Saturday, August 13, 2011

Island Living

The highlight of our day Wednesday was meeting Rick and Paulette, fellow bloggers who live in Cowichan Bay and winter down near Palm Springs. It never fails to amaze me when we first meet folks how comfortable the visit is. We have been reading about the goings on in each others lives for years sometimes so it is more like meeting old friends than new.

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Rick has been blogging all summer about the sights and scenery in this beautiful part of the world so we thought we should follow some of his travel advice and after dinner our friends, John and Gina and their great niece, Maddocks, along with us decided to head out and visit the Kinsol Trestle. Rick had visited a couple of times earlier in the summer and even once last winter, read that visit here. It sure was an amazing structure especially when you think of the original builders and the fact that they didn’t have all the new fangled equipment that was being used to restore it. Must have been quite a feat to drag all those huge timbers into place. And can you imagine being the first loaded train across Smile, wondering it those guys tightened the bolts and follow the plans.

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Here is a shot of John, Gina, and Maddocks standing on one of those water barrel perches high about the Koksilah River. Gina is not smiling that is a terror filled grimace. One would think she didn’t like heights or something.

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On the way home Brenda and I stopped to pick some blackberries along the roadside, we are just a little early for the main onslaught of berry season, but we did get enough so that we could put together a little jam later in the evening.

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And here is proof of that fact, as John and I get the last batch ready for sealing.

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But before we got the jam done John whipped up one of his special stir frys for us. We do a lot of things on our travels but eating well always seems to be a constant.

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Thanks again for picking up the tab for lunch Rick and John and Gina for once again welcoming your most frequent unpaying customers back to your little piece of heaven. We took a little detour on our way home but will save that for another day.

6 comments:

  1. I can't imagine walking, driving, flying or training it across that trestle...could be my fear of heights...love all your pictures tho...
    So nice that you got to meet up with Rick and Paulette...I agree after blogging and following people for so long your more like meeting up with old friends versus new ones...
    Enjoy and be safe....
    Elaine

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  2. Rick and Paulette are the nicest folks around. We met them over in Palm Springs winter before last and they were the best hosts, leading us all over to quilt shops that we hadn't been to yet.... Well Loyce anyway, I probably wasn't looking forward to those shops quite as much, LOL.

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  3. Glad to see you got out to the Trestle to see it for yourself.

    If I'd known that you were out picking Vancouver Island Blackberries though I might have had to sick the Mounties on you! That's my favourite jam and we just can't have you Albertan's helping yourself like that!!

    Paulette and I really enjoyed meeting you and Brenda for lunch - we had a great time and look forward to meeting up again.

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  4. What fun meeting Rick & Paulette... They do make us want to visit their wonderful Island! Glad your having fun and that you got to visit the tressel and make jam!
    Have fun
    Donna

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  5. great that you got to meet Rick and Paulette!..and see all the sights that Rick discusses on his blog..he really should get a job writing for Tourism BC!!!

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  6. JB, you are a man of many talents. Just think, an oilman making jam! What's next, JB's Famous Cookies? ;c)

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