August 22 to 28, 2008

August 22 to 28, 2008

 

Friday ; This afternoon our friends Kevin and Sandy arrived. We met them on our caravan trip into Baja California, Mexico last winter. They are from Britain. They are spending a few years touring around North America in a large Class A motorhome. They spent the earlier part of this summer up in Alaska, and are returning from there now.

While we were sitting in our screen tent gazebo visiting with them this afternoon I noticed a baby Pine Siskin that appeared to be in distress on the ground underneath our bird feeder. When a gust of wind would blow the baby bird would just tumble and roll. I brought it into the gazebo and examined it, determining that it was probably beyond hope. We attempted to administer some water to it using a syringe, but it was too far gone. I placed it on a magazine on our swing in the gazebo and allowed it to die peacefully, at least saving it from having to die while it was being blown around on the ground.

Around supper time we drove into Penticton to attend the Ironman Triathlon Street Party. The Canada Ironman Triathlon is held annually in Penticton. We wandered around the downtown area closed to traffic where the Street Party was taking place. We wandered down to Okanagan Lake to allow Kevin and Sandy to see the lovely lakeshore area. The lakeshore was not very accessible because of the areas closed off for the Ironman Triathlon registration, event transitions, and start / finish lines. We went to a Chinese buffet restaurant for supper, then spent the rest of the evening walking around the Street Party area, listening to a variety of bands playing music.

 

Saturday ; Today was a "work" day for me. Early in the afternoon I left for my gig as a clown / juggler / magician at a surprise 50th birthday party in Oliver. Sandy had applied my clown face make up, and she did an excellent job. Through Keremeos, on Hwy. 3 to Osoyoos, then north to Oliver on Hwy. 97. This surprise birthday party had a Mexican theme, so when I arrived the client had me switch my hobo clown hat for a sombrero. I started off my afternoon of work roaming around the client's back yard where the party was taking place, making balloon animals, a very recently acquired new skill. I quickly learned that balloon animals are a flop with an adult crowd, although they were a big hit much later in the afternoon when some children arrived. I switched to magic, roaming around, performing close up magic for each of the six or so small groups of party guests. When word arrived that the "birthday girl", the client's wife was about to arrive, he had me hide behind a pillar in their attached garage, waiting for the garage door to open and her car to begin entering the garage. As per his instructions, I jumped out from behind the pillar, leaping and waving in front of her car, then dashed into their house. I have no idea what he was thinking, and I certainly have no idea what she thought as she drove into her garage, and a pudgy, old hobo clown wearing a sombrero jumped in front of her car, then ran into her house ! ! !

It was a long afternoon ! ! ! I was to work for 3 hours, and actually worked for 3½ hours, as a result of the catered Mexican meal being late. Continuously performing magic for that long, on my feet for the whole time, in the hot sun, with face make up on, was exhausting. Finally, as the delayed, catered Mexican dinner was about to be served, I packed up and left. I drove to Okanagan Falls where I returned all my "employer's" stuff to her. By the time I got home, covering almost 200 km. / 120 mi. from home to the client's, to my employer's, and back home, it was almost 8:00 P.M.. From the time I had left home until I had returned, my "work day" had lasted 7 hours, and that didn't include the time to apply or remove my face make up. Considering the price of diesel fuel consumed, the payment I received was hardly worth the effort. Oh well, I didn't decide to be a "performer" to get rich, I guess.

 

Sunday ; Today we went to the Lower Similkameen Indian Band Powwow at the Ashnola Powwow Grounds at the Ashnola Campground operated by the Band. Joanne and I have been to a number of powwows around North America. This was the first time since we’ve moved here that there has been a “local” powwow. The Lower Similkameen Indian Band is one of the Bands that comprise the Okanagan First Nations. It includes the Upper Similkameen Indian Band, the Penticton Indian Band, the Osoyoos Indian Band, and the Colville Indian Band across the border near Colville, Washington. We arrived just in time for the Grand Entry ceremony. We stayed for about 3½ hours, watching the drum and dance performances / competitions that are the “raison d’être” for powwows. We left when it began to rain. We drove south on Ashnola River Road, sightseeing along the Ashnola River. We were in Kevin’s and Sandy’s “toad” ( vehicle towed behind a motorhome ), a Honda CR-V, a 2 wheel drive sport utility vehicle. We explored down Ewart Creek Road, a one lane dirt trail running alongside Ewart Creek. Joanne and I had not previously explored along this road. It was a road best suited to 4WD vehicles, but Kevin’s and Sandy’s toad handled it.

When we returned home to Riverside RV Park resort, I barbecued some steaks for supper, and we did some planning for a trip into mainland Mexico next winter.

