travel – Page 14 – ToadMama.com

June 1, 2016June 1, 2016

My Day in Victoria, BC, Canada

As we were planning our recent trip to visit family in Washington, one of the things I really, REALLY wanted to do was take a side trip to Victoria, BC. Not because I hadn’t been there before or because I just wanted to say I’d visited another country. I wanted to get to Victoria to meet Dar.

I’ve known Dar, aka Princess Scooterpie, for several years via her blog, and wanted to meet her in person. The last time I was in Victoria, I’d been traveling with three other people. We were on a tight schedule and I just didn’t feel right carving out time for myself. Of course, I’d regretted it, and I was determined not to make the same mistake twice. If you’d like to read about the meet-up with Dar and two other moto-blogger buddies (on a different day), you can do so here.

Victoria isn’t exactly in the same neighborhood, but it was close enough that I knew I could probably swing a visit, with proper planning and a little bit of luck. The planning part meant figuring out how to get from Auburn, where Amy and family live, to Victoria, which is sort of close on the map, but just happens to be on an island. And that meant the logistics — time and money — were a bit of a challenge. Luck came into play when there was a day with no grand kid sporting events, which meant I didn’t have to be in Washington for chauffeur service. I was free!

I had several choices, but finally settled on the Victoria Clipper passenger-only ferry from Seattle.

IMG_0325_Vic_Clip — Victoria Clipper Ferry

I only had to drive into Seattle for the ferry’s 8:30 a.m. sailing to Victoria, a 2.5-hour ride away. I love ferries. I especially love ferries that travel in and around Washington. It is such a beautiful place. And that day was absolutely gorgeous.

Oh, we saw Orcas en route, too. Not very well, but we did see their fins.

I was to meet Dar around 3:30 or 4:00 p.m. The ferry docked at about 11:00 a.m. That meant I had four or so hours to explore the lovely little city.

Supposedly, Victoria is Canada’s most-British city. I can’t say I know for sure as it’s the only city in Canada I have ever visited. Not counting a brief trip to Niagara Falls, which is not really a fair comparison.

British-like or not, it’s gorgeous. There are Victorian mansions and flowers galore, which I discovered as I ambled about, with no real plan beyond visiting the city park.

Here are some of the images I captured in Victoria that day.

3_IMG_0091 — Parliament Building (Victoria is the capital of British Columbia.)

9_IMG_0129 — Pretty lilacs with lichen-covered branches.

25_IMG_0303 (2) — Interesting Architecture

29_IMG_0328 (2) — Looking over the harbor.

30_IMG_0355 — Looking over the harbor from the opposite side.

IMG_0332_wall_map — Wall mural of Vancouver Island (Victoria is on the SE tip.)

I couldn’t decide which sunset image I liked best, so I decided to post three

I think #2 is my favorite. I like the colors.

As usual, I shared a ton of pics in this post. So many that I decided to share pictures captured in Beacon Hill Park in a separate post.

April 30, 2016

All About the Girl

Hubby and I were in Washington State visiting family April 15-24. Our daughter and son-in-law, Amy and TJ, had to go away for a few days, and needed us to supervise the grand kids. They’re good kids, so we really only needed to be there to chauffeur them around to various activities, make sure they ate, bathed, slept, didn’t kill each other, etc. Most evenings were pretty busy.

Tuesday evening, Brianna had a lacrosse game in Bellevue, roughly 30 miles north of their home in Auburn. Depending on timing, the drive could take 45 minutes or two hours. The game got pushed back to an 8:00 PM start to avoid traffic delays.

We didn’t have to go, since she had to ride the team bus, but I wanted to go. I know nothing about lacrosse, but hadn’t seen her play for several years. They’ve lived in Washington for three years already!

The last time I saw Brianna, now 15 and in her first year of high school, play any sport was for a recreational/club team. It was really quite surreal seeing her playing lacrosse for her high school. They have real uniforms, and coaches, and play in fancy stadiums with lights and everything. And since she’s just a freshman playing on the varsity team, which is awesome, she looked so young out there playing amongst the older girls.

