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| Pulling out of Tsawwassen ferry terminal headed for Nanaimo, the first of three ferry rides in as many days. I took a lot of photos and videos on the ferries, and at some point I hope to put together a montage of some of them. |
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| When I was between the ages 2 and 4, our family lived in Nanaimo. This was the second of two houses we lived in there. Friend Debbie helped me navigate around Nanaimo to find it, and also acted as a guide during my visit. We had known each other at Concordia College a few years back, so it was a good chance to get caught up. |
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| My brother Mark and I at the Bastion in Nanaimo, at its old location. Probably taken sometime in '63 or '64. |
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| Me at the Bastion in its new location, with the "Old Jail" door now below ground for some reason. |
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| The entire Bastion. |
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| Preparing to fire the noon cannon. Video coming soon! |
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| Younger brother Mark and I desperately trying to hold up a totem pole. They're prone to falling over... |
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| ...as you can see here. Actually, this is the traditional way west coast First Nations retire old poles: they are laid in the forest and allowed to naturally decompose and return to nature. I had hoped to find the one my brother and I were holding up, but no such luck. |
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| Down the road a bit from Nanaimo, the theatre in Chemainus. I was in one of two shows that opened the theatre 20 years ago. |
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| Victoria, of course. Debbie and I considered having tea here, but decided our budgets were better used elsewhere. |
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| Besides, there are plenty of free things to do in Victoria, like look at the waterfront... |
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| ...and the BC Legislature, both by day... |
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| ...and by night. This was taken after attending a guided tour of haunted Victoria, and catching a local up-and-coming band called the Capitol City Syncopators. |
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| After bidding a fond farewell to Vancouver Island and to Debbie, it was on to the Sunshine Coast to visit with Paul and Kathy Wagler. The first stop after getting off the ferry was at Gibsons, where I got a chance to make a quick visit to Molly's Reach, a restaurant familiar to anyone who watched The Beachcombers. |
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| The restaurant's interior wasn't used during the series, but it's now filled with memorabilia, like this costume worn by Robert Clothier who played Relic. |
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| After some more sightseeing around Roberts Creek and area, we arrived at Paul and Kathy's little cottage, Blackberry Abbey. Cozy, isn't it? The Waglers are gracious hosts to many visitors, retreat participants, and others throughout the year. |
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| Shiraz, the official greeter at the Abbey. Didn't bark at me once, but smiled a lot. |
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| The Waglers grow a lot of their own produce, including figs. These are just approaching ripeness, and as long as the local wildlife doesn't get to them first, they'll become... |
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| ...part of the repast at the Abbey. If you'd like to see more pictures and read some of Paul's musings on a lifetime of experience, head over to his blog. |
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| Today was much quieter, but still filled with visits with friends in Vancouver. I saw Erin again at lunch, this time with fellow former cast member from "Tony 'N' Tina's Wedding", Francis, at Central City Brewing Company. Dinner, depicted above (at least part of it) was with Louis. He had recently returned from living in Brazil, so I asked him to recommend a place with Brazilian food; he took me to Boteco Brasil. I've forgotten the names of what I had (Louis, help?) but these are light crispy pastry pockets filled with your choice of ground meat or cheese... |
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| ...and this is the Brazilian "comfort food". The plate on the left comes to you with farinha (fine wheat crumbs, the Brazilians are very keen on contrasting textures), a very light salsa, and rice. The pot at left is filled with cooked and partly pureed beans, with meat chunks. Ladle right and left ingredients on rice and eat until full. A very tasty introduction to Brasilia! |