 

Monday ; Today was a day to stay home and get caught up on "at home" chores. In the afternoon I filleted a salmon and made bannock. Supper was, of course, Cajun seasoned, barbecued salmon fillets served on bannock rounds.

 

Tuesday ; Today we went to Forbidden Fruit Winery for a picnic lunch. On the way there, driving east on Hwy. 3 we stopped at Cawston Glass in Cawston to arrange for a replacement windshield for Kevin's and Sandy's toad. Cawston Glass made phone calls to order the correct windshield and to Kevin's and Sandy's insurance company in Florida to make arrangements for an insurance claim for the cost of the replacement windshield. Kevin's and Sandy's driver's licenses, vehicle registrations, and vehicle insurance policies are based on their "address" in Florida where they bought their motorhome when they came to the United States from England. At Forbidden Fruit Winery we visited the tasting room, and Kevin and Sandy sampled some of Forbidden Fruit's products. They had not previously tasted fruit wines. They were impressed and bought a bottle. We each ordered a chilled glass of our favourite Forbidden Fruit wine, and took it outside to have with our picnic lunch sitting on a picnic table beside the orchards and the Similkameen River. Very lovely ! After lunch we wandered around the orchards for awhile.

On our way back to Riverside RV Park Resort we stopped at a few fruit stands in Cawston and Keremeos to buy interesting fresh fruits and vegetables. We drove around some orchards and vineyards around Keremeos to allow Kevin and Sandy to see fruit trees and grape vines up close.

 

Wednesday ; My plan for today was to take Kevin and Sandy flightseeing. That didn't happen. This morning we prepared picnic lunches and left for Penticton. Our neighbour Janet offered to care for Bo for the day, so we left Bo with Janet and Jerry. Initially he thought visiting with Janet and Jerry was a great adventure, but as the day wore on he began to feel a bit insecure. Poor Bo ... thought we had abandoned him. When we got to Penticton we ran a few errands then went to Skaha Lake Park to walk along the beach for awhile then have our picnic lunches. As we ate our lunches it became windy. After lunch we drove to Southern Skies Aviation at Penticton Airport. The strong crosswind was beyond the limits for a Cessna 172, so I was not allowed to fly. There is only one runway at Penticton, running north and south. The winds at Penticton are almost always from the north or the south, but today they were directly from the west, so no matter which direction I would take off, the wind would be a crosswind at 90 degrees. Today's wind of 27 knots was beyond the 172's crosswind take off limit of 15 knots. I rescheduled our sightseeing flight to Friday.

We decided to go exploring by road. We crossed Penticton to find Lakeside Road running along the eastern shore of Skaha Lake all the way to Okanagan Falls. We've always travelled on the highway, which runs along the western shore of Skaha Lake. At Okanagan Falls we stopped at Tickleberry's, a shop specializing in chocolate coated small fruits like cranberries and blueberries. We continued on to Oliver where we stopped for ice cream. We decided to take a 4WD adventure on a one lane dirt road over the mountains from Oliver to Cawston. At Cawston we stopped at the glass shop to check on whether or not they had received authorization from Kevin's and Sandy's insurer to replace their Honda's windshield. The glass shop had not yet had a response from the insurance company. Kevin will have to deal with that problem tomorrow. We stopped in Keremeos for some groceries before returning to Riverside RV Park Resort. Sandy had left a leg of lamb roasting in a slow cooker. MMMMM ... very good supper ! ! !

 

Thursday ; This afternoon we took Kevin and Sandy sightseeing up the back sides of Stemwinder Mountain and Apex Mountain on Nickel Plate Mine Road, now one of our regular "visitor attractions". After we drove back down we went into the village of Hedley to look around and make a dinner reservation at The Hitching Post for Sunday evening. We crossed over the Similkameen River onto Old Hedley Road, and drove the back road "scenic route" to Princeton, stopping along the way at one of the B.C. Forest Service campgrounds beside the Similkameen River. At Princeton we stopped at Dairy Queen for ice cream treats. Kevin and Sandy had never been to a Dairy Queen before. We returned home driving east on Hwy. 3, stopping at Bromley Rock Provincial Park and Stemwinder Provincial Park for more "tourist attraction" sightseeing.

While Joanne prepared supper Kevin and I each drove to Cawston Glass. He left their Honda CR-V toad there to have the windshield replaced tomorrow. I drove him back home to Riverside RV Park Resort where Joanne was waiting with a perogy dinner. Before visiting us Kevin and Sandy had never had any Ukrainian ethnic foods so tonight we treated them to a perogy dinner. Earlier in their visit with us Joanne had made holupchi ( Ukrainian cabbage rolls ) for dinner one night.

 

DSK