October 30, 2005

October 30, 2005

Nanaimo, B.C.

YEAR 2 DAY 135

 

Today was cold and raining.

Because of the unpleasant weather, I spent the entire morning cuddled under a blanket on the sofa with Teddy and Bo, watching medical procedures on The Learning Channel. Just before noon, Joanne went off to do some laundry, and I went outside to do today's preventive maintenance. I took care of a couple of inside jobs. I tested the smoke alarm by placing a paper towel on an aluminum pie plate, lighting it on fire, and holding it under the smoke alarm. Yup ... works fine ! I cleaned Teddy's ears. He hates having his ears cleaned. When we got him as a kitten about 13 years ago, he had ear mites. The ear mite treatment seemed to traumatize him for life, in terms of having his ears handled or cleaned. He's convinced that handling his ears in any way is going to result in pain. Poor baby Teddy. As soon as I finished cleaning his ears, he had to rush off to use the litter box. So traumatic he had to shit !

We've run out of dog food. We don't want to buy a fresh 10 pound bag of dog food, just to be forced to discard it when we cross the border on Tuesday, so we're feeding cat food to Bo for a couple of days. A couple of days of cat food won't be harmful to him, although the higher levels of proteins and fats in cat food results in him producing more waste. I hope his tummy isn't upset by the change in diet.

We had lunch, then I read for awhile, and napped. When I woke up, Joanne was bored and had decided we were going shopping for a dog rain coat. We drove to the shopping mall area, and shopped for a dog rain coat at Bosley's and at Petcetera. Bosley's is a regional chain of smaller pet supply stores, originated in Vancouver. They've been in business since before we went into the pet supply business in 1990. Their stores are very much like PET VALU's. Smaller stores, very knowledgeable staff, high level of service. We enjoyed our shopping trip there, even though we didn't get a rain coat for Bo. Bo really enjoyed shopping there as well. The staff gave him biscuits, and attention, and he got to visit with Bubba the resident store cat. We drove across the street to Petcetera. Petcetera is a national chain of larger "big box" type stores, originated in Kelowna in the late 1990's. Large store, lots of inventory, no service. Again we didn't find a suitable rain coat for Bo. We arrived back at the trailer justas it was dusk, at 5:00 P.M.. The change last night from daylight saving time to standard time certainly shortens the day.

I'm somewhat surprised and disappointed that my friend Pam who lives up island in Union Bay didn't phone us back this weekend to arrange a visit. Before supper Joanne did some trip planning, figuring out what route to take, and what sights to see, on our way to the Grand Canyon in northern Arizona. That inspired me to take the laptop to the clubhouse and do a Google search on Las Vegas shows. Oh, boy, I found a perfect gift for Joanne for Christmas. Tickets to see Paul McCartney perform. Woo-Hoo ! And the tickets only cost ... WHAT ? ! ? ! ? $1800 ! ! ! Oh, I don't think so !

DSK

October 29, 2005

October 29, 2005

Nanaimo, B.C.

YEAR 2 DAY 134

 

Today was partially sunny, and mild. AHHHHH ... sunlight at last !

This morning after regular morning routines, and preventive maintenance, I drained the black water and kitchen grey water holding tanks. I funnelled a cup of bleach into the fresh water tank, then refilled it with fresh water. It was time for my quarterly disinfection of the fresh water tank. I changed all the screws in the moulding I installed the other day in the storage compartment doors, removing the gold coloured screws and replacing them with silver coloured screws. AHHHH ... now I can relax my sphincter. HA HA HA HA HA ! Then I tackled a job that has been perplexing me for the last 2 weeks. When the carpeting was removed, it exposed an unsightly little corner of the slide tracking mechanism which is now visible underneath a corner of the slide when it is in the extended position. I have been wracking my brain as to how to cosmetically cover it up. I tried a little triangular piece of the vinyl stair nosing that is on the steps leading up into the bathroom and bedroom area. That didn't work. I tried a little piece of the gold coloured metal stair nosing that I used to face the lower front edge of the slide. That didn't work. Finally, with some brainstorming assistance from Joanne, we came up with the idea of covering it with a beige or tan coloured putty or caulking of some sort. Yesterday at Home Depot I bought a tube of tan coloured adhesive caulking. Today I covered the little unsightly corner under the edge of the slide with this caulking. I fussed around with it for a long time, and it looks not bad, for a first application. I think I can even improve it somewhat with a second application. For a second application, I'm going to try mixing some of this caulking with water, making a paste that I can paint on with a tiny brush, to give it a smoother, finished appearance.

We had lunch, then went for a walk along the shoreline trail of Westwood Lake. Bo needed to burn off some energy, and I needed some sunlight. After a long walk, I read the newspaper for awhile, then fell asleep and napped. When I awoke, I began to work on this journal entry, while Joanne prepared our contribution to tonight's Hallowe'en party dinner. RV Resort On The Lake had a Hallowe'en party tonight, and all attendees contributed an appetizer / finger food to the communal dinner. Joanne made small pistolettes, a Cajun recipe of spicy meat stuffed into hollowed out buns. She got the recipe from Sharon, who got it out of the Cajun recipe book we sent her from Louisiana. I worked on changing all the clocks and watches before we went to the party. Tonight is the end of daylight saving time.

At 6:00 P.M. we got dressed up and went to the Hallowe'en party and buffet dinner. I wore my new "cowboy" dress shirt for the first time, that I bought in Tombstone, Arizona. Joanne wore her Elwood Blues bowling shirt that she bought at the House Of Blues in New Orleans. The party was okay. As sometimes happens in parks like this the long term residents are a bit of a clique, and the transients like us are "outsiders". That's one of the things we really like about staying at Escapee parks. Unlike here, they are very accustomed to, and very welcoming of, full time travellers. We spent the evening chatting with a couple from Edmonton, who work at a golf course just outside Edmonton every summer, and spend their winters here on Vancouver Island. They usually stay at a park in Parksville. This is their first winter here in Nanaimo, and they've just recently arrived, so they're still "outsiders". The buffet dinner of appetizers / finger foods was good. Joanne's pistolettes didn't go over very well. I don't think most people understood what they were. It also seemed as if this was not a particularly adventurous group when it came to dining. Or living, for that matter ! Despite the fact that the park is mostly comprised of full time RV'ers, their "profile" is considerably different than the likes of Joanne and me. The couple from Edmonton are more typical of the park's occupants ; summers in Edmonton, winters in Nanaimo. Full time RV'ers perhaps, but certainly not full time travellers.

DSK

October 28, 2005

October 28, 2005

Nanaimo, B.C.

YEAR 2 DAY 133

 

Today was a miserable, cold day of heavy rain. Icy cold, large droplets of rain.

We spent most of the day huddled inside the trailer, hiding from the rain and the cold. This morning I rushed outside, did today's preventive maintenance on the truck, then retreated back inside the trailer. We retracted the slides, so that I could check something out with the slides in the retracted / travel position. I spent the rest of the morning reading a book.

We had lunch. I continued reading my book until I fell asleep for a nap. When I awoke, I continued reading until late in the afternoon. We had to do some grocery shopping, and I needed to go to Home Depot ( yes, again ) so off we went, about 5:00 P.M.. I got what I needed at Home Depot, then we bought some groceries at Save-On Foods. We bought Remembrance Day Poppies at a Canadian Legion table in Home Depot. I'm glad we were able to get Poppies before we went down to the States. We discovered when we were working at YMCA Of The Ozarks in Missouri by this time last year, that they don't sell Remembrance Day Poppies in the U.S.. The observance of Remembrance Day in the United States is very different than it is here in Canada. By the time we were returning to RV Resort On The Lake at 6:30 P.M. it was dark. Driving in the dark, in the rain, is difficult enough, but tonight there was also fog to contend with. Once back at the trailer, we put away the groceries, and fed the animals. While Joanne prepared supper, I went to the clubhouse to get online, send and retrieve e-mail, update my blog, and do a Google search on a book title that Joanne wanted to know the author's name.

We had supper. I did today's accounting and journal entry. Joanne baked cookies. Teddy napped. Bo napped. I don't know about Joanne and Teddy, but Bo and I are stinking bored !

DSK

October 27, 2005

October 27, 2005

Nanaimo, B.C.

YEAR 2 DAY 132

 

Today was mostly cloudy and cool. It rained lightly all evening.

This morning after regular morning routines, I went outside, did regular preventive maintenance, then did some maintenance on the trailer's lower fibreglass skirt. Washing the trailer helps us to see things that need some minor maintenance before they become a problem. I went to the clubhouse to get myself a cup of coffee, and drop off another book in their library. Last night I finally finished reading one of the worst mystery / suspense novels I have ever read. It was a really poorly written story, but I was too stubborn to give up reading it once I had started. How do authors who write so badly manage to convince publishers to publish crap ? ! ? I dug out the printer from the basement storage compartment and printed the documents I had queued up for printing over the last few days ; updated copies of my arrivals and departures checklists, updated investment data, etc.. Joanne went outside and worked on cleaning the lower portion of the trailer skirting with bug and tar remover. The lower fibreglass skirting of the trailer develops little dark spots that washing doesn't remove. I don't know if they're caused by acid rain, or road grime, or oxidation, or ... ? I worked on installing the metal stair nosing / moulding onto the lower inside sills of the basement storage compartment doors. < sigh > Once again, I couldn't use the screws that came with the moulding. I temporarily used the same gold coloured brass screws that I used yesterday on the moulding inside the trailer, but I'm too anal retentive to accept gold coloured brass screws in silver coloured aluminum moulding, even when it’s inside a storage compartment. I'll buy silver coloured metal screws at Home Depot tomorrow, and replace the gold coloured screws I installed with silver coloured ones. I began work on today's journal entry while Joanne prepared lunch. I often start my daily journal entry fairly early in the day, then add to it as the day progresses.

We had lunch, then drove downtown to pick up Joanne's repaired purse at the hippie / hillbilly shoe repair shop. The repair was done poorly. One would think that common sense would dictate that if you're going to repair a torn leather strap on a purse, you would also reinforce it. We both doubt that this repair will extend the life of the purse for very long. Once back at the trailer, I started reading a new book, until I fell asleep for a nap. When I got up, I worked on updating our investment tracking and analysis files. I'm quite concerned. The losses we've incurred in the last month are frightening. The market has been in "correction" mode for the last month or so. I certainly hope that a "turnaround" is soon. Joanne watched afternoon soaps on TV. The great thing about afternoon soap operas is that one can miss a year's worth of episodes, and be back "up to speed" on the story line after watching one episode. HA HA HA !

