Zip!

Gosh here it is Friday already!  Wednesday was pretty busy with getting everything ready for the trip.  The garden and the new potted plants were soaked and hopefully that will be fine.  I do believe it's going to cloud up and rain at least a couple of times while we are gone so the new plants should be okay.

We took off early early early Thursday morning so that Ben could make a meeting in Portland.  The traffic wasn't bad at all and we made good time.  After dropping him off at 10am at the office I made a quick call to the hotel to see if I could get early check in.  The woman on the phone was rude.  "Check in is 3pm".  So I explained to her that I was at loose ends and couldn't she please check the reservation and see when the room might be ready.  I know that people don't all wait until noon to check out.  But she would not cooperate and reiterated that check in is 3pm.  Well I didn't know what to do with myself and Tink.  I had had no breakfast and I was beyond hungry at that point and 30 minutes from the hotel.  But I thought what the heck, let's drive over there anyway and at least the front desk person might be more helpful and tell me where we could go to hang out where dogs are allowed.  Thank goodness the front desk person was very very friendly and helpful as well.  She directed me to the river front on the Washington side of the Columbia.  There is a river walk and several restaurants with patios.  Tinkie and I had a nice walk along the river and then at 11:30 when I could no longer wait, I found a seat on a patio that allows dogs and we had a little rest and some lunch.  I ordered a cup of clam chowder and some fish and chips.  The chowder was just awful.  I didn't find a single clam in that cup, and it was way too thick and floury.  The fish and chips was nice - the fish was breaded with Panko bread crumbs so it was very light but not much flavor.  So I didn't each much, but enough to keep me going.  Then at noon off we went again.  We had no choice but to keep walking around for a while longer.  We finished the river walk for a second time and then we went to a cafe where I had an iced coffee and Tink could lay in the shade.  And then Ben called - he was getting out of there early.

By the time I picked him up, he had a bite to eat, and we got to the hotel it was time to check in.  There's not much around here but a big mall, a really second tier type of one.  So I located a dog friendly brew pub in Vancouver, just 7 minutes away, and we drove over there and had a nice beer in the shade on the patio.  Very nice.  But I was exhausted from all of the walking around with the dog I had been doing in the sun plus there was Thursday night football on, so we went back to the room and crashed and ordered pizza.

This morning I got up when Ben left, around 7 or 7:30.  Tink was already whining to go out when I was in the shower so I just put on my face cream and threw on some clothes and took her out for a nice long long walk.  She did her business and then I could get dressed.  As I was eating breakfast downstairs one of the women at the desk had see me take Tink out and we were talking about dogs.  I said I was going over to Petco when they opened and maybe I could get her a bath there and she was saying that is where she takes her dogs, so I ate and then went to get Tink and we took our sweet time walking over there.   Actually I spent a bit of time brushing her but it didn't do much good.  She needed a bath.  Petco didn't open until 9 so we had some time.  As luck would have it, they did have time to do her so that's where she is now, getting cleaned up and her nails clipped.  We'll be able to pick her up when we check out at noon.

I've got some time -- maybe I'll do a little knitting.  I've got nearly an hour.  Ahhh ..... I am so lucky.