My Aunt Jane and Uncle Jack met us at the terminal and welcomed us to their home in Qualicum Beach. Their house was newly built in the open plan style with an American kitchen. Aunt Jane has exquisite interior design skills and every corner had a treat for the senses .A Lalique vase held a bunch of lilac roses and a perfect Persian rug from their home in England took pride of place in their dining room. I had always been very close to them and was looking forward to our visit. I knew there were lots to experience on Vancouver Island.
Qualicum Beach is on the Nanaimo lowlands which lie between the Georgia Basin and Vancouver Islands Ranges to the south. It was established in 1943 as a village and had grown to a town of 8000 people since then. The beautiful beach and stunning scenery means that it is a popular tourist resort in the summer. In the surrounding countryside there are black-tailed deer, Roosevelt elk, black bear, cougars and racoons.
Jane and Jack are very active retirees and by 7.30 am each day they were dressed and ready for the next adventure. We went hiking in the mountains, to tai chi lessons, played golf and ate at some wonderful restaurants.
On the last day of our time with them we had a drive to Victoria, the capital of Vancouver Island. The British Columbia Parliament buildings are located there and the baroque architecture is breath taking. Government house is located next to the botanical gardens and we had a tour of both places we had a really fun time with them and it was hard to say farewell