Last Day :)

Well.. it's my last day of work for a few weeks. It feels so good to say that! I have about 2 1/2 hours left here, and I am just doing my best to get everything done, although I have to say... my motivation level is currently circling the drain. It's going to be a long afternoon/evening as I'll be hanging out all alone at the airport after I get dropped off. It's hard to play the tacky tourist game, or the international spy game by yourself. I'll probably just sit and read, or go to the bookstore and read in there. I think for me, that is the worst part about vacation - especially when travelling alone. The waiting to get on the plane, the waiting to get somewhere. As much as I enjoy flying, I'd rather just get there! Hopefully I'll be able to sleep tonight on the plane - it's always a crapshoot whether or not I'll catch some zzzz's.
Anyways - adios, syanara, goodbye! See you in a few :)

Time is Running Out

Well, well, well... It's Thursday, and in 8 sleeps from now, I'll be on a plane on my last vacation of the year. I'm heading to London to visit the Queen! Okay, so I probably won't run into Her Majesty while I'm there, but there will lots of other sights for me to see. I am meeting up with my friend Jennifer who currently lives in London. We'll have 1 day in London together before we head east. She and I are taking a trip together to Italy. I'm sooooo excited! I've never been to Italy before. We are going to Florence and Rome, and will probably do a day trip to Siena and to San Gignalmo, which are just slightly south of Florence. We are going to spend 9 beautiful days in Italy - eating, drinking, and taking it all in. I'm pretty sure that I'm not going to want to come home after this one. After Italy - we are heading back to London when I will spend just shy of a week visiting with hopefully a few other friends I've met through the ages, and seeing the sights. There are a few places I've been to in London, and quite a few I haven't and I intend to see them all. I haven't seen Jennifer since she was here at Christmas and I think it will be great to spend some quality time with her. I'm also hoping that my friend Trina who is also from Vancouver and currently residing in the UK will come down for the last weekend that I am in London. I am also hoping to catch a rugby game that my friend (so, we've never met, but he comes highly recommended by my friend James in Australia) Phil will be playing in, which will also hopefully result in a very messy night out on the town. I've also written to 2 other seriously cool people who live in Scotland, and I'm hoping to have a pint with them as well. I just need to make it through the next 6 working days, and this weekend. I have a rather large list of things I NEED to sort out here before I take off and as each day goes by, my list appears to get LONGER and LONGER! It's frightening! Saturday alone is a crazy day - car appt, nail appt, hair appt, 2 birthday parties... I think that if I sit down at all that day - I'll never get up!

Phew - I get tired just thinking about it all... I promise that I will try and post while I'm abroad - probably not photos, but if I can get on and at least share my thoughts... I will :)

Wish me luck!

Other Assorted Beastie News

So, I took these photos in February. I was hanging out one night, minding my own business, when I heard the most awful noises coming from outside. So, being the curious sort of cat that I am, I went to the window to investigate. Wouldn't you know it, 2 raccoons outside my window - gettin' it ON! I'm not sure that she was overly pleased at the situation, but well.. there wasn't much she could do about it at the time. I knew that they were going to have babies - and I finally saw them tonight - there are 4! They came trundling up the stairs in my backyard while I was outside on the phone, again, minding my own business... We have babies!

My Cat Hates You

Every so often I go to www.mycathatesyou.com to see if the photo of my little baddass is up on the site yet. Guess what! He's there! I'm such a proud mama :) If you want to see him, go to www.mycathatesyou.com/cats/id/3744.

Savi and Angila get married

Savi, Angila and me at their wedding. It was a beautiful day, and a fascinating, yet long, ceremony. I'd never seen a traditional Hindu wedding before, I'm so happy that it was Savi's that I got to see first. I've known Savi since childhood, and I've never seen him happier than when he is with Angila. She is a beautiful soul, and a perfect match for Savi.

Newly Married

Savi and Angila - newly married. She looks like a princess!

Here comes the bride

The ceremony begins
Bride and Groom meet for the first time
Waiting for Angila - her parents walk her down the aisle to Savi

Setting the stage

This is where the ceremoy takes place for Savi and Angila's traditional Hindu wedding ceremony. 2 seats for the bride and groom to sit on, and a sacrificial fire which they will make offerings to.

Ah Tofino

So - this is a photo of my sister lying in a hospital bed at the Tofino General Hospital. She'll probably kill me for putting this one of her up on here, oh well. Those are the risks I take for art.

Well... the 4 of us girls (Shannen, Mariana, Bettina and I) left for Tofino on Friday morning, June 23. The day started off well, we found Mariana's new house, we got on the 10:30 ferry (without a reservation) and the weather was stunning! It was a long day of driving, but we managed to make it to the Ocean Village Beach Resort. It reminded us of Kellermans (from Dirty Dancing). It was very "quaint" with basically 1 room to sleep 4 girls. There was a kitchen and a bathroom, and a patio overlooking the ocean. Beautiful! I'm ready to relax for the weekend while the girls go out and be active and learn to surf.

We had fresh crab Saturday night for dinner (killed out front by the crab guy), and lots of beer and good laughs. I'd gone to see the girls playing in the ocean that afternoon after my nice quiet walk along the beach - just myself and a camera - trying to lure out the artistic creature that I'm sure lives somewhere DEEP inside. I took some photos of them, for them, and then promptly fell asleep on the beach. Shannen and Mariana went into town in search of "a pot" and Bettina and I headed back to lie on the beach out front of Kellermans. I however neglected to put sunscreen on "the legs that never tan" and guess what! They burned.... pinky pink and very toasty.

