The last time we talked, I had just left Bridal Veil Falls. After a drive through the most gorgeous mountains you have ever seen, I arrived in Kelowna and turned onto Boyhouse Street.
My GPS decided that it was done for the day and directed me to turn into a drive that clearly did not go to Nicole's house. I was in the process of getting my bearings when I heard a bark and saw a very happy sight in my rear view mirror. Rex was there to do what technology could not.
As best I can remember, Nicole and I "met" sometime in late 2021, and I'm pretty sure that someone else linked to her or I found her through a comment. While I don't remember the exact details, I do remember what I felt the first time that I visited her blog, Girl in a Boyhouse. I live with my husband, two stepsons, and a female dog. Nicole has a husband, two close-to-the-boys'-ages sons, and a male dog. We have just a few things in common.
It's cliche to say that all of the bloggers that I have met are "just like their blogs" but it's also true. So that's the TL;DR for this post.
Nicole poured margaritas and put the finishing touches on dinner as we started our three day long conversation. Roasted chickpea and cauliflower tacos, cashew crema, garden fresh salsa, and guac. It was the best thing that I had ever tasted. I can only use words and show you pictures, but if you get nothing else out of this post, I want you to know that the food at Nicole's is really That Good.
Nicole and I have similar family structures, we're the same age, and we're also on the same schedule. Normally I wake up around sunrise, so between 5:30 to 7:00 AM depending on the time of year, and I'm generally in bed at 10 with the lights out before 11. Adjusted for the difference between Eastern and Pacific time, that pretty much matches Nicole's schedule of a 4:00 AM wakeup and a 9:00 bedtime.
The early morning view from the deck:
The day started with coffee and computer time, and after sunrise it was the Most Important Hour of the Day: walkies! We headed out for the walking path around a creek. Rex had a mix of on leash and off leash time, and the route included a stop at the dog park.
And then breakfast. Nicole is Team Smoothie, and I'm Team Something Solid. My Boyhouse breakfasts were an English muffin, two farm fresh eggs, and sausage.
Then it was Garden Time.
Around noon we hit the streets of Kelowna and saw more gorgeous things.
I approve of the old theater that was repurposed as a Tim Hortons.
We stopped at a restaurant for lunch. Nicole had a kale salad and I had a tofu bowl.
It was such a novelty to be with an adult, well mannered dog. Rex likes to hold hands, and while we were chatting, he often had a paw wrapped around Nicole's hand or foot. He made sure to include me in on some of the loving.
Mid afternoon we took a break to go visit with Nicole's MIL, who lives next door, and who was absolutely lovely. Then it was time to start thinking about dinner, which was enchiladas. Well, originally it was an enchilada recipe that was modified to the family's tastes, so if you ask for enchiladas in the Boyhouse, this is what you will be served. Black beans, roasted sweet potatoes, and orange bell peppers topped with salsa and guac. It was heavenly. Nicole's oldest son joined us for dinner (his dad and younger brother were in Scotland on a hiking trip).
After dinner Son #1 broke out the ice cream. Normally I wouldn't have been interested since I still had a margarita to nurse, but this was not just any ice cream. It was homemade ice cream. The choices were vanilla, chocolate, strawberry, or all three. I knew that I needed to get in on the action, and I knew that all three was the right choice. I was very glad that I made room for a small bowl of the best ice cream I had ever tasted.
Son #1 called it a night and went home, and then Nicole and I moved on to a pressing item on the agenda, which was movie night. We watched Dirty Dancing. Now of course we both saw it when it came out, but this is a movie that I've kinda been meh on. The simple reason for that is that I never saw it with Nicole.
On Sunday we were up and at 'em at our normal wake up time. We adhered to our very strict schedule of coffee and internets, then walkies, then breakfast, then garden, and then a break for us each to work on our own things. Mid morning I started reading, and it just so happened that it was a "sit down and finish this in one day" kind of book (Nesting by Roisin O'Donnell).
For lunch we finished off the leftovers from the previous two nights' dinners and then we set off for our Mission of the Day, which was a tasting at Tantalus winery.
Then it was dinner time, which was the meal that I was looking forward to the most. Nicole makes a Greek salad every Friday, and she's said that if she could only have one meal for the rest of her life, this would be it. I could not wait to see what all of the fuss was about, and I was not disapointed.
What we have is a salad of cucumber, tomatoes, yellow bell pepper, olives, feta, and Nicole's dressing. On the side are some falafel, Nicole's homemade hummus, and toasted pitas. This is hands down the best meal I have had in my life. Yes I will try to recreate it someday, and no, there is no way that it will come close to the Nicole magic.
After dinner we tucked into When Harry Met Sally.
The next morning we did coffee and internets, walkies, breakfast, and then....sob...it was time to leave.
