They say it was a blue moon in Victoria last night. Whether or not that was the case, it was an extraordinary evening at Clover Point. On the spur of the moment, we went to see A Midsummer Night's Dream, staged in a tent whose stage backdrop was a huge open window overlooking the Juan de Fuca Strait. And a beautiful evening it was, clear sky pinkening as the sun set, gulls flying overhead, kites and para-sails soaring in the distance, the occasional vessel steaming by.
It took an extraordinarily good performance to capture the audience's attention from this distraction, and the actors delivered big time. I didn't count the audience, but I'm guessing there were about 75 seats, all of which were filled. One audience member was a boy of about six, who not only sat still for the performance, but laughed with infectious delight at some of the rarer antics. A Midsummer Night's Dream is one of my favorite of Shakespeare's plays and I've often laughed at it in a sort of intellectual way. Last night I laughed from the depths of my belly, squealed with surprise, and snorted in disbelief at the goings on. Will Shakespeare would have approved.
The supporting atmosphere was as delightful as the performance. Not only did we get a senior's discount, but another discount for walking rather than driving, and a third for being from the neighborhood. Hot chocolate was served during the interval for only $1 a cup, and blankets were also handed out just as the second half got underway, and these proved to be most welcome as a chill settled into the tent after the sun disappeared.
One of the best moments was during the "Intromission" (yes, this is literally what the sign said and I'm sure it was no error, given the general ribaldry of this production). Many theatre goers took advantage of the break to leave the confines of the tent to stretch their legs, and the few of us who remained were treated to the strains of Haydn's Symphony No. 9 as a backdrop to that glorious view. A matchless moment.
Wednesday, August 21, 2013
Tuesday, August 6, 2013
James Bay ambles
One of the delights of this neighborhood is how walkable it is and what a plethora of interesting things there are to see here. Making that even more attractive during this beautiful hot and dry summer we've been having, is the fact that being a peninsula in the Pacific, it's almost always cool and breezy here, so it's possible to walk even in the middle of the day in much greater comfort than downtown, though that is only about 10 minutes walk away.
We haven't quite made the post-dinner walk an institution yet, but every time we take one we swear we will do it every night. This time of year, the height of tourist season, James Bay is full of horse carriages and pedicabs. Sometimes sitting in my back garden I can hear the clip-clop of horses hooves on the small side streets near our building. In the evenings, they continue to ply their trade, using lights to signal their presence to the drivers and walkers. Their pace is gentle because the costumed drivers are telling stories as they go. I'm eager to experience one of these drives myself; I think there is much to learn about this neighborhood, which was once the working-class quarter when the city was young.
Walking the little streets, we always encounter friendly people. I've never lived anywhere that people were so friendly as they are here. Not just a nod and a smile, usually a hello and something about the weather or the beautiful evening is exchanged when passing someone in the street.
Victoria is a city where people recycle everything. If you have a household item you no longer need, you place it on the curb and within a short time someone else will come along, determine it's useful to them, and carry it away. In our apartment building, there is a little shelf in the front lobby that serves the same purpose. Every day there are new items there and yesterday's items have disappeared. I've picked up paperbacks, CDs, DVDs, canning jars, a set of screw drivers, and I've left books I've finished reading, telephones I no longer wanted, a cable modem.
People also share. The other night, near dark, we were walking up towards Dallas Road along one of the east-west streets, and I noticed a basket with a sign on it hanging outside the gate of a home across the street. I crossed to see what it was: a basket with fresh-picked bay leaves and a sign reading, help yourself, take only what you need. The tree from which they were picked sat just behind the picket fence. I'd have been delighted to take some, but I still have a fairly large store of bay leaves picked from a tree near where we used to live in North Vancouver.
Often we amble up to Ogden Point. This time of year there is almost always something going on there. One night last week we sat sipping beer at the Breakwater and watched as three cruise ships docked and disgorged their passengers into waiting buses, probably to head for downtown watering holes, horse-drawn carriages, or pedicabs. Just last night after getting out of a 6:00 movie, we impulsively decided to go to the Breakwater for a light supper. Only one cruise shipped docked last night, but there was still a lovely sunset to be enjoyed as the waves lapped below us.
