All week, we’re going to hit highs in the negative twenties, but we’ve promised an overnight rise to plus five for Saturday. This will have been my shortest winter ever! 😀
Month: January 2012
Poring Over Maps
Gary outdid himself on dinner tonight, serving up an absolutely amazing appetizer of a roasted bell pepper stuffed with real crab and veggies and topped with browned cheese. What a treat after putting in a full day at transcription! I’m really going to miss my dinners at Gary and Jody’s when I hit the road in the spring. I have suggested that they follow me so Gary can cook me dinner every night, but that only earned me a laugh. Darn! 😀
After a delectable four course dinner (did I mention we had chocolate parfaits for dessert?), Jody pulled out some maps and we started to look at my possible itineraries for the spring, depending on weather, budget, and my being allowed into the States. To say that I am eager to get back on the road is an understatement! Last night, I stayed up late making the list of things I need to attend to before and during my first few days back in the rig.
The fun part of looking at a map with a like-minded friend is sharing road stories. Jody has seen at least as much of this continent as I have, so we can share our experiences of places we’ve both been, from the Grand Canyon to Gran Manan Island. I have to say that I’m looking forward to getting back to the east coast so that I can see familiar landscapes with a new perspective, but I am a tad nervous about RVing out there as the east is a lot less RV (read boondocking) friendly.
This spring’s itinerary has only two certainties in regards to two destinations I want to reach, but otherwise I don’t want to make firm plans until I’m across the border and have a better grasp of the weather I’ll be facing. I could end up having to stay in Canada, which would mean an extra month in Alberta to give the weather a chance to clear across the Prairies and northern Ontario, or I could find myself shooting straight south to sunny climes, or I might just shoot directly for the east coast at a diagonal.
I have loose plans/itineraries for each scenario, but having been on a bit of a tight schedule for a year, I look forward to going back to life at my own pace. What I am ultimately facing is what will amount to a year to do the round trip back to southern Alberta. Now that I have a very reliable source of income suited to my mobile lifestyle, I will once again be able to travel without the stress of getting to a particular destination. I want to savour the fruits of my labour and take a couple of months to just breathe once April comes!
The Keg Restaurant, Lethbridge
The tenant who gave me the hilarious holiday card also included a gift card for The Keg restaurant. I decided to save the card for a week night after a busy day when I just wouldn’t feel like cooking. Tonight was the night!
The Keg specializes in steaks, which I don’t eat, but I checked out the menu ahead of time and saw that they had some chicken and seafood dishes, so I knew I’d be able to find something I like. This restaurant isn’t one I would choose to go to since it’s a tad more upscale (read pricey) than what my budget can absorb, but I was happy for the chance to go without breaking the bank.
The decor is quite posh, with very low low lights, dark wood, and leather seats. Definitely not my usual ambiance! I settled into a private booth, was served water in a delicate wine glass, and then took a moment to peruse the drinks menu. I decided to splurge on a cocktail, if one struck my fancy, since my meal would be paid for. I don’t drink a lot of cocktails, but I like to experiment once in a while. A ‘Cinnamon Girl’ made of rum, cointreau, pineapple juice, and a dusting of cinnamon sounded delicious, so I ordered one.
My gift card was worth $25, but that doesn’t go far at The Keg! I eliminated all the options under the seafood header, but found a surprisingly reasonably priced (by The Keg standards) $19.99 Creole chicken dish topped with scallops and shrimp. Perfect! I opted for rice pilaf as my side.
The cocktail wound up being worth the $9.95 price tag. I don’t think I could have designed a cocktail better suited to my tastebuds. Yum!
Dinner was surprisingly ho hum. I know it’s not fair to judge a restaurant when you haven’t had its signature food, but I found their Creole chicken to be rather bland and much too oily. The seafood, however, was fantastic, with just enough kick and cooked to perfect. Once I added a few dashes of salt to the rice, it went from meh to woah! The meal was served with asparagus, a vegetable I now know I didn’t like growing up because it was always served overcooked (in other words, I loved The Keg’s asparagus). There was also a basket of warm, yeasty, bread with butter as an included starter.
Dinner at The Keg was a nice treat that cost me $10 out of pocket (including a generous tip for the attentive server), but I know it’s not an experience I’ll be repeating on my own dime.
My neighbours did seem enamoured with their steaks!
I'm Still Loving This Crazy Weather!
Yesterday’s balminess continued into the night, but I still wasn’t surprised to wake up to snow, sub-zero temps, and a nasty wind! That’s Canada for you. If you like the weather, appreciate it because it’ll change very quickly!
The forecast indicates a return to balminess Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, then a really big cold snap, with lows of minus 15 on Monday. Even if we get a week, or two, of minus teens, this will still have been my best winter on the road so far, weather-wise.
I'm Loving This Crazy Weather!
We hit plus 12 today. I keep writing “June” instead of “January” on my letters!
We’re going down to minus 8 on Wednesday, then creeping back up. Minus 8 is still balmy for January!
This is my fourth winter on the road and my fourth winter that the locals tell me “This isn’t an average winter for us.” At least, I finally lucked out with the abnormality being positive!