Retreat.

We are staying on Chesterman beach at a place called Huckleberry Retreat.  It is very comfy and quiet.  Here are a few photos:

Kitchen at sunrise.

Little deck.

Spacious bathroom with clawfoot tub (my favourite!).

I was hoping that we would all sleep in, but no such luck.  Haven was up at 5.15am and Sonja was close behind, so I drank a pot of tea to try to keep pace.  It is just a shock to the system, bordering on cruel, to have a brain full of cobwebs and be confronted with a squealing, chipper seven-month-old.  Copious amounts of tea are essential.


I missed out on the morning dog-walk to the beach after sunrise, since Haven was already needing to nap.  So Peter bundled Sonja up in her rain suit and off they went.  Photo op missed, but I hope to get plenty of beach shots tomorrow.


After breakfast (and more tea), we all headed into Tofino, where I always know that the locals always know I'm not a local.  Seriously, every time I come here.  It's not a bad thing, nobody's rude or anything, it's just a vibe.  But I do like this sleepy little village and I managed to catch a few images:

Ravens (love) waiting for the morning coffee drinkers to drop a tender morsel.

Rickety shed with an impressive antique license-plate collection.

I have always adored old, rusty license plates, don't ask me why.

After a quick stop for a snack and a leisurely stroll around town, we headed back to Huckleberry so the girls could have their afternoon naps.  I was dragging by this time and had convinced myself that I was not going to go for a run, but at the last moment, I pulled on my run clothes and headed out for what turned out to be a solid hour of running.  During my run I thought a lot about future topics for this blog and the things I am hoping to explore and write about in this forum.  I came up with a couple things I am pretty jazzed about...


Later on, once both girls were up, I took Jett and Haven to the beach.  My first beach visit of the trip!  I had my gumboots on, so I was able to wade out into the water, which was lovely.  It was almost sunset and the silhouette effect was fun, especially since Jett is a black dog.  His facial features practically disappeared in the dusk and he became a shadow on the wet sand.  I also took some shots of Haven all bundled up in the Baby Bjorn carrier:

Bright eyes.

Trying to see what Jett is doing..

Gazing out to sea.

Wading through the frothy water.

She was rushing out to catch a few waves before the light was gone.

Chewing on Mom's zipper pull.

 When we got home from the walk, I was desperate to have a shower.  It was glorious; one of the best showers I can remember in a long time.  One of those showers where I think if I never had another shower for the rest of my life and had to resort strictly to baths, at least I could look back on this shower and be satisfied.  And Peter was nice enough to bring me in a treat:

It's good to be loved.