Every spring I help my mom get her patio ready for summer
which entails either a 5-hour drive to get to Kelowna where she lives, or else a
short flight. With time at a premium, I usually opt for the flight so that I
have maximum time to indulge myself in a number of my favourite activities.
Here are just a few of them:

1.      
Visiting with family including some concentrated
mother/daughter girl-time (a pleasure that my busy schedule doesn’t allow me often
enough). 

2.      
Sharing a 5pm (sharp!)  happy hour with my mom, consisting of
Manhattans served in stemmed glasses (complete with a cherry-on-a-stick),  accompanied by an assortment of yummy
snacks  (with my typical schedule
involving long work-days and dinner rarely before 8:30 or 9pm, sitting down for
an early and leisurely happy hour followed by dinner at 6:30 is a rare treat!).

3.      
Puttering
around Dogwood Nursery (my mom’s favourite nursery) where we choose vibrant
coloured geraniums, verbena, and other heat-tolerant plants in striking colour
combos to complement Mom’s patio décor.

With Mom’s condominium rules allowing only small dogs, my
previous dog Kaya who weighed in at 60 pounds was never a contender for such a
trip, but Penny, my little wire-haired Dachshund with her 12-pound sausage-shaped
frame, certainly is! I therefore decided I’d surprise my mom with not one, but
two house guests. I was flying West Jet so I gave them a call to find out the
rules regarding flying with a pet in-cabin. Apparently, there’s a limit as to
how many dogs can be in-cabin on a flight (I believe it’s two), so luckily
Penny was granted boarding and we paid an additional $50 (each way) for the
privilege. BTW, dogs need to be able to fit in an appropriately sized pet-travelling
case that allows them the ability to turn around. The case also needs to be
able to fit under the seat in front of you where the dog must be stowed until
you’re ready to disembark, with all openings entirely zipped up. Going through
security was a little nerve-wracking as I had to juggle Penny in her case along
with all my carry-on stuff until I was ready to place my handbag, computer,
Penny’s travel-bag and other carry-ons through the x-ray scanner.  I could then take Penny out of her bag whereupon
I held Penny and walked through the metal detecting device. Once through we
made our way down to our boarding gate where we received loads of smiles and "cute
dog" compliments from fellow travelers.

Stopping at the Budget counter to get our vehicle, presents another photo opp…

The short flight took just 30 minutes or so and then there
we were there! The fruit orchards were in full and fragrant bloom while the
vivid blue sky contrasting with the green grass and pinkish white apple blossoms were a
feast for the eyes. Mom was delighted I had brought Penny (saying multiple
times that she was such a well-behaved, calm dog which of course pleased me
beyond reason) and Penny enjoyed the numerous country walks we took together.
I’m sure the highlight of the trip for her (next to seeing my mom and be allowed to snuggle with her on her bed), was a walk we took that passed by a hillside
populated by at least a hundred marmots. They’d run to their burrows when they
saw us coming, making funny squeaking sounds as they’d plunge down into their
tunnels, but would then cautiously poke their heads out again to see where we
were at. Penny was running from one burrow to the next, but always just missed
an encounter. It was hilarious to watch, but if allowed, I’m sure she would
have drawn upon her instinctual hunting skills to root one out; it is after all
what these types of dogs were bred for.

 

Here’s one curious little fellow who couldn’t stay hidden for long…

 

Penny enjoying the sun while I plant Mom’s patio pots…

 

Penny and I each had a delightful weekend get-away filled with all
our favourite things!!