There was another sunrise reflection to the north that morning.
This was my view from bed.
D and I in our orange shirts as it was national indigenous reconciliation day. We packed our shirts before we left Winnipeg so that we could remember and reflect on the struggles of our indigenous citizens.
We briefly stopped at the other house. In every new room in which I step, I select what would be my favourite chair and view. This was the one from the second house.
Since it was a holiday, D didn’t have to work and accompanied Nance and I for the day.
Our first stop was a picturesque hike to Smugglers Cove.
The history of Smugglers Cove is a fascinating tale.
The many coves and vistas, look a bit the same when you are trying to caption photos.
In this neighbourhood the homes were built up high for a view of the ocean.
That afternoon we toured through Secret Cove, Rockwater and the Francis Peninsula. At Bakers Beach we found Nancy’s house across the cove. At least we thought we did.
We shopped for supplies at Madeira Park. Back at Nancy’s there was a whale sighting in the vicinity. But unfortunately, it was not visible to us.
We sat down to another delicious supper with D at the barbeque (and then were drawn into watching the Vice President debate).
That morning, this picture was taken looking north. The rising sun was reflected in the clouds.
We had to go fill up on water, so we stopped and a couple of Nancy’s friends in the area.
This was an aerial pic of the area with distances to various spots including Egmont were D and the guys were hiking that day.
Their destination on foot from Egmont were the Skookumchuk Rapids. Here, hikers can embark on a popular trail to the fastest moving salt water rapids in North America which reverse direction in the narrows. D said the hike was an adventure, let alone seeing the swirling waters of the rapids.
Meanwhile, Nancy and I were scooting through the forest on her trusty gator.
Nancy gave me permission to help with some of the fall garden clean up.
Our first stop was the Little House where a beautiful cove is located on the east side of the property.
I enjoyed another glimpse into the Love Shack where I would dearly love to stay sometime.
We also stopped on the property to see where a wedding was once held.
The drift wood along this area, is on a scale I have never seen before.
Wouldn’t you love this to be your kitchen view?
The long rays of the autumn sun.
From this vantage point, I would often have an afternoon nap while at Pender.
That evening we ventured out for a delicious dinner at the Ruby Lake Resort Restaurant where Joni Mitchell who resides in the neighbourhood, likes to dine. The resort is a popular destination in Madeira Park, check out their website for menus and more information about the resort. Ruby Lake Resort – Sunshine Coast in British Columbia
We started with a satisfying bruschetta made with their own garden tomatoes and a balsamic reduction.
D and I shared this lovely burrata appetizer,
and then this fabulous seafood and pasta special. The mussels were lovely and briny and the most humungous ones I had ever eaten.
Another perfect day with beautiful food, gorgeous surroundings and fascinating people.
Kath’s quote: “Travel makes one modest. You see what a tiny place you occupy in the world.” – Gustav Flaubert
I had wondered how I would sleep that first night. The answer? Like a baby.
The view from our bed.
I was still exploring all the details of Nancy’s place. There were well placed vignettes everywhere. And the craftsmanship of the infrastructure was perfect. Check out these stone steps.
Nancy escorted us to Sechelt and the Botanical Gardens. Here is an excerpt from the Sunshine Coast Travel Guide: “Flanked on both sides by the ocean, its the perfect launching pad for boating and paddling to surrounding fjords including Narrows, Salmon and Sechelt Inlets. Neighbourhoods like Davis Bay, Sandy Hook and Tuwanek offer access to tranquil beaches, parks and trails or you can head downtown to visit shops and restaurants”.
There was a bumper crop of apples at Bricker Cidery. A place we stopped for refreshment. Check out their website for their origins and ongoing story. https://brickerscider.com/
The annuals at Beckers were still blooming their heads off.
D and Nance each had a flight and I really enjoyed the Earl Grey Cider.
We were hungry for lunch but didn’t want to spoil our dinner, so we enjoyed a delicious snack lunch including vegan cheeses (that we had purchased at the Sechelt Farmer’s Market) and truffle potato chips!
By this time we were joined by Nancy’s brother and friend. D was making us all barbeque pork chops for supper and the day was another balmy one. So we lingered outside on the deck enjoying an exquisite sunset and the perfect location. The sunset was more and more beautiful.
D bonded with the guys and we had a wonderful time around the table with new friends.
Kaths quote: “The great thing about new friends is that they bring new energy to your soul.” ― Shanna Rodriguez
We are in the midst of an experiment. D is still going to be working for another couple of years and because this is a new company for him, he only gets 3 weeks holiday when previously we had gotten used to many more weeks than that. He spends one week doing humanitarian work in a northern community and his remaining two weeks with me in Isla Mujeres. So come the fall, he has not been on vacation for nine months and he is itching for a break.
