Mom-Day Adventure: Beaver Lake Park in Black and Suede, Plus a Wee Shop

Welcome back, gentle readers! One last post before I sign off for a few days - a Mom-Day Adventure, of course. 

Mom and I revisited Beaver Lake Park "to the right" here in June 2022, when we got soaked during one of our "atmospheric rivers" of that spring. 

It wasn't rainy today, but it was only up to 23 degrees, and windy, plus wildfire smoke. 

I wasn't taking any chances on being too cold - I'm lightly layered in breathable fabrics. 

• Hemp top - Sure 1032, thrifted; last seen here (2nd outfit) in July 2022 for brunch
• Suede skirt - Kelco Leather, vintage 70s, thrifted; last worn here in January for a visit to Elk Lake with Mom
• Boots - Original Sabado, Fluevog; last seen here in June with armour for the vet

I have a camisole on under the hemp top. 

You don't see too much hemp clothing that is stylish - it's usually pretty "granola."

I had oodles of compliments on this gorgeous vintage 70s suede skirt. 

I wore tights underneath, mostly so that I didn't have bare legs with my boots.

Fully armoured up. 

I was a little warm by the time I walked home from a wee shop. 

I never needed the scarf. 

But it's good to have options. 

Incognito.

It's me! 

The stuff: 

August and I'm wearing boots, tsk. These were covered in dust after our walk, so I gave them a wipe-down with a damp cloth. 

• Purse - Lidos, thrifted
• Belt - Brave Belts, thrifted
• Scarf - Smoking Lily, vintage 90s, Mom's

Turquoise bling:  

I love this set - it was much admired by our two favourite Floyd's servers, Brie and Hannah. 

• Silver cuff - Karen's
• Mixed semi-precious stone/silver bracelet - Salt Spring Island, locally made, gift from L
• Silver/turquoise pendant - Karen's
• Silver/turquoise ring - Glee
• Silver/gold/turquoise ring - Karen's
• Silver/turquoise earrings - Mexican, consignment

Mom chose Beaver Lake Park as our destination due to the weather. 

It's been smoky with the wildfires on the mainland, giving the light an odd quality. 

We figured if it got hot, we'd be sheltered in the trees. 

So welcoming! Let's go! 

Being in the midst of all this green would give us cleaner air too. 

A glimpse of the lake - I could see people on the path on the other side. 

A big spiky tree. I was amused when I had a look at our previous visit last June. 

I took pictures of the same things! 

All the same views. 

This beach was a mud-fest last time. 

The observatory on the far hill. 

It was much drier this time, and there were a lot of dog-walkers around. 

Someone's on the bench at the far side. 

A dog snotted its nose all over my suede skirt, annoying me - it disappeared when the skirt dried, thank goodness. 

Scenic! 

Spent water lilies. 

This wee maple is still here.

It's grown a bit since I last checked in (here). 

A big slug! 

It was moving along at a good clip. Mom and I shared our gross slug stories. 

We smiled and said hello to everyone. 

We had a few chats with people. 

I'm a sucker for a toppled tree. 

Roots are so intriguing. 

Another glimpse of the lake. 

We were cool in the dappled light. 

The sky was clear but the air was a soft yellowy-peach. 

Makes for a cool picture. 

So pretty. 

We stopped at a perfectly-placed bench and had a rest before turning back. 

What a hideous view! 

I saw a couple of splashes out in the lake - a fish grabbing insects from the surface probably. 

A duck swam by. 

Hello! 

Dragonflies were humming and flitting about. 

This one's a poser. 

All the good blackberries were high up. 

I finally snagged a few and shared them with Mom. 

Back to the beach/picnic area, which was bustling with activity. 

Time for lunch! 

I had to take a picture of this Fiero in the parking lot at Floyd's. 

I remember these from the 80s! 

Thanks so much, Mom, that was an awesome day! 

I love you! 

I hopped a bus back into town, and stopped in at the WIN Boutique for a poke around. 

Found a pair of Joe Fresh tights for $2.95, regular price $6.00. 

I waffled over this sweater, then took it - I'm not in love with the colour, although it's a good neutral and it's covered in sequins.

I knew the brand from my consignment store shopping. 

It's a linen/poly/cotton/metal blend. 

And washable! 

Made in Italy - I bet this was expensive originally. 

There's been a ton of Luisa Cerano at all the higher-end stores I shop at, all pricy ($100+). 

So I know that $14.95 is ridiculously cheap for this light, drapey sweater. 

Their sweaters retail between $385 and $595 USD! (link here, all links 'cause I love).

I used to haunt the Club Monaco stores at the downtown mall years ago - they had such gorgeous clothing, but it was so expensive. I only bought a few pieces there retail - and I remember them all!

This skirt is heavy - those are glass beads. 

And they're sewn onto silk! 

This was not a cheap garment to make. 

Even with a little bit of damage (which no one would notice). 

Lovely iridescent bronze beads. 

Made in India. 

It probably retailed for $299.00 or more - so my $14.95 is excellent. This is SHORT though, so I'll be saving it for tights season. 

My treasure, my beauties. I spotted these in a case when I walked into the boutique. They looked big (I have big feet) and I checked - my size range! Hooray! 

I've finally found a pair of Adidas that is closet-worthy! 

I love the lavender purple leather, with the silver leather stripes. 

They are the Superstar, made famous (to me) via rappers Run-DMC (a good article here about how the group helped legitimize rap music through their pioneering endorsement with Adidas). 

These originally had a tab on the heel with the symbol for women (screenshot from a now-taken-down eBay listing). 

These are the Adidas Superstar Tech in purple, issued sometime in the last 5-ish years for International Women's Day. 

My tags have been removed, which I'm fine with. 

I want the silver leather back there to be seen too, previous owner! 

I noticed that the insides of the shoes were filled with pet hair, I think dog? I don't even want to know how all that hair got inside! 

I pulled out the insoles and washed them in hot soapy water, and removed as much of the pet detritus I could, then dried them in the sun. I'll be adding the inserts on the right to these to give my heels a better cushion. I have room to add a full sport insert if I need to, as these are a size 10 (I usually wear a 9.5/40). 

I am tickled to find lavender and silver Adidas. 

I can't wait to wear them! 

On the Adidas site they sell Superstars for $140.00. 

As these were a special edition, they might have been a bit higher. I grabbed them at $24.95! Score! 

And now, I'm off for the weekend - leaving you with another gift from Mom, a full picture she found of my Barbara Barbara grad dress from 1985! This was a designer that I remember seeing advertised in Cosmo magazine - I found this dress in a department store in downtown Honolulu, Hawaii in the spring of 1985. Mom bought it for me - I was obsessed that entire trip on finding a grad dress. 

I remember wanting something that was different than what was in the malls and stores at home, which were Prairie or Romantic styles with lots of ruffles and lace inserts at the neck. I stood out at my grad, in this simple white dress. 

The original photo is blurry, but you can see the pretty detail there. I was so proud of finding those matching earrings - they were metal and I wore them for the next decade (I wish I'd kept them). The shoes were just round-toed white pumps, very cheap and not kept for very long. 

Have a wonderful weekend, my friends - I'll be back on Monday with Tales of Adventure!