Mom-Day Adventure at Dallas Road Waterfront in Stripes and Chevrons, and a Wee Shop

Welcome, Gentle Readers, to another Mom-Day Adventure! Mom and I decided to take advantage of the not-rainy/not-sweltering weather to visit the Dallas Road waterfront. We haven't been here before - well, we've both been many times over our lifetimes, separately and together, but not on the blog.

Mom and I both had blue, black and white on. 

I dressed for wind, cold and heat - you can never tell what it's going to be like, especially near the water. 

I made a funky outfit out of this new-to-me Adidas cropped jacket. 

• Jacket - Adidas, consignment; purchased here for $49.99
• Top - no label, thrifted; not tracked
• Skirt - Louis Feraud, consignment; last worn here in June with cobalt blue
• Booties - Groovy Husymans, Fluevog; last seen here in March with daffodil yellow and a pouf

Because my silhouettes are full over full (a wide jacket plus a flared skirt), I needed to ensure I didn't lose my waist. 

There it is. Hooray for belts! 

This jacket was the perfect length and thickness for the day.

Sneaking in one last wearing of this chevron skirt for the season - it's far too light to wear in winter, plus I have a lot of other skirts in storage. 

I like this look unzipped. 

Showing a little of my cobalt blue top underneath, and the orange belt again. I had several people admire my outfit over the day. 

Without the jacket. 

I took it off while we had lunch. 

Incognito. 

Who is that striped and chevroned woman?

It's me! 

I chose this white purse due to the dearth of pockets (none!) in the clothes. I need somewhere to put my camera, wallet and shopping bags, and also have my glasses handy. 

Accoutrements: 

Let's just add another colour - yellow! - with the scarf. I folded and wrapped it so that the black and white striped section stood out. I ended up tying it to my purse - it was too warm for it at my neck for very long. 

• Purse - Roots 73, thrifted
• Silk scarf - vintage, thrifted

The stuff: 

These boots were perfect for a stroll, then a wee bit of a shop afterwards.

Minimal bling: 

My patterns and colours did the talking. 

• Belt - vintage 80s, thrifted
• Silver earrings - consignment
• Steel/Lucite ring - Calvin Klein, thrifted
• Lapis lazuli ring - Wendy Brandes

Settle in and fortify yourself accordingly - I took a lot of pictures due to this being a "new" spot.

We parked on Dallas Road, near the Breakwater District aka Ogden Point, location of the Breakwater and where the cruise ships dock. 

This is looking west - the low hills in the background are Esquimalt (esk-WHY-malt), the Western Communities (Langford, Metchosin (muh-CHOSE-in), Colwood (CALL-wood) and farther west is Sooke (rhymes with kook). 

Looking south towards the USA, our neighbours across the Juan de Fuca (wan duh FYOO-kuh) Strait.

With the cool temps, there was a layer of mist on the horizon line. On a clear day you can see the Olympic Mountain range and the small city of Port Angeles. 

Looking east - this is the way we're headed. 

In the last few years, this whole area was upgraded with dedicated bike lanes, a widening of the sidewalk, and replacement of the old concrete/iron sea-wall with this fancy open steel one. They also put in a ton of handicapped parking spaces, which Mom and I were thrilled about. 

Looking down on the water - the tide was somewhere in the middle.

It comes right up to the wall when it's high. On really stormy days, there is driftwood tossed onto Dallas Road. 

There's a table down there. 

And a sawn-off stump on the lower right has a painted view of the Cosmos, apparently. 

The water (the Pacific Ocean) is on our right, with residences on the left. 

Some are new, some are old/Victorian era and there are a few apartment buildings. The peach-coloured building on the right is where my Aunt Nancy used to live back in the 90s. Mom and I fancied her ghost waving at us from her balcony. 

The cliffs here lead right down to the water. 

There are access areas - you can go down there and sit by the ocean, stick your toes in, skip some stones. 

We stayed on the path...mostly. 

I have deep affection for the split rail fences - these have always been a part of my memories of Dallas Road. 

I used to racewalk along here when I lived in the Fairfield 'hood back in the 90s. 

Mom and I took "the road less traveled" and cut across this point. It helps Mom to walk on a natural surface here and there. Concrete is hard! 

A tug boat towing a barge. 

Victoria has a really busy working harbour - there are lots of boats around all the time. 

A little rocky peninsula covered in seagulls. 

I'm sure teenage me sat out there and wrote angsty poetry! 

A spaghetti snarl of kelp. 

The grass along here is very dry - there are fire-watch warnings everywhere. Despite a few hours of rain, we've been in a near-drought for months. 

It was very busy along the path, but we take our time.

We smile and say hello to most people. We had a nice chat with a family from Detroit, who asked directions to the Beacon Hill petting zoo (a 15-minute walk from here). 

A bay full of squawking seagulls. 

And very raucous Canada geese.

A bunch of them took off as we were watching. 

Honking, they flew to the west. 

We had much Cloud Drama.

It was alternately sunny and cloudy. Perfect for a walk. 

A pair of kayakers passed us. 

There's that thick line of mist. 

More Cloud Drama! 

There are benches every 10-12 meters - very inviting. 

This waterfront area is point, bay, point, bay, repeat.

One of the points we can't see is Clover Point, which is just before Ross Bay, where the cemetery is. 