In the mean time, the city of Winnipeg has recently changed the bi-laws surrounding Air BnBs and we have hit the maximum number of weeks that we can rent out our home and still have it be our principal residence. So, since we enjoy residing at the lake so much and our city house would sit empty, D has us participating in a Home Exchange program. This summer, two families from BC have stayed at our home in the Winnipeg and we are now in BC to stay in theirs. In addition, my friend Nancy who I have known for decades once asked me to visit her at her ocean side home at Pernder on the Sunshine Coast. Since D can work from anywhere in Canada, he is currently at work in a second house on this breathtaking property.
D has had this time booked since Mother’s Day when he acted on a West Jet ticket sale. We flew to Vancouver on a Thursday evening. Even with the gain in time of a couple of hours, it was late when we arrived at our Richmond Air BnB that night. The next morning D was at work by 8:30 Winnipeg time which was 6:30 Pacific Time. He had to work until 2 Winnipeg time that day and that is when Nancy came to fetch us to accompany us up to the Sunshine Coast.
We had been to Vancouver on numerous occasions as it was Head Office for both the businesses that D and I worked for. But we could not believe the change in the downtown skyline. Chock full of high rises with cranes everywhere indicating even more building.
Once we had crossed the iconic Lion’s Gate Bridge, we toured West Vancouver where Nancy grew up, stopping for a moment under the bridge. I found out as a result of posting a picture of the bridge on Facebook, that one of my grandfather’s had worked on the bridge. Small world.
The vistas of West Vancouver were familiar to me and I realized that I had participated in an Aids Walk in the neighborhood many years previous. In fact, Daughter #1 now almost 40 years old, had been with me as a 6 or 7 year old.
Nancy, who makes the trip to the Sunshine Coast often, was clever enough to make a ferry reservation for us. Being the Friday before a long weekend the ferry and harbour were very busy. What a lovely way to travel though.
Landing in Gibson’s Harbour, that too was familiar to us. We had just started watching a weekly TV show called “Murder in a Small Town” that had been filmed in the area (in fact we will watch it again this evening).
We stopped in Seschelt for groceries and libations and continued on our way. Once we drove onto Nancy’s property I was blown away by the natural beauty of the forest.
We stopped for a couple of minutes at the first house that had been built on the property.
There was a sheer drop from the trees to the ocean.
The view from inside or outside of the “Small” house was sublime
As we approached the “Big” House, I understood the luxuriousness of our anticipated stay.
This was the beautiful room that Nancy assigned to us
with this amazing view.
The weather was glorious on our arrival day, so we enjoyed the wrap around deck and the views (and in my case), a chilled glass of Prosecco!
The trees against the pastel sky were a perfect way to cap off our day.
We knew that these water formations were an indication of some kid of activity. We didn’t specifically know what had made them though.
The table was set for a delicious feed of shrimp and capers with ziti, washed down beautifully with the prosecco. What an amazing and wonderful day!
Kath’s quote: “A holiday is an opportunity to journey within“.-Probhas
D had to work that day and it rained in the morning, so the day had a very lazy feel for Nancy and I.
While I made supper, the evening clouds were spectacular so I ran back and forth to deck to try to capture their splendour.
The next day started in Pender. It was hard to say good bye to such a serene, majestic place. Nancy was an amazing host.
We stopped en route to the ferry at Persefone Brewing. D was thrilled to finally check out their offerings.
The weather was so warm that we basked in the sun while waiting for the ferry.
We had a choice spot on the ferry and I really enjoyed the crossing. Upon docking, we travelled through the city from north to south and checked into a brand new Air BnB at Crescent Beach.
It is customary for an Air BnB host to leave a little treat for the guests. This was waiting for us. (At home in Winnipeg we leave a beer selection from Little Brown Jug). It is fun to tell our guests that our son brewed the beer!
Our studio was in a converted garage, called a coach house. It was brand new. Only 2 sets of guests had stayed there before us. Everything was freshly appointed (but there were a couple of glitches that needed to be tweaked). We know from our years as Air BnB hosts that a white couch, white towels, white bedding and white carpets are beautiful but not practical. As well, and I admit that I am vertically challenged but the shelves in the kitchen were too high, mirrors were hung too high and I could reach the shower hose. But we loved the location and our host was very gracious.
We were too late for sunset but we enjoyed a relaxing stroll along the shore of Crescent Beach. I had visited Nancy on previous occasions at her cottage/house at the beach. Many years ago the beach was an opportunity for cottagers to escape from the city with just a short drive. Now a days there are many permanent residences in quaint (and in some cases-spectacular homes) in the neighbourhood hugging the shore. The delightful community and beach is now a popular day tripping spot.
Kath’s quote: “It’s not the destination, it’s the journey” is a quote famously attributed to Ralph Waldo Emerson. This so true when traveling around the BC’s lower mainland. D pointed out that the saying doesn’t necessarily hold true driving from Winnipeg to Brandon.