Slice of Life: Book Club Celebrates Twenty Years Together!

I join my fellow bloggers in "serving up a slice"

to the Tuesday Slice of Life (SOL) community.

Thanks to Stacey, Betsy, Beth, Kathleen,
Deb, Melanie, Lanny, and Kelsey

 for hosting this meeting place each Tuesday

and nurturing our writing lives.

We dreamed of a trip to Europe, but it was not to be for our book club's twenty year celebration. Instead, we chose a destination closer to home for a two day getaway. Our early morning boarding of the ferry and an almost three hour ride to Victoria gave us plenty of time to gab and enjoy the bread, fruit, and juice that Shannon provided.

Three in our party headed to Butchart Gardens immediately after we disembarked from the ferry. Their pictures convinced me that I simply must experience the gardens in the fall (maybe next year?).

The rest of us headed to Jam Cafe for brunch and then wandered around Chinatown doing a bit of shopping, lingering in a tea shop, and tasting a bit of chocolate. The weather was gorgeous and the fall colors were resplendent. 

Then it was off to Munro's Books because . . . a book club trip definitely deserves a stop in a bookstore!

I was immediately drawn to their incredible children's book section. It was not until my return visit the next day that I noticed the neo-classical architecture and beautiful fabric banners by Carole Sebastian that grace the interior of the bookstore. 

Most of us grabbed a quick nap before dinner at Ithaka Greek Restaurant. The service was superb and the food was delicious. We returned to our hotel where we played a game of "take a coin, look at the date, and share a story from that year in your life." Before heading to bed, Coleen passed around a box of beautiful chocolates from a delightful chocolate shop in Edmonton.

We kicked off our Saturday fun with breakfast at the hotel followed by the Egypt exhibit at The Royal BC Museum. The highlight of the trip for me was our afternoon tea at the Empress Hotel. 

 

All too soon it was time to board the ferry for our return trip to Seattle.

While our time away was relaxing and refreshing, we found ourselves longing for more time together. And that's why our next celebration simply has to be more than two days long! 

In case you're wondering, not all of us have belonged to the book club for twenty years. But there are five original members who made this trip. And three members who have moved away, but joined us for the fun. And several others who regularly attend, but couldn't make the trip.

The delight of our two days together can be summed up by the words of Rainer Maria Rilke: “Ah, how good it is to be among people who are reading.”