At least I had the consolation of a gorgeous drive through the mountains and a stop at Coquihalla Canyon Provincial Park to walk through the Othello Tunnels. You might be wondering how I picked the Othello tunnels, and the answer is that I didn't. There are a lot of provincial parks on the road between Kelowna and Vancouver, and this was the one that I just happened to stop at when I was ready for a break. I am not trying to make anyone jealous, I am just reporting facts.
I got back in the car and headed for the next stint of the journey, which was a few days in Vancouver. But that's a story for another day.
Let's Wrap it Up
Visiting Kelowna: 10/10
Spending the weekend with Nicole: infinity/10
Holding hands with Rex: infinity/10
A short one sentence summary of the visit: I felt nourished.
Nicole's side of the story is here.
Who's been to Kelowna? If you could only have one meal for the rest of your life, what would it be?
Awww, I loved having you here! I feel like you could stay for a month and we'd never run out of things to talk about! xoxoxo
ReplyDeleteWord. I can't thank you enough for your hospitality, your company, AND THE FOOD. Oh my gawd the food...
DeleteI'm so glad you stopped at Othello Tunnels! It's a great spot. We went out there for my daughter's birthday a few years ago.
ReplyDeleteI feel like it was one in a million that a random pull off to stretch my legs would turn out that well. I saw so many incredible places during my time in BC, and I know that for every place that I saw there are a thousand equally epic places that I missed. Hey, something for next time!
DeleteGah! What an amazing weekend! The food all sounds so fresh and delicious. I had a Greek salad while I was in NY this week and I thought of Nicole! Like hers, it had no lettuce. It was sooo good! I love a Greek salad. Add some homemade hummus and I’m in heaven!!
ReplyDeleteI love how Rex has his paw over your foot. That is just too cute. That is how Will is. Ideally he would have a foot over your foot. Or sometimes his entire body. It’s cute until I get touched out!
I need to read that book you read in a day!!
I’ve been to Kelowna one other time. My good friend used to live in Kamloops so I flew into Kelowna when I visited her. It is such a gorgeous area with all the lakes and mountains. I would love to go back. I sadly missed Nicole by just a few weeks when I was in Calgary 2 years ago. So now I need to find time to visit her in Kelowna!
Yes, yes you do need to read Nesting ASAP. Though you may need a break after The Names, because it is just not that fun to read about domestic violence.
DeleteAnd yes, yes you also need to go to Kelowna ASAP to meet Nicole, hold hands with Rex, and to have her salad. Normally I don't like to tell other people what to do, but this is an exception.
I have never heard of Kelowna before, and now I have a strong desire to go! I love that you had your down time (computers, books, etc.) and your busy time (walkies, garden) and your adventures. It sounds SO PERFECT. Visiting Nicole and Rex is a BIG draw.
ReplyDeleteMy opinion is that Kelowna is worth visiting in its own right, and that a person could have a great time there without Nicole and Rex. But how much better to go there to see Nicole and Rex!
DeleteNesting JUST came in for me at the library yesterday.
ReplyDeleteMoving on to more important things. This visit with Nicole looks like nothing short of sheer perfection. Gorgeous weather, incredible food, the best company, and Rex sprawled at your feet. I am 100% (completely and utterly) jealous. I wish I had been there. But I get to all to myself soon (wait, does that sound sinister and creepy? NOT THE VIBE I WAS GOING FOR).
Isn't it incredible how seamlessly online friendships morph into in-person friendships. We know so much about each other and these friendships are fully voluntary since we've determined online how much we enjoy each other's company. It's such a fun perk to blogging I never anticipated.
Looking forward to all of your recaps. Hooray for adventures.
Nothing is sinister or creepy after this level of initiation into the Cool Bloggers Club. YES YES YES in a few weeks I get to visit your part of the world! There will be an imaginary competition to stack NS against BC - it's a fight where everybody wins, especially me!!!!
DeleteAlso, I am going to make at least one of those taco recipes this week.
ReplyDeleteSo far I've made the enchiladas at home. It was very little work for a ton of great food.
DeleteThis looks like a great visit. How much fun, and I can only imagine the food. It does look delish. Rex is such a cute dog, and he barked to show you the way to Nicole's house. Hilarious. You and Nicole do have a lot in common. What a great time with the perfect mix of seeing sights and chatting. I just rewatched Dirty Dancing for the first time since I first saw it decades ago. I watched it with Mini and we got a kick out of it. The Greek salad on Fridays - epic. Meeting bloggers in person is so great and you are on a roll. Vancouver is one of my fav places.
ReplyDeleteIt really was such a great time. Gorgeous area, great people, doggie attention, and the FOOD. The food tho...
DeleteBirchie, your Kelowna weekend sounds absolutely magical - from Rex saving the day when GPS failed to garden time, winery tasting, and all those incredible meals. That Greek salad with falafel, hummus, and toasted pita… wow. I always suspected Nicole works magic in the kitchen, and now we have official confirmation.
