Official ending of Summer

I have been spending a most spectaular week on Vancouver Island. The weather is better than Calgary saw all summer long. It is a fabulous place to be when the sun is shining but I know it does not stay this way all winter long. Kathryn and Kevin's new place is so luxurious it truly is like staying at a spa. I have a queen size bed with an ensuite and there is a fireplace in the room. Haven't needed to put in on but it looks good. They are in the midst of painting the place in the same colours that the townhouse in Tuscany was painted in. It feels like their home again. The rest of the units are selling slowly, another one sold yesterday. It is a prime location to be downtown and once the bus depot leaves their current location just down the street I am sure they will sell quickly. Kevin and I walked over to the Thrifty store to pick up the fixin's for dinner last night. Took us 45 minutes to get there and back again. Found a McGavin bread store a 5 minute walk away. We also went for a morning stroll along Millstream river and through Bowen Park. It is truly a fantastic location. If they do get a kayak they have access to the the waterway that goes out into the harbour. I am happy for them to see them in such a great place to live.

I do feel the dampness here even though the weather is fabulous. Being this close to the ocean is beautiful but I always miss a dry climate. My bones are achey I had to break down and take an Aleve this morning. My hands feel stiff and sore as I type. Also I feel it deep in my lungs. I never feel as if I can take a deep breath and not start to cough. As much as I love it out here I don't know if my body would ever adjust to it. I would have to rent a place before I would consider a retirement move out here. Too bad because I love the way they live out here. It is so laid back and relaxed in comparison to the crazy Calgary lifestyle.

We are going to take a drive down to Chemainus today. It is a small town that the in-laws never wanted to go visit. It was a tourist trap in their opinion. I want to go and see the murals that the town is famous for.

So far we have travelled over to Gabriola Island and driven down to Victoria. I had wanted to see the old Russell homestead but we didn't have a map and drove in a big circle. We did have a scenic tour but I was frustrated by not remembering how to get out of downtown. I was in the front seat trying to give Kevin directions when I was barely remembering landmarks and Kathryn was in the backseat looking on her iPhone at Google maps. Poor Kevin was attempting to go the right way. It was a bit of a nightmare to say the least. As always he was so good nature about it. I would have pulled the car over, gotten out and screamed to release the tension. I took it as a sign that I wasn't meant to go back and see the place.

So much has changed around the city. The old Hudson Bay store has been saved and cleaned up. It has been converted into small overprice condos. I always think about someone in Sandy's family who had the job of going into the Bay at night and shooting every rat that he could find. I think he was paid by the number of rats he killed. What would all those richy rich folks buying in there think of that?