Mentally, it doesn’t seem like that long ago when I was playing high school sports, and now my granddaughter is playing? Weird. But cool.

Brianna's lacrosse team. — Brianna’s lacrosse team. That’s her in the middle, fiddling with her mouth guard.

I mean, how’d she grow up so fast?

Look at this cute pic from 2008.

I didn’t get many decent pics that first night, but she also had a daytime game on Saturday in Tacoma.

030 — Brianna is the second girl from the right.

She was on the sideline when I reached the stadium, about halfway through the game (I don’t even know if there’s such a thing as half-time.) Apparently, she scored in the first part of the game before I arrived.

Brianna_LAX_action — She’s young and thin, but she holds her own!

I’m really proud of Brianna. She’s right on the cusp of womanhood, and is turning into quite a nice young lady.

There’s so much we miss, with the grand kids living so far away. Little things they wouldn’t think to tell you about. Like, when a teammate got taken out by the opposing team, Brianna was the first one to run over and ask if the girl was okay, retrieved her teammate’s stick, and talked to her ’til the coach arrived.

Or when, after practice one night, I overheard Brianna giving an older teammate, who I gathered was feeling quite discouraged about her recent on-field performance, a pretty grown-up sounding pep talk. She’s really becoming such a lovely person.

As I’m sure her Mom would say, she has her moments. Don’t we all? But persevere, do your very best as a parent, and give a kid a strong foundation, as Amy and TJ have for all of their children, and they will eventually grow into amazing adults. Just like our kids have.

The grand kids were on their best behavior all week. Really. Their parents must have laid down some pretty hefty threats to get them to behave for poor, old G (that’s me) and Pop. LOL.

Here are some pics of the super-cool stadium where Brianna played on Saturday.

The game was at Stadium High School in Tacoma. (Click that link if you want to read a bit about the history of the very cool-looking school.)

Stadium overlooks Puget Sound's Commencement Bay. — Stadium overlooks Puget Sound’s Commencement Bay.

The grand kids will be coming here for a visit in June. I’m already looking forward to that, but really start need to thinking of things we can plan to keep them busy! Being busy is key. 🙂

April 26, 2016April 26, 2016

Girls’ Day Out – Part 2

In my first post about the day-trip Amy and I took to Port Townsend (PT), I said I’d show you more pictures of the town itself, and how it looked from land. If you missed the first post, make sure you go back. There are some nice pics there, if I do say so myself.

The ride to PT was gorgeous. And it was beautiful sitting at the little waterfront cafe while we ate a small lunch and enjoyed an adult beverage or two. The town itself — at least the downtown area on and around Water Street — was chock-full of cool, artsy shops, interesting buildings, and other stuff that caught my eye. Plus, the weather was beautiful, even if it was a tad too much on the warm side for my taste (close to the 80s!).

The Pacific Northwest is supposed to have cooler temperatures!

Anyway… here are the images from Port Townsend I feel are worthy of sharing.

IMG_0449_Otter_Log — Otter Log on shore of Port Townsend Bay

There were lots of other cool buildings in town, too. Some with what Fuzzy refers to as ghost ads.

IMG_0454_Main Street — Along Water Street in Port Townsend

IMG_0403_Sign — Taylor Street at Water Street

IMG_0402_Sign — Close-up of sign (Taylor Street at Water Street)

IMG_0404_Water_View — Heading toward funky-cool antique shop on Taylor Street.

IMG_0405_Bunting — As seen from just inside doorway of funky-cool antique shop on Taylor Street.

IMG_0407_Sign — On side of building along Water Street (between Quincy and Taylor).

IMG_0409_Sign — On side of building along Water Street (between Quincy and Taylor).

IMG_0394_Old_Hotel — The Bishop Victorian Hotel on Washington Street

IMG_0391_Old_Station — Old garage on Washington Street.

IMG_0424_Waterfront Park — Part of Pope Marine Park on Water Street.

Amy and I both thoroughly enjoyed our girls’ day out, but we both wished that Shannon could have been there, too.

