Our Little Getaway

Keith's sister moved to the Island just over a year ago and we had been meaning to visit for some time. We finally were able to nail down a date that suited us both and headed over for a short and sweet three day visit.

Our journey began with a most chilly ferry ride. It was not tolerable on the deck for more than a few minutes and we couldn't believe our eyes to see it snowing on the ride over! We certainly hadn't packed our winter gear.

Suzanne's boyfriend Tyler is in the military so they live in this super cute PMQ. I've learned the lingo....Permanent Military Quarters. It's perfect for two people....and six was a squeeze. Tyler is in training in Comox during the week so it could have been even more squishy if he had been home. It was cozy enough with us, Suzanne, the two dogs and cat!

Their house backs onto the neighborhood playground which was perfect for the boys.

Our first stop after settling in was to go see Fort Rodd Hill. Keith stayed back with Liam for naptime. The sun looks deceptively warm...it was COLD! This national historic site was really very intersting and had loads of great stuff for the boys. We were the only people in the park that afternoon!

The boys had great fun with all the military guns and whatnot. It's a young boy's paradise.

I really enjoyed the historical aspect of the fort. Lots of 'old' buildings (old for Canada anyhow!) and interesting history and displays.

Fisgard Lighthouse was beautiful in the setting sunlight.

The next morning, Suzanne had to go to work (she's a pilates instructor) so we set off to downtown Victoria. There wasn't a soul in sight....a deserted town. My guess would be the extrememly cold and biting wind that was making me want to weep. Seriously...COLD! I couldn't even open my eyes for this photo as that would mean losing body heat from my eyeballs :)

We took refuge in the Parliament Buildings. It's very beautiful in there and it brought back memories of my grade school fieldtrip.

Afterwards we walked all through Beacon Hill Park. It's a beautiful place with trails, paths, ponds and all the geese and ducks you would ever want to see. The flowers were bright and the trees blooming. It LOOKED like spring but felt like the dead of winter. I was too cold to even take my camera out to take pictures.

Then we headed down to the Harbour which was pretty devoid of human life.

Our parking meter ran out around lunch time so we headed back to Colwood and had some lunch. By the time we got back to the house, Suzanne was home. It was my turn to stay home with napping Liam while the rest of them took a nice walk to the Royal Roads University grounds which is very close to their house.

After the gang got back from their trek, it was time to pack up and head over to my cousin's house for dinner. It just so happens that I have two cousins and an aunt and uncle on the Island as well. It was so great to see them!!!


My cousin Christa just moved into this brand new home. It's beautiful! She made us a wonderful Greek meal that was so tasty.

It was also a celebration of my aunt's birthday. This was a divine lemon merguine cake. I can assure you it was as tasty as it looks.

My cousins and I. Stephanie on the left and Christa on the right.




On our third and final day the sun was shining brightly and there wasn't a nasty bite to the temperature. It was a beautiful day! After a great breakfast of French Toast made with cinnamon swirl bread (yummy!) we packed up and headed to the beach. I just LOVE walking on the beach and breathing that crisp, clean air is so invigorating.

The boys loved chasing waves, searching for treasures, throwing rocks, and walking in the driftwood. It's really a perfect playground.

After our walk, Suzanne had to head to work. We went back to the house and packed up for our trip home. We sure appreciated our free accomodations...thanks Suz!!!

We had a bit of time to spare before our ferry so we found a great park in Sidney that was right on the ocean. The playground was extensive and had something for every age. The wind had picked up though and the temperate again was painfully cold. We only lasted about 30 minutes and then went back to the car to thaw out. We decided that sitting in a line up in a warm car for the ferry was preferably to being outside anymore!

The voyage home was uneventful. We found a very quiet back hallway in the ship where Liam just ran up and down to his heart's content. We were back on the mainland before we knew it and headed home. It was a nice trip with plenty of wonderful memories to look back on.