Holiday Headquarters
Oh Canada, our home and native land! Another year slipped by since we last visited, how we missed thee! Last year’s trip was going to be hard to beat, what with the Taylor Swift concert and all, but this year we planned a nice relaxing stay in the Okanagan.
We started out in similar fashion as last trip, flying into Vancouver to hang with Wendy, Tim & Ruby for a busy (however brief) visit. Then all of us took off in a thrilling ‘Amazing Race’ style dash to Vernon, BC, where, the rental home awaited everyone’s arrival. Well, ok, not so thrilling – Wendy &. Co drove up with Mipsy (the dog) while we flew. We beat them, but not by much!
In addition to our two little families, G&G Boys, G&G Oxenford, Andrew & GF Sarah and their two dogs also came to join us for a holiday! The house was a good size – everyone but Andrew & Sarah stayed at the house – there was plenty of room for everyone at meal times and during the day, or evenings around the fire pit / hot tub overlooking the lake.
Big White, No Skis Required
There was plenty to do in the daylight hours – kayaking / paddleboarding right from the backyard lakefront shoreline, nearby wineries, the Kangaroo farm, parks, beaches… you name it. The nice thing about the rental was that you didn’t feel like you had to go anywhere at all – you could just chill out by the lake with a beer and a book and soak it all in.
We took a few field trips, of course. A highlight (even though it turned out to be cool and wet) was hiking around at the Big White ski resort. They had opened up hiking trails (next summer will be mountain biketrails!) so we had fun taking in an alternate perspective on our favorite winter holiday destination.
The kids also enjoyed the aforementioned Kangaroo Farm, we soaked up some scenic vibes while eating lunch at the Arrowleaf winery, and Jenn and I took the kids for a dip at the Lake Club at Lakestone. The ladies also went to check out the nearby Sparkling Hill resort, it’s apparently quite spectacular!
We had a great time with Jenn’s (& Tim’s) family at the house; the kids had a ball paddleboarding and kayaking all by themselves or swimming in the lake, everyone enjoyed each other’s company hanging out, cooking, enjoying some of Okanagan’s finest vino, and sitting around the fire every night.
Lake Club Selfie!
Family time wasn’t over yet, however! Jenn, the kids and I flew over to Alberta to catch up with Nana & Papa at their place for a few days, the kids had fun entertaining them and also the water park, which is always a hit! My personal highlight was convincing Dad to let me help him install a new kitchen faucet (10 years in the making)! Finally ticked that box…
Our final destination this holiday was Calgary (after a pit-stop in Stettler) where my side of the family was having an impromptu reunion at my Uncle Ray’s. I was happy we were able to attend as I couldn’t remember the last time I had seen half the people that were there, and it was nice to see my Grandma & Grandpa! We had a great catch-up with everyone, and managed to get a photo of what turned out to be a nearly-complete Cote family spanning 4 generations!
What a great vacation – it was perfect to be able to have some much-needed R&R in the Okanagan and ultimately see so much family over the whole trip!
And yes, there were some photos taken – check the gallery below and enjoy!
