July 31 update

July 31 blog update

Happy Birthday to my brother, Russell.

Well, we have just finished saying farewell ( at 10:00 A.M. ) to the Carlson family who were here visiting with us for the last 3½ days. Joanne's sister Lorraine, her husband Doug, and their 2 little daughters Madeleine, age 8, and Amelia, age 6, drove 4 days across the Canadian Prairies and Rocky Mountains in blistering summer heat to visit us here in our little piece of paradise.

They arrived late Friday afternoon. While Joanne, Lorraine and Amelia unloaded the Carlson's car and brought their stuff into one of the two "motel rooms" in our park's office building, Doug, Madeleine and I went wading in the Similkameen River to cool them down after another long, hot day of driving. We discovered that we could wade completely across the river onto the island in the middle. Then we took the entire family to the orchard area in our park to pick fresh fruit off the trees. Unfortunately, the Bing ( sweet ) cherries were just a bit past their prime, and were dried out from the heat. The sour cherries were still okay, but they're really only good for baking, not eating fresh. Well, Amelia actually liked eating them fresh. We picked and ate some fresh apples. I took the girls to see the small patch of little Brittle Prickly Pear Cactus growing in our park. Uh-oh ... thanks to Uncle Dan's exploration, all 3 of us ended up with teensy little cactus quills embedded deep in our fingertips. Doug and Lorraine have now imposed a new rule on the girls ; don't touch anything Uncle Dan tells you to touch. HA HA HA ! Doug and Lorraine were surprised that the Pica Pica incident in Costa Rica a few years ago didn't teach me anything. HA HA HA HA HA ! Hey ... one can't learn about life without touching and smelling things. We ended the day by having "Christmas in July" and giving them some gifts we had purchased for them during our travels over the last year. I read the girls a bed time story from my book of Indian legends. This story was about the creation of mankind by Man Maker / The Magician, and how Coyote's interference resulted in "mistakes" that resulted in the creation of dog, white man, and black man. The correct result was "red" man.

On Saturday we drove to Keremeos and went to Farmer John's Petting Zoo. On the way we stopped on the side of the road and I found some wild sagebrush so that the girls could experience the wonderful fragrance of wild sage. At the petting zoo there were rabbits, guinea pigs, peacocks, goats, sheep, donkeys, llamas, ducks, turtles, and ponies to be fed and petted. The girls seemed to really enjoy this outing, Amelia in particular. She said that handling baby guinea pigs was the highlight of their time visiting us. She handled the baby guinea pigs very well, and exhibited quite an affinity for animals. We went to Pine Park in Keremeos to have a picnic lunch Aunt Joanne prepared, then we drove around the area looking at orchards and vineyards, so the girls could learn where fruits really come from. We looked at apple trees, peach trees, pear trees, cherry trees, apricot trees, and grape vines. We drove west on Hwy. 3 about half an hour to Bromley Rock Provincial Park where we spent the afternoon frolicking in the Similkameen River. We played in the shallow parts of the fast flowing river, on the rocks sticking out of the rapids. Not a typical beach outing ! And the cold river certainly cooled us down on a hot day. We watched in amazement as teenage boys jumped off the top of 60 foot tall Bromley Rock into the river below. YIKES ! Made Doug and Lorraine grateful that they have girls ! Madeleine and Doug said that this experience of wading, swimming, and playing around in a wild mountain river surrounded by jaw dropping mountain scenery was the highlight of their time with us. We ended the day with another Indian legends bedtime story for the girls by Uncle Dan. This one was about Coyote's creation of the Big Dipper constellation. After I read them the story, Joanne and I took the girls outside to show them the Big Dipper.

On Sunday we headed off for Uncle Dan's favourite, a four wheel drive adventure driving up the back side of Apex Mountain. We drove a few miles west on Hwy. 3 towards our neighbouring village, the little gold mining town of Hedley, then headed up Nickel Plate Mine Road through the Upper Similkameen Indian Reservation. It's a narrow, very winding, rough, steep trail up the mountain, with amazing views of the Similkameen Valley below. We stopped a few times for photo opportunities, and I think one of the photos may end up becoming the Carlson's family Christmas card photo. Shortly after passing the Nickel Plate gold mine we arrived at Apex Mountain Ski Village. We ate the picnic lunch once again prepared by Aunt Joanne before riding the chair lift to the top of the mountain. At the top of the mountain, at an elevation of 7200 feet we wandered around awhile, taking pictures and enjoying the views. Amelia expressed some discomfort at riding a chair lift to the top of a mountain, and being on top of a mountain. Lorraine, however, said that it was the highlight of her time with us. We rode the chair lift back down to the village, and drove down the "civilized" road on the "front side" of Apex Mountain back towards Keremeos and "home" to Riverside RV Park Resort. As we drove through Keremeos, Doug expressed an interest in exploring the "other" side of the Similkameen River. We crossed the Similkameen on Keremeos' famous wooden Red Bridge. We drove west along the north shore of the Similkameen briefly before turning south to follow the Ashnola River up into the Cathedral Lakes region. We stopped at a small unserviced campground along the Ashnola River to spend some time exploring. The Ashnola River is smaller than the Similkameen, and is truly a rugged, wild, little river running down out of the mountains. Madeleine and I built a small Inukshuk on the shore. Late in the evening we went to the clubhouse in our park, where Amelia and Madeleine learned to play shuffleboard while Doug and I shot a game of pool. I forgot to read the girls their Indian legends bedtime story.

