Thursday, January 1, 2026

Where's Waldo? (Aka- where's the goat?)

A fall outing for Junior in the hills above Summerland and Okanagan Lake brought him close.......(you have to look real close to see it, on second look, you can't see it in this blog pic just a white spec.....)
 
His good camera work got him, nice shot!

Yes, I am behind the times, our greeting for the kids in our building on Halloween, pic.
Thanks to Ritsue and Moscrop Secondary school who had a slide show for Remembrance Day. One of the slides shown was of my father who was standing guard at the Cenotaph at Victory Square in Vancouver at a Remembrance Day ceremony so many years ago. (Guessing the late 1940's, hmnnn.)
Having fun messing around with the dash cam I bought for my truck.
Ritsue received a picture from her mother that she took from her house looking at the neighbour's in Hiroshima. (....kinda unnerving...)
Had a chance to finally get out for dinner with the kids, and Aaron. A good time at the Keg in Burnaby, cheers!
My prime rib go to, this pic's for me!
.....rainbow outside our condo pic, better with the naked eye.
A first for me! (not having Gobo root silly, but making a Gobo root pyramid! No, the Sneaky Weasel in the background didn't play a part, well, maybe it did.)
We call him Cheeky, because he sits on our railing and won't share the feeder with the other hummingbirds in the neighbourhood.
Saw a lot of these very pretty, very dangerous mushrooms around the hood this fall while I was out on one of my many retirement walks.
I think I will miss the many, many views I have had of Mt. Baker from our condo over the years. (That's what pics are for, right?)
I had to go to an appointment out in Surrey on a Saturday, so Ritsue and I decided to try and find some authentic South Asian cuisine. Close by was the Brew Estate, and we scored! They had their own craft beer which was very tasty.
Very strong taste.
That's right! (and the food was very good, too, lol. We'll be back!)
Another Mt. Baker sunrise.
Ya, I'll go with that.
Shopping at Langley Farm Market in Burnaby. (and no, this was not on the list, yikes!)

Saturday, November 22, 2025

Ambivalent, that's me.......

 

My attempt at humouring myself was successful. We went to see a Japanese film, Kokuho, at this year's Vancouver International Film Festival. They had staged a red carpet outside the theatre for selfie pics. Being part of the film industry for so long, I knew where to be in my mind, lol. (Kokuho hit number 1 in Japan this year, and when it comes out in North America in 2026, I recommend it highly!)

In with the new. Had an exceptional day with Junior watching him change his alternator. (No, seriously!)
He did it with very little coaching from me, a proud moment for both of us. (Lol, not sure where he got his mechanical aptitude from.)
Ya, own it! (or at least return it to Lordco for your core charge refund)
Out with the old.........
Before we rewarded ourselves with a pint, I watched Junior show his bow prowess at the range in Burnaby.......
Very impressive again, he had similar results all the rounds I watched.
That following week-end it was time to go check it out again. (Meaning a trip back to Vancouver Island, this time back to Parksville.)
Could this be it?
The many, many bunnies seem to think Rathtrevor Beach Provincial Park IS it.
Not sure what I was going for in this one......
Well, I think a 13 minute walk from our hotel was a no-brainer.
All that ambivalence makes one awfully thirsty. Thank-you Rod and Gun! 
......and the food was a nice chaser.........
Well, if you're going to live anywhere, you better get used to the not so nice days.....(This was our commute from Parksville up to Comox.)
Very peaceful, though......
......albeit chilly.
The, I always love them, the Comox Marina, marina pic.
Took a small hike on the Nob Hill Staircase to get a better look around Goose Spit Park in Comox. (I can see my truck!)
Yay, a heron!
As usual, the week-end went by so fast, and soon enough we were in a line for an early morning ferry at Duke Point in Nanaimo. 
....back on the Mainland, the mandatory, check-out at Walmart, pic of our pic, pic.
I been taking my ambivalence with me on many walks these days, like Deer Lake trail in Burnaby.
Lose that Mt. Baker view? (One way or another, construction or moving.)
More time these days to be at home and enjoy Ritsue's cooking, like these scrumptious dumplings.
Well, I'm sure whichever team this is, facing the Lillian Way Briar University Hockey team, this must be there star player, lol.
Absolute blast from the past. I was looking for a picture of my dad in uniform for Remembrance Day, when I came across these oldies but goodies. That's my dad with a young me, and later my mom with a wet me way back in 1959 in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia where he was stationed at the time.
Okay, I'll keep it to a couple. This one is with mom, like yesterday.

Saturday, November 1, 2025

Well, that's a deep subject.......

Where will retired life take me? On this week-end we got in line for the Tsawwassen ferry.....
 

.......and sailed out to Victoria, again!
It didn't take long (right off the ferry in Sidney) for Ritsue to get her poser game on!
.....(it didn't stop there, there was another, uhhhh, incident at the Government House grounds in the Rockland neighbourhood of Victoria.
Sidney certainly is an option......
The random, back of Athlone Court in Oak Bay, larger than life figures from Charles Dickens, clock, pic.
We stayed at Abbeymoore Manor in the Rockland district. The Manor was built in 1912. The rooms were comfortable and so nostalgic.
The shared living quarters......
So much enjoyment and fun in this historic Inn.
The breakfast was so enjoyable as well.
.....on the first morning......
.....as well as this sideways view of the 2nd mornings offering.
.....borderline, but I think we're ok......
As we were driving around Victoria trying to decide if this was home, we came across Belmont Park in Colwood. It is still residences for members of the Canadian Forces Base in Esquimalt. I actually lived in that townhouse some 60 years ago when our father was in the Navy. Wow.
Hahaha, that rock was like a mountain to me when I was 5 years old.
The mandatory, we'll be back, selfie.
Quality time at the Abbeymoore Manor with Bro Skip (who came along with us), and Sis Jude.
......back on the ferry to Burnaby, well...........