Mexico | Nayarit | March 2020

Hungry Pelicans in Guaybitos

Hungry Pelicans in Guaybitos

Our home base for the first six days was the town of Lo De Marcos. A small town on the Pacific Coast with a beautiful beach and extremely friendly residents. We travelled in between beach towns from Guayabitos to Sayulita, mostly by bus (Compostela). One of our favourite towns was San Pancho (also called San Francisco).

Below I’ve organized my photos by theme:

FOOD | Lo De Marcos, Sayulita, San Pancho, Guayabitos

ANIMALS | Lo De Marcos, Sayulita, San Pancho

CULTURE, BUILDINGS + BEACHES | Lo De Marcos, Sayulita, San Pancho

Delicious Things (that Dani ate)

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My intention is to start doing weekly wrap ups. The last month and a half have been incredibly busy - I've eaten some amazing things and met a ton of new people in the Comox Valley and beyond!

One of the first jobs I did after moved to the island, was at the Villa Eyrie Resort. It's been 20 years since I last visited the restaurant, there have been some changes, but the views are just as stunning as I remember. The photos were taken for a Business profile page for Yellow Pages, you can check it out here.

My husband and I decided to start a monthly cocktail club, like a book club, but better. A place we could socialize and show off or practice our cocktail making skills. The first meeting's theme was "Apples", based on an assignment that I did for The Alchemist. Some of the photos of our drinks shown below.

At the beginning of January, I launched a campaign called "50 first dates". An attempt to really put myself out there and connect with as many new faces in the food industry as possible. Below is an overview of some of the places I visited, including:
Gabriel's cafe in Nanaimo, Milano and Church Street Bakery - both in Comox, Rhodos Coffee, Big Foot Donuts and Frankie Jo's - all in Courtenay, The Comox Valley Farmer's Market, Wayward Distillation House and Westcoast Gourmet Gift Boxes.

And last but not least, some fun, food-related events coming up. On Saturday, February 3rd, there is the Comox Valley Whiskey Fest with proceeds benefiting the Rotary Club. The same night, there is an event at 40 Knots Winery, featuring Cocktails + friends of 40 knots (including Milano, Wayward Distillation and Heavenly Libations).
I'm also keen to check out Dine Around Comox Valley from February 20 - March 11.

Email me if you have a food related business you would like me to visit or a food related event that you think I should attend. 

Until next time... :)

Summer Vacation | Island Bound

In July, we took a week off work and hung out on Vancouver Island. First for a big group camping trip in the Comox Valley, then off to Port Renfrew to stay in a gorgeous cabin and finally south to Victoria via Sooke Pot Holes.
I feel so at home on the island. Time slows down, phones turn off, just quality time with loved ones beachcombing and creating beautiful memories. Here are a few from this last trip:

Camping Trip at Comox Lake We stayed at The Cumberland Lake Campground on a group site with five other families. This is an annual trip for us, but I think this one was the most relaxing so far. The group site had access to everything we needed and we got super lucky with weather.

One of my friends that comes along every year is also an incredibly talented photographer. I'm sharing some of her shots. If you're ever in need of family, wedding or maternity photography on the island, get in touch with Crystal of Crystal Clear Photography. We also had the pleasure of being serenaded by Neal Ryan - he's a gifted musician and a regular performer at the Fairmont Hotels in Vancouver. And of course, I brought along lots of Salt Spring Coffee! This year I got hooked on brewing with an Aeropress - a super easy to use, manual brewing method.

Here is a gallery of some of Crystal's photos below:

After leaving Cumberland, we joined my husband's family in Port Renfrew. It was our second time visiting in six months - I absolutely love it there! We stayed in a beautiful, beachside cabin. You can find it listed here on VRBO. There is so much wildlife right outside your door. The landscape is so raw - truly west coast at it's best!

There are also many places to explore within a short drive of Port Renfrew. In December, we visited Botanical Beach. This time we opted for Avatar Grove and Lizard Lake.

My family lives in Victoria and I grew up visiting the Sooke Pot Holes. I've been wanting to bring my family and see if they were as incredible as I remember. The murals at the abandoned resort and worth checking out!!! You need to be careful hiking in to swimming spots with pets or small children but man is it worth it. The beautiful flasks were a souvenir that I picked up at Wild Renfrew - made by Moonshine Dreams.

I acknowledge the Coast Salish, Nuu-chah-nulth and Kwakwakaw’akw peoples, on whose land I am grateful to live, work, and play.