Sunday morning we headed for Penticton and a day on Skaha Lake Beach. We stopped in Keremeos, and while Joanne wandered around the village window shopping with Doug and Lorraine, I took the girls to the playground in Memorial Park. Halfway to Penticton we stopped for another of Aunt Joanne's picnic lunches at Yellow Lake, a beautiful, emerald green coloured mountain lake. I wonder why it's called Yellow Lake ? We spent the hot afternoon playing on the beach, in the lake, and the water park at Skaha Lake Beach. Penticton Airport is across the road from Skaha Lake Beach. I offered to take the Carlson family on a sightseeing flight in a Cessna 172 over the Penticton and Skaha Lake area, but they weren't interested. After an early supper of East Indian food purchased for us by Doug and Lorraine in Keremeos on the way home, it was time for my "finale". For Amelia and Madeleine, and all the grandchildren visiting grandparents at Riverside RV Park Resort, I presented Uncle Dan's juggling and magic extravaganza, featuring Danylo The Great. HA HA HA ... I had a great time being a somewhat silly juggler and magician. I hope all the children enjoyed it. I read the girls their final Indian legends bedtime story about how Coyote's mischief resulted in the creation of winters.

We enjoyed their visit. We thank the Carlson family for coming all this way to visit with us ! It was my objective to give the little "city girl" nieces some summer, outdoor, mountain, Uncle Dan adventures that they won't soon forget. I hope I achieved that.

DSK

July 22 update

July 15

 

Today's excitement was ... I assisted some neighbours in capturing a rattlesnake, then I relocated it. While we were walking Bo, and chatting with a neighbour, Ron, another neighbour, Betty came running down the road with her little dog Spencer, screaming in terror about a rattlesnake in her rock wall. Ron grabbed a rake, and we headed for Betty's. Her husband Dave was standing by their rock wall looking perplexed. There was a large, apparently very angry rattlesnake tucked in amongst the rocks, rattling its tail loudly, and flicking its forked tongue at us. Another neighbour, Jon, arrived with a big stick. Ron with his rake, and Jon with his big stick, began to try to get the rattlesnake out from the rocks. I headed for home to put on a pair of welding gloves, with leather gauntlets almost to the elbows. I thought maybe if they flipped the snake out onto the road, and held it down with the rake or stick, I could grab it and toss it into a garbage can.

By the time I returned a minute or two later, they had managed to flip the snake out onto the road, and then into a garbage can using the rake. I volunteered to relocate one very angry rattlesnake. I drove a few miles down the road, and released it on a dirt road leading up into the mountains. Boy ... it sure seemed angry ! I guess being whacked around with a stick and rake, then being trapped inside a hot plastic garbage can for awhile will do that to a rattlesnake. HA HA HA !

It was neat. I've never had the opportunity to hear an angry rattlesnake before. It sure can make a lot of noise with that rattle on its tail. And while I knew that this area is the northernmost "finger" of the Sonoran Desert, I didn't know we have rattlesnakes here. Watch out, Bo !

 

July 18

 

Today I resumed my life as a pilot at Southern Skies Aviation in Penticton. I have only flown once in the last 3½ years. To the surprise of both me and my flight instructor / examiner, my flying skills are not as rusty as we both expected them to be. I flew 1.1 hours in Cessna 172 C-GXTN ( X-ray Tango November ). Southern Skies' two Cessna 172's are both much older models than I am used to flying, so many of the controls and instruments are a slightly different design, in slightly different locations than I am accustomed to. We did upper air exercises over Lake Okanagan between Summerland and Peachland, steep turns at 45 degrees of bank, slow flight, stalls, and full power climbing turn stalls into incipient spins. Just like riding a bicycle ! We did a simulated engine failure forced approach. Aced it ! We did some touch and go circuits, including a high, hot, sideslip approach, and a full flaps approach. I will need at least one, maybe two more dual flights to be proficient enough to be allowed to sign out the aircraft for solo flight, and won't be allowed to fly outside the Okanagan Valley until I complete their mountain flying course this fall. I had a very brief mountain flying introduction / orientation at Boundary Bay ( just outside Vancouver ) in 1986 when we came out to see Expo 86, but ... well, that was 21 years ago.

