Off to the Island

This weekend my man and I headed over to Vancouver Island to visit my parents. It was the annual Fire and Ice Festival in my hometown of Qualicum Beach. The festival started in 1992, just after my 11th birthday. I have been to the festival a large amount of times, I have been in the festival with my mom's work a bunch times but I hadn't been in a few years. My man had never been and I figure it was something he needed to experience. Let me explain, Fire and Ice is Chili and Ice Scuptler contest. You get a little cup, go around and try all the chilies and then you vote for the one you think is the best. This year the cups were $3, which is a price hike since it start in 1992 at $1 but inflation and all that jazz. It was a lot of fun, seeing my town so full of people and life, bumping into friends from high school I hadn't seen in forever and sharing it with my man.

After the festival we met up with my parents(who skipped the festival) at Coombs Country Market, or as most people know it "Goats on the Roof". Its a market with a sod roof and goats live up there. Everybody loves it. In fact I worked there one summer as a buser when I was 16 or 17, then later on my brother worked there for a full 2 years...I thought he was crazy.

After the market we chilled at my parents place before heading out to the Shady Rest for dinner with my parents and my step uncle and his wife. I used to go to the Shady almost every Friday with a group of friends for 0.10 cent wings and drinks before a night of dancing in Nanaimo. There are no dance clubs in Qualicum at all! Shady is right on the water and is a great place to get a bit to eat.

The only picture I took of my mom this weekend, she does not do the dishes all the time, I swear.

Sunday and my parents tried to get out on the ocean in my parents boat they just got but the tide was too low and then when we were driving home on of the axles broke. Luckily the boat was fine but we got stuck on the side of the road for a couple hours. We did however make it home in time to have my favorite meal, with my grandparents before heading back to Vancouver on the 9:00pm ferry. It was a great weekend and a long time overdue.