Craigdarroch Castle

Day 2 started out with Catastrophe! No, nothing went wrong; we just fixed a breakfast everyone loved. It consisted of shredded hash browns, onion, garlic, sausage, eggs, and cheese all in one skillet. With toast on the side, it proved to be a stick-to-the-ribs meal that lasted until lunch. We liked it so well, we had it the next morning, too! We prepared sack lunches for the day, cleaned up the kitchen, and headed for Craigdarroch Castle.



Built in 1889, this 25,572 sq. ft. stone home was built for the family of coal baron Robert and Joan Dunsmuir. Now in the midst of a stately neighborhood, it once stood on 28 acres. It consists of four floors of wood paneling, stained glass, and period furnishings.

We entered through the porte-cochere.



Immediately, we stepped back in time.



Looking up, we saw the 87 stairs we would be climbing.



Every room had its own story - and, it seemed, its own fireplace! There were 17 in all.



The one in the foyer had elaborately decorated panels - inside.



Pianos were popular in the day. This one had beautiful detail,



Emily W. entertained us by playing this one in the ballroom, while Meredith sang.



Up to the tower room...



...with its stunning tile floor and gorgeous view of the city.



A view back down from above...



...and a little whimsy. Did you know that it's good luck to have a salamander in your house? Supposedly, it will protect you from fire. This house has never burned. Could this be why?



Emily B. couldn't resist sliding down the rail. Please, I don't want to have to use the first aid kit!

Victoria, here we come!

A year or so ago, I promised Emily's Girl Scout troop that I would take them to Victoria, BC. They'd been saving their cookie money, and wanted a big blow-out. After a year of planning, the day was finally here, and we were anxious to be off on our trip.

6:00 am is an obscenely early time to be driving off, but all four Girl Scouts and two adult chaperones were on board, and more or less awake. We had a five hour drive to Port Angeles ahead of us, with only a little wiggle room - we had to arrive by 11:45 to keep our ferry reservation. Gillian and I traded off driving and keeping each other alert, while the girls alternately slept, chatted, and sang. Each of us contributed a CD to our drive's musical accompaniment, and what a diverse collection it was: Phantom of the Opera, All Caps, Celtic Woman, Evanescence, Joni Mitchell, and Dire Straits. What a motley crew we are!

We arrived at the ferry in plenty of time, even with generous stops along the way. For some of the girls, this was their first ferry ride, so right away, it's an adventure! After 90 minutes of checkers, backgammon, and customs, we have arrived at our destination: Victoria, BC, Canada.


I must say, it felt good to be out of the car, and to stretch our legs after driving all day. Now, to start our fun!

Our first stop: The Bug Zoo.



There are a lot of creatures packed into this 2-room building. Ants have a special see-through labyrinth running along two walls, cockroaches, mantids, beetles, spiders (very large, hairy spiders!), waterbugs, and so many others surrounded us in habitats specially designed for each species.



My favorites were the masters of disguise - those who blend in so completely with their environments you have to search to find them. Amazing how these creatures look just like leaves and sticks!



The best part, though, was the guide who talked about each bug in turn, giving details about its natural habitat and habits, and passing it around to those visitors who wanted to hold it. Emily B. and Felicity were the bravest in our group!



After leaving the Bug Zoo, we decided to wander around the harbor and check out the sights on the waterfront. Arts and crafts booths, performance artists, musicians (included a violinist Meredith proclaimed to be quite good), and statues of whales all fronted the harbor in a festive lagniappe of entertainment.



Next stop: the elegant and opulent Empress Hotel.



Might as well see how the other half live! Walking through and observing the beautiful people shopping, having high tea, and spending lots of money, Emily W. declared that that would be her someday. She's determined to be a guest at the Empress at some future date. You go, girl!

Dinner at the Noodle Box gave us the boost we all needed, as we were beginning to drag after such an early morning. Back into the car we went, destination: the SVI Guide House. This is the offices of the Southern Vancouver Island Girl Guides (the international community's equivalent to the US's Girl Scouts). There is a large, empty room on the second floor of this building, really a meeting room of sorts, that is rented out to visiting Girl Guides and Girl Scouts at a very reasonable rate. We let ourselves in, unloaded the car, and staked out our spots on the floor for our sleeping bags. All settled in, we went to the grocery store, since we would be doing all of our own cooking from this point on. We shopped, unloaded our groceries into the well-stocked kitchen, and collapsed for a well-deserved night of sleep. It had been a busy day!

Off to Corvallis

W

Just got back from taking Sarah to Corvallis for a three-week pre-college program in art. We got her all settled in her dorm room, made her bed, and got her clothes unpacked. We wandered all around the building, and located the places she'll need to visit: bathroom, showers, laundry. We arranged our arrival early enough to give us time to explore the campus, too. We located the food court where she'll eat her meals, and the buildings where she'll attend her classes. She felt good about having time to get her bearings. That's important to Sarah.

This JumpstART program is really exciting! She's taking sculpture and printmaking, spending three hours in each class per day, with additional open studio time most evenings. It's intense! In sculpture, she'll be doing lost wax casting, and perhaps some woodworking (complete with power tools!) and found object sculpture. The studio has a huge rolling oven for large metal castings and all kinds of welding materials and such. Pretty cool! What an opportunity for artistic growth! There are only five students in that class, so there will be plenty of opportunity for individual instruction.

Her printmaking instructor is Japanese and does beautiful work. He'll have them doing intaglio printing - kind of a pen-and-ink look when finished. All there work will be black and white, but with two different techniques. First, they'll scratch onto Plexiglas, and print from that. Later, they'll use copper plates and etch onto that surface with chemicals. Such exposure to materials and facilities she can't get in high school... She's one of ten in that class.

There are 27 students in the program, so she should have a chance to get to know some of them well. It will be interesting to see how she adjusts to dorm life, and whether she and her roommate get along. She'll definitely have a taste of what it'll be like to go off to college in two years (OMG! Is it that soon?), and so will we.

This is such a tremendous opportunity for growth for her, both artistically and emotionally. I'm curious to see who she is when she comes home... I'm so psyched for her!

Kudos!

Today was ACMA's Awards Ceremony, and our daughters made us proud. Emily, not surprisingly, earned the Middle School Writing Award. Kinda makes sense after her State Writing Sample was scored straight 6's... Sarah won a $500 scholarship from the NAHS (National Arts Honor Society) to go toward her pre-college program at OSU this summer. Color us happy! :-) Celebrations abound at our house this evening!