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 ~

Come along for a Walk...fresh air, scenery and some inspirational quotes.

My daily outing is a walk in the fresh air with beautiful scenery.

Serene looking intertidal area at the end of the beach.

Sea Glass is mingling with the rocks 

one only needs to peer closer to find some.

View across from Victoria to Port Angeles in Washington State.

Freighters in the distance are anchored and waiting 

for an opportunity to offload their freight or load up in The Port of Vancouver.

Many freighters anchor in among our Gulf Islands 

which has become a problem for many 

 they run their noisy generators.

The beaches are littered with driftwood from the winter storms.

Many people collect it and burn it in their fireplaces.

Some creative artists make things from the various pieces.

The BC flag flies on a tall pole at the edge of a cliff.

A heart of stones

Many families are seen at the beach

kids throwing stones into the ocean

moms and dads drinking coffee and reading books

dogs frolicking in the water retrieving sticks

people collecting wood

some, like myself, are searching for sea glass

some are constructing huts and shelters out of logs

Someone carved a face on the old roots of this vast tree.

Can you see the heart with wings on the tree stump?

On the way home 

I walked past a lovely garden with many whimsical accents.

The beds overflow with yellow daffodils and hanging planters are hung atop the fences

with cheerful purple and yellow pansies.

This face was attached to a tree...

In the quiet moments and a tea time

I've been thinking a lot about our current situation.

Staying home and staying safe.

Staying positive.

I reached out to some of our elder neighbours to see if they had enough food.

It turns out that they were running low on lots of things and had been trying to order groceries online for home delivery but could not log into the website.

Many stores are 2 weeks behind with their orders so I went to the grocery shop for them and dropped the bags on their front porch.

At the grocery shop we were directed to line up outside ~ a metre apart.

There were strips of green tape that indicated where we were to stand.

When people exited the store one at a time we were given a disinfected cart and allowed inside...

there were not many people inside and so we were able to grab the groceries fairly quickly.

We then stood on discs with footprints a metre apart waiting for our turn 

to put our groceries on the check out stand 

the clerks scanned our goods behind plexiglas partitions.

After each customer the check out was disinfected.

Some of you may be feeling anxious...

maybe you have been watching far too much of the grim news?

I only listen to two programmes,

the daily announcement from our respected BC Disease Control 

specialist

Dr. Bonnie Henry 

and the local evening news.

If I watch too much I go down a "rabbit hole!"

~ Self preservation ~

controlling my own reaction to things that I cannot control are key.

Sharing

 some inspirational quotes with you.

Soap on a bed of rocks

Wash your hands.

"You have power over your mind - not outside events. 

Realize this, and you will find strength."

~ Marcus Aurelius ~

"When adversity strikes, that's when you have to be the most calm. 

Take a step back, stay strong, stay grounded and press on." 

~ LL Cool J ~

"Strength is the capacity to break a chocolate bar into four pieces with your bare hands - and then eat just one of the pieces."

~ Judith Viorst ~

"You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. 

You are able to say to yourself,  I lived through this horror. 

I can take the next thing that comes along."

~ Eleanor Roosevelt ~

Thank you for stopping by The Humble Bungalow Blog.

I'd love to hear from you and perhaps you can share what you are doing to keep yourself amused during these days and weeks of staying home cocooning.

(Please use a Google search engine as Safari no longer allows comments.)

~ Be Well and Be Kind ~

October sunshine...a day in my neighbourhood.

If you are tired of seeing pictures of the seafront where I walk you maybe want to click away now...
The views are the same but the colours and subjects that frequent the area change throughout the day. I never get bored and always find something of interest to capture. I feel very fortunate and grateful to be able to walk in such beauty.

The temperatures were hovering around 13 degrees Celsius this afternoon when I went for my walk. I wore a long sleeved T shirt, jeans and my Barbour vest and I was very warm once I got going...I had to unzip my vest and other walkers were in short sleeves!

There was enough of a breeze to launch the hang gliders off the cliffs.

I've often wondered what the views would be like from a glider.

Can you see the freighter out on the water?

That has been sitting there for weeks as the company that owns it apparently has gone bankrupt. I wonder what will happen to the boat? I would think it could be a hazard to navigation as it is very close to the shipping lanes.

With the foggy mornings of Fall it could be a disaster waiting to happen.

After I came home from my walk I noticed how dirty my windows were...

I started to wash them and dear reader I am absolute RUBBISH when it comes to cleaning windows!

Then I got onto my hands and knees and washed the kitchen floor 

which I am much better equipped to do!

I picked some hydrangeas this week and popped them in one of our arts and crafts vintage vases.

We are hosting Thanksgiving dinner and I am going to be busy preparing the family feast. 

We are looking forward to having everyone here in our small bungalow to help us celebrate.

A friend recommended this book...

it is quite different, 

not sure what is going to happen 

but it all takes place over dinner at a high end restaurant 

two couples and something terrible has happened involving their children

 that is about to be revealed...

Nerine Bowdenii blooming in various beds in Our Humble Bungalow Garden.

Thank you for stopping by my blog today.

~ Be Well and Be Kind ~

Holiday snippets and snapshots...part one.

Mr. HB and I just returned from our annual holiday aboard our Sea Ray.

          (Julian's newest novel did not disappoint, both Mr. HB and I enjoyed it)

We spent our days aboard our boat relaxing, reading, eating simple meals and walking and exploring the Gulf Islands.
I have to lose some weight as a result of too much rich food and wine...
I will be organizing a series of blog posts on how I plan to lose 10 pounds.

Perhaps you'll follow along on my journey...

There is a pile of laundry downstairs...the machines are going through their cycles as I sit here in the Humble Bungalow kitchen with my cafe creme typing this post.

The cats seem happy to see us...lots of meowing and purring.
They were left in the capable hands of a friend who has been taking care of them for our holidays for several years now and knows them well.

Chester seems a wee bit put out that we left him for so long and he is giving us the cold shoulder. I hope he forgives us soon, but thankfully Pepper the elder cat is her usual affectionate self.

Beach combing is one of my favourite things to do when we are out on our boat.

Sea shells and beach glass are often found along the shoreline.

A very large barnacle which we use for our coins...

showers, laundry and ice at the Marina's call for coins.

Loonies and Twonies

kept handy inside this vessel.

The view going through the gap between North and South Pender Islands.

Jude the Obscure rose was a stalwart on the trip...

even fading in the heat 

the fragrance was a welcome reminder of our Humble Bungalow Garden.

Stay tuned for more holiday snippets and snapshots.

Thank you for stopping by The Humble Bungalow Blog.

Hope that your summer is ticking along nicely.

~ Be Well and Be Kind ~