Moms and adult daughters should hang out more often, when you can be friends and don’t have to act like a parent. It’s sooooo much more relaxing and rewarding.

Shannon and Amy both turned into lovely young women. They are awesome daughters and all-around nice people, too. Most days. LOL.

We all had our ups and downs when they were younger — parenting is HARD work — but I don’t regret any of it. Well, I do regret some parts. In hindsight, I could have been a much better parent, but I was young and growing, too.

I am a very lucky lady. Any woman would be proud to be a parent of these two now-grown kids. Hubby and I really have been blessed.

April 26, 2016April 26, 2016

Fun with Family

Our time in Washington went by way too fast. But isn’t that always the case when you are enjoying yourself immensely?

Eric (youngest kid) and his wife Kelsey weren’t able to join us in Washington. Shannon (eldest) and her boyfriend, Chris, flew up from San Diego for the weekend. Amy’s husband, TJ, had to work during the day on Saturday and Sunday (he’s in the Army), but we did get to see him in the evenings.

We didn’t do a whole lot besides hang out and enjoy each other’s company both days. It was awesome.

We didn’t need to do anything, really, besides just relax, chat, laugh, carry on a bit, etc. It was perfect. Especially since we all live so far away from each other. I would never be one of those parents who insist that their kids stay close geographically just for the parent’s sake. I am a firm believer that your children, when they are adults, need to make their own places in the world. I do miss all of them, as does Hubby, but we try not to dwell on it.

I, of course, had to walk around taking pictures. Who else is going to document events like this?

Some of Joe's art work. — Some of Joe’s art work.

I couldn’t help but smile at Joey’s creations.

Meanwhile, back downstairs…

I’m not sure if that’s a Rose of Sharon tree (in their front yard), but it sure is pretty. Especially with the blue-sky backdrop.

Since the sky was so clear, I decided to borrow Amy’s car and drive about seven minutes to a place from which I know Mount Rainier is easily seen. I never get tired of seeing that mountain.

Yes, I zoomed in to capture that photo. The mountain is not as close as it appears. Also, I was sort of shooting into the sun, which is why the sky behind the mountain looks so gray.

Saying “the mountain is out” (referring to Mount Rainier) is the local way of saying it’s a pretty day.

When I got back to the house, I was tickled to see Amy sewing.

She apparently also favors using a machine that was built before she was born. (She borrowed the 70’s era machine from a neighbor friend.)

The Grand Kids - Brianna (15), Joe (8), and Gaige (12) — The Grand Kids – Brianna (15), Joe (8), and Gaige (12)

Joe did have a baseball game in the early afternoon, so we all went to watch. Brianna had lacrosse practice, too.

Interesting weeds. — Interesting weeds at the ball field.

That little guy LOVES baseball.

He’s very focused, can you tell?

After the sports stuff, Shannon, Amy and I did some shopping for lunch and dinner fixin’s, adult beverages, and some other local specialty items.

Then, after lunch, we got to sit outside and test TJ’s special beer coozies.

The hand-shaped coozies were fun, but wouldn’t a Sasquatch hand be REALLY cool to have? And fitting, given the area.

The next day, Joey made chocolate-chip pancakes for Hubby and I to celebrate our 23rd wedding anniversary.

We had to get a family photo or two. I’ve always been able to get the kids to pose nicely by letting them do a goofy shot or two at the end of the session. Chris wasn’t used to that. LOL. The goofy shots often end up being some of my favorites.

Later, Shannon and I decided to walk to the park to watch the sunset.

I absolutely love those orange azaleas, which Shannon and I saw during our walk to Sunset Park. Yes, that’s really the name of the park.

The sunset wasn’t anything extra-special, but we did get a nice view of the mountain bathed in the late-afternoon light.

Mount Rainier as seen from Sunset Park in Auburn

Sunset as seen from Sunset Park in Auburn

It wasn’t long after that when Shannon and Chris had to head to the airport. 🙁

All-in-all, it was a great weekend, even if it was far too short!

