50 Year Anniversary Getaway...

 

We celebrated our 50th Wedding  Anniversary on July 20th.

We thought about going on another cruise to Alaska but decided on Point No Point.

Point No Point Resort is a quiet place for a getaway.

They have numerous small log cabins and a couple of houses to rent.

The resort was started in 1952 and is almost completely offline...

No cell coverage and there is now wifi in the area by the office.

A former "pay phone" outside the office is FREE for local calls to Sooke.

We holidayed here every year until we purchased the quarter share in the cottage.

Many memories of relaxing getaways and amazing meals were brought back!

The restaurant serves fabulous food and is currently open Thursday through Monday.

We arrived prior to the 4:30 check in so we took advantage of the Happy Hour

 

A bowl full of baby clams in a delicious broth and a glass of wine.

Expansive and scenic ocean views from our table next to the window.

Cozy one room cabin, rustic style furnishings and a hot tub on the deck.

Wood burning fireplace, a small kitchen area, and a full bathroom.

Views to Washington State

Tide went way out in the early mornings...sandy beach waiting for beach combing!

The Beach House has a covered area with a fire pit 

perfect for roasting marshmallows or Smores.

Lovely secluded cove 

My walking stick and the Red Chairs :-))

Some of the Sea Glass that I found on the beaches.

Stellar's Jay landing on the railing of the deck...a foggy morning.

The fog was cool and so I decided to make soup for lunch.

I did not expect to be making soup and had to improvise!

~ Smoked Salmon Chowder ~

Saute: 1 large peeled and cubed carrot, 

2 diced peeled potatoes in butter

( I had no oil)

Add 2 cups of water

1 cup small pieces of candied smoked salmon

simmer until veggies are soft

then add 1 cup creamo

Salt and Pepper to taste.

It was surprisingly good!

Holiday and Beach themed books are on my radar....

Limelight Hydrangeas are in full Bloom!

A Welcome Home Surprise

Patio views in The Humble Bungalow Garden.

Our daughter gave us a gift package to take with us to Point No Point.

Inside were some tasty treats and a lovely linen tea towel,

a vintage heart shaped candle holder

and

this vintage paper weight.

I had mentioned that I really liked it when she posted it on her Instagram.

She set it aside and gave it to us!

A good friend gave us wine.

another couple gave us a gift card for the local garden centre.

Our long time friends

hosted an al fresco dinner 

and 

gave us a lavender wand

and 

a small blue and white dish decorated with fish.

 

Today...

We are busy in the garden...

as we have lots to catch up on since we were away.

~ Gertrude Jekyll Rose ~

Thank you for stopping by The Humble Bungalow Blog.

I'll be back here on the blog in a week or so...

Hope that you are enjoying your week.

~ Be Well and Be Kind ~

A quick post ~ I missed last week as I was away...

Roses for a friend...

I am writing and publishing a quick post.

I've been a wee bit busy so I missed last week's post.

I was in White Rock with the grandchildren and our son.

We stayed at the Ocean Promenade Hotel 

across from the beach with the train tracks in between.

Trains pass by frequently and the kids loved watching all the cars pass by...

We went to IKEA at Port Coquitlam, had my first Swedish Meatball lunch.

I bought napkins, candles, and some inexpensive knives.

We also shopped at Zara at Metrotown for the girls outfits for back to school.

I was surprised how FAST they shop!

We also had a day at Big Splash Water Park...lots of water and slides.

Tsawwassen Mills Mall for the Adidas shop for Henry.

Our suite was great...it had a kitchenette

I was able to make breakfasts. coffee and snacks.

My husband turned 70 on Saturday.

We were out Friday for a happy hour, Saturday we attended the annual summer gathering hosted by my husband's former architectural firm.

The dinner was held at Mary's Farm and Sanctuary out by Goldstream.

Farm animals, a disc golf course, games, a tire swing and scenic walks and trails 

on the 30 acres.

The families just loved the amenities and the food was made by my friend Julie.

Everything was delicious and had a "country theme."

There was smoke in the sky...

forest fires burning up in the interior of BC and south of us in Washington State.

I am making Mr HB a pasta dinner tonight...

Vongole

(His favourite)

I have the ingredients all chopped and prepped and ready to go...

to the left you can see my new All Clad Pasta Pot.

(I've invested in a few new pots by All Clad)

Well I must get busy cooking as it is almost 5:30...

Will be back soon!

Hope that you have a fabulous week.

~ Be Well and Be Kind ~

Birthday highlights...

Life is speeding by...

now that I have clocked 65 years

looking back

it feels like a bit of a blur.

Japanese Tapa Bar lunch out with my husband and our son

who gave me this beautiful bouquet of flowers.

Flowers are filling many vases here in The Humble Bungalow.

Chester reminds me that we need to stop and smell the flowers!

Love a green and white bouquet.

Birthday lunch out with my girlfriends.

We have a wonderful restaurant nearby called Nourish that features healthy food.

