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I took a photo of the happy couple & away they went. Not long after, I got a call. They were early for the wedding. This meant that they wouldn't be back in time to take me out to the ferry terminal, but more importantly, to say goodbye! :o( I called Milla & she came to the rescue! Her & Deric agreed to take me out to the ferry. Phew!
The crazy part was that Krystle had left me her phone & her keys. When Ross called her phone to tell me they wouldn't be back, he suggested I ask Milla if she could take me. I said I'd call her & then call Ross back. It wasn't until I hung up that I realized I didn't know Ross' number & I had NO CLUE how to use here Blackberry! It took me awhile to figure out how to find Ross' number... Luckily she'd called him recently!!! :o) Then Margarita texted Krystle's phone to ask how I was getting to the ferry, not realizing I had the phone. I managed to type a text back, but when I went to find send, my message disappeared! Again, luckily Krystle had recently called her Mom & I was able to phone her & let her know I was taken care of! Oh the dramas of modern technology!!! I guess maybe it's time I got a cell phone! :o) (Hello iPhone 4)
I met Milla & her boyfriend, Deric, at the mall & we made a quick stop at Jugo Juice & then loaded up the luggage & headed out on the highway. Milla & Deric were in for a concert & Milla wanted to do a little shopping on Robson St. We had a great visit out to the ferry terminal & a few big hugs & goodbyes later, we were headed in opposite directions. Milla & I also worked on ships together & I witnessed her first Italian boot purchase in Napoli at Le Fate Scalze (the barefoot fairy). While I checked the link, I saw I missed the photos of their Spring 2010 collection. Sigh. I should be in Italia, photographing their summer line. Next year. Anyhow, back on track... Milla! We said goodbye & I headed off towards the ferry. Just in time, as we left the dock about 2 minutes after I sat down! Close call!
I love the ferry rides. Although I didn't enjoy much coastal scenery - I slept the whole way! I woke up & we were pulling into the harbour! Whoops! Karen & Werner were there to meet me on the other side. Werner is from South Africa & I used to date his twin brother. Karen is from Victoria & they met when Werner was studying at UVIC. She was at a friend's party & Werner's distant relatives lived on the same street. They had invited him to come along. Karen was supposed to be introduced to a local fellow, but when she heard a South African was coming, she was all ears. Karen had been to East Africa recently & the rest is history! You'll be hard pressed to find a more well suited match. They look good together, they are considerate & thoughtful of one another, & these two have so much fun together, you can't help but have fun too!
I was excited to see their home. They bought it a few years ago, but have done MAJOR renovations. Wow! It had definitely changed since my last visit... which was last July. The main entrance was finished, the bathrooms up & downstairs... I know who I'm calling if I ever need reno advice!! Karen has classy taste & I like her style... Even if I didn't I wouldn't write it here because she's a black belt in Karate! :o)
Werner (Vairrrr-nur) dropped Karen & I off at a friend's place & he went to town to get supper groceries. Karen & I were going to ride some horses. Karen rides English & last week she rode a gelding with a few separation issues. He tried to buck her off! Way to go Cowgirl & stay on! So she asked me if I would like to ride one of the mares while she attempted the bronc again. I ride western & luckily they had a saddle to suit me. Now, I haven't ridden since (?) Chile? South America last January 2009? As luck would have it, the mare was in heat & apparently Dudly Studly had tried to mount the mare, Sunny, earlier in the day. GREAT! There's only one mount allowed on the horse at a time & if she's saddled, I'm it!!!
We got on our horses & Karen looks at me & smiles, as she says something I completely couldn't understand. I racked my brain - Spanish, no, French, no, hmm, Afrikaans! I had no clue what she just said! 'Huh?' came my reply. 'Are you ready?' was the sentence. Apparently I haven't been learning enough! :o)
I was quite nervous, as I haven't ridden a horse in heat with other horses around, so I wasn't too sure what I was in for. Apparently mares in heat urinate A LOT more, as every 2-5 minutes, she would stop & mark her territory. 'I'm over here boys!' Great. The pen was quite small, compared to the wide open fields of the prairies I grew up on, so we weren't in a dead run or anything. We mostly walked around, Karen trotted around a little, trying to get 'Studly' to collect. I jogged a little bit, but after awhile, the hormones kicked in & my mare began throwing her head around & wringing her tail. Sorry, no fight in this Cowgirl. We decided to get off & attempt lunging the gelding.
I've lunged my old horse, Cactus, before, but it was in a round pen. Here, we had a LONG lunge line & that was it. The horse knew exactly what he was supposed to do, but we didn't. I didn't know how to make him stop or slow down & he didn't take long to hit a lope! After we dug up a dirt circle, we decided to call it a night. We bid our (trusty) steeds farewell & went inside the house to call Werner to swing by with the 'wagon'. :o)
Karen & Fred, the owners of the farm, had quite the taxidermy display. Fred is an avid hunter & I can honestly say, I've never seen a collection of animals quite like it! Wow! Poor Karen was mortified, as she is vegetarian & loves all God's critters. Don't get me wrong, I do too, but for a select few creepy crawlies! Fred knows Cody Robbins - I guess it's a small world!
Werner soon picked us up & we were on our way back to their home. We enjoyed some great visits & a wonderful dinner, although I took my pills too close to dinnertime & I ended up feeling quite sick half way through the delicious meal! I felt terrible to waste all that food! I was so impressed with Werner's gentlemanly ways... Karen & I were visiting & she had a glass of apple juice. It was nearly finished & Werner grabs it without saying a word & refills it. He put it back in front of Karen, while her & I kept right on talking. She didn't even ask! How thoughtful! I was impressed! Boys! Take note! Werner has his Doctorate in Mathematics. If you want to solve anything, ask him!
We chatted about their cat, Sahara, their upcoming trip to the UK & Rome, and a plethora of things in between! I sure wish they lived closer - I always enjoy my visits with them!
Anyhow, pretty soon, we were all a little sleepy. I was excited for tomorrow, but I didn't have any troubles falling asleep!
Lekker slaap,
Maria & Valentina
xxxxx
Mama & Papa To Be!
It's a BEAUTIFUL belly!
Milla & Deric
On the ferry
My own private island. Sigh.
A sweeter private island!
Arriving in Victoria
Karen & the horse who's name I've forgotten! C-something
Apres-ride
Winter provisions
Fred & Karen's gorgeous Irish Setter
The Paddock
Werner the Chef
Sahara wanting out. Again. :o)
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