Sunday ; Today was sunny and hot until late afternoon, then it became windy and cool, followed by an evening of steady rain.
Joanne spent most of the day ( again ) weeding lot 4. Not finished yet ! I did some weed spraying. I spent much of the afternoon restringing the bedroom's day / night shade.
I thought I was finished, but after I reinstalled it in the bedroom, it didn't work properly. Either I didn't do something right, or I missed doing something that I should have. This was only the second time I have restrung a day / night shade, and the first one was a "two cord" shade. This one was a "four cord" shade. Guess I'll be starting over tomorrow !
Monday ; Today was cloudy and ... cold !
This morning we went into town to run some errands. Refill a propane tank, buy some fresh cherries and other produce, buy a stamp and post a letter at the Post Office, and buy some groceries.
We spent much of the afternoon in the gazebo restringing the bedroom day / night shade. Yesterday I replaced one of four strings. Something was wrong. Today I restrung the second of four strings. Something was still wrong < sigh >. I restrung the third and fourth cords, and finally the blind functioned properly. Well ... at least now I know how to restring day / night shades, both two cord and four cord versions.
While chatting with a neighbour about his brad nail gun accident yesterday ... fired a brad nail right through the pad of his index finger, and it came out the other side through the fingernail ... OW OW OW OW OW ... a Bald Eagle flew low overhead. It was struggling to gain altitude like an overloaded AirBus. Some fairly large creature with flailing legs was hanging beneath the eagle's talons. Maybe a quail, or baby marmot, or ... ? This is such an interesting place to live !
Tuesday ; Today was sunny and hot. Joanne finished manually weeding lot 4. Tough job, very well done ! Thank you, my dear ! I finalized the legal and financial matters of the purchase. With Joanne directing me ( yes, dear ... whatever you say, dear ) I sprayed herbicide on lot 4. We cleaned out whatever stuff was in the crawl spaces underneath the rear steps landing and the front deck. We will have to make a trip to the dump on Sunday, the only day of the week that the Keremeos dump is open. Then, after having cleaned out underneath the steps landing and the deck, we stored some of our own stuff underneath there. There's no storage shed on lot 4, so temporarily we will use those crawl spaces as storage areas. The risk there is ... once stuff gets stored in areas like crawl spaces, it often remains there "forever".
Wednesday ; Today was mostly sunny and hot, with thunderstorms and heavy rain in the early evening.
We spent the day in Penticton running errands. Mostly shopping for supplies for our new home. We picked up a used desk ... for free. It's not in great shape, and is much larger than I want or need, but I only need it to last until we leave November 1 heading south for the winter. On our way back north next spring I'll buy myself a small desk, probably in Oregon ( no sales tax ). Or ... perhaps I'll buy something at one of those awesome used furniture stores in Palm Springs ?
Thursday ; Today was mostly sunny and hot. It was humid, and again there were evening thunderstorms.
Right after lunch our real estate agent showed up to present us with the keys to our new home. WOO-HOO ! We got the power turned on, then the water. We had the water turned on and off repeatedly, as I discovered and resolved minor plumbing problems. All except one were resolved fairly quickly and easily. The water remains turned off tonight because I have the shower faucet guts removed. The shower could not be turned off due to deterioration of the faucet's internal cartridge due to lack of use. The rubber components inside just dried out and died !
We spent the afternoon and evening working in the new house. It was quite clean and required very little cleaning effort. We moved some furniture around, and moved my new "freebie" desk from the back of the truck to inside the house. Yup ... the "freebie" desk is definitely a temporary piece of furniture ! We opened all the blinds and windows and got some fresh air moving through.
We discovered that the shower, microwave, range top, and oven ... have never been used ! In six years ! ! ! Which would explain why the rubber components inside the shower faucet cartridge have dried out. Shopping for plumbing parts tomorrow and installing them will probably delay our "move" from the trailer on lot 89 into the home on lot 4.
Friday ; And so ... with the ownership of a manufactured home on lot 4, I guess we're no longer full time RV'ers, our lifestyle status for over eight years. I suppose we're just trailer park white trash now ! HA HA HA !
