L and I are back from a trip to Powell River, a little town on BC's Sunshine Coast, to visit his mom and brother for Christmas. It was a whirlwind trip (up on Saturday, back on Monday) and we're both tired, so grab a restorative beverage and a comfy chair and join me in reliving our voyage. We last visited here in August, so you can compare seasons if the mood strikes you.
Since we'd had such abominable weather earlier in the week, we were terrified we'd have to turn around mid-way, or be stuck outside in a ferry line-up for hours. Weather is always a factor here on the west coast.
With fingers crossed for the promised warmer temps (8-10 degrees), we got ready to head out on Saturday morning, Christmas Eve day.
Since we'd had such abominable weather earlier in the week, we were terrified we'd have to turn around mid-way, or be stuck outside in a ferry line-up for hours. Weather is always a factor here on the west coast.
I have a t-shirt under this (which I slept in), making this my ultimate comfort outfit.
I wear this around the house (minus the boots, of course).
I have worn this dress dozens of times since I bought it, but never intended it to be worn in public.
I wore it on the ferry, sitting in a corner with L while we read/watched a football game one way, and in the cafeteria having breakfast on the way home.
I knew it would be good for the 2-3 hours of driving, and the 1.5 hour ferry ride.
Masked up.
L getting his final few things packed. We each took a small pack, then bags of food and presents.
Outerwear - I wore this around in the ferry.
And walked to/from the hotel and Louise's apartment.
No time to thrift shop!
Powell River has excellent second-hand shops.
Accoutrements:
I was prepared for any weather.
- Purse - Sonia Rykiel, thrifted
- Beret - consignment
- Gloves - Danier Leather
- Mask - by Mom
- Wrap - V Fraas, thrifted
The stuff:
Likewise with the boots. If we got stuck in a snowbank, I'd be able to walk in these.
Minimal bling:
A few easy pieces.
- Belt - gift from Ruth
- Earrings - Israel, consignment
- Silver/amethyst ring - vintage mall
- Silver/onyx ring - Tocara, vintage fair
I always take a couple of pics of Vizzini to show to the rellies, and to look at when we miss him.
"Please, you'll be back in two days."
Cat and Ross came over and took care of him.
"I'm pretty sure that means all the kitty treats I can eat."
L walked to town to pick up our rental SUV, a nifty Toyota RAV-4.
As you can see, our back parking lot was a slushy, icy nightmare. That's no good for Vlad.
There had been weather reports of doom and gloom and another snowstorm warning.
10:15am - just another winter day.
There are highway cams you can view to see the state of various points along the Island Highway - we were reassured that it wasn't snowing up-Island and that the roads were mostly clear.
Entering the area around Goldstream Park.
There's a shadow of Mt. Finlayson ahead, all snowy still.
But it was getting warmer out, and lots of melting was starting to happen. You might recall BC had major flooding issues last year (about them here, link 'cause I love), and over a year later, they are still doing repairs all along the Malahat corridor, which is the main link between Victoria and the rest of Vancouver Island.
Near the top of the Malahat.
Pretty snowy and rainy!
We're also going really fast - most cars are going 80-90 kmph here.
And their wheels are spraying water all over us.
Not great visibility.
I thought that the red tail lights looked festive.
We're at Duncan.
I love this old steam engine at the Train Museum.
I went there a couple times as a kid.
One of our many Island farms.
Most of these are dairy farms. Our milk is all from the island.
Another lovely bridge.
I like how the watery windshield ripples the image.
I guess the Nanaimo airport isn't expecting any flights at the moment.
Most of this snow disappeared completely within 2 days.
Another awesome bridge.
These are some white-knuckle driving conditions! Thank you to L for doing all the driving (I don't have a license).
"Slushy and slippery sections."
Gee, ya think? Thanks for the warning.
What's that blue stuff in the clouds?
We're just outside of Nanaimo, the 2nd-biggest city on the island.
Are we there yet?
Sigh. No. Another 62 km to Courtenay.
More of that blue stuff.
You can see how quickly the weather changes here.
How about some more blue sky?
Yes, please!
And a rainbow?
Even better! Love this!
No more sun for us.
Instead, FOG.
Are we there yet?
So close!
Here we are in the Comox Valley.
This is Courtenay, and the open misty space behind it is a bird sanctuary.
And on the other side of that, people live.
Off to the left is where we catch the ferry to the mainland, but first...
A special Christmas guest! It's my brother Dave!
Aw! He moved up here just over a year ago, to be with his fiancée Shelley. You can tell I'm excited.
What a lovely tree!
It's a real one (oooooh), and I had a good peek at the ornaments - a very nice collection. Dave is a major green thumb when it comes to plants - look at those healthy greens on the windowsill.
Me and Shelley.
I'm so glad we stopped by.
Dave and Shelley.
Aw, so good to see you both! I love you!
