July 21, 2006
What a great weekend at The Qualicum Hostel. We have known Linda for 29.5 years as she duly noted this trip. Wow! Lots of memories. We met when we moved into the neighbourhood of brand new homes in Armstrong (the Okanagan). And now our 3 girls (Vanessa, Megan & Lindsay) are all growed-up!
Linda & Gil arrived right on schedule Friday evening, arms laden with fresh Chilliwack Corn on the Cob. Mmm good! Saturday morning we enjoyed coffee on the deck while getting caught up on all the family stuff; 2 more grandchildren for them this past year, that makes 3! And they are enjoying it tremendously. We piled into the Jeep and made our way downtown Qualicum to catch the last of the Farmer's Market. A trio from Australia was playing and their sound was amazing. Bob & Gil both bought CD's. We now have the sound of the digeredoo echoing through the house and spilling into the backyard. The annual St. Mark's Fair was on, and we wandered through the stalls enjoying the eclectic collections for sale - Antiques alongside new age & homemade crafts. A trip to the local Qualicum Cheeseworks Farm was next on the agenda, then French Creek Seafood Store where we picked up a whole salmon to bbq for dinner. The weather was hot-hot-hot, thank goodness we had air conditioning in the house, or we would have all turned into big puddles of melted goo. After a quick stop at home, we drove out to Qualicum Bay for lunch at the Sandbar Cafe and enjoyed the oceanside scenery while we table hopped to stay in the shade. A late afternoon siesta was followed with a delicious dinner, and more chatting on the shady deck. Gil tuned my guitar, entertained us with his talent and would have patiently given me beginners lessons, but as you know, I have the attention span of a gnat and can't focus for more than 3 seconds. (what was I just talking about? - hah!)
Sunday morning was again a leisurely time as we enjoyed coffee outside while the sun climbed higher to break free of the tree tops. That was our cue to go shopping! We toured Qualicum Foods and the Kitchen Store (yes, I know - ironic that me who could live without an oven, loves that store - it has so many shiny things in it. These things must do something constructive but I don't have a clue what to do with them!)
It was Linda and Gil's turn to cook dinner and as always they put on a wonderful spread for us. It is always sad to know it's our last evening together, but we're committed to making this an annual reunion and after drawing a promise from us to go to Chilliwack next time, we reluctantly said goodnight. Monday morning was our usual rush to get ready for work as they patiently waited their turns for the shower and eventually let themselves out to catch the ferry back to 'the world'.
Sigh, adios amigos - until next year!
No comments:
Post a Comment