Victoria to Begin the Holidays

Victoria Parliament Building Decked Out for the Holidays

Holiday Harbour Lights

For the past three years we’ve gone to Victoria, BC, around the beginning of December as a way of celebrating our anniversary (Nov. 23) and getting a good start on the Christmas season. This year we added visiting with our good friends, Nick and Kathryn Delany, 

Kathryn and Anne in a small gallery in Sidney with Kathryn's art on the wall.

who have recently moved to a beautiful home in a development at Brentwood Bay near Butchart Gardens. 

View from the Delany's front window.

This year’s plan was to stay two nights with the Delanys after taking an early ferry from Port Angeles, then moving to our timeshare at Worldmark Victoria on the harbour and near town. 

Worldmark Victoria

The view of Fisherman's Wharf from our Worldmark balcony.

The Delanys, both outstanding photographers, planned a day of photo touring around their area as well as some outstanding meal, including rack of lamb for an American Thanksgiving in Canada. When in Victoria we planned some touring, some dining at our favorite spots, and lots of shopping.

Rather than a chronological narrative for this post, I thought I’d present the trip in topical fashion: food, photo touring, shopping, and…

We’re Lucky We Didn’t Gain a Bunch

We always eat well on our trips and this trip was no exception. Good meals started in Port Angeles our first night of the trip. We decided to try something different and we’d seen good reviews for Coyote BBQ Pub near the ferry terminal.

The restaurant is owned by the same people as Kokopelli Cafe, always a top rated restaurant in Port Angeles. Coyote BBQ was more cafe-style than a pub but the brisket sandwich was wonderful with a nice choice of house-made BBQ sauces. Our trip was off to a good beginning. I’ve mentioned the great meals we had at the Delanys, but they also took us to a fun find for lunch. Between photo stops we lunched at the Italian Kitchen at Grove Hall Farm in Duncan. Besides a specialty Italian market, the Kitchen serves delicious pizza and other Italian delights.  Another market to mention is in James Bay (one of the “neighborhoods” of Victoria). James Bay Thrifty is an upscale neighborhood grocery always crowded with locals and tourists (especially timeshare holidayers). Its butcher shop is superior—we stock up on the double-smoked bacon so we can bring a few pounds home—

Anne shopping for produce at James Bay Thrifty.

and the bakery and produce sections are both top notch. Even with the great food from Thrifty we still went out to the Beagle Pub in the Cook Street neighborhood. We've been to the Beagle several times before and know it has an interesting menu and serves good portions—it was a bonus that we could gets halves of cider instead of drinks too big for us weaklings.

We mostly ate bacon and sausage from Thrifty for breakfast, but we did go out once. Jam Cafe near Victoria’s Chinatown is a cafe not to miss. Funky atmosphere, good service, and a wild menu make this spot uber popular—check out the menu at www.jamcafes.com. 

Funky JAM Cafe

One last lunch needs to be mentioned. We met Nick and Katheryn again in our stay for a trip to Afternoon Tea at White Heather Tearoom in the Oak Bay Area.  The tearoom is quaint and nicely decorated with tea pots and cups. The Christmas Wee Bite is quite a spread. First, we needed to select our tea from about 25 choices—I had Mountain Berry. Next we had a three tiered (course) lunch brought to the table—scones, sandwiches, sweets. 

Afternoon Tea at White Heather Tearoom

The egg salad sandwiches on the second tier we the best, although everything was good.

It was more than any of us could eat, so much of the sweets tray was sent home with us.  At White Heather the Tea wasn’t as fancy a lunch as we’ve had at The Empress Hotel in downtown, but the food was as good, as plentiful, and half the price. We’ve been three times and they remembered us. Check them out at www.whiteheather-tearoom.com.

A Photo Tour of Victoria

Nick and Kathryn took us to two special photo stops in their area of the island. First, we drove to Goldstream Provincial Park—a large park on the west side of the island (16 km from downtown) with hiking trails, waterfalls, trees (mostly fir and red cedar), birds, and fish. The stream has a noted annual salmon run which attracts gulls and eagles which attract crowds of tourists. We were about a week late to see the eagles dining on the salmon, 

but it was both fascinating and gruesome to watch the gulls attack the dead fish. Along one of the trails and again near the entrance of the park we did get views of eagles in the trees,

but sadly no closeups.

