Tuesday, July 26th we said goodbye to the grandkids and their parents. We got to the ferry terminal early so they could get good places in the pre-boarding section. I picked up a free magazine and read the articles to Glen while sitting in the van. We wanted to see them leave and close that chapter on our vacation. Their journey home was uneventful but they did travel in a car, a ferry, a train, and an airplane so utilized many modes of transportation.
The nice thing about the condo is it cleans up quickly. We soon had everything back where it should be and a beach's worth of sand sucked from the carpets. It was then Glen decided to paint the dining room. We got paint chips from the local hardware store and chose a yellow-green that would blend nicely with the other greens in that area of the apartment.
Thursday, we golfed again at Mt. Doug, this time with two young guys. Glen said he was sure they were not happy to be teeing off with old folks but that's what you get at Mt. Doug. My first tee shot was within 50 yards of the hole, far past their efforts so that showed them we could keep up. I swear the average age of the golfers on Mt. Doug is 75 so young'uns must know they'll be matched with older players.
Friday morning we walked downtown to meet Glen's grad student, Claudia, and her family. We were expecting her son and husband to be there but instead were introduced to her two sisters, a sister-in-law, brother and niece and nephew. They had done a tour Glen suggested the day before but wanted something a little different from us. We took them to Fan Tan Alley, then across the Johnson Bridge to Esquimalt where I showed the kids some tidal pools. We found hundreds of baby crabs hiding under the rocks which sent them into gales of laughter. They wanted to check out Fisherman's Wharf so we walked back along Wharf Street, past the Empress Hotel, the waterfront vendors, the Legislature Building, and the ferry terminals until finally reaching the wharf at lunch time.
We parted company so they could enjoy fish and chips on the wharf. As we walked back, I suggested we stop for lunch at a place which had air conditioning. It was a hot day and I had forgotten my hat (I ended up buying a hand-painted one near the legislature). I knew I couldn't eat outside. We ended up at the Irish Times pub and I had a veggie wrap and Glen had pizza, both delicious. We walked home then went to buy our paint.
Saturday, we headed back to Finest at Sea to buy some salmon, oysters, and mussels. Glen then prepped the dining room for painting. We had a fantastic supper although at one point there was a small fire in the BBQ. One bizarre moment came when I had an odd tasting oyster. It's the first time I've had an oyster taste funny but I thought nothing of it until I lay awake that night feeling quite ill.
We had planned to hit the driving range on Sunday morning but I couldn't look at breakfast so went straight back to bed. I slept most of the day while Glen painted the dining room.
Monday, I felt better so we headed to the driving range. Glen then did some touch-up painting after lunch but that went badly so after golfing on Tuesday at Mt. Doug, he repainted the entire room.
Wednesday, we did some chores then had a wonderful lunch at Christies with our good neighbours, Cynthia and Ray. We did a lot of laughing and the staff let us linger well past the lunch hour.
We decided to do coffee at Starbucks in the Fairfield shopping centre then see if we could find a letterbox without Melissa. I had my stamp kit and the directions so we plunged into the Ross Bay Cemetery in search of two boxes. We found one which was well worth the hunt.
This morning, we were back golfing. This was the last time on Mt. Doug until next year. We met up with two couples with whom we've golfed this summer so it was like a reunion of sorts. But today, we played with Doug who was a retired military man. He had quirky sense of humour which suited us well. I still struggled with my putting but did smack a drive 180 yards (according to Glen's measuring) and I hit the ball on the green on the last hole and nearly put it in the cup. Glen has begun to relax so his drives are sailing out there. It is so nice to watch them arch over the course. Of the seven games we've played here in Victoria, he's won four but hasn't beaten me by much.
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