A Masterpiece in Progress: BBQ, Beautiful, BC

Weekend that begin and end with BBQs with fun in the middle are always the best! Dave, Adri and I were planning on going canoe camping this weekend, but when we had dinner on Thursday night, we decided to do a day long canoe trip and fill the rest of the weekend with fun filled activities!

Friday night, we had an impromptu dinner of turkey burgers and greek salad.

Adri's bun was a bit small but she made do.

My mouth was a bit too big, but that was fine too.

Then Dave, Adri, Cedric and I went to the movies. We went to go see SALT which was actually pretty good. After seeing the movie though, Adri had the idea that she was Evelyn Salt. So now life has gone to an entirely new level of craziness!

Saturday morning started bright and early at Deep Cove with the canoe. Oh how I love my canoe. It takes me to such wonderful places that give you a perspective that is unique to sitting in a boat in the middle of water and taking all the fantastic beauty of creation in all around you.

Strangely enough, I have never been to Deep Cove. I have been invited on many hikes there but never been able to make it. I will definitely be going back though! LOVED it! I love the ocean and the smell of it.

I love that when out in the water, you see life teeming all around. Jellyfish in the water, eagles flying overhead, seals popping up, whales banging into the canoe (okay, maybe not the last one, but wouldn't that be GREAT? okay.. or scary rather).

Dave made himself a comfy {for about five minutes} seat in the middle of the canoe and then proceeded to accidentally splash Adri and I both "by accident" while paddling.

Here was Dave trying out a new more comfortable paddling position.

The sun was wonderfully warm, the breeze gentle and cooling and the splashing waves refreshing, leaving streaks of salt all over once they were dried up.

At one point the waves were pretty big actually.. well, not really, but for a canoe they were big.. Adri got quite splashed in the front and as we were trying to paddle as hard as we could against the waves and wind, I could not stop laughing. Laughing is not so conducive to paddling mind you.

I got burned. I put on sunscreen, but missed some key places. Like my back. And my knees. Oh well.

I love all the rock and tree contrasts in the ocean. And how incredibly BLUE the sky was.

This was a BC Hydro powerhouse we went to check out. As we paddled close, we read the signs that said "Hazardous material is released here and suddenly and can be dangerous to boaters. Keep away." Too bad we had to be really close to read it. So then we paddled really fast to save ourselves from tipping from a sudden rush of hazardous water.

Yet another powerhouse. This time we stayed away.

The canoe trip was delightful! Five and a half hours or so! My arms were sore that evening! Below is a picture of Adri in the water. I'm sure you can speculate at what she is doing. Tee hee.

For dinner we went to Memphis Blues, a BBQ restaurant. The food wasn't absolutely that great and we laughed at that, because our other dinner option was so much better.. and Dave said last time he went it wasn't that great, but he thought it was what he had ordered. So we thanked him for taking us to a great restaurant.

Then we went to rent a movie. After giving them my name, she asked me why I hadn't returned "m" movie. I said I had never heard of that movie so I'm pretty sure I didn't rent it. Turns out there's someone who has stolen my identity who has been stealing movies from Blockbuster. Okay, or perhaps someone with my same name lives down the street from me. Strange. Probably the same person who gets all my emails when people get my email address wrong.

We ended up watching 'When in Rome' which was great. Then we started the Lion King and we all sang along for the first song excitedly and all fell instantly asleep. :)

It was so wonderful going to church again this morning! I haven't been in about a month because I have been gone and it was so wonderful to be there with people I love and to connect with people again. Over and over (and I'm sure I have said this far too many times) I realize how blessed I am and was happy to connect with some people I hadn't seen in a while! After lunch we headed to Costco for hot dogs since Dave and Adri had never had them. Figured it was good fuel for the rest of the day.

We stopped at one of my favorite wineries, Kermode winery, near Deroche. Then we went to Harrison for the day to walk around and hang out. Was great to walk in the water, people watch and have some really great and inspiring and encouraging conversations in such a beautiful spot! Going back to thankfulness at church, I am so thankful to have gone there and to have made great friends there, specifically these two, who are a constant blessing to me! Today Adri today me "I never thought we would actually become good friends when we met you." Haha.. Often when you meet people in passing, you don't think that maybe you could become good friends, but I'm glad we have!