Life in the Shade

 

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.

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.

gotta love the green mold/moss on everything that sits still!

Ladysmith

a frequent sight - tankers "park" all along the coast here, waiting to load/unload in Vancouver port

Chemainus mural

a vine covered garage

a massive Arbutus tree, only found within 8 km of the ocean

a cool 3 story antique shop

Duncan totem poles

more winter flower beds!

sea lions on docks in Cowichan Bay

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.

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.

flocks of hundreds of pine siskin birds!

more blooms

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.

looking at Salt Springs island

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 2^nd 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 1^st

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!