Enjoying Buccaneer Days 2012
Quite an unusual combination! I had a very busy weekend! In Esquimalt ( a municipality across the big bridge in Victoria that contains Naden-- the Navy Base and dock yard) there is a tradition called Buccaneer Days. It's been around since my dad was a little kid. A man would dress like a pirate, and go around to all the houses calling "Wakey Wakey" to all of the neighbourhood. A parade would follow and a fair!
All the kids dress like pirates, go on fair rides, play games, eat mini doughnuts, snow cones, and have a wonderful time. There's also a craft sale inside the arena (I really need to be up on things more!) It's a fun time to get together with the community and have some fun!
My first time was two years ago. I took my friend Jamie. We decided to go on the tilt-a-whirl. I've always been the kid to get car-sick, so I don't know what I was thinking when I got into the seat beside 250 lbs, 6'6 Jamie. We were 370 lbs spinning like a top. Within the first revolution I knew I had made a terrible mistake. I white knuckled it, tucked my chin into my knees (there was a metal bar in the way) and swore my head off. I felt like I had downed about 10 bottles of wine in 10 seconds. Finally the spinning stopped and I crawled out, green faced onto the grass littered with gum and cigarette butts on the edge of the fair. That was the last fair ride I will ever go on.
Since then I've watched the kids enjoying the rides, played a few games (I even won a toy at ski-ball) ate mini doughnuts and enjoyed the yummy Hawaiian shaved Ice. If you have never tried this... do! It's the best, most melt in your mouth, tastiest thing ever.
On Sunday, we decided to go to the Royal BC Museum and see Dinosaurs! I was pretty excited. I couldn't get over how big the T-rex was! I walked over to see something and turned around... and he was staring at me! Eek! I know that they were scavengers and there's a ton of research that makes them not-so-scary.... but look at that face.... and those teeth! Horror movie much!
There was a really neat Stegosaurus and a life size model of a dinosaur made from metal. The pictures I took weren't great because I wasn't supposed to use the flash (I accidentally did by accident twice-- oops) and the museum was really dark so the pictures I took were kinda blurry. Here's the best! (both flash--oops!)
This little dinosaur was a scale model of a T-rex. It moved exactly like they think T-rex did. It was really neat!
While the dinosaur exhibit was fun, I just love the regular parts of the museum. My favourite is Old Town, where you can walk through saloons, a silent movie theatre, wait for the train (lights that flash by and a horn) and walk through exhibits of hotels, Chinatown and see other interesting shops and trades. You walk through a pretend mine, see a little barn with a stuffed horse, then a mill with a real water wheel (so exciting when you're a kid). You also pass through a cabin on a ship--- then through Navy and Voyager memorabilia. It's an amazing exhibit!
There is also a First People's Exhibit with an amazing long house and a natural history section--- with sea life, sea creatures, a pretend forest that changes through the day cycle with light and sound, and every creature in the west coast! Even a stuffed walrus! If you prefer more prehistoric-- there's a stuffed Wooly Mammoth in the entry way with diagrams of extinct creates-- like horses with three toes!
So there is my piece on pirates and dinosaurs. If you're in town this summer-- be sure to check it out!
