Oh, boy ... found Doc Martin on PBS. Spent the evening watching Doc Martin, Amazing Race, and Celebrity Apprentice.
Monday ; Sunny and mild today. About time ! Today marks the 11th anniversary of Joanne's first cancer surgery. Eleven years a survivor ! For which I am eternally grateful !
This morning drove to Penticton and picked up B.B. King ticket at South Okanagan Events Centre. WOO-HOO ! Continued on to Summerland where we dropped off rack cards and business cards at two bed and breakfast establishments that responded favourably to my marketing efforts. Between Summerland and Penticton stopped at road side rest area to allow Bo to romp on Okanagan Lake shore. It's been ten days since he's been "drivey". He was acting like it had been ten months ! Back in Penticton ran more errands before returning home late in the afternoon.
Where ... quite by accident / serendipity Joanne discovered ( online ) a four day old real estate listing for a "distressed" property here at Riverside RV Park Resort. Long story ! Resident died this past winter. Phoned real estate agent only to discover that since property was listed last Friday ... three days ago ... three offers have been made. One offer exceeds asking price. Made appointment for showing tomorrow at noon, then spent much of evening debating how much do we want this property. Asking price ... for park model / manufactured home and lot ... by bank who foreclosed on property after resident's death ... is less than price of undeveloped, unserviced bare lot when purchased five years ago. So ... we could offer considerably more than "asking price", and still not exceed what our current lot could be sold for. Would be like trading lots and getting a manufactured home for free. Somewhat appealing, n'est-ce pas ? Guess it's going to come down to a "bidding war". Somewhat like high stakes poker, I guess. Inevitably, somebody is going to get one hell of a bargain ! Wish us luck !
Tuesday ; DAMN ! An hour before our appointment to view ( and buy ! ) lot 107, the real estate agent's wife and business partner showed up on our doorstep to advise us that the Bank Of Montreal ... the property owner ... had just accepted the offer made yesterday on the property, the third of three offers in three days. The accepted offer was for 30% more than the list price ! Our offer was not going to be quite that high, although close. We got beat, plain and simple. Congratulations to the purchaser. They bought a lot and park model manufactured home for less than the value of the land alone !
Today was mostly cloudy and warm. A few drops of rain, and a few minutes of sunshine. We used the Sun Oven for the first time on a day with light overcast. The sun was struggling to peek through, and it was just enough to keep the Sun Oven in the ideal drying temperature range of 150 to 200 degrees. We dried Ambrosia apple slices.
And ... we washed the truck, removing the Arizona to BC travel road grime.
Wednesday ; Rick Hansen 25th Anniversary "Many In Motion" Relay Day 260
I was medal bearer no. 012 in Cawston !
Today was sunny and mild in Cawston, windy in Keremeos. A great day to be a medal bearer !
When Rick Hansen rolled his wheelchair around the world 25 years ago to raise funds for spinal cord injury research, it was called the "Man In Motion" Tour. The 25th Anniversary Relay across Canada is called the "Many In Motion" Tour. Today in Cawston I was one of the seven thousand medal bearers who will move the commemorative medal from Cape Spears, Newfoundland to Vancouver, British Columbia. While I knew that the route is faithful to Rick's original route across Canada, what I did not know until this morning was that the schedule also remains faithful to the original tour. It was exactly 25 years ago today that Rick Hansen rolled his wheelchair through Cawston and Keremeos.
Rick Hansen fancies himself ... quite legitimately ... as a "Difference Maker". The "Many In Motion" Tour's 7000 medal bearers across Canada are called "Difference Makers". Medal bearers were chosen, some by their community, some by the Rick Hansen 25th Anniversary Relay staff, after nomination and application, based upon nominees' / applicants' "making a difference". In their communities. In the lives of others. Many of the medal bearers / Difference Makers have a disability of one sort or another. Often they are in wheelchairs, like Rick Hansen.
This morning we drove to Cawston Elementary School for my orientation and preparation as a medal bearer. I was surprised to find that there were only seven medal bearers in Cawston. The medal is being carried by chosen medal bearers through communities, but travels in between communities by endurance athletes ... and vehicles. I also did not know that Cawston had a grades 1 to 4 elementary school. And I certainly did not know that there are so many grades 1 to 4 aged children in this area ! The entire Cawston Elementary School population was involved in this event. While the medal bearers and relay staff were doing orientation in one of the classrooms, the rest of the school population was in the gymnasium having a school assembly, preparing for the big event !
The seven medal bearers in Cawston were ;
- 2 children from Cawston Elementary School
- 2 teenagers
- 2 men about my age
- 1 man ... 93 years old !
After our orientation we were driven in a small bus to our starting point, on Highway 3 on the east side of Cawston, awaiting the medal to arrive from Osoyoos where it had started earlier this morning. The bus dropped off the first medal bearer, drove to the next exchange point, dropped off the second medal bearer, drove to the next exchange point, and so on. I was the third medal bearer today on the outskirts of Cawston. I waited on the side of the highway, eagerly awaiting my turn. It was sunny and warm. Finally, along came the relay. Police cars, the relay motorhome, other staff vehicles, relay safety staff on bicycles, and a safety runner beside Miranda, the young woman carrying the medal before me. Happy Birthday, Miranda ! Today was Miranda's 19th birthday ! She took the medal off, placed it around my neck, we hugged, and off I went. Walking quickly ! My running days are over !