We took Bo for a short obedience training walk, followed by a fun walk down the trail beside the lakeshore. He sure does love going for walks down "hiking trails". He has a great sense of "point A" to "point B", even though he has no idea where "point B" is going to be. I did a backup of all the files on the computer, to CD. I cooked supper. I don't often cook supper, except for barbecuing. Tonight I made a bacon and cheese omelette for Joanne, and a mushroom, shrimp, and cheese omelette for me. After supper, Bo somehow fell down the stairs from the bathroom hallway into the living room. Now he's limping slightly. Poor Bo. We spent the evening watching Survivor, The Apprentice, and "24".

DSK

October 26, 2005

October 26, 2005

Nanaimo, B.C.

YEAR 2 DAY 131

 

Today was mostly sunny and mild.

This morning while I was showering, Joanne took a phone call from Suzy at Revenue Canada. Apparently she needed clarification of the message I left on her voice mail yesterday. Gee, Suzy ... what part of "Misty Ventures & Developments has no employees in 2005" did you not understand ? ! ? I did preventive maintenance, then headed off to Home Depot. I returned a 3 foot section of stair nosing that I did not require, then bought a package of little brass metal screws. I returned to RV Resort On The Lake and resumed working on the installation of the gold coloured stair nosing / metal trim under the front edge of the living room / dinette slide. The problem, for me, with a job like this, is by the time I had finished ascending the learning curve, the job was half botched. I had some difficulty selecting the right size drill bit to drill pilot holes for the screws, and the metal backing plate of the slide edge that I was drilling and driving the screws into was harder metal than the little brass screws. By the time I got it all figured out, I had broken 7 of the screws. And ... I had bought a package of 24 screws, and needed 24 screws. Now I was going to be 7 screws short < sigh >. I got as far as I could with 17 screws.

We had lunch, then went outside to wash the trailer. While washing the trailer, I had a brain storm. The same kind of metal stair nosing that I used as finishing trim on the front edge of the slide would work well to solve another ongoing problem that I have on the trailer. The inside walls of the storage compartments in the trailer "basement" are wood panelling. When putting things in, or pulling things out of the storage compartments, the wood panelling often "catches" and chips, as objects are slid in or out over the cut edge of the panelling. I'm going to install metal stair nosing over the lower edges of the storage compartments. That will solve the chipping of the edges of the panelling. I headed off to Home Depot for the second time today. I bought all the hardware I needed, and drove back "home". Back at the trailer, I finally finished installing the metal trim on the bottom front edge of the slide. It looks great, and really finishes off the flooring job.

I took the laptop over to the clubhouse and got online with Wi-Fi. I sent and retrieved e-mail, updated my blog, downloaded the latest updates to our investment portfolios, and renewed our membership in the Good Sam RV Club. And ... gave some attention to both Emma, the resident, fat, old, part Siamese cat, and another feline that is often around, both inside the clubhouse and outside around the park. It's a little twelve toed tabby kitten with a very sociable personality, that I've been calling Baby Cat.

I returned to the trailer, for a great pizza Joanne prepared. My half was covered in mushrooms and shrimp. MMMMM ! ! ! After supper, I took Bo for a walk, then we had a tennis ball play session ... in the trailer. Bad Dan ! I did today's accounting, then began to work on today's journal entry. We watched The Apprentice : Martha Stewart, then an episode of "24". We spent an entire summer at West Hawk Lake with only CBC. It's a bit of a treat to have 2 weeks of cable TV while we're here. We're gorging on bad TV every evening.

DSK

October 25, 2005

October 25, 2005

Nanaimo, B.C.

YEAR 2 DAY 130

 

Today was cloudy and mild. It started raining steadily, late in the afternoon.

Lorri phoned this morning wanting to talk to her big sister, but Joanne was still sleeping. Later, when Joanne did get out of bed, she stepped on a little piece of cat shit beside the bed. Hey, Teddy ... how the hell did that happen ? ! ? Boy ... it's amazing how crabby some people can get just because they stepped on a piece of cat shit getting out of bed. HA HA HA HA HA !

After morning routines, I did preventive maintenance, then drained the black water and kitchen grey water holding tanks. I made a couple of phone calls. I called GM in the U.S. to confirm that they have mailed a cheque to me, c/o General Delivery, Chimacum, Washington. The p***k that I've been dealing with couldn't ( wouldn't ) confirm that the cheque has been sent. He could ( would ) only confirm that it had been approved on October 21, ergo it must have been sent within a day or two of that date. What a lazy, useless p***k ! At the end of the call, he asked if he could close out the file, and mark it as "totally satisfied" ? I don't think so, a*****e ! I returned a phone call to Revenue Canada. Sharon sent me an e-mail recently that Revenue Canada phoned asking if there is any change in the number of employees employed by Misty Ventures & Developments, our company. I guess they're wondering why they haven't received any payroll remittances from me in 2005. That's because we have zero employees. DUH ! We washed Dee-Dee the truck, and the front and rear of Harvey the trailer. Tomorrow we'll wash the sides of the trailer. We sat down to figure out our plan for taking the ferry from Victoria, B.C. to Port Angeles, Washington, next week. There are 2 ferries per day, morning and late afternoon. We had to figure out which one was the lesser of two evils, from a scheduling standpoint. We decided it would work out better to take the morning ferry. That would mean we would leave here Monday afternoon, and "boondock" overnight somewhere near the ferry terminal in Victoria, perhaps in a Wal-Mart parking lot. Otherwise, if we take the afternoon ferry, by the time it gets to Port Angeles and we clear Customs, we would end up trying to find our way in the dark to someplace to spend the night. Just as we were about to have lunch, Lorri phoned again to chat with Joanne.

We had lunch. I took a nap and Joanne went to do a load of laundry. When I got up, I went to the office to pay for our stay here. It was the fourth time since we've been here that I've gone to the office to pay. Each of the previous 3 times they had some reason why they wanted me to come back at another time. While I was paying, the office clerk disagreed with the boss over the rate I should be charged. Evidently the boss quoted me the wrong rate when we arrived a week ago. I just kept my mouth shut because it was obvious that the boss was going to prevail ... as it should be !

I did today’s accounting, including entering all of our new traveller’s cheque numbers into the computer. Last year, when we first bought U.S. traveller’s cheques, I had set up a traveller’s cheque accounting spreadsheet in the computer. We spent the balance of the afternoon working on the installation of the gold coloured metal stair nosing as finishing trim underneath the front edge of the living room / dinette slide. The job went reasonably well, although I didn't finish it. The screws that came with the stair nosing are wood screws, understandably. The front edge of the slide is aluminum. I will have to go back to Home Depot tomorrow and buy some metal screws. I hope I can get metal screws in a gold colour. Cutting and filing long pieces of moulding inside the trailer, without a work bench, was difficult. I was going to do the cutting and filing outdoors, on a folding work bench, but it was raining heavily.

Joanne prepared a great beef rib stew for supper. After supper we watched Amazing Race. Despite Joanne's protests, I gave Teddy and Bo each a large beef rib bone. Bo took his onto the rocker recliner to chew it. There's grease stains on the chair. I'm in a bit of trouble !

DSK

October 24, 2005

October 24, 2005

Nanaimo, B.C.

YEAR 2 DAY 129

 

Today was mostly sunny, and mild.

This morning I slept in a bit. While I was showering, Rhonda phoned from Ottawa with confirmation and details of my latest investment transaction. We sure are blowing through the money quickly lately. I did preventive maintenance, then refilled the empty fresh water tank. We are hooked up to the park's water, but the pressure regulator I use on the "city" ( external ) water connection reduces the incoming water pressure to a lower level then I like for showering, so I turn on Harvey’s water pump, and supplement the incoming "city" water with the trailer's fresh water tank when I shower. I finished up my morning by applying another coat of varnish to the base of the sofa table.

We had lunch, then set off for an afternoon of shopping and running errands. First we headed downtown to a shoe repair shop. The backpack purse I bought for Joanne in New Orleans last December, as a Christmas present, needs repairing. One of the straps broke. We found the little "hole in the wall" shoe repair shop, run by an aged hippie with hardly any teeth left in his mouth. He looked like he would fit right in, in the Ozark Mountains of Kentucky. The look of his shop made me marvel at how some people find a way to earn their living. From downtown we headed south to the suburban shopping mall area. First stop was the Bank Of Montreal to buy U.S. dollar traveller's cheques. < sigh > We waited in line for 15 minutes, before getting to a teller. It was a grim reminder of what used to be an agonizing ( for me ), daily chore when we were in business. From the bank, we went to Home Depot. I bought 3 sections of a gold coloured, metal stair nosing, to install on the lower front edge of the slide. It's going to give a really nicely finished look to the flooring job, at the front edge of the slide. From Home Depot it was over to Wal-Mart, and from Wal-Mart to Save-On Foods. Joanne drove back to RV Resort On The Lake from the mall. She needs more experience driving the truck in unfamiliar cities. If she does more driving in unfamiliar cities with me "coaching" from the passenger's seat, we'll both feel more confident about her driving around in unfamiliar cities by herself, to go shop for groceries, etc.. Back at the trailer, we put away today's purchases, then took Bo for an obedience training walk. I did today's accounting.

I drained the water, and refilled the pellets, in the 2 Damp Rid containers we have in the trailer. Moisture due to condensation is a big problem in RV's when the temperature is low outside, and the humidity is high, like in the fall on Vancouver Island. Damp Rid is a moisture absorbent system of pellets in a perforated plastic tub, nested inside another slightly larger plastic tub. As the pellets absorb moisture, and dissolve, the moisture drips through the perforated plastic tub into the larger plastic tub. Every couple of weeks, the pellets are all gone, and the tub is filled with water.

Since the sky was clear today, I decided it was an opportunity to barbecue for supper. There's not many rain free days here on Vancouver Island in October. I had purchased some salmon for myself, and pork chops for Joanne. I barbecued them on a cedar plank. It was stupendous ! Sharon gave us a cedar plank for barbecuing over a year ago. I had cut it into three pieces, and used only the second piece of it today. HA HA HA ! Some guys sure know how to stretch something that only costs a couple of bucks.

After supper I walked Bo while Joanne went to the clubhouse to reserve a time for laundry tomorrow. The laundry room here operates on a reservation system. Joanne washed dishes while I started working on today's journal entry. We watched Medium on TV, then the news. Geeez ... Hurricane Wilma has really damaged Cancun, Mexico and Naples, Florida. We're starting to feel a bit paranoid, like maybe we're jinxes. It seems everywhere we have visited in the last few years is being devastated by weather. New Orleans, Cancun, Naples ... watch out West Hawk Lake !

DSK

October 23, 2005

October 23, 2005

Nanaimo, B.C.

YEAR 2 DAY 128

 

Today started out cloudy and mild. The sky cleared late in the afternoon.