About 40 km from Goldstream Park we did get up close and personal with mighty birds at The Raptors in Duncan. This is a sanctuary raising raptors in captivity and caring for the recovery of injured birds. 

Raptors such as bald eagles, hawks, falcons, vultures, and owls are available for viewing on perches and in cages. Daily at 1:30 there is a flying demonstration designed both as informative and a photo op. 

The eagle has landed...on her arm.

Nick, Kathryn and I (as well as a couple of other photographers) had a great time trying  to photograph the beautiful birds in flight with our big lenses, while other audience had Bald Eagles, Harris Hawks, Great Horned Owls, Black Vultures, and Blue Falcons flying right over their heads. 

The staff control the flight of the birds most of the time—the owl went off script when it saw a bunny run from one bush to another. The owl went for the extra meal and the bunny barely escaped—a real wildlife moment. You can find out more about The Raptors at www.pnwraptors.com. 

Later in the week Anne and I visited Fort Rodd & Fisgard Lighthouse in Colwood, north of downtown. The fort is a 19th century artillery fort where we could walk among the the buildings, but they are only open for display on the weekends during off season. 

Fisgard Lighthouse from the fort.

Next to the fort is the 1860 built Fisgard Lighthouse. It’s available for viewing, but also is only open on weekends. The lighthouse was automated in 1929 and has a lovely location on an island connected to land by a walkable causeway. The light sits at the entrance of Esquimalt harbour  

A real Canadian Goose in Canada.

Our last photo tour was of the Royal BC Museum next to Parliament in Victoria. The museum hosted a special Maya Exhibit and Nick and Kathryn drove up to meet us there before Afternoon Tea. 

Portions of Mayan texts.

The Maya exhibit was interesting, but there was almost too much information to take in on one visit. 

Mask in the First People's exhibit.

Though, it was fun to photograph both it and the museum’s First Peoples exhibit.

A Grand Place for Christmas Shopping

Anne and I love shopping in Victoria, especially around Christmas time. The downtown stores are interesting and festive and we have fun finding Christmas presents for each other. 

Ann trying on a hat in the Irish Shop. She got this one for Christmas.

This year we each got hats from the Irish shop, Anne found earrings in couple of places, 

Downtown Victoria window display.

Victoria Street Artist

I got a great deal on a photo book, and we both got special Lamy rollerball pens.  We also enjoy wandering the shops in the neighborhood such as Cook Street Village and Oak Bay Street. 

Latte and pasty at Demitasse Cafe in Oak Bay neighborhood.

Oh Dear Me! Those deer aren't statues.

Wild meat sticks in a local butcher shop. All we had were delicious, though the crocodile had quite a bite.

In fact, while shopping in the James Bay neighborhood I saw an ad for a concert on Sunday afternoon at the Oak Bay United Church. It turned out that the 3:00 concert called “Gathered by the Fire—Ancient Music Celebrating Yule” featuring the Banquo Folk Ensemble was one of the highlights of our week. 

The group, formed in 1998, consists of five members who sing and play early instruments including recorders, guitars, hardy gurdies, citterns, bag pipes, and a variety of percussives (if that’s a word). The small church was a perfect  venue for the group and sound was glorious.

The Finest at Sea food cart near Fisherman's Wharf serves great fish tacos.

The entire trip was enjoyable as usual. We were blessed with good friends, good food,  decent weather, and a smattering of good photos.

WE WISH A MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL WHO READ THE BLOG. MAY 2020 BE A GREAT YEAR FOR US ALL.

NEXT: I’ll be working to find interesting photos and topics for the 165th post to this blog which will begin its 7th year of publishing.

Scotland Spring 2016: To the Golf Course

With apologies to my sane friends, those who aren’t bitten by the golf bug, this post is about the wonderful and often unknown or unheralded golf courses we played on this past trip to Scotland.  Even if you are not a golfer, you might enjoy the photos and the scenery around the courses as well as some of the details about them.  I’ll present the courses in approximately the order we played, and while this wasn’t the only golf we played, they do represent a fair sample of Scotland’s golf tracks which don’t belong to The Donald.

St Fillans GC in St Fillans, about 12 miles from our home base in Crieff.  The 9-hole course, nestled between Scottish mountains (nice sized hills to us) and at the south end of Lochearn, was built in 1903 by famed Scottish golf architect Willie Auchterlonie of St Andrews.  We are members of the club and it has become our go-to golf home when in Scotland. It was the first course we played on this trip and in late April we played in the cold and sometimes blowing snow.

