oscar & callym

Hi Friends in Grade 3.
We live by the beach now in a cabin with 1 bathroom 2 bedrooms 1kichen and a living room.  This is what we saw at the beach: a small white jellyfish, a trout-like fish about 1 ft long, a little fish about an inch long with wing fins, dead crabs, bald eagles, and about 40 sea lions!  We had a treat at the bakery before the sea lions.  Oscar and I each got a small loaf of chocolate chip bread.  School is fun but no one plays football.  Wylan, Marcus, Owen, Ashton, and Charley K I hope you are still playing even in the snow!  We're only getting rain and the snow doesn't stay.  Are you having fun in the snow?  What kind of Art projects are you doing?  I miss all of you in Grade three and I hope you are all having a fun time. 
From Callym

Hi Friends in Grade 1.
Hi Everybody.  Are your teeth falling out because mine are?  I live in Saltair.  I'm staying in a cabin right now.  I saw lots of jellyfish.  I saw a big trout and lots of litle fish.  The town is pretty.  In Ladysmith they are doing a light up where the town has a whole bunch of lights that Santa is going to turn on tonight.  My class is made of Grade 1 and 2's and for lunch I play outside first and then eat for 10 minutes while the teacher reads to us.  Her name is Mrs. Horncastle.  Talk to you soon.
From Oscar.

say cheese! more random photos

It's pouring out again. I'm not complaining. Better then the nasty windy cold. But I wish I had a rain coat.

Here are a bunch of photos I have laying around. Hope you enjoy!

Everyday Oscar comes home from school & wants to check out the ocean. You know he's found a few washed up jelly~fish, a bunch of crab~shells, a tiny fish swimming around & more!
 This is just outside our door & down a bit. So cool to be so close to the ocean!

 This is a yummy kombucha squash & black bean stew I made. I was so yum! Want the recipe?

Here is Chris giving Twinkle a little taste of the great outdoors. This was last weekend. Was it as nice there as it was here? Sorry, I won't joke like that anymore. Anyways, see how close the sea is? Nice eh?

This is the coolest fish skeleton I've ever seen. We found it in this off to the side area of the Ocean. Maybe you'd call is a bay or inlet. This is where we always see huge seagulls & a few gorgeous ( & massive) bald eagles! Not sure who ate this guy tho...

Callym wearing his winter beach gear! Can't see his 'bogs' but he is, & their cool!

This is in Cowichan Bay (or Cow Bay as the locals call it). We came for coffee & found Sea Lions! This is more a photo of the boats & far off island.

Here you can see the massive Sea Lions sunning themselves!

 And here again!

When you live in a tiny place, don't have most of your toys, have to share a room with your brother & don't have your friends around it can get pretty crazy. Good thing there's LEGO!!!

Oh ya, remember when Callym got his head glued together that day after running into the fence playing football at Angus ...... well, the glue is still in there! It just won't wash out no matter what he does! so we are cutting some of it out here.... poor Callym!

2 bald eagles in the tree top. They're always around, Chris loves seeing them!

 A LEGO creation by Oscar (thanks so much Uncle Wally & Aunty Barb!!)

 A creation by Callym,

 And another by Oz

Here we are in Coombs at the 'Goats on the Roof' store. It was cold the day we went, so I think the goats were hiding inside somewhere dry. Pretty cool place tho, we'll come by again!

Here we are driving home from Coomb near Nanaimo. A cool shot of us coming up to a cloud, getting ready to drive thru it......

 so crazy cool!


 here are a few more shots of the Sea Lions, this crazy (I Mean CRAZY!) guy came so close to them, I thought he was going to be attacked!!! Nuts~O man!!!

another shot of the harbour, this is still Cow Bay!

Here's Callym with the Sea Lions (at a safe distance!)



This is my fav shot of the mountains. I love the look of the cut up rocks along the highway!

Whoohoo, found a pirate ship! (may have to zoom in to see the flag)

Oscar showing us how delish the chocolate chip loaf he ate was!

Here is the mass of big seagulls that came swooping down when Callym dropped his chocolate chip loaf :(

This weekend is a fun adventure with the LadySmith Light up show & our trip to Qualicum, so there should be more photos & stories to come! Have a great weekend! Miss you all!!!

Lukies

another week, another bottle of wine

So it's Thursday already, or should I say it's only Thursday? Yeesh!

A lot has been going on here since the last post. We're still kinda stressed out ~ but it's more because we have been held up in such small spaces together for soooo long & not because we don't have jobs! The job search is going well enough (I guess), it's tough out here. Most people either work for one of two mills, or they make their own work ~ and neither are very reliable for constant income.... But that's why we came right? (to start our own business's not the unreliable income!) We are applying for places around here (Chemainus, Ladysmith, Duncan & surrounding areas), as well as starting our business plans & looking for businesses that are for sale already. Phew, that's a lot! It's fun (for now)...
The boys started school last week and so far find it pretty good. They finally love music, but Callym is really really missing the football he use to play with his friends! He keeps bringing our football to play with his new friends, but forgets about it in his bag. Both boys are in split classes, Oscar in a 1-2 & Callym in a 3-4. So far so good. The school is a K-5 with only around 200 kids, so pretty similar to Angus. B.C. is going thru a labour dispute right now so they have cut out recess & the kids get out earlier. The teachers still take the kids out for a recess in the am, but not in the pm. They're out at 230 so their really isn't much use in a pm recess. Lunch is 30 minutes of play then 15 minutes to eat. Callym says when you forget your lunch they give you a cheese whiz sandwhich & an orange. YUCK!
I've pretty much fallen in love with Chemainus & Ladysmith. They are different in a few ways. Chemainus is spread out closer to the water with a larger area of old downtown. There are newer areas with huge houses, & a ferry out to Thetis Island. Ladysmith on the other hand only has one main street. The houses here go straight up the mountain. Some of the roads are pretty incredible to drive up & down, there is one that shuts down when any amount of snow falls because you just can't drive it. Instead the kids toboggan down it! Crazy!!
We have rented a house & should move in next week. It's tiny & cute, but should be perfect for a while. I'll send photos later! Our addie is
#A 9930 Daniel St
Chemainus, BC
VoR1K1
if you wanted to send us an xmas card! :)
Please email us your addies too please so we can send you all a card or postcard!!!!

Tonight we're off to Ladysmith's light up. It's suppose to be amazing, the entire main street lights up with Christmas lights, Santa comes & there is a huge parade! We will for sure post photos! (sorry we've been so slow on that!!!)
Also, tomorrow the boys are going to miss out on school & we are heading north about an hour to Qualicum. It's a very cute small community that is right along the sea. It's pretty sleepy right now filled with retired people but comes alive in the summer. Cross your fingers (although we love it here, we still aren't set on any one place)

That's it for now, there is more I promise... but it's coming....
T