Today was sunny and hot until mid-afternoon, then cloudy and humid. This morning we drove into Keremeos to run a few errands. The priority was to find the Moen shower faucet cartridge I needed. If we were not able to find it in Keremeos, we were planning a fast trip to Penticton to find it. Keremeos Hardware did not have it, but Keremeos Building Supplies did. I was expecting the complex little cartridge to cost in excess of thirty dollars. The actual cost was ... zero ! WOW ! Moen faucet "guts" are guaranteed for life. Bonus !
I installed the shower faucet cartridge. And so ended our new home's minor plumbing problems. This afternoon we moved our gazebo furniture to the new home's deck off the living room. Very nice ! Joanne cleaned, patched, and touch up stained the freebie desk we picked up in Penticton a couple of days ago. It's in rough shape but will do for the rest of this summer season. I puttered around installing some new hardware on the living room's French doors to the deck and the rear entrance door. I cleaned and raked the sloped part of our yard down to the road.
We took Sully to check out our new lot 4 home. He acted as if the sky was falling ( rolling eyes ). He's a bit resistant to change.
Saturday ; Today was sunny and very warm.
Today we "moved". Shortest move we've ever had ! Lot 89 to lot 4 is probably something in the vicinity of ... < thinking > ... 500 feet ?
This morning while walking Bo I tripped and sprained a couple of toes. These are the two toes I broke a couple of years ago, and now they seem somewhat ... vulnerable. They injure easily. And hurt a lot when injured !
We prepared the trailer for departure, hitched up, and ... moved to lot 4. Positioning the trailer on lot 4 was more difficult than I had anticipated. And we had the trailer on the lot for mere minutes when a neighbour began complaining that the trailer was "blocking his view" out one of his home's windows. Tough shit, pal ! There is ... and has been for many years ... the unreasonable and unrealistic expectation amongst some of the residents of this park that they are somehow entitled to totally and completely unrestricted views out all their windows in all directions at all times.
Joanne moved much of our day to day stuff from the trailer into the house. I did some work at the old lot, watering all the planters and gardens, harvesting lettuce, and most importantly, revising our "for sale" sign, directing inquiries to lot 4. Lot 89 has a lot of "curb appeal" now that the trailer is removed. I moved the Sun Oven and the barbecue, and their tables over to lot 4. Joanne cooked a meat loaf for supper in the Sun Oven. We spent some time in the pool just before having supper.
As soon as Joanne moved our bedding from the trailer into the house, Sully's anxieties disappeared. He climbed onto the bed, onto familiar bedding, and spent much of the day snoozing in comfort. When he wasn't snoozing on the bed, he was snoozing on the deck off the living room. We've been leaving the French doors open to the deck, and Sully and Bo both love being out there. The deck is surrounded by a lattice rail, so they're both safe and secure out there.
After supper I set up our "travelling" satellite dish, ran the cable through a window into the living room, brought the trailer's TV into the house, set everything up, aimed the satellite dish, and ... WOO-HOO ... we have TV.
DSK
Sunday, July 29, 2012
Sunday, July 22, 2012
July 15 to 21, 2012
Sunday ; This morning we heard the loud sound of a helicopter landing. We opened the door to see a helicopter descending for a landing on the ranch next door. And ... OMG ... smoke near the top of the mountain across the road ! ! ! The sound of the helicopter's engines never changed, even though we knew it had landed nearby. It wasn't picking up water, there had been no bucket on a long line underneath, so ... I thought it was doing a medevac after a highway accident. In a just a minute or two it lifted off again, reinforcing my thought that it had landed just to pick up a patient. There was a pod attached to one of the skids, and I thought it was a patient stretcher pod.
It slowly climbed up over us, and made a slow, circling climb to ... HUH ? ... the smoke on the mountain ? I ran inside the trailer and grabbed my binoculars. The helicopter approached the side of the mountain very near the smoke. It hovered, touching the front of its skids against a very small ledge on the side of the mountain. A door opened, and two figures in bright red coveralls climbed out onto the skid and jumped down to the ledge. FIREFIGHTERS !
The helicopter slowly backed away from the ledge, turned, and descended back down to land at the ranch again. In another minute or two it rose again, this time with a large net hanging under a long line. FIREFIGHTING EQUIPMENT ! It circled and climbed back up to the smoke. With brilliant precision the helicopter pilot slowly lowered his craft until the net on the end of the long line could be reached by the red clad firefighters. They unhooked the net, and the helicopter rose and left. In a minute the red clad firefighters disappeared from view.
