Island Hopping and a Reality Check

Last weekend was chock full of excitement. My daughter and her little Pug came for a nice long weekend. Saturday was spent at the beach and Sunday we headed off for an adventure. Vanessa has lived here since college but hasn’t explored many of the smaller islands so we headed to Hornby Island. Mr. AWSL and I visited there several years and had a blast discovering Middle Mountain Mead.

To get to Hornby from Vancouver Island, you have to take two short ferry rides. One to Denman then one from the opposite side of Denman to Hornby. Since the Deman ferry is larger, the Hornby ferry can’t hold everyone so we ended up waiting for the next sailing.

We found an interesting spot to get a cup of coffee and waited an hour. To be honest, there was nothing else to do. It felt like the day was getting away from us when it looked like we wouldn’t fit on the next sailing too. They decided to let us try to cram into the last spot of the ferry.

It was a tight squeeze and not looking good when we decided to remove the trailer hitch from our SUV. That was just what we needed and they let us sail.

Hornby is a small, sleepy island with lots of artists, and crafts makers. Being Californians, our first stop was Lerena Vineyards.

Their selections were pretty decent so we bought several bottles.

The farmers market was our next stop but it was a disappointment. I was hoping for freshly grown veggies but it was filled with pretty uninteresting arts and crafts. We grabbed a bit to eat and hit the beach.

Next up was Horny Island Winery, otherwise known as HI winery. Their selections were all sparkling, fruit-based, and super sweet. The owner suggested we cut it with sparkling water or Vodka. We thought that was quite a wide range so got a few bottles to bring home.

Our final stop before heading back to the ferry was Middle Mountian Mead. As you would expect, it’s high on a mountain with commanding views of the water and hills beyond. Mead is the oldest alcoholic drink. It’s a wine made from honey and water with herbs, fruits, and spices.

We sat on the deck, enjoying the warm weather and stunning view while the young owner served us samples of their different flavors. We each bought several bottles then headed back to the ferry.

By the time we got online for the ferry, my little dog Lucy was not seeming herself. We’d kept them in the shade most of the day and because she’s old, she was carried more often than not. She began panting and trembling which continued to get worse.

I know rapid breathing can be a sign of pain in dogs so I took her to a local vet the following day. All of her vitals were good so he assumed she was in pain too. I know I have arthritis so I’d be shocked if she didn’t have some at 14 1/2. We left with pain pills and some yummy can food to spark her appetite. She was seeming more comfortable with the pain pills in her but last night she got much worse. We rushed her to the emergency vet at 11 pm in respiratory distress. They have her in an oxygen tent and are doing tests. We really have no idea what’s going. She’s the sweetest little dog and we love her to bits so we are praying.

Thanks for reading and if you have doggies, give them extra snuggles.