Hubby and I have certainly been blessed in so many ways.

April 25, 2016April 25, 2016

ToadMama the Tour Guide

Hey there! We are back at home in Virginia. While it’s good to be home with the girls, we both miss everyone. I try not to dwell on the fact that most of our kids and all of our grand kids live far away from us, but it does sort of suck. So it was really, really nice being able to visit.

Speaking of visiting… I took a special friend along as a surprise.

ToadMama_and_ScooterBob — ScooterBob and My Toadercycle (Thanks, Fuzzy!)

ScooterBob is a wooden scooter that once belonged to Bob Leong, a moto-blogging friend of mine. Bob was a very well-known and well-liked moto blogger (blogged about motorcycle travel and other stuff). The wooden motor scooter earned the name “ScooterBob” the moment it was assigned a globe-trotting mission to meet-up with other moto-bloggers and see the world.

As explained on the Travels With ScooterBob page…

That nomadic far-ranging mission was one Bob had set for himself. He had already ridden his BMW R1200R from coast, to coast, to coast; from his home in Vancouver to Charlottetown, and back. Along the way Bob met moto bloggers, lots of moto bloggers. Some he had already met, others he met for the first time.

Bob was, like the rest of us, an imperfect human being, with some wonderful qualities. Anyone who met him knew him as gentle, humble, kind, thoughtful, generous, and adventurous. Those are the qualities that endeared him to the moto blogging community.

Bob gave the wooden motor scooter to an east coast blogger, which is how it ended up in Montreal, where it stayed for a time. On a whim, and as a prank, the scooter traveled with another moto blogger to Key West. The goal was to surprise Bob when he showed up there on another leg of his mission, only to find that the lowly wooden motor scooter had beaten him to the destination.

Unfortunately, that prank never happened (read about Bob’s unanticipated passing here). There are also some touching tribute posts by other moto-bloggers.

That’s when a special group of moto-bloggers decided to show ScooterBob around the world, sharing places and things Bob Leong would have loved. Sharing those adventures on Bob’s very own blog.

As luck would have it, ScooterBob arrived in Virginia the day before we flew to Washington. I was so excited to finally get my turn!

When I started blogging many years back, I had a blog called Appalachian Tours. That’s how Bob found me. He was one of the first moto-bloggers who reached out to me, and it was Bob who brought me into the fold. He introduced me to an amazing group of like-minded people, many of whom I proudly call “friend.”

The last time Bob and Yvonne were in my neighborhood, we were supposed to meet. I couldn’t get away from work. There were deadlines looming and not enough time. Bob was very gracious and understanding, saying that he’d be back in the area next year, and that we could arrange to meet then.

A few weeks later, Bob was gone.

I will always, ALWAYS regret not having made the time to meet him. That regret is what has inspired me to meet as many of you lovely folks as I can. Bob’s memory lives on in many ways. His quirky, warm, sometimes-odd, charming ways have touched many lives. I miss Bob, and I am truly honored to be able to show ScooterBob some adventures in Bob’s honor.

I was even able to suprise three fellow moto-bloggers. We’d all planned to meet up while I was in the area, but they didn’t know I’d have ScooterBob along. (Of course, I only knew for sure a few days ahead of time!)

It was lots of fun showing ScooterBob around and meeting fellow moto-bloggers face-to-face. If you’d like to read about our adventures and see some fun pics, click the links below:

Meet-ups with three other moto-bloggers
A shout-out to Bob
Sights around Victoria, BC, Canada
Some roadside oddities in Puyallup and Tacoma, Washington

I’ll do some posts about our visit with the family soon, I promise.

April 23, 2016

Do You See It?

I can’t help it. I see faces in the oddest places. And once I see one, I can never unsee it. Know what I mean?

She kind of reminds me of the shrunken head character in the movie Beetlejuice.

In other news… I am honored to be hosting my friend ScooterBob for the next few weeks.

I met a couple more moto-bloggers today, and also surprised them with a very special guest. You can read about it HERE if you like.