Welcome back, Gentle Reader! I hope you have had a wonderful weekend, full of good times with friends and loved one. I've been off to the bustling metropolis of Powell River, visiting L's family for a delayed Xmas trip - we do this annually, alternating, depending on where Xmas is spent. We last jaunted to PR in August 2025 (
Do grab yourself a cuppa and settle in - I have a LOT of pictures!
In case you're new here, I live on a very large island on the west coast of Canada (
here's a map for you). We're in Victoria, driving up Vancouver Island to Courtenay, ferry boat to Powell River.
We can't take Vlad on the Island Highway in the winter (he's not rated for winter travel), so we rent an SUV. Rock on, L! Thanks for being our trusty driver!
I did my usual small capsule wardrobe for lots of travel time, one full day and two nights in PR.
I never took my coat off on Thursday, but I wore a variation of this outfit every day.
With the coat!
The Grape Ape is nice and snuggly warm and has pockets.
With all of my accoutrements for going from the car to the upstairs deck on the ferry.
I took my Book Club pick with me ("The Power" by Naomi Alderman) - I finished it, and it was excellent!).
All ready for minimal outside exposure.
This is how I looked every day.
The stuff:
A nice big purse for carrying lots of goodies.
- Leather purse - Michael Kors, consignment
- Hat - gift from Tammy
- Brooch - Monet, vintage 80s, vintage fair
- Leather gloves - Roeckl, consignment
- Scarf - Missoni X Target, consignment
- Shoes - Groovy Huysmans, Fluevog; last worn here in November 2025 in my Hendrix outfit
My sock selection.
I did not wear the floral socks or the burgundy tights. The thick grey ones were for lounging in our hotel room.
I wore a different tee every day.
None of these are tracked.
- Alice Cooper - 2008 tour shirt, Vancouver
- Frank Turner - 2024 tour shirt, Vancouver
- Mother Mother - tour shirt, thrifted
- Banksy "Stop Me Before I Paint Again" - exhibit tee, thrifted
I layered the Alice tee under the Mother Mother tee.
I took one dressier top/sweater for our dinner out on Friday night.
PR is not a dressy place - I've learned that I already stick out, no need to go over the top!
- Sweater - All Saints, consignment; last worn here in October 2025 with chalkstripes
- Suede skirt - Kelco Leather, vintage 70s, thrifted; last seen here in November 2025 to take the kittens to the vet
I layered a vintage black slip under everything for extra warmth.
I forgot to put it on for the journey home on Saturday morning. Whoops. Fortunately, we were barely out of the car until we arrived home around 2pm.
Black bling:
I wore all of this every day, swapping out the silver suns necklace for the long pendant with my dinner/sweater outfit.
- Belt - gift from Ruth, 2008
- Studded leather cuff, c. 1998
- Thin studded bracelet - consignment, gift from L
- Silver/onyx necklace - Mexican, consignment, Powell River (from a few years ago)
- Silver Anneke & Lars ring - consignment
- Silver chain ring - Mexican, consignment
- Earrings - Glee, local
- Pewter necklace - Robert Larin, vintage 70s, thrifted, Sidney
That's it! Time to go - bye, little boys, be good for Uncle Ross and Aunt Cat!
"You're leaving us?" "Don't you love us?"
Our first time away! We were not missed, ha ha.
Barnabas "helped" me pack.
I also took a big wooly dress and velour tights (in the cat bag) for hanging out in the hotel room. I use this backpack for all our travel. It's been all over the world with me!
And here we go, off to head up the Malahat Drive to "up-Island".
Being a Thursday morning, there weren't a lot of cars.
We zoomed along - cliffs on one side, and a drop-off on the other.
It's a very dangerous and scary road in bad weather.
A few glimpses as we neared the summit.
Finlayson Arm (the water down there) is all fogged in. We live way in the distance, off to the left, behind those mountains.
Misty mountains to the south.
The fog was supposed to lift - there were all kinds of warnings on the road.
And here we are at the summit.
We don't turn off there - that's for tourists.