I woke early this morning. I walked Bo, fed Teddy and Bo, showered, and took care of morning chores. We don't usually eat much of a breakfast, if any at all, but occasionally I'm inspired to make a big, hot breakfast like pancakes. Today I made a big batch of French Toast, then woke Joanne for breakfast. After breakfast, I read yesterday's newspaper until I fell asleep again, sleeping until noon.

We had lunch. I did preventive maintenance, then set Joanne up to work on sanding and varnishing the base of the sofa table Bud made for us this summer. When the floor was carpeted, the base of the sofa table scraped the underside of the sofa when the table was pushed under the sofa. There were deep scratches on the sofa table base from the springs and hardware underneath the sofa. Now that the carpet is removed, there is more of a gap under the sofa, and the sofa table can slide underneath without scraping. We decided to sand off the scratches, and refinish the varnish. While Joanne worked on that, I went to the clubhouse, got onto Wi-Fi, sent and retrieved e-mail, updated my blog, and paid the MasterCard bill. As I was finishing, Joanne and Bo showed up. They both wanted to go for a walk along the lakeshore. As we were walking along the lakeshore, much to our very great surprise, we met someone we know jogging along the trail. One of the West Hawk Lake Park Patrol, Jonathon. What a small world ! Bo didn't seem to think there was anything unusual about meeting someone we know from a different place. I guess that happens often enough ... seeing family and friends from Winnipeg at West Hawk Lake, the Huggards, Dwight and Jennifer, etc., that he just accepts it as a normal thing. Jonathon is a student at Malaspina College, very near here, and the lakeshore trail around Westwood Lake is his usual jogging route. We chatted with Jonathon for awhile. As we continued our walk along the lakeshore trail, we kept finding blackberry bushes. We stopped, picked, and ate huge, ripe blackberries.

Back at the trailer, we worked on figuring out how to trim and finish the flooring job, underneath the front edge of the slide. We're not quite satisfied with the appearance underneath the front edge of the slide. First of all, I had to figure out how to secure the last inch or so of flooring tucked underneath the front edge of the slide. When they installed the flooring, they couldn't pressure roll the last inch or so of the vinyl floor where it tucks under the slide. They had tried to tape it, but I wasn't satisfied with the result. I removed the tape they had applied, then I applied clear duct tape all along the edge of the floor under the slide. I wasn't sure I would be able to get my fingers underneath the small gap that exists to apply the tape, but I got it done. Then we sat and brain stormed what kind of trim material we could buy and apply to give a more finished appearance at the bottom front edge of the slide. We tossed around a bunch of ideas, before finally deciding that a gold coloured threshold strip would probably look good, and function well, without catching or scraping when the slide is extended or retracted. We'll go shopping to Home Depot tomorrow.

I put away all my tools and hardware, then took Bo for a short obedience walk. He's been very restless ( and annoying ) the last few days. I guess he's bored with the amount of time we're spending just being in the trailer, not travelling, and avoiding the outdoors quite a bit because of the rain. That's why Joanne wanted to take him for a long walk earlier. I did today's accounting, then began to work on today's journal entry while Joanne worked on preparing supper. After supper, I watched mindless TV, while Joanne made Nanaimo bars. She found a recipe for Nanaimo bars in the Nanaimo tourist guide. You know ... when in Rome ... !

DSK

October 22, 2005

October 22, 2005

Nanaimo, B.C.

YEAR 2 DAY 127

 

Today was mostly cloudy, and warm. It rained all evening.

This morning after regular morning routines and preventive maintenance, I sat down on the floor beside the dinette table and chairs to try to figure out how to restrain the dinette chairs during travel. I contemplated the application of Velcro, in a number of different ways, then decided to experiment with bungee cords. I came up with an idea using bungee cords, and will try it out. I would prefer not to use Velcro on this job. The only workable way to use Velcro would require the application of Velcro to finished wood on the table, and upholstery on the chairs. I reconciled the bank statements I downloaded the other day, both the Canadian dollar account and the U.S. dollar account. I took Bo for an obedience training walk. He did well.

We had lunch. I lay down to read and take a nap, but before I fell asleep, Pamela Ramsay, my friend in Union Bay, an hour north of here, returned my phone call from yesterday. She and her husband, Hein, are quite busy this weekend, so we'll arrange for a visit next weekend.

We decided to go out and explore the downtown area and harbour / waterfront area. We drove downtown, and explored a bit by driving around, then found a parking spot. We explored more by walking around. Joanne wanted to see a large native art gallery downtown. It had great stuff. If we still had a house, I'd have been buying stuff. I'm really fond of native art. We walked around some more, exploring another art gallery / gift shop. We walked down to the harbour. While we were standing on a dock, looking around, a harbour seal, or sea otter, or something like that surfaced right behind us, and blew air. It startled me ! We walked around the docks, looking at fishing boats, and watching float planes land and take off in the harbour. Nanaimo harbour was filled with fishing and working boats. Most urban harbours are filled with pleasure craft, but this one was obviously a "blue collar" working harbour. We left the harbour and downtown area, and drove out to the suburban shopping mall area. We stopped at a couple of different grocery stores, and replenished supplies. Just before we got back to the trailer, I remembered that today was Saturday, so we stopped at a convenience store near the RV park, and I bought a newspaper. By the time we got back to the trailer, it was late afternoon, and I was feeling quite tired.

We had a snack, then I began to work on today's journal entry. I felt so tired that I lay down and had a brief nap. I did today's accounting. I reconciled the MasterCard statement. Some months, like this one, that's quite a large job. This month's MasterCard statement was 3 full pages. First I reconciled the statement to the transaction slips. Then I reconciled the statement to my computer records.

After supper we went down to the club house for a short musical concert by a pair of South American Incas ( natives ) from Ecuador playing a variety of different sizes of pan flutes. A lovely, relaxing recital. Too bad it only lasted a little more than half an hour. And too bad that the audience started out as 8 people, and grew to only 15. When the concert was finished, Joanne did some laundry, and I did some work online, until I lost the Wi-Fi signal. I worked on this journal entry, hoping to recover the Wi-Fi signal, but no such luck. When Joanne was finished with the laundry, we returned to the trailer to read the newspaper and watch The Sopranos.

DSK

October 21, 2005

October 21, 2005

Nanaimo, B.C.

YEAR 2 DAY 126

 

Today was mostly cloudy, and warm.

We slept late again this morning. We are enjoying the comfort of the new mattress, and since we aren't travelling for a couple of weeks, we are sleeping late most mornings lately. After showering, breakfast, and morning chores, I made some phone calls. I phoned our friend who lives up island in Union Bay, Pamela Ramsay, to arrange a visit while we're on the island. Pam wasn't home so I left a message. I phoned a local branch of the Bank Of Montreal to order U.S. traveller's cheques. It was impossible to get a live human being on the phone. Their phone system only allows for leaving a message. HMPH ! Someone at the bank returned my call this afternoon, and I ordered the traveller's cheques. I did today's regular preventive maintenance, then drained the kitchen grey water tank and the black water tank. When we're in one place for awhile, and hooked up to a sewer connection, like here, I leave the bathroom grey water tank valve open, so the shower and bathroom vanity drain as we're using them.

We spent the rest of the morning taking a long walk along the shoreline path that circles Westwood Lake. Except for the land that this RV park is located on, the area that encircles Westwood Lake is a lovely municipal park. It was a pleasant morning to walk along the shore line through the park. Bo loves to walk / hike through the woods. We ended our walk with a short obedience training session. Bo didn't too very well today. After a long romp through the woods, he was too excited to focus on obedience training.

We had lunch. I read for awhile, then took a nap. Sure do love that new mattress ! I spent the afternoon working on securing the sofa, and the dinette table, to stop them from moving around on the new flooring while we travel. First, I installed a couple of "L" brackets inside the frame of the sofa, then screwed them down to the floor. Next I installed heavy duty Velcro underneath the dinette table legs, and on the floor, to keep the dinette table in place. Those 2 jobs took up much of the afternoon. Now that the thickness of the carpet is gone, I need to wedge under the front edge of the living room / dinette slide when it's in the retracted / travel position. At Home Depot the other day I bought a small piece of lumber, and had it cut into 4 short pieces, to use as wedges. Today I filed down all the rough edges of the wood. We took from MRO RV Services the excess flooring material left over from our flooring job. Today I cut a large square piece to keep as repair material, just in case. We emptied out most of the pass through storage area underneath the trailer, stored the piece of flooring material, and a section of left over stair nosing, then replaced everything into the "basement" pass through storage compartment

Most large RV parks, like this one, have a library, with an informal book exchange. I packed up into a small Rubbermaid tote all the books I read this summer, and took them down to the club house to exchange. I left quite a few more books than I took. I dug out the printer from its storage area, and printed the MasterCard and bank statements I downloaded yesterday. I put the printer back into storage, then remembered that I also needed to print copies of the arrival and departure checklists that I revised yesterday < sigh >. I dug out the printer again, printed the checklists, and replaced the printer again.

We had supper, then spent the evening watching TV. Oh, boy ... another episode of Survivorman on the Outdoor Life Network.

DSK

October 20, 2005

October 20, 2005

Nanaimo, B.C.

YEAR 2 DAY 125

 

Today was mostly cloudy and mild. The sun peeked out for just a minute or two this morning. It rained in the evening.

Once again, I was awakened by the phone ringing. Today it was Lorri, phoning to talk to Joanne. It was the second time in the last few days that Lorri phoned to have a very long conversation with her big sister. I suppose our cell phone billing this month might be a tad high.

This morning I did regular preventive maintenance, and a few housekeeping chores. After lunch I entered my latest investment transaction details into the appropriate investment and banking files in the computer, then headed for Wheaton GM to have the starter examined. I drove all the way across the city to Wheaton, and as I approached the service desk I realized I had forgotten to bring the invoice from when I had the starter replaced a month ago just outside Edmonton. !+@_#)$(Z%*^& ! ! ! I drove back to RV Resort On The Lake, picked up the invoice, and returned to Wheaton. They found the connection of the starter to battery positive cable loose at the starter, as I suspected. They tightened up the connections, then suggested that I have my U.S. Wal-Mart battery replaced under warranty as soon as I get to the States. They feel that the top post connections that I made when the side terminal nut pulled out of the battery this summer in Kenora, are inferior to a side terminal connection, as GM vehicles are designed to have. I'm going to follow their advice. When I got back to the trailer, I removed, cleaned, modified, and replaced the top post connections, to improve them until I can replace the battery. As soon as I replace the battery, I'll also replace the starter to battery cable. The top post connection modifications that I've done have somewhat chewed up the cable end, and I notice evidence of heat damage on the cable near the starter, where the cable routes near the exhaust manifold. Time to replace the cable before it becomes a problem.

