FAMILY, WINE, SETTLERS, AND CHEAP BBQ!

A 36 hour visit is pretty short but we sure crammed in quite a bit in that time period. D & Z (and, of course, their beautiful retriever Nina) are trekking their way to Victoria. Prior to their arrival, I find myself at Petsmart looking for a "gift" for Nina. How does one buy a gift for a dog? It seems that dogs can never have enough toys so I find myself stuck in the toy aisle, confused by the selection of chew toys that loom around me. Why do they make toys that are "cute" by human standards (like a cuddly monkey or a chubby rabbit)? Can dogs really make that distinction? Just then, a lady enters the aisle with her dog. The dog makes a B-line towards this toy found on one of the lower shelves and snatches it. It's a chew toy shaped like a jack (those multi-sided things that you play with on a sidewalk while bouncing a ball). It's plush, the size of a basketball and is in different colours (wait, aren't dogs colourblind?). Thankful for the impromptu focus group survey, I grab one of those jacks and a red Petsmart tennis ball.

As they pull in, I help with some of the bags. Nina has a much needed conversation with Mother Nature and then we head inside. As soon as Nina steps in, she spots the tennis ball and darts for it. Instantly, the ball is in her mouth and she retreats to a corner, wagging her tail wildly in contentment. The plush jack is pretty much ignored, but she would eventually grab it and play with it too. That's when I find out that, embedded at the ends of each arm of the jack is a squeaker, chirping each time she bites down on it.

Dinner at Sushi Towa, breakfast at Second Cup, lunch at Saigon Palace. Romps through Edworthy and Fish Creek. Lessons in limnology and river ecologies. AND LOTS OF SETTLERS! The second dinner was a full course steak dinner (not like the simple ones that I usually prepare). Z's culinary prowess proved that a great meal can be prepared in the simplest of kitchens. To help compliment the meal, we welcomed a troop of eventual empties that would contain: Big Red House California Red, Fat Bastard Limited Release Cabernet Sauvignon, NKMIP Merlot, Jackson Triggs Cabernet Sauvignon, and Sandhill Chardonnay. Dinner was topped off by some delicious mousses. Originally, we were going to head down to the Red Mile after dinner, since it was game 7 of the Flames vs. the Ducks. But, because of a certain choking incident, we agreed that the now famous stretch of 17th Avenue would be pretty quiet. So, we played more Settlers. Z is a really good player. But, we figured that with all the wine consumed, this should help level the playing field. No such luck, as Z whooped us! Still, both D and I managed to win a game during those two days of playing.

So, they're off now, on a spectacular drive through the mountains to eventually arrive on the coast. Meanwhile, back in Calgary, I'm discovering the wonderful community of Craig's List. Convinced that broiling steak is not safe in the long run (a couple of steaks have already set on fire due to being so close to the oven's broiling element), I've long considered a BBQ grill. There is a natural gas hookup in my patio so a natural gas BBQ grill would be preferable. Yet, the fact that natural gas grills are typically more expensive than the propane equivalent has made me gun shy. "Broil King NG BBQ - $20". What?! Apparently, there is someone in the NW that just recently purchased a new grill and is looking to unload his old one. So, after a quick inspection to make sure that all the elements work, I walk away with a CHEAP GRILL! MUCH THANKS TO G WHO HELPED ME CART THE THING BACK IN HIS F-150!!

Now, to prepare for my parents' visit in a couple of weeks...