ReplyDeleteIf I had to pick one meal forever, it would be hummus with veggies and pita—can you tell I’m a lazy cook?
I approve of hummus, veggies, and pita as your forever meal!
DeleteGah! Those meals Nicole made- all three of them look AMAZING. I'm almost inspired to do some "fancy" cooking again after reading this! Maybe this weekend...
ReplyDeleteI LOVE how you were greeted by Rex! And I love the hand (foot) holding. This whole trip looks so beautiful, and I can't wait to read more about it.
It was an epic trip, and this was the highlight of the highlights!
DeleteOh! I'm green with envy over here. Nicole! Rex! Food! I imagine Nicole is the consummate hostess and this post is a perfect example of why.
ReplyDeleteDon't get mad - GET EVEN!!! But yes, I know what you mean. Everything was really that good.
DeleteThis sounds like a perfect getaway to me. It has everything I love in a vacation: good fresh food, good company, good wine, a lovely setting, and a sweet pet, too, with plenty of relaxation and chatting. I'm in!
ReplyDeleteIt was perfect!
DeleteI am so glad that you had fun with Nicole. I mean, how could you not?! It seems like you guys had a good mix of reading and eating and being! Isn't it nice when someone already knows your routine and you can just be yourself?!
ReplyDeleteAlso I am a bit jealous about the tunnels. Did you know that I went there last year and they were closed due to flooding so I couldn't go through them? I actually was hoping ro ride along the KVR in that section but was turned away. Jealous!
You were robbed! I'm not sure how far the tunnels go, but after the third one they were closed so it looks like some of the cleanup work is still going on.
DeleteOMG this sounds like the most AMAZING weekend. Petition for a Cool Bloggers trip to Kelowna? I AM SO JEALOUS OF ALL THE REX LOVE. He seems like such a lovebug.
ReplyDeleteThis whole weekend sounds like so much fun! I love that you just lived Nicole's regular life, but with a few fun stops along the way.
I'll sign that petition!
DeleteOh wow, this sounds like such a wonderful weekend! I'm glad you had so much fun! The food looks amazing, and meeting Nicole and Rex had to be a dream come true! Thank you for the postcard - it was so sweet of you and Nicole to think of me!
ReplyDeleteYou know that any Cool Bloggers meetup that I go on is going to include a postcard party!
DeleteI will sign Stephany's petition. Send it on over, please. You already know I am envious of the time you spent with Nicole. And Rex. That you ALSO got to take walkies, have garden time, and tool around BC with one of the best people on the interwebs? I think you win 2025. ;)
ReplyDeleteI think the signature rate on the petition is 100%. See everyone up there!
DeleteOh I'm behind with reading these posts. The Food!!! How wonderful to meet fellow bloggers and connect in person.
ReplyDeleteThe nice thing about blogging is that there is no such thing as being behind. We all blog when we can and read when we can.
DeleteI love reading that the bloggers you have met irl are just like their blogs! I really value people who are genuine and present as they are. So yeah. Love reading that!
ReplyDeleteNicole is an amazing host! And her home area looks absolutely stunning! I love that you had the best meal of your life there and felt so nourished.
What did Nicole do during your viewing of Dirty Dancing to make it less meh to you?! I am curious :)
It might be a cliche, but it's also true. We're running with a good crowd on the internet. Just a reminder that you were the hook up for Sky Daddy, which was a book that both Nicole and I adored.
DeleteI think it was just the company that made the movie pop. When it came out I was a little young to appreciate Patrick Swayze and I saw it with my parents. As an adult I hella appreciate Patrick Swayze and Nicole is not my mom, so it's a better discussion.
I LOVE how easily you folded yourself into Nicole's life for a weekend. Like, you've done that a hundred times. URL to IRL is magical! :) So, so happy for you both!
ReplyDeleteAgree. The only thing that would have been better is if we could have teleported to Sacramento for tapas;-)
DeleteOh, that would be wonderful. I think Nicole would love that place, too :) We do need a teleporter ASAP!
DeleteThis was SO fun to read. Two fantastic people, together!!! I love that you got to kind of meld into Nicole's routine - especially since you two are so compatible with your sleeping habits! And walkies with Rex sounds like a can't-miss experience. I am super jealous of all the delicious meals you got to eat, too! YUM.
ReplyDeleteAlso, Kelowna is GORGEOUS. Wow. I am not a great solo traveler (for one thing, I tend to get very sleepy while driving), so I wonder if I can persuade my husband to take a little trip to BC with me... hmmm....
We're thinking the same thing - it's hard to get the Hubs out of the house, but I would love to take a couples trip to BC. I don't know about your husband, but mine would be delighted to spend a few hours driving through the mountains. Or you could fly directly into Kelowna and from there to anywhere else you want to go in BC.
Delete