The smoke slowly diminished, until it disappeared about four hours later. Shortly afterwards, the helicopter returned. Once again I grabbed my binoculars. The helicopter slowly approached the mountain side, hovering with the front of its skids touching the small ledge. A firefighter reached out over the skid, hanging over the cliff ( YIKES ! ), opened the pod on the skid, and tossed a bunch of gear inside before closing the pod, climbing onto the skid ( YIKES ! ) and into the hovering helicopter.
And you thought you had a tough commute to work ? ! ?
We spent the afternoon clearing weeds from lot 4. And we met ... the daughter / sister, and legally now the owner of the home. For the next week and a half until it's ours. She was coming to make a final inspection of her mom's vacation home. She was accompanied by her boyfriend, a man from Germany. They met when he was here
( well ... Vancouver / Whistler BC ) for the 2010 Olympics. After the Olympics they began a long distance relationship, and eventually he returned to Canada to be with her. We spoke very briefly with her, giving us an opportunity to express our condolences in person, and thanking her for selling her mother's home to us. I was surprised by how young she looks, although I think she's probably in her late 20's.
While Joanne was pulling weeds behind the house, I was trying to remove what I thought were some dead shrubs on the front slope. Turned out they were stumps with a bunch of dead "runners" growing out of them. While I was contemplating cutting them off below ground level, my soon to be next door neighbour, an "old farmer" as he put it, suggested I use my honkin' huge truck to pull the damn stumps right out of the ground. Being an old "city boy" I really had no idea how to do that. He coached me, and in just a few minutes, they were out. Not that much of a challenge for that large a truck ! Who knew ? Thanks, Gord. I knew there must be a good reason why my honkin' huge truck has tow rings in the front bumper ! I mean ... besides being a chick magnet in Texas. HA HA HA !
Monday ; Today was sunny and hot. In addition to cooking beef stew in the Sun Oven for supper tonight, Joanne also baked a Saskatoon berry matrimonial cake in the Sun Oven < drooling >.
HA ! I was right. Yesterday it appeared to me that the helicopter dropped two firefighters near the top of the mountain across the road, but only picked up one late in the afternoon. Late this afternoon the helicopter returned ... and picked up another firefighter that had evidently been left behind for 24 hours to ensure that the problem was solved, I guess.
While placing online ads regarding lot 89 for sale Joanne discovered a treasure trove of used goods for sale, and even free, nearby. I responded to a few of the ads, and tomorrow when we go to Penticton to run errands, one of our chores will be pick up a truck load of landscaping sand ... for free. And lot 4 desperately needs landscaping. It's in the "weed infested rock pile" original state of lots in this park.
Tuesday ; Today was sunny and hot.
< sigh > I'm typing this late at night after a very long and very tiring day of running errands in Penticton. Including ... buying a used portable air conditioner for our new home ... AND ... shovelling a truck load of landscaping sand into the back of our truck in Kaleden on our way home. Joanne found an ad in Kijiji for free sand available in Kaleden. This couple has so much sand they want to get rid of we will probably take a truck load full on each of the next three or four trips we make to Penticton. We want the sand to use as a base for a pavestone patio we want to construct. And you know I LOOOOOOVE a good bargain ... like "free" ! HA HA HA !
Wednesday ; WHEW ... hot day today. Especially for hard, outdoor work ! Joanne spent entire day manually weeding lot 4. Three thousand square feet of weed infested rock pile ! I spent morning preparing FOR SALE signage to place on pole on lot 89, and at front gate "for sale tree". And mounted information sheet holder box on pole. And prepared information sheets. Easier than weeding !
In the afternoon I mixed a batch of strong herbicide and did some spraying on lot 4. And unloaded truck load of sand. HMPH ... there was more sand in the truck than I thought there was. One load was 1/3 to 1/2 of what we need, so only need one or two more loads like this one. After our tough outdoor work for the day was done we spent time in the swimming pool. Well deserved !
While Joanne watered a neighbour's yard I took Bo for a drivey to the front gate to check if there were still any Saskatoons left worth picking. < sad sigh > I picked about a dozen nice berries. Bo and I ate them as I picked. The rest of the berries still on the bush ( more of a tree actually ) were dried out. Saskatoon berry season is over for this year. Poor Bo.
Thursday ; WHEW ... I'm tired. We're tired ! Today was sunny and hot.