We haven't quite made the post-dinner walk an institution yet, but every time we take one we swear we will do it every night. This time of year, the height of tourist season, James Bay is full of horse carriages and pedicabs. Sometimes sitting in my back garden I can hear the clip-clop of horses hooves on the small side streets near our building. In the evenings, they continue to ply their trade, using lights to signal their presence to the drivers and walkers. Their pace is gentle because the costumed drivers are telling stories as they go. I'm eager to experience one of these drives myself; I think there is much to learn about this neighborhood, which was once the working-class quarter when the city was young.
Walking the little streets, we always encounter friendly people. I've never lived anywhere that people were so friendly as they are here. Not just a nod and a smile, usually a hello and something about the weather or the beautiful evening is exchanged when passing someone in the street.
Victoria is a city where people recycle everything. If you have a household item you no longer need, you place it on the curb and within a short time someone else will come along, determine it's useful to them, and carry it away. In our apartment building, there is a little shelf in the front lobby that serves the same purpose. Every day there are new items there and yesterday's items have disappeared. I've picked up paperbacks, CDs, DVDs, canning jars, a set of screw drivers, and I've left books I've finished reading, telephones I no longer wanted, a cable modem.
People also share. The other night, near dark, we were walking up towards Dallas Road along one of the east-west streets, and I noticed a basket with a sign on it hanging outside the gate of a home across the street. I crossed to see what it was: a basket with fresh-picked bay leaves and a sign reading, help yourself, take only what you need. The tree from which they were picked sat just behind the picket fence. I'd have been delighted to take some, but I still have a fairly large store of bay leaves picked from a tree near where we used to live in North Vancouver.
Often we amble up to Ogden Point. This time of year there is almost always something going on there. One night last week we sat sipping beer at the Breakwater and watched as three cruise ships docked and disgorged their passengers into waiting buses, probably to head for downtown watering holes, horse-drawn carriages, or pedicabs. Just last night after getting out of a 6:00 movie, we impulsively decided to go to the Breakwater for a light supper. Only one cruise shipped docked last night, but there was still a lovely sunset to be enjoyed as the waves lapped below us.
Sunday, July 28, 2013
Victoria's secret
I've been hesitating about making this blog entry, for fear it might undermine the sanctity of something I'm coming to adore – Victoria's surprising and attractive complexity – simply by letting it be known about more generally. But I'm pretty sure almost no one is reading this blog and there's something compelling me to set my observations down in print.
Victoria is deceptive. She looks from the outside like a quaint little old lady who people want to come and visit once in awhile before going home to their much more exciting lives and circles of family and friends. To pay a little homage, perhaps, have a delicious cup of tea and a home-made scone, hear a bit of gossip, then kiss the genteel hand and depart. But even after just three months of living here it's already clear to me Victoria is much more nuanced, intelligent, complex, and intriguing than her image.
She's really more like university professor, middle aged perhaps, but still hip and attractive. Seasoned, sexy, and smart. Not a prof tied to just one department, either, but in some sort of special cross-disciplinary field. She's the kind of prof who is popular with both students and faculty because she's witty, urbane, ironic, playful, wise, knowledgeable and both willing and able to pass her knowledge and wisdom on to others. She's got some interesting history, full of eccentric and iconic characters, but she's also got a fascinating and engaging present.
But she doesn't let most people know this, at least not the multitudes who drop by at intervals for those obligatory visits to their elderly relative. They come in by ferry, by cruise ship, by plane, stay a few hours or days, see all the common sights, smell the flowers, taste the tea, and return home to tell friends about this quaint and beautiful city they visited. Of course, they loved visiting it, but they wouldn't dream of living here.
Which is just as it should be, because if it ever becomes widely known what an amazing city this is, it will be flooded with immigrants who will change it into Vancouver, Seattle, or Calgary, full of too many people and too many big box stores, everyone rushing around, obliterating the very traits they found so charming when they first came, literally loving the place to death.
No, let Victoria retain her old lady image. It's her best protection against the Borg. Victoria's secret.
Victoria is deceptive. She looks from the outside like a quaint little old lady who people want to come and visit once in awhile before going home to their much more exciting lives and circles of family and friends. To pay a little homage, perhaps, have a delicious cup of tea and a home-made scone, hear a bit of gossip, then kiss the genteel hand and depart. But even after just three months of living here it's already clear to me Victoria is much more nuanced, intelligent, complex, and intriguing than her image.