The focus of the menu is mostly vegetables.

This grain bowl had lentils, roasted veggies, kale, radish and carrots

served atop a bed of butternut squash miso.

It was incredibly delicious!

A rather silly impish smile 

as I hold the vast bouquet of flowers that my darling husband bought for me.

We both enjoyed a quiet dinner out at a local hotel.

The place that mom, my sister and I used to go to on Tuesday evenings.

I wore mom's pearl ring and had a glass of mom's favourite white wine.

Remembering her on the anniversary of the day she passed away.

It is with mixed emotions that I celebrate my birthday 

while I remember it is also mom's day of demise.

Thankfully I have a supportive family and friends who cheered me up.

I am so grateful to have had mom in my life for so many years.

I have many special memories and a few of her things 

that continue to remind me of her everyday.

A surprise package arrived in the mail.

From a dear reader of my blog 

Rosemarie

She knows me well and sent me these cute socks.

I am going to wear these a lot.

They are fun and will add some oomph to my basic wardrobe.

Thank you Rosemarie!

XO

The sun is shining and there are signs of Spring 

flowers are coming to life and popping up in the garden.

I feel more energy and enthusiasm when the sun shines.

Do you?

"I enjoy the spring more than the autumn now. 

One does, I think, as one gets older."

~ Virginia Woolf ~

Thank you for stopping by The Humble Bungalow Blog.

If you would like to leave a comment and I hope that you will

you'll need to use a Google search engine as Safari will not work 

~ Be Well and Be Kind ~

Canada Day, weekend stuff and a summer OOTD

A very grainy capture in the dark...

July 1st Canada's 150th celebration

the fireworks display watched from atop Moss Rocks.

Here's the view from on top of Moss Rocks 

a couple of blocks north of The Humble Bungalow.

The white condo building in the middle at the top was Mom's building.

I still have difficulty thinking that Mom has gone...

I see her in my daily round

and can still hear her voice...

My current book stack...

I picked up The Perfume Garden by Kate Lord Brown and sat for a few leisurely hours and have read the first 22 chapters... I do not want to stop reading!

Have you heard of the Cut Loose line of clothes?
I have tried on quite a few of their clothes over the years as I like their designs.
Many of their garments swamp my short stature...
I suppose they are designed for a taller woman.

Persistence over the years paid off and I have found a couple of Cut Loose things that I love and wear in the summer.

OOTD

A simple dress with a texture that minimizes bumps and wobbly bits.

The dress dips in the front and there is a pocket on one side.

The pocket is large enough for a wallet or a cellphone.

The back detail also dips 

I wear this with a pair of black footless capri tights and sandals.

I purchased this top in the US at Roche Harbour several summers ago.

It is long enough to wear with yoga pants or leggings.

Another favourite that gets a lot of wear.

I tend to wear looser clothing in hotter weather.

These two items get worn a lot and they wash up easily and hang to dry.

(Happy 4th of July to our neighbours to the south!)

My newest knitting project is a chunky weight white and grey mix yarn blanket.

It is a standard "dishcloth" pattern using two strands of yarn and a size 10mm circular needle with a 60 inch wire.

Constance Spry

a fragrant pink rose that continues to delight.

She is a repeat bloomer and a reliable and hardy climber.

Hope your week is off to a great start.

Hostess

Weight Watchers...and watching out the window.

Our kitchen window looks out toward the neighbours yard.
My laptop sits atop a quarter sawn oak trestle arts and crafts table so when emailing or blogging I can observe the work going on next door.

Here's a low Weight Watcher point breakfast that I ate a few days ago.

Low fat cottage cheese and fresh fruit.

I have been unable to focus on my WW since Mother passed away but now I need to get back on track.

It is proving to be more of a challenge this time...

I am trying to be disciplined but think I am in trouble and I may need to go back to the meetings as they really helped me before.

Coffee first thing in the morning is my only "real" caffeine of the day.

The rest of the time I opt for decaf beverages or I have trouble sleeping at night.

Dinner one boneless skinless chicken thigh, 

curried quinoa and brown rice

salad with 1 Tbsp. of low point yogurt dressing.

Our views from the kitchen window are changing daily and dramatically...

This used to be a demolition site...just a big hole.

Things are taking shape as the building is being erected.

A basement and main are being framed here...

And here is the view a couple of days later

There will be two new homes on this site.

Breakfast this morning was a symphony in red and white.

I have not seen any movement on the scale so far but I am not discouraged.

My pants feel looser so that's a good sign.

We are celebrating Canada's 150th birthday tomorrow on July 1st

there are a lot of people expected to attend the events on the lawn of the legislative buildings at the Inner Harbour.

I plan to avoid the crowds as I do not like getting jostled or stepped on and because I am so short I can never really see what's going on!

Mr. HB hung the flag up and we are hoping to watch the fireworks

from our neighbourhood.

Happy Canada Day!

Hope you have a lovely weekend.

I'll be back on the blog in a few days...