HELLOOOOOOOOOOOO out there

We've been home for a week already? Where DOES the time go?? Well, it has been busy around here! But first, some more pics of our mini-holiday.... that Glenthorne Passage sunset was exquisite, and Blogger wasn't cooperating the other day!
That house on the point sits empty all the time - we've never seen any activity there at all. But the passage behind it is the entrance to Ganges Harbour, and it's busy all the time -- boaters coming and going, freighters and ferries. This next pic is just to the left of that house, and 10 minutes later...
While we were anchored in Glenthorne we went via inflatable over to James Bay, the park on the north-west shore of Prevost, where it is my mission to pick apples from the abandoned orchard there. It's Michael's mission to feed the deer!
(Is it just me or do these two have the same facial expression?) ;-)
Anyway, we had a great time, and we were just so grateful to be able to at least get away for a week.

Since we got back, I've company twice. First of all, I had a visit from Maria and Julie (not my sister, another Julie!) last week. I met Julie several years ago when she demo-ed her antique sock machine at the Victoria FibreFest; I 'met' Maria when we both participated in a 'secret shawl knit-along' online a few years ago, and I'd been following her blog ever since. Unbeknownst to me, Julie and Maria also knew each other through a sock-machine-knitting forum online -- and through a very convoluted series of events, Maria came up from Washington to visit Julie in Victoria, and then they came over here for the day. I'll let Maria tell you about our visit. It was a lovely day, and I'm enjoying getting to know both of these knitters! (I have NO idea why I didn't take any pictures, though...)

Then the next day my friend Esther and our 'Bawston' buddy Maggie (she's the red-head) came for a visit -- we hung out to knit at the Rock Salt Cafe for awhile and then came back to the Wind Walker. We didn't get a lot of knitting done, but we had a great time!
I've also been busy picking, freezing and baking with blackberries (and apples!), in between knitting and two new little writing gigs I've started. In our almost-34-years together, I've baked Michael maybe three blackberry pies, and this year was one of them. We've had blackberry pancakes and muffins, and I've frozen a couple of pounds so far. Now the rains have started, so I may not get any more...

Knitting is happening, too, but nothing I can show you -- I still have about 12" to go on the silk stole, and about an inch to go before the toe decreases on the current pair of socks. I *have* done an interesting and fun test knit for a Christmas project, but can't say anything about that yet until the pattern is released.

Day before yesterday, Michael and I went on a 'road trip' by ferry, to Galiano Island. Our friend Mike, at 78, is finally retiring from his job as wharfinger at Whaler Bay, and moving here, to Ganges. He and a friend are cruising his boat over this weekend, so he asked us to come and get a bunch of his stuff -- tools and heavy things that are taking up space on the boat, and that he really won't be using anymore. Getting to Whaler Bay from here on the ferry system requires going from here to Schwartz Bay (the main terminal for the Victoria area), driving off, going about a mile out on the freeway, doing a u-turn and coming back to get on the Galiano ferry. At the end of the day we had to do the same thing in reverse, so it was a four-ferry day!

Here's the Vancouver ferry coming out of Active Pass, which our ferry is just entering...
And here's Whaler Bay, a lovely little spot that I'm sure Mike will miss...
The guys were busy unloading and sorting Mike's dock boxes and loading stuff in to our van, so I got to wander and take pictures. :) You can see the two of them working away next to Mike's boat on the dock...
We got back to Fulford at 10 pm, exhausted!

Yesterday I had to drive in to Ganges for a doctor's appointment, and passed this along the way...
It's an installation promoting the upcoming local Spinners and Weavers sale on October 1st and 2nd, which is also the day of Salt Spring's Apple Festival -- so if you're coming over from Victoria for either event, let me know!

Here's a couple more shots I took while I was in Ganges... I'm a-feared the rainy season has begun. :(
Today .... I'm knitting. At home here this morning, and at the Rock Salt this afternoon from 2 - 4 pm.