What a thrill ! What a treat ! What an honour ! What a privilege !
I'm inspired by what Rick Hansen did 25 years ago. And I'm inspired by what he's doing today !
"The end is just the beginning"
My leg of the relay turned off Highway 3 onto Pitt Road on its way back to Cawston Elementary School. I passed the medal on to 14 year old Noah, then followed along a short distance behind. I had decided to walk with the rest of the medal bearers all the way back to the school. And I'm very glad that I did. Noah passed the medal to 93 year old John ( who was a lot easier to keep up with than Noah ) and John passed it on to 9 year old Zoe, one of the two elementary school students. At Zoe's starting point, the entire school population was lining the side of the road, cheering and waving pom-poms. All the children fell in behind Zoe and followed her, cheering and waving. The roadside was lined by parents. It was ... neat ! Zoe passed the medal to her school mate Daxon, then walked alongside him, with the entire school behind them, back to Cawston Elementary School.
Back at the school the relay staff led the school children ... and us medal bearers ... in a "Many In Motion" Relay Tour special dance. HA HA HA HA HA ! I don't get much opportunity to be around children. It was a lot of fun being silly with them.
Finally, it was time for the children to get back into school, and the relay to continue on to Keremeos. The relay staff endurance athlete Doug cycled on a recumbent bicycle with the medal to the Keremeos High School. Doug is a stroke victim with considerable physical impairment. He cycles with the medal about 100 km / 60 miles a day ! Joanne and I ran an errand in Cawston, then another errand in Keremeos, then went to Memorial Park in "downtown" Keremeos to await the arrival of the relay there. The village of Keremeos had planned a huge luncheon celebration for the relay. The Cawston and Keremeos medal bearers were all there, as were all the town's dignitaries / movers & shakers ( such as they are in a small village ! ), and many members of the Lower Similkameen Indian Band. The Elks ladies / Royal Purple had prepared a chili lunch. Everybody and their dog got recognized for something or other, everybody and their dog got the microphone for a minute or two ... ! Hey ... it's Keremeos !
A group from the LSIB performed a drum and song. Two elders drummed, and a large group of children sang a traditional native song. All were in traditional garb. The relay left Memorial Park around the neck of Lillian, a native elder in elaborate native garb, and in a wheelchair. She had been on the band council 25 years ago, and at that time welcomed Rick Hansen into Keremeos on behalf of the Lower Similkameen Indian Band. She wheeled with the medal around her neck to the next exchange point, where she transferred it to Grey Hawk, a young Indian boy. How fitting !
We drove home and waited at the Riverside RV Park Resort front entrance gate, me still wearing my medal bearer bright yellow jacket, and waved at the relay cavalcade as it drove by on its way to Hedley, its next stop this afternoon before ending the day in Princeton.
Below are links to some pictures of me as a medal bearer on the relay's photo website. Click on the following links.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rickhansenfoundation/7168063834/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rickhansenfoundation/7168064230/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rickhansenfoundation/7168065852/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rickhansenfoundation/7168066028/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rickhansenfoundation/7168066316/
An interesting side note to my day was being declared a Difference Maker in her life by 9 year old Zoe, one of the two Cawston Elementary School children who were medal bearers this morning. When we got on the little bus to be taken to our starting points, Zoe's mother recognized me. Joanne had rescued their family's lost little dog Winston a couple of years ago when she was working at Lidder's Fruit Stand in Cawston. Winston the Miniature Dachshund had become stray, and lost, and had wandered out into the middle of Highway 3, amidst screeching brakes. Joanne ran out from the fruit stand and scooped up Winston off the highway. He spent the rest of Joanne's work day in an empty apple crate. We named him Veggie. HA HA HA ! Zoe remembered that ! He was with us for a day or two until we managed to get him reunited with his family. Although I did not recognize her today, it was Zoe's mother who came to our place to pick up Winston. Zoe was thrilled that in addition to the other exciting parts of today, she got to meet Joanne and me, the Difference Makers who saved her little dog !
Are you smiling yet ?
Friday ; Today was sunny and warm ... at last !
A neighbour offered us some ground cover plants, so ... Joanne spent much of today working on landscaping. It's really difficult to plant things in our compacted rock slide shale yard. We filled the Sun Oven with three drying racks full of sliced Ambrosia apples. We sun dried one rack of apple slices a few days ago and they were great ! So from now on ... if we're not cooking a meal in the Sun Oven, and it's a sunny day, it has to be put to use sun drying tomatoes or apples.
Saturday ; Another sunny and warm day, although a bit windy at times. Nothing unusual about that !
Joanne went into Keremeos and Cawston to buy bedding plants at the two nearby nurseries. This afternoon she planted her purchases. We did some "spring cleaning". We sun dried more Ambrosia apple slices. We love them. "We" includes Bo ! HA HA HA ! I cooked Eggs Benedict for supper, then headed to Penticton for ...
B.B. King !
You know ... all full time RV'ers seem to intuitively understand the concept that the day is coming when it will be time to hang up the keys. Apparently ... and unfortunately ... that concept has eluded The King Of The Blues !
DSK
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