Random Flowers

 Just random flowers, you say!

 But there is actually a not-so-random story behind these flowers. Last August, we spent our last night in Canada at a hotel in Sidney, BC - a small seaside town north of Victoria and close to the Victoria International Airport. There was a pub attached to the hotel, and we received a discount for eating there since we were staying at the hotel, but we had to eat before 6pm, because the pub did not allow minors in after that. So, we went and had a delicious dinner - and I had my only non-Canadian beer of my entire vacation (the waitress recommended a beer from New Zealand instead and it was delicious).

 After dinner we walk back to the hotel and we hear alarms going off - and I swear, it didn't even occur to me that the alarms were coming from our hotel! The hotel personnel won't let anyone inside, and the hotel is being evacuated of all guests. We are lined up in the parking lot, sidewalk, - really, wherever they could find space for us. The firetrucks pull up and about six fully-clad fire fighters rush in and check all the floors. After about 30 minutes of waiting outside, they let get the alarms turned off and let us back inside... except they can't turn the elevators back on right away so we have to walk up the three flights of stairs. Not really fun with a three year old and masses of people, but we manage.

 We wanted to get Piper in the bath right away since we had to wake up early to get to the airport for a 6am flight. I pull out her pajamas... And the alarms go off again. So, we all shuffle downstairs and outside again. This time we only wait about 15 minutes and they let us back inside. We start running Piper's bath and the alarms go off again. Everyone back downstairs. At least by now they have figured out that it is an alarm/electrical issue, not a fire alarm or anything like that. But - until they can get it disabled to fix it, we all have to wait either outside or in the lobby. Finally, the fire fighters go back to the station and the alarm techs arrive and they finally manage to fix the alarms and let us back to our rooms. It was not really how we anticipated spending our last night in Canada... but it was something to remember.

 And the flowers? Victoria (and as an extension, Sidney) is famous for its hanging flower baskets, and I spent the first part of our exile from hotel room snapping pictures of this one while we waited on the sidewalk.