Monday, July 14, 2008
What I did on my summer vacation, Part I
All I wanted was to swim in the ocean. You see, I live way, way inland, about as far from any ocean as you can get. So my simple holiday dream was to taste salt water and see an expanse of blue stretching to infinity.
I didn't get that so much. But what I did get was a multi-faceted, thoroughly enriching vacation experience that I think easily counts as our family's best vacation ever.
Things seemed to come in twos: Two holiday hotspots; two major Canadian cities; two sets of mountain ranges; two major bodies of water; two vineyards; two cheese farms; and two old friends with whom we connected in two very different ways.
Yada, Yada, Yada
Let me gloss over the boring stuff. We crossed the Rockies and stopped at our favourite vacation spot, Kelowna, BC, on the shores of Lake Okanagan (if you're keeping count, that's one mountain range, one vacation hotspot and one body of water.) We took in Canada Day festivities which were positively Mardi Gras-like. Loadsa fun.
From there, we crossed the Columbia Mountain range. As a flatlander, I'd never previously realized that different mountain ranges have different characters. I've driven across the Rockies many times and I sort of assumed all mountains are craggy, cold and scary. Not so. The vegetation, the driving conditions, the whole vibe of the Columbia mountains was totally different from the Rockies.
My Dinner With Fil
Now for the part you all want to hear about: my evening with Fil. I have been friends with Mr. Pogoagogo for 18 months now and, in terms of the electronic parts of our lives, we've been through a fair bit together. We had made plans to meet as my family and I passed through Vancouver.
I have to admit I was a little apprehensive. There are all sorts of ways that e-relationships can go south. Lots of people use their e-dentities to reinvent themselves or to play other agendas, so you never really know. There's an old axiom in the theory of knowledge: Q - how do you know for sure that a bridge is safe to cross? A - After you've crossed it; before then you're just guessing. I thought about that as I drove over the Port Mann bridge into Vancouver.
As it turned out, all such fears were unfounded. I'm pleased to report that meester Fil is every inch the gentleman he seems online and I am prouder than ever to call him my friend.
We spent a perfectly delightful evening eating pizza on the beach, watching our kids play and chatting (in only the best terms) about blog friends. We carried on back at Fil's house, talking over wine and port until late into the night ... far too late, I fear, given that the next day was a work day for Fil.
One of the nicest surprises of the visit was meeting the fascinating Mrs. Pogoagogo. She could easily be a colourful blogger in her own right if she ever took a notion to do so. Hell, all Fil has to do is set up a hidden microphone in the house; she's so witty I'd pay money to subscribe to that podcast.
It was also interesting to compare and contrast the family histories of the Pogoagogos and the Mentoks. Library Mama and I both come from pioneer stock. Our families have each been around this corner of the world for about five generations. There's a small lake named after my family, stemming from the days of the province's earliest settlement. The Pogoagogos, on the other hand, seem like regular folk, but when you get them talking it turns out that their families have been fabulous citizens of the world with no firm nationality to speak of. I dunno, I find that just kinda neat to think about.
Well, that's enough for today. Next up: the wild and wacky land of Saltspring Island.
posted by Mentok @ 11:51 p.m.,
8 Comments:
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At 2:22 p.m.,
said...
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my dinner with fil--i get it! only you don't look much like wallace shawn . . . ;-)
i'm glad to hear you had such a fine in-the-flesh meeting with mr. fil. it would be hard to fake being such a delightfully nice person, don't you think?
p.s. i think our current scrabulous game is the longest one in history . . . i'm happy to have it back in gear! -
At 3:01 p.m.,
Mentok said...
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I don't look much like Wallace Shawn? Well, that's news. Not that I'm unhappy about it or anything, but you should double-check. Just go back and draw a goatee on a picture of Shawn and see if you still feel the same way ;-)
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At 4:44 p.m.,
said...
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you may have the same, how do i put it, hairlessness, but aside from that, i don't think so, no! wallace shawn is kind of fugly. and that's putting it kindly. :)
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At 12:29 p.m.,
cchang said...
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How lovely! Yet another reaffirmation that the two of you exist in the flesh and are the genders you claim to be.
Fil is every inch the gentleman he seems Course my mind was in the gutter when I read that bit, but so cool that you two got to meet. I love the other photography too in your blog post. -
At 12:46 p.m.,
Mentok said...
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Now, don't tempt me with your gutter talk there, missy. I'm thinking of about a dozen retorts that would easily make you blush ;-)
It's funny how bloggers always seem to be most paranoid about gender deception. I don't know how many times I've thought "is this really some hot girl blogging or is it a 300 lb convict running an elaborate scam from his prison cell? Maybe those are pictures of his cousin or something."
For that matter, those people in the pictures could actually be Library Mama and Mrs. Pogoagogo. Maybe the wives are the real Mentok and Fil. You don't know.
Aw, I'm just messing with you, Cindy. ;-) -
At 8:32 p.m.,
X said...
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That bald guy in those two picture......is that you, Mentok??????
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At 12:05 a.m.,
FiL said...
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Aww, pshaw!! The pleasure was all ours. Dearest Mentok, you, Library Mama, and your wonderful kids were most lovely and gracious houseguests. And thanks for not revealing that I am, in fact, Prisoner 23115 aka Big Bertha the Lifer. Must say, I like that Johnny Clash shirt my cousin is wearing... ;)
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At 12:55 p.m.,
X said...
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Well Mentok, you know the mocking was all for fun, LOL!!
You went to Salt Springs??? Did you know there are a lot of "Orchardites" in that "neighbourhood"??
