stairs

Vestibule and staircases of the historic Rodmay Hotel in Powell River B.C.

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Thursday Challenge

Next Week: CONTAINER (Glass, Cup, Bowl, Box, Baskets,...)

a january dream come true (#829-840 of 1000 gifts)

"Dreams are true while they last, and do we not live in dreams?" - Alfred, Lord Tennyson

It's been a while since I've done a 1000 gifts update. Of course the blessings haven't stopped. Here's a quick overview of my thankfulnesses since my last 1000 gifts posting (a month ago!).

829. An honest evaluation of my novel from a trusted writer/editor/friend who knows about such things. There is much work to do before I submit the final draft!

830. I found two books to help me with the edit (James Scott Bell's Conflict and Suspense, and Revision & Self-Editing). Both excellent!

831. A Kindle e-reader on which to download them in mere seconds.

832. A fabulous, dream-come-true, 15-day winter vacation on Maui (I'll be blogging some of the highlights in the days ahead).

833. Safe trans-Pacific flights to and from Kahului with luggage to meet us both away and home again.

834. Good health for the duration.

835. We found our car on the huge Vancouver long-term parking lot when we got back. Don't laugh. We've lost it in much smaller places.

836. All was safe and sound at home when we got back.

837. A dependable washer and dryer to wash the summer togs, which now need to go back into storage (*sigh*).

838. The comforts of our familiar home.

839. A "Yes" from qarrtsiluni (for the "Imitation" issue).

840. My review of A Second Cup of Hot Apple Cider was pub'd in the January/February issue of Faith Today.

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If you'd like to join me and many others collecting One Thousand Gifts, please do. Some members of this gratefulness community post their gifts on blogs, while others list them in private journals. Instructions on how to join are here.

highways and byways (#258 − 267 of 1000 gifts)

My tally of everyday gifts continues...

258. Waking up to a snowy wonderland.

259. Someone special resolves to quite smoking.

260. Bananas and yogurt sweetened with jam.

261. A ray of insight on a project.


262. A witty letter from a friend.

263. Realized again how much I'm loving my now almost-five-year-old digital camera —the best birthday present ever!

264. A belated Christmas present (my Kindle e-reader) arrived just before our weekend travels.

265. Road adventures. It seems we had hardly unpacked from our Christmas travels when it was time to go again. On Friday we planned to drive the familiar route to Kelowna (Hwys 1 to 5 to 97C) in order to attend aunty's funeral on Saturday.

Friday turned out to be a horrible day for highway driving. A rock slide closed the #1 to eastbound traffic between Chilliwack and Hope for most of the day. We took a detour to Hope and after lunch there I happened to see, on our way out of town, the sign saying the #5 was closed. Good thing I noticed, because there were no other signs or barriers across the road till we left it at the Hope Princeton Highway junction to detour past the closure.

At Princeton we took the new-to-us Highway 3A to Aspen Grove (and back to 97C). We passed a couple of groups of ice fishers on the lake, motored through rolling ranch country, wound down valleys and up pine-treed hills. All in all it turned out to be a very scenic road, in great condition (even greater when it stopped raining) with logging trucks our main company. Our detour turned out to be another gift.

Ice Fishers

You never know what's around the bend!

266. Heard this beautiful song at aunty's funeral:



267. We're back home since yesterday with almost 1000 km. traveled. So thankful for safe travels.

 The town of Merritt seen in the distance from Hwy 5.

Merritt in the Nicola Valley

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If you'd like to join me and many others collecting One Thousand Gifts, please do. Some members of this gratefulness community post their gifts on blogs, while others list them in private journals. Instructions on how to join are here.

Ann's book One Thousand Gifts: A Dare to Live Fully Right Where You Are is releasing in hardback soon (tomorrow, in fact). But you can get the Kindle version  now!

Here is the book trailer. I bet you won't be able to watch it without shedding a tear!

Langford & Victoria

September 23 - 25

The last three days of our vacation the weather threw a tantrum. Happily for us, we'd planned to spend the time with friends in Victoria.

We did get a little reprieve from the rain now and again, when we drove and walked around Langford and Victoria.

