it lovely? I really liked wearing it. Glad you noticed my matching S/snake theme!

      I know, right? Why have I not done this before!? You will love my new orange shoes! They are the same style, but a shoe.

      I love looking at these pics of me and Mom. :) Thank you!

      Delete
  14. Rain or no rain, it must be so lovely to spend time with your mum (and have a good warming meal at the end of it).

    That dress looks so good on you!

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    1. It really does feel so good, Mim. I'm grateful to have this time.

      Thank you!

      Delete
  15. Ever such a nice dress, well styled too. And your mum was wearing a snazzy jacket.
    Greetje

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    1. It's the perfect jammy dress, Greetje! Mom wears a different outfit every time - I know where I get it from!

      Delete

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