Dinosaurs at the Royal BC Museum

The Royal BC Museum has two dinosaur exhibits, one with the best TRex skeleton (Sue) and the other showing a few finds in the province of BC. Both are insightful and wonderful to behold. First some recognizable dinosaurs.

This is Sue, named after the fossil hunter who found it. Over 90% of it was found in mostly large pieces. There are several indications on the bones of past injuries that have healed and diseases it contracted. It also gives an excellent sense of scale that makes one marvel at the creatures of our distant past.

The Sue exhibit is here until the 7th of January.

The BC exhibit has "Buster" in the center. It is an iron lizard from the Sustut river. The room shows finds of the museum's staff of paleontologists. It also shows some of the joys and trials of the team in the field. This exhibit lasts until April 7th.

Ankor Wat at the Royal BC Museum

Recently my wife and I went to the Royal BC Museum to see the Ankor Wat exhibition. The items on display not only show the history and art of the site over time but also the "discovery" of it by the outside world. It has influenced the western world when it was discovered and continues to do so today.

Statues from Prasal Chen.

Buddha on the Naga, bronze, later 1100's.

Adorned buddha, wood and lacquer, 1600-1700's.

One of the exhibit rooms.

A replica of a stone wall at Ankor Wat.

Replica of a harp, made of jackfruit, rose and red woods, goat skin, and nylon microfibres.

Another exhibit display.

Lion and monkey guardians, 10th and 11th centuries.

Lintle from the 10th century made of sandstone.

A three dimensional view of the city of Ankor Wat, using lidar.

Hevajra in a shrine, bronze, late 12th to early 13th century.

Sadashiva, bronze 12th to 13th century, and Ganesha, bronze 12th to 13th century. 

In the 1860's, expeditions from the west arrived with artists and photographers. In 1863, France established a protectorate over Cambodia. This is one of the first western drawings of Ankor Wat that entranced the world.

The exhibit's last day is 14th of January. I recommend a visit.

Tofino - Chesterman's Beach

Chesterman's beach is always a treat to walk on in the morning, afternoon, and night. So much to see and feel while on its wild shore. This is particularly true when it is storm season and this time it was a little more so. Here are some of the pictures taken during this trip so take a walk with us through my pictures.

The view and feeling it evokes always have me coming back. Each step can bring a different view and the multitude of the steps can bring to your heart a journey.

Tofino - Food

 Here are some pictures of the food enjoyed during our stay in Tofino, over Remembrance day weekend. First, Roar at the local Hotel Zed which is a newer place that has become a must attend for a meal or two. The appetizer was the seafood antipasto board which had excellent smoked salmon, marinated octopus, pickled scallops, and flavoured tuna with chips, hot sauce, capers, and pickled cauliflower.

Duck confit radiatori pasta (pulled duck confit, green olive, oyster mushroom + tomato ragout, preserved lemon, shaved parmesan). A wonderful and fun dish with complementary flavours.

One night we had food that everyone had brought to the townhouse we rented. I made pasta earlier in the week as well as a simple ragout sauce.

Shed has an excellent tuna poke bowl that is a favorite for a lunch with lots of nice textures and flavours.

Lastly Wolf in the Fog, which is always a treat to eat here. Started with potato string wrapped local oysters lightly deep fried. We pretty much always order this as the taste of everything combined is a delight on the tongue.

My wife and I shared a seafood salad, another must have when we eat here. Local mushrooms and seaweed, puffed rice, daikon, sesame mayo, miso chili oil. You feel so good when eating it.

Smoked steelhead trout with buttermilk mashed potatoes, beets, chard, salal berry, and juniper. I love trout for the fatty oils inside when it is cooked just right. Combined with the other items it blends wonderfully.

For dessert, apple terrine with crème fraîche, oat crumble, bee pollen tuile, caramelized honey.

Tofino always has great talent making great food. Its always tempting to stay longer to sample more. Not pictured was the chocolate box my wife and I each bought from Chocolate Tofino, another must see and buy things from.

House of Boateng

The House of Boateng is a is a newish restaurant that my I, my wife, and a friend tried not long ago. Chef Castro and his wife Charlotte are the owners and they have an excellent approach to food, as presented in this special meal inspired by places around Vancouver Island. 

The meal was accompanied by music by the Aerie Trio and composed by group member Diane Berry. Different to other meals where there was a musical accompaniment, it occurred in between the finishing and starting of a course serving. It allowed us to enjoy the music that the upcoming course was to represent and give a chance for the kitchen to freshly prepare the course.

To start we had a variety of breads and butters.

Served with the musical piece for the beaches of Fanny Bay, Denman Island, and Hornby, was island fresh Fanny Bay oysters, Rockefeller Denman Island oysters, and Hornby Island herring. 

Served with the musical piece for the Tidepools, was Port Renfrew crab salad, BC Prawns, mussels, Oxeye daisy leaves, preserved lemon, and green oil.

Served with the musical piece for the rainforest, was East Sooke Park Sooke trout, BC mushrooms, fiddlehead, sea asparagus, Kemp miso orange dressing, sesame seeds, and bonito. 

Here is the staff hard at work between courses.

Served with the musical piece for creeks and streams, was Goldstream Park citrus confit salmon, dill pickled cucumber, salmon roe, and parsnip soup.  

Served with the musical piece for Garry Oak meadow, was Garry Oak Meadows venison striploin, porcini mushrooms, herb gnocchi, and wild blackberry jus.

Served with the musical piece for the Rose Garden, was Government House rose gardens rose water curd, raspberries, strawberry crumble, meringue, and edible petals.

Every dish was a sparkle to the senses. My entire tongue was treated to textures and flavours that I enjoyed. This was a meal to savor and enjoy slowly. I would eat one of their special meals again and again.

For those who wish to hire and/or see the Aerie Trio, or the performers in their larger company,   Augmented Trio, go to their link.

A Man on the Moon

I read a wonderful book this year on the history of the Apollo program, written by Andrew Chaiken, called A Man on the Moon. This book also helped in the making of the wonderful TV series, From the Earth to the Moon.

Its sections are divided up by pre-Apollo, each of the Apollo missions, and a post Apollo one. In it Andrew Chaiken has interviewed all of the Apollo astronauts, but one, and the multitude who worked on the program. It shows the drive, smarts, and humanity it took to carry out a monumental mission to not just get to the moon and back but also to carry out scientific exploration and research to determine the history of the moon itself. Even though I have learned details of this program over the years this book brings the people who made it happen into center seat with stories I had not heard before. I am richer for reading about the experience.

I would recommend this book to anyone interested in space, history, and the upcoming Artemis missions that will take humanity back to this Earth's moon.