While I was out at Wheaton, Joanne received a phone call from General Motors in the United States. They were calling to advise that they have approved my claim for reimbursement of the cost of the starter replaced in Edmonton a month ago, and a cheque will be issued to me next week. I expect it will be waiting for me in Chimacum, Washington when we get there in a couple of weeks.

We took the laptop over to the club house, got onto Wi-Fi, and Joanne and I did some travel medical insurance comparison shopping. When we were finished with that, Joanne went back to the trailer to prepare supper, and I retrieved e-mail and updated my blog. I returned to the trailer, we had supper, and I realized I had forgotten to retrieve my MasterCard statement. I went back to the club house, got online, and was in the midst of retrieving the MasterCard statement when Emma the resident cat leapt up onto my lap, startling me. Hello, Emma.

Joanne and Bo showed up at the club house, to walk me back to the trailer when I was done. Back at the trailer I did today's accounting and worked on today's journal entry, and Joanne washed dishes, while we watched Survivor, then The Apprentice.

DSK

October 19, 2005

October 19, 2005

Nanaimo, B.C.

YEAR 2 DAY 124

 

Today was another cloudy, mild, rainy day. Surprise, surprise !

I slept very late this morning, luxuriating in the comfort of the new mattress. I was awakened by a phone call from Rhonda, my investment broker's assistant, in Ottawa. She waited until much later in the day to phone me than she did last time, because I had commented in my blog about her last phone call waking me. Nevertheless, I was still sleeping this time when she phoned as well. HA HA ... sorry, Rhonda ... not your fault I was sleeping so late. She provided me with details of last week's investment trades I requested, and I ordered more today. We've spent a huge amount of money in the last week on "home improvements". I was trying to comprehend what Rhonda was telling me, while I was in my usual wake up fog. I don't wake up particularly alert or clear headed.

I had breakfast, then phoned GM in the United States to check on the status of my claim for reimbursement of the cost of the starter replaced a month ago near Edmonton. I have been playing telephone tag with the agent handling my claim, for the last 2 days. After showering, I phoned him again, finally got him, then lost the call < sigh >. He returned my call, to advise that he was waiting for approval from someone to process my claim, because it was “so unusual”. They seem to have a great deal of difficulty processing a claim from Canada. So much for NAFTA ! I believe it’s simply an unwillingness, on the part of GM in both Canada and the United States, to ever pay a penny that they can possibly find a way to avoid paying. General Motors seems to be one of those organizations that will spend more avoiding a claim than paying it.

We now read, out loud, my journal entry from the same date a year ago, on a daily basis. It’s an interesting look back. Joanne read yesterday’s and today’s entries from last year. We were certainly experiencing more exciting things a year ago than we are this year, in boring Nanaimo. Maybe I should be grateful that Nanaimo doesn’t have tornadoes. HA HA HA !

Whew ! What a long afternoon of shopping and running errands. After we had lunch, I did regular preventive maintenance, then tried to examine the truck starter to see if I could see anything obviously wrong. It's impossible to see from underneath without the truck being up on a hoist. I can see an edge of the starter by looking behind the front wheel. I can't see the front of the starter where the cable to the battery is connected, but I can reach the cable behind the front wheel. When I jiggle the cable, I think it's loose at the front of the starter. I phoned a local GM dealer and made an appointment to bring Dee-Dee in tomorrow for an examination of the starter.

We left for our afternoon of shopping and errands. We found the GM dealer, which wasn't easy, so I would know where I was going tomorrow. We drove to the north side of town where all the big box suburban shopping malls are. First stop was, of course, Wal-Mart, the life support system of full time RV'ers. Next was Home Depot. We stopped at a Bank Of Montreal to see if they keep the amount of U.S. traveller's cheques we want in stock, or will they have to order that much for us. The bank was closed already. I'll phone them tomorrow and ask about the traveller's cheques. Next was Canadian Tire. Finally, Save-On Foods for groceries.

By the time we got back to the trailer, and put all the purchases away, it was time to feed the animals and start preparing supper. After supper, I did today's accounting, and started working on today's journal entry while we watched The Apprentice : Martha Stewart.

DSK

October 18, 2005

October 18, 2005

Nanaimo to Parksville, B.C. & return ... twice

YEAR 2 DAY 123

 

Today was cloudy and mild. No rain !

This morning we decided we should go to Parksville to shop for a new mattress at the foam mattress manufacturer we spoke to a few days ago. It wasn't raining, for the first time in many days, and we thought it was an opportunity to drive with a new mattress in the back of the truck without risk of it getting wet. Plus, we knew that the manufacturer was going to have a price increase very soon because of the recent increases in the price of oil, so the sooner we bought a new mattress, the better, from a price standpoint. After showering, breakfast, morning chores, and preventive maintenance, we set off for Parksville. We drove from where we are on the south side of Nanaimo to the area with large shopping malls on the north side of the city, looking for Wal-Mart, Home Depot, and Canadian Tire. We found the malls, and the stores we were looking for, and I stopped at a service station to fill up with diesel. After filling up, the truck starter refused to engage. UNBELIEVABLE ! ! ! It's a month old ! ! ! After a number of failed attempts, where I turned the key and nothing happened, I dug out a crowbar and hammer, gave the starter a whack, and away we went ! If that happens again, I'm heading for the nearest GM dealer and demanding ANOTHER starter. That'll be 4 starters in 2 years ! ! !

We headed north on Hwy. 19 to Parksville, then into Parksville on Hwy. 19A. We stopped at an RV dealer to buy an exterior light clear lens. They didn't have the right size. We found the foam manufacturer, Parksville Foam And Mattress. We went in and met with Marvin, the owner. It's a pleasure to deal with the owner of a business, with over 20 years of experience, and a true expert in the product he sells. With his guidance and recommendations, we examined, and tested, a variety of different types and densities of foam. Marvin discouraged us from buying a mattress made of memory foam, for a variety of reasons. Memory foam mattresses seem to be the latest "in" thing in the world of foam mattresses. We chose a mattress made with a core of 3.5 inch thick 40 pound density ( firm ) foam, with a 1.5 inch thick softer waffle layer of foam bonded to top and bottom, and a 2 inch thick pin cushion latex topper. We selected a percale 50% cotton, 50% polyester 8 inch mattress cover. Marvin's business doesn't accept credit or debit cards, so we told him we'd be back in a few hours with cash, giving him time to fabricate our mattress.

We headed out of town, west on Hwy. 4 towards Port Alberni, looking for Kerrect RV Service. We found it, and they had the exterior light clear lens I needed. Finally ! We drove back into Parksville, where we stopped at a Bank Of Montreal to withdraw cash to pay for the mattress. Joanne withdrew a sizeable amount of cash, presenting only a bank card. It seemed surprising that a bank teller would dispense a sizeable amount of cash to a stranger, without asking for photo ID or other proof of identity. We drove back to the trailer at Nanaimo.

We had lunch, then wrestled our old mattress out of the trailer. Marvin agreed to dispose of it for us. Disposal of our old mattress was one of our concerns. Dumping a mattress in a campground or RV park dumpster didn't seem like a particularly good idea. I tied the mattress down in the back of the truck, and back to Parksville we went. We picked up the new mattress, paid the bill, left the old mattress, and drove back to Nanaimo again. We stopped at a produce stand for fresh fruits and vegetables. Back at the trailer, we wrestled the new mattress into the trailer, removed it from the large plastic bag it was in, and wrestled it into the bedroom. I didn't know a foam mattress would be that heavy. Whew ! Long, tough day !

I rested for awhile, then went to the park office with the laptop to get online. I can't receive their Wi-Fi signal in the trailer. I got online, sent and retrieved e-mail, and updated my blog, while Joanne prepared supper. We had supper, then I did today's accounting, and sharpened all the kitchen knives, while Joanne washed dishes. We watched Amazing Race, then watched a really weird reality show about a degenerate family of bounty hunters, while I worked on today's journal entry. As I’m finishing this entry, we’re now watching a show about 2 families of rednecks and hillbillies building and racing demolition derby cars. God bless America !

DSK

October 17, 2005

October 17, 2005

Beaver Lake / Lake Cowichan to Nanaimo, B.C.

YEAR 2 DAY 122

 

Today was cloudy and mild, with light rain for most of the day.

This morning after showering and breakfast we prepared to depart Beaver Lake Resort. I did preventive maintenance, refilled the freshwater tank, drained the holding tanks, hitched up and prepared for departure. We drove back through the town of Cowichan Lake, then east on Hwy. 18 to Duncan where we turned north on Hwy. 1. I stopped at Arbutus RV beside the Nanaimo Airport to buy a clear lens for an exterior light, but they were out of stock. Just before Nanaimo, where the highway split into Hwy. 1 and Hwy. 19, we got onto Hwy. 19 going north.

We found our way to RV Resort On The Lake, on the outskirts of Nanaimo. We checked in and got settled into a site. After having lunch, I took a brief nap, then went to the office to meet with the owner to discuss the lots that will be available for sale here, starting next spring. I walked around a bit, checking the place out, and visiting with resident, friendly cats and dogs. Very nice, large club house, with office, lounge with sofas and easy chairs and large screen TV, social meeting room with large kitchen, games room with pool table and shuffleboard, and 4 complete bathrooms for guest use. Outside was a swimming pool and hot tub. Behind the property is Westwood Lake, with a walking trail completely encircling the lake. It's a very nice RV resort. Cable TV at each site and Wi-Fi. Based on the reasonableness of their bi-weekly rate, we've decided to stay here for 2 weeks, until it's time to head down into the United States at the end of the month. If the weather wasn't so miserable here on Vancouver Island in the fall, we would consider this as a possible place to buy a summer "home base".

I spent the afternoon trying to figure out how to solve the problems of the furniture moving around while we travel now that the flooring has been replaced. Everything stayed in its place on carpeting, but on vinyl flooring, everything slides around. I solved some of the problems with anti-slip matting applied with double sided tape, and some of the problems I solved with Velcro. But overall, my afternoon of trial and error efforts were more error than anything else. It was a bit frustrating, but I did figure out how to solve some problems by making mistakes with Velcro and non-slip matting. The biggest challenge was the sofa. I've decided I will have to buy some "L" brackets, install them on the inside underside of the sofa, and screw the sofa right down to the floor. Tomorrow will be a day of shopping at Wal-Mart, Home Depot, and Canadian Tire.

We took Bo for an obedience walk. We had supper, then watched TV. With this many cable channels, we spend more time surfing the channels than we do watching anything. I did today's accounting, and journal entry. I tried connecting to Wi-Fi, but had a problem. I'll have to check with the office tomorrow to find out the correct procedure and / or security keyword.

We just watched the local news on TV. There was a mud slide tonight on the Trans Canada Highway between Hope and Chilliwack. The highway is closed until some time tomorrow. Cars trapped, surrounded by mud, and downed power lines on vehicles. Eerily reminiscent of the Hope slide of 1965 that resulted in 4 deaths. Gee ... we drove that section of the highway 3 times last week. There but for the grace of God ... ! Too much rain around here in the fall !

