I have memories of being in the Ingy pub – and others, including the Red Lion – from when I was a child. My Dad worked very hard to support the family in the late 70′s and early 80′s and onward, holding a variety of part time jobs in addition to his full time job! He owned a janitorial firm for a while, cleaning offices in the evening to make ends meet, and for years he owned a vending company that leased things like pool tables, cigarette machines, pinball tables, etc, and one of the things this company provided were large, wall mounted electronic games, like baseball, golf or trapshoot. Of course, this was before most anyone had heard of a computer.

The way these games worked was very, very basic. The player would stand at a podium about 10 feet away from the game, and press the single button on the podium at the right time to, say, hit the ball, shoot the gun, swing the club, etc and you would see an object sail across the large screen – there might have been sound effects like a cheering fan, or the crack of the bat. Really rudimentary stuff. The box on the wall was maybe 10 feet by 7 feet and would hang from the ceiling. There were light bulbs (just regular old bulbs) behind a thick black sheet of plastic. The sheet had patterns and even art that would relate to the game (bases, etc) and the bulbs would turn on and off according to what was happening in the game. Some of these memories are early, pre-school age, and maybe in to kindergarten, so I would hang out with my Dad and go to these pubs while he maintained the machines, took out the coins, etc.

Of course, we always seemed to have one or two of these games in ‘storage’ at the house in the family room or garage and our friends always liked coming over to play. Quite a novelty!! They stuck around the house for a few years, into elementary school. Perhaps they went out of style and were removed from the pubs, or perhaps I just stopped going to these places with my old man, but I do well remember the strange feeling of being someplace where I knew I wasn’t normally allowed, and often there was nobody else there, or maybe a manager sitting down counting money or cleaning… and the sticky floors. I really remember the sticky floors. 

Good Pic! (front row, far right)

This year has been particularly full of events, which usually add to the already sometimes heavy workload that my job entails.  If you’ve got a 60 hour week coming up and there’s an event to plan for and attend, it’s simply piled on.  It’s a bit of a double edged sword, as most of these extra-curricular activities are genuinely fun and at the end of the day putting our best foot forward is good for the company, which in turn is good for me, but they take a toll on family life and overall sanity – the latter is over rated anyways.

I’ve decided not to take on any more events for the month of November to allow me time to refocus on some work related things that have been escaping my attention.  Last weekend, after a particularly big and high profile wine dinner, we participated in the grand tasting at Art of the Cocktail, the second annual festival of all things cocktail related.  It’s a pretty big event, spanning three days and multiple venues.  And clearly, given the subject matter, you know it’s going to be a pretty good time.

Since this was going to be the last thing till the madness of the Christmas season descends upon us, I wanted to make sure I made it easy on myself, had the chance to have some fun, and most importantly not interfere with the reason people came to an event like this – the cocktail!  Brooke had prepared the ‘Japanese Cowboy’, a cocktail consisting of Bulleit bourbon, sake, sweet vermouth and bitters.  Pretty tasty all around, and something different to separate himself from the pack.  Offering to bring a bit of food for the crowd helped secure us a table, and given the event is a fundraiser for the Victoria Film Festival, I gave it some thought and decided popcorn would fit the bill.  Easy, fun, thematic and loved by just about everyone.  Saturday of the event I popped 8kg of corn, which yielded about 140 litres of popped corn.  Half of it was turned into caramel corn via my wife’s recipe (with the addition of lots and lots of Bulleit bourbon) and the other half was tossed with butter and a seaweed/sea salt mix, to be misted with sake at the event.  The ingredients in the cocktail were well complemented, and people were delighted to have food, any food at the event.  It got kind of messy by the end of the evening, but you probably had to be there to see it…

Over One Billion Served

6 X 18" X 26" Sheet Pans Full

David Saw Me Toasting the Nori, Then Went Downstairs for the 'Good Stuff'

Popcorn Anyone?

Cocktail (with popcorn) Anyone? Japanese Cowboy (Hokkaido)

Something Similar Happened Last Time We Were Invited

Kevin Brauch - Popcorn Monster

The industry on the Fraser is really fascinating to me and something I find really beautiful about Vancouver.  Victoria is a harbour city too, so we have some light and heavy industry on our waterways and it’s something that’s really important to keeping our local economy healthy.  Most of these jobs are well paying, and I worry sometimes about the residential development that is happening around our waterways.

