The summer of 2013 has been a busy one so far. There has been much family time, trips to the Sunshine Coast (another
camping trip in the TT with Kai as well as a
trip with both Connie and Kai) and a very good week in the Okanagan enjoying the lake. The only thing that is missing is a good few days of driving the TT, apart from the one rip around Duffy Lake I did back in May, I haven't had a chance to enjoy the car much. I have done plenty of drives to Redmond, but the slog down I-5 is hardly exciting. Not that I mind driving the TT any time but I yearn for a twisty scenic road somewhere far from Vancouver. Open road, freedom, sunny skies and the immense enjoyment I get from this car are the things I crave!
Sooo...when Connie booked her yearly summer trip to Toronto with Kai, the ones I usually skip since I simply don't have enough vacation days for it all, I seized the opportunity and booked a weekend in the Okanagan. I had it all figured out, a colleague of mine just bought a brand new Audi S5 and was also itching for a good drive. He needed to be in Kelowna this weekend so we were going to drive up together, take the scenic road via Manning Park and Keremeos. I was going to peel off in Summerland and head for the
Summerland Resort for an afternoon of lounging by the pool and catching up on magazines. The next morning I was going to rip it back across the connector and the Coquihalla to be back in time for Connie and Kai's arrival at YVR in the afternoon.
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| This is where I was going to spend the afternoon... |
Everything was set, bag packed, driving plans made and car filled up. Then on Thursday evening I noticed our cat Loki behaving strangely. He was pacing around the house and looked quite unhappy. Now Loki is a bit sensitive to pretty much anything so I didn't think too much of it, gave him a cuddle and let it be. Then Friday morning he was in distress, unable to pee so it seemed and I had to take him to the vet. Long story short, I am now at home instead of in Summerland with a sick cat, a battery of medication and a car sitting idly in the garage. In addition to yesterday's vet visit, I also spent 2 hours this morning in the animal ER since he was blocked up again.
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| Cat medication |
Since I had planned to be away the weekend I suddenly had a lot of time on my hands. After settling a drugged-out Loki in back home, I loaded up the TT with a bunch of old decking slats and took them to the dump. This was a funny experience, the TT's trunk is quite roomy and fitted the pile of slats perfectly. I drove up to the dump's entrance and lined up between pickups, vans and garbage trucks waiting to unload. The guy at the gate looked at me questioningly and asked what I had in the car. He didn't seem convinced and waved me through, probably wondering about my sanity. I then pulled into the unloading area, got rid of the slats and headed to one of my favorite lunch spots, Thomas Haas. Since I was robbed of my driving and pool lounging experience I decided to spoil myself today to make up for the disappointment.
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| Lunch! |
In addition to lunch at Thomas I also booked myself at
West for dinner tonight. I was there earlier this week (another tradition when I am home by myself, tasting menu at the bar) and it was so good that I am going to repeat the experience. My
previous post has some more about the West bar experience. I am looking forward to that!
Well, apart from updating a much neglected blog and playing a lot of video games, this day is slowly passing by. Tomorrow afternoon I will pick up Connie and Kai from the airport and life will go back to normal. Until then, I will be looking after this guy:
