Last Friday Man-wonder looked up from his half-finished crossword and asked, ” Feel like a mini road trip down island? I want to check out of that Duncan bead shop you told me about in Spring.” ( Dear hubby may be sloth-like getting around to things but he does have an elephant-ish mind!) Now, the thing I like about his hunt for beads (for fly tying) is that I most often end up finding treasures. And this road trip was no exception.
The bead shop was a disappointment for him:
- Man-wonder – one pack of beads
- Cathie – one cute little treasure chest the perfect size to hold 4 bottles of essential oils
Before leaving Duncan we made one more stop at a shop he knew carried his preferred beads.
- Man-wonder – zilch
- Cathie – two jigsaw puzzles and the latest copy of Magnolia Journal to read.
Still, not giving up, he suggested we made a quick stop in Chemainus on the way home. Chemainus is a wee town with a big bead shop. He almost always finds something there. We agreed and, since it was a road trip of sorts, we decided to take the back roads homeward rather than the highway. I love back roads because they are almost as good as back alleys for finding the unexpected and wonderful.
And, wouldn’t you know it – we found both when we discovered the island’s only tea farm – Westholme Tea Company. How cool is that? The farm has somewhere between 400 and 600 plants growing in curving rows along a south-facing slope as one drives downhill to the tea shop. Not a big shop but they sell about a half zillion different blends of tea and a least a gazillion items used in the fine art of tea-brewing. Plus they have a tiny gallery filled with hand formed pottery. The teapots alone wouldn’t look out-of-place at the Mad Hatter’s tea party in Alice in Wonderland. Priceless.
- Man-wonder – zilch
- Cathie – well, let’s just say I had way tooo much of a good time in that shop!
Finally we made it to Chemainus where it was another strike-out for Man-wonder’s bead stash. . . but I discovered a magnificent ice cream shop out behind the bead store . . . so we both won.
And get this – dear sweet ever-hopeful Man-wonder is already planning his next bead hunting trip – this time to Victoria.
I can hardly wait!
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