Staying by a lake in the mountains was good excuse to take it easy for a few days, so take it easy we did. We went for a drive and stroll to a nearby waterfall (which for once wasn't called Horse's Tail or Bridal Veil, unlike most of the other waterfalls we've seen) then to the town of Salmon Arm, one of the few 'towns' which would pass for a town in England, rather than a village or hamlet. Even so there's not much to see in Salmon Arm except the marina, nature reserve (where they have a few Osprey nests) and of course Tim Horton's.
After lunch we went back to the house and I went for a swim in the lake, which was really quite cold. I possibly wouldn't have bothered except that it was a hot day and, more importantly, everyone told me it was too cold to swim in the lake. I couldn't let that stand.
After about 30 seconds (just long enough to pose for photos) I figured I'd proved my point so shivering I got back out and Amy and I went for a ride in the row-boat instead. At first Amy took the role of oarsman but I think maybe it was just her turn to prove herself as after a couple of minutes she mysteriously lost all co-ordination and I had to take over.
For dinner we decided to go out, a decision that quickly highlighted one of the big problems in this part of Canada at the moment - namely a labour shortage. Every shop and eatery has vacancies advertised and even chains such as McDonalds are having to close some stores early or not open at all due to a lack of staff (apparently they even pay over the minimum wage, how generous).
Anyway, the first restaurant Ros phoned informed her they wouldn't be opening until they could find a chef, luckily the second (at a hotel on a local Indian reserve) had a table available. When we arrived though it didn't take long to realise they had staff problems too. For the entire restaurant there was just one waitress and one waiter, and he was clearly about 15 and hadn't had a day's training in his life. Dynamic he was not. As an example, after we ordered a bottle of wine he disappeared for fifteen minutes or so (honestly, that's not an exaggeration) then came back and told us "We don't have that one."... then he just stood there. Clearly the thought to bring us another wine list or even ask if we wanted an alternative never entered his head.
After much waiting we did manage to get some wine, and food too - it seems they'd managed to hire a decent chef since the meals turned out to be quite good. For reference Buffalo is nicer than Musk Ox. So with the meal concluded and bill paid (I didn't ask how much Ros opted to tip, not much I hope) we headed home and to bed. Amy's leg is much better today by the way.
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