When I did my regular walks, I used to always go down to this section to get away from the people. I ran into Dad down here once, running on his lunch break. 

Mom and I also used to walk along here - we both remembered when the cement pathway had been redone, and we wrote our initials in it. Are they still there? In my mind, they are. 

A few hardy flowers. 

Sweet peas, buzzing with fat bees. 

We rested on a bench for a while and chatted, watching the boats, people and clouds. 

Time to head back - my stomach is growling! 

The Breakwater came into view - I always finished my walks back in the day by going out to the end lighthouse (the green arrow) and back. 

That was before they put guardrails on it - it was amazing on a blustery, stormy day! I used to party out there in my late teens too! 

The cruise ship came back into view - dang, that's massive. 

I see the Canada geese have all been driven off by the seagulls. 

More Cloud Drama. 

I have never seen a cruise ship up close, so I was curious. Yup, it's enormous.

Such a touristy scene! That's an early 1900s house that's been recently renovated. I like the mustard yellow.

The horse-drawn carriages are very popular - I've been in them a time or two. 

Back at the seawall. 

It looms! I spy a person heading down the stairs. 

I zoomed in to show you the second bend and end of the Breakwater. It's a massive, long construction that literally breaks the water, creating a calm area from waves and storms. The Coast Guard boats are tucked in there (they are not in this shot, however). 

See all the tiny people on top? When I was a kid, we climbed down to the lower granite blocks and fished. People still fish off there - it's also a great spot for scuba diving. I've seen lots of anemones, fish and seals on the calm side. 

A rock with some birds sitting on the top of it. 

The tidal pull swooshing around. It's very loud.

This is one of the access stairwells off the seawall - it's been painted up in Indigenous designs and marine life. 

The little boy got his feet wet - he was very excited that he'd "walked into the ocean!"

Our kayakers have returned. 

An empty barge in the distance, headed back to pick up more cheap products from overseas. 

I love this painting of underwater kelp.

The tide has come in quite a bit in the hour plus that we've been walking. 

I like the idea of these permanent painted steel chairs, but very few people were sitting in them - it's too windy and cold next to the water, except on very hot days. 

The Surf Motel (above the left-most chair) is a 1960s 18-room hotel, dedicated to its groovy vibe. Maybe it's one of Victoria's best-kept secrets? It has rapturous reviews on Trip Adviser, here, link 'cause I'm giving them some love. 

Yet more Cloud Drama. 

There were a lot of people on the Breakwater. It's adored by locals as well as tourists. 

Would you like to live in my city? This amazing house is for sale! It's 236 Dallas Road, and I'm going to guess it's $2.5 million dollars. 

Oh, silly me, I'm off by a million dollars. It's $3.5 million, a bargain! Enjoy the sideshow here (link 'cause I love). Wow, it has a rooftop deck!

These are both Victorian, from the late 1800s. 

More $2-3 million homes. 

We're nearly at the Breakwater, and the little cafe/bistro that's been built beside it. 

When I was a kid, there was nothing but a dirt path leading over the rocks to the Breakwater - it's quite built-up now. 

Mom and I enjoyed a lovely lunch - she had a buffalo chicken Caesar wrap with perfect fries and malt vinegar. 

I had jalapeno mac and cheese and a yummy side salad. Dee-lish, would go back. 

The Clipper zoomed past as we were finishing. It's a passenger-only catamaran that goes to Seattle, harbour to harbour. L and I last took the Clipper to Seattle here in December 2016 for a holiday.

You can see the lower granite blocks of the Breakwater there, where that couple is walking. 

What a lovely day.

It was so fun to go somewhere "new."

The Surf Motel again, and more unused chairs. 

I remember it being the Oceanview Motel back in the 80s/90s, which is the name of a Mae Moore album from 1990. Enjoy L's review here from 2014, where he wonders if it's another Oceanview Motel that he remembers. I think it's this one. 

Mom dropped me off on Fort Street and I went for a browse in all my usual shops around there. I didn't find anything in MONA this time, and the Velvet Crease was having an internet issue, so I decided not to torture myself by shopping. Nothing grabbed me in any of the other clothing shops, although I did find a few desirables at Vanity Fair Antique Mall. I may have to go back.

I also stopped in at the Art Gallery and found myself a cool ring (I get a 10% discount for being a member). 

Here's the bracelet. This is silver, with marcasite gems on the links. It's from the 1920s/Art Deco Era and was $65.00.

The centre red "stone" is probably glass, and the red round cut stone might be a crystal.

All of the pieces are molded silver, very thick. 

It lays nicely. I tried a lot of bracelets on, but most of them never fit. Gah, small wrists. I'll wear this a lot, I'm sure. I've been looking for a bracelet with red in it. 

The ring is sterling silver and granite. 

As I have skinny fingers and big knuckles, I like that it's open partially. 

It's by Oui Jewellery by Raul Caballero from right here in Victoria. It was $89.00 after my discount. 

Link here to their shop ('cause I love this jewelry) which is full of all different designers - only Raul's stuff is in the Art Gallery shop. 

One more shot of me and Mom before I sign off for the weekend. 

Thanks so much for a wonderful day, Mom! I love you! 

And now, as promised, the weekend is nearly upon us and I've got many things going on as always. I'll be back on Sunday with tales of adventure, so please do stop by for a visit.