Goats, going gourmet, great company and tired grins

Path from cabin to beach

I'm afraid I can't tell you that I won't bore you with talk of food again in this post today as it did play a pleasant part of Tuesday and Wednesday of our trip.

 Monday was laid back, I got up early to watch the day break over the ocean, I loved how the colors changed from a monochromatic black/grey/white, gradually shifted to pastel hues of  blue, pink and lilac and then progressed to full fledged vibrant colors of the new day. This never became boring and was made more pleasant by a warm quilt wrapped around me, a crackling fire built by Rod and hot coffee, also 'built' and served by Rod. After lunch we made our way down to our beachfront and enjoyed exploring; while I had my afternoon nap Rod ventured into Sooke to check it out and reconnect with the world. We didn't have cell coverage or internet and I think he was going through a little bit of withdrawal. Evening found us watching one of the old videos with the fire crackling in the background.

View of beach from path

 Tuesday we both ventured into Sooke. There was a nice walking path in Whipplespit Park right on the beach and we stopped at Sooke Harbour House and made reservations for Friday evening on our way back up to the main road. For lunch, we looked for the restaurant with the most vehicles around it and weren't disappointed in our choice. On the way back to the cottage we stopped at French Beach Provincial Park, explored different hiking paths and just sat for a while looking at the ocean and reading. Very relaxing.

Whipplespit Beach

Wednesday was one of the highlights of the trip for me. I belong to a breast cancer forum and there is a lovely group of ladies I connect with regularly on the 2012 Sisters thread of the forum. One of my favorites on the thread is a lady whose online name is Liefie, after a favorite cat. Liefie means 'little darling'. We had discovered we were both Canadians and one of Liefie's sons lives in Calgary. When plans were made for us to go to Vancouver Island Liefie said we had to meet. While in Sooke on Tuesday I checked the forum and there was a private message from her, giving me her phone number so we could firm up our plans. She suggested that we might like to meet in Port Alberni in order to also take in Cameron Lake, the Cathedral Forest and the town of Coombs. It was a great suggestion and we were provided with a very scenic and interesting trip.

French Beach Provincial Park

We met Liefie and her husband at the Tim Horton's in Port Alberni. I'm not sure how many people remember the commercial a while back for Tim's where two guys drove across Canada visiting Tim Horton's. The Port Alberni Tim Horton's was featured in this commercial so it was neat to visit it ourselves. As they walked in, Rod and I both said to each other that this must be Liefie and her husband and it seems that they thought the same, there was immediate recognition on their parts and it was like meeting with old friends. Liefie and I exchanged a wonderful hug to start things off and then we all sat down and talked ... and talked. Liefie's husband was so generous to take time from his work to come and visit. He and Rod shared about their experiences as husbands of women going through breast cancer treatment, while Liefie and I caught up on that plus each other's families, how she and her husband met and how they came to be in Port Alberni. She also caught me up a bit on happenings on the forum so I didn't get too far behind on the 'going's on' of our regulars like Tazzy, Ramols, jpmomof 3, Juneaubug, Scorchy and many others.

Goats on the Roof store in Coombs

At the end of our visit, she very kindly posed for a picture with me and then produced a box of food items that were carefully chosen from the 'Goats on the Roof' store in Coombs. Crackers, cheeses, candied salmon and specialty potato chips were all packed inside and sent along with us with a promise to contact us when they come to Calgary again.

The box of goodies was enough of a teaser for us to make sure we did visit the store on our way back. There really are goats on the roof and they graced us by coming out of their shelter and posing for a few pictures. We bought the horseradish here that caused the problems with airport security going home, as well as a few other items that looked interesting.

Arbour leading to entrance of Mahle House Restaurant

Next stop was Nanaimo and the Mahle House Restaurant, highly recommended by our friends Kelvin and Jane after their visit earlier this year. We were not disappointed. First, though, it was naptime in the parking lot. I slept for an hour, then transformed into Natalie. The meal we ordered is featured on Wednesday evenings and is called 'the Adventurer'. It consists of six courses with a guarantee that for a party of four people, no two people will be served the same item for each course. It was a wonderful way to try out a good variety of the restaurant's offerings, everything was delicious and well presented. I was rapidly fading by the end of the two hour meal so it was a quiet ride back to the cabin, I spent the time reviewing my day, which put a big smile on my face.

Take care everyone.