Saturday, 14 December 2019
Today I was grateful to leave my property for a day out with Our Kathleen. Far away on a remote Canadian Island, today was the memorial for my old friend Bryan. I needed to get out and about and not mope around at home.
Kathleen picked me up at one in the afternoon. Our first stop was the weekend Christmas market at the Salt Hotel.
Samples of local day boat tuna
Joe Nisbett manning the Don Nisbett art display
On the way north to Long Beach, we stopped at another Christmas bazaar, this time featuring all handmade gifts at the Sou’wester Lodge.
Part of the bazaar was in the pavilion…
….where I bought a lovely wooden vase, for dried flowers and twigs, for a friend.
The teahouse trailer nearby
The rest of the the handmade bazaar was set up in the lodge, and there we checked in on Allan’s kayak book table.
He did very well over the one day of the bazaar. And he got to listen to some good music from the table next to him.
As Kathleen and I returned to her car, we saw two good friends of mine.
Cotah and Bentley
In north Long Beach, Kathleen and I visited the one of the establishments that was open today for a Bed and Breakfast (and small lodgings) holiday open house. I was curious about the Mermaid Inn because, even though it is not on the ocean side of the highway, it gets consistently rave reviews on travel sites.
The mermaid statue, which used to be in a downtown Long Beach park, has a history of controversy and inspired irate letters to the editor to the local paper even after some extra locks of hair were carved to cover her bosom. She has also been described as ugly, to which I strongly object. Women come in all sorts of appearances and it is cruel to ridicule people for how they look.
Even without the many flowers and hanging baskets which adorn the inn in summertime, it’s a charming place.
Inn owner Karla Martin
Finally, we reached our main destination of our day, the holiday open house at the Boreas Inn, the most beautiful lodging on the Long Beach Peninsula, owned by our friends Susie and Bill.
Susie and Bill are famous for the inn’s lavish breakfasts and always put on a nice spread for the annual open house.
Their annual tradition, a weekend of decorating by regular guests of the inn in early December, had excellent results.
Their “Hanukkah Bush” got its name because they used to find a beach pine from their western property. It is quite tree-like this year.
Nearby is a cozy fireplace nook.
And on the north side of that comfy spot is my favourite guest room, the Garden Suite.
We joined Susie and Bill and some of their favourite inn guests in the west facing sun room.
To our delight, Lezlie Greco soon joined us.
Mist rolled in over the garden at dusk.
Allan joined us after his Sou’wester event and we stayed past the event’s closing time till well after dark. The overnight guests and those of us visiting for the open house all turned out to be politically aligned, making for absorbing and comforting conversation.
The open house was a benefit for the local food bank, with attendees asked to contribute a can of food. The Boreas had taken in a generous amount.
For anyone who dreams of owning a bed and breakfast and who has the dosh, the inn and the three bedroom owners’ quarters are for sale.
Upon returning home, I felt that the next day was the true beginning of my stay at home staycation. I had high hopes of not leaving my property for nine days, not till the Depot Restaurant’s Dickens dinner on Christmas Eve.
***************************************************************
Here, for a bit more holiday cheer, are the window displays in downtown Ilwaco, created by Wendi Peterson. (Photos taken by Allan a week later.)
************************************************************
Tuesday, 24 December
Skipping ahead to Christmas Eve day…Allan and I went to see the new Star Wars film at the Neptune Theatre in Long Beach. They’d gone all out with lobby decorations….
Allan’s photos
…and a pun in the loo. (That is the plural of Han.)
I found the film completely satisfactory.
As soon as we got home, we turned around again for an early Christmas Eve dinner at the Depot Restaurant, picking up Marlene on the way.
Allan’s photos
Allan and Marlene had the salmon while I had the full traditional Dickens Dinner with Yorkshire pud. It is enormous; I saved some of the meat and the great big bone for my large canine friends, Cotah and Bentley.
Home again, after dropping Marlene off, I said to Allan, “Let’s do our presents now and then Christmas can be over and tomorrow can be a normal day at home.” He agreed with an excellent plan.
I had been intrigued to open a mystery gift that had appeared on the porch with a card saying “From your Secret Santa, glad you enjoyed the wind chime.” That message slightly narrows the field of mystery benefactors to someone who is either a Facebook friend or blog reader or both–someone who has read that I loved the Hello Kitty wind chimes that appeared in a gift bag on my porch earlier this year. The delightful theme repeated at Christmas.
I do like a big mug with a solid base, perfect for cats to not knock over. Plus a cutie orange for each of us. The mystery goes on. Will someone ever confess?
Not to be all “Look what I got for Christmas!” but I will mention a few things. Montana Mary, along with some culinary delights, sent a bead made by her landlady, designed in memory of my heart cat, Smoky. Don’t think I did not notice the thematic cleverness of including two mysteries about a bead maker who lives in my home town, Seattle.
I like the artist’s business card.
You can see more of her beads here.
A tea ball from Our Kathleen (accompanied by some Earl Grey and some Christmas tea and my favorite crispy rice chocolate), depicts the TARDIS.
I hope you can see, with my rather inferior phone camera, that it even says “Police Box.”
Along with the practical gift of a small food processor for making low salt hummus, something I did want (even though it may surprise some to hear that I’d want anything to do with cooking), Allan found a perfect book and a selection of real British chocolates.
And he found me quite the perfect t shirt design.
He did well in receiving, with a movie book from Kathleen and some boating books from me (and one fern for his garden, by the name of “Green Ribbons”).
Happy holidays to you of whatever sort you prefer and thank you for reading…and special blessings to our commenters, who warm the cockles of our hearts.
Tangly Cottage Gardening 