She's really more like university professor, middle aged perhaps, but still hip and attractive. Seasoned, sexy, and smart. Not a prof tied to just one department, either, but in some sort of special cross-disciplinary field. She's the kind of prof who is popular with both students and faculty because she's witty, urbane, ironic, playful, wise, knowledgeable and both willing and able to pass her knowledge and wisdom on to others. She's got some interesting history, full of eccentric and iconic characters, but she's also got a fascinating and engaging present.
But she doesn't let most people know this, at least not the multitudes who drop by at intervals for those obligatory visits to their elderly relative. They come in by ferry, by cruise ship, by plane, stay a few hours or days, see all the common sights, smell the flowers, taste the tea, and return home to tell friends about this quaint and beautiful city they visited. Of course, they loved visiting it, but they wouldn't dream of living here.
Which is just as it should be, because if it ever becomes widely known what an amazing city this is, it will be flooded with immigrants who will change it into Vancouver, Seattle, or Calgary, full of too many people and too many big box stores, everyone rushing around, obliterating the very traits they found so charming when they first came, literally loving the place to death.
No, let Victoria retain her old lady image. It's her best protection against the Borg. Victoria's secret.
We have a living room again!
Wednesday (four days ago, now) our sofa and chair arrived! We've been camping with our recliner and a rocking chair now for over a month and were eagerly anticipating having a more abundant choice of seats again. But it was not as simple as we thought it would be!
The delivery men brought the couch into the building and down our hall but couldn't get it through the door! In the end, after a bit of calculating, they took it through into the courtyard outside our patio and brought it in over the patio fence. They had to lift it over the fence as there is no gate. Quite a feat as the fence is a good six feet high, with a large step down from the beds onto the patio floor once you get across the fence. We got quite the display of he-man musculature during this operation! I wish I'd had the sense to video them doing this but I was so nervous they would break down the fence that the thought never occurred to me until it was all over.
Yesterday, when talking with Becca and Mal, I learned they, too, were unable to get their old couch into their new house, or even into the studio. They'll have to sell it and buy something more flexible, a pity because that couch made into a very comfortable bed, but they seem quite cheerful about it. I find it so ironic we both had couch challenges in this move. Who knew our couches were so big? Or perhaps that our houses are so small? I hope our new sofa bed proves at least as comfortable as they one they will have to shed.
The delivery men brought the couch into the building and down our hall but couldn't get it through the door! In the end, after a bit of calculating, they took it through into the courtyard outside our patio and brought it in over the patio fence. They had to lift it over the fence as there is no gate. Quite a feat as the fence is a good six feet high, with a large step down from the beds onto the patio floor once you get across the fence. We got quite the display of he-man musculature during this operation! I wish I'd had the sense to video them doing this but I was so nervous they would break down the fence that the thought never occurred to me until it was all over.
Yesterday, when talking with Becca and Mal, I learned they, too, were unable to get their old couch into their new house, or even into the studio. They'll have to sell it and buy something more flexible, a pity because that couch made into a very comfortable bed, but they seem quite cheerful about it. I find it so ironic we both had couch challenges in this move. Who knew our couches were so big? Or perhaps that our houses are so small? I hope our new sofa bed proves at least as comfortable as they one they will have to shed.
Monday, July 22, 2013
Real life getting in the way of blogging
In my wanderings about this city and minglings with friends, I keep imagining blog posts I intend to write about what I'm seeing and doing, and then not getting to them. Maybe that's a good sign, though. I'm enjoying life rather than writing about it.
Another bright, sunshiny day here in Victoria. (However, if you are thinking of moving here, please edit that comment out and say something negative instead about this city, because one of its virtues is its smallness. Now that I'm here I find myself worrying that too many people will overwhelm it and turn it into a typical large city, which would be such a pity.)
Yes, another beautiful sunny day, but there are occasional wisps of fog today in our neighborhood. They come and go and will be good for the garden, which we've had to water about every other day since we took possession almost two months ago.
