Penticton Trip

Got back last night from my trip to Penticton.

On Sunday, my mother-in-law, sister-in-law, and niece picked me up at the ferry in Tswassen (took the 5:15am to get a quick start on the day), and we drove up to Penticton.  Lovely weather, construction on the highway in the Lower Mainland slowing things down a bit ... and I'd forgotten it was IronMan Sunday, so things were awkward in the interior for traffic.  We ended up being stopped not that far out of Keremeos, and told we would have to wait 20 minutes for the pilot car to take us through the course, or go back and take the Green Mountain Road as a detour.  After Noa took advantage of the facilities that happened to be available where they'd stopped us, Noni opted to go back to Green Mountain Road.  Windy road, lovely scenery, saw some beautiful horses and some foals, and a completely dilapidated old cabin which made us think of a Bob Ross painting.

Got in to Penticton about 1pm, visited with Dad very shortly and then we were heading up to the hospital to visit Mum, but with the IronMan on Main Street it was quite a wait to cross the road, and Noni decided that they'd better head out and pop back over to Green Mountain Road to get home.  Such a long day for them!  But at least we did get to visit while driving in the car.

Sat with Mum for about an hour and a half on Sunday before I wore her out, then walked home from the hospital.  Goodness, it was hot!  About 34 degrees, and I was worn out and wringing with sweat by the time I got to the house ... don't know how the Iron Athletes do it!

Dad got home just after midnight, got up to see him briefly and then back to bed, then up again after 1:30 to take something for my ankle and Dad was up as well, his back was really bothering him.  We sat up together for a while and then turned in.

Monday and Tuesday Dad and I were back and forth to the hospital twice a day ... we seemed to keep getting there when the nurses were doing stuff with Mum and having to wait 15 or 20 minutes before we could start visiting.  I guess we kept her up too long on Tuesday, as yesterday she was very tired and she said that after breakfast they were going to put her back in bed as she'd been up too long the day before.

It's tough seeing Mum in the hospital, but at least she's getting the care and they have the lifts to get her back and forth between the bed and the wheelchair.  We're not sure when she'll be into an interim facility, and once she gets into a permanent bed she wants it to be at Trinity in Penticton, on Green Avenue ... Dad says because it's close to the Barley Mill.  They're looking forward to going on dates to the pub once she's in Trinity.

It's been awfully tough on Dad.  He's still working, and trying to get things done around the house for housework and gardening, and now starting to pull boxes up from the crawl-space to go through and determine what's garbage, what needs to go to family members, and what can be sold at a yard sale or given to charity.  It'll be a long process of winnowing.

Maxx drove up Tuesday night after work, with the dogs, as we figured out if he took the ferry the next morning we wouldn't be able to make it back down to the ferries to be able to get home for a decent sleep before he works today.  So, he made it in to Penticton close to 2:30am Wednesday morning, immediately crashed.  Hobgoblin hopped up onto the bed with us and was ambling around, but when Maxx told him to lie down and go to sleep he immediately did so, pressed between us.  Angel for some reason had difficulty getting up onto the hide-a-bed, but I got her up and she was so excited to see me that she didn't sleep for quite some time.  Messy kisser!

We headed out of Penticton yesterday at about 12:30pm, later than Maxx had hoped.  Managed to pick up a bit of fresh fruit at Bear's fruit stand in Keremeos, and grabbed a quick lunch in Princeton at the Dairy Queen.  There was construction at Twin Lakes, and in Manning Park, and of course in the Lower Mainland, but we hit Horseshoe Bay at 6:45pm, so we figured we'd be on the 7:30pm ferry, but they let us on the 6:55pm one, so that was a nice piece of luck ... not that it would have been much of a wait.  Grabbed dinner on board, then hung out in the car with the dogs.

Since arriving in Penticton, Angel hasn't let me out of her sight.  I guess she was very upset that I was gone, and now she has some separation anxiety.  She loves me so much!

Anyway, Maxx is getting ready for work now (I work tomorrow), and he's very tired, poor man.  I'm glad I don't work as travelling always messes up my back and I'm very sore right now!  Going to relax and read a book today.