"Sunshine" Coast

My Grandma kept a weekend home on the Sunshine Coast. We loved visiting there when we were young. The beachfront was rocky, but when the tide was high, we could swim from the decrepit old dock over which a tree full of apples hung. Blackberry brambles grew in profusion in the area, and staining our mouths and tongues purple with the fat berries was an important summer duty. Trolling for rock cod offshore was another fun activity, and once we even went over to Skeleton Island (you know, I don't know if that's what we called it or if that's its real name) and dug for clams. It wasn't fancy, but it was a great part of our summer experience.

By the time Grandma died in 1992, she had sold her house in Vancouver and relocated to the summer home permanently. Dad inherited the house from her, and after a number of years of mixed experiences juggling an array of tenants with vacation use, he retired there in 2005. It then took a whole lot of renovation and landscaping, but it seems that Grandma's old summer home is now a nice home for Dad, Bella, and the boys.

Conrad and I hadn't been up to Pender Harbour since 2005, so on Easter Sunday the two of us (along with Marie) caught the ferry up to the Sunshine Coast. We were planning on brunching with the family, seeing the house, and returning to Vancouver in time for a late dinner. And that's exactly what we did.

The Sunshine Coast is sometimes an accurate name for what was once a bucolic stretch of summer homes and retirees, fishing boats and rocky shores shaded by arbutus trees. Last Sunday, though, the name was anything but accurate. We left Horseshoe Bay under entirely grey skies.




No, not entirely. Off in the distance, toward Vancouver Island, there was a good-sized clearing in the clouds. Could it extend over to brighten up our day?

No. The rain held off, at least until our return to Vancouver, but no, the day remained cloudy. We dawdled up the coast, stopping for an extended coffee break at Wheatberries in Sechelt. Over a snack or two from the bakery, we showed Marie photos from New Zealand.

We met the family at a resort not too far from their home. Conrad, Marie, and I were a little early, so we wandered the grounds a bit and took photos.




The sea anemones caught my eye. Marie took lots of photos of the peeling bark on the arbutus limbs and trunks.


After brunch it was time to see the house and surrounding landscaping. It looked good.
Dad showed us around while Mark, one of his friends, and Nigel hopped in the boat to go fishing for a spell. That didn't last long; even so, we had to start the drive back down to catch the ferry from Langdale. Some family photos - Carlos and Nigel didn't bother taking part - and we were on our way back south again.