Christmas in Errington (Part I)

We got to the ferry with lots of time to spare. Exactly 45 minutes from Coquitlam (which is a record, I think; especially since I don't think I sped much at all). The views were pretty normal/boring to me, but my father-in-law loved them. "Oh, nice view," and "[Whatever nice view is in Korean,]" he kept saying.

The ferry was right on time (we waited 45 minutes in the van; let me tell you it's better to be early by an hour than late by a minute with these things) as was the crossing (1 hour 35 minutes; it's usually slow, but not this time!). They just renovated them also, so the interior was really nice (not so much like an institution ship, as they looked before). This was my father-in-law's first trip on one...he liked it. Kids did too.


Both boys shoulder-checking in their car on the ferry.


Spencer tries out the slide in the Kids' Area on the ferry...


...Winston too.

Then the quick trip to Parksville from Nanaimo...ah, the new highway made it a breeze too. Maybe living in a pseudo-Socialist country/province.

For this next pic you should know that the first time Spencer saw Grandpa he cried like there was no tomorrow. Winston is a little more sedate but we wondered what would happen if he held him as soon as we got there (he's seen him before, but this was Winston's first trip to Errington also).


Dad and Winston...hey, Winston's not crying!

Kate, the boys and I stayed in my sister's kids' room (they stay here a lot as they live like 30 minutes away). Can you guess what their passion is?


Some horse stuff in the girls' room...


...and more horse stuff.

Here's a trip down memory lane. Pic's a little foggy, but this is the one that got me my first haircut. My Mom had this take at Sears Portrait Studio in The Pas and the lady behind her said, "Oh, your daughter has such lovely hair." "Hair?" she thought, "Sue is bald!...Oh, my son! Good God, time for a trim!" I was 4 years old at the time.


The one on the left is me...ya, the left!

Winston is even more daring in this picture. He loves dogs.


Winston pats Buddy (this kid is a little fearless, good thing Buddy is harmless).


Spencer looks pretty guilty taking those candycanes...


...but they're for the tree. Good boy!

Spencer's still got a little trepidation with four-legged friends.


Spencer carefully pats Buddy.

The next morning my Dad got up early, as usual, and prepared the turkey, as usual. In our house this is a man's thing (yes, I can and have done it as well). The first time my Mom made a turkey she (like most new cooks, I imagine) didn't know that the neck and giblets (liver, kidneys, etc.) are stuffed in the carcass and you need to take them out before putting it in the oven. My Dad asked why there was so much stuffing in the pots (we also sometimes stuff the bird and have some drier stuffing cook in the oven on the side) and how much she put in the turkey. How much in the turkey? Where? It's full! Full of what!??! Holy crap. Well, she never made that mistake again I think the giblets gave off a bit of a smell and weren't too conducive to overall cooking of the turkey.

Here is our secret: make the dressing of bread, celery, poultry seasoning and liberal doses of China Lily soy sauce (only in Canada, it seems!). We bought the stuff by the crate when we lived Up North. Well, we bought everything by the crate. I had no idea what a kiwi was until we moved to B.C. (and McDonald's had them on their sundaes). Fresh anything was pretty rare so we had lots of canned food. Kate thinks I'm weird because I like to go to Costco and get lots of canned food or jumbo packs of cheese and stuff and freeze it, but (frankly) that was the only way people shopped when I was young. We had a room full of food. Well, when the temp dips to -40 (it's the same on Fahrenheit as Celsius!) and the wind picks up and it's snowing you start to see the logic. Coming from Seoul, a town where everything is delivered in 10 minutes, maybe that's a bit of a stretch.

Oh, back to the recipe. Dice up the celery (and the giblets, too, if you want extra flavour--it all gets cooked) and mix it in with bread you've cut into 1.5 or 2 cm squares (don't get out a ruler, it doesn't really matter). Heap on the poultry seasoning and soy sauce (maybe the soy first) and let it sit in tea fridge overnight. The next morning stuff the head cavity first (it's the one with the big flap of skin over it, away from the legs and then secure it with a skewer (10-12cm baking pin) then fill the chest area. Rope the legs under some skin (it's right around there, easy to do) or secure them with skewers or baking string as well (otherwise they'll likely lift the roaster lid while cooking). Then put soy all over the meat (this is great for taste!) and put it in the over at the appointed time. Any leftover stuffing you can put in over-safe pots and cook in the over as well (it'll be a little drier, but still real good).


Dad gets up early to stuff the turkey (not me, the bird).


Better cage this bird, it's good to go.

After that they went golfing at my Dad's club. The closest one is 10 minutes away, the furthest is 20 minutes afield. There are 5 in the area. Ya, bit of a golfer's paradise here.


My father-in-law tries some practice shots in the back yard.

This was a great read. Lots of little factoids (great, since you can break off reading anytime). One was that 46% of Americans got this question wrong: "How long does it take for the Earth to rotate around the Sun?" Kate said 24 hours...but we know it's 365.25 days, right?


Uncle John's Unstoppable Bathroom Reader...it really is unstoppable!

Next, time to check out the back yard, if you can call it that. It's more of a back-field. Perfect for exploring if you're a little (or big) boy.


In the back 40 (well, it's not 40 acres, just 5).


Spencer wonders where all the other kids are...well, about 2 kms away, I'd guess.


Spencer poses in front of the lovely duck and koi pond.

Enough exploring, time for some trampoline action!


Spencer gets things started...


...then is joined by Winston on the trampoline...


...and Mom too!

Ok, bored of that...let's feed the ducks!


Spencer near the pond feeding the ducks (actually putting the chicken feed on the ground for them, they'll come by later).

My sis and her 2 girls are coming over soon...will add more after that. (Stay tuned!)