DSK

October 16, 2005

October 16, 2005

Beaver Lake / Lake Cowichan, Youbou, Duncan, & Chemainus, B.C.

YEAR 2 DAY 121

 

Today was cloudy and mild with light rain all day long.

We slept in and got a late start to the day, reading yesterday's newspaper until noon. We had lunch, then I did preventive maintenance, unhitched, refilled the freshwater tank, and hooked up to sewer. Joanne went to pay for another night of camping, and had a discussion with the owner about the lots for sale, asking some questions that I hadn't thought of.

Today was a day of exploring the area, and listening to my birthday gift Sheryl Crow CD in the truck as we drove around. We drove back through the town of Lake Cowichan, then headed west on Hwy. 18 along Lake Cowichan ( the lake, not the town ) to the small resort town of Youbou at the west end of Lake Cowichan. The town of Lake Cowichan is at the east end of the lake. We had seen a sign advertising RV lots for sale at Youbou Marina. We found our way to Youbou Marina and checked out their RV lots. Many were waterfront. It's a nice resort. The lots are nicer, and cheaper, than here at Beaver Lake Resort. It's a moot point. Joanne read this morning that this area is the warmest area of Canada during the winter, but also the wettest. I don't want to live where it rains a lot, especially fall and winter rain. Been there, done that !

We drove east back on Hwy. 18, past Lake Cowichan, and back to Hwy. 1 at Duncan. We stopped at Wal-Mart to buy some sinus medication. I've been having sinus headaches. I think it's the high humidity of this area. We drove into "downtown" Duncan, parked, and walked around looking at all the totem poles around town that are Duncan's claim to fame. We drove out of Duncan back onto Hwy. 1, and headed north to Chemainus.

Chemainus is an old logging mill town, with large, stately old homes. The town is noted for its murals on the walls of many downtown buildings. Again we parked, and walked around viewing many of the murals. We drove down to the waterfront to look around and I couldn't resist buying a couple of take home dinners from Barnacle Barney's Fish & Chips. We drove around a bit more, actually lost, looking for our way back to the highway. Back on Hwy.1 we headed south, then turned west on Hwy. 18 back to Lake Cowichan, and Beaver Lake Resort.

We fed the animals, then sat down to our fish and chip dinners. Not as good as I had expected. After supper, I did couple of small maintenance jobs. I applied non-slip matting to the underside of the sofa table using double sided tape. I reinstalled the stove cover that I had removed for paint touch up. Joanne did some laundry, and washed dishes. I did today's accounting and journal entry, then retrieved today's photos from the camera and processed them in the laptop.

DSK

October 15, 2005

October 15, 2005

Vancouver to Beaver Lake / Lake Cowichan, B.C.

YEAR 2 DAY 120

 

Today was partially sunny and mild.

First thing this morning we prepared to leave the Atkinson / Lamb residence guest room. I went outside to do some preventive maintenance on the truck while Joanne packed up our stuff. She brought it upstairs from the guest room to the front door, and I loaded it into the truck. We said our goodbyes to Dwight and Jennifer and left their place at 10:00 A.M.. It was an enjoyable visit with them but we're glad to be out of there. We feel uncomfortable imposing on people as house guests. We drove to MRO RV Services to pick up the trailer. When we arrived, we inspected the new flooring job with Joe, the owner of MRO RV. The job was done well, and the new flooring looks great ! I paid the bill < choke ! >, hitched up, and we pulled out of MRO RV at 11:00 A.M.. We found our way through Burnaby to Hwy. 1, then west on Hwy. 1 to the ferry terminal at Horseshoe Bay. We arrived at the Horseshoe Bay ferry terminal about noon, and there was room on the 12:30 ferry for us. After pulling on to the ferry, before going upstairs to the passenger decks, we went into the trailer and had a quick lunch. We sat upstairs on the passenger decks for awhile, and I started to get very sleepy from the motion and engine sound. I went down to the vehicle decks, and napped briefly in the trailer until the ferry arrived in Nanaimo at 2:00 P.M..

We headed south out of Nanaimo on Hwy. 1. Right beside the Nanaimo airport, south of the city, there was a large RV dealer, Arbutus RV. I pulled in, and went in to see if they had the water heater electrical switch that I needed. They did ! Finally ! I've been looking for that switch since before Chilliwack. I installed it in their parking lot, and we headed off again, still south on Hwy. 1. At Duncan we turned west on Hwy. 18, driving 26 km. to the town of Lake Cowichan. We stopped in Lake Cowichan to buy some groceries. The table and chairs are sliding and moving all over the trailer, now that they are sitting on vinyl flooring instead of carpeting. Even the sofa is moving around. After buying groceries, we drove another 2 km. to Beaver Lake Resort, an RV park with lots for sale. We requested and received an information package from them in June, so we had a pretty good idea what to expect.

We got set up in our assigned site. Joanne put away the groceries while I got the trailer set up, slides extended, everything connected, etc.. I took a short walk around the campground to check it out. The owner of this park was out when we arrived, so I had not yet paid our camping fee. I went to the office to pay our camping fee and have a brief discussion with the owner about the RV lots for sale. When I returned I began installing felt pads underneath the chair legs, so they won't scratch the new flooring. I set up the barbecue, and cooked supper. Pork chop for Joanne, smoked salmon for me. After supper I finished installing the little felt pads underneath the chair legs. I administered the monthly spot on flea treatments to Teddy and Bo, and gave Bo his monthly heartworm medication. I put away the barbecue and realized how tired I felt. I did today's accounting ( YIKES ! ) and journal entry. Time for bed !

OH, NO ! ! ! We discovered that Bo's toy, Tuggy, got left behind at the Atkinson / Lamb residence. Tuggy was in pretty rough shape, but still had some "life" left in it. Good thing we bought a new Tuggy the other day.

DSK

October 14, 2005

October 14, 2005

Vancouver, B.C.

YEAR 2 DAY 119

 

Today was cloudy and mild. It rained all evening. Even in the early part of the day when it wasn’t yet raining the streets and sidewalks were wet all day. I think the humidity in Vancouver must be close to 100 %. That might explain why my sinuses are swollen and sore, and I have an intermittent sinus headache.

I slept in this morning, so I had to postpone showering and miss breakfast, because I had a telephone meeting scheduled with my investment broker at 1:00 P.M. Ottawa time, 10:00 A.M. Vancouver time. I phoned Roger, and spent quite awhile reviewing my current investments and working out the best strategy for acquiring U.S. funds, to purchase traveller's cheques before we enter the United States in a couple of weeks. I showered, then phoned an RV resort in Cowichan Lake on Vancouver Island that we will be going to this weekend to see their RV lots for sale. I phoned another RV resort in Nanaimo where we will also be going this weekend for the same reason. I phoned a foam mattress manufacturer in Parksville, also on the island, to discuss a new bed for the trailer. This foam mattress manufacturer specializes in non-standard sized RV beds. After having a discussion with the owner, I am certain we will be purchasing a new mattress from him. I got online, and changed my AOL plan, to accommodate usage of my AOL Canada account while we are in the United States for 6 months. I phoned Manitoba Telephone Systems to change our cell phone plan from a Canadian plan to a North American plan. Jennifer prepared a turkey salad lunch for us. I guess they'll be eating a lot of turkey in the next few days, before they leave for New Zealand on Tuesday. I phoned Sanderson Insurance in Ontario and purchased travel medical insurance for our 183 day visit to the United States. That's the maximum permissible amount of time for Canadians to be in the United States. Because I had received medical treatment, and was hospitalized for 3 days, within the last 90 days, for ulcerative colitis, my travel medical insurance excludes any treatment related to ulcerative colitis. I knew that my treatment and hospitalization in Kenora a few months ago was going to be a problem when it came time to purchase travel medical insurance. Oh, well.

I napped briefly in the afternoon. I worked on the computer to sort out today’s expenditures, and investment trades. I went online and placed an online order for tonight’s pizza dinner. I paid for it online as well. When I went to pick up the pizza order, things did not go smoothly. The outlet where I was picking up the order wanted payment, despite the fact that I had already paid online. It took some time, and some irritation, to get that sorted out. I’m still not confident that there won’t be a duplication of charges on my credit card. Additionally, when I returned “home” and we sat down to eat supper, an ingredient I requested to be deleted wasn’t, and the crust type was not what I had selected. It’s hard to find good help ! ! !

We had a distinctly mediocre pizza dinner. We spent the entire evening sitting in the living room, visiting. It was great. It’s been many years since the 4 of us sat around for an entire evening, just chatting.

I want to thank Dwight and Jennifer for their generosity in allowing us to occupy their guest room for the last 4 days while the trailer was in the shop. We appreciate their hospitality. We know how difficult, and disruptive it is to have “on vacation” house guests while self employment work load pressures are high.

Thank you very much, Dwight and Jennifer. Good luck with your upcoming working vacation trip to Los Angeles, New Zealand, and Hawaii.

DSK

October 13, 2005

October 13, 2005

Vancouver, B.C.

YEAR 2 DAY 118

 

HA ! I just received a cheque from the Province Of Ontario Ministry Of Transportation for $1.15 that they have owed me for 14 months. HA ! Try to stiff me, will ya ? I don't think so !

Today was cloudy and mild.

This morning when I returned from walking Bo, Jennifer had just finished cleaning up after Teddy had vomited. Sorry, Jennifer ! Don't you just love having house guests whose little creatures puke all over your house ? ! But Teddy wasn't finished yet. A short time later he jumped up onto a table and vomited all over Dwight's chequebook and banking papers < sigh >. Yesterday Teddy had been munching on one of Jennifer's plants in the living room. I guess we saw the results of that today !

I spent the morning and part of the afternoon working on the incoming batches of mail which were waiting for us here when we arrived. I opened and reviewed all the mail, we had lunch, then I prepared cheques and paid the bills which were in the mail. I had received some cheques which I wanted to deposit, and Jennifer told us where there was a Bank Of Montreal nearby. We decided to take Bo for a long walk, deposit the cheques at the bank, and check out a couple of local pizza restaurants for supper tomorrow. The bank was about 8 city blocks away. We walked to Kerrisdale’s “downtown” / commercial district. I went into the bank, deposited the cheques, and then while Joanne went to a Dollar Store, I took Bo into a pet supply store. I don't think Bo's ever been "shopping" before. The sales clerk gave him attention, and fed him a sample of buffalo jerky. WOO-HOO ! ! ! We rejoined Joanne, walked to the 2 pizza restaurants and picked up menus, and checked out a couple of upscale bakeries. I can't walk by a bakery without being drawn in by the smells. I bought 4 different pieces of exotic cakes for dessert tonight. We went into another pet supply store, looked at raincoats for Bo, and bought him a new "Tuggy" / retrieving dummy. We walked back to Dwight’s & Jennifer’s. Bo behaved very well on the walk, heeling close between us while walking on crowded city streets. Well done, Bo, good dog !

