Aquattro Blog
February 07th, 2010
It is early here at Aquattro and never a dull moment – the lagoon is always full of activity from runners to bird watchers to people just gazing out over the ocean.
This morning I spotted the big red Canadian Coast Guard just sitting off the shoreline here by the Lagoon, a smaller navy ship was just off to the left.
The sky was overcast and a little dreary – but the sun just kept trying to poke through the clouds.
There was a little deer nibbling on the grass beside our presentation center - it was a beautiful way to start my day!
Cheers Heather
February 02nd, 2010
On Monday February 1st we had a Canadian Forces Sea King Helicopter Fly within 300 yards of the Aquattro sales centre…above is the picture! I was told by one of the parents at a Scout meeting 2 weeks ago that the Canadian Navy is celebrating its 100th birthday this June! From what he tells me the Naval Centennial will take place from the 11th to the the 13th of June. Some 30 ships from around the world will be at anchor just of the lagoon. On Friday the 11th a fireworks display will take place with the fireworks barge anchored just off the shore to the south of Fort Rodd Hill. (Very close to Aquattro) On Saturday the ships will be lined up for the revue by the Governor General followed by a display by the Snowbirds in the afternoon which will be centered over the lagoon !
More information can be found at the navy website here:
http://www.navy.forces.gc.ca/centennial/3/3-c_eng.asp?category=121&title=258
January 07th, 2010
This morning was an unbelievable sunrise….when I walked past a local resident here at AQUATTRO on my way down to the beach, she asked me if I saw the sunrise this morning? I said I took some pictures…
7:35am 8:00am
Now I should clarify that I am not a photographer, and I have never really gone bird watching. What I have started to do in the morning is take my camera with me when I go for a walk or run.
This morning was cool and very clear, a few people passed me along my journey but the most exciting activity I witnessed was the abundance of bird life down here…. We are a bonafide “Bird Sanctuary” after all.
My first encounter were these wonderful peaceful little ducks.
At every beach you will find thousands of seagulls … our beach is no different.
This sign appeared in the early summer months, and for good reason. The dogs that come down to the ocean for their daily walk love all the wildlife.
Swans are so magical and soft looking.
Funny last week there were two otters in the lagoon and none of the birds would go into the water. This morning the otters and cranes could not be found.
You will always find someone down at the beach feeding the birds; I know they flew around me thinking I had some seed; the neat thing about that is you can catch a picture with the birds in flight right in front of you…My picture turned out blurry.
The beach is very clean, although one thing I do is pick up any garbage that the seagulls have pulled from the trash…
Enjoy,
Heather
December 29th, 2009
The Top Ten activities to do at Aquattro has been brought to you by the residents who live here….
#10. Take a canvas or a camera down to the beach…. 
#9. Spend a romantic evening in a canoe on the Lagoon under the moonlight.
#8. Do the famous garden tour at “Hatley Castle”
#7. Feed the ducks and swans down at the Lagoon
#6. Take a walk up the hill to our neighborhood bakery “Royal Bay Bakery” and have a coffee and danish.
#5. Pick apples and Blackberries all around the Aquattro property.
#4. Have a picnic at the beach.
#3. Watch the sail boats on Sunday. 
#2. Walk your dog through the orchard down to the beach. 
#1. Walk the trails on the 650 acre property of Royal Roads. (our neighbor)
December 22nd, 2009
This morning was below zero the ponds had once again froze over; I bundled myself up and headed off to run Ocean Blvd… I was doing a short walk down to the ocean with another resident who was off to rebait his crab traps…. He said it was such a storm yesterday he could not get out to check them….They now have been in the water for over 24 hours..
Norm rows his canoe out about 500 yards from the shoreline….. and drops his traps, leaves them for a day or less and then retrieves them….
This morning I ran my usual 5km across the ocean…sun shining in all her glory – while Norm rowed out….to check his traps..
When I returned just 30 minutes later there he was with two giant crabs in hand…. he thought the traps would have been empty….
