When Connie Dere first told her 37-year-old son about her retirement plans, he began to cry.

B次元官网网址淚 donB次元官网网址檛 want to change my lifestyle,B次元官网网址� said Edward, the youngest of Connie and her husband HonB次元官网网址檚 two sons.

Edward now lives in Rhode Island and conducts medical research at Michigan State University, but for years, he and his brother Steve spent their summers serving ice cream and renting out paddle boats at the Elk Lake Restaurant and Water Sport Rental B次元官网网址� a business their parents have run from morning until night, seven days a week for the last 30 years.

This weekend Connie and Hon will drive to the lake from their Gordon Head home and open the restaurant one last time.

B次元官网网址淲hen people come here, theyB次元官网网址檙e so happy. ThatB次元官网网址檚 why the time has gone by so fast,B次元官网网址� Connie said. B次元官网网址淚 didnB次元官网网址檛 know I would be here for 30 years.B次元官网网址�

Once all of the paddle boats have been sold off and the keys handed over to the new owners, Connie isnB次元官网网址檛 sure how sheB次元官网网址檒l react to leaving the business behind.

B次元官网网址淚B次元官网网址檓 a little scared,B次元官网网址� she said. B次元官网网址淚 spend more time here than my house. I think IB次元官网网址檓 going to be uncomfortable for a while.B次元官网网址�

Dealing with break and enters, including a July incident that resulted in a stolen safe and business records, has left HonB次元官网网址檚 feelings toward the closure more mixed. B次元官网网址淓very year when we (see the damage) our hearts drop,B次元官网网址� he said.

The new owners, Lance Watson and Paul Regensburg of the Subaru Western triathlon series and LifeSport Coaching, have had their eye on the area as a possible location for administration space for years before approaching the Deres.

B次元官网网址淲hen the (adjacent) mini golf lot went up for sale, we hummed and hawed, and it became the cat clinic,B次元官网网址� Watson said. B次元官网网址淲e kicked ourselves for missing it, so later we talked to the restaurant owners and it was great timing. They were ready to retire.B次元官网网址�

Watson and Regensburg plan to build a two-storey, 2,900 square-foot, split-share building and sublet half, ideally to a tenant in the health field, which fits within the current zoning.

The duo, who have been previously working from home, take possession Sept. 24.

B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 the end of an era: a husband and wife team who have put in those types of hours to pass on opportunity to their kids B次元官网网址� tireless work and a frugal lifestyle,B次元官网网址� said Saanich Mayor Frank Leonard. B次元官网网址淭heyB次元官网网址檝e put a couple of kids through university, all because Mom and Dad rented kayaks and sold hot dogs.B次元官网网址�

Leonard has twice used the restaurant as an election night headquarters and, like other park visitors, frequents the restaurant for coffee after walking the 10-kilometre trail route each weekend.

The Deres moved to Victoria from Hong Kong via Montreal, eventually settling on the West Coast for the weather. Although the two still enjoy a paddle boat ride from time to time, Connie, 61 and Hon, 64, donB次元官网网址檛 have the same energy once they get off the boat, Connie said.

B次元官网网址淚B次元官网网址檓 very happy for them,B次元官网网址� Leonard said. B次元官网网址淭heyB次元官网网址檝e worked hard and earned a retirement more than anyone I know.B次元官网网址�

nnorth@saanichnews.com

B次元官网网址搘ith files from Travis Paterson