Sunday I was supposed to head back to the mainland :( It was a little sad, I really didn't want to leave this little slice of heaven that I'd found. The girls left early for some more surfing, and after a few cups of coffee and a few smokes on the patio, I was off. I'd promised Mariana I would exchange a shirt she'd bought in the village, and that I would bring reinforcements and refreshments to the girls, and take some more photos for them. After parking for about 5 minutes, probably less, I got back in my car... and wouldn't ya know it .... it wouldn't start. Panic set in. I was supposed to be back at work on Monday... tomorrow.... the busiest day of the month for us at work... CRAP. After explaining to "christine" on the phone with BCAA Roadside Assistance the "gravity of my situation" the call was put in to get me a tow truck. I waited close to 5 hours, and never actually saw the tow truck - I did however have a very interesting conversation with the fellow at the tow truck place that went something like this:

Him: "I think that's the driver on the other line, can you hold for a sec?"

Me: "Sure"

(now at this point, he simply held the phone away from his mouth while he talked to the driver, so I could hear every word of his conversation which went something like this:)

Him: "Where are you? ..... "What's going on?" ... "Can you drive it?" .... "The WHEELS?????"

(at this point, my head is in my hands and i'm ready to cry - I seriously, can not believe this!)

Him: "The front axle is gone?".... "Where are you again?".... "Well, no, you can't FUCKING drive it like that!"

This goes on for another minute or so before he comes back to me. I attempt to tear a strip off of him, I'm tired, I'm cranky, I've been sitting here in the park for about 5 hours, and by now, I really WANT a drink. Evenutally, we sort it out - he's got to come and get the towtruck that has broken down and my car and he has to drive them back to Port Alberni (2 hours away on a really narrow windy road) to deliver my car to Harborside Ford in Port Alberni so they can fix it.

Sunday night - I got drunk. Shannen and I went out for some sister time, and to take some photos - mine are all crooked, Shannen's look great! We found a little art glass store, with a slightly crazy owner/artist. It was the ONLY place open on Sunday night (go figure). Shannen and Bettina went to bed early (they were going to surf one last time on monday morning) so Mariana and I continued to drink on the patio - we ended up going for a drunken walk on the beach around midnight (it all started when she dropped her pipe off the balcona country). That was pretty entertaining, it's hard to be quiet when you're hammered.

Monday morning I drive the girls up to Longbeach and then head back to the cabin for the final pack/clean adventure. Mostly, my adventure is trying to wake up Mariana. I get her up just as I head out the door to get the girls. Back down to Longbeach I go. I see Bettina and she asks me if I've heard her message (???). Nope, but then I spot my sister and she's holding her head in a funny way - like she maybe banged it against her surfboard and is now bleeding all over the place funny way. Yup, she's off to Tofino General Hospital for some rather reluctant stitching up. She's a brave girl - she did the stitches all on her own while Mariana, Bettina and I sorted out the cottage, the gear, and the coffee. 4 stitches later - we were on the road. A little later than expected but I'm already a day late for work so what does it matter at this point? A great lunch at a little off the road trailer called SOBO, a crowded ride back up to the Harborside Ford in Port Alberni where I got a really clean, and now working car, then one last trip into Coombs to say farewell to the goats and we were on our way home.

Coombs and Goats on the Roof

I love Coombs. It is one of my favorite places to visit. It's tiny, they have a beautiful market with food and trinkets and goats on the roof. One could get lost in the market for hours, picking up cheap bargains and fresh organic food. It is located about 6 kms outside of Parksville on Vancouver Island, and if you've never been, I suggest that you make a trip to go immediately.

Photos from Tofino

The Beach Bar

Glorious Sunsets

At Kellerman's....

Our cozy little cabin for 3 nights in Tofino - it reminded us of Kellerman's from Dirty Dancing. The view was great, and it was a short walk down to the beach.

A walk on the beach

Along the Beach

Surfer Girls

Surf's Definitely Up!

I thought I liked guys in Uniform - I also really like guys in wetsuits with surfboards and tans!

Surf's Up!

Bettina taking a rest after a hard morning of surfing at Longbeach just outside of Tofino.
Shannen and Mariana
The girls and their boards :)

Tony Orlando (without Dawn)

Another old guy who can still put on an awesome show! This was probably my favorite concert at the PNE this summer. His band, which he showcased a lot more than most artists, was incredible. He also had Toni Wine on the keyboards - she was responsible for writing "Groovy kind of love" for Phil Collins, and the "meow mix" commercial. The Lefty Brothers, Kerry and Tracy Cole, with Michael Jackson (yes, his real name) on the drums were also wicked - Kerry has the most incredible voice, and can do Willie Nelson, Johnny Cash, and Led Zeppelin. Best show I've seen in a long time!

Ache Brasil

Back to the PNE for Ache Brasil - an amazing Brazilian band. They play great music, and the get the crowd pumped with dancing, and drumming, and capoiera - brazilian martial art.

Jeff Healy and his Jazz Wizards

Another great night at the PNE - Jeff Healy (good Canadian boy) and his Jazz Wizards. They played a mix of jazz, blues and dixieland jazz that was phenomenal!