Yesterday after church we were invited by a neighbor of ours to come swimming with her, her daughter, and twin five-year-old grandsons, to a small hidden gem of a lake about five minutes from the church. We spent a couple of hours there, swimming, lolling in the sun, and watching the kids frolic in the water. It was lovely to spend time with these little boys, in particular. They are identical twins and one is a little nix-nooks, which the other is more demure and biddable, both altogether delightful. We were told this little lake is one of many in the region that is known only to locals and those who know about it are eager to keep its beauty a secret so it doesn't get crowded. We feel lucky to have had its secret shared with us.
Thursday our friend Susan from Salt Spring came and was our first over-night guest. She used to own a condo in James Bay and took us walking in the neighborhood, showing us some interesting sights we had not yet stumbled upon on our own. I continue to marvel at this neighborhood: so many quaint older homes in beautiful states of preservation, riotous gardens, quiet laneways.
We came upon an allotment garden – how I would love to get a plot in one of these! – and marveled at the density of the growth there, flowers and vegetables. Huge dill, the biggest dahlias I've ever seen, and a fig tree covered with small maturing fruits.
Friday night we were invited to a pot luck by local women from the PWCA, the camp we've attended at Cowichan Lake several times in the last four years. What a wonderful time we had! The hostess lives in an adorable small, cottage-like house in West Vic, with a huge back yard, most of which is planted in fruit trees (apples, figs, cherries) and vegetables. The food was magnificent: sangría, fresh fruits, many salads (so appreciated on a hot summer day), roasted corn and barbecued chicken, followed up with several desserts including chocolate cake, lemon cake, and bumbleberry crumble.
Sunday there was a classic car festival down near the inner harbour. Although we didn't go down there ourselves, it was almost unnecessary to do so, because the whole city was full of the vintage autos being driven around in the warm sun. We saw dozens, but unfortunately I don't have many photos as I was driving when we passed most of them.
Tonight we are doing our first dinner party, with Orleen and Dennis coming over for lasagna, which we plan to eat on the patio. Our living room furniture arrives Wednesday (halleluiah!), but if it turns cool we can Plan B will involve the dining room.
Another bright, sunshiny day here in Victoria. (However, if you are thinking of moving here, please edit that comment out and say something negative instead about this city, because one of its virtues is its smallness. Now that I'm here I find myself worrying that too many people will overwhelm it and turn it into a typical large city, which would be such a pity.)
Yes, another beautiful sunny day, but there are occasional wisps of fog today in our neighborhood. They come and go and will be good for the garden, which we've had to water about every other day since we took possession almost two months ago.
Yesterday after church we were invited by a neighbor of ours to come swimming with her, her daughter, and twin five-year-old grandsons, to a small hidden gem of a lake about five minutes from the church. We spent a couple of hours there, swimming, lolling in the sun, and watching the kids frolic in the water. It was lovely to spend time with these little boys, in particular. They are identical twins and one is a little nix-nooks, which the other is more demure and biddable, both altogether delightful. We were told this little lake is one of many in the region that is known only to locals and those who know about it are eager to keep its beauty a secret so it doesn't get crowded. We feel lucky to have had its secret shared with us.
Thursday our friend Susan from Salt Spring came and was our first over-night guest. She used to own a condo in James Bay and took us walking in the neighborhood, showing us some interesting sights we had not yet stumbled upon on our own. I continue to marvel at this neighborhood: so many quaint older homes in beautiful states of preservation, riotous gardens, quiet laneways.
We came upon an allotment garden – how I would love to get a plot in one of these! – and marveled at the density of the growth there, flowers and vegetables. Huge dill, the biggest dahlias I've ever seen, and a fig tree covered with small maturing fruits.
Friday night we were invited to a pot luck by local women from the PWCA, the camp we've attended at Cowichan Lake several times in the last four years. What a wonderful time we had! The hostess lives in an adorable small, cottage-like house in West Vic, with a huge back yard, most of which is planted in fruit trees (apples, figs, cherries) and vegetables. The food was magnificent: sangría, fresh fruits, many salads (so appreciated on a hot summer day), roasted corn and barbecued chicken, followed up with several desserts including chocolate cake, lemon cake, and bumbleberry crumble.
