We a have
settled into a routine, all be it a slow one, in our campground in the forest. We
are getting used to the lack of sunlight but we do try & get out for hikes,
especially if the weather is good. We
are adding to our inventory for markets, crafting to pass the time. We have a
decent cable TV package that is included, good for news & HGTV but Netflix is
our go-to for entertainment! We have a shopping area a 15 minute walk from us,
with a grocer, a liquor store, a dollar store & 7 places to eat! There is a
Costco in north Nanaimo, as well as most other big box stores & a mall, all
20 minutes by car, but our trips are infrequent due to Covid.
We have
discovered the AllTrails app which helps with our planning. Little Qualicum
Falls hike was a good walk with some good waterfalls.
We stop at
most beach access points, just to walk along the shore, but often we come away
with some treasures.
The Nanaimo
Harbor has a long, pretty walkway, not busy at this time of year, lots to see.
There’s a pier where you can “fish” for crabs with a special net baited with
chicken parts – the net gets thrown into
the water, they wait for 5-10 minutes & then haul it out. The lucky ones
find a crab or two for dinner. We may have to try this.
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| winter blooming pansies! |
We are not
far north of the Cowichan Valley area; Ladysmith has several interesting
antique shops & is known for its holiday light-up displays, Chemainus has
many murals on the building walls, Duncan has numerous totem poles &
Cowichan Bay is where the sea lions hang out.
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| gotta love the green mold/moss on everything that sits still! |
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| Ladysmith |
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| a frequent sight - tankers "park" all along the coast here, waiting to load/unload in Vancouver port |
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| Chemainus mural |
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| a vine covered garage |
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| a massive Arbutus tree, only found within 8 km of the ocean |
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| a cool 3 story antique shop |
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| Duncan totem poles |
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| more winter flower beds! |
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| sea lions on docks in Cowichan Bay |
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| some pretty fancy houseboats |
We are
keeping busy when not out looking for adventure – Robin has taken up creating
copper wire bonsai trees – made with over 100 wires just 6“ long.
I have now
run out of sterling silver wire doing some new wrapping. I decided to try &
sell on Facebook Marketplace & some local buy & sell groups – so far I
have sold one Ammolite pendant for $110! I did purchase a photography lightbox
in an attempt to take better photos in the event that online becomes our primary
method of sales.
One of our
favorite local hikes is Neck Point – great beachcombing & good exercise.
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| massive timber from ? ship |
Not too far
away is Cable Bay trail to Dodd’s Narrows, lots of elevation changes, forested
trails, rocky overlooks, ships & log booms to watch.
One thing
that we are always on the lookout for are small liqueur glasses for Robin’s
“birdhouse with a twist” – we are somewhere around 50 pairs so far this fall!
We can walk
along the Nanaimo River from the campground, the sea lions have left but there
are still birds to watch & the scenery changes with the tide & the
weather.
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| flocks of hundreds of pine siskin birds! |
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| more blooms |
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| the river & ocean just below our campsite |
We put up
Christmas decorations, more outside than in, trying to get into the spirit.
There is no lack of greenery to pick here for decorating, right down to prickly
holly.
The
campground used to host an annual indoor Christmas craft fair but due to Covid
that had to change – it became a drive/walk about at individual sites & we
took part. We enjoyed the chance to show off our “stuff’ & it paid for a
month’s rent!
Westwood
Lake park trail was a 6 km hike around the lake, lots of mossy trees, some
friendly ducks.
Rathtrevor
Beach in Parksville has resident wild bunnies digging holes everywhere & a
long beach walk, with more beachcombing.
Robin
decided that he had made enough wire bonsai trees & that it was time to
start carving again – but it is messy & needs to be done outside. He tried
following the sun, sitting outside but a bit too chilly, so we looked online
for some kind of a used tent. We scored with a very nice 5 man tent for $40
which is working out well. It’s decked out with a chair, tables, a heater, a
light & even music! He can spend hours in his “man cave”.
We
discovered a lesser known hike in Nanaimo, Morrell Nature Conservancy – well
signed multiple trails through the forest & around a lake.
The weather
here is pretty decent, despite the one snowfall Dec 21, high temps from 5-10,
lows from -3 to 5. It rains for part of the day probably half the time, but it’s
not as bad as we expected.
We headed
south to Maple Bay area one day to find the Stoney Hill hike, great views of
Salt Spring Island & out to the ocean from a high rocky hill. We are
continually amazed by all the vibrant greenery from the trees to the mosses,
everything dripping water.
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| looking at Salt Springs island |
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| Arbutus tree |
Christmas
has come, very different due to Covid restrictions – no gatherings for meals or
happy hours but we made the best of it. We got to watch our grandkids open
their presents from us & visited with our kids over Facetime, Skyped with
Scott, called or texted friends & family & managed to cook a pretty
decent holiday meal in our little kitchen .This year we actually have leftovers
to enjoy for a few meals!
Speaking of
Covid restrictions I wanted to include some of them here for future reference,
hoping that all this will be long gone somewhere in the next year or so!
As of
December 26, 2020
Worldwide
Covid 19 cases 80,705,742
Worldwide
deaths 1,764,329
Canada total
cases 541,616
Canada
deaths 14,800
USA total cases
19,430,501
USA deaths
339,901
Current restrictions
in place for 4 weeks as the 2nd wave has hit hard in the fall:
Alberta:
Province
wide mask mandate - public indoor places & workplaces
No outdoor
events
No indoor gatherings except with those in your
immediate household. Exception if living alone – can have 2 contacts
All restaurants,
bars, food courts closed except for takeout
Closed
–libraries, casinos, museums, rec centres, fitness centres, bingo hall, hair
& nail salons, indoor rinks, tattoo parlours
Stores – all
can stay open but only at 15% of occupancy, same with churches
Legal
requirement to work from home if possible
Schools – Gr
7-12 at home learning from Nov 30- Jan 8 back in school Jan 11
K-Gr6 in school till Dec 18,
then at home learning from Jan 8-11
Masks mandatory in schools from Gr 4
& up since Sept., except when sitting
Weddings
& funerals – 10 person maximum with no receptions
Isolate for
10 days if any symptoms, quarantine for 14 days if you are a close contact of
someone with Covid or have travelled outside the country
Canada/US
border closed to non-essential travel since March, 2020, but you can still fly
to the US for leisure (US cannot fly here).
BC
Restrictions:
Province
wide mask mandate as of November
No
gatherings indoors or outdoors, no one outside your household
No church
services except drive in
Weddings
& funerals 10 person max., no receptions
Work from
home if able
Resturants,
bars remain open – masks when not seated, max 6 to a table
Indoor &
outdoor team sports suspended
Limit travel
to essential
No mask rule
for schools, no change in holiday break
Gyms &
fitness centres remain open for low intensity workouts
Pools &
public skating rinks remain open
Vaccines:
Canada
approved the Pfizer vaccine Dec 9 – requires -70C storage, 2 shots needed 3
weeks apart. Priority healthcare workers, elderly in care homes 1st
Moderna
vaccine approved Dec 23, requires -20C storage, also 2 shots 28 days apart
Despite all
the Covid doom & gloom we continue to try to live life to the fullest as we
Live the Dream!
