Vic, Vic, Victoria!

And finally, it was... Victoria Weekend! Selena and Jason take a trip up to Victoria every year, and this time we were lucky enough to join them along with Jeremy and Samara as well. We were all looking forward to some quality time, just the 6 of us :)

Here's a shot of the monitor inside the Victoria Clipper IV... YOU ARE HERE!! At least, that's what it showed when we finally arrived... it was nice to follow our progress as we went along.

Here's a cute shot of Jeremy and Samara. I think we were all just super pumped to be off the boat and back on solid ground.

Unless you're Jeremy... then you are super excited to be on solid ground so you can do crazy things like climb a poll while waiting for the hotel shuttle, then beg someone to take your photo while everyone is basically ready to go... it's a great shot tho Jere...

There it is! The Chateau Victoria Hotel. A nice place to stay if you are in the area... but don't get room 1502... there is some SUPER loud machine outside that keeps you awake the entire time you are there... but had the room been quiet, it would have been a perfect place to stay.

I think the long boat ride and the hunger we were experiencing caused us to be a little hyper... or maybe this is just par for the course... Jeremy found the fisherman statue very interesting... and Jason thought it would be funny to try and get Jeremy into the fountain... luckily this is about as far as that went cuz we were all really looking forward to brunch...

Selena was especially stoked because we were going to Milestones... this is the place she and Jason always go after a nice ride on the Clipper. They have a Bellini there that is out of this world and is stated to be Selena's favorite drink in the world... that's pretty big time considering her immense love for Diet Coke... Apparently the Bellini comes with a plastic animal on top. Anthony requested a giraffe is possible, and his wish was granted. Thanks for that giraffe sweetie!

Gentlemen and Ladies... here we all are at brunch... Jeremy, Jason, Anthony, Amy, Selena and Samara. A wonderful meal to start off a fabulous trip!!

Did we mention that Jason was there... another picture demonstrating what's par for the course... who has two thumbs and likes putting plastic giraffes in interesting situations... that's Jason...

Ok, so after brunch we decide to walk off the feast and check out the scenery. After a short walk we found ourselves walking towards some music. Where is that coming from... OH LOOK! It's Darth Vader! Wait... is that the theme from Star Wars he's playing? Maybe some wookie theme... or something as a tribute to Princess Leia? NO! We were all so frustrated because the dude was rocking out, but to some random music... we were all severely disappointed. Jeremy pretended to tackle him from behind... too hilarious for words really...

Hey ladies! Go pose with the bear... oh... okay...

Hey Jeremy... go pose with the moose.... oh... okay...

Hey Jason! They made it legal for you to pee on the street here! Are you moving to Victoria yet? Seriously... this is the outdoor urinal... just off the sidewalk... hello...

As we walked along we heard a commotion... so we checked it out... some sort of peaceful protest... and what are they protesting about... who the eff knows because they can't even make a sentence that is grammatically correct... I mean, if you are going to take the time to write out a sign for your cause, make it make sense....

So, along the way, Samara has a wicked coffee craving... so she tries to find a place that's good... but ultimately settles for some local joint... ok, way to support those locals... but the coffee was horrible! It was so bad she had to ask them to try and fix her drink... ultimately, it was no use, and she just suffered through it... but only steps later, we found a Starbucks... "Hey Samara! Look - a Starbucks" then another couple steps later, "Hey Samara, look another Starbucks..." and of course we are all walking a little staggered apart and after one person made the comment, another would make the same comment because they didn't hear the first, so by the time we walked 4 blocks you can imagine her frustration... needless to say, the next time she had a craving, she found a Starbucks.

Oh wait, are we headed to Chinatown? Why, yes, we are!

Oh look! This is how Jeremy travels through small spaces...

And this is how Anthony looks in a Sombrero... in Chinatown...

And this is how Jason carries Jeremy through the alley on our second trip through... let's just make this easy for everyone...

Awww... Samara and Jeremy are so cute... ok, maybe it's just Samara... ok, it's both...

After much walking, we headed back to the hotel for a little nap and a shower before dinner... and maybe a trip to the pool for some...

Before dinner it was time for a little cocktail hour in Jeremy, Samara, Selena and Jason's suite...

Hey Jere, where's your shirt? I don't know... but here's my beer... (and let's not talk about how LONG it took Jeremy to pick out that beer at the liquor store...)

As we were walking back to the hotel, Selena noticed an oyster bar and had a super craving for oysters. We decided we would all give it a try - Anthony, Amy and Jeremy all being oyster virgins, we were in for it... Jeremy wasn't really down to try it, but he did, and we were all pretty happy for that since he's pretty serious about what he does and doesn't like, or will and will not try...

Here's a shot of Anthony's vodka martini and our empty oyster shells. Anthony and Amy each tried one oyster that was recommended by the oyster dude... and we both enjoyed it so much...

Jeremy not so much...

but we enjoyed ours so much that we ordered 8 more so we could each try one of the 4 oysters types the bar had to offer... so good! And with fresh horseradish and some lemon and cocktail sauce it was a combo that couldn't be beat!

And this guy... he's our new best friend! He was just amazing to watch, preparing oysters like it was SO easy... he's a rockstar!

After the oysters we took a short cab ride to Il Terrazo... not the same restaurant as the one in Seattle... but who cares cuz it was SOOOO GOOD!! If ever in Victoria, check this place out! MMMM!! Here's Selena with our appetizer of rosemary flatbread and roasted garlic...

Here they are... the dudes... look how happy they all are... such a fun loving bunch of bros...

And here's the ladies... aww, they are so pretty...

