Jan 1 - catching up

Sandy is sleeping as I type this - it's just after 4pm. Ok, I confess that I just got up myself. We've had an oh-so-strenuous day so far:

-- I went to Mass for 9am, it's a Catholic New Years thing
-- when I got back I rushed in and got the camera to take a picture of ... an elk ... I was researching for a bit before I typed this, not sure if it was an elk or caribou. This one had a good sized rack
-- we took Abby for a hike, walking quite a way up the climb to the base of Mt. Norquay. Sandy was having trouble with climbing in the snow since her boots have slippery bottoms
-- on the way up we encountered two more elk, both with full racks
-- we then drove up to Norquay, checking out the ski resort
-- we went into town, parking and getting some food in the grocery store, eating same in the car
-- we walked around town a bit, visiting a few shops. I'd guess that about have the stores are open, more than I expected for New Years Day
-- back to our hotel ... we rested.

Where we eat tonight will depend on how busy it is. There is lots of choice in town. We were looking online for a restaurant with a salad bar but so far have not found anything. There are two "Keg" restaurants, but they don't appear to have salad bars ... too bad.

Sandy just rolled over and partly opened her eyes ... Abby came over to check things out, doesn't want to miss out on anything.

I have no idea whether or not we have internet service at the cottage in Revelstoke. It's not in town; I don't know what to expect. Sandy doesn't know either. I also don't know if there will be cell phone access there. In case anyone needs to get hold of us, here is the info:

MacPherson Lodge
2135 Clough Road, P.O. Box 2615
Revelstoke, BC, Canada V0E 2S0
Phone: (250) 837-7041

-------

It's morning again. We thought that we'd try a restaurant called "Caramba" that seemed to be the same format as its namesake in Whistler. We got to the restaurant and found that it was full and we'd have a long wait but the host suggested that we sit at the bar and the menu would be the same. That worked for us ... oh, and by the way, the name of the restaurant had changed to "The Meatball". Caramba in Whistler had an open kitchen -- open that is, to the diners. The Meatball was the same format, so at one point perhaps someone had copied same.

They were busy so service was slow, but we were not in a hurry. It was actually quieter in the bar than in the restaurant; we sat by the window and relaxed. Sandy had a glass of wine and I had a beer.

We started with what were called zucchini fritters. I'd expected something more like "fingers" but they were "patties". The zucchini had been diced or ground very small, along with onions and peppers and asagio (sp?) cheese. They were excellent. For the main course, I had spaghetti with meatballs in a red sauce. The meatballs were lamb and beef. They (the meatballs) had an interesting texture, fairly dry, so the meat must have been very lean or any fat cooked out of them. Overall it was good, but very lightly spiced so somewhat bland. I added some crushed chilies to spice it up but that doesn't change the underlying taste, for me at least. Some "Franks" or another sauce would have added more flavor. Regardless, I enjoyed my meal. Sandy ordered ravioli and, in an unusual turn of events, was finished long before me. She said that she was going to regret it -- not finishing before me but eating the whole thing -- but it seems that she has slept well.

She's still sleeping soundly at 7:20 a.m. in spite of the fact that we're in a hotel room here and I'm making lots of noise and the bathroom light is spilling into the room. I've fed Abby and once it's light I'll take her for a walk. Abby is also sleeping, making doggie-dream sounds. Perhaps she's seeing that elk from yesterday in her mind's eye. Perhaps she's playing with Mya or running on the beach ... who knows !

I exchanged a few emails with David yesterday and talked live to Stef and Jeffrey. From the sounds of things Stef and Aaron have finished their laminate installation project in the basement, so we'll see that on our way to Florida. It was much more involved than she expected -- they had to level the floor -- and took much longer than she expected -- ah yes, she's learning that nothing takes as little time or is as easy as "they say". I'm sure that most small home improvement projects would never take place if people knew how long it would take. That wouldn't translate into more jobs for small contractors, but would translate into fewer sales at Home Depot.

Jeffrey and Sara were at a New Years Day party with friends. It seems that they've found the perfect format for people with young children -- go to bed early on the eve and then have a party during the day. There was a ruckus in the background; it sounded like fun.

I had some of my travel dates & times mixed up in my mind. Today is Saturday ... we travel to Revelstoke. We ski this upcoming week -- six days, not seven -- and then next Saturday, the 9th, we drive to Saskatoon. We spend Sunday with Sue Cockroft nee Palmer who grew up with Sandy the on Monday the 11th we drive to Brandon. Tuesday the 12th we drive to Thunder Bay and see Philip overnight; Wednesday the 13th we should be back at the cottage. That puts us at the cottage for four full days until the 18th and we'll drive to Stef's and be in Florida by the end of the 20th. The blog schedule was correct but somehow I was thinking that we'd be skiing seven days at Revelstoke.

The weather here at this point, and at Revelstoke, is just below freezing. It looks like it will stay that way for the upcoming week, likely some rain and/or snow at the base of the mountain and colder up top. The current forecast for Friday is 11C ... who knows if that will hold / come earlier / change ... but we'll take it a day at a time. Once Sandy is rolling this morning we'll pack and head out. I'll go to Mass this evening -- 7pm in Revelstoke, which would be 8pm here in MST -- so we'll eat dinner first. I sent an email to the lodge to ask about internet -- they do have website and have responded to emails before -- but have not heard back from them.

Onward and upward !