June 28, 2008

June 28, 2008

 

Happy Birthday to my sister-in-law Lorraine

Today was sunny and very hot, temperature somewhere around 100 degrees F. ( high 30's C. ), or perhaps a few degrees higher. I love hot sunny weather.

This morning we headed for Hedley, the little gold mining ghost town just west of us. Riverside RV Park Resort is about halfway between Keremeos and Hedley. Today was Hedley's Summer Vacation Celebration, a slightly early Canada Day celebration and the "official" grand re-opening of Woodlie Park, the town's little public park. We arrived at 10:00 A.M., just in time for the pet contest. Bo was entered. He won for "Best Pet Story", attached below. He received some neat prizes. Plural, because there were more prizes than entrants. HA HA HA ! The pet contest was sponsored by Karen Nendick, the widow of Ben, the excavation contractor who did the development work on our lot at Riverside RV Park Resort, and became our neighbour and friend. After the pet contest, we walked a few blocks to "downtown" and got settled in our folding chairs under the shade of a tree to await the parade. HA HA HA ... it was a pretty sad excuse for a parade, but we surely do admire the spirit exhibited by small town residents. While waiting for the parade our SKP B.C. Okanagan Chapter 33 friends Murray and Diane from Oliver showed up. We watched the parade and visited with Murray and Diane, while sipping on a cold Kokanee beer ( local B.C. brand ) from the beer garden set up in Woodlie Park. I caught a roll of septic system friendly toilet paper being thrown from the “float” sponsored by the local septic tank pumping service. Sure was different from the Rose Parade we attended in Pasadena, California a year and a half ago. I’m laughing so hard right now I have tears in my eyes !

After the parade we moved our folding chairs into Woodlie park to watch the local "talent" perform a "concert in the park". HA HA HA ... yup ... sure do love that small town spirit. Nothing like sitting in 100 degree weather watching some 7 year play a piano and sing ! HA HA HA ! The following act was a grandmother with her accordion and grandchildren. HA HA HA < SNORT > HA HA ! Oh, well, it was fun, and the setting was spectacular, with the old abandoned Mascot Gold Mine visible up on the rugged mountain, and 20 Mile Creek flowing by. We bought some tickets to participate in the Loonie Auction, whereby one buys tickets for a dollar a piece, then deposits them in the draw jars for whichever of the many items available for “auction” one is interested in. For each of the items in the “auction” a winning ticket is drawn. We didn’t “win” any of the Loonie Auction items. ( For my American friends, a Loonie is a Canadian dollar coin. )

I’m making fun of it, but we really do love this small town living !

 

The story of Bo, the little Alabama Redneck Terrier

 

We are full time RV'ers, having lived in and travelled in our RV since June, 2004. In early December, 2004, while in the Ozark Mountains of Missouri, we decided to head for Alabama and see the devastation caused by Hurricane Ivan which had blown through Gulf Shores a month and a half earlier. The day that we arrived at the campground we were staying at, Rainbow Plantation, there was a "potluck dinner". At the potluck dinner, the park's assistant manager announced that there was another lost little stray dog in the park looking for a new home. In the short period following Hurricane Ivan there had been a total of five stray dogs in the RV park, all adopted by travellers passing through. Including us rescuing / adopting Bo, two of the dogs went to Canadians.

Bo is mostly a Yorkshire Terrier, although it's probable that he is crossed with something a little larger than a Yorkie. He was about ten months old when we got him, unneutered, and undisciplined. We placed a "found" ad in the Mobile, Alabama newspaper, took him to the local animal shelter to be scanned for a microchip, and checked their lost dog notices. After a few days it became obvious to us that no one was looking for him. We headed west, planning to spend Christmas in Texas. We decided that this unruly little "Redneck Terrier" deserved a good Southern redneck name. We named him Bo, since we had found him at the campground RainBOw Plantation.

By the time we arrived in Texas we realized ... he really needed to be neutered ! On December 23 we phoned a veterinarian in Livingston, Texas to schedule a neutering operation. The vet said that since the next day was Christmas Eve, and he didn't have many appointments, he could do it then. So ... our first Christmas gift to Bo was to have him neutered. Merry Christmas, Bo !

Bo has been with us now for three and a half years. He has travelled about 135,000 km. with us, travelling by RV around North America, from Red Bay, Labrador, to Comox / Courtney, Vancouver Island, to Cabo San Lucas, Baja California, Mexico, to Wauchula, Florida, and everywhere in between.

Last summer we bought a lot at Riverside RV Park Resort, between Keremeos and Hedley, to use as a summer home base. All of us, including Bo and his 16 year old feline "brother", Teddy, love living in the beautiful Similkameen Valley during the summer. Although Bo does get a bit of "hitch itch" during the summer, eager to "go drivey" and resume our travel adventures in the fall.

