Beautiful Butchart Gardens on Vancouver Island

One of my favorite travel destinations is Butchart Gardens located on the Saanich Peninsula on Vancouver Island, British Columbia. The floral display gardens have been a work in progress for over a century and have been desigated a National Historic Site of Canada. The gardens were built at the site of former limestone quarry operated by Robert Butchart. His wife Jennie Butchart, inspired by a tea garden built at Esquirnalt Gorge Park, sought to transform the exhausted limestone quarry at Tod Inlet into the Sunken Garden which was completed in 1921. Since then, the gardens have been a tourist destination to view a continually changing array of floral exhibits that reflect the seasons ofthe year.

Going to Butchart Gardens at Christmastime is a special treat with illuminated displays for the season and even a chance to go ice skating. I suspect that Rick Steves recommends Butchart Gardens as a place to visit.

My kind of Town, Seattle is, my kind of Town.

Seattle has been a special place for me over the past 20 years or so. I spent a good deal of time traveling in the Northwest when I worked at the Hanford site in Richland, Washington. Flying to and from home, I always managed to connect through Seattle for the ride back to Boston. My son and his family lived on Bainbridge Island for many years. They were a ferry ride away from downtown Seattle. My brother-in-law and sister-in-law have lived in the Seattle area for over 30 years.

The work assignment ended and my son and his family have moved back east. Today, there are not as many reasons to travel to the Northwest now, but I still often think about Seattle--it's still a special place for me.