Updates For The Family...

Jeff has gone back home so I now have a moment to quickly write about some of the places we've been while he was here (& now that he's not)... This will be brief, and not because it's late and I'm tired, but rather because Emma just (finally!) went to bed & quite frankly, I want nothing more than to sit down & watch Nancy Grace talk about that psycho woman who shot the corrections officer in Tennessee to free her husband from prison.

A couple days ago I wanted to go for a walk. In a park. And in the park I wanted to see mountains & water. Because we're in British Columbia this was a request that was pretty easy to fulfill.. And this is where we landed: Juan de Fuca. Say it out loud.. Isn't it fun to say?! We drove the up the mountain for several hours, stopping at the many beaches along the way. Destination unknown... we just kept driving, hoping to find some spectacular place at the 'end' to have a cocktail & watch the sunset. We knew sooner or later the highway we were on was going to end, and we hoped that once we arrived, well... we'd "Arrive" at some magical, mystical spot of greatness. Close. The end was awesome. The mountains were unspeakably beautiful. The was one small restaurant/pub with fantastic clam chowder & an okay salmon burger. Sucky, greasy fries. We were in Port Renfrew.

Another day.. I (we) wanted to check out Chemainus, also known as the "City of Murals". It's a little town that is covered in murals and cute little bistros & cafes. Sounds adorable, right? Well, Friday evening, 'bout 6:00pm Jeff & I decided to venture out to this place we were told we had to see (told this by a judge from Ontario we met in Port Renfrew the night before). It sounded so exactly what we were looking for that even the rush hour traffic didn't stop us from braving the trek. (Granted, rush hour in Victoria hardly compares to rush hour in Toronto!). We arrived there about 7:00 to... NOTHING. Sure we saw murals. Lots and lots of murals. They were nice & cool and all, but we were HUNGRY. The caps are to emphasize just how hungry hungry was. The entire town had disappeared. Literally. We were the ONLY people on the streets. Saw the bistros & quaint little shops, but every single one was closed!!! Fortunately we had some Doritos in the car, so had a few chips & got the hell out of Chemanius. Shame, cuz it looked like it would have been cute. But no.. I won't be doing the hour drive again. Still starving, we headed back toward the city, not sure where we were going to eat... but no worries, lots of choices by MC's place - she does live SMACK DOWNTOWN afterall. Then... all of a sudden... Jeff spotted this place, just sitting there, minding its own busiess at the side of the road. I think it was on the side of a highway. Totally unassuming from the front. But once inside... SPECTACULAR is the only word that comes to mind. The website photos do it no justice whatsoever, but we ate dinner on a patio, way up high in the mountains (so high that my ears kept popping), overlooking the Pacific Ocean & many, many mountains. Please take a look at the Malahat Mountain Inn. Not only did I experience a view like I've never seen before, but I also enjoyed soup more than ever before - braised pear & sweet potato soup with a hint of blue cheese & walnuts. I know I often exaggerate, but trust me when I tell you this soup was orgasmic. Jeff, a hater of all things olive, even enjoyed the tapenade that came with his steak! You know it's good when...

And then it was Saturday & Jeff left to go back home & to attend a couple meetings in Washington, DC. I always feel like I'm married to an important politician when I say "My husband has business in DC." In any case, he's back in Toronto now...

This all said, Emma & I have had some great mommy-daughter bonding time! I would have never thought our first 'girl's only' vacation would happen before she was even 1 year old, but alas, it has & it's terrific! We've been spending a lot of time walking the city (I'm trying to get healthy & there is no better place to do it than here!) - there is so much to see & do! That said, one of the things we've been doing is eating & drinking! We've become 'regulars' at The Blackfish Cafe - what a great find this place is!! The food is amazing (granted, I've had the same Roasted Beet & Goat Cheese salad every time I've been there, but am always tempted to try so many other things on the menu). And a pint. Emma knaws on her celery sticks. And I give her some fruit. Big bonus is that the highchair has straps that WORK. Before having a child, I would have never known just how novel a concept this is. I'd say that 93% of all the restaurants we've been to have defunct highchairs.

Today we walked down to Market Square. Stumbled across it, actually. No, not because I was drunk... just happened upon a completely funky area in our travels and it turned out to be a "must see in Victoria." Cool. Met a shop owner from Boston who opened a very chi-chi New England furniture store in the Square 4 months ago... turns out her son is an Editor for Toronto Life, as well as writing movie reviews for the CBC. Didn't stay too long here cuz it was getting time for Emma's dinner, and we're going to be here awhile still so I will definitely go back... and next time I'm going to take some pictures.

That's all for now... stay tuned for my visit to Chinatown.