Today was a  much needed rest day which included re-organizing and catching up on the blogging. I actually spent a good three or four hours catching up on e-mail, re-organizing the website and writing blog posts. After lunch I made a quick to do list and rode the bike into town with empty bags. First on the agenda was fixing the stove. I hit a few hardware places that had never seen such a thing.  I settled on buying a cheap but simple back up that uses the gel canisters you see being used in buffets. Then it was an inside blanket/liner for my sleeping bag which I found a reasonable facsimile. I didn’t have time to sew up the ends like a pouch but it should do fine and it is light. While in the store I ran into my soccer coach Herb Weiner and his wife who I hadn’t seen in 22 years! We chatted about what I was doing and they wished me well. Next was a razor, bar soap and soap case which I found no problem. While in the store I ran into the guy who helped me in the hardware store who explained where the radio station and news paper company were located. The radio station was not open as predicted but before going to the Osoyoos times I hit the post office and mailed out about half my cards and stickers to a friend in Scarborough. This is to reduce weight of course! Finally I stopped in at the Osoyoos times and it seemed I was expected as one of the writers was already following my progress – cool. We did an interview so hopefully there will be something there soon (I will keep you posted). Everyone I met was genuinely very supportive and interested in my journey which made for a great day.

I did stock up on food as well before heading back to the hotel where I took a break and had a beer at the lake shore where the sun was shining. I was invited to dinner with the hotel staff which I readily agreed to. After a lovely dinner the card game came out; I knew it they were after my money! The game we played is called “Sequence” at the goal is to capture 2 sequences of 5 cards on the board between you and your partner. I was paired up with Geoff probably because it just worked out that way or more likely because we looked like easy targets. In the practice round those predictions turned true as we were all over the place but when played for real our dominance became apparent and the team was broken up. During the games we had great conversations about life and how Osoyoos has changed. I can’t thank Chris, Trish, Geoff, Cloey and Wesley enough for a fabulous dinner and great company!
Balcony shot!
Beach shot!