AHHHHH … what a lovely evening. I am sitting at a picnic table beside Okanagan Lake on Tuesday evening. The lake is calm. The temperature is mild. We are at the Escapee Okanagan Chapter 33 Spring Rally at Green Bay Bible Camp on the west side of Okanagan Lake, across the lake from the city of Kelowna. It’s the first day of the rally. Most of the attendees are inside the dining hall playing Mexican Train, a dominoes type game popular with RV’ers. I didn’t want to play so I took Bo for a walk by the lake, out onto the long dock, and over to the playground to do some “Bo-gility”. HA HA HA … good dog, Bo ! After I got him a bit tired out, I took Sully for a short walk around the campground. Bo and Sully certainly have very different ideas of what constitutes “going for a walk”.
On Sunday I continued working on building our gazebo. I completed installing the final three roof panels. And I worked on caulking the roof seams before installing the metal cladding on the roof, and the ridge panels over the corner rafters. But I ran out of silicone sealant. On Monday I installed the metal cladding on the roof. My work was frequently interrupted by intermittent rain. And I didn’t have an assistant. Joanne was in Keremeos running errands and seeing the doctor to get her annual cancer screening procedures started.
Tuesday morning we prepared for departure and left Riverside RV Park Resort heading north through the Okanagan Valley to Green Bay on Lake Okanagan for the SKP spring rally. We arrived around noon, got registered, visited, had lunch, and I napped with Sully. He has been unhappy that I haven’t napped with him after lunch for the last few weeks. It was raining after lunch, and that curtailed the socializing that would normally take up the first afternoon of an SKP rally. We had a potluck dinner of “heavy appetizers” in the dining hall. In recognition of this rally’s Mexican theme, Joanne’s contribution was ceviche camarón, a Mexican version of shrimp cocktail / shrimp salad / shrimp salsa sort of thing, served with fresh home made tortilla chips which she baked last night. We were pleased to get reacquainted with an Escapee couple from Ontario who are attending this rally as “visitors”. We knew them from our days as members of the Maple Leaf ( Ontario ) Chapter 18. The last time we saw Bob and Helen was in Goshen, Indiana about 5 years ago or so.
Our best friends in this chapter, Ron and Mary are not here. Ron and Mary welcomed us into this chapter three years ago. They mentored us when we were rally hosts for the first time last spring. They visited us and stayed in their RV on our lot at Riverside RV Park Resort. They’ve been to the Keremeos Rodeo with us. We’ve met them at the Pentastic Jazz Festival in Penticton. We’ve camped with them in a B.C. provincial park. Ron was recently diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. The prognosis is … not good. He’s been given three months to live. We’re very saddened by this news.
Thursday morning the rally group had a pancake breakfast followed by our chapter’s annual general meeting. After lunch there was an outing to two local wineries for a tour and tastings. I wasn’t feeling well, so I didn’t go. Joanne went while I napped with Sully and Bo. We had a group dinner, prepared by the Green Bay Bible Camp staff, in the dining hall. Spinach salad, barbecued ribs ( pork … couldn’t eat ‘em ), baked beans ( with pork … couldn’t eat ‘em ), and freshly baked buns. So, for the price of dinner, I got to eat spinach salad and a bun ! Then … ( Lord, have mercy ) .. . it was time for the annual Chapter 33 “evening of entertainment”. Is it any wonder that my colon doesn’t work ? ! ? This morning I was asked to “participate”. The implication was that I perform a magic show. I didn’t feel up to it ! So … I did a three part performance. First I performed one new ( to this group ) magic trick. Then, since this rally’s theme was Mexico, and those of us who have been to Mexico have been encouraging those who haven’t yet been to go, I read my lengthy February 15, 2009 journal entry. That was the day we were in Acapulco, went to see the La Quebrada cliff divers, and … our bus driver was stabbed during an attempted robbery. That oughtta encourage those who haven’t yet been to Mexico to go, don’t ya think ? HA HA HA ! Finally, I showed … and played … the Arpa Magica musical instrument I bought from a Chiapas Indian man in a campground in the jungle along the Mexico / Guatemala border. My inaugural performance ! And … NO … I didn’t play any whiny country and western ! ! !
Friday morning we spent a couple of hours socializing and saying goodbyes at the rally’s hitch up breakfast. We were the last rig to leave Green Bay Bible Camp. On the way south on Hwy. 97 through the Okanagan Valley we stopped in Summerland to have a very brief meeting with the owner of RV Days, the RV rental business that we hope to work for this summer. We made tentative plans to meet with him again on Wednesday in Osoyoos. We stopped beside Yellow Lake to have lunch. We were home by mid-afternoon.
Saturday was a long, hard day of working on the gazebo. I finished sealing the roof panels at the corner rafters. I installed the roof corner ridge panels. And finally, I installed the skylight. The basic construction is complete ! I still need to do some touch up with wood putty in a few spots. I need to ensure the walls are straight and aligned, then screw them down to the floor base. I need to seal all around the bottom of the walls at the floor to keep insects and water out. AND … I await the door and screens ! ! !
DSK
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