Nadia Steede Mudge

Tofino is one of our favourite places in the whole world. It’s our place of relaxation, and our place to reconnect and chill out. Somehow we thought that bringing our darling 14-month old son wouldn’t change that zen vibe… we were very very wrong!

We had rented a one-bedroom suite and he slept in a playpen in our room. He’s used to sleeping in his own room, and it had been a while since he’d been in a hotel room with us, so we wondered how this would go. The first night he slept through but woke at 5am with a slight temperature: teething. The second day he sounded like he was waking at 5am but actually stayed asleep; I did not. At least i got to enjoy a few hours of watching the surf outside our window and enjoying coffee in silence.

The third, fourth and fifth night kind of run together. There was very little sleep and a lot of crying (some of mine, some of his), and it made for some short-tempered days. During daytime he pulled out this ear-piercing screech from his bag of tricks and used it constantly; when he was mad, sad, happy, or excited. We kept waiting for a knock at the door, complaining about the noise.

It wasn’t a relaxing trip at all, but there were some highlights. Our little boy was just starting to take his first steps before we left on our trip, and he used this time to practice his new skill. In the first days, he’d scream in excitement as he sumo-walked across the room, and by the end of the trip he was toodling around like it was no big deal. Meanwhile we would stop everything to watch like each time was the first time. And we got some great walks on the beach (in the rain, because it didn’t stop…ever).

We also got to stop at Wally Creek where there is a love-lock fence, and my romantic husband clicked on a lock he’d brought and etched with our initials.

At the end of the trip, while we drove home, we marvelled at how awful the trip had seemed (sleep deprivation will do that). A day later, at home, I couldn’t remember why it had seemed so bad. I remember only the moments that made it great: our baby’s early steps, his little hands in ours while we walked the beach, a lock of love on a chain-link fence, and one evening on the patio of our suite with wine and waves while cuddled under a blanket and catching up.

We’ll go back next year, confident of course that he’ll be so much better “this time”! Only time will tell…

Click on the image below to view my Tofino 2017 gallery.

Wow, I can’t believe it’s been nearly a year since I posted on this blog. I have a good excuse, though….

Declan joined our family on January 28, 2016 and he is the most amazing little boy (doesn’t every mother say that?). He’s the spitting image of his daddy, and though we didn’t get any smiles for the first 6 weeks or so, he’s full of smiles and giggles ever since.

We had planned to go to Tofino in March, baby in tow. Maybe that was a bit ambitious, but we figured he’d be pretty portable at just a few months old. Unfortunately, we had to cancel because I was still recovering from the c-section, and we’ve been anxious to go ever since.

When Phill had a trip to Nanaimo planned a few weeks ago, Declan and I went with him, and as a last-minute bonus we whipped over to Tofino for the weekend. It was so great to get our little man out on the beaches and listening to the thundering crash of giant, west coast waves.

While he rode in the sling, strapped to his daddy, I handed him a sand-covered seashell. We watched as he turned it over in his hand and inspected it closely… and then suddenly rubbed his eyes with the hand holding the shell and wiped sand all over his forehead and cheek. We totally should have seen that coming! No sand in the eye, but we left the rest of the seashells on the beach just the same. He can beachcomb next time, when he’s not inclined to put most of it in his mouth.

We’re back home now, but have some photos to keep the trip fresh in our minds. We don’t know when we’ll get back out there, but I suspect that the next time we go, Declan will be running across the beach and we’ll probably have trouble keeping up!

Click on the picture below to see more in the Tofino 2016 gallery.

A few Sundays ago, we were in town instead of out on the water in our boat, and thought we’d take advantage of the beautiful late summer day to explore Westham Island in Ladner.

I’d been told about Westham Island Herb Farm, and wanted to see it for myself.  Plus, I thought it might be a nice opportunity to take along my camera… something I haven’t been feeling very inspired by until lately.

So we headed out to Westham Island and it was awesome!  Herbs, produce, fresh honey, and flowers!  They didn’t have fresh garlic yet, but will in a few weeks, so we’ll be back. For photos, click here.

We left Westham Island along the ancient one-lane swing bridge and thought we’d visit some friends up the road, not knowing if anyone would be there, as the evening was coming on.

It turns out that there was a one-day Fraser River sockeye fishery that day (they’re commercial fisherman), and so they were busy catching, cleaning and selling salmon!  We had a great visit, saw some of the action, and came away with a fish for dinner.

The salmon opening was due to close at 8pm that night, so camera still in hand, we headed out to Steveston where we arrived in time to see a ton of fisherman out on the water, and some already heading in.  The sun was setting, and many boats were fishing right up until the very last minute. The sockeye run is only large enough for commercial fishing every four years, so there was a lot of excitement in the air as everyone tried to catch their share. Click on the photo below to see more.

It was a busy day, and a great day… we had no initial plans, and were surprised where each hour led us to next!

We took a walk the other night along Vancouver’s Coal Harbour sea wall, towards Lost Lagoon.  Once there, we had to pause to watch the most fantastic sunset.  The fountain in the middle had been turned off for the Christmas season and replaced with a string-tree of coloured lights, and I was happy to see they hadn’t removed it yet.

By the time we got back to some warmth, my face was frozen, but it was totally worth it!  I added some pics to my “winter” gallery, but could just as easily at them to my “sunsets” collection.

Stay warm out there!

Christmas season is upon us, and the other day we took a little stroll through the Burnaby Heritage Village.  They’ve decked the whole place out for Christmas, and it was a great way to get into the spirit of the holidays.

We went during the day, and though they had the lights all up and on, I could see the potential for the magic to happen at night, when the lights are glowing and the village takes on a whole different mood.

If you haven’t been lately, I encourage you to visit! I know we’ll be back soon!

I’ve added some pics to my Winter gallery.

We took a walk the other day, enjoying the sunshine (and the cold), and came across a round-about with a community garden planted in the middle.  From the tree hung little birdhouses, and I couldn’t resist taking a few pictures.

We’re just back from a wonderful long weekend in BC’s wine country: the Okanagan.  This year we stayed in Osoyoos and explored the wineries in the area that we hadn’t been able to get to on previous visits.  It’s amazing how many wineries there are!

The weather was spectacular, and the scenic views just can’t be beat.  And of course, I took my camera along for the journey, as we hopped from winery to winery and tried out their wares.

If you haven’t been, I highly recommend a visit to BC’s Okanagan 🙂