Next summer ... aerobatics training in their Citabria. Woo-Hoo ... loops and rolls !

 

DSK

July 8 update

July 8 blog update

 

Okay ... due to many requests from readers of my blog, I will occasionally update my blog throughout the summer.

My last regular blog entry was on June 22. That evening, after I wrote and posted that entry, we had an "accident" that resulted in the loss of the awning on the side of the trailer. The wind gusted so strongly that the awning flipped up over the trailer. The awning arms smashed into the side of the trailer , then also flipped up over onto the roof, smashing the air conditioner shroud. The awning was severely torn, and the arms were bent and broken. The entire awning assembly, worth about a thousand dollars, was a total loss. And the air conditioner shroud, worth about a hundred dollars, as well. When it smashed onto the roof, it sounded like an explosion inside the trailer. The air conditioner vent on the inside ceiling of the trailer flew off when the awning hit the roof.

It could have been a lot worse. We have spoken to many RV owners who have lost awnings on their rigs due to strong wind gusts. And they have ended up with holes smashed through the sides of their rigs, or the roofs of their rigs, from the very heavy awning arms flailing around as the awning flips up and over the rig. All we lost was the air conditioner shroud. We have decided not to replace the awning. We rarely use it, and when we do, it inevitably needs to be retracted due to winds, usually in the middle of the night.

On July 1, we attended the Canada Day celebrations at Memorial Park in Keremeos. One of the activities was an exhibition of "dog agility". After the demonstration, dogs in the audience were invited to give it a try. I took Bo through a dog agility course for the first time. He loved it, and did great. We decided to enroll in a dog agility class at the local kennel in the village of Cawston. Yesterday ( July 7 ) we attended our first, and likely last, dog agility session. Bo had fun, but Joanne and I each had a litany of complaints, and will likely not be returning. Amongst other complaints, I didn't think it was worth the money they were charging. And Joanne was really angry that Bo got bit by the Border Collie that belongs to the kennel owner. She believes, quite rightly, that if the kennel owner's dog isn't well enough behaved around visiting dogs to resist biting them, he shouldn't be allowed to mingle with the visiting dogs. We're not sure exactly where Bo was bit during the little scuffle, but he was yelping for 10 or 15 seconds afterwards, so it likely hurt a bit. We think he was bit on the face, but there's no apparent damage. Maybe you should keep your nose out of other dogs' groins, Bo.

And now the big news ! On July 3 Joanne fell and broke her elbow. We were in Penticton for our weekly day of errands in "Pen". It was our last stop for the day, at a grocery store. As we walked from the truck to the store, Joanne stumbled on a bump in the pavement. She landed very hard on her knees, scraping them severely, then pitched forward onto her left wrist, and then, finally, onto her face, landing with her left eyeglass lens against the pavement and scratching it deeply. I picked her up and took her back to the truck where I did first aid on her shredded, bleeding knees. She just wanted to go home and lie down, but I insisted we go to the hospital because of the severe pain in her left wrist and elbow.

We were taken care of quite well at Penticton Hospital. The wait in the Emergency Department was only about 45 minutes. A doctor examined Joanne, then sent her for x-rays. The x-rays indicated a fracture of the head end of the arm's radial bone, at the elbow. Nowadays they don't apply a cast on an arm with a broken elbow. After 6 or 8 weeks in a cast, the broken elbow often heals with reduced range of motion. So they put a sling on Joanne, and sent us home with instructions to see our family doctor the next day. Our only complaint about Penticton Hospital's Emergency Department was inadequate explanation after the x-rays. The doctor never returned to see Joanne. He just sent a nurse in to apply a sling and send us home. The nurse was not able ( or allowed ? ) to explain the diagnosis and answer our questions.

The next morning I phoned the Health Centre in Keremeos for an afternoon appointment, then we drove back to Penticton Hospital for Joanne's scheduled mammogram, made a bit more difficult by the broken, painful elbow. In the afternoon we saw our new local doctor. Joanne's wrist may also be broken. If not, it certainly is severely sprained. We are to return to the Health Centre in Keremeos in a couple of days for another set of x-rays.

Joanne is in a lot of pain. She has difficulty sleeping, and her tossing and turning keeps both of us awake much of the night. She does some simple exercises, like slow, gentle arm swings, to decrease the risk of loss of range of motion in the elbow as it heals. I act as "Nazi coach" through the exercises, a role I also played a few years ago following her cancer surgeries.