I reviewed the menus from the pizza restaurants, did today’s accounting on the computer, surfed the web, looking at the pizza restaurants’ web sites, then started today’s journal entry. Pizza restaurants with websites ! Hmph ... we must be in Kerrisdale ! Dwight and Jennifer were busy in the kitchen preparing a belated Thanksgiving turkey dinner.

Dwight and Jennifer treated us to a superb turkey dinner, with all the fixings. Thank you very much. Our contribution was the dessert. Joanne forgot the bottle of Okanagan cherry cider in the fridge. I doubt that it will be very good with pizza tomorrow night. After dinner, Dwight lit a fire in the fireplace and we all sat around the living room visiting until late in the evening.

DSK

October 12, 2005

October 12, 2005

Vancouver, B.C.

YEAR 2 DAY 117

 

Happy 31st Anniversary to us !

 

Today was cloudy and mild. It started raining in the afternoon.

This morning I was awakened by a phone call from Rhonda, my investment broker's assistant. She was calling with details of my latest investment transaction. She sort of failed to take into account that we are 3 time zones away from her. Dwight made breakfast, cooking omelettes for all of us. Thank you, Dwight. After breakfast he went down to his basement office / studio to work, and Jennifer went to her office upstairs to work on a project for her father's business. Joanne did some crosswords, then began to read Dwight's new book, a text book / reference book for architects. I went outside and finished the painting repair job I was doing on the trailer's stove cover. Then I finished reading all the documentation from Sunshine Valley, the recreational property development near Hope. I phoned the real estate agent here in Vancouver that represents Sunshine Valley, and had my questions answered and concerns addressed. I phoned with questions and concerns despite the fact that we had already made a decision about purchasing a lot at Sunshine Valley. We have decided that it would be premature for us to buy anything, anywhere, for at least another year, probably two. I set up the laptop for Jennifer who wanted an IBM based PC to do some work that she was having some difficulty doing on her Apple Macintosh computer. She was unable to transfer her Mac file to my laptop to work on it. Sorry, Jennifer. I made a fire in the fireplace in the living room. Joanne perused Dwight's book. I read the newspaper. Teddy snoozed right in front of the fire. Bo whined incessantly ! Being here as house guests has upset his routines and equilibrium, and caused him anxiety. Stupid dog!

We had lunch. After lunch, Dwight connected some techno-doo-dad device of his that enabled me to have wireless access to the Internet. Turned his house into a Wi-Fi hotspot for me ! Thanks, Dwight. I sent and retrieved e-mail, updated my blog, and surfed a bit, checking out MTS cellular phone plans to determine what would be most suitable for our winter in the U.S., checking out new Work Camper listings, checking out some Snowbird travel / health insurance, etc.. I kept the fire going in the fireplace all afternoon. Joanne wanted to go to the grocery store to buy what she needed to prepare dinner tonight. We took Bo and drove to a nearby Safeway. When we returned from the store, I spent most of the rest of the afternoon sitting by the fireplace, reading the newspaper.

Joanne prepared supper, a recipe she found recently in an RV magazine. Sort of a meatloaf baked inside hollowed out halves of acorn squash. After supper, Jennifer left to attend a horticultural meeting, Dwight went to his basement office / studio to do some corporate fiscal year end accounting, Joanne washed dishes, and I returned a phone call to Lorri. She phoned yesterday morning to wish me a belated Happy Birthday while we were driving in Vancouver's rush hour traffic with the rig. We forgot to return the call yesterday. When Joanne finished dishes, she took over the phone call with Lorri, and I took Bo out for a walk in the cold rain. Bo hates cold rain even worse than I do. His motto when it's raining and cold is " Bo no go" !

We spent the evening sitting in front of the nice, warm fire, reading. Late in the evening Dwight joined us in the living room, and we visited.

DSK

October 11, 2005

October 11, 2005

Vancouver, B.C.

YEAR 2 DAY 116

 

Today was sunny and cool.

This morning I got up early to get ready to take the trailer into MRO RV Services in Burnaby for flooring replacement. After walking Bo, feeding the animals, and showering, I did regular preventive maintenance, put some oil in the truck, and we were ready to go. We drove in very stressful rush hour traffic to MRO RV Services in Burnaby, arriving about 9:15 A.M.. They were ready and waiting for the trailer. I backed it into their shop and unhitched. While they got started on ripping out the carpeting we drove over to Banner Flooring to select our new flooring. The staff there weren't as helpful as we would have liked, and their selection wasn't as great as we had expected. They sent us to Centura Flooring, a wholesale supplier of theirs. The staff at Centura were very helpful, and the selection was much better. We made a selection, then returned to Banner Flooring. We were astonished at the pricing. The cost of the flooring material was much, much higher than we had anticipated. After settling with Banner Flooring on the material, we returned to MRO to advise them on what we had selected, and to pick up a bag of food we had left there. We didn't want to have the bag of food in the truck with Teddy and Bo while we were shopping for flooring. Finally, we headed for Dwight's and Jennifer's. We arrived at their home shortly after noon.

We got settled into their guest room, then had lunch. I napped for awhile. Banner Flooring phoned to advise that they had gone to MRO and measured the trailer to determine exactly how much flooring material was required. I'm sort of choking on the cost ! I went outside and worked on painting the stove cover. I scraped and sanded the area where the paint was loose and flaking, then applied a first coat of spray paint. I'll do another coat tomorrow. I read the newspaper for awhile while Joanne and Jennifer prepared supper.

We had dinner, then Dwight lit a fire in the fireplace, and we spent the evening sitting in the living room, chatting, enjoying the fire. Nobody enjoyed it more than Teddy. Since we left our Ottawa home in June, 2004, Teddy hasn't had an opportunity to lie in front of a fireplace, snoozing on a blanket. He adores snoozing in front of a fire in a fireplace. Jennifer still had some computer work to do tonight, so about 9:00 P.M. we went down to the guest room so Jennifer could get her work done. Teddy and Bo went to sleep, Joanne did some crosswords, I did today's accounting and journal entry.

DSK

October 10, 2005

October 10, 2005

Abbotsford to Harrison Mill to Burnaby / Vancouver, B.C.

YEAR 2 DAY 115

 

Happy 51st Birthday to me !

 

Well ... I wish it were so. Actually, I felt pretty miserable today, particularly the first part of the day.

Today was cold, with heavy rain for most of the day.

This morning Joanne prepared pancakes as a special birthday brunch for me. Thank you, my love. After showering, regular morning chores, and pancake brunch, I put on a raincoat to go outside and do preventive maintenance in the cold rain. I hate cold rain. If I wanted cold rain, I'd have stayed in Ottawa ! After preventive maintenance, I refilled the fresh water holding tank, and drained all the waste holding tanks. I disconnected and put away all the sewer hoses and connections, the electrical cord, and the fresh water hose. I had to climb up onto the roof of the trailer and sweep off a thick layer of fallen leaves from the tops of the slides before retracting them. The wet leaves stuck on the slide tops like they were glued down. By the time I climbed down off the roof, I had been working outside for so long in such horrible conditions, I was cold, wet, and feeling totally miserable. I got warm and dry, but the miserable feeling persisted all day. I hate preparing to travel on bad weather days. Usually, we can stay put on bad weather days, and wait for improvement, but some days, like today, we have to travel due to commitments or appointments.

We departed Heritage Valley RV Resort, and drove down Sumas Mountain. The steep, winding mountain road was wet, and covered in slippery leaves. I had to shift Dee-Dee into 4 x 4 mode to get adequate traction. It was a tough ride down the mountain. Once down Sumas Mountain, instead of turning south on Hwy. 11 to pass back through Abbotsford, we turned north on Hwy. 11 towards Mission. At Mission, we turned east on Hwy. 7, heading for Kilby Farm, a heritage farm and restaurant where Joanne had made reservations for an early Thanksgiving dinner. We stopped at Hatzic to refill a propane tank. More work outside in the cold rain for me, removing the propane tank from its compartment, waiting for it to be filled, then reinstalling it into its compartment. Bah, humbug ! We continued east on Hwy. 7 to Harrison Mill, then found the Kilby Farm, Store & Restaurant. It’s an interesting restoration of a 1920’s farm and village. The restaurant was somewhat reminiscent of the restaurant near Bird’s Hill Park that Sharon and Bud took us to in the summer of 2004. The farm and village are similar to Pioneer Farm near Austin, Texas, where we considered a Work Camper job last January. We had a pleasant Thanksgiving dinner, served by a pleasant, but incredibly inept waitress. Worst service we’ve had in a very long time. It’s not as if she wasn’t interested in providing good service, she was just poorly trained and clueless, and certainly not the sharpest knife in the drawer. Before and after dinner, we browsed in the gift shop adjacent to the restaurant, looking for a suitable gift for Dwight and Jennifer, to show appreciation for them allowing us to use their guest room this week while the trailer flooring is being replaced. We didn’t find anything that we thought was suitable for them.

We left Kilby Farm, and headed back west on Hwy. 7. We were either going to return to the Trans-Canada Hwy. down Hwy. 11, through Abbotsford, or take a ferry across the Fraser River at Albion, west of Mission. As I was driving, and Joanne was studying the map, we realized we could stay on Hwy. 7 all the way into Burnaby / Vancouver. The TCH 1 follows the Fraser River on the south side, and Hwy. 7 follows the Fraser River on the north side. We stayed on Hwy. 7 all the way into Burnaby. It was slower than TCH 1, but we weren’t in a rush, and finding the Wal-Mart in Burnaby was going to be easier from Hwy. 7 than Hwy. 1. We stopped in Pitt Meadows to fill Dee-Dee with diesel, then found our way to the Wal-Mart in Burnaby.

We did some shopping in Wal-Mart. Joanne packed everything we need for the next few days, while I removed the stove cover. It needs a bit of paint touch up, and I thought I might as well get it done over the next few days while we’re waiting for the trailer. I did today’s accounting and journal entry. Joanne prepared a very late, light supper for us. Our Thanksgiving dinner at the restaurant was more of an early supper than it was a late lunch.

After supper, Joanne presented me with a birthday cake and card, and sang Happy Birthday to me. WHAT ? ! No candles ? ! HMPH !

DSK

October 9, 2005

October 9, 2005

Abbotsford, B.C.

YEAR 2 DAY 114

 

Today was cloudy and cool.

