The Probus Walkers randomly join Stuart and Harley each Thursday morning at the AirPark for a 1 hour and 10 minute brisk walk, rain or shine! Post walk fellowship is currently at Bayside Coffee where the group is still “test-driving” the new owner's coffee.
16 walkers attended the Holiday Breakfast at the Early Bird Cafe. (Lynn Gray photo) Brian Jackson has led hikes the past few weeks while Ann was vacationing and travelling for work. Here are a couple of our latest outings: on December 8th a five-hour excursion from Cumberland to the upper Trent Falls; and December 11th a more leisurely hike from the historic Bevan townsite to Comox Lake. Lots of participants and lots of smiles! Thanks to our Events Coordinator Maryann Amiss and her small but busy crew of helpers for organizing a very successful and enjoyable Christmas party at the 888 Wing. Over 70 members enjoyed the beautiful room setup and catered buffet dinner, then chatted, laughed and danced the night away. It was a Merry Wine Tasting evening December 6th at the home of Host Elves, Lu and John Ismay. We gathered by the cozy fireplace surrounded by Nuts (Nutcrackers) and everything festive! We tasted a couple of Chilean whites (all organic). Later we gathered for a beautiful Peruvian style buffet accompanied by a couple more Chilean and two Argentinian reds. Reindeer bid us farewell. Ho Ho Ho! Jim Lariviere from Comox Fire Rescue gave an excellent presentation at our November General Meeting. The topic How to Deal with a Cardiac Emergency - Automatic External Defibrillator (AED) and CPR provided very worthwhile, life-saving information on the topics in the title as well as how to deal with a choking emergency.
Ann is enjoying a short holiday so Brian Jackson led this week's hike above Anderson Lake. Fresh snow, some waterfalls, and a very enjoyable sunny day for our 10.5 km route. The Hands On Cooking Group enjoyed another afternoon of cooking and camaraderie while we prepared a set of delicious dishes, many with local ingredients. Featured here are beetroot risotto, velvety carrot and parsnip soup, potstickers, samosas, pears poached in red wine, dessert crepes, pumpkin cheesecake, chocolate-dipped truffles, and a layered square featuring baked quince from Nina's own garden. Our group of 13 hikers headed down the big hill from Raven Lodge to Divers Lake, a beautiful less-travelled destination in Strathcona Park. Previous days of heavy rainfall made navigating puddles and rock-hopping over streams a necessary part of the fun. Protected from winds and backed by a stunning mountain view, the lake is always a memorable destination. High water levels at this time of year impeded our plans of enjoying a sunny lunch on the lakeshore. But the marshy shoreline was forgotten when Brian decided to try a bit of a paddle on the lake, accompanied by adventurous Michele. Check out the lacrosse-racquet style of paddle that the group managed to find in the woods. The Probus hiking group met at the Cumberland Village Park on what was forecast to be a day of light showers. The rain that I encountered on the way to the meeting spot stopped and we set out in cloudy conditions. Despite the rains we have had, the trail was relatively dry. It was amazing to see all the tree limbs that had been broken by the early snowfall. As we neared the top of Nikkei Mountain, the mist closed in and it started to rain. There was no view from the top! We found a sheltered spot in the trees on the way down for a quick lunch and then headed back to our cars. What a glorious day it was for the Hiking Group! The sun was shining and while it started out to be quite chilly, it warmed up quickly as we went along Moe's Misery trail along the south side of the Trent River. I had promised "maybe waterfall views", which was a good thing as Bloedel Falls had only about a one foot drop. We sat in the warm sun on the decrepitated bridge over the "falls" and ate our lunches. Our return trip took us through more trails with huge maple leaves that were both pungent and colourful. After the hike a number of us reconvened at the Royston Roastery to discuss various topics ranging from the Rolling Stones to the Kardashians and other silly topics with lots of laughs along the way.
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