Silver Door Bed & Breakfast - Annual Sisterhood Barbecue

Last Saturday night our Sisterhood members and their partners were treated to an annual summer barbecue hosted by Reesa & Bob Devlin at their lovely Silver Door Bed & Breakfast located on a large, gorgeous property in Anmore.  It was a lovely drive out to Anmore from Vancouver. 

The Silver Door Bed & Breakfast

Above is the view from their back garden to the west side of their house looking towards the moutains.  Absolutely gorgeous.

There were about 45 - 50 people there - it was a perfect night weather wise and featured a salmon barbecue by our hosts, and the guests brought pot luck items - appetizers, salads, desserts, fruit.  We had a fun time.

The following pictures are courtesy of Shawn Gold:

It was Jan's birthday, so Myra brought a Diplomat Cake from the

Bon Ton Bakery - a very big hit with everyone

Steveston - Dinner & Walk with Friends

Tonight we joined Bonnie and Mark and drove to Steveston located in the SW corner of Richmond.  Went for dinner at the Shady Island Seafood Bar & Grill and sat outside on the deck.  Some threat of rain but it held off until we got home. 

Food was okay, in a "fish & chips" deep fried sort of way.  They were very busy on this summer evening and the service was slower than we expected.

After dinner we strolled the boardwalk and took in the sights!

Mark waving to us

The couple walking in front of us - cute pants

Canadian Coast Guard Volunteers zodiak

Evening Scene

Royal Troon Golf Course - Ken & Teddy in Scotland

Ken and Teddy continue their golfing vacation in Scotland where yesterday they played at the Royal Troon Golf Course.  This is another golf course at the edge of the ocean, this time on Scotland's west coast.

Founded in 1878, it is considered one of the finest championship courses in the world.  Ken and Teddy will face a real challenge here.  A series of postage stamps were issued to honour this course.  Here are two of them:



Today, Ken and Teddy are going skeet shooting at the North Ayrshire Shooting Ground, Blackstone Farm, Dalry, Ayrshire, one of Scotland's premier venues for shotgun sports.

River House Restaurant & Pub, Delta, BC

Saturday night we went with Neil's sister, Marilyn, and her husband, Don, for dinner to the River House Restaurant & Pub located in Delta.  We sat outside on the deck facing the Deas Slough.  Gorgeous views of the boats in the Marina, the marshes, the moutains, and parks.

This picture from the Restaurant's website

L to R:  Don, Marilyn and Neil

The Restaurant and the Pub each have their own menu, with the Pub having more casual dishes listed on the menu, and a lovely stone fireplace.  We ate in the restaurant - I had the catch of the day, which was about a 7 out of 10, Neil had the halibut and chips which was really good, Marilyn had the vegetarian fettucuini which she liked, and Don had the ribs which he said were about a 6.5 out of 10.  It is the relaxing atmosphere sitting on the deck which is so wonderful in the summer time.

There are so few restaurants in Metro Vancouver that offer waterside dining.  The River House Restaurant & Pub is very nice and worth the drive.  Open 11a.m. to 10 p.m., lunch would be nice.  Also the Sunday brunch - we would like to try that.

Dornoch, Scotland - Ken & Teddy in Scotland

Thursday, July 21, 2011, Ken and Teddy arrived in the Royal burgh town of Dornoch Scotland, located north of Inverness, on the North Sea.  Royal Dornoch is a picturesque and historic village, and designated a National Scenic Area in Scotland.  Popular with tourists and royalty for decades, people visit to enjoy the scenery, climate, and laid-back way of life.

                                                            From Royal Dornoch's website

They stayed at Highfield House, a luxury Michelin rated B & B within walking distance to the Royal Dornoch Golf Club.  Ken said the accommodations were first class.

                                                              Highfield House, Dornoch

Also close by to the Glenmorangie distillery - Neil's favorite single malt scotch whiskey.

Ken chose this destination so that he and Teddy could play golf at the Royal Dornoch Golf Club.  The course is located on the edge of the ocean.

                                             Royal Dornoch Gold Course, 10th & 11th holes

                                                     Championship Course (from the air)

                                           Royal Dornoch Golf Club, Struie Course, Third Hole

 

                                      Royal Dornoch Golf Course, 13th hole Championship Course

                            (All golf course pictures from the Royal Dornoch Golf Course website)

Ken emailed me last night to say:  "Just wrapping up our vist here and heading down to Glasgow now.  Played lots of golf - 4 rounds now.  The best course I have ever played was Royal Dornock - incredible with the ocean setting, the heather, the sand traps, and the condition of the course.  Saw Loch Ness, highland cattle, more castles, and tried many ales.  Weather has been almost perfect.  The GPS has made driving bearable, although the roundabouts are a struggle and seem to be everywhere."

Rosslyn Chapel - Ken & Teddy in Scotland

Continuing on their golf tour of Scotland, Ken and Teddy have visited Rosslyn Chapel, located south of Edinburgh in the village of Roslin in Midlothian.  This chapel was made very famous by Dan Brown in his fictional book "The DaVinci Code".  Built in the 15th Century by the Sinclair (St. Clair) family, it is sometimes linked to the Knights Templar and Freemasonry.  The Chapel is very old and in need of a great deal of repair. 

