It’s raining in Vancouver, B.C., as we try to make plans for our only free day. We’re trying to avoid getting in the car, but the dogs limit what we can do and where we can go. For example, we’d probably take the Hop-On-Hop-Off or Trolley Tour of the city but they are not allowed. The high rise Residence Inn that we’re staying in does not have any grassy areas within a half-mile but claims to be dog-friendly. Taking them outside involves key cards, crowded elevators, and busy sidewalks. Last night, we found a leash-less dog park in an adjacent neighborhood with some restored Victorian homes and crosswalks painted with rainbow stripes. We picked up Chinese-to-go and ate in the room. 

I did manage to get-in my run this morning, but somehow got separated from my wife and the dogs crossing over the Burrard Street Bridge from The West End neighborhood where our hotel is located to Kitsilano and back. My wife got stuck with both dogs and the stroller. Tomorrow is the start of Carnaval de Sol, the biggest Latin festival in the Pacific Northwest, adding to the diverse activities happening in the Canadian ‘Couve.  We’d like to stroll through the Gastown District, check-out the steam clock, see the Sam Key structure, the world’s shallowest commercial building, and experience Fly Over Canada.  Right now we’re waiting for the skies to clear, so I had an opportunity to write a few words. I think the dogs are grateful for the rest.

Our room has a massive outdoor patio overlooking a construction project next door. We did not get the King Sky Suite that they originally had reserved for us because of the dogs. They claimed that they had no record of the dogs, even though I had noted them clearly on my reservation request. As a result, there was a bit of a hassle checking-in, although they made every polite effort to accommodate this change. We did get stuck with two Queens rather than the King, but the dogs were happy to have their own bed. They also waved the $75 pet charge to make up for the oversight. The room is small but quiet even despite the construction and lower floor location. My wife is content with the tub and is currently taking a nap. She needed this weekend escape to get her mind off a difficult work week.

Tomorrow evening is our Outstanding In The Field (OITF) event that has been moved from Spanish Banks Beach to New Brighton Park and Beach. The change is apparently politically motivated involving the use of First Nations Lands. Dinner is prepared by a local supplier in partnership with a chef and winery, as arranged at numerous sites throughout the world each year since 1999. This will be our seventh OITF event, starting back in October 2012 at Green Gate in Austin. The following year we joined them at Urban Roots before we moved to Portland and missed a year. Big Table Farms in Portland hosted our 2015 and 2016 events, while Jacobson Salt in Netarts, Oregon arranged our 2017 dinner by the bay. Last year, we chose the Portland Archery Summit site as opposed to the Sauvie Island option. We’re indeed looking forward to our first OITF long-table dinner outside of U.S. soil. The dogs unfortunately will have to wait in the car. We’ll take turns bringing them some scraps between courses. It’s the best we can do for them as we dine on the shores of Burrard Inlet in the Canadian ‘Couve.