The new normal?

Ahhh, the new normal, sunsets at Stanley Park. (Oh ya, wait a minute, that was actually the last night you could drive in Stanley Park due to Covid-19)

I'm sure for everyone, it's been quite an adjustment.

The positives: ahhh, home-cooked meals. (mostly served by the master in-house chef herself)

.....actually it was 3 thumbs up if you include me!)

Another positive: going through boxes of junk I have stored over the years and finding cool junk like this Charlestown Chiefs figurine from the movie Slap Shot.

.....and finding old pictures, like this one of my brother Rick (who just passed away in December.) and his wife 

Wendy, who came to visit us when we lived in the Okanagan back in the 70's?

....and this pic of my brother Don (who passed away in 1984 and bro Skip. They had a chance to hoist the Stanley Cup at a hotel in Edmonton back when the Oilers won their first of five cups.

...and finding notes from the kids back when they were little, Priceless!

When was the last time gas was under a $1 per litre??? (In Vancouver, not in recent memory)

We did wander from home a couple of times. We went to Spanish Banks out by UBC on one evening.

This would be one of the last times we have ventured very far from home as the gravity of the Covid-19 situation was settling in.

Another attempt at cell phone camera art.

We did get to see a seal, though!

People seem to be listening to the stay at home advice. 

Outside of my condo, that is one crazy looking squirrel. 

......I've been keeping busy, though, like watching Ritsue heading to the store.....

......watching Ritsue go to the store......

.....watching Ritsue farther away heading to the store.....

......and watching, oh never mind, you get the picture, or pictures.....

.....the bonus of house arrest is all the good home cooking. Ritsue  preparing what I am calling her famous dumplings.

Oh man!

Voila'! So scrumptious!

Lots of time to stare out the window and watch the ever changing weather.

Not quite there yet, but I am on the 11th floor....

Many interesting, oishii (tasty) dishes these days, courtesy of Ritsue.

Watching Mt. Baker is another one of my hobbies these days.

Fresh bread?!!! Woohoo!

Haha, Ritsue sewed us matching masks.

One of the news stories was on the downfall of the tourism industry in British Columbia. This shot is of the Rocky Mountaineer train on its way from Vancouver to the Rockies. I'm proud to say I was on the train on that day. (I was part of a group of actors on the train filming a commercial. I distinctly remember the smoke from the many forest fires around the area that summer.)

More home, more food! This time chijimi!

The cherry blossoms have come and gone.

The Queen made a rare speech, reassuring her country amidst the coronavirus pandemic.

This looks like a bad news story, but it's actually a good news story. I bought a new Black & Decker mixer around Christmas time. It died mid use about a month ago. I could not find the receipt, so I thought I'd take a chance a call B & D. They said if I sent a picture of the cut cord, and a $6 charge for shipping and handling, they would send me a new one. I'm happy to report it arrived yesterday!

.....back to the final drive at Stanley Park......

One last look out over English Bay before we head back home to hunker down.

Why can't the freeway traffic be like this when I am working??????

I'm working on that one.............

Pre Covid-19, part 2

Hard to believe it was only one month ago that Ritsue and I made the pilgrimage to Victoria after season 3 of the Good Doctor wrapped. (We were planning on travelling a lot farther than that, but the scare of the Covid-19 virus kept us close to home). On this day we went to historic Fort Rodd Hill. It was very chilly, 3 degrees, and with the wind chill it was more like -5 c!

At least the virus hasn't stopped the flowers from coming out.

It was a gorgeous day for a ferry ride.

Off to a good start....

It has probably been 5 or 6 years since I have been on the ferry. I do remember the spectacular scenery, though.

.....it was time for island time.....

.....LAND, HO!

First stop, Sidney, a short 5 minutes from the ferry. It didn't take long for Ritsue to get friendly with some of the locals.

Maybe a little too intrusive?

Nuttin' to say, just a couple of old salty dogs enjoying the sun.......

Happy hour! The view from the Rumrunner pub in Sidney.

We would find a lot of happy hours in the next four days......

.....the Beacon Landing in Sidney.....

........Seahorses Café in Brentwood Bay.......

....Bartholomew's in Victoria......... to name a few.

A quick last look around Sidney....

.....not quite sure Ritsue wants to leave this place!

....I could see myself living here.....

....start heading to the car...

.....good-bye Sidney.....for now......

....and hello Butchart Gardens!

(We were there on March 12th, and they closed due to the pandemic on March 26th.) 

The sunken gardens. There wasn't a lot in bloom, but it was still a pretty special place.

Not the social distancing pose, it just looks that way.