Good dog, Bo !

DSK

June 26, 2008

June 26, 2008

 

THAT'S THE WAY TO DO IT ! ... get your colonoscopy for nothing and your biopsies for free. HA HA HA ... with apologies to Dire Straits.

I have had ulcerative colitis for 16 years, and have had previous colonoscopies in 1992, 2004, and 2006. Well, today ( Thursday ) I had ( another ! ) colonoscopy. When I had my last colonoscopy in Ottawa two years ago, my gastroenterologist at the Ottawa Civic Hospital ( and what an asshole doctor he was ! ) recommended that I switch from having a colonoscopy every two years to annually. But when we moved here 13 months ago, and the Keremeos Clinic referred me to the only local gastroenterologist, in Penticton, the waiting list for a screening colonoscopy was 13 months.

My last meal before the colonoscopy was Tuesday supper. Forty hours without food ! And twelve hours without water ! Wednesday afternoon I began the "colonoscopy preparation", the worst part of the process. The colon must be emptied and cleaned for the procedure. I had to drink a gallon of PEG ( Polyethylene Glycol ) solution, one large glass every 15 minutes until finished. Oh, boy ... that's tough. PEG solution, in simplified explanation, is Gatorade with anti-freeze ! Yeah ... that'll clean out the colon for sure ! ! ! Obviously, I spent Wednesday late afternoon, evening, and night very close to the bathroom !

By Thursday morning I felt hungry and very thirsty. We drove into Penticton, and checked into Penticton Hospital. My previous colonoscopies were all very unpleasant and painful procedures. The last one, in particular, was torture. I strongly suspected, and today became certain, that was only because my Ottawa gastroenterologist was angry at me at the time. He disliked my assertiveness with his receptionist. What a lack of medical professionalism ! To take one's anger out on a patient by making his colonoscopy into torture ! In recollection of that ordeal, I told the doctor today not to underestimate my weight when administering sedative intravenously before the procedure, and don't be stingy with the sedative drugs !

Well ... what a good idea that turned out to be ! He administered enough IV sedative before the procedure that I was pretty much asleep throughout the colonoscopy. < singing "THAT'S THE WAY TO DO IT !" > And ... for most of the rest of the day as well ! HA HA HA ! Well, you know, I've always thought it best to try to sleep through the process of having a sewer hose and TV camera shoved up your ass. HA HA HA < SNORT > HA HA ! Now that it's the middle of the night, I'm wide awake and typing this. HA HA HA !

Good news ! Dr. Maguire found no visible cancer and no polyps. He took four biopsies from various different locations within the colon, and one from an ulcerated area in the ileum. HMPH ... haven't had ulceration in the ileum before. I will have to make an appointment to see him in his office to review the pathology report on the biopsies.

DSK

June 21, 22 & 23, 2008

June 20, 21 & 22, 2008

 

During the first three years of our full time RV lifestyle the only part of our old lives that I truly missed was flying. So when we purchased our lot here in Keremeos a year ago I was thrilled to find that there is a small "Mom & Pop" aviation charter, flight training, and aircraft rental business in Penticton with a couple of Cessna 172's available for rental. Their aircraft are very old, and ... well, perhaps a little decrepit, but that's the only choice I have available if I want to fly. Last summer I flew six times, but Southern Skies Aviation restricted my flying to the Okanagan Valley and Similkameen Valley until I completed their Mountain Performance course.

I have been flying for 23 years. Until last summer all my flying has been "flat land" flying except for a few weeks in 1986 when we went to Vancouver for Expo 86. I rented a Cessna 172 from the Pacific Flying Club at Boundary Bay a few times to fly with family and friends over Expo 86, Vancouver, and a bit of the surrounding area. I took a 1.2 hour "mountain flying introduction" flight with an instructor at the Pacific Flying Club, but that was almost no training, and it was a very long time ago.

So this weekend I attended Southern Skies Aviation's Mountain Performance Course ground school. Friday evening, all day Saturday, and half a day on Sunday. Gee, I'm even more intimidated by flying in the mountains after this ground school course than I was last year when I flew around without benefit of any mountain flight training. I'm confident that will change by the time I complete the practical / flying portion of this training. My first of six required training flights is in a week and a half. I was somewhat dismayed to find out during ground school that the Penticton flight region has one of the highest incidents of aviation accidents in the country. Them mountains sure can reach up and bite your ass quickly when flying a small airplane ! And a "forced landing" ( aviation terminology for a crash ) in the mountains just ain't the same as having to go down on a wheat field ! The first two of the six training flights are fairly routine ( for an experienced pilot ), but the latter flights are truly very challenging "cross country" flights incorporating many of the mountain flight "ass biters" that have claimed a lot of lives in this area. They're more than a bit scary, but better to be exposed to scary situations with the benefit of an instructor beside me. I can hardly wait < rolling eyes > to fly at low altitude to the end of a box canyon and then have to use some pretty hairy techniques of flying to turn around and get out without turning myself into a smoking hole on the side of a mountain.