We made a trip into Keremeos this morning to run a few errands. Most of Joanne's day was spent manually weeding lot 4. Most of my day was spent on lot 4 purchase matters, legal and financial. I'm out of practice !
Some of our neighbours seem to think that we have been living in an RV for the last eight years because we are too "poor" to afford a "bricks and sticks" house, and must be very pleased that we were finally able to buy one. HA HA HA < SNORT > HA HA !
Friday ; Today started out sunny and hot. Late in the morning an extremely strong wind blew up very suddenly, followed by violent thunderstorms. Bo ... who experienced Hurricane Ivan in Alabama as a puppy ... hid from the storm on our bed, trembling. Poor Bo.
Joanne spent the morning weeding lot 4. So much done, so much still to do. I spent much of the day on financial matters related to the purchase of lot 4, which necessitated a trip into town. Almost done, I hope ! This very simple real estate deal has become far more complicated than I expected it to be, reinforcing my theory that most work done by lawyers exists mostly to ... create work for lawyers ! No offense intended to our current lawyer.
Saturday ; AHHHHH ... today was a great day. Well ... except for having to get up early to meet at 8:15 AM with a local contractor to get an estimate on building a rock wall on lot 4, from our yard level down to the road level, which currently is just a weed infested steep slope. Well ... and also ... except for the sunburns we both have. HA HA HA !
Today was sunny and hot. After my early morning meeting with the contractor we headed out to Princeton, about an hour west on Highway 3. For the Princeton "International" Air Show. And what a surprisingly good air show it was. Princeton is a small town, with a "two Cessnas" airport. My expectations were low. But it was a really good air show. And well choreographed ... "on the fly", so to speak ... since some of the scheduled aircraft did not arrive due to yesterday's bad weather near here. Even Joanne liked the show, especially Kent Pietsch's performances in his 1941 Interstate Cadet. WOW ! What a versatile aircraft, especially for one that is now 71 years old ! Or maybe it's just the pilot that's that good ? ! ?
See videos at www.jellybelly.com/sports_sponsorships/kent_pietsch.aspx
BUT ... < sigh > ... DUH ... we got sunburned ! Pair of dumb asses ! On our way home we took Old Hedley Road instead of Highway 3, so that we could collect a load of copper rocks for Joanne to use to build a new herb garden border along one side of our new home. Between Hedley and Riverside RV Park Resort we stopped on the side of the road to look at an osprey nest with binoculars. There was one baby osprey visible in the nest. I think ospreys reproduce only one per year. It was a goofy looking, gangly, fuzzy little thing we could see. I'm still haunted by the memory of watching a baby osprey flutter down from this nest and onto the highway right in front of me a few years ago. 2007, I think ! YUP ... you may recall ... SPLAT ! ! ! End of one baby osprey's life !
We also stopped to pick some wild apricots. Evidently this was not a banner year for wild apricots. Our favourite / "secret" wild apricot tree had less fruit than other years, and it was not quite as good looking fruit as before. We picked, but haven't tasted them yet, so I don't know how the quality is. They're still a few days away from being completely ripe. Even if they're less than perfect, it's still a wonderful treat to pull a bag of BC wild apricots out of our freezer in January in Arizona to be used in baking or mixed with yoghurt.
DSK
It slowly climbed up over us, and made a slow, circling climb to ... HUH ? ... the smoke on the mountain ? I ran inside the trailer and grabbed my binoculars. The helicopter approached the side of the mountain very near the smoke. It hovered, touching the front of its skids against a very small ledge on the side of the mountain. A door opened, and two figures in bright red coveralls climbed out onto the skid and jumped down to the ledge. FIREFIGHTERS !
The helicopter slowly backed away from the ledge, turned, and descended back down to land at the ranch again. In another minute or two it rose again, this time with a large net hanging under a long line. FIREFIGHTING EQUIPMENT ! It circled and climbed back up to the smoke. With brilliant precision the helicopter pilot slowly lowered his craft until the net on the end of the long line could be reached by the red clad firefighters. They unhooked the net, and the helicopter rose and left. In a minute the red clad firefighters disappeared from view.
