Mister Bigley, Jack Russell · Wednesday August 9, 2006 by colin newell
An interesting lesson I learned a few weekends ago…
Andrea and I have been doing 4 day weeks every week during
the summer…
different things on the weekends… a cabin here, a resort there..
2 weekends ago we did a cabin on Salt Spring Island
on a 14 acre waterfront place – North Island.
It was wonderful.
While there we had a companion, named Mister Bigley…
a short hair Jack Russell Terrier who pretty
much hung out with us the whole time…
apparently his job on the property.
Both my sisters have (and have had) dogs of every stripe.
I have not had a pet to call my own since 1976.
My really got attached to Mister Bigley by Day three.
Mister Bigley is, like, 13 years old… which in doggie
years is like 80.
An eighty year old man. Deaf at that.
He mooched a bit but I was extremely careful not to feed him anything.
By day 3 we were totally hooked.
And it was SO sad to leave…
Thankfully, Mister Bigley was asleep on the sofa as we
packed to leave.
Truth be told, I think Bigley is an old hand at meeting, greeting
and saying goodbye to new friends.
Not me. I am a sap.
You never forget the kindness and loyalty of a dog.
Point no Point - that's my point · Saturday July 8, 2006 by colin newell
Just had 24 hours of decompression at Point No Point resort, about 30 minutes West of Sooke on Highway 14.
I have been thinking about PnP as an alternative to Tofino for some time now. It represents a neat opportunity to leave work at 4:40PM on a friday and be at the resort restaurant by 6 and in the cabin by 7:30PM.
Being a cautious kind of guy, it has taken me years to get around to checking out this alternative.
I actually did a poll at my workplace, on the department off-topic listserv. I was looking for the ultimate get-away in a certain search criterium within a certain distance from Victoria.
The overwhelming opinion was this: Point no Point Resort won hands down as the quickie get-away that is within a light-year of Victoria.
You have to like that.
I was cautiously optomistic and, as it turned out, PnP resort was way beyond my expectations.
I was worried about it being to rustic. Rustic is was not.
Granted, there is no CELL phone service. No TV. No Phones. No microwave ovens. (I brought my own radio gear… that is another story!)
Long story short (I will upload some photos when I develop them from my 1965 Rolleiflex!) – this was a 5-star experience on 3-star prices. The onsite (and modest restaurant) was 3-star with a 5-star view. Seriously, the food was way better than I expected.
The cabin(s) was(are) spotless and (obviously) recently updated.
Bed: very cosy.
Outdoor jacuzzi on private patio: Delighful!
View: To die for.
Where else can you sit in a hot tub under the stars and sleep in a wonderful cedar cabin under the trees, by the Pacific Ocean, for < 200 dollars a day?
Check it out.
Mini-restaurant review - Zambri's Victoria · Saturday July 1, 2006 by colin newell
Attended a retirement dinner last night at Zambri’s Restaurant. Located in a faceless Yates Street Mall just up from Quadra Street, Zambri’s has made a name for themselves serving the freshest of slow-food, sourced from all-local suppliers of organic veg and meat.
Slow-food.
What is it?
No… No, it is not slow service. Quite the opposite.
In Zambri’s case, it is a wonderful example of quality dishes prepared fresh and served in no perceptible rush.
And rush we did not.
We arrived (on time) at 7 PM.
We were immediately handed a sparkling wine beverage.
We had one of the party rooms in the back. It is a bit sterile with a careful selection of local art hung on an otherwise unremarkable wall.
The windows looks out over the View Towers entrance. If you know Victoria, you know the View Towers. It used to be a very lively residence housing some of Victoria’s most colorful individuals.
Anyho. After all the guests had arrived and settled in, platters of antipasti started to filter in. They were good. All good. Nothing out of the ordinary mind you – just predictable offerings like brucshetta, polenta, deep fried cauliflower, tuna and potato salad and the like.
Again, at Zambri’s it is not about knocking you out of the park with drop dead amazing flavors – it is about the simple things done right.
Our main course was an offering of Fish (Salmon) or Poultry (Chicken), again simply prepared with a few twists.
There were two choices for dessert: Tiramisu or Pizelle with fresh organic strawberries. They were both wonderful.
This was a group event. My wife and I will be going back for the romantic couple experience!
Slow-food indeed! We finally left (almost the last people out) at about 11:15PM! I had about one glass of sparkling white-wine, a half-glass of a mystery red wine and a mug of 1/2-Caf with my tiramisu. I was one satisfied diner.
And you will be too! Bon apetit folks!
12 years on. · Sunday June 25, 2006 by colin newell
Had a wonderful 12th wedding anniversary dinner at the Deep Cove Chalet restaurant with my bride.
We are in the middle of a hot spell and we got to sit on the patio by the water. Surrounded by their wonderful flower and herb gardens, all explosively in bloom, we could not have had a better experience anywhere.
Do not get me wrong folks. This is not an ad for a restuarant.
This is public service announcement for marriage.
Not just ours, but anyones.
Or anyone who is in love.
And anyone who is as in love as I am will know what I am talking about. If there is someone special in your life, let them know. Do something special for them. A random act of kindness is good too.
It does not have to be a nice restuarant or a shiny gift either.
Turn to the one you love right now and tell them how you feel.
Do it now or your keyboard will burst into flames, I promise you.
All alone and unhappy? Keep looking. There is someone out there for everyone. I am not kidding.
I waited a long time for the right partner. A long time.
Love has no expiry date. Seriously.
Oh, and by the way – the restaurant is a knock-out. If you are ever in Victoria, on Vancouver Island, make sure you consider the Deep Cove Chalet as a spot to stop.
Cheers!
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