Neil and I visited Rosslyn Chapel a few years ago and spent time looking at all the architectural features and statutes, many of which apparently have Freemasonry connections.  Several of the members of the Sinclair family have held the position of Grandmaster of the Grand Lodge of Scotland.

Next, they are off to Dornoch for golfing at the Royal Dornoch Golf Club, which is located in Northern Scotland on the North Sea oil side.

Brock House Summer Fair

Neil and I trotted off this morning to the annual Summer Fair at Brock House, sponsored by the Brock House Seniors Society.  This is a real, old fashioned fair, with used books, a white elephant sale, knitting and woodwork projects, hot dogs, home baking.

Brock House

Brock House in an authentic Tudor replica heritage building situated on scenic waterfront property on beautiful Jericho beach. It was designed by the noted architect Samuel McClure.  It is presently owned by the City of Vancouver and the Vancouver Board of Parks maintains the grounds.  It has an interesting history:  History of Brock House

The grounds at Brock House extend from the back of the house to the shore line above Jericho Beach where there are gorgeous views of the city, English Bay and the North Shore mountains.  The gardens are "old English" style, note the wild roses in the picture above.

There is always a huge used book sale - all books, including hardcover are $1.00 each.

I ended up buying four books, three of which are hardcover and fairly recent, for a total of $4.00.

The white elephant sale was a hoot - such old stuff - reminded me of what my mother and grandmother had in the house:

Lovingly made knitting and craft projects.  In some cases the volunteers had no idea what the items were to be used for!

The Society works hard to raise funds to maintain this historical building - expensive upkeep.  They offer many programs for 55+ throughout the year - from painting, bridge, lectures, hikes, books clubs - it is a great place for seniors.

Brock House contains a restaurant, "Brock House Restaurant", and the building and its gardens are very popular for weddings.

Back Garden View

Finally Summer!

At long last, some beautiful sunny weather in Vancouver.  My garden is looking beautiful - a restful sanctuary.

This tree adds a glow of lime green to my back garden.  It is a "Robinia pseudoacacia "Frisia", commonly known as a yellow locust.  It doesn't need lots of room to grow, but it needs plenty of open sky as it grows up - about 25 feet in ten years, and 40 feet in another 20 years.  Guess I better get it pruned or topped soon so it doesn't get completely out of hand.  It is so magnificient in the sun.

Hostas are great ground cover in the shady corners.



Neil and I are really enjoying swimming now.  We started a couple of weeks ago when the weather finally turned warm.  I made it for 20 lengths a day at the beginning and yesterday did 52 lengths, a record for me.

This plant is the one most commented on in my garden by guests.  It looks like a large rhubarb, but in fact is a "Gunnera manicata"  It can reach 10 feet tall and it produces gigantic, prickly, junglelike leaves.  It consumes (or fills up if you prefer) lots of space and does well beside pools.  Amazingly, it loses all its leaves in winter, dying down to the ground, and then has a huge growing spurt in the spring.

And of course, impatients add so much bright colour in a summer garden. These are the only annuals I plant each year.  I much prefer perennials which are so easy to maintain.

WRJ Lilith Salon - Fashioning Feminist Identity

Tonight our WRJ Lilith Salon group discussed (among other things) a series of 4 short essays under the heading of "Fashioning Feminist Identity" from the Spring, 2011 edition of Lilith magazine:  www.lilith.org.

The first essay "Getting Dressed" by Sonia Isard was written from the perspective of a woman in her 20's where fashion is a "completely delightful obsession" for her and her 20 something cohorts.  They research fashions online, looking at fashions presented on the red carpets and runways of the world for ideas and trends.  They absolutely love to make a statement and enjoy the process of hunting for the right item.    When they feel put together, they feel braver and more adventurous.

This essay brought back memories from my 20's for me of the joy of going shopping during my lunch hour during the work week, looking at the latest shoes, purses, clothes, makeup and planning the outfits I was going to wear for the events on the weekend.  And also finding those professional looking suits and outfits to help me look competent and mature and worthy of moving up the corporate ladder.  When did I lose those feelings of enjoying the process of shopping, dressing up and loving it?

The third essay "My Coach Bag" by Yona Zeldis McDonough discussed the author's longing in her youth to purchase a particular handbag made by Coach, looking at it in Bloomingdale's window.    Elegant and classy with brass hardware, it was a slouchy, bucket shape, leather bag costing more than she could then afford.  But the money showed up unexpectedly and she purchased this special bag and used it every single day.  It evolved over the years - changed colour and shape and glowed with its special patina.  Eventually after many years it went to the goodwill and another Coach bag replaced it.  But the first one was never forgotten.  I have never bought a Coach bag, thinking they were too expensive, but this may have changed my mind.

Jack & Micheline visiting from Montreal

This week we have had the delight of a visit from Jack (Neil's brother) and his wife, Micheline, from Montreal.  The family has been getting together all week, for sightseeing, walking, and mostly for eating.  We have all taken a turn hosting a dinner.  On Thursday, June 16, the hosts were Joan (Neil's sister) and her husband, Bruce, at their condo in False Creek.  We had dinner on their beautiful patio overlooking the city.

Micheline and Jack

Joan and her granddaughter, Gabby (our niece)

A view of the sunset from Joan & Bruce's patio overlooking False Creek