Obviously, the restaurant scene in Vancouver is pretty big and the industry as a whole is something I like learning about.  The last few years I’ve been putting myself out there a little more, food festivals, blogs and the like, meeting new people and building some networks in the industry.  I love to talk shop, and pretty much every where you go you’re bound to run into a cook.

This week I went over with some of the people from work for the GFS fall food show, which is always great.  Not just for the displays or samples (!) but to meet with other people like me who do what I do, to reacquaint with old friends and colleagues and make some new ones.  We had coffee at Thomas Haas and took in a killer burger and poutine at refuel.  Our server probably noticed the bags under my eyes and suggested a ginger ale with cherry bitters.  It hit the spot and I enjoyed spending time with my co-worker and chatting with the boys in the kitchen before heading back home.

Grape Escape

The OBMG is a really good company to work for, and on top of the perks like freedom to do what I want, regular paycheques that clear every time, and the resources that a decent sized company has, are the accommodation benefits at sister resorts like Painter’s Lodge in Campbell River.  This year I booked out a big room and a cabin for myself and some friends to spend Thanksgiving weekend, and we did it up right.  This is the third year that we have headed up so my wife can ‘swim with the salmon’ down Campbell River and I can enjoy some down time and spend time with my kids.  This time, however, we managed to pull off a full Thanksgiving dinner for 14 on two small electric burners, one bar fridge, a Coleman cooler and an electric table-top turkey roaster.  I was dubious, but sure enough this thing produced some nice bird.  Stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, two kinds of veg – even I was kind of impressed.  Since it was potluck style, other people brought dessert, a cheeseboard, some really great pumpkin spread for cookies (!) and fresh fruit.

Things I am thankful for this year?  Clearly, the best thing I have going for me is my family.  Since losing my parents, it’s the one thing I cherish most knowing that our time together is finite.  A good paying job, doing exactly what I love most – what a luxury in this world – and knowing that all this hard work is paying off.  Being a pretty simple person, I take time to be thankful every day for the simple things in life.  My little garden, a love for music, a roof over our heads, and a quiet house.

Thanks

Mostly, cooks are happy with the occasional three day weekend, which allows you time to get really loaded and recover and still one day to hang out and enjoy your day off before heading back to work, where you will have to make up for it.  Four day weekend?  You best get the hell out of town, because these are rare, especially in the peak season(s).  Me?  I have had a couple three and four day weekends this summer, and have just returned to work after a five day weekend (no booze consumed) to find things more or less how I left them.  Every week I tend to learn a couple new things, and sure enough this week away from work was no exception!  No harm was done, the coolers were all well organized, and I had an easy day back.  I think that was the first five day break in five years.  It’s pretty much a blur, so who can tell for sure.  I just started a 19 day stretch, so I’ll be saying my Hail Mary’s.

I took the opportunity to camp for one night at the Sooke Potholes with family and friends, which was really great.  Somehow I volunteered to help cook for a camp of up to 25 – dinner, breakfast and then lunch.  We had three camp stoves and our Weber Q220 so there was lots of fire power, and lots of food.  I would suggest we ate very well, and people seemed to agree.  Hot dogs, spring salmon, Dungeness crab (garlic butter!), potato salad for dinner.  Popcorn and s’mores for dessert.  French toast, scrambled eggs, hashbrowns, good coffee and oj to wake up to, and a bag lunch for the hike – cookie, sandwich, apple, juice and water.  What else do you need?  We were barely there for 24 hours, I’d say we did well.  I’d do it again.  The rest of the days were spent chilling in the pool with the kids, hanging out in bed and relaxing, enjoying some stargazing and otherwise doing generally nothing.  A couple frantic phone calls from work, but why not?   At least nothing exploded and/or caught on fire this time.

Last month I took an extra day to head over to Vancouver with Sorensen to see TOOL, which blew my mind.  A couple of weeks ago my wife and I took advantage of a kid-free weekend and headed up to Pacific Shores at  Nanoose Bay to relax. Two nights, just nothing to do but relax.  Somewhere in there we spent a few nights in Ukee at the Canadian Princess, courtesy of the OBMG.  Not a bad summer all in all you say?  It took me 15 plus years to get a long weekend in the summer time, so all you rock stars look out.  You’ve got some time to put in.

Our View Across Craig bay From Pacific Shores - Raining? Who Cares...

... When You Have Two Fireplaces, Including One In the Tub

Thirsty Tree

Aquarium @ Landing Pacific Grill - AMAZING.

These Two Kids Joined Us For Lunch...

.. And This Guy. Just Kept Watching Us Eat.

