Montague

One of our favorite places.

We didn’t get to stop here on our way north, so I’m happy to be here on our way home. It’s so exciting getting to explore new places, but getting to visit favorites again also brings a lot of joy.

Today truly marks our ‘departure’ / ‘separation’ from the Canadian friends we’ve met this summer. Wow, what a summer it’s been. I’m calling it the summer of socializing. I was imagining solitude and romance (since this trip is kind of like our honeymoon) but here’s the deal… Life gives us what we need, which is not always what we plan for or what WE think we need.

I am so incredibly grateful for the friendships made and the memories created.

I spent the afternoon researching places to visit in Sidney and in Victoria. This weekend is my birthday and Brian took off a couple days from work, so we’ll have 5 days together exploring the 2 towns. I’m SO excited. In Victoria we’ll be moored right in front of the Empress Hotel. I’m hoping to do high tea at the hotel.

Just before dinner, I had 3 minutes to check out the store. They have a great book selection here, so I wanted to see if they had anything that would pique my interest. This is the place where I bought my first seaweed foraging book and where I got my first foraging cookbook.

Haha, everything for sale that looked interesting to me, I’ve already purchased! Hahahaha. Brian said, Rachel, I think you need to tone it down a bit on the books. It’s fine. Everything is fine.

We ate dinner at the Crane and Robin for dinner. I had pulled pork tacos and a margarita. Brian had pulled pork sandwich and side salad. Their food is soooo yummy! They’re always busy and the view is great.

I can’t remember if I’ve mentioned this… But Maui is sick again. We found another bump on her and it’s presenting just like how her mast cell tumors (skin cancer) were earlier this year.

I’ve been giving her Benadryl and Pepcid, which is what we gave her in the spring and it helps calm her tummy at least enough to eat. She’s being extra clingy and calm. I’ve made an appointment with a cancer vet specialist in Olympia immediately when we get home. I can’t believe dog oncology is a thing. It makes me sooo sad while also so fortunate to have the medical technology to help our girl. I’m also incredibly grateful to be in the financial situation to not have to make these really hard decisions about her care based around price. That is a massive privilege that feels completely foreign to me. Incredibly grateful.

Maui brings us SO much joy. And we have such a bond with her. If you’ve met her… You’ve probably fallen in love with her too. We’re going to do what we can to keep giving her the best dog life we can, and hopefully as pain-free as possible.