Hey there Ocean family,

It was another wild weekend here in Victoria. The weather was great – not too hot, not too cold – and there was a whole lot going on around town. Victoria is amazing in that there are SO many activities happening in the summer. There’s always something to see or do to keep you entertained. This weekend was no different.

Saturday marked the 9th annual Tour de Victoria, a festival of sorts for cyclists of all skill levels. There were several different distance courses that riders could complete, with the finish line for each being Belleville street in the Inner Harbour. The courses ranged from 160km to 30km. That’s a really long way to ride your bike! I couldn’t even imagine. Everyone who signed up for any distance deserves incredibly high praise in my opinion, it’s quite a feat. I can barely ride my bike to the store and back without getting winded! Our tent was set up right by the finish line, in the middle of the intersection of Belleville and Menzies, which meant that we had the best vantage point of the finish line! It also meant that we had to tackle with the smell of horse urine from the nearby carriage rides, but nevertheless it was a great time.

There were a few familiar faces in the crowd of riders as well, including our very own fearless leader, Program Director and on-air personality Susan Knight. Susan tackled the 60km ride, and absolutely crushed it! It was exhilarating watching her journey, training for the ride and then bursting through the finish line at breakneck speed. It was incredibly commendable, and I can speak for all of us at Ocean 98.5 when I say that we are incredibly proud of her! Also riding in the 60km ride was our own Jen Sizer, who works in our promotions department, and often accompanies me on fun finding escapades on weekends. Jen wanted to finish the 60km ride in under three and a half hours, saying that would be incredibly happy with that time given the circumstances. Jen finished the ride in under 3 hours, and you can imagine how overjoyed she was upon realizing that. Congratulations to you Jen, and congratulations to Susan for an incredible day!

Sunday saw Jen and I run all over town! Despite her aches and pains after riding 60km the day before, Jen accompanied me to Hillside Centre, where we stopped by the grand opening of BC Shaver and Hobbies. I geeked out like crazy in that store, there were so many cool models to build! I felt like a kid again turning my neck in awe over the incredible lego sets they had, and all the awesome building kits. It was spectacular! I will definitely be going back there to dump a bunch of my paycheck on a cool model to build.

As we were about to leave Hillside Centre, Jen and I were flagged over to a set-up kiosk in the mall, where several women from Shoppers Drug Mart were doing free makeovers for those walking by. They seemed ecstatic at the prospect of having their first male subject, so naturally, I had to oblige. The lovely Kailee did my makeup, and made me look incredibly fierce! As people walked by and saw me being beautified in the chair, several other males came in and got their makeup done as well! It doesn’t matter who you are, if you want to me made over and wear makeup, you absolutely can! Don’t let anyone stop you! A big thanks to the ladies yesterday for making me look stunning and fierce!

From there, Jen and I went to Centennial Square to take in the cultural performances of India Mela, the Indian Cultural festival being put on by the India Canada Cultural Association of Victoria. It was a wonderful sight to see! There were traditional musical and dance performances, and there was so much excellent food. I highly recommend checking out any of the cultural events the India Canada Cultural Association of Victoria puts on.

At the end of the day yesterday, Jen and I went to Elk / Beaver Lake Park to take part in a nature walk put on by naturalists from the CRD. The CRD organizes several informative nature walks for all ages throughout the year, and it’s a wonderful way to hear about the world around us! The focus of this particular walk was Dragonflies, and we learned all about them, their bodies, and how they thrive in the wild. Thanks to the wonderful CRD naturalists for teaching us something yesterday!

There’s never a dull moment in the world of fun finding. Who knows what will happen next weekend!

 

As always, a big thank you to Hillside Centre, Moxies Bar & Grill, Barbs Fish & Chips, Cupcakes at Uptown, and Beacon Hill Children’s farm

Filed under: Community Cruiser