A wonderful European vacation was enjoyed at the latest Vancouver Islanders rally. Seal Bay RV Resort, near Courtney, was the site and 32 coaches attended. Laurel & Wayne Macauley, rally hosts, thought of every detail and escorted us through an amazing cornucopia of European foods and entertainment.
Our first breakfast, in Glasgow, was an assortment of porridges with stewed fruits (and our favorite…ice cream) beautifully prepared by John and Susan Van Schaik. Scones with marmalades and jams were included.
Attendees were asked to make a hat or fascinator with recycled items to wear at the English High Tea and to come up with a "royal" name. The Best Fascinator was made by Judy Fedirchuk, Best Hat fashioned by Barb Lucas and Best name change, Sir Brooke of Trout, Brooke Williams. These winners and their partners were seated at the head table for tea. The table was very formal with a beautiful fine china tea set, tiered silver dessert stands and hand embroidered linens. Our tea menu included Broccoli Quiches, Mushroom Quiches, Pigs in blankets and Cornish Pasties. Sandwiches were Cucumber, Deviled Egg, Salmon Salad, and Chicken Curry. Stella Blogg supervised sandwich makers who made spirals of cream cheese and gherkin, cream cheese and asparagus, cream cheese and maraschino cherry and peanut butter with banana. Desserts were Lady Laurels Bon Ton Tarts, Ecclescakes from Sandy Quesnel and buttery shortbread cookies. Impossible to try everything, but so hard to miss anything!
From Tea we progressed to a lively Cribbage tournament. Unbelievable, but everyone stopped several hours later to enjoy Scotch broth or Lentil Vegetable soup! Norwegian cookies filled with Lingonberry Jam and Whipped cream prepared by Donna Goodacre made a decadent dessert. The evening was spent finishing the crib play-offs and groaning about over-full tummies! In the finals, Brooke Williams prevailed over John Van Schaik and won a beautifully hand-crafted Cribbage Board. Winner of the second set was Susan Van Schaik.
The next morning we were welcomed to France! We enjoyed Monte Carlo Sandwiches, Croissants with jam and fresh fruits. In the afternoon, our hostess Lady Laurel, and MaryAnne Tennent, demonstrated the assembly of Wine Cork Trivets. The kits were all ready for us with corks, frames and twine for framing! Very French looking!
By dinner time, we had arrived in Germany. Everyone enjoyed Roast Pork, Potatoes and gravy, veggies, red cabbage, Spaetzle and Black Forest Cake. After clean-up players strained their brains playing European trivia. Congratulations to the winning team: Ken Morrison, Joan Sabourin, Art Jackson and Sandy Quesnel. I think there must have been a few "lucky guesses".
I must have slept through a flight or something, because breakfast next morning was in Sweden! We were served Pancakes and sausage, pastries and bagels with cream cheese, lox and capers! Delicious!
Later on more trivets were made and others enjoyed the campfire before happy hour. Our last dinner had us catching up with a few countries we had missed. We enjoyed Chicken Souvlaki, pitas, hummus, creamy pasta, Greek salad, Caesar salad and Tiramisu for dessert. This wonderful meal was followed by Bingo, played with European words. The Bingo prizes were huge gift baskets, each representing a different country and filled with delicacies from those countries.
Following a continental breakfast on the last morning we all slowly packed up and waddled away! Special thanks to all of the volunteers. Lou and Avis Tenhave a special thank you for all of the different veggies you prepped.
This rally was certainly "over the top!" Laurel and Wayne Macauley spent 3 years making plans, gathering and preparing for it. This couple have hosted rallies before, and each rally seems to outdo the previous one. A hard act to follow!
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