This morning I took care of regular morning routines and chores, and did Sunday's preventive maintenance. Joanne had discovered that this resort has Wi-Fi, but only in the immediate vicinity of their office, which is a long way from our campsite. I grabbed the computer and Wi-Fi card, and drove down to the office. I retrieved and sent e-mail, downloaded investment data updates, and updated my blog. I checked the Work Camper web site to see if any interesting assignments have been posted recently. There were a couple of interesting assignments posted recently, for next summer. One in southern Alberta, and one in the Yukon. We're not really too interested in a Work Camper job for next summer, since we plan to spend the spring in Newfoundland, and wouldn't be available for work when most employers require their Work Campers to start. But, the availability of interesting summer assignments just adds to our indecision about whether or not to buy the lot at Sunshine Valley that we are interested in. Given our travel plans for next spring and summer, we don't intend to be back here in B.C. before next August at the earliest. I'm undecided about whether to buy property that we wouldn't use for at least 10 months. And ... maybe rather than buying a summer "home base" property now, we should just consider spending our summers in different places, living as "Work Campers".

Just as I was finishing online, Joanne and Bo showed up. Joanne had taken Bo for a long walk, and was looking for a ride back up the long hill she had just walked down with Bo. We drove back up to the campground, stopping at the recreation building to take a look at the swimming pool, sauna, and hot tub. Once back at the trailer, we took Bo for an obedience training walk, then clipped his nails. Dwight is concerned about the risk of Bo's nails scratching their hardwood floors while we are house guests next week, so we cut them short. While we were at it, we decided we might as well do Teddy as well. When we were finished cutting Teddy's nails outside at the picnic table, he wanted to look around, so we took him for a short walk. The ground is blanketed with large maple leaves, and Teddy was interested in going for a short exploration walk on the leafy forest floor.

While Joanne prepared lunch, I measured the trailer to know how much flooring we will have to buy on Tuesday. We had lunch, then gave Bo a bath. If he's going to be a house guest in the Atkinson / Lamb home, he should at least not smell like a dirty dog. After getting him dried off, he and I napped. Joanne went to do some laundry. After napping, I spent the rest of the afternoon working on investment data. I printed the updates I had downloaded. I entered all the data in MS Money, where I track most of our finances, then entered the same data in a series of analytical spreadsheets I built long ago. Geeezzz ... we have lost a horrendous amount of money in the last few weeks. It's disheartening, although I keep it in perspective by looking at a "bigger picture". I wanted to have all my investments up to date this weekend, because my birthday is one of the dates I use for investment performance analysis. Investment performance from last birthday to this one has been quite acceptable, even if the last month hasn't been.

I did today's accounting, then began to work on today's journal entry while Joanne prepared supper.

DSK

October 8, 2005

October 8, 2005

Abbotsford to Sunshine Village / Hope & return, B.C.

YEAR 2 DAY 112

 

Today was cloudy and cool, with occasional light rain.

I believe we have likely found the piece of property we would like to purchase as our summer home base.

This morning after regular morning routines and preventive maintenance we set off for Sunshine Village, a recreational property development about 10 miles east of Hope. We drove down Sumas Mountain, onto Hwy. 11 through Abbotsford to TCH 1, then east towards Hope. At Hope we got onto Hwy. 3, the Crowsnest Hwy. that we have now driven in both directions, east last spring, and west just recently. Somehow we missed noticing Sunshine Village both times. Sunshine Village is a 400 site recreational property development. It has been in existence about 27 years. Prior to that the property was a working ranch, and before that it was a Japanese interment camp during the Second World War. A rather ugly piece of B.C.'s and Canada's history. Most of the 400 sites have cabins on them, but there a small number of RV sites in one section of the village. We arrived at Sunshine Village, met with the sales agent that I had made an appointment with, and reviewed what was for sale in the village. We went with him to see 2 RV sites, and 1 cabin. The first site we looked at was a regular size RV lot, all natural, in the forest, fully serviced, a small storage shed on the lot, a comfort station with washrooms and laundry room beside this lot on one side, a small cabin beside this lot on the other side. So ... no neighbours on one side, and a cabin as a neighbour on the other side. Very, very nice lot. Next we went to see a small log cabin. I liked it. An A frame design with a loft bedroom. Joanne didn't like the extremely steep stairway to the loft. Arrangements could be made to park our trailer in their maintenance equipment yard for the summer if we were to purchase the log cabin. The second RV lot we went to see was huge for an RV lot, about 3/4 of an acre, again all natural, in the forest. A long curving driveway up a slope led to the serviced RV parking area. There was a small shed on the lot. Most of the lot was rugged, natural forest, with a fairly large portion of it fenced as a dog run, with wire cattle fencing. It's a stupendous piece of property, thick with moss covered large cedar and fir trees. The adjacent sites are also similar sizes, so neighbours are not visible. We spent quite some time discussing the merits of both of the RV lots before going on a tour of the village common area with the salesman. There is a community building with a library, games room, and community meeting room, with kitchen, where community meetings and social activities take place. There is a swimming pool, with a hot tub in the swimming pool change room building. Everything is over 25 years old, so it's not as modern and luxurious as some of the other parks we've seen, but then again, the prices are a half to a quarter of what they are elsewhere ! Plus, the newer parks are much more "civilized" and "sterile". We really like this park's rugged, wilderness, forest settings. Especially so on the 3/4 acre lot, although we're leaning towards the smaller lot. Joanne doesn't want the log cabin.

We returned to the sales office with the salesman, and he gave us some documentation to read at our leisure. Community rules and regulations, etc.. We drove back to Hope, and went to the lovely city park to have a very late picnic lunch. We were at Sunshine Village much longer than we had expected to be. After lunch we went to the Tourist Information Centre to get more information on Hope and area, then we stopped at one of Hope's two grocery stores to buy a few groceries, and for Joanne to assess whether she could be happy with this small town grocery store. Some small town grocery stores aren't much more than a convenience store. This one was smaller than a large city grocery store, but had everything a large city grocery store would have, just in a slightly smaller building. We headed out of Hope, west on TCH 1 towards Abbotsford. We stopped at Chilliwack to check with 2 auto wreckers if they had a used driver's seat for our truck. Neither did. While driving back to Abbotsford Joanne made some phone calls to restaurants trying to find somewhere to take us for Thanksgiving dinner / my birthday dinner. She found what she was looking for, near Mission.

When we got back to the trailer, I resumed working on the computer file backup problem. I finally got the problem solved. Joanne barbecued supper. We continued discussing the Sunshine Village RV lots over dinner. I did today's accounting and journal entry. After I walked the dog and put away the barbecue we spent the rest of the evening reading today's newspaper.

DSK

October 7, 2005

October 7, 2005

Abbotsford to Surrey / Vancouver & return, B.C.

YEAR 2 DAY 112

 

Today was cloudy and cool with intermittent rain.

We slept very late this morning, then lazed away the balance of the morning. No travel today, poor weather, a good excuse to blow off an entire morning. We had lunch, then went outside to do a few little maintenance jobs. I did regular preventive maintenance. I changed a burnt bulb in the exterior trailer door light. Joanne wanted to replace the amber lens on the exterior light with a clear lens, so I swapped the amber lens for a clear one from another light, beside the trailer trunk doors, underneath the front overhang. We'll try the clear lens on the exterior light beside the door and see if we prefer it to the amber lens. If so, I'll buy another clear lens and replace the amber lens I put on the trunk light. Otherwise, I'll just swap the lenses back again if we decide we don't like the clear lens on the exterior door light. I also replaced a burnt bulb on one of the trailer back up lights. The lens cover was difficult to remove due to dirt and corrosion. I removed the entire light assembly, disassembled it, cleaned it, and reinstalled it. Decided I might as well do the same to the other side while I was at it. Some jobs grow ! We took Bo for an obedience training walk. I began to work on today's journal entry before we had to prepare to leave, to go to Joanne's cousin Claire's for dinner. I also worked on backing up all my computer files. I had some problems, and did not get it finished before we had leave about 4:30 P.M..

We drove down Sumas Mountain to Abbotsford, then onto TCH 1 west towards Vancouver. It took us about an hour and half in heavy Friday afternoon traffic to get to Claire's in Surrey, a suburb of Vancouver. We had a very pleasant dinner and evening of visiting with Claire, her son Robert, her daughter Debra, Cub their Maltese Terrier, and Debra's boyfriend Brad. We talked about our travels. I introduced them to Zydeco music, Cajun music from Louisiana, a new music genre for them. Joanne and Claire reminisced about their childhood. We left about 11:00 P.M., taking about an hour and ten minutes to return to the trailer on Sumas Mountain above Abbotsford. We fed the animals, I walked the dog, worked some more on my unsuccessful backup of all computer files, did today's accounting, and finished today's journal.

DSK

October 6, 2005

October 6, 2005

Abbotsford, B.C.

YEAR 2 DAY 111

 

Today was cold and raining.

Wow ... the truck has been in perfect condition, nothing requiring repair, for 36 hours. Might be a new record ! ! !

Joanne's cousin Claire phoned this morning, and Joanne accepted an invitation to dinner tomorrow night. This morning prior to leaving the campground to run errands in Abbotsford, I had to put the emergency 10 litres of diesel into the truck. Yesterday I had run the fuel down so low there probably wasn't enough to get down the mountain and into town. While driving down into town, Lorri phoned. Joanne chatted with her as we drove, and while I filled the tank. First stop in town was a Husky station to fill with diesel. I think it was the most expensive fill ever, at $130. I phoned our investment broker in Ottawa to sell some investments to get the money to pay for next week's trailer flooring replacement. We drove across the street to a mall, where I went into Magicuts for a haircut and beard trim. Joanne did some grocery shopping. While in the Magicuts, I saw an ad in today's newspaper for ex-rental trucks for sale at Fraserway RV, a local RV rental business. We found our way across town to Fraserway RV, and I went in to see if they had any 1 ton diesel duallies for sale. I was surprised to discover that they are an RV sales and service business, as well as a rental business. I went to their large parts department first, looking for the water heater electrical switch. They did not have exactly what I needed in stock. Oh, well. Next I went to the sales department to inquire about their used trucks. They had a couple of 2004 and 2005 Ford 1 ton diesel duallies that were of some interest to me. Joanne and I browsed their showroom of RV's while we waited for a local auto wholesaler to come over and took a look at our truck. Fraserway does not want to take trade-ins on the vehicles they sell, but they arrange for a local wholesaler to buy customers' trade-in vehicles. While the wholesaler took our truck for an appraisal, we went to sit in a 2005 Ford F-350 and see what we thought of it. To my surprise, we didn't much like it. I expected a newer truck's interior to be much more plush and comfortable then our current truck. This one wasn't. We finally got the price the wholesaler was willing to buy our truck for, and it was so ridiculous, I laughed, and we left. The whole exercise took much longer than it should have, and was an error in judgement on my part.

