Home Sweet Home and a quick recap of our Sea Ray Cruise.

We are back on dry land at home in The Humble Bungalow.
Our boating trip was mostly fun and we relaxed, read our books and ate simple meals...

The first port that we visited was Telegraph Harbour Marina on Thetis Island...probably our favourite spot.
The weather was lovely, sunny and warm during our 5 day stay and we got together with friends who live on the island.

I spent a delightful afternoon playing bridge at the Community Centre.

I wore the white scarf that I purchased in Paris at The Monoprix.

I feel particularly feminine wearing this scarf...it's got lots of volume but is light.

I wore it over top an Eileen Fisher linen tank top and some black capri length pants.

I popped on some simple pearl drop earrings and my diamond necklace.

After Thetis Island we cruised to Pender Island and our first port of call was Otter Bay.

It's a rather quaint Marina but is well protected from the straits.

Quite charming and very picturesque.

There are two pools and this one is exclusively for the adults.

(I don't know who those people are, I tried to shoot around those using the pool.)

 I didn't quite manage!

We moved to Poets Cove Resort on South Pender Island and spent 4 days tied up at the dock.

Then weather was positively beastly!
We had torrential rains, thunder, lightning and hail...more rain.

Then short patches of sunshine that teased us for the next few days.

I was very grateful to be tied up to a dock and not bobbing around on anchor or a buoy.

It was an interesting/challenging/experience as we had some leaks for the first time.
The carpet in our salon got wet and stayed wet.
I am not proud when I admit that I got exasperated and at times felt downright cranky!
(at least our bed was dry!)

Our next stop was Port Browning where we joined friends and family.
Some were on boats and other were camping in the orchard.
PIDGE  ~  Pender Island Disc Golf Extravaganza...
this year we played our 10th tournament...34 people played.
The littlest ones walked the course with their parents and grand parents.

Our trophy!

We had a crab feed!

The sun came out...

Overnight the fog rolled in...

and after it lifted we left for home port in Tsehum Harbour in Sidney.

The cats and house were well taken care of while we were away.

They do seem happy to see us...

I've got a mountain of laundry to attend to so I must close for now.

I hope to catch up on my blog reading too while the machines work their magic on grime.

Cheerio.

SeaRay Summer...August 2015

We have been cruising for the past few days and the pace of life has slowed down to a gentle rhythm. One that allows us to sleep in and slowly make our morning coffee. 

We read a few chapters before eating our breakfast. 

I have been eating a high fibre oatmeal cereal with a sliced banana and Mr. HB has been enjoying Raisin Bran with a V8 juice on the side...

as you might surmise nothing too out of the ordinary has been happening. 

Well except we had a power outage this morning and we had to boil the kettle on our BBQ! 

The hydrangeas are fading...

I have read two books which were disappointing...but the third book is fabulous! 

It's called The Sisters Brothers by Patrick DE Witt. It's a very different genre for me but came highly recommended and has won rave reviews and numerous awards. 

You might enjoy it too. 

We walked for an hour and a half to get groceries this morning and my knee is aching. 

I really am a baby when it comes to pain, and I am not a fan of taking pain medicines either. 

I have been posting on Instagram and will continue to do so regularly. 

We are at a lovely little Marina on Pender Island called Otter Bay. 

After 5 nights at Telegraph Harbour Marina yesterday we scooted at 20 knots and an hour and a half later we were tied up here. 

The pool beckoned  and so we had a quick swim and I have done the laundry so we have clean clothing....showers, swimming, reading, walking, relaxing and eating tasty simple meals are what SeaRay Summers are all about. 

Have a wonderful weekend and thank you for stopping by...

I'd love to hear from you and welcome your comments if you have the time or inclination. 

Hostess

 Notify me

Hair and my OOTD...a quickie post.

It's a casual day here in The Humble Bungalow...
quiet domestic routines are in place.
While the dryer was tumbling the linens I took a wee break and took some photos.

My hair is slowly growing...

it's a tedious process at best.

My hairdresser gave it a bang trim and tidied up the back layers.

I'm not blow drying it these days.

I have a new Bumble and Bumble product which I am using

 I scrunch and twirl my hair as it dries...

(H)AIR STYLER

~ written on the tube ~

for great hair days without the heat or the hassle

pour avoir de superbes cheveux au quotidien, sans brushing

Scrunching it encourages the curl.

You can see the grey tinsel amid the brown locks.

The grey really comes out more as the hair dries...

I don't mind being grey and I wonder why I fought to keep it hidden under colour for so many years.

Lots of women I know colour their hair and feel very strongly about not going grey.

It's an identity issue...

(and it's very personal)

we either accept ourselves and the things that occur naturally with aging

or we fight tooth and nail and resist and delay the inevitable.

It's not a great image is it?

One day I really must buy a better mirror one that can be located in a better lit area of our bungalow.

DKNY Boyfriend Jeans

Monoprix Linen Tee

Vintage silver belt

assorted sterling silver bangles

Sperry Shoes

I have put on a bit of weight these past few weeks as my knee has been bothering me so I am not able to walk as much.

I will have to go to the doctor if it keeps up.

It started when I was "guerrilla gardening" and has improved since I have eased off the serious digging and weeding but there are twinges of shooting pains and it is very stiff periodically throughout the day. 

I am using Voltaren a pain relief gel and that seems to take the edge off...

(I don't usually complain so please forgive me for this little whine)

Mr. HB and I are off for a few weeks on our boat.

We have lots of books to read and there will be simple meals prepared aboard our Sea Ray.

I'm looking forward to doing laps in the pools and exploring the Gulf Islands that we visit.

