Trust is the first step to love. -Munshi Premchand, novelist and poet (31 Jul 1880-1936)
Hello Lads and Wonderful Elaine! Had a message from Bill Dempster, (former bar-keep at VRC), earlier this week, and thought that you might be curious to hear what he has been up to, of late. He lives in Moncton.
On the home front, Wednesday evening we had been invited, by Lynne and Peter, friends from Naramata, for an early dinner. Peter was off on a business trip next day, (Next trip, after this one, is to Chile and he hopes to see Joyce and Tony Maycock!), and didn't want a particularly late night. Other guests, Gail and Alan Nixon, fellow Naramatians, arrived. Peter plays duplicate bridge with Gail and since he had cancelled the evening game to have us for dinner he felt they should at least include the Nixons!
Gail and Alan have been living here for past three years but until that time were in Vancouver. Since they are both from Ireland, (Cork, for Gail, nursing, Belfast, medical school, for Alan), originally, I thought it highly likely that they would know Lorna and Dave Robinson. Turns out that they are extremely good friends and the Robinsons have visited a number of times, last trip but a few months ago! Alan also knows you, Glasgow, professionally more so than socially, I believe!
Over dinner, Gail mentioned a place called Lost Moose Lodge, way up, high in the hills east of Penticton. Yesterday, while en route to doing a number of errands, we took Carmi, near Penticton Regional Hospital, all the way to the lodge. Climb reminded me quite a bit of so-called Palms to Pines highway in Palm Desert. It is about 10 km from our place to lodge so that is my punishing adventure for today. Wish me Buona Fortuna! If I don't make it, Elinor Culos, (She is in Naramata, over long- weekend, with a group of girlfriends, cycling from winery to winery! She will stay overnight, on Monday, along with Jane and Kjell! Almost like having The Sutherland Freeloaders, and their entourage, back in town!), and Cora Lee will have even more wine to consume on Monday evening! Best wishes from Cora Lee to one and all. Fondestos and Cheers, Patrizzio!
Didn't leave until after 5:30 pm as day was bakingly hot! Knew I had a very, very good climb ahead, (9 km), and once I started up Carmi I felt I was in Le Tour with my own personal L'Alpe d'Huez waiting to grind me up. No leveling off until I'd ridden 2 km, past a sub-station and the end of the residential part of the city there. Caught my breath and girded my loins for the next 4 km until I reached Sendero Canyon, a new housing development, where road levels off, slightly. Then back to more pretty steep grades. I was reminded of Box Canyon Road, in Simi Valley, off Santa Susannah Pass, a punishing route I discovered over the times we house sat for Ayn's cousin there. Bit of respite when I reached the Penticton Speedway.
Grade flattened out, somewhat, but still a good huff and a puff. One last, short, fair steep climb, on the side road that leads to Lost Moose Lodge itself and then a much welcomed breather as I turned around in the small parking lot there. Although it was downhill all the way, and needed not a shred of pedaling, certainly not, at least for me, particularly easy psychological descent as some of the stretches are so steep that I had to be careful at how quickly I traversed them, not wanting to launch myself into mid-air. Didn't actually smell my brakes burning but I'm sure I need to have them checked next time I have my bike in for a regular service.
Fortunately, most of the road surface is pretty smooth so I didn't have to worry about broken pavement or potholes. Unfortunately, there was really only one long stretch on which I felt I could throw caution to the wind so my overall AVG didn't really shoot up as I had hoped it might. Nevertheless, I made it down without incident and then made for Lakeshore Drive as I wanted to "stretch" my legs after not having had to use them on descent. Temperature along the lake and beside Pentincton Creek was deliciously cool so I quite enjoyed the last part of the ride. Overall, quite pleased with how my body responded to the longest, steepest climb I've ever attempted. Imagine a steeper UBC Foreshore Hill X 4! Stats for ride:
https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/851372868#.VbzzReOmsvI.email
Back home to have a quick shower and then I mixed a couple of G'nT's to go with the wonderful salad Mme Coriandre had already put together, adding some crumbled Feta on top, to go with the sausages she had done on the bbq while i was bathing. When everything was ready we repaired to The Rumpus Room to watch more episodes of Homeland. Three episodes was all Cora Lee could take it was her bedtime. Had started to cool off by 11:30 pm so we opened all the windows, (not only in our bedroom but also throughout the house), as is now our practice, and with the ceiling fan, it was just right for sleeping.
Sorry Pat, I’ll get back to you soon -I’m still working on my OKV photos. I’ll give you my wine winners also. cheers, Bill.
Hello to our Favourite Naramatians! Thank you both for such a delightful evening with such plentiful, fabulous, fabulous food, [Your jumbo prawns were simply divine, Lynne, not to even mention the 17 Star Michelin meal!], and wonderful, wonderful local drink. Terrific, of course, to meet Gail and Alan.Fondestos from Lady Mary, off to find paint. As if we need another set of chores! Cheers, Patrizzio!
PS: I keep meaning to thank you, Dom Patrón, for your support of my GranFondo endeavour. Much, much appreciated. At any rate, thank you so much for your interest in and generosity towards Aunt Leah's. (Chloë also mentioned, when we chatted last night, that tax receipts were going out in next little while.)
Hi, Ok, to confirm….. 5 guest in total, all taking the shuttle from Penticton. Can you please give me the name of the 5th guest? Am I right in remembering that one of you is gluten free? I have one credit card on file, shall I just process all 5 tickets on that card and you can sort things out on your end? Looking forward to hearing from you. Warm regards, VIRGINIA
Thanks so much-wow, Flash and Super K's girls are growing up. What redheads too, wonder where that came from??? So many adventures. I really read huge amounts of this, especially the parts with Alistair, but please, if you announced a visit to Villa Vicente in the last half of the message, buried in the bike stats, do call it to my attention.
Senora Elise and her beau are taking us out (belated Birthday dinner) to a prestigious Oakland bistro this evening; we are recuperating from our long morning doing nothing in preparation. Well, I'm not really good at doing nothing. Happy revolutions (wheels, not regimes, although if you can swing that....) Cactus
No comments:
Post a Comment