Aug 24th to 26th - Parksville

Aug 24th - Fri - to Parksville
We drove to Parksville today to meet up with brother Doug and his wife Judy. They live on the north end of Vancouver Island (Port McNeill) and are in Parksville to attend a wedding.
We arrived about 1:00 after stopping for some groceries in Nanaimo. We set up, had lunch and went looking for a liquor store for some beer. Guess property is at a premium all over Vancouver Island as we ran into parking problems again where the liquor store shared a very small parking lot with a grocery store.
When we got back, Doug & Judy had arrived - just in time for happy hour(s). Before we had time to fix dinner, Judy’s Mom & Dad (Carl & Pat who live in Parksville) and Judy’s brother - John - arrived for a visit. The weather was nice and we sat out and chatted until past the 10 o’clock quiet time.

Aug 25th - Sat - Parksville
Doug & Judy set out on their bicycles to Coomes but we can’t keep up with them on bikes so we choose to drive there. It is a small town with a large assortment of touristy stores including a market/restaurant that has goats living on the sod roof - appropriately known as ‘Goats on the Roof‘.
Before we went to Coomes, we went to view sand sculptures that had been entered in a competition. There were 3 group entries and about a dozen individual entries. The imagination and sculpting talent is amazing. My nephew in Port McNeill (Dennis) has a wireless internet connection so I should be able to update photos on the blog.
While we were strolling around Coomes it started to rain - and then to pour. We had been keeping an eye out for Doug & Judy but did not see them. After a late lunch when we got back, we went to see Doug & Judy. They had been caught in the downpour and gotten soaked.
Marg & Dad arrived about 5. They had been to Pemberton to see brother Bob and caught a ferry at Horseshoe Bay. Doug & Judy went to dinner with friends and the rest of us had to move inside for dinner as the weather cooled down. It started to rain about 11 and rained off & on during the night.

Aug 26th - Sun - Parksville
Doug & Judy attended the midday wedding while Marg, Dad, Terry & I went first to show Marg & Dad the sand sculptures and then went golfing. The weather had cleared up for a nice 9 holes of golf on a pretty course in Qualicum Beach.
We all gathered for drinks and dinner. Judy’s Mom & Dad and her brother came again so they could see Dad & Marg. John brought his ukulele and Judy got out her guitar so we had some entertainment as well. We had to put out the awning and get cozy to avoid some rain but it wasn’t too cold.