I realized this year that you can make reservations for the ferry! Of course I did - you're guaranteed to get on, as long as you're there between 60-30 minutes before sailing, for a $10 extra charge on top of the $75.00 (one way) fare for a car and two passengers.
Ferries are not cheap. This is the lovely Salish Orca.
No time to wander up and down the beach as I am wont to do in the summer.
Besides, looks like the tide is high.
Two starlings were chilling out on the piling.
We had a very bumpy sailing, with choppy waves.
And then we arrived in Powell river, 7 hours after we left home. It takes forever to get anywhere in BC.
We couldn't see any snow in PR - they didn't get hit as hard as Victoria, and had warmer temps sooner. There's a reason they call this the Sunshine Coast!
L and I dropped off the food at Louise's apartment, and had a nice dinner in the hotel pub before crashing in the hotel, and watching "It's a Wonderful Life" and eating chocolates (thank you, Dave and Shelley, they were amazing!).
Post-stocking Christmas morning - I'll show you what I got from L at the end. I got him an Edward Gorey puzzle, a bunch of candy, books and gift certificates for CDs and Fluevogs.
My Christmas Day outfit.
Terrible light in the hotel room and nowhere to take a good picture.
And I forgot my camera in the room all day.
Merry Christmas from me and L!
I'm wearing two of my presents there - spoiler alert!
Louise had her tree up, and we loaded up presents for her, her boyfriend Dave, and L's brother Virgil. We also put one present to/from each other so it isn't weird.
My mom painted that picture of the Venetian gondolas, from the trip the four of us did to Italy in October 2014 (here).
L and Louise.
This is pre-presents, as she wore the striped sweater we gave her after opening it.
Virgil, sucking back coffee. He brought all the fixin's for breakfast (bacon, eggs, bread, salami and mushrooms), and he and I cooked it all together.
He has a singular style - camo and animals (he's a hunter). He also cooked the turkey plus some stuffing and I spent last Thursday making all of the sides for our Christmas dinner: stuffing, baked asiago cheese mashed potatoes, roasted cauliflower, parsnip and carrots, and gravy. It's too much for Louise to do, so we teamed up and pulled off an amazing dinner. We were all so stuffed!
L and I were up at 6am on Monday (Boxing Day) to catch the ferry back. Although most of the snow was gone - the aforementioned snowstorm never materialized! - we were concerned about high wind warnings, which can easily cause the ferries to be cancelled. No reservation's gonna save you from the weather!
We were loaded in the lower decks first to help stabilize the ship.
After our traditional BC Ferries breakfast, we found a quiet corner and read until we arrived back on the island.
Phew, there's no snow, no ice and no rain. Maybe a little wind.
But the highway was wet, and that sun is GLAREY. Neither of us had thought to bring sunglasses! The auditory equivalent to hours of glare would be going to a loud metal concert with no earplugs. Our poor eyes!
Are we home yet?
Dammit!
We briefly stopped at a rest-stop.
Lovely moss-covered trees. L reported that the outhouses were "gross, as expected."
Back to the glare!
And a reminder that "No hitching pick-up is illegal." Punctuation matters, kids!
What a difference on the Malahat.
That is a treacherous, steep, windy road.
Lots of traffic as we near Mt. Finlayson.
This is a busy time of year.
Those are the same powerlines that were all blurry from rain on the way up.
And we have to slow down? But I really want to be home...NOW.
But finally, we did arrive home - I took a picture of most of my presents while L was taking the rental car back. We also got chocolates from Dave/Shelley, a calendar and a DVD from Virgil and money from Louise. So generous.
But L always spoils me! Three books that look exciting, a new Forgotten Word-of-the-Day calendar (aka the WOD), a Starfleet mug, a Wonder Woman PEZ dispenser, loads of chocolate (and I already ate a bunch of it before I took this pic).
I'll highlight these as I wear them in outfits, but L also spoiled me with presents from Vanity Fair Antique Mall. I walked through it with him, pointing out things I really like, but can't afford for myself, and he says, "Look away." Heh.
That's a gold-plated D'Orlan bracelet (still in its Birks box!), another Robert Larin necklace, a coiled/jointed snake cuff, a Lucite/steel ring and a spider brooch.
He also surprised me with this lovely silk scarf that I'd looked at but didn't buy for myself.
I love the brown, black and "gold" colours.
It's by Daniel La Foret.
Cool - I love it!
I unpacked our stuff and - ready to blog - went to the computer. Oh, I'm sorry, are you busy?
"I'm traumatized, Woman."
How come, Vizzini? What's the matter, little bud? Wow, you really are wedged in there...
"The last time you went away, and came back, I WAS BLIND."
Oh, but you're okay this time, silly boy. We'll take care of you.
"I need some cuddle time to recover."
Take all the time you need, Vizz. We've got you. In fact, I think a nap is in order...*yawn*
And with that, I'm going to go enjoy some more of my time off. How was your weekend? Any weather shenanigans where you are?
