New Friends and Old Friends

On Friday morning we went for a relaxed 15 km ride out to the Fernwood Pier and back along the coastline. The ride along the water was quite flat but we had enough ups and downs to have us climb about 175 metres in elevation. And it was a good thing we burned off some calories as the rest of the day was far less healthful.

In the afternoon, we met up with Cynthia, a woman who used to volunteer with us at Safeway on Tuesdays. She and her husband sold their Vancouver home in the spring and spent the summer in a rented home on Salt Spring. She had offered to be our tour guide for the day and we happily accepted her kindness. Brenda and I had planned to visit the Island’s two wineries on our bikes, but when we realized how hilly the ride would have been, we jumped at Cynthia’s suggestion we go wine tasting together. We did full tastings at both Salt Spring Winery and Greg Oaks Winery before moving off to Salt Spring Distillery where we sampled a variety of Mead-based spirits, all of which were outstanding. Cynthia also brought us up to her favorite bakery, located high on a hill in a very secluded area on the northern part of the island. The bakery opens only on Fridays and by the time we got there, most of the shelves were already empty.

After our tour, we went back to Cynthia’s place where we enjoyed Kir Royale made with a bottle of the Salt Spring Sparkling Wine and some of our hostess’s homemade blackberry liqueur. In the meantime, I prepared a vegan meal of Coconut Curry Lentil Soup and Brenda made her GF banana bread. The food was accompanied by more wine and some of the fresh-baked bread we purchased earlier. At the end of the evening, our host, Diran, was kind enough to drive us back to our accommodations.

Saturday morning greeted us with much cooler temperatures and the promise of rain throughout the day. That was unfortunate because we wanted to attend the much-touted Ganges Saturday Market. As a bonus, we got a message from our friends Rob and Nicole saying they were coming to Salt Spring for a visit. They’ve been living in Nicole’s late parents home on Thetis Island since last year. Despite the rain, they ferried over and joined us at the market where they picked up a bottle of the local distillery’s mead-based gin. Brenda and I joked that we weren’t sure if they came for us or for the booze. We went for lunch at El Loco Taco for some excellent Mexican food and reminiscing before bidding farewell to Rob and Nicole.

Our ferry home to Vancouver left the Island at 3:30 and we had time to go for a long walk in the morning and another veggie burger at Dagwood’s Diner before making our way to the dock. The crossing home started out basking in the sun on the upper deck of the ship , but after we sailed away from our stop at Mayne Island, the wind picked up, the temperature dropped and we had to take cover indoors.

We arrived home at 7:30, rested, a little hungry and well rested. It was a brief break from our routine, but it did us both a world of good. I am so fortunate to have Brenda in my life . Not only do I love spending time with her, but she’s always thinking of, and planning, ways to make our lives fun and complete.Read more