On Saturday morning I caught a ride into Penticton with a neighbour who works in the city. Saturday afternoon Joanne drove our truck into Penticton, ran some errands, then picked me up at the airport after my ground school course was finished for the day. We went down to Lakeshore Drive on Okanagan Lake to see all the antique and classic cars attending the Peach City Beach Cruise, a three day exhibition event of amazingly restored and customized antique and classic automobiles. Gee, does every old man with a few bucks in his pocket except me own a 1930's Model "A" or 1970's muscle car ? ! ? I sure would like one of them 1960's vintage Cadillac convertibles ! After wandering along the lakeshore viewing the hundreds of vehicles we walked over to Okanagan Lake Park to see the local "First Nations" celebration of National Aboriginal Day. We watched a very good hoop dance performance, but there was a chilly wind coming off the lake so we didn't stay long. We walked to Gyro Park where the Peach City Beach Cruise festivities were taking place, but we didn't want to pay the admission fee to enter. To be on time for the ground school course that morning I had gotten up very early, and had to do so again the next day. I was tired and we were hungry. We went to a Chinese buffet restaurant that we had not been to before and "pigged out" before heading back home to Keremeos.

DSK

June 18, 2008

June 18, 2008

We started our full time RV lifestyle on June 18, 2004. Today marks our fourth anniversary as homeless, unemployed vagabonds. We are now four years into our plan to be homeless, unemployed vagabonds for two years. HA HA HA ! And it's been a great lifestyle ! We have travelled 135,280 km. / 84,550 miles in the last four years. From Red Bay, Labrador to Courtenay / Comox, Vancouver Island, British Columbia, to Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur, Mexico to Wauchula, Florida ... and everywhere in between !

We celebrated by going for lunch to the Hitching Post Restaurant in Hedley. Wonderful lunch ! And we spoke to the owner about bringing our SKP B.C. Okanagan Chapter 33 Spring Rally group for lunch next May. After lunch we walked from the restaurant to the Snaz'ist Centre, operated by the Upper Similkameen Indian Band, to make preliminary arrangements to take the Spring Rally group on a tour of the Mascot Gold Mine. As were driving out of town we decided to take a look at the Colonial Inn, a Bed & Breakfast and small RV park business operated by one of the lot owners here at Riverside RV Park Resort. Just beyond the Colonial Inn we found the dirt trail leading up to the ruins of the old Mascot Gold Mine Stamp Mill. Very interesting ... another interesting thing to show when we have visitors.

As we drove out of town, we glanced up at an osprey nest high up on a pole. Just then a little bird darted out onto the road in front of me. I knew the front wheels were going to miss it, but as I glanced back in the mirror, I saw that the dually rear wheels had hit it. DAMN ! I made a u-turn and went back to make sure that it was dead, and not just injured and suffering in the road. Well, it was dead all right, but .... DAMN DAMN DAMN DAMN DAMN DAMN DAMN ! ! ! < huge sigh > I had killed a baby osprey ! ! ! I'm upset ! Ospreys are not all that plentiful around here ... or anywhere else for that matter.

DSK

June 15, 2008

June 15, 2008

Most RV parks that are filled with "long term stay" occupants or permanent residents usually have a fairly active social calendar. Not so here at Riverside RV Park Resort. A couple of weeks ago I decided to plan, organize, sponsor, and host a couple of social events, in the hope that my efforts will "kick start" some social activities in the park. Yesterday we had a barbecue at the clubhouse for everyone in the park. We billed it as a Sweet 16 Birthday Party, and the guest of honour's identity remained a mystery until the barbecue was underway.

Happy Birthday, Teddy ! HA HA HA ! Teddy Cat was born in mid-June, 1992. He's a pretty old kitty now ! He wasn't really impressed with being brought to the clubhouse. But his demeanour improved when I fed him a special birthday dinner of half a barbecued burger patty. HA HA HA !

The barbecue party went quite well, although it was less well attended than I thought it would be. We had about 20 guests. And because of the horrendous mosquitoes, we couldn't be out in the orchard, as planned. Everyone stayed inside the clubhouse. Except the poor cook ... ME ! HA HA HA !

