Island Life

We just returned from a wonderful vacation on Vancouver Island. It was a great way to end the summer and it got us really excited about the prospect of living there next Spring. It has been over 10 years since I have lived on the island, but I can't help but feel like I am home the minute the ferry pulls into the harbour. The pace of island life is slower, more relaxed and everything is kissed with the salty ocean air. I LOOOOOVE a market called Combs, which is known for the goats that live on the roof, the beaches in Tofino and Victoria, cathedral grove, the raw, rugged coast,Sointula, the camping spots along upper Campbell lake where I spent much of my childhood, camp homewood on Quadra island,Coombs market, Esperanza.... I could go on and on.

Initially I had reservations about the trip, as the mere thought of spending sixteen plus hours in a vehicle with two small children is enough to give me a panic attack, but we decided to travel at night and the trip was virtually painless. Our girls slept 90% of the time and Nate survived on red bull, coffee and bags of sunflower seeds. Our first stop was in Sointula, which is an island off the northern part of Vancouver Island. We have some great friends who were vacationing there for the summer and it was wonderful to reconnect with them for a couple of days. We spent a great deal of time on the beach, ate fish n chips, took leisurely walks, marveled at each other's recent offspring, went fishing, got stranded in a boat, watched whales (I SAW MY FIRST KILLER WHALE!!!!!!), and chatted away the hours. It was blissful!






We spent our remaining days catching up with Nathaniel's family in Port Hardly. We hadn't seen them since Nathaniel's graduation from depo and we owed them a visit. Amelia was only nine month old the last time she met her grandma and gram pa and it was special watching her get to know them. Nathaniel's mom was thrilled to finally met our little Claire. We got a chance to visit Nathaniel's sisters, get Amelia's hair cut at a salon, eat ice cream, go swimming, look for glass beads on the beach, pick loads of blackberries, huckleberries and thumbleberries, eat out, enjoy the ferry, hold crabs, and do some trail running. I feel rested, refreshed and now I need to tackle the laundry. Love Jocelyn