Since coming back to Vancouver Island in March of 2019, we have rarely left our island home.  To anyone living elsewhere, this might seem very strange.  Don’t we miss the excitement of the big city of Vancouver?  Don’t we feel constricted living on an island?  Well, the short answer is nope!  Not at all!!  As a matter of fact, when we do have to head over to the mainland, we complain of the noise and rush and long for the peace of this beautiful island.  There have been so many places we have explored over this past year and a half.  We have hiked, biked, kayaked and camped in places we never dreamed could be so beautiful.  This island is so special and if you are dreaming of a place to explore nature, where the views are spectacular and the people friendly (when you see them!), then you really need to come here!  

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Recently, we took a couple of days and headed down to Victoria.  While there, we noticed the most recent display on the steps of the legislature dedicated to those children who never came home from residential schools – still so sad and still the numbers are growing.

Whenever we come to Victoria, we like to stay at the James Bay Inn.  It may not be as fancy as the Empress, but it has a history that speaks to me.  This is the very place where, on March 2, 1945, one of my favorite artists, Emily Carr, passed away.  Now, you might think its kind of creepy to stay here, knowing that.  In fact, we hear from the staff that occasionally they hear noises in the night – the ghost of Emily?  Maybe!  She grew up not far from this spot, eventually moving from her family home to build a “House of All Sorts” – a rooming house where she also raised sheep dogs in order to make her way.  As with many artists, Emily’s work did not sell during her lifetime.  But today?  Well, some of her works are now estimated to be worth 1 – 2 million dollars!  I love her story and I love her artwork, so it makes sense that we would stay in this quaint old hotel.  It is situated not too far from the downtown and so a perfect spot to stay and leave the car alone.  Victoria is very walkable (and bikeable) but not terribly car friendly.  

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Our visit to Victoria had a purpose.  We were on the hunt for a couple of wetsuits!  The good folks at Frank White’s Dive Store were wonderful in helping us pick out just what we needed.

And what, you may ask, do we need with a couple of wetsuits?  Well, that, my friends, will have to wait for our next post coming to you from somewhere new!