A Slight Detour......

Mike arrived! but before he did here is a picture of "the other man" in my life....

Mark, may he only know the "good kind" of yarn. He is holding a ball of Katie's Painted Hills, now being knitting into a Shoulder Candy....


Our new color-way Multnomah Falls drying, both in yarn and in fiber


Cleo playing with a piece of wooden fruit


This is a nice autumn morning here in St Helens, notice the light are on? It's 11:00am, also the flash went off taking this picture...



Mike arrived, and all is well with the world. My family always thinks I'm in need of a vacation, so Becky and Jan decided that we would all go to Victoria BC for a short interlude. As a result, Friday afternoon we were off to spend the night in Port Angeles WA and then the next morning we were getting up early to meet the 8:20am ferry, but were awakened a little earlier than planned when the fire alarm went off. Bleary eyed and unshowered we checked out and met the ferry.... Mike waiting for the Ferry, The Olympic Mountain Range behind him, again this is at 8:00 am


Jan made a little breakfast for us while we waited for the ferry but when we arrived in Victoria BC we decided that we needed "Second Breakfast", Jan and Neil's favorite place for breakfast


Becky's breakfast "Kippers and eggs"~note the tea cozy, Jan and I had a very in depth discussion about how this was knitted, when the waitress brought us both a pattern, ooh it's not knit in the round,


My breakfast, Bangers and potatoes


The whole gang



This is "Darth Vadar" not really playing a fiddle (there was noise but nothing close to music), it was more show than talent, but an "A" for show!



We had a wonderful time at the Natural History Museum, in fact we closed the place. Jan and I were the last out the door when we ran smack dab into the annual Santa Claus Parade, here are the people waiting


We shopped for a little while, here at Rogers Chocolates Neil deciding which one to get while sipping on free hot chocolate


Jan in Rogers Chocolate


Here's the parade, we watched as we walked to our dinner reservation at the Blue Crab


Bag-pipers with Christmas lights on the pipes



Breathtaking the Parliament building lit for the holidays


The gang with dinner, they had to put another table together for us to hold all the food...oh the food,


Becky's favorite- Crab


Now consumed



After the walking and eating we all fell into bed, a beautiful soft and large bed for Mike and I, Becky had her own room with an equally soft but somewhat smaller bed, and Jan and Neil in their RV some miles away.
Our morning today began with another meal at our new favorite and then a lovely drive to..........


Mike viewing the locals


For November in Canada this weather totally rocks... It was cool but not cold. In the sun almost warm...


Isn't this breath taking?



Surprising how many flowers were in bloom, there were Fuchsia's attended by Humming Birds in the Sunken Garden pictured here


Another fantastic view


While wandering, Mike and I came upon this bush of red berries


Closer


Garra


This bush has lavender berries


Redwood tree planted in 1939, Ann (my neighbor) planted one in 2005, for privacy.....


This bush had red flowers with blue berries


One lone Artichoke



Our new home, no really it's the Tea Room, where we had High Afternoon Tea


Mike in the Japanese Garden


Note; I want this in our back yard


And this


The hot house decorated for Christmas



The gang waiting for Tea


Tea


Don't think it's all been fun and games, I've been working on the lastest Shoulder Candy in Merino/Cashmere/Angora in Katie's Painted Hills so far two skeins have been used (I'm still using the second one, but I've got a long Ferry ride tomorrow)

Tomorrow we leave Victoria BC and travel by Ferry to Anacortes WA. and travel to Seattle to pick Steven up from the airport. Mike's plans are to drive home and stay there until he drives back to LA with Steven. We are hoping to continue this holiday in Seattle for another night.... I'll let you know..........