A house sit in Port Alberni

It always takes a while to get ready for a few weeks away. Making a list of the stuff we bring, so that we will not leave anything behind on the way home. I am partial to my kitchen knives, so they come along. Then there are some personal effects that that we can't live without...

Thanks to our reservation we were one of the first to embark

Scenery along the way

We had made a reservation for the ferry from Tsawwassen to Duke Point. Probably not necessary in winter but since we don't use that service much we wanted to have no surprises. The two hour crossing went smoothly while we enjoyed a wonderful lunch of fettuccine with chicken and mushrooms in the onboard restaurant. Then an uneventful drive from Nanaimo to Port Alberni. Our house sit was easily found thanks to GPS and we were soon made to feel completely at home by Robert and Debbie. We were introduced to Bodhi, a Dachshund and Papillon mix, and Fluffy, a slightly arthritic feline.

Bodhi, a very intelligent doggie

Fluffy, an easy going happy cat

Robert showed us the workings of the house and to make sure we check the three freezers daily, where he stores his game. He is an avid outdoorsman who loves to hunt and fish. He has set aside an area in one of the freezers for us, and we may help ourselves to salmon, elk and deer meat along with back ribs etc. Very generous indeed. Also the kitchen and basement fridges are generously stocked with vegetables etc. We will not need to do much grocery shopping here.

After giving us the tour we enjoyed each others company with a glass of wine and eventually a fantastic dinner of venison wellington with broccoli and wild rice. Shelagh is a bit nervous around wild game but she found the dinner delicious. It's all in a clean kill. Robert had also made a fantastic deep dish apple pie for dessert. We polished off three bottles of wine and after a wonderful evening with plenty of laughs we hit the sack well fed and happy.

The next morning we said goodbye to Robert and Debbie as their three week vacation in Guatemala and Belize was to begin. We walked the dog a couple of times and did some exploring in town for grocery stores and to stock up on some chicken, yoghurt and frozen fruit. In the afternoon I made four dinners of chicken quesadillas, three of them are now in the freezer.

It's always a bit of a challenge figuring out another home's entertainment system, despite a well explained demonstration from Debbie, but after a bit of putzing we got the hang of it and we were soon back into our routine on Netflix watching another episode or two of "Rake", the life of an out of control defence lawyer in Sidney, Australia. Then to bed for good night's sleep...

 

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