Chapter I -- Summer Holidays

I always wish summer weather began in June but it rarely does in Calgary.  However, this year, we spent the first few days of the month in Vegas (see previous blog post) and temperatures were very hot so it was nice to come back to cool Alberta.  A week later, we played windy golf at the annual departmental tournament, our first of the season (an attempt in April ended with a snowstorm).  Two days later, we golfed at Valley Ridge (I had a 175 3-wood shot of which I am very proud) and did the first nine holes beside the high, fast-flowing Bow River until torrential rains forced us into the clubhouse where we enjoyed supper with Meg and Mike (it was a mother's/father's day celebration).

A week later, the front nine was no more.  The "flood of the century" hit Calgary when a heavy rainstorm dumped over 100 mm on Canmore swelling Cougar Creek.  It washed away the Trans-Canada highway as it rushed to join the now raging Bow River.  Meanwhile, the Elbow River tore apart Bragg Creek.  These turbulent waters met in Calgary and flooded most our downtown.  We live on a hill so did not experience the suffering of others in the city.  It was quite surreal.

Our holiday plans were to drive to Victoria in two days but with the Trans-Canada highway closed, it would mean heading north to Red Deer, then west through Rocky Mountain House to Lake Louise.  Normally, the Calgary-Lake Louise drive takes two hours, this route would take us five.  Luckily for us, the highway crews worked around the clock to clear the road of debris and make it safe to travel.  Highway #1 opened the afternoon before we left.

We experienced no real delay in travel time so had lunch at our favourite bistro, the Whitetooth Mountain, in Golden.  I always enjoy their homemade soups so ordered the carrot/almond special--it was thick with almonds and very tasty.  Glen had their Reuben while I went west coast and had their salmon wrap, also very good.

We then held our breath as we travelled though the avalanche sheds on the way to Revelstoke.  Last year, we hit a chunk of wood which made our holiday less than relaxing.  This time we passed through without a problem although were saddened to see the hotel where we took shelter was now boarded up.

We arrived in Salmon Arm around 4:00 MDT but it was only 3:00 pm in this lakeside town.  Fortunately, we could check into the Best Western, then walked to the local mall for coffee.  Dinner was at the Hideaway Pub.  We were disappointed their fiery hot wings were no longer on the menu but did enjoy a cooler version.  Glen had chicken Alfredo with a caesar salad while I created my own veggie pizza.

The next day after a 'free' breakfast, we ate a picnic lunch at the Information Centre in Chilliwack.  Glen began to relax as we boarded the 3:00 pm ferry and enjoyed a heaping cup of 'ferry ice cream' (see photo).  The crossing was perfectly calm and the weather a delight.  It hasn't changed over the week we've had here in Victoria.  Some days have been warmer than others but basically the temps are in the low 20ºCs.

We unloaded the car then went to Christie's for supper (it's a tradition).  Glen had the stuffed yorkie which was huge while I enjoyed a Greek salad and pot stickers.  We drank Blue Buck beer while watching the antics of a bunch of lab techs who were celebrating two retirements.

Saturday involved mundane chores like grocery shopping and getting the van boosted as the battery had gone dead.  In the evening, we met friends from Calgary, Elma and Tony, and took them for a scenic drive around Victoria before dining at Penny Farthing in Oak Bay.  I had a fantastic bowl of Salt Spring Island mussels while Elma and Tony had wild salmon sandwiches.  Glen had fish and chips and again we drank Blue Buck.

Sunday we began to get serious about golf and hit the driving range.  Monday was Canada Day and we ordered our new stove which arrived a week later.  Tuesday we played 9 holes at Mt. Doug with two older women, Ronnie and Pearl.  It was nice for me to actually play with women.  Afterwards we met up with a couple we had chatted with last year, Rob and Yonnie and had coffee with them on the new patio at Mt. Doug.

Wednesday we did a banking run so went to Don Mee's for lunch.  We arrived at noon and I couldn't believe they had run out of sticky rice and sesame seed balls, two of my favourites.  However, they did have dumplings which were new and were shaped like tiny flying saucers.  They were tasty, too!   We then walked up Fort Street so Glen could buy his Cohibas at the Cuban Cigar Store.

We both had work to do over the course of the week and there are always chores that must be done but on Friday, we golfed at Cedar Hill with two Waynes.   They were older gentlemen and kindly gave us tips on improving our game.  I may have hit close to 200 yards on one of my drives.  Too bad my putting sucked.

Other than experiencing an earth tremor which made me feel like the couch had become a 'glider', we've had a pretty uneventful week and it is beginning to actually feel like a holiday.