This is just one of the reasons ...

... that Bruce and I moved to Nanaimo.

This is a view of our city from Newcastle Island.  A few of the boats in the front are permanent homes. My dragon boat team, the Nautical Dragons, paddled over to Newcastle Island for a picnic one bright evening; a well-deserved night off.  Right now, we're planning a September Race in Sproat Lake and have just had a successful beer and burger fund-raising night.   The team is doing well, coming along nicely, looking strong and able to kick a little butt.  Big words from the coach .. we'll see how we do come race day!

I love my city

Sometimes nature hands you the most unexpected delights .. this is shot from our own Departure Bay where the ferries dock.  Apparently, its been about 90 years since orcas have come right into the bay, normally preferring the waters outside of Protection Island.  It seems the pod of dolphins they are chasing were too much temptation .. kind of like carrot cupcakes with cream cheesing icing and sprinkles.  Hmm .. I may need to bake later today.

A Foggy Day in January

This is what greeted us today out the front room window.  Surprisingly, its not as dark and gloomy as a normal rainy day.  Go figure.

I went for my workout a few blocks away where the sun was practically blazing (for this time of year).  Spreading tendrils of warm golden happiness throughout my workout, the fog had pushed it back by the time I rolled out of the doors an hour later.  But for a while, I found sunshine in winter.  It was glorious.

Seasonal decorations

My chiroptractor's office decorations .. well done, don't you think?

Heavy day in traffic

This time of year brings out Christmas mayhem in traffic.  All of a sudden, mall parking lots are full on Tuesday afternoons and just negotiating the parking lot at the grocery store can be tricky.  (Which says nothing about negotiating around blue-haired ladies who forget their carts in the middle of the grocery aisles .. which may or may not be one of my hot buttons .. and which may or may not be the subject of my own brand of in-depth journalism one day.  lol. snerk)  

Anyway, a raft of seagulls and a lonely crow decided to squabble over a loaf of bread someone had dropepd, and it was creating backed up traffic at the store as people tried to drive through the milling birds without actually either hurting them or the bread.  Hey, everyone's got a right to eat, no?

I know its not Calgary traffic, but it tied me up for five minutes and in Nanaimo, that's gridlock!

Playing hookey

Today, my friend Cécile and I goofed away the entire day.  We started early  .. as it turns out, we both began by checking emails, working our way through responses and a steaming hot cup of morning tea.  We'd planned to meet up at 9:30 or thereabouts, knowing that Cécile has a penchant for having her own notion of time that doesn't always coincide with .. you know .. world clocks.

We drove off to have the quintessential girl day ... time at the spa and lunch after.  Tigh-Na-Mara Resort is the perfect marriage of log cabin and seaside chalet with high-end services.  If you get a chance, I highly recommend a visit there.  It was here, while sitting out on our balcony one late September night, sipping wine  and watching a cruise ship slowly moving up the strait, that Bruce and I made the decision to move to Vancouver Island. We'd found a chunk of paradise we wanted to hold onto.  So I guess I'm rather partial to the place.

At about 1:00, we emerged from the spa with fresh rosy faces, completely relaxed and .. hungry.  We headed around the corner to a small sushi place that Cécile knew, only to find that they were closed Wednesdays.  I guess business must be good when you can run a restaurant that is only open from 11am to 7:00 pm every day but Wednesday, when it doesn't open at all.

Since we were around the corner from the beach front park, we headed there, with the ice cream concession in mind .. only to discover that the sand carving competition had been recently completed and they were taking donations to view the completed works.    I really like this part of the Parksville Beach  Festival .. competitors come from all over the world to to carve up the local sand.

This one took first prize for a work done by a solo artist

A cup of tea .. loved that splash

Bruce .. another practical gift of a heart of stone.
Or sand .. whatever.

Not really too sure about this one, but man, that font work is great.

This one made me laugh .. and think how much my brother Jamie would love it.

The sculptor of this entry hailed form Europe

Not sure what this represented, by I thought it well crafted

This took 2nd place for the group work (you can see first place in the background).
The next two pictures show different views of the same piece

Add caption

After the sandcastles, we took in a Vietnamese lunch in Nanaimo at Huong Lan Restaurant.  The service was amazing and even at 2:30 in the afternoon in a somewhat sleepy strip mall, business was hopping.  Food was pretty good too.  Cécile had her first bubble tea and decided that perhaps tapioca bubbles were not really the thing she most wanted to find in her drink.  I whole-heartedly agree.

All in all, it was a pretty amazing vacation day.

Bathtub Races

Nanaimo is home to an unusual race, but one that has gained international reputation.  From the website of the Loyal Nanaimo Bathtub Society, this blurb explains the history ...

"Nanaimo harbor was the scene of a bathtub race extravaganza at the first race in 1967 Canadas’ 100 birthday and its’ Centennial year.. As the City of Nanaimo's "Centennial Event" that year, close to 200 tubbers (in every type of craft imaginable) entered the fun competition and amazingly, 47 completed the 36 mile course to Vancouver's Fisherman's Cove across the straits of Georgia. Now the "Great RACE" finishes at Departure Bay in Nanaimo covering a very grueling course that leaves Nanaimo harbor circles Entrance Island and then up to and around Winchelsea Island and then back to Departure Bay in Nanaimo. In the early days it was indeed a challenge to just get past the starting line in the choppy confusion caused by an extra 785 small and large observation and escort boat in Nanaimo harbor. From the confusion of a first time bathtub race 45 years ago, the Nanaimo to Nanaimo "Great" INTERNATIONAL WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP BATHTUB RACE & 4 day Nanaimo Marine Festival has evolved. Where once a select band of tubbers were the highlight they now share the spotlight with many other land and water events which are interesting and often spectacular to watch."

Grey skies and choppy waters made for challenging conditions this year

A close up look at the boat made from a bathtub

The Sailpast on Wheels parade

These guys don't take themselves too seriously.  Click on that link above and have a read of their website.  I guarantee a chuckle or two.

Nanaimo Dragon Boat Festival 2012

Every year, I look forward to this festival like it's Christmas weekend.  I plan for it, work for it and when it all comes around .. enjoy the hell out of it.  The Nanaimo festival is unique among the racing circuit in that it always has a  theme.  Teams dress up in costume or compete for best decorated tent.  This year, we honoured the Sixties.

The World

According to its press .. "The World is not a cruise ship. It is the largest privately owned residential yacht on earth. It might look like a cruise ship from the exterior, but that’s where the similarity ends. This exclusive community offers the ultimate combination of luxury travel with world-class dining, custom tours and enriching cultural events. It is the embodiment of a distinctive lifestyle experience.

Strata fees must be crazy!

During practice, the KVL Kruisers had the chance to get up close to this boat, seen here docked in Nanaimo for a couple of days. Yes, it was impressive. Man, there was a ton of boat traffic around her, most of it either working vehicles or, like us, just wanting to get up close enough to take a good picture. Our steersperson was kept busy trying to keep us out of trouble from the wake waves, so we skedaddled fairly quickly.

You can read more about The World by clicking this elegantly-crafted link.

Silly boats 2

Had too many pictures to share with you ... had to break it into two posts.

Prices like this lead to ...

lines like this!  A far cry from last weekend, when I paid $18 for ribs and a coleslaw for lunch.

 On shore, there was a ton of fun stuff for the kids!

Who can resist a purple octopus?

Mini-golf

Slides!

I came across a booth with some pretty wild toys, but this one seemed to be capturing a lot of attention.

It started out small

and expanded as you threw it

Here it is fully expanded

Drummers waiting for the stage

Step right up!  Try on a silly hat and get your picture taken!

Balloons and wind flowers 

What's a party without balloon hats?

Or rainbow wigs?

Or rainbow wigs on giraffes?

And here's another party statement .. of some sort!

Silly Boats 1

Nanaimo is not very concerned about how stately she looks or that she's holding her pinky up when she sips her afternoon tea with the other island ladies. No, she's more likely to be in a bar, laughing it up with the gang ... or even dancing on tables. She doesn't take herself too seriously.

Witness the annual zaniness that is the Silly Boat Regatta.  Held the weekend after the dragonboat festival, teams of four bring all their tools down to the shoreline and frenetically begin building boats to sail.  Teams are arranged in heats and they're off to ply the waters in front of Swy-a-lana Lagoon in an attempt (some vain) to cross the finish line.  All members of the team must be on board at the start and finish, a feat that isn't always accomplished.

I wasn't able to get a lot of water pictures since I'm short and the crowds along the walkways and docks were already deep.  But I did get a few shots to share with you.

Everyone gets into the pirate theme

I'm putting my money on this one not making it to the finish line.
I wish I'd snapped this half a second later.   That young lady on the left executed a perfect handstand.

Harr, matey!

A new type of dragon boat, perhaps?

This one wins the "pink" award

Not thinking this one is a floater, either.

Havin' fun and headin' to Liberia!

They seem a bit perplexed over whether this plane will fly

The Arcade Fiends boat certainly had a theme going.

This one was pretty plain jane except for the oversize Canadian flag lying flat because of the wind.

Not sure how much chance this one has

The captains chair *is* the most important, yes?

Teachers getting into the spirit

This team had some colorful characters

As I was adjusting this prior to posting, I said "hey, I know that woman!"  She's one of my dragon boat crew.
I didn't see her at the time though .. >.<  .. hi Brenda!

Teams line up for the first heat

Race officials head out aboard The Bathtub