I’d always been into astronomy when I was a kid, and I think most kids go through a phase in their life when they want to be either an astronaut or an astronomer.  I went with astronomer, it just seemed so much more attainable for some reason.  Humans have been looking up at the stars and planets for thousands and thousands of years, clearly astronomy is ingrained in all of us.

Bryn was playing with his little telescope last night before bed, but we really couldn’t see much with all the city lights and the buildings in the way, plus it’s just a toy.  We got to fiddle with a couple nice backyard telescopes tonight, and if Bryn asks me for a better telescope, I’d probably be happy to oblige!

It was really great to get out of the city for a few hours into the summer evening, and this place is really money well spent.  $35 for a family after 6:30 pm, and you get to play with some telescopes, enjoy a really trippy planetarium experience, enjoy the excellent guides they have up there and sit in the big dome while they point that massive 1.8m Plaskett telescope to some really deep space objects.

It was built so well and so precisely that all of the major components are original.  The balance is so tight that the 90 tonne monster is moved with only a single horsepower electric motor, and it tracked the stars using a frigging CLOCK until 1991 because it worked so well.  Upon it’s completion, it was the biggest telescope in the world, and is booked by scientists from all over the world every clear night.  When everything built today is so disposable, it’s really great to see something almost 100 years old still so vibrant and relevant.

Here are some photos – you can check out my Facebook page for a couple grainy videos, too.

Kewl - 92 Years Young!

Up, Up and Away!

The Telescope Is About 43 Tonnes, With a 40 Tonne Counterweight

Getting the Gears

You Can Say That Again!

Good Thing They Have Stairs

The Thing Runs On Linux - No Surprise!

Rack Mount Science

Too Bad There's No Plaskett Comet!

Planet-arium!

I Took This By Shoving My Camera Into the Eye Piece!

I remember the first album I called mine, actually the first two.  Do you remember yours?  Billy Joel, ‘Glass Houses’ was the first, and then I saved up enough UPC’s from Vachon products (mmm, remember those?) to order Survivor ‘Eye of the Tiger’ through the mail.  That was 1980 and 1982, respectively.  I would have been four and six.  Seems awfully young, but Rocky III must have made some big impression on me!  Oh, Mr. T.  I also really liked playing the soundtrack to Eddie and the Cruisers, scored by the great John Cafferty.   Before then there was surely some Goofy Greats, Alvin and the Chipmunks, and of course the Disney Read-A-Long albums, all of which I still have.  This vinyl would have all been played on a massive wooden Sears console system, complete with two microphones for early 80′s karaoke and a working 8-track for that Hot Tuna or Abba cartridge that was floating around from god knows when.  As far as I know, my parents were never into this stuff.  Gross.  Really, Hot Tuna, really??

Lately I’ve been listening to some bands that are a little lighter than usual, both in style and substance, really enjoying the different sound they have to offer.  Bon Iver, Band of Horses, Broken Bells, Grizzly Bear – all way more hip and relevant than I am or ever was.  All of these bands capture the singer/songwriter vibe that I love really well.  Lots of interesting harmonies, great melody, catchy pop hooks, a little electronica, but not too much and most of all great musicianship.  I can trace what I like about these current acts to bands and musicians that I really loved in the past – Sloan, Elliott Smith, The Charlatans.

But nothing like the full frontal musical assault I’m going to witness this week.  For you see, friends, someone else’s loss is my gain.  Fate, which I’m not usually a big fan of, has seen fit to intervene and bless me with two tickets to one of my favourite bands of all time, Tool.  A particularly enjoyable experience with mushrooms, noise cancelling headphones and Tool’s album ‘Ænema’ really got me hooked.  Er, yeah.  Prior to this I was a big fan, but that old adage set and setting really left an imprint on my brain.  A few weeks ago we had the winemaker for Maynard James Keenan’s winery(s) come to visit us and offer a tasting of his wares.  I liked the wine but sadly he did not bring any concert tickets!

I won’t be doing any hallucinogens this time around, but I expect another memorable experience.  Looking forward to it!  Thanks Hector!

I Am Tripping Out

In an effort to promote ourselves in a new way, and to use the space we already have at the Marina and have fun while doing it, we are running our Dining On the Docks summer dining series this year.

The last Sunday of every month, from now until September, we will showcase our fantastic ocean front patio, and showcase the fresh products we have coming into our kitchen every day.  Dinner will be prepared and served al fresco, family style, in three courses.

