I have one of those washable Ruggable rugs in my kitchen. Because it’s doing its job (and very well, I might add), I need to throw it into the washing machine from time to time. It always comes out beautiful. So beautiful in fact, that someone needs to claim it before I can completely unroll it onto the grippy undermat.
And I thought cats were the only ones to pull this kinda shit do this sort of thing…
Rock on,
The WB
As mentioned previously, Joanne and I were invited to partake in a 3 day/2 night ocean kayaking trip by Jude. This happened the first weekend in August and we had a blast! Other than us 3 (who knew each other through blogging and are now fast friends), there were 5 others on the trip – all friends of Jude, who knew her from her academic life. Those folks, and our two fabulous guides made a contingent of 10 kayakers on this adventure.
Captain Gary dropped us, the kayaks and all of our gear off at Moon Snail Beach on Dodd Island.
And I wasn’t home too many days before this happened. Many thanks to our guide Jeff for giving me great advice on what type of sea kayak to look into.
I hope you enjoyed coming along for the ride on this fabulous adventure of mine (and Joanne’s and Jude’s). It was challenging and thrilling and contemplative and awe-inspiring and, and, and….it was a wonderful experience that I feel so grateful and privileged to have been a part of.
Rock on,
The WB
It all started last January, when Jude casually mentioned in a Zoom call that she was booking a 3 day/2 night ocean kayaking trip in the Broken Islands for August with some friends and would I like to join their party? WOULD I?!? Is the Pope Catholic? Do bears poop in the woods? And most importantly: is it OK if I ask Joanne if she wants to join us?
The answer to all of the above was a resounding YES! (And a resounding HELL YES! came from Joanne as well 🤭.) Who immediately started researching flights to the island.
We had to be at Majestic’s headquarters in Ucluelet the night before, to get sized for our wetsuits and lifejackets so that meant booking an overnight stay in town.
Actually, we could not find a hotel, resort, AirBnB etc., that would allow us to book only one night so we had no other choice but to book for 3 nights at the Black Rock Resort. As one does.
It was quite the hardship 😉, but we screwed up our courage and made the best of it (including starting our visit with a trip to the Drift Spa, visiting the Ucluelet Aquarium, noshing at the iconic Tacofino, AND enjoying the most delightful restaurant meal I’ve ever experienced at Pluvio). Making lemonade out of lemons, ya know? 😜
We made friends with the locals:
And then (in a heartbeat, or so it seemed), our time at the resort was over…and we were departing for the Broken Islands.
To be continued…
Rock on,
The WB
This past week brought high temperatures to our usually moderate coastal climate. But it didn’t stop us from heading to the creek for some fun and exploration…we adjusted our schedule to leave the house even earlier, before the sun got too high in the sky.
And I made sure we spent a lot of time cooling off by trudging through what remains of the creek.
Bowser’s mommy sent me this shot of Bowser, post-walk 🤣. Same girl, same 😉
The following day: rinse and repeat!
What a life!
We hope you stay cool, explore and relax this weekend.
Rock on,
The WB
Mommy plays with my hair.
I think it’s weird but it’s Mommy and I love her, so OK…I guess?
Send help. Please.
Rock on,
The Bowz 🐾
Bowser here. Oma is away again on another of her vacations. Mommy says she is on the west coast of the island, doing some broken kayaking….no, wait…kayaking around the Broken Islands.
So I am a bit lonely for her. But I have the rest of my pack taking me on adventures (take that, Oma!) so that is helping a lot.
I hope you are helping your pack out this weekend.
Rock on,
The Bowz 🐾
p.s. Mommy says Oma probably doesn’t have internet or even cell coverage (whatever those things are) where she is, so she won’t be able to reply to any comments for a couple of days.
🎵Summertime….and the living is easy BUSY🎵
All of this stuff is happening around Chez Badass, all at the same time. The weather has been hot and super sunny, the garden is going gangbusters, the grandkids are here, nature is calling, the wild berries are ripening, AND I am undergoing some long awaited renovations (of my 2nd bathroom and my entryway). Whew!
What’s a gal to do, with all this mayhem happening ALL at the same time? Turn to the pantry (or in this case, her daughter’s pantry 😉), that’s what to do!
I had some long-suffering frozen shrimp thawing in the fridge and we combined that with a jar of sauce, some frozen mango chunks, chopped onions, and these babies:
So that’s it for me, for this month! Please join my co-host Donna (she lost the golf game but won at dinner!) and me in sharing what’s been on your plate lately!
Here’s the Link Party deets if you care to join the party that way:
Otherwise, I hope to see you in the Comments!
Rock on,
The WB
Mommy just told me that Oma is going away again.
Also, luckily I am a dog. So I have already forgotten to be sad because I live in the moment!
I hope you are living in the moment too.
Rock on,
The Bowz 🐾
Rock on,
The WB
It’s been very hot and dry here and the family has been walking to the ever-shrinking creek nearby, to cool off. When Bowzer’s daddy and siblings are involved, there will be critters found!
First up – a froggy friend getting a ride on Daddy’s shoulder:
Next up: a crayfish was found (and quickly released).
Bowser got brave and worked on his swimming skills (not his favourite activity, but needs must at times 😉). We were all very excited to see him actually swim in case you couldn’t figure that out 😂:
We went to our favourite tree, dubbed the Magic Tree. It seems a bit other-worldly, with all those exposed roots in the water. So many little fish love to hide and swim among these roots:
Bowser loves climbing on this tree to better watch all the water shenanigans.
Although Bowser is not a fan of swimming per se, he loves exploring the shallower parts of the creek.
Here he is, crossing the creek where it is shallow enough he doesn’t have to swim (always his first choice!):
We eventually made our way back home again, but it didn’t mean the critter fest stopped. Bowser’s big brother (henceforth to be known as The Snake Whisperer) found the most beautiful little snake in my garden. Who was quite content to wrap him/herself around his hand and observe us all. The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree – just saying!
All this exploring and critter-talk makes a body tired:
We hope you have some fun this weekend, and also take time to rest.
Rock on,
The WB