DSK

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June 11, 2008

June 11, 2008

This afternoon just as we were returning from both having seen our family doctor in Keremeos, a Class C motorhome pulled up to our lot. What a pleasant surprise. It was our friends Ron and Mary from Lumby, B.C., at the north end of the Okanagan Valley. Ron and Mary are friends of ours from the SKP B.C. Okanagan Chapter 33. They were returning from a short vacation trip to Vancouver Island, and decided to stop into Riverside RV Park Resort and say hello. We invited them to join us for supper and stay overnight, parked on our lot. We had a very pleasant evening of visiting with Ron and Mary.

Joanne and I are planning, organizing, and "hosting" the SKP B.C. Okanagan Chapter 33 Spring Rally in May 2009. Ron and Mary are older than us, have been RV'ing for many years, and have been involved in planning, organizing, and "hosting" many such events. We invited them to be our mentors and co-hosts for the rally next spring.

In the mail today Joanne received an official Pharmacare receipt that had us laughing. The Province of B.C.'s prescription medication insurance program pays for prostheses. Last week she had an appointment for a fitting and purchase of a new prosthesis in Penticton. The official Pharmacare receipt that arrived today was as follows ;

Prescription ; right breast prosthesis

Instructions ; use as directed

Refills ; 0

HA HA HA HA HA !

DSK

June 8, 2008

June 8, 2008

Today was supposed to be sunny and warm, but was partially cloudy and cool. Twice in the last week we had postponed a picnic to Manning Provincial Park because of poor weather, so this morning Joanne prepared a picnic lunch and off we went. Manning Provincial Park is about 100 miles west of here on Highway 3 towards Vancouver. We stopped and explored each of the campgrounds and picnic areas within the park. We saw a few deer and a wolf. There's still a lot of snow up in the higher elevations of the park. That explains why the Similkameen River is still so high. The headwaters of the Similkameen are up in the mountains in Manning Park. From the summit in the park, the snow melt and creeks run down the east side to form the Similkameen River which flows east, and down the west side to form the Skagit River which flows west. In Manning Park the Similkameen River is small, almost like a creek. The further east we drove on the way home, the wider and deeper it became. At Princeton, where the Tulameen River flows into the Similkameen it began to look as it does here at Riverside RV Park Resort.

When we got back home we chatted with our next door neighbour, Stu. When we told him about Bo's deer leg incident, he explained how and why there were deer parts in the forest. Last winter a deer tried to jump over the chain link fence surrounding our park. It didn't make it, and got hung up on top of the fence where it died. One of the residents of the park hauled the carcass off the fence with his truck, then hauled it out into the forest where it provided winter feed for the coyotes. Guess there wasn't enough meat on the deer's front legs for the coyotes. Bo was happy with it, though !

DSK

June 6, 2008

June 6, 2008

Riverside RV Park Resort is fenced around the perimeter. On the southwest corner there is a gate on the fence leading out into Crown Land ( undeveloped land owned by the Canadian government ) which is raw forest. Every second day or so we go out there with Bo to give him an opportunity to romp around off leash. The wild grasses that grow out there are quite long, and Bo loves to bounce through the long grass like a rabbit. Lately we have been experimenting with not calling him back to us, just to see how far into the forest he will go, and for how long, before he decides on his own to return to us as we hike.

Today he had disappeared into the forest for quite some time as we hiked. Joanne and I were already back at the gate leading back into our RV park. Joanne wanted to call him. I wanted to just wait, and see how long it would take Bo to return on his own. After a few minutes of waiting at the gate, we heard him bounding through the long grass. Oh, there he is ! Bouncing along, tail held high, head held high, looking very proud, and pleased with himself. Wait ... what's that he's carrying ? ? ? Looks like ... a baseball bat in his mouth ? ? ? How can he possibly bounce through the long grass with something that long in his mouth ?

BO ! ! ! WHAT THE H*** ARE YOU DOING WITH A DEER LEG IN YOUR MOUTH ? ? ? AND WHERE THE H*** DO YOU THINK YOU'RE GOING WITH IT ? ? ? ! ! !

What's wrong with that dog ? ? ? ! ! ! He was very disappointed when I took the deer leg away from him and tossed it deep into the bush. Sheesh ! Mind you, I guess he's due credit for ambition. HA HA HA !

DSK

May 29, 2008

May 29, 2008

Today was the first session of the ten week dog obedience training course I am teaching here at Riverside RV Park Resort. After 3½ years of obedience training Bo has graduated from being a student to being a teacher. And what an excellence performance he gave today. Good dog, Bo, well done !

DSK