Sooke Fine Arts Show, July 27, 2011

We left the centre at 10.30, after welcoming John back from his sojourn in sunnier climes,  and went directly to Sooke FIne Arts Show.

The entrance was graced with a floral arrangement announcing that this is the 25th show.

The art was really well displayed.  A short video in a mini theater explained how the exhibition design's main challenge was to avoid long sight lines that would betray the fact that the exhibition was in a hockey arena.  The design worked, and the overall ambience was excellent with good lighting for the displays and plenty of room for varied views of both the two and three dimensional pieces.

The program had a retrospective feel with plenty of information about the birth and development of the show.


With no photography in the display area, it's good that the program had photographs of the art including those winning the 25th Anniversary Artist Awards.

We sat for lunch in the dining area next to the classical pianist, as advised by the helpful volunteer as we entered the show, only to have a less than helpful "volunteer" put a "reserved" notice on our already occupied table, accusing us of "not being Rotarians." It turns out that this rogue and over-zealous Rotarian was out of order, and all the matter was resolved with profuse apologies for her misconduct.  However, you only get one chance to make a first impression.

After lunch we completed our art viewing and returned to the centre via Beacher Bay.

We were blown away by the wide variety of art on show and by the generally really good quality of the exhibits. With food available on site, good quality live music, and a variety of special events throughout the week, this was a great day trip. As one of our party mentioned, despite the fact that she has lived here for over twenty years, this is the first time she has actually visited the Sooke Fine Arts Show.

That's what Let's Do It trips are all about.

Let's Do It!

Happy Valley Lavender & Herb Farm

We took a scenic drive to My Chosen Cafe, taking in Royal Roads, Duke Point, Olympic View, and WIlliam Head (just visiting).  Our meal was good, as was the service this visit.  As far as I know no-one ate any of this guy's relatives.

We had a relaxed time after lunch taking in the gift shop and critters and then headed off to the Lavender farm. What an excellent place!  We were lucky in that the lavender was to have been picked a couple of days ago.  It is now slated for harvest on July 31.

The beds were first planted in 1988, and some of the current lavender has been producing for 10 years.  Lynda explained that there are various varieties in the farm all pollenated by their bees.

Happy Valley lavender is exported to many countries, including in a "coals to Newcastle maneuver" the UK.  We were advised not to cavort or otherwise jump on the 100 year old lavender coloured bed.

The 'dribbler" home-made fountain was constructed from old sprinklers and was operating in full magnificence.

Toadstool art proving that some good can come from chain saws.

Next came the lavender tea ceremony where we ate and drank lavender.  The tea was black tea with bergamot and lavender and the cookies were lavender shortbread baked especially for us.

Lynda provided us with her recipe for Tropical Lavender Cookies 2011, selected for this year in honour of Lynda's daughter, who is currently in Australia (a country that, incidentally, does not allow the import of lavender - or other plants)

Tropical Lavender Cookies
1 cup butter
2/3 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 tbsp vanilla extract
2 tbsp dried lavender

Blend smoothly in a food processor.

In a large bowl, add

2 cups flour
1 cup shredded coconut
1 tsp baking powder
1tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp milk
100 grams macadamia nuts
100 grams crystallized pineapple

Mix well with hands into smooth soft dough, place by generous tsp onto parchment paper on a cookie sheet. Bake at 350F for 10 mins for a soft cookie.

PS You can roll the completed dough into a log shape in waxed paper and freeze. To bake later: thaw slightly, then slice in half-inch rounds and bake as usual.

Thans to Lynda for the recipe.  The lavender shortbread that she served was also delicious.

Lynda's husband, Michael, had been working on this "infinity wall" of rock incorporating farm implements and other objects.

A tour of the vegetable and ornamental gardens followed our afternoon lavender tea.

A quick try at croquet, and it was back to the bus for a more direct return to the centre.

This was a great trip, really relaxed and enjoyable.

Fiddling on the Roof

Our final trip before a three-week hiatus took us to Chemainus again, this time to see the brilliant Fiddler on the Roof. The weather was great, and our full bus of musical theatre connoisseurs enjoyed a scenic drive out to the theatre via Cowichan Bay.

Chemainus and the theatre were looking good bathed in sunshine, and we are looking forward to our upcoming trip to Chemainus and the Wednesday market on August 31 (tickets go on sale on July 12 for the August trips).

We arrived at the theatre in perfect time for a buffet lunch that featured salmon, roast chicken, meatballs, and a delightful lasagna.  Not to mention the desserts.  Well, now that I have mentioned them, the triple chocolate cake, lemon meringue pie, and butter tart square formed one theatre goer's modest portion.

The production highlighted the talented cast, all of whom played musical instruments as well as singing and acting. Everyone knows the story of Fiddler on the Roof, set in 1905 Tsarist Russia, with its various themes of holding on to tradition in a changing world, survival, joyfulness, and family.This version was a delight and held everyone engrossed and surprised at the end to realize the production was almost three hours long.