Ok, so here's what we learned about Samara... at a certain point, maybe it's after a few drinks, maybe it's cuz she's tired, or maybe it's just cuz we are all hilarious... but Samara gets a wicked case of the giggles... so many giggles... and the giggles are contagious for sure... Samara is a kick!

Seriously tho... this food was SO good... and this was a serious seafood night for ABsquared... oysters, cioppino and muscles... almost... ALMOST too much seafood in one night... needless to say neither of us had seafood again for 3 days...

The parliament building lights up at night... so pretty...

On Sunday it was almost impossible to find a place to eat breakfast and all the pastry shops were closed... but we made the most of it and had a great time... except for maybe Selena who was being tortured a bit by Jason at every turn... this was about when she finally got out of the coat lock Jason had her in on the street... it sounds bad, but it's very sweet, and hysterical at the same time...

So it starts to rain, and Samara finally finds an umbrella to buy... isn't it so cute! It's a fishy!! Look at all the fishies!!

Maybe about every 5th time we crossed the street, Jason would point out how jolly the walk sign looks in Victoria... it just makes you happy to cross the street... so, Jason, this pic is for you :)

And this raffie is for Amy... the second raffie sighting of this post... yay!

Take a good hard look at tha motha effing boat!!

I'm on a boat and, it's going fast and, I got my nautical themed pashmina afghan, I'm the king of the world on a boat like Leo, if you're on the shore then you sho ain't me-o...

"Passengers pleased be advised that we will be experiencing a bumpy ride on the way home. We are advising those who get motion sickness to take something now, you can purchase something on board for 25 cents a dose. Please take the medication now because it takes a while to start working... and please, try to stay seated for the first half of the journey..." and of course as soon as the boat starts moving, Selena decides to throw something away, which means getting out of her seat... this is a photo of her right before she got up, stumbled to the trash can, bumped into the wall, and made the passengers around her wonder if the waters were really that choppy, or if she was just drunk... she stayed in her seat for the rest of the trip :)

Overall, the trip was an awesome time. It was so nice to spend quality time with everyone... and also nice to get off that boat - even those of us who don't get motion sick had a rough time, and the clipper got stuck multiple times on the way due to debris in the water... then floated around in circles for an hour just 5 minutes from our final destination due to debris... LOVE DRY LAND!!! But love Vic, Vic, Victoria!

Battle Fish Taco

Continuing in our battle tradition, which started after Seafair last year with Battle Salmon (followed by Battle Soup), Sommer and Nick joined Amy and Anthony at Casa de Kirkland for Battle Fish Taco. And this time Sommer’s Husband, Joshua, was able to join us too – Yay!

This time the battle was a faceoff between Nick and Anthony. This is big time because it was not only Anthony’s first battle, but the first time Anthony cooked what we would consider a “real meal” all on his own! Anthony will tell you all about how he can make a mean omelet and a wicked quesadilla, but for the most part, Amy does the cooking. Below is a photo of Anthony preparing his fish, cod to be exact.

In the other corner, we have Nicky D, the Dav, chillin’ like a villain with his beer and his marinating Ahi Tuna. This was right before he decided it would be a good idea to cut off a chunk of his delicious smelling masterpiece and eat it raw, just to see how good it is… and it was good…

Now, we all know that Anthony can be a little OCD about things… and this being his first real meal to prepare for us all… the pressure was on. So to be sure he did everything exactly right, he consulted his recipe in his phone… and as also shown below, he had to be sure he had the math exactly right. “Let’s see… if I’m making a soft taco and a hard taco for each person, and there are five people, that’s ten tacos… so if I want 3 pieces of fish on each taco, I need thirty pieces of fish…” and there they are… all thirty pieces…

And there he is… our special guest this battle, Joshua Maser. Joshua has to work crazy hours and can only join us for battles if they are held Mondays and Tuesdays… here’s to Monday and Tuesday battles from here on out! Yay Joshua!... BTW – that means you have to battle next time Josh… get out your recipes!

Mmmm… there it is… the beautiful Costco Ahi Nick has prepared… can’t wait to try somathat! Hey Nick… I think it’s about time you get that baby on the grill!

And here we have Sommer preparing her guacamole! Sommer and Amy decided to have a side battle this time around, Battle Guac! And it was a wonderful success! Sommer made a wonderful guac with some tangy yogurt – delish! Amy’s guac was complete with garlic and some fresh veggies for kick and crunch – excellent!

OH! And let’s not forget our other honored guest – everyone, meet Moxie! She is so tiny that she spends most of her time in Sommer’s purse. She is quite possibly the cutest dog of all time on Earth.

And here it is… Nicky D’s work in action… way to take that extra sneaky outdoor shot for us Davalos!!

Awwww… the Maser Family! Aren’t they SO cute!!

Here’s a close up of Anthony’s hard work. Look at all that delicious fish! Complete with some spices and jalapeños for kick!

Here are the guacs side by side. Amy’s is the half full bowl… but that’s only because 1) Sommer made hers after Amy’s was already out and being eaten and 2) Sommer made a much larger serving size MMM they were both SO good!

Phew…Sommer’s exhausted!

Putting the finishing touches on those tacos… great job Sweetie!!

This is Nick’s final product. Ok, it looks a little gross, honestly, but it was SO wonderful! Carefully marinated and beautifully grilled, what an amazing dish, complete with a special white sauce!

Here’s the final feast… and an amazing shot of Sommer and Amy with their mouthfuls… way to act like ladies… ladies…

All good things must come to an end, and after this scrumptious and successful battle, it was time to say goodnight. Here’s our final shot of Mute and Moxie bidding each other ado! Until next time…. Allez cuisine!!