A downtown flower bed
The capitol building - look at those hanging baskets!
The beach just outside downtown
Mama Orca and her calf topiaries
Following lunch, we headed for the Royal British Columbia Museum - they had a Viking exhibit that was fascinating! Replicas of Viking ships, an IMAX movie about the history of Vikings (that Henry and I enjoyed as it ended up being a bit much for Miss Lydia), and artifacts from the Viking era surrounded us. We explored the natural history portion of the museum that highlighted animals from distant past to present who call British Columbia home. We headed for the Viking gift shop where we abruptly ended our trip to the museum when one of our children (who shall remain nameless) threw up all over the floor. Magical, that was not. Alas - it was thankfully a passing thing and health was restored. We met up with friends that evening for dinner - a coworker of Philip's from Port Hardy and his family. We had a great time - laughing and enjoying dinner and making plans for the following day to fish on the open water. Bedtime came easily after we returned to the hotel - it had been a long, full day with another to follow.
We awoke relatively early on Saturday morning to head to Pedder Bay Marina - the drive was scenic - our wildlife sightings began with a deer and her fawn crossing the road - the marina inviting. As we walked down to the boat, a sea otter was playing by the dock. It's really surreal to see animals playing in the natural habitat when you are accustomed to only seeing them in aquariums. We were excited! Aboard the boat we went - and I have to admit I am not a fisherman and was a bit wary of spending a whole day on a small boat with at least one road weary child, but we were in it for the long haul. Philip's coworker generously served as our guide - he's a true fisherman. He taught our kids how to bait the lines with anchovies and patiently instructed them on how to reel one in when the line jumped. The fish didn't bite in droves, but both kids caught fish and reeled them in and had a ball watching the lines intently - hoping to see them bob into the water so they could yell, "Fish on!". Henry caught a lionfish and a ling cod and Lydia caught a ling cod - all of which were too small to keep, but made for great experiences and memories. Then the line bobbed dramatically and we knew something larger was coming our way. Philip reeled it in while Jamie netted it and we had dinner - just like that. We fished a tad longer and then went exploring. Jamie took us to see a colony of sea lions who make their home on this little rock island directly across from a lighthouse. They were barking and playing and we were pinching ourselves to remind us that we really live here. We saw two bald eagles flying around, perching on the rocky shores. They really are majestic creatures. And then we headed toward the marina in Victoria - along the way Lydia fell asleep in my lap and that experience of holding her almost seven year old self like I did when she was a tiny baby was nothing short of holy. We made our way back to Pedder Bay, dinner in the hole and salt water spraying our faces, and it was silent save the roar of the motor and the sounds of the water. It was one of the most perfect days our family has ever had and it was capped off with a delightful dinner at Jamie's house - fresh, grilled salmon caught hours earlier - on their back patio with kids playing in and outside.
Nap time!
My first fish!
Anchovies for bait
Dinner!
Fairmont Empress Hotel from the water
My first fish!
Captain Marcum
The lighthouse
The capitol from the marina
Sea lions!
We never tire of seeing sea planes
Sunday we slept in as much as possible and then made our way to The Butchart Gardens - they're world renowned. People told us almost immediately upon hearing we were moving to Vancouver that these gardens were a 'must-see' but that's really all I knew about them. We meandered through a neighborhood to get there and came upon their gates. It was pretty - but you couldn't see a whole lot through the woods - I had my fingers crossed that I wasn't leading us on a wild goose chase as I'd built this up to be quite a scene and had pushed to go since we were so close. We parked around 10AM and wandered through the gift shop first and then into the gardens. They were amazing. They began as a rock quarry to help feed Mr. Butchart's cement plant that began the packaging of cement in bags, not barrels. Jennie Butchart, an artist and determined woman, transformed the quarry into the now-famous 'Sunken Garden', there is a Japanese Garden that leads down to Butchart Cove (where the Butcharts would keep their yacht and where you may now take boat tours), there's a bog garden, an Italian Garden, a rose garden, countless fountains, a carousel and an amphitheater. While we were there, the symphony was rehearsing in the amphitheater for that evening's performance and their music was the ideal complement to the flowers that surrounded us. It was almost overwhelming - everywhere, I mean everywhere you look you see something different and beautiful. We easily spent 4 hours there and could have spent longer. The kids agreed that the Japanese Garden was their favorite and that the gelato adjacent to the Italian Garden was a close second. Should you ever venture this way, these gardens are, indeed, a must-see.
Beware the lion crouching in the trees...
The Sunken Garden
Dancing Fountain
The frog who sits outside the carousel
Lydia dancing in a field while the symphony rehearsed - she felt like a prima ballerina!
Ms. Owl keeping watch
1/4 of the rose garden
Pondering in the Japanese Garden
Butchart Cove
There's a whole lot of ugly in the news these days and I find myself at a loss for how to process it and be part of making right the chaos that seems to be breaking out all over. It gets overwhelming, really - the stories seem to come out of a horror movie script. I wish that were the case. I wish that children weren't growing up in the midst of evil and hate and I wish I could fix it. Then the Mister Rogers quote that often circulates when crisis hits rings in my ears - "Look for the helpers..." - it helps me refocus on finding even the smallest piece of beauty in those places that seem to have been enveloped by ugliness. It occurred to me this morning as I prepared breakfast for my own children that this ugliness isn't natural - it seeps in and overshadows the natural beauty of places and of people. So, today, I send out positive vibes by celebrating beauty. It feels Providential that I've not posted pictures of The Butchart Gardens and our visit to the Vancouver Island until now because right now needs some beauty. May beauty break out all over and may we have a hand in ushering it forth.
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