For some folks, there’s no place like home. Mike Cooper, my former radio partner, says that even as a kid, he’d be on vacation with his folks and the moment they arrived he wanted to know “when are we going home?” Not me. I love hotels, motels, the adventure of booking them and, of course, checking reviews (and having my say as roberin on Trip Advisor).
 
As glad as we are to have done it, having Molly with us this time has had its challenges: they charge $15-$25 a night for a pet and, as we learned last year in Tacoma, Washington, some places won’t let you leave them in the room. But this trip has been great so far. “Pet friendly” isn’t merely “pet tolerant.” They’re welcome and as long as everyone plays by the rules, it all works out.
 

 
If you’re like me, you have a sense of feeling at “home” in different places you’ve visited, even if they only know your name because it’s on your Visa card. Maybe it’s in a cabin near a lake or at a beach somewhere that palm trees sway in the breeze. One of the places that has always felt like home for us is a little town just minutes from the US border called Osoyoos, BC.
 
I’ve mentioned this place before (having last visited in July 2015). It’s Canada’s warmest town and, as such, attracts snowbirds from the rest of the country during the cold months. Pronounced (oh-SOY-yoos), it has a mild dry winter climate with only five centimetres’ accumulation of snow. At this time of year it’s quiet, although the place is busy and vibrant after the upcoming May long weekend. We were lucky to get into our favourite spot, the Watermark Beach Resort, with Molly for two nights. Not a bad sight as you wake up, is it?
 

 
The hotel’s name, however, has taken on a whole new meaning, as waters have risen to 916′ above sea level to the point where ducks have been spotted swimming in streets where children usually play; high waters due to warm temperatures and a fast melt are due to peak this Friday.
 
While our place was fine, at the nearby Holiday Inn, the volleyball nets were in water up to their bottom hems. Just down the way, the Coast Hotel was evacuated and plenty of places, whose aged signs boast of beach, are lamenting their proximity today, I’m betting.
 
Water from Osoyoos Lake rose high enough to cause a need for people to fill sand bags. And it looks like they had an audience: see the pair in the forefront, with a bird’s – or duck’s – eye view of the whole thing. 
 

 
But that may not help these homeowners who – at least for now – have a water feature they didn’t plan on.
 

 
Hard as it was to drive away from this homey spot, we had to leave our pretty little desert town and hope for the best for its residents and visitors. BC flood watches have intensified with the heat this week (it was 32C on our dog walk yesterday) – exactly the same bad news residents faced here last year at this time. Once again, welcome to the “new normal.” 
 
Today, we’ll catch up with Dad and his gal pal in Kelowna and continue catching up with my three sisters, all of whom live within about an hour’s drive. I hope you’re enjoying this week of travel with us and we’ll share more pictures tomorrow. I saw a couple of pretty neat ideas I wanted to run by you…take care.