Locals on the Course

Teeing off on the second and dressed smartly for the weather, I might add.

Watching the snow shower come in on the seventh.

Montrose Medal GC in Montrose on Scotland’s east coast north of Dundee.  Called the Medal Course, meaning the championship track of the two courses at Montrose, it is listed by several sources as one of the Top 100 golf courses in the world.  Golf has been played on this ground since 1562, at least 450 years.  The present course is about 130 years old and again we struggled with snow showers scattered between periods of warm sun—an on-and-off day for rain gear. 

Beautiful when not snowing.

Teeing off during a sunny period.

Durness GC in the far northwest corner of Scotland.  Just a baby, having been built in 1988, Durness is one of the truly great small courses in the world.  Laid out over ancient sand dunes, Durness GC is sited along Balnakeil Bay with spectacular views—some of the most dramatic vistas in all of golf.

Cold and windy as always in the far north.

View south from the course.

The ninth hole and eighteenth play over the sea.

Stromness GC on the main island in the Orkneys, called Mainland, north of the mainland of Scotland. When we first saw the course from the ferry over to Orkney we thought it wasn’t going to be much of a course.  We were pleasantly surprised at how wrong we were.  The design, fairly modern but I don’t have dates, is interesting and challenging even on calm days which are rare in this part of Scotland. 

The second is a lovely but tough par 3 at 210 yards.

The land in the background is another Orkney Island, Hoy --- only accessible by ferry.

The mounds left and right are World War II defensive bunkers.

Nairn Dunbar GC in Nairn on the Moray Firth and the North Sea.  Listed as one of the Top 100 Courses in Scotland, the 1899 track plays in the linksland and dunes.  During World War II the beach beside Nairn Dunbar was really out of bounds, since it was fully mined in case of invasion. 

The yellow bushes are gorse and very unforgiving.  Ask Winnie the Pooh.

Anne gets out of the sand well...lots of practice.

Muir of Ord GC in Muir of Ord north of Inverness.  Designed by James Braid, famous Scottish golf architect and winner of five Open Championships, the course plays on two sides of the railway and next to the Glen Ord Distillery.

A foggy start to our round.

The sixteenth heads right for the distillery.

Maverston GC in Urquhart village near the Cathedral city of Elgin.  This eight year old moorland/parkland course will one day be a real stunner.  It just needs a little maturing.

Moray Old GC in the village of Lossiemouth next to the Lossiemouth RAF station. Another Top 100 in the World course, Moray Old was designed by St Andrew’s profession Old Tom Morris in 1889.  The gorse-lined course is a challenge even under the best conditions.  We love to play this lovely course and take every chance we can to visit with the club’s pro John Murray and his assistant, Derek.

Lossiemouth Lighthouse in the background.

Several holes play along the sea.

NATO jets practice take-offs and landings directly over the course.

Carrbridge GC in Carrbridge near our second home in Scotland, Aviemore in the Highlands.  This 9-hole track offers plenty of challenge and this year presented some interesting wildlife as well.

Oyster Catcher on her nest on the course.

We heard several and saw one fly before I got this photo of an elusive Cuckoo.

Cairngorm Mountains in the background.

Arbroath GC in Arbroath just north of Dundee on the east coast.  Playing in the flat linksland off the North Sea, the course is an easy walk, but it’s not an easy course.  Burns cross numerous fairways and the rough can be score damaging.

The east coast commuter train (between Aberdeen and Dundee)  runs next to the course.

Near the course is Arbroath Abbey where the Declaration of Arbroath was signed in the 1300s establishing the nation of Scotland.

Crail Balcomie Links in Crail on Neuk of Fife about 10 miles from St Andrews.  Golf has been played on this ground since 1786 and the club is the 7th oldest in the world.  Old Tom Morris designed the World Top 100 course in 1895 and it’s stayed fairly consistent to his design since.  We love this venerable course and play it so often that we are well known to the pro Graham Lennie and his assistant David Snodgrass. 

The green of the fourteenth hole.

Back to St Fillans GC.  We always like to end our trips with a round at our home course, St Fillans.  This trip if our last round wasn’t darling, it was at least deer.

Teeing off on the third.

On the third.

Red deer.

Our clubhouse, humble but comfortable.

NEXT: The Best of the Rest