Botanical Beach

Okay, before our adventures in Victoria there was very little that I knew about Vancouver Island, but I had heard of Botanical Beach.  So, despite it being 2 hours away, we decided to load up and spend a day exploring the tide pools there, which were supposed to be amazing!

I'll be honest, it wasn't as cool as I had hoped. Maybe the tides were not in our favour, but I thought we had seen just as many cool things at other beaches closer to home.  Still, it's always fun to spend a day out in nature with my boys.  We picnicked on the beach, hung out with all the retirees that were there, and Eli found enough crabs to entertain him for a lifetime.  

Okay, I'll admit, this crab was pretty cool.  Bigger and prettier than any other we'd seen. 

Remember the gross snotty anemones on our sea star beach?   This is what they look like under water.

 

Eli is always so interested.  It makes everything so much more exciting. 

Hermit crabs!

Family picture!  We don't get enough of these. 

Silas exploring, too.

Okay, he was way more interested in lifting this log than in the crabs. 

And, on the way home, we saw not one, but TWO black bears!!!  You don't see that every day, no you don't!

Okay, maybe I am wrong. Maybe Botanical Beach was super cool and I was just really tired that day.  From the pictures it looks like it was pretty awesome. I guess I'll have to go back one day to decide.  Maybe.

A Visit to Paradise

Not everyone was as lucky as I was to have a place to call home every summer doing something I absolutely loved!  I was able to work (can you call it work when you are doing everything you ever dreamed of doing?) on a farm in Bragg Creek, Alberta, helping with a riding school and farm camp.  Honestly, I loved every minute of it. I still call Flying Goose Farm home!  Carmen Pearson, who ran The Goose, for as long as I remember has been a teacher, mentor, boss, mother and friend.  A few years ago Carmen and her family moved from the beautiful Foothills of Alberta to the incredible Gulf Island of Mayne, in the Strait of Georgia.  So, while in Victoria, I just had to take the trip to visit her on her little bit of paradise!

We stayed at the resort Carmen now owns, Blue Vista Resort. Honestly, if you've ever wanted to visit the Gulf Islands, go to Mayne and stay at Blue Vista. It was charming, beautiful, and I fell totally in love!

We stopped at the Mayne Island Farmers Market, where Eli bought a real quill and ink to write with and I bought a delicious raspberry pie for dinner at the Pearson's. I love small town farmer's markets more than anything!

Once we met up with Carmen, she took us straight to the beach to shuck oysters for dinner.  Guess what? I didn't eat them, but it was fun to "harvest" them.  Apparently there is something about the ocean streams, or the tides, or something, that makes the oysters and clams on the beaches of Mayne edible and not chalk full of toxins.  We also learned that when you harvest the oysters you have to throw the shells back to the beach, because the baby oysters live on the backs of the big ones, so to keep the population up, you just throw back the shells.  There is also something about the ocean streams that make the Mayne climate much more mild than other places. We watched the rain pour in Vancouver while the sun was shinning on Mayne. It was beautiful. 

 

Eli thought the beach was pretty cool.  We found the only sea star that wasn't firmly stuck to a boulder.  Eli wanted to take it home as a pet, but we convinced him to leave it there with his family.

This crab also almost came home with us. 

Andrew, Carmen's husband, and one of my favourite British men in the whole world because as long as I can remember he has always called me "Love,"  took us for a ride in his boat to see the Sea Lions on an island just off Mayne.

We sat and watched them bark at each other for half an hour, fighting for a place on that rock, disappearing in the rising tide. It was pretty cool.

It was so nice to just explore the island. The 21 square km didn't take long at all to cover, but we enjoyed every bit of it.  Carmen told us all about the sordid past of the island, from the rum runs during American Prohibition (Carmen's house sits on "Smugglers Cove" where the rum runners would beach when runnig from the US authorities), to the deportation of the Japanese settlers during WWII.  She also told us about all the islands around, many of which were privately owned by people much more wealthy than me!  Oh to own an island just to throw some peacocks and goats on it.  In another life...  The greatest part though was being able to enjoy the company of dear old friends!

Carmen's kids, who I watched grow up on the farm, were both there for the summer. I can't believe how grown up and wonderful they both are!  Love them. 

Kay, this could have possibly been my favourite thing on Mayne Island: Car Stops. They were all over the island, places where you could stand to hitch hike to wherever you needed to be.  No place was very far, but if you didn't want to walk, you could just catch a ride with whomever came along.  Awesome.

Honestly, pack up right now and go.  If you are going to fly, fly into Victoria though, because the ferries are cheaper to and from there (and maybe you'll be as lucky as we were and see killer whales from the ferry as you travel!).  However you get there, you will love it, I promise!

Here's a video I made years ago with all my pictures from Flying Goose Farm.  There are a few of you out there who will appreciate the memories!

