I'm tempted to say our second week here was the same as the first but it wasn't. Monday we headed downtown to get bicycle helmets at Mountain Equipment Co-op. We also wanted to pick up Glen's favourite incense. But, the main reason for the trip was dim sum at Don Mee's.
As usual the food was great and the 'yummy yummy' lady served us our favourite - sticky rice. She was particularly happy this day and sang while she cut the leaves wrapping the rice. She has a lovely voice. We pigged out on seafood dim sum but still had plenty of leftovers for supper.
Tradition dictates we walk down Fan Tan Alley. One building was under construction so the alley was even narrower. At Whirled Arts, Glen began his incense hunt. He wanted Mogra but couldn't find it. The clerk assured us they didn't sell that type. I picked up some Xmas presents (made by women in India who are paid fairly) for Elijah and Miles then did a quick search of a stack of incense boxes and found the Mogra. Unfortunately, they had only one package so Glen will have to find a source in Calgary.
Tuesday, we were at Mount Doug golfing. We met Iain's friend, Richard, finishing his round and had a brief chat. We played with two long-time friends, Ed and Dennis, both very good golfers. I struggled for the first three holes then things finally came together after a young doe crossed the fairway not ten feet from the tee box. Later, at the 7th hole, an eagle flew over just as I was teeing up. I had to forego my birdwatching instincts and hit the ball. I ended up paring the hole.
Wednesday, we did household chores and worked on the slideshow Glen made of our road trip. We compromised on music and came up with a nice show.
Thursday we were at The Ridge golfing and Glen had 3 pars. He still missed the green on #6 but he's getting close. On the 7th hole, my ball hit the water, bounced then hit a rock, bounced again then landed in the middle of the fairway. I had to chip up a steep hill but popped it for the first time. It was a good feeling. On the final hole, right by the clubhouse patio, I sank a 25 ft putt. It ended the morning well.
That evening we met up with Iain and Janet at Haultain Fish and Chips, a place I've always wanted to try. Meg and Mike lived on Haultain Street so the name is sentimental. We walked along it until we saw smoke billowing forth from their cookers. The place boasts the best fish and chips in Victoria and Iain confirmed this. The restaurant has an old-fashioned diner atmosphere (they also do take-out) of vinyl and arborite. The servers and cooks have worked there for years so you feel you are guests of a family. The cafe was packed at 6:30--it is a small place but we lucked out and nabbed the last booth. The bottled beer was cold and the wine came with foam on the top (obviously from a box but good none-the-less). The fish and chips were indeed the best we've had. Thick slabs of halibut had been quickly dipped in batter before frying. The chips were homemade and excellent. Neither Glen nor Iain had the coleslaw and our server said they'd ordered the 'man's meal' but they missed out as the coleslaw was very good with green onions added to the cabbage and carrots.
At 7:15, the cook came asking how we were paying and at 7:30, they kicked us out. Obviously going home to family was more important than feeding folks who wanted to linger over their dinner. We didn't mind as we'd had a good hour's chat with Iain and Janet, but needless-to-say, we were the last ones in the place before the door slammed shut.
Friday, we met Tom and Isabel at the Art Gallery to see the Emily Carr exhibit. Most of Carr's works were ones that usually hung in the gallery but they had augmented the display with some of her earlier pieces and some paintings of artists like Lawren Harris who had influenced her style. The exhibit was small but one could truly drink in her paintings and feel what she tried to conveyed through her art. It was very moving.
Afterwards we headed to the Abkhazi Gardens which I wrote about in the previous post.
Saturday was beach day and we headed down to Gonzales Beach to have a picnic lunch and lay in the sun watching the kids play in the water and the whale-watching boats pound past. The air was crystal clear so the Olympic Mountains of Washington floated above us.
Suppertime found us at Christie's Carriage House Pub treating our neighbours, Ray and Cynthia, to supper in honour of their 80th birthdays. They have been very good at looking after the place during the renos so we felt a dinner out is a small price to pay for peace of mind. Besides, they are a fun couple and we had lots of laughs.
Today, we were golfing again at The Ridge. I struggled for the first three holes before finally shaking the double par scores off my back. At the 6th hole (a peninsula surrounded by water), both Glen and I plopped our balls on the green and parred the hole. It was a cause to celebrate. I ended up with 2 pars so had a strong finish. My second par was a whisper close to being a birdie.
We hope to end the day by Skyping with our grandsons which will finish the week off nicely.
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