Ucluelet is a wonderful place to recharge the batteries... and if it wasn’t quite so far away from my business, I could quite easily live there! However, it is an extremely long commute, and I’m afraid our freight costs would be astronomical, so I guess it’s out as a life style choice. C’est la vie...
I was told late last year by my family that I needed a break... no, I’m thinking nagged is more like it. So my daughter, son, son-in-law and grandsons forced the issue by presenting me with a gift certificate at Christmas for a stay at one of my favourite places, the Anchor’s Inn on the west coast of Vancouver Island
Hosts, Marilyn McEwan and Lance Blackwell, both very good friends for many years, have the knack of making everyone feel welcome. Anchor’s Inn is a delightful place right on the estuary, and even more perfect is that it’s dog friendly so my Zoe is always welcome.
My excitement always starts to build as I leave Port Alberni and head south along the Pacific Rim Highway; it’s such an incredibly fun drive... like a roller coaster ride on steroids! And as I turn left and drive along Peninsula Road, I see tantalizing glimpses of the coast and my creative juices start to flow. It’s time to get my camera out! The next 3 days will be filled with good walking, good food... laughter and lots of catching up... I haven’t been here since October 2012.
I was orginally planning on leaving on the Sunday morning... ready to be back at work first thing Monday. But I was persuaded – fairly easily actually – to stay an extra day. So, after asking for permission for another day off from my staff, I geared myself up for one more day of rest and relaxation. What I didn’t realize was that the day would end up being one of the most memorable in recent history. I got the opportunity of a day out on a friend’s boat. At one time Brent was a guide with one of the whale watching stations and he’d heard there was a “friendly” whale causing a lot of excitement in Berkely Sound, so we went out in search of him... (or her..) We saw no less that five whales that afternoon... what an absolute delight it was!
