Tofino Air

March ended up being a pretty brutal month around these parts. It felt like Winter was never going to end for starters and then, in the midst of it all, I attended a Parent Workshop evening at Calli's school and after a wonderful 2 hour teaching session we learned that the school would be closing in 8 days!!! At the school that night were the owner (let's call her Broomhilda), Calli's teacher, Ms L, Ms S (one of the other parents) and myself. We were all so stunned and disappointed and angry when Broomhilda started telling us how she just couldn't go on running the school. It had drained her bank account and it was consuming her time with her family.

There are quite a few points to go along with this, but I'll spare you all the little details. In the long run, Ms S decided she would buy the school from Broomhilda in order to keep it open until the end of the school year. Broomhilda, close to the end of negotiations, reared her deceitful head and gave Ms S a glimpse of the conniving, greedy and evil being that she is. Luckily, Ms S was looking the right way when this happened and halted all proceedings before she had all of her own money swindled from under her nose. The old school now sits abandoned, with all of the Montessori teaching materials in it.... Ms S, with the support of all 4 of the remaining families opened up a new, beautiful school and purchased brand new materials for the classroom. We all pitched in with painting, setting up, donating bits and pieces, building and hosting giant play-dates with everyone. It was amazing how everyone banded together and made something great out of such a terrible occurrence.

Calli on her last day at her old school.

Playing with the Continent Animals - placing them on the correct continents where they live.

The hardest part for all of us was the effect it had on our children. We were dealing with 3-5 year olds!!! Having to tell them that school was closing and we weren't sure when or where the new school would be was very confusing and difficult for them.

Calli and her best friend, Emma.

The children all acted out in different ways. Broomhilda had NO remorse for her actions and never once apologized to any of us for how she was affecting our kids. None. It was atrocious.

So it was, when the opportunity for a vacation to Tofino came up, we jumped at the chance for a get-a-way. The girls and I headed out to Vancouver a week ahead of Adam and met up with my Mum who had driven down from WL. We spent the night in Vancouver and headed out on the ferry the following morning to Vancouver Island and out to Tofino. We stayed in a beautiful villa this year. We chose it so we could all be together once Adam and my brother arrived from Montreal. We had a gorgeous view and a full kitchen, dining and living room. It was like having our own apartment right there at the beach!!

The view from our living room deck.

The view of our villa from the beach...and Marin in the foreground.

My Mum ended up with a nasty stomach bug and didn't get out to the beach as much as she would have liked. She had a few mornings in the local hospital when things were out of control. An older lady ended up dying in the bed next to my Mum while the girls and I were waiting for the Doctor to come!! Quite an eerie thing for someone like me who's never been that close to a dead person.

Granny and Marin coming in from the beach on the first day!

Granny showing Marin and Calli how to spot Fairy Circles and places where fairies sleep at night! The girls were avid fairy house spotters by the time we left Tofino.

Calli, Granny and Marin in the rain forest exploring the hidden trails. It was so serene and quiet except for the sound of the ocean pounding against the rocks nearby and the songbirds singing the sounds of Spring!

The girls had a great time running from the waves. They were eager to have bare-foot beach days and laughed themselves silly running from the water while screaming "Run for your liiiiiiives!!!" Granny wasn't far behind and helped Calli find an abundance of great shells to bring back to her new school for the Nature table.

Marin was really at ease this trip. She was more comfortable at the beach and running around and occupying herself. She is such an independent and sometimes stubborn little girl that each day is wonderful and challenging all at the same time!

Someone built a great wooden Inukshuk on the beach. Calli got a new book about Inuksuit from Granny, so was happy to find this "treasure" on the sand. About 5 minutes before this picture was taken, Marin lost her footing while running from a wave and ended up falling in the water. She is soaking wet from her neck to her knees!!

This picture is up on the rocks of Sunset Point where my Dad's ashes are scattered. The girls and I spent a lovely hour out on the bench overlooking Cox Bay (in the background). We play count the surfers! There was a single Loon floating around in the water just beyond the rocks, so we guessed where he might come up next. Easy ways to fill up an afternoon!

Pacific Sands has a wonderful board walk through the forest and out to Sunset Point. Along the way there are a few lovely benches scattered beside the path. Silent retreats to sit and meditate or enjoy the forest on the way out...or back in...

When the tide is in, this cavern is full with water. The tide has to be right out in order to access this secret spot!

Cox Bay is a fantastic, secluded, private (except for all the guests from the two hotels situated on the bay - and the surfers who secretly access the beach through a secret path off the highway and through the trees) and spiritual beach.

When the tide is out, there is ample opportunity to trek around the rocks at the waters edge, peer into tidal pools, inspect endless muscles and barnacles and find starfish clinging to the rocks.

Adam and Calli (right side of photo) clambered over these huge boulders and overturned them looking for sea-life treasures! They came back with a few Hermit crabs in the bucket to show us.

Adam "helped" the girls build this huge sandcastle for their Polly Pockets to play in. Calli trucked a few buckets full of water to fill up the moat, but it disappeared faster than the water arrived!

Out on a walk, I came across this beautiful Mer-Calli!!

And later...a Mer-Marin!!

One stormy afternoon, Adam and I took the kids out for a walk to get a bit closer to the massive crashing waves. Adam climbed up this rock and got a little shower from the impending wave show!!

WOW!!!

A little sample of the "stuff" the tide brings in...feathers, bits of wood, worm carcasses, twigs, pieces of shells etc.


The girls loved their time at the beach. Marin was a tiny bit confused when the toys from Granny's house arrived in Tofino. She spent a bit of time looking through the Villa for Harrie, Granny's cat. I guess because Granny and the toys were there, she thought it was Granny's new house. We couldn't convince her otherwise for the whole 2 weeks we were there!!

Colin, who is opening up his own practice in Halifax, stayed out East to get things organized for his new venture. We all missed him, but are very proud of him and excited for this new opportunity in front of him. Hopefully he'll be able to visit us sometime before things get rolling...???

We ended up cutting the trip short unfortunately. My Mum just didn't feel well enough and wanted to get home and see her own Doctor. The Dr in Tofino was limited in what she could do for testing and suggested she see her family Dr at home. So we drove back to Vancouver and Adam and the girls stayed while I drove my Mum home, spent the night and came back the next day on the plane.

Prices are increasing at our favourite resort. The sunsets remain as beautiful as they ever were, but other things are changing. There are some new condos' that have been built right beside Pacific Sands. Tofino is no longer the quiet little hippie town it once was. As hard as it tries to remain true to it's roots, it's evolving...as it must, I suppose.