Rock Bottom - Again!

It started innocently enough.

I was probably the first visitor to straggle in - was it Boxing Day? Yes! And where I ended up was at RockBottom. Again! This was the second time in four months at RockBottom, Trevor and Sonia´s new place in No Man´s Land, nearly between Courtenay and Comox. Then Tom arrived and a little later Kerry.

Cocktailing helped decide it. Some of us would go to the Mountain tomorrow, skiing and snowboarding.


I brought Felicity up and she went skiing. Tom tried out his new skis. Kerry and I went boarding.




Over the next bit I went skiing and boarding four wonderful days, every fall cushioned on ten feet of base.


During our first day on the mountain Lee and Colleen hit RockBottom, then Carolyn and the gang was complete.




Because festivities started at the crack of eight in the morning, a dangerous situation at Rockbottom what with the formidable hosting powers of Trevor and Sonia, some caution was required. For example one rainy day we decided that we must identify 30 species of birds before we could go to the bar. We had the 30 well in hand by opening time. In fact Trevor picked out a lifetime first for me. A Eurasian Widgeon.

Each evening we scrubbed up and headed to a new restaurant, glamorous in our laidback way. I should tell why the house is called RockBottom. Jimmy Buffet sang about hitting "rockbottom, again" in a Pirate Looks at Forty. Trevor and Sonia for sure, and the others to varying degrees, can safely be called Parrotheads. So that´s the theme.


After dining and cocktails the guitars came out. The picture to the side is the first picture of some jamming members of the Hawaiin Vaqueros. The playing sucked but the zeal was overwhelming.




We descended on the Westerly for New Year´s Eve, a local hotel where several very good bands and Amos Garrett, among others, played and sang, showing the Hawaiin Vaqueros how to do it.


And as always, ´zee girls, zee girls, zay were all beuoootiful!











And zee Men, zee men, zey were all so handsome and dashing. Tom, it must be confessed, had an evil thought or two.


And everyone was glamorous as New Year´s 2007 was brought in.


It went downhill at RockBottom a little later. Others soldiered on beyond the wee hours but I was MIA by 2:30 am, a rather dismal performance !

Travels with Charlie

Down the road, again!


My departure from La Paz was hasty - health concerns about my youngest! By the time I got to the border those concerns had subsided somewhat so I decided to amble northward to Calgary then on to the island for Christmas.

Death Valley gave me pause? But I found Los Vegas impeded me more.



It was Cirque du Soliel and Mystere. Fascinating, a wonder, marvellous!





Reverting to form, later in a graveyard on the way through Utah, I stopped and found Great-grandfather and mother Conrad (and Bullocks) but not the Van Dams or Evans. About here my camera crapped out - at least until Christmas time.

Then it was off to Elaine's in Lethbridge and Calgary for linguini with Ed, suchi with Jennifer and a cocktail or two with CJ! Down in Pincher Creek Ron and Bonnie put me up on condition I care for George (cat) and Dude (dog).

On two days I stole away for snowboarding at Fernie, Snow Valley. The first day I got caught in a Crowsnest Pass blizzard, winds of 100 mph, and got stuck. The second day boarding was heavenly. Following was the ever-so familiar run down to the Coast and Victoria.



Christmas Day at Vanessa and Geoff's house was wonderful, what with meeting the extended family, including the nearly legendary Gma Hicks, the feast and the games. Geoff and my girls love the camera. Rightfully so I guess because the camera loves them!




There was the traditional exchange of presents. I take particular pride in my present to Verity and Felicity.



At the annual Orphan's Charity Auction in La Paz people laughed at my 140 peso bid on a sluice box. Well, I got stuck with that bid so I carried the box all the way across the western USA and Canada. If you give a man a fish, he eats for a day; if you teach a man to fish, he eats for a lifetime. So it is with gold (ergo sluice boxes). At least that is what I told my daughters.

They said they liked it!