White Iceberg Rose

Please follow me on Instagram where I'll be posting pictures as long as I can get a WiFi signal.

I'll miss out garden and the cats but know that they are in the tender loving hands of a friend.

Don't forget to stop and smell the roses!

Hostess

XO

Sea Ray Summer ~ Friday Harbour

While we were moored at Roche Harbour Marina we decided to spend the day exploring Friday Harbour on San Juan Island. We'd been there before, many years ago, once by boat and once via the Clipper and remembered that it was a quaint historic town with a large grocery shop and many small and interesting stores.
The Washington State ferry docks at Friday Harbour and there is a very large Marina adjacent to where the ferry comes in...if we were staying longer we would have cruised into the harbour and stayed for a day or two to provision.

It was a really hot afternoon and we wandered about for over an hour before ducking into a shady patio for something cold to drink and a bite to eat.

Crab cakes for The Hostess!

(minus all the mayo)

We found a bamboo salad bowl set with a First Nation design in the little kitchen shop.

They are made in Vancouver BC!

Mr. HB spied them and mentioned that if we could find somewhere to stow them that we should purchase them for our boat.

As we were paying I said "Happy Anniversary!"

Our 41st to be exact.

We did take time to relax...

we read our books and wandered along the dock peeking at all the boats.

Easy meals...our "Picky Plate."

(when it's too hot to cook we nibble and "pick at" an assortment of things)

That's Maytag Blue Cheese...made by the son of the Maytag Empire and only available in the US.

We try to buy some each time we go south as it is delicious...

I love it sprinkled on a green salad...

a little goes a long way.

Coffee and foamed milk...

 a good way to savour the start to the day.

My OOTD

Black Yoga capri length pants

a white linen Lands End Tee

Sperry Shoes and an "old as the hills" Eddie Bauer straw hat.

I don't dress up much on the boat.

It's comfort all the way!

The winds were strong Gale Force in all the nearby Straits so we chose to stay another night.

We were up bright and early the next morning and scooted across Haro Strait in our SeaRay before the predicted winds rose up again...

I love the hues of blue and mauve in the petals of this hydrangea.

The garden is shaping up nicely with an energetic and dedicated garden helper on board.

I'm so grateful for an extra pair of hands...

you know that old saying 

"many hands make light work."

~ John Heywood ~

And speaking of hands

 a reader has brought me some of those fabulous Playtex Living gloves from the states.

(which I think is so exciting!)

I'm going to meet up with her this week and visit her new home on Salt Spring Island.

I love the kindness and generosity of people in the blogging community.

I've had great opportunities to meet new people and make connections.

It's something that I never expected...

Thank you!

Sea Ray Summer ~ Roche Harbour

Roche Harbour is located on San Juan Island in Washington State.
Just south of the 49th parallel across Haro Strait from Sidney, BC awaits a picturesque marina with all the amenities. It's a lovely spot to tie up our SeaRay for a few days.
It also is the permanent home to many US boats.

Modest boats mingle together with vast opulent yachts sharing dock space while the owners are free to enjoy the Resort. Boaters are an extremely friendly lot. It makes little difference that you are cruising on a 70 or 100 foot yacht or a 25 foot runabout...you are "out there" on the ocean having fun.

We observed two families sharing a "very compact" boat, which was probably about 25 feet...4 adults and 6 children..can you imagine the logistics? The sleeping and cooking arrangements would require immense planning and precision.
They were having a fabulous time and there was lots of laughter and some good natured competition.
Racing on paddle boards, floaty toys, kayaks and a sailing dingy and when they were not having races they were swimming at the pool...I imagine that they were exhausted by the time their heads hit the pillow!

Roche Harbour Resort has a swimming pool, assorted shops, a spa, cafe, bar, restaurant, The Hotel de Haro, beautiful gardens, a church and tennis courts. At sunset the flags are lowered in a precision military fashion accompanied by music.
This is known as the "Colours ceremony."

I snapped a bunch of pictures to share with you...

Here we are tied up on the guest dock in front of the church.

The Hotel is a popular spot for weddings.

The historic Lime Co. building houses the grocery, clothing store, the washrooms, laundry, showers and a post office.

Crab Season opened and many boaters were setting their traps.

The cook pots on the docks were boiling away in no time and people were enjoying their haul.

The Lime Kilns.

The lovely Classic Chris Craft "Paloma" formerly known as Destiny.

She has just been professionally and lovingly restored.

Her new home port will be San Francisco, California.

We met the proud owners who had just taken her out on their maiden voyage and were cruising with their friends aboard the classic beauty "Rialto."

These beautiful Chris Craft wooden boats in "just out of the box" immaculate condition require a lot of hard work, TLC and VERY deep pockets!

The grocery store is well stocked with an assortment of food...

they carry all kinds of things that mariners might have forgotten to pack!

Wines from Washington, Oregon and California as well as imports are available.

White roses

White wedding gowns...

a perfect pairing.

It was hot weather and we needed to make shade on our boat which was quite a challenge.

We used towels and a blanket to help keep the midday sun off our lounge.

I was most surprised to see Starbucks working out of one of the kiosks in the square.

There are many local artists and artisans selling their work out of these kiosks and by the amount of people milling about I think they must do a pretty good business.

The Kayak rentals were always busy.

We took the shuttle into Friday Harbour one day to explore.

Stay tuned...

I'll show you some more of this idyllic destination...

in the next post.

Hooray!

we have had a downpour of rain this morning and we really need more to help douse the forest fires that are raging in our province.

The gardens are parched and there are water restrictions in many municipalities...

I'm praying for rain.

Hope you have a great weekend.