The first event is this Sunday, June 27th and will feature an 80 quart crab pot, simmering with Tim Webster’s fantastic dungeness crab pulled from the ocean and delivered to us the same day, along with Belgian amber braised local clams and mussels, corn on the cob and early nugget potatoes.  Lots of great bread, garlic butter, seasonal sides and strawberry rhubarb crumble for dessert.  We have partnered with Mission Hill Winery and Stanley Park Brewing for this first event and we will be pouring their excellent products.  Expect long tables, kraft paper table clothes and lots of elbow room.

The following month we will be showcasing the fresh, bright flavours of Provence and pouring  French wines.  Local halibut on the grill, fine herbs, olives, preserved lemons, local tomatoes, maybe a nice cherry clafoutis with creme anglaise.  During the summer heat of August we will serve oysters, steaks and ribs off the grill with cold beer.  For dessert there will be peach cobbler and fresh cream.

September will be harvest month, looking forward to partnering with Sea Cider and our friends at Vantreight Farms to showcase the best our local season produces.  Getting closer to slow roasts and braises, and of course beautiful local apples across the board.

If you’d like to stay current with this and other events, new products and menu changes happening at the Marina drop me line at marinachef@obmg.com to get your name added to our monthly newsletter.

All events include a couple of beverages, a three course meal and live music.  Come out and see the Marina in a way you’ve never seen it before!

Really though, taking weekends off is because of my family.  My kids are both in school, so if I did not schedule myself weekends off, I’d never see them.  I like my job and all, but it’s just not worth it.  Not now.  I’ve spent years and years putting family second because work demanded it, but I am slowly gaining some perspective and coming to see what’s really important in life.  This year has been a tricky balancing act, but I think we’re just about through it.  Next year the kids are both in school all day, so where does that leave me?  Working more days instead of nights, in theory.  As always, I’ll make myself available when needed, but clearly the routine will need to change again.

Today was Father’s Day, and it was the first Father’s Day I’ve had off in years and years.  It’s just not a day I’d ever dreamed of asking for off.  Of course, now I wish I had.  I got to sleep in today, got up and had a nice cup of coffee before heading to the concession stand for one last hurrah – and got my ass handed to me quite thoroughly.  I survived, the manager was pretty happy I came to cook again today, and hoped I’d be back next year.  I came home and went for a nice swim in the pool (!) with the kids, and then went for sushi with the family.  A little dessert, some quiet time and that’s about it.  The kids made some really great stuff at school this year.  My daughter knows me pretty well, it makes me laugh.  The front of the card (which looks like a tie) is simply her and I holding hands on a grassy field in the sun, with a big heart between us.  Her brother is off to the side, waiting his turn.  Inside it reads, “Cher Papa je t’aime par-ce-que tu est aimpent tan.  Tou garde la maison propre, tu fait le lavage.  De Ara, XOXOXOXO” Pardonez mon francaise, and please correct me if I’m wrong, but I’m reading an eight year olds printing here in a language I don’t fully understand.  Roughly though, this translates to “I love my dad because he keeps the house clean and does the washing”.  Then she filled the rest of the card with XO’s.  Yup, sounds about right.

For years and years I used to take my Dad out to the movies on Father’s Day, or the next day I had off, and we’d see some ridiculous Hollywood explosion-fest.  The movies were forgettable of course, but of course it was just about keeping company.

Miss You, Dad

The food is real, the place is real clean, and the people are great.  Plus there’s some good baseball to be seen from time to time.  If you are in the mood for some outside food (it always tastes better outside) come down and say hi on Sunday afternoons, 2-6.   Burgers, hotdogs, corn dogs, fries (and frings!), poutine made with real mozzarella and fake gravy plus cream soda slushies.

Tasha and I also stared the process of getting the pool up and running today.  The cover came off, some skimming was done and the pump was primed and tested after a winter of sleep.  We got the cover on kind of late last year, so taking it off today was pretty disgusting.  She took some photos, but if anyone saw them they probably wouldn’t believe what the pool will look like in a couple of weeks.  The water’s going to be sparkling, polished and most importantly safe.  Right now it’s just mucky green and on Friday I saw a few ducks swimming around in the water over the cover.  I don’t think that’s a good sign.

There’s lots to do including putting up all the signage, some deck patching, bit of tile work, general scrubbing and some tidying.  Because the pool is owned by the strata corporation, it’s considered a commercial pool which means we have to abide by the B.C. Pool Act, just like your neighbourhood rec centre.

We’ve got 206,000 litres of water to fix before the health inspector comes to give us the all clear to open, but it’s gonna be another good summer in the pool!