rewinding

...just a bit, back to august.

once upon a time a ferry took three crazy girls to vancouver island, victoria to be exact.  there, they were met by some other crazy people where they continued together to make memories through shared adventures.  the days that each event happened on has long been lost in a memory that is full of cob webs and other such adventures, however the pictures make clear that each step of the way was well enjoyed and documented so that a date was no longer required.

the royal british columbia museum, the dinosaur exhibit.  we walked off the ferry and drove straight there, we had been waiting for the dinos to come to the museum since christmas time, and we were excited   we even have the dino stuffies to prove our journey was a success.  an imax about the arttic and then off to see dinos, woolly mammoths that are still a little scary, and an experience through old town complete with a train ride and a visit to china town.

{exploring at the museum with nana, auntie shantel and matthew}

wittys lagoon.  when you grow up on the island and now live on the mainland your heart kinda aches for the sound of the waves, the smell of salt in the air and the feel of it on your skin.  it doesn't seem to matter if the sun is out or if the sky is covered in clouds, the beach is always a place where adventures can be had, the ocean is full of life and memories.  this is the beach that i grew up exploring on, both ends, though i learned to stay to one end of the beach soon enough as the other was home to locals without any clothes on.  apparently after such a visit i returned with eyes the size of saucers and my mom knew right away what i had found.  why she didn't warn me not go in said direction is still unknown.  i plan on sharing with my children that only socks will be found down to the right of wittys lagoon.

 {the ever practiced "dive" of the summer}

{my mom, bless her heart, ps, this is where penny gets her face}

{waiting and watching as the tide comes in atop their castle}

fort rod hill.  wide open spaces.  crazy kids.  lots of energy.  always a good combination.  history to learn about, the ocean to hear and smell, picnic tables to eat at, and tunnels to play with flashlights in.

{...and then this happened...awesome}

shawnigan lake.  a new adventure full of water and more being wet.  we arrived, we already had our bathing suits on, we got wet, we ate lunch, we got wet again and then we went home.  always a good time when you are in the water with friends.

{the "face" by penny}

{i had a rough time getting in, always made easier when you do a little ballet before hand}

parksville.  a visit to coombs and rathtrevor beach.  ones adventure to the island is never complete until you have coombs and rathtrevor under your belt.  the blessing here is that grandma lives in parksville and we love to play with her.  so we picked her up and spent the day making memories and poking around, visiting the tea shop and eating dinner on the beach.  we played in the tide pool until there were two very wet and tired girls.  a complete adventure always ends when your clothes are soaked by the sea.

{ice cream in coombs}

{our dinner spot by the sea}

there are no more pictures to document what came next...and i can't remember all that happened.  i know we had some amazing visits with our families, we came home tired and dirty and that is just the way we like to take our adventures.