I asked him what he was going to do with his catch of the day – “Share them with my friends who arrive from Whistler today” he said… What a great idea for crab cake appetizers or whole crabs and garlic butter dinner……
I asked Norm to stand in front of my Christmas tree for a photo….. Crabs for Christmas….
Cheers, Heather
December 15th, 2009
We had an early visit from Santa making deliveries to the aquattro sales centre. Pictured above is Heather, (Santa) Phil and Donna. Phil has been Aquattro’s first postman but he just informed us todat that he is retiring after 25 years! I guess he can do some side work now at the malls!
December 15th, 2009
Here are two gorgeous paintings hanging in the lobby of Aquattro’s first building, the Adriatic, by Artist Patti Reynolds. Patti also happens to be the sister of Peter Daniel, the developer of Aquattro! Patti was commissioned to paint what she thought would compliment the theme of the development…Aqua…water! Residents first moved into the Adriatic in May 2009…just in time to take advantage of the phenomenal summer weather we had in Victoria. I think it only rained three times between May and September!
Above is Patti Reynold’s next piece which she had done for the second building completed at Aquattro in September…the Baltic II. Patti really captures what it is like to walk through the old growth forest of Royal Roads, just across the street from Aquattro. A great work-out is to walk the entire 10 KM loop around the campus and along the beach back to Aquattro…bring your water bottle!
December 05th, 2009
At 8am this morning I checked my outside thermometer to see how cold it was….I was on my way for a brisk walk along Ocean Blvd. It read 15.3 degrees…. I thought this must be wrong… It was not… My deck is south facing and the sun was high and strong… Coffee on the deck this morning was fabulous!
As I walked past the apple orchard I took a picture of the gorgeous fresh morning; looking south towards Victoria….It was peaceful and very surreal with a few deer nibbling at the bushes along the walk way… I also notice ice which had formed in the puddles….. Zero Degrees!
While I was out walking it got me thinking about my Geo-Thermal Heating and Cooling system that I have in my home here at Aquattro – in the summer when we had our heat wave, my home was always 72 degrees… even when I was having a BBQ party and the sliding doors where open…always 72 degrees…when the weather cooled outside as we headed into the winter season…my temperature remained at 72 degrees… I have not touched my thermostat since I set it in May when I moved in…..constant, comfortable and zero emission into the atmosphere.. I am doing my part to sustain a smaller footprint on the world…and all for just $88.00 a month… Now that is something to smile about when I think back to paying my heating bills in Whistler – which were $450 – $500 every other month for the same square footage of 2025 sq. ft. …Yikes..
Heather
December 03rd, 2009
7am…The sun looked as if it was rising from the ocean…. It illuminated the sky with orange, lavender, and pink hues… Absolutely gorgeous…and inspiring..
8:45 am …Left the Aquattro community and headed down Seafield and up the hill on Heatherbell…
Here is a shot overlooking the 50 acre development of Aquattro….Adriatic – Baltic I & II and the six completed townhomes…
9am… Down Lagoon drive heading towards Ocean blvd I meet up with a resident from Aquattro walking her two adorable beagles…and I can tell they love it here…dogs have such a great way of letting you know they love the outdoors…
9:15am…walking along Ocean Blvd and looking out over the ocean I can see three big ships… one is definelty from the Canadian Navy and looks as if they are training for some upcoming mission…on the other side of the road is the Lagoon and there is a photographer setting up to take pictures of the swans and many other birds swimming peacefully along the shoreline…
9:30am….I am always amazed at the amount of activity along the ocean I witness each morning as I get my day started with a little fresh air and exercise…always a smiling face to say hello to; or I can find a place of solitude to reflect upon my day….
As I venture home I run into another resident of Aquattro with her handsome well trained dog “Maestro” a little chat and we are both on our way to start a fabulous day!!
Heather :)
November 30th, 2009
In late October we successfully moved our show suite from the bottom of the property up to the center of our development….and it is almost ready to become the new “CLUB HOUSE”….. The location is perfect for easy access from all three of our finished buildings and townhomes… Stay tuned for our grand opening celebration…
Heather and Jeff