Arriving at Duncan, the first city after the Malahat.
I am fond of these bridges.
I am NOT fond of these horrid balloon people.
They were everywhere!
I like to take pictures of odd things - many of you have seen these same things over and over, so apologies.
A hydro-electric station north of Duncan.
Danger! Danger! Have you seen "Final Destination"?
Death by logging truck! These are all over the highway.
This marshy area is near one of the many dairy farms.
I always buy local milk!
More bridges.
I love the shape.
Gah! It's another one of these cursed things!
You've guaranteed I will NEVER stop at your food truck.
I'm happy this logging truck is on the other side of the highway.
But I breathe easier once it's passed us.
These reachers appealed to me.
They seem very handy.
I spotted our horse as we zoomed past the Nanaimo airport.
She's ready for winter weather (rain) in her slicker and hat. I don't know what that yellow blob is beside her.
Fog as we headed farther north.
The drive to Courtenay is about 3 hours.
Dammit, another one?
The logs are getting thinner.
Unused railway tracks near Nanoose Bay.
Or maybe that's Ladysmith? I can't remember.
It's all a blur.
I see mountains in the distance - I think that's Mount Washington.
My favourite roadside sign.
Go ahead and hitchhike, it's all good. "You'd win in a legal battle," said L. Damn straight. Punctuation is important!
We listened to 8 albums in total as we drove up and down-Island.
We sing along, discuss lyrics, laugh.
I am always on the watch for bald eagles (baldies) on the side of the road.
Hello, darlin', I see you!
More here.
I saw a bunch on the water in PR and was startled at their whistling call. Did you know that bald eagle cries are dubbed with the screech of red-tail hawks in movies and TV? TRUE!
Fog up near mid-Island.
And finally, the turn-off to catch the ferry to Powell River.
Caught the Snowbird plan at the Tourist Info Centre.
You can see the heavy fog.
Fortunately, ferries sail in fog.
There was no wind or rain (or snow), thank goodness.
My guy pumping gas before we head for the ferry docks.
Many thanks to my intrepid driver!
We'd picked up Subway for lunch and ate it while we waited in line for the ferry to board.
I always book reservations - the ferry traffic is unpredictable, and I would not want to miss it (the next one is in 3 hours).
On we go!
The ferries on the PR-Comox run are very small car ferries (they hold more cars on a deck below this one) compared to the giant ones on the Victoria/Vancouver route.
Me and my guy.
We found a nice quiet corner and read for the hour and 15 minute sailing.
We arrived and drove a block to our spa hotel (it only has 3 suites, so I book well in advance).
The ferry was still offloading and there we were, snug in our room with a view of the docks.
Ross was texting us pictures of the boys, who were getting their dinner from him after work.
"I am dubious!"
Whateley was his usual casual self.
"This is what I think of you."
L and I unpacked and drove over to his mom's place.
I spotted his brother Virgil's truck right away. That's a fine collection of stickers.
Louise liked her ketchup t-shirt.
Ha! She is doing well, but it's dementia - it's never going to be great.
I got a $50 gift card to my favourite PR consignment shop and a box of chocolates from Virgil for Christmas.
He really liked the skull/dragon/flames t-shirt I got him.
Virgil and L enjoying a pop each.
We all had pizza for dinner and hung out for a while, then L and I headed back to our room, played a couple of games (we always bring a few with us) and I ate all that chocolate. No regrets!
L was up early to go to an appointment with Virg and Louise. I headed off down Marine Ave to visit my favourite secondhand shops in PR.
I didn't like how the socks looked, and took them off when I stopped back at the room midway through my shop.
Ready to go.
I had my gloves and hat with me, but didn't really need either.
They also got left in the room for round 2.
Rock on!
Wish me shopping luck! I usually do really well. Powell River is shockingly good for secondhand.
My view as I walked up to Joyce Avenue to the new Economy Shop location.
A view across the water to Vancouver Island, way in the distance.
