Saturday, 16 December 2017
My not-at-home activities continued because of the need to do a bit more Christmas shopping and because of a strong desire to have a box of Pink Poppy baked goods.
In Long Beach, we dropped off a long wool coat at the free coat rack in the SandPiper mall (just south of the pharmacy).
This sweet sign has been posted in the breezeway for awhile (name redacted):
We attended a holiday bazaar at
Adrift Hotel…
….where Madeline of Pink Poppy was holding her very last market day before taking on her new job as a personal chef for a local artists’ retreat.
In the parking lot, we met a cairn terrier (like Toto!).
I do long for a nice, relaxing, good little dog. I had a wildly naughty big bad dog for 13 years so I am sort of afraid of getting another naughty dog.

Memories: Bertie Woofter on a garage roof after breaking free and climbing up a ladder to where Robert was working. Moments later, he leaped off the roof into the neighbour’s yard to chase another dog.
At Adrift Hotel:
Someone who does not read this blog is getting Adrift Distillery/Starvation Alley cranberry liqueur for Christmas. It was so tasty that it will be tempting to drink it myself!
We followed the Adrift bazaar with one at
The Sou’wester Lodge & Rv Park
Before exploring the bazaar offerings, we toured ourselves around the vintage RVs that are for rent by the night.
Memories of 1993, when I lived in the round front Spartan trailer for six months:
Today:
Some garden art:
Some more looking at vintage trailers:
Larry and Judy were bazaar-ing just behind us!
With our shopping accomplished, we went home for a mere hour and a half before heading back out to an early dinner gathering. The invitation had been irresistible for several reasons:
It started in the late afternoon, not the evening, which I find preferable in the dark of winter.
It was at a house I love and where I used to garden.
It was a gathering of like minded people and it would feature more serious conversation than revelry.
I took the hour at home to pick a winter bouquet and to spray paint a large pile of dried eryngiums (which project I can now erase from the work board).
Allan took some photos of the bouquet:
And here it is in our friend’s kitchen:
The guests were all amused to see deer lying on the lawn outside the dining room:
We had a delicious dinner and good conversation, and we were home by 6:30.
Now I am hoping for two days at home before the next big event: the new Star Wars film with Dave and Melissa. (We are running late for that because of varying personal schedules.) My stay at home December is not coming true. I have high hopes for January.