May 2026

Weekend in Victoria

Victoria Bug Zoo

Claira has wanted a pet forever but we aren't allowed in our rental. Trying to form a wedge, if a spider enters our home, Claira will try and keep it. She is now very patient with insects so we decided to visit the Bug Zoo in Victoria. The zoo is in a small retail office in the downtown Victoria tourist zone. The bug zoo has a number of very enthusiastic "guides" that remove insects from enclosures and show them to kids.

Outerbridge Park

Outerbridge park is just down the street from my parents house so it's nice for a walk after dinner. The garden is maintained by volunteers and they put a ton of effort into the grounds keeping it up to date.

Evening at Telescope

Around the house

My parents live pretty close to the Blenkinsop valley. The property here is great for growing and there are a number of commercial farms and smaller properties with hobby farms. The road has a number of farm stands and one of my favorites is the stand at Twylas Flower Farm. The flowers are bundled into ready bouquets at really good price points. We didn't get my Mom flowers for Mothers day so we picked up a bouquet to say a belated Happy Mothers Day.

My parents have a back yard an it's a have for a variety of invasive species. Bunnies are a frequent visitor and a few years ago wall lizards also moved in. Claira is surprisingly good at catching them on the rocks and releasing them unharmed.

Testing Nara's Science Fair Project

Nara's science fair project (an autonomous sailboat) is now waterproof. We rented two kayaks in Canoe Cove and took it out to the channel between Goudge Island to let it observe. This channel turned out to be tricky - it's not very deep and the current runs fast through it. At one point the keel of the sailboat hit an underwater rock. Later a large boat powered through and left a substantial wake. On of the hatch covers snapped and we were done for the day.