Sunday there was a classic car festival down near the inner harbour. Although we didn't go down there ourselves, it was almost unnecessary to do so, because the whole city was full of the vintage autos being driven around in the warm sun. We saw dozens, but unfortunately I don't have many photos as I was driving when we passed most of them.
Tonight we are doing our first dinner party, with Orleen and Dennis coming over for lasagna, which we plan to eat on the patio. Our living room furniture arrives Wednesday (halleluiah!), but if it turns cool we can Plan B will involve the dining room.
Tuesday, July 16, 2013
Lunch on the wharf
We've been hearing about Red Fish Blue Fish for a long time, and have passed by it on several occasions in the past when walking down by the Inner Harbour. There's always a huge line up and it's always deterred us from trying this place. Today we had some early morning errands to run and decided to take the advice of an on-line review we read that suggested arriving 10 minutes before their 11:00 am opening. We skipped breakfast, and ran a bit late, but it was OK, as the opening time is actually 11:30. We were there by 11:05 or so and were the first in line. By the time it opened, there were about 25 people behind us!
The food was definitely worth the wait. This place not only serves some of the best seafood I've tasted, but it does it in an amazingly eco-sensitive way, even on Victoria standards.
I hope the placard is just slightly readable!
We had cod fish and chips (lovely light tempura-like batter, the best we've had yet in Victoria, with very tasty chips that make you want to keep eating them), salmon tacones rolled up with delectable cole slaw and million island dressing, and a small serving of grilled Fanny Bay oysters. Everything was just primo. We'll definitely be going back to try some of their many other dishes.
It's unusual to find a restaurant of this calibre operating essentially like a chip wagon. Their kitchen has been created inside an old shipping container. There are stools and counters under cover, with a view of the harbour, so it would even be fine on a rainy day, which today decidedly was NOT. When we ordered they asked if we wanted it to stay or wrapped to go, so in really bad weather you could just take it home and eat it in the comfort of your own kitchen.
The food was definitely worth the wait. This place not only serves some of the best seafood I've tasted, but it does it in an amazingly eco-sensitive way, even on Victoria standards.
We had cod fish and chips (lovely light tempura-like batter, the best we've had yet in Victoria, with very tasty chips that make you want to keep eating them), salmon tacones rolled up with delectable cole slaw and million island dressing, and a small serving of grilled Fanny Bay oysters. Everything was just primo. We'll definitely be going back to try some of their many other dishes.
It's unusual to find a restaurant of this calibre operating essentially like a chip wagon. Their kitchen has been created inside an old shipping container. There are stools and counters under cover, with a view of the harbour, so it would even be fine on a rainy day, which today decidedly was NOT. When we ordered they asked if we wanted it to stay or wrapped to go, so in really bad weather you could just take it home and eat it in the comfort of your own kitchen.
Monday, July 15, 2013
Last Friday night after eating dinner, we kept hearing big boat horns. We hear these occasionally here, but we'd never heard so many before. Whatever was happening we wanted to see it! We could have walked down to Ogden Point, but we were afraid we might miss the excitement if we didn't get there quickly, so we jumped in the car and drove down.
There were three huge cruise ships at the point, two docked and one just pulling away. I wasn't able to get a photo of this, because I was driving, but when you approach Ogden Point from the east on Dallas Road, the sight of the cruise ships so close to the residences is really quite amazing. It's as though someone threw up two or three huge hotels right across Dallas Road from the homes there.
There's quite a lot of parking down at Ogden Point, and much of is is clearly reserved for cruise ship support vehicles. There are many buses. But there is also pay parking for people down for the walk or for a bite in the restaurant. Surprisingly, you can even charge your electric vehicle down there, if you pay to park in one of two electric charging stations I found!
There were three huge cruise ships at the point, two docked and one just pulling away. I wasn't able to get a photo of this, because I was driving, but when you approach Ogden Point from the east on Dallas Road, the sight of the cruise ships so close to the residences is really quite amazing. It's as though someone threw up two or three huge hotels right across Dallas Road from the homes there.
There's quite a lot of parking down at Ogden Point, and much of is is clearly reserved for cruise ship support vehicles. There are many buses. But there is also pay parking for people down for the walk or for a bite in the restaurant. Surprisingly, you can even charge your electric vehicle down there, if you pay to park in one of two electric charging stations I found!
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