Tofino - The Shed

The Shed is a new place in Tofino, partly owned by the Cactus Club chain, and they have a great thing going here. We were so impressed with our lunch that we had breakfast here the next day.

Its very slick inside with 60's/70's throwback furniture and accouterments. Every time we passed by it seemed to be either very full or moderately full.

 For lunch we had two bowls, Tsunami salad and the Poke bowl. The Tsunami salad with albacore tuna, buckwheat noodles, vegetable slaw, soy, sesame, peanut, cilantro, and green onion. The poke bowl with albacore tuna tare tare, avocado, cucumber, wakame, crispy rice, miso mustard, pickled ginger, and nori. We switched bowls halfway through for variety and found them both delicious. To drink I had Lonetree cider and my wife had a dark blonde ale.

For breakfast we both had the Yeti bowl which had scrambled eggs, mable bacon, farro, kale, peppercorn ricotta cheese, grilled tomato, and a hashbrown wedge. For a drink we had the ginger Tofino kombucha. Very delicious!

Tofino - Sobo

Sobo is one of our standby places to eat in Tofino but we have only come here for lunch. This time we decided to go here for supper. We were not disappointed. We also arrived early to beat the rush, a common occurrence in Tofino.

My wife had the iron skillet cornbead (background) and a margarita. She said both were delicious. I had the fried brussel sprouts with capers, lemon aoli, and parmesan...yum! To drink I had the Pippen's Sea Cider.

 For my main I had the seafood bowl with clams, mussels, ling cod, shrimp all in a smoked tomato broth. Delicious!

 My wife had the Chile Rellanos with toasted green chillis stuffed with parsnip and yams on a bed of black rice topped with ancho sauce, quesno fresco, and pumpkin seeds. She found it tasty and filling.

 No desserts for us but as always they are tempting.

Tofino - Chesterman's Beach

We like to stay, when in Tofino, along Lynn road, because it is parallel to our favorite beach to walk along...Chesterman's beach. Here are some daytime pics of the sand and surf.

Royal BC Museum - Egypt in the Time of the Pharaohs

The Royal BC museum brought in an exhibit on Egypt in the time of the pharaohs and will be here until the 31st of December. My wife and I took her parents whom were in town and we all quite enjoyed it.

It was divided into eight areas that each told a different part of life in Egypt during that time: landscape and climate, Religion and the Gods, the pharaohs, sacred spaces, script and the emergence of state, personal adornment, and secret spaces.

Some of the artifacts features are over 4000 years old and are types that I had not seen in person before. The flow of travel through the exhibit give an excellent view of Egyptian life as a jumping off point for more discovery.

 Bronze shrew, 6th to 3rd century BCE. It was quite tiny!

 Wooden boat from ~1800 BCE.

Stele and statues of Bes, the Egyptian god who defended households, mothers, children and represented childbirth. Started before the dynastic Nile times and spread to Syria and the Roman Empire.

 Glass from 1550-1200 BCE.

  Tomb Stela of Ta-Mut-Ankh, daughter of a priest, 664-525 BCE.

 Statue of the Falcon avatar of Horus of Nemty. 

 Stela of a female singer, 3rd century BCE.

 Painter's palette with five colours, 1550-1100 BCE.

 Collar with pomegranate pendants, 3rd to 1st century BCE.

 Stela of Iunu, an important administrator for King Khufu whom was given the title of "son of a king". One of the best preserved of its kind. It shows all the preferred foods that Iunu would like to eat in the afterlife.

Looking forward to next years exhibit on the Maya.

Cornish Orchards Ginger Beer

Cornish Orchards Alcoholic Ginger Beer is a delicious ginger beer and low in alcohol %. It had been a while since I had seen a new ginger beer in the area and gave it a try. Delicious, great ginger taste, and refreshing. I'd buy it again.

Reinhart Red Apple Light Cider

Reinhart Cider is from a family owned company over 100 years old. I decided to try it as it was new to the area and low in % of alcohol, my preference for ciders. It was delicious and had a strong taste of apples, as a good cider should. Highly recommended.

Postcard of the Interwebs - 12 September 2018

Indonesia Traditional Songs: This fellow is an ethnomusicologist and is traveling in Indonesia recording musicians and making them available to listen to. Cool.

Tolerance for Ambiguity leads to more Trust:  Interesting study at Brown University indicates that trust occurs more in groups that are more willing to accept uncertain outcomes.

All the Cities founded by Ancient Greece that still Exist: Very cool!

New way of Coating metal for Electronics: It bonds the platinum/gold mixture not for hardness resistance but by temperature resistance.

A Collection of Music Played at K-Mart: Seriously. For those that want a different kind of elevator music playing in the background, this guy has digitized a bucket load of tapes from the K-Mart he worked at.

Telling Depression from Bipolar: Using an MRI, the Westmead Institute can look at the neurons in the amygdala. This part of the brain reacts differently depending on the condition.
New Insulin Drug Repairs Pancreas: By regrowing the insulin making beta cells in the pancreas, it means no more insulin shots and a cheaper cost for government sponsored health care.