These deer were grazing very close to where our friends live. They are not a favorite with the locals, especially not the gardeners, though they are pretty.




One day we went to Ogden Point for lunch and a walk around the outer harbour.



I caught this river animal (rat? or otter?), climbing around on the flotsam,



and the big west coast sky.



And then vacation time was over (sigh) and it was time to take the ferry back home to the mainland and all things ordinary.

Englishman River Falls

September 22 (continued)

Our last stop of the day was Englishman River Falls Provincial Park.

Imagine the roar of water...




then the silence of the forest.



What a beautiful spot!

Coombs

September 22

On our way back from Port Alberni to Parksville, we drove through Coombs with its Old Country Market "Home of the goats on the roof."

Indeed, they still live on the roof, as they have done for who knows how long! The shot below shows that they actually graze on the roof of the building that houses the market.



This last shot was taken from the parking lot at the back of the building.


Also part of the complex is the strange Fengy market with these gigantic Buddha statues. (Who buys these?! - And how do they get them home?)

Port Alberni

September 22nd (a Tuesday - about a month ago!)

Midmorning we motored from Parksville to Port Alberni and ended up at Harbour Quay.


It was all quite fishy with a Gray's Whales mural,


a boat mural,


and this fountain.


At first I mistook Sir Eustace Hornswoggle for another tourist. But it seems he's a resident,


as is this ferocious looking carved eagle.


It was an overcast day, but still warm enough for lunch on the patio of the Water's Edge Bistro.




Someday we'd like to come back and board one of the passenger ferries that leave from Port Alberni for Barkley Sound and the Ucluelet/Broken Islands run. As britishcolumbia.com describes it:

This passenger, mail and freight service has been a part of the West Coast for over 60 years. The Lady Rose and the Frances Barkley have a relaxed, friendly atmosphere rather reminiscent of yesteryear.

Join the crew on the Lady Rose for a day trip down the Alberni Inlet to Barkley Sound, and have a truly memorable experience. In the course of a day's trip the packet freighters drop mail, groceries, supplies and up to 100 passengers along the way at float homes and the Sechart Whaling Station - in the same manner as she did when she began her life on the B.C. Coast over 60 years ago.

The Frances Barkley spends her summers on the Port Alberni to Ucluelet/Broken Group Islands run. At times you'll definitely feel the motion of the ocean swells, but the better part of he journey through Barkley Sound is not as exposed as that experienced when you travel out of Gold River, on the MV Uchuck III. The trip makes for a pleasant outing in itself, or it can be a link for paddlers wishing to get to the Broken Group Islands.

Parksville

Carrying on with vacation memories...

Monday, September 22

We reached our destination, Parksville, early Monday afternoon and were soon installed in the Sandcastle Inn, across from this delightful play spot (which we never visited - we'll have to come back someday with our grandbaby)


Lush baskets like this one decorated our patio.


We wasted no time finding Rathtrevor Beach, a place with lots of early '90s camping memories. It was still there in all its vastness, although on the afternoon of our visit the tide was in.


The next morning the tide was out exposing miles of sand with even the odd jellyfish.



A little browsing around town netted these murals.



All in all, Parksville was a lovely place to visit at the tail end of the holiday season with the summer rush of vacationers mostly over, but the beauty of summer lingering on.

Campbell River

Monday, September 22

Monday morning we packed our things, checked out of the hotel, and hit the road.

As we approached Campbell River on Highway 19, we decided to stay on the old highway which follows the water (19A), rather than take the faster new road.



The morning was clear and crisp -- a perfect time to take in Campbell River's strung out sea side. When we noticed we were driving beside a rather nice walking path we pulled over and got out to stretch our limbs. On our walk we saw various driftwood sculptures. Most were weathered and though they'd seen better days, they were clever.






We were about to return to the car, with me congratulating myself on having stumbled across these beach treasures when we met a man wearing a Jesus t-shirt in the parking lot. We exchanged pleasantries, talked a bit about the art work and he asked if we'd seen this year's driftwood sculptures. They were still on display at the Arts Center, he assured us, which was up the road a little way.

We found them - and what fun. Here are some of the winners and contestants in the 2008 Campbell River Shoreline Arts Society 2008 Driftwood Carving Competition.