The Star pond.

Looking out to the inlet.

This dragon fountain is a gift from China and the city of Suzhou.

They even had a carousel. As you can imagine, there was not many people visiting today. Maybe because of the time of year, or more likely, the news on the impending global pandemic was starting to sink in.

Ritsue found her own private little horesy ride.

Lunch at the Seahorse café in Brentwood Bay.

Then it was time to check into the Beaconsfield Inn in Victoria. This place was awesome!

They upgraded us to the Emily Carr suite. (assuming because it was off season and people were starting to cancel their trips due to the virus).

Ah yes, fancy shmancy! (enjoyed the jacuzzi tub in the background, just sayin..)

We spent a lot of time in the library.....

....ahhhh, a little sherry as the evening night cap. There are 10 rooms in this inn, and we had the place to ourselves for most of the two days we stayed there. 

In the mornings, we had breakfast served to us in this quaint little dining area.

Then it was tourist time, we strolled around the harbour, taking in the sights, like the iconic Empress hotel. I stayed there for 4 nights at the start of the Olympic Torch Relay back in 2010.

....and the B.C. government Parliament buildings.

The James Cook statue, who apparently discovered the harbour in 1778

One place that does not fit into the Victoria old English theme is Big Bad John's. 

Totally worth the experience though, the décor is as hillbilly as it comes. Are those bras hanging from the ceiling?

.....aaannnnnd you can eat peanuts and throw the shells on the floor, I'm home!

Then we went to Paliacci's for dinner. Normally you cannot get a seat in this popular restaurant, but it was at the start of the whole covid-19 thing. (Less than a week later, all restaurants and bars were shut down.)

The Princes of Tides seafood salad was amazing!

This tuna main dish was equally as satisfying.

The walk home. The parliament buildings were all lit up, "kira kira" style.

Ahhhh, back home. It was a real treat to have this place all to ourselves

The next morning, fresh scones and coffee in the dining area.

Princess Ritsue is certainly enjoying the French toast!

Highly recommend!

We went for a bit of a drive. We started, of course, at mile 0 of the Trans Canada Highway, a route that travels some 7,821 KM across Canada, ending in St. John's Newfoundland.

At mile 0 was this plaque honoring the journey of Steve Fonyo. He was once a Canadian hero who fell from grace. The only one we still remember is his predecessor, Terry Fox.

We spent a short amount of time at Fort Rodd. It was very cold for that time of year. (Almost one month ago!) 

The wind was nasty!

With those freezing temperatures, it's not hard to believe we and one other couple had the whole place to ourselves!

Let me out of the stockade? Get me out of this weather? (I'm guessing both!)

Happy hour! (Bartholomews, downtown Vic.)

Dinner was at a popular pizza place on Cook Ave., Pizzeria Prima Strada, recommended by my sis Judith and her hubby Les.

Back at our mansion, the best of both old worlds, a real fireplace, and reruns of a show I grew up with, "Happy Days"!

The next morning. Again we were not disappointed at the Beaconsfield!

Pumpkin quiche, are  you kidding me?? Love this place!

There's a happy princess right there, driver!

The stained glass window was a nice touch.

We checked out and headed out on Dallas Rd. towards Beach Drive. I remember this drive so well when I worked on a t.v. show for 4 months in 2014, called "Gracepoint".

Disappointment! I remember the Oak Bay Beach Marina back in 2014. You used to be able to go down and see the seals around the boats. This area was closed due to the cooler than normal temperatures.

After, a quick calamari snack at.......

......the Penny Farthing pub in Oak Bay......

....it was off to our new digs for one night, the Amethyst Inn on Fort St. in Victoria. This place was built in 1885.

Later on that day, we had a chance to go for a walk and have dinner (pre co-vid) with my sister Judith and her hubby Les.

A beautiful and peaceful, albeit freezing, stroll.

Leaving the Amethyst Inn, time to head home and hunker down until the end of the pandemic. 

A quick selfie in Sidney......

...a diffrent view of Mount Baker than I am used to at my place. We were in Sidney to meet.....

......Jude and Les for coffee.

We were actually worried the ferries might not be running by the time we wanted to go home. (Service has been cut drastically though since the whole covid thing started.)

The new reality......

......three diffrent stores with the same......

......result! No toilet paper, not paper towel, no tissue, wah! (I need one now!)

The first day the bars and restaurants were closed was St. Patrick's day. We had to have are own little green beer party at the condo.

Definately more time to enjoy the view of Mount Baker from my balcony these days.

.....trying to keep busy is the key......

.....may be awhile before Skip and I get this close again, be safe everyone!