Willingdon Beach and looking north. I had a yoghurt, fruit and granola breakfast in the room (brought it all up with me, remembering that nothing opens early!).
It was sunny and crisp all day, just perfect weather for January.
My first stop as I did the south/eastern side of Marine Avenue was Kool Thing Vintage (link
here, and all links 'cause I love).
I GASPED at this scarf! It's Schiaparelli!
It's pure silk, hand rolled (edges) and made in Japan.
It was $42.00, and I see them online for between $150-300+. It's the softest silk!
I spied a pin in the case.
Public Enemy! This was $5.00.
This is a giant silk scarf with the same image on either end (I photographed my purchases in the hotel room).
I recognize the image - it's Gustav Klimt's "The Kiss."
It also has hand-rolled edges and has a Klimt signature in one corner.
I spied these being sold at the British Museum and a couple of others, for around $65+. This was $6.00.
In the $6.00 scarf bin, I found this vintage scarf with "Greetings from Berlin" on it and local Berlin landmarks.
My dear friend Yvonne used to live in Berlin, so I'm giving it to her. It was also $6.00.
I also found a couple of vintage tees for L.
This tee was marked down to $13.00. Amon Amarth is one of L's favourite Viking metal bands.
Sure! He was thrilled.
L gave his Rush tour shirt to a friend (it was falling apart), so when I spotted this one for $30, I grabbed it for him.
We saw them on the Snakes and Arrows tour, one earlier than this.
It was probably picked up at the Vancouver show.
From Kool Things, I strolled back along Marine and headed up the very steep hill to Joyce Avenue (PR is built on the edge of the ocean), to the Economy Shop.
Apparently, it just moved and this was the opening weekend, which explains the chaos in the shop. I knew this top's brand, and liked the brown velour with brown sequined design.
And it was new with tags!
Would you believe it was $3.00? A plain sequined tee by them is 30 Euros (just under $50 CAD) on sale!
I also grabbed this suede and leather multi-print/colour purse, and a very groovy 70s tie for L.
The purse was $5.00 and the tie was a dollar.
It's by Serge Saint Yves (totally "borrowing" the Yves Saint Laurent look, right?).
And it still has its $5.00 original price tag! That's around $28 today.
The purse is a fun mix of purple, pink, lavender and red, with nice brass detailing.
The little tag on the front says "Soruka."
I know this because it's inside. The purse expands quite a lot, and each section is a different colour suede on the outside: denim blue, indigo blue and olive green. The back of it is olive pebbled leather.
Soruka specializes in recycled leather handbags and they're designed in Barcelona, Spain. This is closest to their Riga bag (
here) which sells for 42 Euros/$68 CAD. Not bad for $5.00!
After dropping off my bag of goodies at the room and having a quick lunch of veggies and dip (I brought food with me) to make up for the chocolate binge of the night before, I headed to Willow Rose Boutique (link
here to their Facebook page, where you'll see me posing in one of my purchases!).
Here's what called to me! I could not say no to this faux leather long pencil skirt.
This was $79.00, but LOOK at it!
So shiny!
It sits low on the hips and I think it will go well with my sporty Adidas looks.
It's by Anthropologie and was NWT (new with tags).
That's regular price $158.00. It has a tiny mark on the front, and I have half a mind to decorate it! Wouldn't it be cool, covered in flowers?
I think you all know that I love asymmetrical skirts. This brown nylon one has a flap that cinches across the front.
That flap has two pockets.
See?
I like the two sections at the hem to ruche it to your heart's desire.
The crispy nylon will also be a fun element for my sporty looks.
It's by Surrealist.
No hits on this brand but I suspect it's from the early to mid-00s. It was on sale for $39.00.
"How do these fit you?" asked Karen and Rae, the current and soon-to-be-future owner of Willow Rose. Good for you for retiring, Karen! Nice to have the store in good hands with Rae!
"Oh, I'll be wearing them low with more Weird Adidas," I assured them. Floral track pants!
With zip pockets.
A nice embroidered logo.
These are called the Flower Firebird pants, and are sold out online - they were $100, on sale for $70.
