California Dreamin’

Not like I’m dreaming of going to California… I mean, I would… like, some aspect of the past weekend was like driving around in California… ugh, I think I left my brain in Osoyoos!

I took a day off to spend a long weekend in Osoyoos (southern part of B.C.’s famed Okanagan wine-rich region, and Canada’s only desert) with NPY and 8 other friends.

The weekend consisted of many activities in which I blew by a lot of firsts (you’d think I wasn’t quite 29 for all these things I have never done before)….

* Boy-girl-boy-girl (i.e., mixed company) trip: we were 3 couples + 4 singletons (3 guys, 1 girl) and tore up the town. =P The last time I went on a trip with more than one other person was in grade 12!

* Spa visit – NPY and I went for a body exfoliation at the blissful Sonora Desert Spa… only to walk out into a sandy windstorm!

* Calculatingly winning more than one hand in poker (thanks to NPY’s enthusiastic tutelage)… but still losing the tournament.

* Wine tours – I learned that tripping from one winery to the next is very, very, very fun. We became enamoured with dessert and ice wines and found stand-out winners at Nk’mip (Inkameep) Cellars, Gehringer Brothers, and Wild Goose. The daily wine tours is the part I fancy to resemble the most a trip to California’s wine region!

It’s hard to believe after driving 4 hours each way that we will be doing it again in just three weeks to go to Kelowna (northern part of B.C.’s famed Okanagan wine-rich region and, fortunately for the running, not as desert-like)!

I look forward to a more buzzing time with the Fall Wine Festival in full swing, more fantastic wineries to visit, alone-time with the NPY, oh, and the marathon! =D

On this day..