We got lost in Abbotsford trying to find our way back to the highway. By the time we found our way back to the highway, and then drove to the campground it was 4:00 P.M., and we hadn't had lunch yet. I wasted a half day of our time. It was too close to supper time to have lunch. We had a light snack. I read for awhile, then fell sleep briefly.

BRRRRR ! I just took Bo for a walk ( 10:15 P.M. ). Neither he nor I are impressed with B.C.'s cold, rainy fall season.

I printed and reconciled our September bank statement. Joanne phoned her cousin Claire to confirm our dinner visit tomorrow, and get directions. We had supper, then watched a bit of TV. I did today's accounting, and journal entry.

DSK

October 5, 2005

October 5, 2005

Chilliwack to Burnaby / Vancouver to Abbotsford, B.C.

YEAR 2 DAY 110

 

Today was mostly cloudy and cool with occasional light rain.

I was up early this morning to take the truck to Canadian Tire to have the heater switch resistor replaced. I had the truck into the shop by 8:45 A.M.. While it was being worked on, I walked over to a nearby Future Shop to buy an Ethernet cable for the laptop. I was at Future Shop at 9:00 A.M., and they didn't open until 10:00 A.M.. I walked back to Canadian Tire and made some phone calls while waiting in their customer lounge. I phoned Sunbeam to find out what the wattage of our mattress warming pad is. I wanted to know, to consider how large an inverter I would need to buy to allow us to use the mattress warming pad when we are not plugged in to 120 volts A.C.. An inverter converts 12 volts D.C. to 120 volts A.C., allowing RV's to use 120 volt appliances using the rig's 12 volt D.C. "house battery". Next I phoned to get some information on Sunshine Village, a recreational property development just east of Hope. I saw their ad in the Real Estate Guide I picked up yesterday. I left a message. The truck wasn't ready yet, so I walked to a nearby Staples Business Depot and bought the Ethernet cable I wanted. By the time I got back to Canadian Tire, the truck was ready to go. !0:00 A.M.. Pretty quick ! I drove back to Cottonwood Meadows RV Country Club, hitched up, and prepared for departure. We were on the road heading for Vancouver by 11:00 A.M..

West on TCH 1, into Vancouver's suburbs, we found our way to MRO RV Services in Burnaby, arriving shortly after noon. The owner of MRO RV spent about an hour and a half discussing our desire to have the flooring in the trailer replaced, examining the trailer and existing carpeting, and preparing a detailed estimate. Unfortunately they didn't have the water heater electrical switch I need. While we ate lunch in the trailer, in MRO's parking lot, we decided to have the work done by them. We have discussed this project with quite a few RV dealers and service businesses, and decided we felt quite comfortable with MRO's expertise, and approach to the job. I phoned Dwight to ask if we could stay in the Atkinson / Lamb guest room for 4 days next week, then went back inside MRO to confirm an appointment for next Tuesday morning. The work will take 4 days. The trailer should be ready by close of business next Friday. Just before we left MRO I got a return phone call from Sunshine Village near Hope. I had a discussion with them about the RV sites they have available, and made an appointment to view them Saturday afternoon. We really like the Hope area, and this older park, with much more reasonable prices than the new developments, sounds quite interesting.

We were planning to stay in an RV Park in Vancouver, but after phoning all the Vancouver RV parks, we decided to stay in Abbotsford and "commute" as necessary. The prices of the RV parks in Vancouver are outrageous ! We left MRO and headed back out of Vancouver, west on TCH 1, to Abbotsford, about an hour away. While driving to Abbotsford, the RV park near Radium Hot Springs finally returned our call. Joanne spoke to them while I drove, and got the information we wanted. Pretty pricey ! Like the other new parks we spoke to or visited.

We found our way to Heritage Valley Resort & Campground, on a mountain side just outside Abbotsford. We had stayed here last spring. It's a secluded, wooded campground, with very reasonable rates. We registered, and got set up in our campsite. Joanne went to do some laundry while I had a brief nap. Just before supper, I did a couple of small maintenance jobs on the trailer. After supper, we watched a bit of TV. I phoned Dwight to try to arrange a visit with him and Jennifer some time in the next few days, but we couldn’t find a time that was suitable. We’ll see him and Jennifer next week. Joanne phoned her cousin Claire, who lives in a suburb of Vancouver, to arrange a visit. No one was home. I did today's accounting and journal entry, then walked the dog. Bo is always eager to be walked and fed at bed time. Going to bed is one of his favourite activities.

DSK

October 4, 2005

October 4, 2005

Hope to Chilliwack, B.C.

YEAR 2 DAY 109

 

Today was sunny and cool in the morning, warm in the afternoon. I started the day wearing a long sleeved denim shirt, but had to switch to a t-shirt in the afternoon.

This morning after regular morning routines, we prepared for departure, hitched up, drove over to the campground dump station, emptied the holding tanks, and set off, heading west out of Hope on Hwy. 3, towards Chilliwack. Once at Chilliwack we found Pacific Coast Van & RV where we stopped to get an estimate on flooring replacement, and buy some RV supplies. They didn't have the water heater electrical switch that I needed. Story of my life ! We looked at replacement seats for the truck, which I wanted Joanne to buy me as a birthday gift. We didn't like what they had, so I guess I'm not getting a new truck seat for my birthday.

We drove across the street to Canadian Tire. We unhitched the trailer in the parking and I took the truck over to the service department for replacement of the air conditioner / heater blower motor. While they worked on the truck we had lunch, then Joanne went shopping to the nearby Dollar Store. When the truck was ready, and I went to pay the bill, I received a couple of unpleasant surprises. Story of my life ! ! ! Firstly, while Canadian Tire's price on the part was $40 lower than the GM dealer, their labour cost was $35 higher. Secondly, while the blower motor has been working poorly on the lowest speed for an entire year, when it finally burned itself out, it also burned out the heater switch and resistor < huge sigh >. They ordered a switch and resistor from a local GM dealer, and I made an appointment to return tomorrow morning at 9:00 A.M.. I hitched Harvey to Dee-Dee again, and we set off for nearby Cultus Lake to see Endless Horizons RV Resort. We saw an advertisement of theirs recently advertising RV lots for sale. We found our way to Cultus Lake, just outside Chilliwack, and found Endless Horizons RV Resort. They are selling lots now, but construction of the park has just begun. They won't be finished for another year or so. It will be a fairly large, quite upscale RV Resort. Their prices are a bit high, starting at $59,000. Joanne doesn't really want to be in an RV Park quite so "civilized", quite so close to a city. Okay ... at least we have some pricing information for research and comparison purposes. We droveback down to Chilliwack, pulling into Cottonwood Mall.

While Joanne started shopping at Wal-Mart, I made a couple of phone calls. I made another call to Riverside RV Park back at Keremeos. I played telephone tag, then got a return phone call, which led to a run around and buck passing. I phoned about another park, advertised in a regional newspaper I picked up today. Another park in the design stage, this one in the Fraser River Valley, north of Hope. Maybe it will be completed in a year or two. RV lots priced at $85,000 ! Yikes ! Seems to be a proliferation of RV parks "under development". We're a bit leery about putting money down on something that won't exist for another year or two. I joined Joanne in Wal-Mart. When we were finished our Wal-Mart shopping, we headed over to Safeway for groceries. When were finished, we loaded our purchases into the truck, and headed for a local RV park.

We checked into Cottonwood Meadows RV Country Club, got parked in our assigned site, and while Joanne put away our purchases I got the trailer set up, water, electricity, and cable TV connected, and unhitched. I set up the barbecue and prepared supper. After supper I began working on today's accounting and journal entry, while Joanne washed dishes.

Woo-Hoo ! 9:00 P.M.. Time for Amazing Race ! For a bed time snack, Joanne baked a Saskatoon Berry pie, purchased in, of course, Saskatoon.

DSK

October 3, 2005

October 3, 2005

Hope to Hell's Gate, B.C. & return

YEAR 2 DAY 108

 

Today was partially sunny, and cool.

Joanne had mentioned last night when she was doing dishes that she thought the water wasn't very hot. This morning I discovered that there was no hot water. I went outside to check the water heater, and discovered that the water heater electrical switch was broken. We'll have to use the water heater on propane until I can replace the electrical switch. I showered, had breakfast, did regular preventive maintenance, then made some phone calls. I phoned Canadian Tire in Chilliwack, verified that the blower motor I had ordered was received, and made an appointment with their service department for tomorrow afternoon to have the blower motor replaced. Then I phoned Pacific Coast Van & RV to verify that I would be coming in tomorrow for an estimate on flooring replacement, and I asked them some questions about the water heater electrical switch. Joanne prepared a picnic lunch, and I went outside to attempt to remove the water heater electrical switch. I thought that if I could get it removed and disconnected, it would be easy to buy a new one and install it. With just a little difficulty I removed and disconnected the broken switch.

We paid for another night in this campground, then headed off for Hell's Gate about an hour north of Hope, on the Trans-Canada Highway 1. First stop was the Husky station near the campground to adjust the air pressure in one of the rear tires. One of the rear tires was down about 6 P.S.I. since I last checked tire air pressures a week ago. I'll have to keep an eye on that tire. We had been to Hell's Gate, and crossed the gorge over the Fraser River on the Hell's Gate Tram, last spring. The admission ticket allows re-entry for the rest of the current season, so our crossing today would be at no charge. We decided to take advantage of that privilege. On the way to Hell's Gate we stopped to look at two RV Co-op Parks. Emory Creek Co-op and All Hallow's Park. Neither one was to our liking. We stopped for a picnic lunch at a road side rest area that we had named "Bo Falls" last spring because of the little waterfall coming down the mountain and running beside the rest area. In the spring we allowed Bo to play in the water. Today we didn't. We finally got to Hell's Gate and took the tram across the gorge. Bo seems to think that riding in a gondola caracross the mighty Fraser River is a neat thing to do. He seemed to remember the experience from the spring, and was very eager to do it again today. We walked around the viewing area for awhile, then went inside to watch one of the videos. In the spring we watched a great video on salmon spawning. Today we watched one about the history of Simon Fraser and the Fraser River. We toured the salmon spawning display area and made an interesting discovery. The salmon that we saw in Kawkawa Creek yesterday were Pink Salmon, not Chum Salmon as we had thought. And the most interesting thing, Pink Salmon only spawn every second year, not yearly like the Chum, so the amazing spectacle we witnessed yesterday is only seen once every two years ! We took the tram back up to the top of the gorge, and headed back towards Hope.

When we got back to the trailer late in the afternoon, I read for awhile, then took a nap. Afterwards I did today's accounting, and started today's journal entry. We had supper. I continued working on the computer. Joanne washed dishes then went to shower.

DSK