We are looking forward to Amadeus on September 28,  our next visit to this excellent dinner theatre destination.

Our intrepid organizer was feeling slightly worse for wear on the trip back to the centre and has decided to cut down, slightly, on desserts on the Amadeus trip. Get listening to Mozart to get into the mood!! (It doesn't matter what you listen to from Mozart - he never composed a bum note!)

Our next trip is July 20.  We are visiting the Happy Valley Lavender Farm for tea and lunch is at My-Chosen Cafe. See you there. Let's Do It!

Harbour Ferry cruise of the Gorge, June 15, 2011

Let's get this blog entry out of the way before the game....

Our regular driver, John is in Spain, so we had a replacement - John.  Thanks for volunteering today, John.

We arrived at the Empress dock in time to see our ferry arriving.

Our full ferry headed off to the Gorge tour in the capable hands of our skipper who provided an excellent commentary throughout the cruise covering history and points of interest.  He didn't once run aground despite the very low tide in the waterway.

Some kayak-ers were getting ready  for more strenuous exercise than just riding in a ferry.  Also, we saw dragon boat crews further up the Gorge.

As you know, the first part of the cruise is interesting because of the boat building and other marine-industrial aspects. Even the industrial part manages to be really scenic!

We learned (or, at least, I did) that the Gorge is really a fjord with the water rising and falling with the tide and no river at the head. This point can be a three feet high drop at low tide.  As it was, this water rush was quite dramatic and marked our turnaround point.

We had sunny skies for the trip back to Fisherman's Wharf, fish and chips, and a bit of a walk.

John took us on an excellent scenic tour of Dallas Road on the way back to the centre. There were a few spots of rain as we left Fisherman's Wharf after lunch, but but it was sunny again on the way back to the centre. This was a great trip, and we'll have to book the harbour cruise next summer.

Now let's hope those Canucks do well.....

Salt Spring Island, June 8, 2011

Ticket sales and the waiting list showed that this was a popular destination, so we have planned another trip to Salt Spring Island for September 14.

After a pleasant browse of the outdoor market (and hat purchase) at Swartz Bay, and ferry crossing  to Fulford Harbour, we arrived at Salt Spring Vineyards in time for a wander through the property and a tasting of four of their wines with accompanying snack items. The wines were good - overall a good wine tasting experience, and there was time for relaxing, making friends with the cat and taking some "art" photos. My lying down to take the daisy picture caused some concern - particularly after such a small amount of wine - but I maintain that the results more than justify the effort!!

Healthy looking vines in full production..

A beautiful setting for tasting wine...

The fountain blurry...

The fountain sharply defined...looks a lot more energetic

The friendly vineyard cat...

"Art" photos of the flowers...

After a very pleasant sojourn at the vineyard, it was off to Ganges for lunch - alfresco or in one of the many restaurants...

We had one and a half hours to have lunch and explore... we kept seeing soap bubbles floating around....strange...

Who got a new hat, then....

Wind driven public art...

Interestingly etched rock..

We finally located where the soap bubbles were coming from...a nice touch!

Time for an ice cream and then off to Vesuvius for the ferry back to Crofton

And then a pleasant drive back to the centre.We decided it was one of the bestest Let's Do It Day Trips ever!!

Butterfly Gardens June 1

 Our full bus of Let's Do It Day Trippers arrived at the Victoria Butterfly Gardens just after 10:30 following a scenic ride avoiding the reported traffic problems.

We had a reduced group rate at the gardens and filed in to see the video and meet our guide for the tour.



You should be able to see the video by clicking above. The rules were explained. 1. Don't touch or step on the butterflies, although they can land on you, 2.Don't run (no problem there), and Don't let the guide walk backwards into the lake, and 3. Have fun! We decided we could live with the rules!

The gardens provided excellent photo opportunities. viz - this "art" shot of the emerging butterflies..

..a butterfly...

..a Peruvian ibis that ran around biting shoes, painlessly (for it)

..a caterpillar..

.. a huge moth..

.. onlookers...who never cracked a smile the whole time we were there!..

..another butterfly...

..huge, enormous caterpillars

..a green bird..

..a blue poison arrow frog  (no-one saw the chameleon)..

.. a five year-old tortoise that is set to live for about 150 years and grow to 250 lbs...

..two flamingos - well fed on shrimp, obviously...

.. and another butterfly.. ( I should have picked up the identification chart!!!)

After our delightful visit to the hot house, we hit the gift shop and boarded the bus for the trip (across the street) to Smitty's.Smitty's gave us a 10% discount, a $5 off our next visit coupon, and membership of their Better than 60's Club, that offers 10% discount, a free meal and birthday cake on your birthday, and a free meal for couples on their wedding anniversary! We called in at Red Barn on the way back to the centre for essential healthy supplies, and some of us even had an ice cream (with chocolate and peanut butter in some cases). A scenic drive on Prospect Lake Road rounded off the afternoon.

Overall a great, good value trip. Thanks to everyone who joined us, and we look forward to your company on another trip soon.

Let's Do It!

Chris and Tom