The home of Pat and Bob Allan was alive and very loud with conversation and laughter from the 13 members attending the October Mix and Mingle Party. The food contributions were wonderful and the desserts, well, take a look for yourself! It was a fantastic evening and everyone left looking forward to the next one. Meet our 2023-2024 Hospitality Team - the volunteers who arrive early and leave late at each monthly meeting. Thanks for setting up the coffee, tea, and goodies that we all enjoy so much!
The seasonal pumpkin and gourd decoration is yet another thoughtful touch added to today's hospitality table. Shown in photo: Patty Matthews, Connie Gutierrez, Sylvia Giles, and Marrilynn Holmes. Additional Hospitality Crew members, not shown, are Cheryl McLeod, Deirdre Longenecker, Willy Van Kemenade, Cathie Hagenson, and Shirley and Ken Hargreaves. Outside, it was a cold and blustery night in late October. Inside the cozy home of the Wine Appreciation host, guests were welcomed with appetizers and a lovely greeter wine.
At the family style Mediterranean dinner, 5 wines were sampled and discussed. Dinner selections were prepared by the winers (I mean guests) to complete a delightful Mediterranean style event. If you are interested in joining the joyous monthly group, please contact John Neville for more info. There is always room for one more at our table! Salut, Cin Cin, Cheers, Salud! The Probus hiking group explored the forests that stretch from the farmland off Mission road to Seal Bay Park and back. Brian Jackson had explored the area a couple of weeks ago, so he led the group of ten. It was amazing to find that there are many trails throughout the area.
Getting to Seal Bay Park involved a tiny bit of road walking and the rest was either trails or tracks. We stopped at a sunny spot in the park for lunch and then wound our way back. In the end we had covered just over thirteen kilometres. 'Twas a night of spooky fun at the 888 Wing on Saturday. Thanks to our Event Coordinator, Maryann Amiss, for organizing this event, and to the many members who arrived Saturday afternoon and again Sunday morning to help with set up and take down. Also, to Andy Platten for lending his expertise with the music that kept us dancing throughout the evening. Gardening group leader Susan Ward and our large group of gardeners enjoyed an afternoon visit to Shamrock Farm this week. The farm is hosting its annual Fall Harvest Market. We admired a dazzling assortment of colourful squash, giant pumpkins, and unusual vegetables including black radishes and shallots the size of cooking onions. Curious chickens, mountains of goodies, and a full Halloween scene with glowing jack-o'-lanterns and all the creepy crawlies added to the fun. I always enjoy seeing new things on our rides and the small group that went out last Saturday met a very nice man who showed us his miniature train set up. Wonderful. I'm attaching a photo.
Last week the Probus hiking group met at Tsolum Spirit Park for a very soggy hike down the One Spot trail. I had optimistically decided that I would follow the best forecast, which was a 40% chance of showers. It poured the entire time! When we got back to the park, we went down to the river to see if there were any salmon in it. We were treated with a number of salmon going up the river and a few that were jumping in a nice deep pool. This week delivered another soggy day for the Probus hiking group, but thankfully nothing like the previous week. We deferred to Seal Bay Park in case we needed to make a speedy exit on account of the weather. The hike started at the Bates road parking lot and took us around the perimeter until joining the Forest Loop. From there we added in the Western Hemlock Loop. Along the way we saw a leaf that was half pink and half green and a tree whose nurse stump had long ago decayed, leaving what I think looks like a horse. After a quick snack we returned to the parking lot feeling quite pleased that we were not drenched. The slide show includes photos from both our Tsolum Spirit Park and Seal Bay hikes, plus one from our September rainy hike in the Snowden Demonstration Forest - John contemplating a verdant moss covered cliff. Anne Flanagan, Hiking Group Leader Great fall colours and support for National Truth and Reconciliation day. Plus a stop at the Seiffert's Farm Market pumpkin patch!
The Probus hiking group was a bit daunted by the weather forecast, despite my promise that it doesn’t rain in the trees. Thankfully my promise worked out! We varied from the normal path and came across a beautiful farm with a gourd stand and a barn with Virginia Creeper flowing down the walls. From that we looked for the fall “bloom” or fungi and were not disappointed. Group leader Anne Flanagan |