Cap'n Eli's Buccaneer Party

Okay, I promise, this is the very last pirate birthday post.  Seriously, can you believe how ridiculous we have been?  Still, it's been fun, and Eli has loved every minute of it, and that makes me happy.

Back home in Calgary we decided that we would share all the pirating fun with our friends and family in Calgary.


Because of a postal strike in Canada we had to send out invites on Facebook.  While not nearly as cute as I might have done (not saying I would have...) here's the wording for our invite:

Ahoy Matey Ye be invited to Cap'n Eli's Buccaneer Bash to celebrate his 4 years of sailing! Chart your course for: Eli's Ship, on July 9th, dressed in your best pirate garb. We be meetin' at: 1 pm fer some swashbuckling fun, grub and kiddie spirits! Raise yer flag if ye be attending. Sees ye thar, or we'll throw you to Davey Jones' Locker.......Arrgghh!

So, the crowds came over and the party began.

Searching for booty!

This little guy was probably the cutest pirate there.  I was there when he was born just a few months ago. I love him!!!

Popping the ball and chains.

Make that scallywag walk the plank!

The Bung Hole. 

And no pirate party would be complete without a pirate cake.  

A Pirate Adventure

On Eli's actual birthday we tried really hard to go on a Pirate Adventure, the only thing he asked for.  We got to the ship only to find that the pirates were out plundering!

However, on our last day in Victoria, after we had packed up our little house and were ready to head out, we decided that we would try again, and this time the pirates were waiting for us to join their crew.  We went on the greatest pirate adventure of all time!!!

The boys got dressed up, with skulls and scars, just like proper pirates.

Oh, we were so excited!!!

Silas did have to take a break from all the excitement for a little refreshment.

Eli, quite honestly, thought he had died and gone to heaven!

Eli surely proved himself the greatest pirate on the sea!

Birthday Adventuring

Okay, when I said we were having a birthday week, I actually meant a birthday month.  This past week has we have moved away from Victoria, vacationed in Sandpoint, Idaho, and tried to put our lives back together in Calgary again.  So, this next week will be a catch up week to get us to all the exciting things we're doing all summer.  I've got some reviews, a giveaway, and some potty training adventures ahead!

So, without further ado, let's talk about Eli and his incredible, adventuresome, triple wicked awesome birthday adventures!!!

On the day Eli turned four we woke up early for some "Birthday Mush." This is a tradition I had forgotten about until my sister-in-law mentioned that this year was the first time she didn't do "Birthday Mush."  As a kid we always ate oatmeal for breakfast on our birthdays. If we ate our entire bowl we would find that the birthday fairy left some money for us at the bottom. If we didn't eat our entire bowl, all the money would disappear!  So, on the morning of Eli's birthday we started the tradition in our own family, and sat down to some "Birthday Mush."  And let me tell you, the birthday fairy was generous this year and Eli (and even Silas) really cashed in. 

 Then Eli opened his birthday present, which he still insists on wearing as much as possible.

 Jared went out to the car for a few minutes, and when he got back he found a pirate map on our door step!  Naturally we frantically got dressed and headed out to see if there was pirate treasure where X marks the spot. 

 We'd never been to the beach that early, or at low tide, and it was a whole new adventure!  The pirates knew what they were doing when they hid their treasure. 

 And there's the X!

 Just where the map said it would be.

 Real pirates don't need shovels, let's find that treasure!!!

 There it is.  Golden (which happens to be Eli's favourite colour right now... that's right, golden) chocolates!!!  This pirate even conceded to sharing a bit of his treasure, for fear that it might disappear, just like the money in his mush.

With our booty in hand we loaded in our car and drove to what we called, "The Sea Star Beach."  At low tide you can go and see whole groups of sea stars stuck to the underside of rocks.  Eli LOVES sea stars, so it seemed a natural thing to do on his birthday!

 There they are. 

 Okay, so there were also hundreds of those nasty snot like things. Guess what they are?  Anemones!  At high water, when they are all opened up they are really quite beautiful.  But at low tide they kind of deflate and really grossed us out.  If you touched them though they would suck up all tight and stick to you, so at least they offered some entertainment!

Sadly Jared had to go to school during Eli's birthday celebrations, so we went home for a nap and waited for him to finish. 

When he was home we headed back to  Fisherman's Wharf to see if we could see some real pirates.  The pirates were apparently off pillaging some village, because they were nowhere to be seen, but we did see our seal friends again!

 Eli spent some of his birthday mush money buying some fish to feed the hungry seals. 

 

 Our meal was worthy of any pirate.  We ate real fish and chips right in the harbor. 

We checked out dead fish under the docks.

Then we imagined what it would have been like had the pirates been around to take us on a pirate adventure.  It would have been pretty awesome, we imagine!

When it was all over we headed home to bed, to dream of pirates, and seals, and all other exciting things. 

It was wonderful.  I love my Eli so much and am grateful for the last four years and all he has taught me.  Here's to many more wonderful birthdays and adventures with my boys.