Thursday, July 9: Day 36: One more day in Comox

☕ Morning Routines and Golfing Debuts

Today, we were scheduled to get picked up again at 9:00 AM, so we got up and enjoyed our morning coffee. Last night offered a very peaceful sleep. Artemus was quiet all night and gave us his signature loud squawk again when it was time to be fed! He seems very anxious to get that new store-bought wet food mixed in with his quality food now.

Art picked us up right at 9:00 AM, and we headed out to The Park Golf Course. Paulette and her friend were going to play a round of nine holes, and I decided to join them—but not as a player. Instead, I volunteered to caddy for Paulette! I figured the walking would be excellent exercise for me, and I’d be doing a good deed at the same time.

I haven’t actually played golf in years, but Paulette generously let me take a swing at one of the balls. I thought it looked easy, and I remembered that back when I used to play, it wasn't too bad. But wow—I am definitely in need of a lot of practice! I swung at that ball about five times before I finally connected with it, and it hardly went very far. It did go forward, though, so I absolutely have to give myself credit for that!

This particular course is only a Par 3. I didn't entirely know what that meant at first, but I've decided a Par 3 is absolutely perfect for me if I ever decide to take up golf again. Paulette suggested I should head to a driving range to get some practice in. Maybe I will sometime!

I didn't take a photo while I was there so here is a screenshot from their website.

🍳 Clubhouse Breakfast and Affordable Rates

Before we actually went out on the course, Art, Greg, Paulette, and I sat down for a lovely breakfast at the clubhouse. Paulette's friend, Mae, met up with us there just before our 10:00 AM tee-off time.

It is remarkably affordable to play at this course. To play the round, it is only $27+, and to rent clubs and a pull cart, it is just $10. That is so reasonable, especially since a lot of courses these days run up into the hundreds of dollars! This course was actually bought out by Crown Isle, which is a much fancier resort course nearby where I have eaten before, too.

🎹 Lunch at the Pub and an Unexpected Interruption

After golf, Mae went on her way and the four of us headed to the Griffin Pub for lunch. Greg and Art had done their own thing while we were golfing, so it was nice to team back up.

They had a piano inside the pub, and I just couldn't resist sitting down to play Passacaglia by Handel. Unfortunately, I was rudely interrupted by a grumpy gentleman who walked past and loudly complained that it was too loud. Because the piano was an apartment-sized model and wasn't placed flat against a wall, it might have been a bit loud on his side, but he certainly could have been much more tactful!

I told him directly that he was being rude. While the incident left a bit of a bad taste in my mouth and left me feeling a little shaken up in the moment, my friends reminded me to just let it slide off my back. I did my best to do just that, shake it off, and focus on the rest of our great day together.

After the pub, Art took us for a lovely drive around the area to check out some of the local camping spots, and then we came back to Lil' Ollie so I could catch up on my blog and have a nap. I didn't actually end up taking that nap, but I definitely feel much better now that today's post is almost finished! I just need a photo to go with it, but I haven't taken any yet today—maybe I'll snap one later on.

Art and Paulette are picking us up again soon, and we are heading back to their place for another dinner together—some sort of chicken dish tonight! I wonder if we will end up playing another game of Skip-Bo after we eat. It was so much fun last night, and I’d love a rematch!

Getting back to the rest of Thursday's story, Art and Paulette treated us to a wonderful dinner at their place. We had a chicken and pepper dish along with coleslaw, a fresh salad, and an M&M Food Market rice pilaf. We all found the rice pilaf to be a little bit on the bland side, but a quick shake of salt and pepper did the trick! We topped off the meal with a delicious dark chocolate Magnum Mini bar. I am officially hooked on those now! They are fantastic because they're the perfect size to satisfy a sweet tooth without going overboard on sugar or calories.

After dinner, we enjoyed one last visit and sat down for a single game of Skip-Bo. Paulette managed to take the win this time around! Even though it was still quite early, we were all feeling pretty tired from the day's excitement, so Art drove us back to the marina. We actually discovered that their place is only about one kilometer away from the docks! Next time we visit, we'll definitely try walking it instead. My hip had been bothering me a bit, so driving was definitely the right choice this time, and it's thankfully feeling much better now.

Once we got back aboard, we snuggled up and turned on an episode of The Resident. I kept dozing in and out, though, so we finally threw in the towel and went to bed to rest up for today's big sail.