Whale of a Weekend

Still catching up on sleep after an action-packed weekend. Should be refreshed just in time to experience the aftermath of tomorrow's chemo. Oh joy.

Thrills started on Thurs evening with the arrival of my friend Trudy who is currently residing in Sweden. We got together for the first time on Fri when we took Mom to the fish truck in Davis Bay for lunch. As we were waiting for our order to be prepared, someone noticed two grey whales cavorting just off shore. At first everyone thought they must have beached, but we soon realized they were simply enjoying a good lunch of their own. It appeared to be an older whale and a calf. When they were first spotted, they were rolling around the water, frequently bringing their massive heads above the surface. Later, they swam the length of the beach, gently gliding along with the occasional blast from their blowholes. We must have watched them for the better part of an hour. When we were ready to leave, I couldn't get the Grape into the lane heading home due to the heavy traffic - I had to drive to the Canadian Tire in Wilson Creek before I could turn around. Seemed everyone and his/her dog was coming out to see the whales. There wasn't a parking space to be had - not even an illegal one - anywhere along the Davis Bay beach front. Traffic was backed up in both directions. The fish truck operator joked as we were leaving that he would have to increase his prices to take the "entertainment" factor into account.

On Saturday, we all headed to the farmers' market. Saeko came up from Richmond to join us for the rest of the weekend, so she came along, too. In addition to the usual market attractions, Trudy, Saeko and I enjoyed a visit to the local museum where a group of people were learning how to weave cedar hats. Very interesting. On Sunday we took in a concert at Willow Tree Farm. Musicians included Wendy Humphreys on harp, followed by a performance by Eileen McCann and David G. Aside from a few brief sprinkles, the weather was perfect. Mom, Marcia, Penny and Jon also came to the concert, so it was a fun time for all. Of course, we all gathered at the farm on Sat and Sun evening for group feasting. All in all a fun time.