I believe these were $59.00. I have lost the receipt, and they take all the tags off, so I'm going from memory!
But this...is my treasure! Meet Elmo! My newest Muppet-y faux fur coat!
It has pockets, a giant collar and two buttons on one side.
The faux fur is very soft and wafts when I move.
It has a spare button (this was also NWT).
It's by Maeve, one of Anthropologie's brands.
It retailed for $168.00, and was marked at $99.00. I spent my gift card from Virgil on this (so I paid $49) and he highly approved!
Here I am, practicing my swank and badass looks in the mirror.
I cannot wait to wear this!
I chilled out in the room, taking pictures of everything, then got ready for dinner.
My shoulders were cold! It really lives up to its name as a cold-shoulder sweater.
Ross and Cat were sending pictures of Barnabas and Whateley as they got their dinner and lots of play-time.
"I'm tired from the mousie." "I could go another round with the laser-pointer."
We strolled half a block to Snickers restaurant.
The evening ferry is just pulling in.
The temps dropped and it was freezing very quickly!
What a lovely sunset.
That's Vancouver Island way in the distance. We live very far to the south (the left).
Dave bought us all dinner - thank you!
L and I both had Greek platters - I had the prawn skewers and he had moussaka. So good!
L and I hung out in the room watching TV and playing games in the evening, then were up early to catch the 7:55am ferry back to the Island.
Wet hair and two layers of t-shirts this time.
The sun was not quite up when the ferry arrived.
I ate the last of my yoghurt, fruit and granola in the line-up.
Time to board!
There was an entire pee-wee hockey team on board, which we tried to avoid.
The Sunshine Breakfast (now called the Traditional).
I gave L my bacon in exchange for toast.
Hiding in a corner, watching the light stream through the clouds as the sun came up.
So pretty out there!
I saw some seals at the docks, but no whales or orcas or anything exciting.
Just me in the reflection.
Time to go - there's the Comox dock!
We had one more stop to go.
Lots of fog in the sea-level fields as we drove off.
It still felt very early.
That's Mount Washington in the distance, and this the Comox Valley.
We had to stop and visit my brother Dave and fiancée Shelley!
Dave just had his 56th birthday - aw, my little bro!
Thanks so much for the yummy coffee!
Aw, you cute kids!
Thank you for the visit.
We hung out for just over an hour and then it was time to get back on the road.
Love you, Cowboy!
The fog wasn't too bad as we drove south out of Courtenay.
We had the highway to ourselves for a while.
But what's that?
A giant wall of fog! It's like something out of a Stephen King novella ("The Mist", anyone?).
Beams of sunlight broke through here and there as we neared Nanaimo.
We're zooming at around 130kmh in this section. It's fast!
A sunny section.
I spied more baldies in the trees here - a good bird section.
And then we were on the stretch just north of Nanaimo.
Another farm.
Rolling waves of clouds.
Those are black cows on the field.
Oh, here's our girl again.
The yellow blob is apparently...a duck? Okay!
My old friend the bridge.
Gorgeous sunlight was our accompaniment all the way down the rest of the way.
The time flew by, we sang and grooved to the tunes.
And here we are, cresting the Malahat again.
Zoom, zoom, zoom.
It's been a slice!
We were hoping the boys had missed us - but they didn't cry, or come running or mew with happiness that we were home.
"Ross said you'd be home soon. We believed him."
Well...okay. They did hang out with us in the evening as we played boardgames and decompressed from the trip.
"Hey, the people missed us. Go say hi." "I'm watching a dog!"
Ha! I hope YOU missed me, my friends! And now, back to the final hours of he weekend. Thanks so much for being here.
And I hear we're in for lots of it, oh, joy. 
Since I walked to work in my sneakers, I had to do the matching purse! 
I bought two of these identical rings at the Velvet Crease, when they were in their old location, so 2009, as I gave the other one to Daisy for her birthday (outfit post here, with guest star, Karen!). 
I felt like wearing giant hoops! 
