We played bridge last night.. Well E and Murray played bridge. Jan and I mostly watched. Wasn’t our night for cards. But we still managed to eat a bowl of trail mix and a bowl of licorice all sorts. Wine was consumed and tea with cookies finished the evening.. All in all a pretty good Wednesday night.

I like those kinds of evenings . A couple of good friends and self depreciating laughter. Playing a game of cards to while away the night. No stress. Don’t have to clean the house or change my shirt. No talk of politics or gossip. This island invites casual encounters and no one has any expectations of a grande fete. If I had answered the door in my pjs neither of our bridge partners would have probably noticed.. 

I like to entertain here at the family house. It’s big and roomy and a perfect house for card games or big parties. Dinner or dancing or general merry making shared between good friends. We have had some memorable parties here. Hard to do at our  house.. Two maybe four dinner guests and we are at our max. Last summer, when we hosted the tragically hip concert at our little house, I had to insist that everyone stay out of the house. I could just imagine twenty intoxicated people dancing  in my house as it slowly slid off the cliff with the weight.

We have great plans for a spring renovation. It is time for the deck overlooking the cut that I have been talking about since we got here. Everyone and I mean everyone will be happy to have me shut up about “the deck”….  To give you an idea how annoying I have been… I asked Alison and Tim if they won the lottery would the first thing they would do be “buy the prime piece of Land on our island that is for sale.” They responded, that would be the second thing they would do.. First, would be to build me a deck… 🙂

Once we finish our vacation here at the family house, return from Vancouver for Christmas and land safely back on the island after our January family road trip  we will sit down and once and for all plan the upgrade.

My “must have” for the Reno is to have a deck with a view of the cut where the majority of the nature channel is best viewed. E’s must have for the Reno is to have the best of all systems as perfectly and simply installed as possible. On this island perfect systems are the most important factor in a house.  I understand where he is coming from, I understand and accept how important systems are but in my heart… I can hardly friggin wait until I am standing on my new deck watching the sea lions raft 

directly beneath me.