Visit to Victoria

The past long weekend (extra long because I took the workday between the weekend and Remembrance Day off) was spent in Victoria. The main reason for the visit was to spend some time with Dad and help him with yardwork, in particular with sweeping the roof and clearing the gutters, before winter sets in.

The trip started out early Saturday morning. Getting up at 4:30 am was a challenge, but with Maria's help I got out of the apartment by 5 and was able to catch the 5:32 train at Southland Station with about 5 minutes to spare. Because of a misleading sign at Marlborough Station I just barely caught the Airport bus (#57), and long lines to check in baggage and get through security left me only half an hour to compose myself at the gate before we were seated. The flight went well in spite of a bit of turbulence coming into Victoria Airport, and after picking up my suitcase called Enterprise Rent-a-Car, from whom I had earlier reserved a car. Soon I was on my way and reached Dad's house by eleven. We had agreed to go out for brunch, and while waiting for Dad to get ready I took a little walk outside, where I saw a cheeky deer walk through the front garden of 713, along the drive of 711, and then through the back garden where I took its picture.

Dad and I had brunch at Royal Roads Cafe and then drove down to Esquimalt Lagoon where some beautiful scenery enticed me to take some pictures.

On Sunday I had intended to go to Quaker meeting, but feeling rather tired I allowed the viewing of Sunday morning funnies on TV to delay my departure to the extent that it would have had to arrive at meeting indecently late, so I stayed home. When Dad came home from church we drove downtown to Beacon Hill Park, where after some 30-40 minutes playing on the putting green (until Dad got a hole-in-one) we walked around the park, accompanied at times by squirrels.

Afterwards we drove along the seaboard, to Clover Point where I took some nice pictures, up through Saanich (looping through the university along Ring Road), and ended up in Langford where we had dinner at the Checkered Flag. My how Langford has grown! Just ten years ago the Checkered Flag seemed at the edge of civilization, and now there is a solid wall of big box stores, condominiums, police stations, restaurants etc all the way from there to Goldstream Avenue!

Lunde mi veturis al Norda Saanich, al la domo de Wally kaj Olga du Temple, kie ĉiun lundan tagmezon esperantistoj de la Duoninsulo Saanich kunvenas por babili kaj progresigi sian scion de nia lingvo. Estis tre agrable denove vidi geamikojn kiujn mi konas jam de tiel multaj jaroj ; Wally du Temple kaj Myra Larsen, ekzemple, mi konas jam de 1978, kiam mi ekuzis nian lingvon konversacie. Post la kunveno mi haltis en la parkejo de golfludejo Ardmore, kiu apartenas al gesamideanoj du Temple (kaj aliaj familianoj) kaj kie iam estis arbareto oficiale nomita « Esperanto ».

Tuesday was a work day for me: I spent over an hour on the edge of the roof, cleaning out the gutters on my hands and knees. To celebrate a job well done, Dad and I went out to My-Chosen Cafe for a fish-and-chip supper.

Wednesday was a quiet day. In the morning I looked through my remaining books at 713 and chose a suitcase full to take back to Calgary. Then, after watching Roger Federer defeat his opponent in the Masters Tennis Tournament in Shanghai, Dad and I went out for lunch, and then I headed for the airport, stopping on the way to deposit a cheque, tank up the car, and visit Mom's gravesite. The flight home was uneventful, and I arrived back home shortly after midnight.