The smoke slowly diminished, until it disappeared about four hours later. Shortly afterwards, the helicopter returned. Once again I grabbed my binoculars. The helicopter slowly approached the mountain side, hovering with the front of its skids touching the small ledge. A firefighter reached out over the skid, hanging over the cliff ( YIKES ! ), opened the pod on the skid, and tossed a bunch of gear inside before closing the pod, climbing onto the skid ( YIKES ! ) and into the hovering helicopter.
And you thought you had a tough commute to work ? ! ?
We spent the afternoon clearing weeds from lot 4. And we met ... the daughter / sister, and legally now the owner of the home. For the next week and a half until it's ours. She was coming to make a final inspection of her mom's vacation home. She was accompanied by her boyfriend, a man from Germany. They met when he was here
( well ... Vancouver / Whistler BC ) for the 2010 Olympics. After the Olympics they began a long distance relationship, and eventually he returned to Canada to be with her. We spoke very briefly with her, giving us an opportunity to express our condolences in person, and thanking her for selling her mother's home to us. I was surprised by how young she looks, although I think she's probably in her late 20's.
While Joanne was pulling weeds behind the house, I was trying to remove what I thought were some dead shrubs on the front slope. Turned out they were stumps with a bunch of dead "runners" growing out of them. While I was contemplating cutting them off below ground level, my soon to be next door neighbour, an "old farmer" as he put it, suggested I use my honkin' huge truck to pull the damn stumps right out of the ground. Being an old "city boy" I really had no idea how to do that. He coached me, and in just a few minutes, they were out. Not that much of a challenge for that large a truck ! Who knew ? Thanks, Gord. I knew there must be a good reason why my honkin' huge truck has tow rings in the front bumper ! I mean ... besides being a chick magnet in Texas. HA HA HA !
Monday ; Today was sunny and hot. In addition to cooking beef stew in the Sun Oven for supper tonight, Joanne also baked a Saskatoon berry matrimonial cake in the Sun Oven < drooling >.
HA ! I was right. Yesterday it appeared to me that the helicopter dropped two firefighters near the top of the mountain across the road, but only picked up one late in the afternoon. Late this afternoon the helicopter returned ... and picked up another firefighter that had evidently been left behind for 24 hours to ensure that the problem was solved, I guess.
While placing online ads regarding lot 89 for sale Joanne discovered a treasure trove of used goods for sale, and even free, nearby. I responded to a few of the ads, and tomorrow when we go to Penticton to run errands, one of our chores will be pick up a truck load of landscaping sand ... for free. And lot 4 desperately needs landscaping. It's in the "weed infested rock pile" original state of lots in this park.
Tuesday ; Today was sunny and hot.
< sigh > I'm typing this late at night after a very long and very tiring day of running errands in Penticton. Including ... buying a used portable air conditioner for our new home ... AND ... shovelling a truck load of landscaping sand into the back of our truck in Kaleden on our way home. Joanne found an ad in Kijiji for free sand available in Kaleden. This couple has so much sand they want to get rid of we will probably take a truck load full on each of the next three or four trips we make to Penticton. We want the sand to use as a base for a pavestone patio we want to construct. And you know I LOOOOOOVE a good bargain ... like "free" ! HA HA HA !
Wednesday ; WHEW ... hot day today. Especially for hard, outdoor work ! Joanne spent entire day manually weeding lot 4. Three thousand square feet of weed infested rock pile ! I spent morning preparing FOR SALE signage to place on pole on lot 89, and at front gate "for sale tree". And mounted information sheet holder box on pole. And prepared information sheets. Easier than weeding !
In the afternoon I mixed a batch of strong herbicide and did some spraying on lot 4. And unloaded truck load of sand. HMPH ... there was more sand in the truck than I thought there was. One load was 1/3 to 1/2 of what we need, so only need one or two more loads like this one. After our tough outdoor work for the day was done we spent time in the swimming pool. Well deserved !
While Joanne watered a neighbour's yard I took Bo for a drivey to the front gate to check if there were still any Saskatoons left worth picking. < sad sigh > I picked about a dozen nice berries. Bo and I ate them as I picked. The rest of the berries still on the bush ( more of a tree actually ) were dried out. Saskatoon berry season is over for this year. Poor Bo.
Thursday ; WHEW ... I'm tired. We're tired ! Today was sunny and hot.
We made a trip into Keremeos this morning to run a few errands. Most of Joanne's day was spent manually weeding lot 4. Most of my day was spent on lot 4 purchase matters, legal and financial. I'm out of practice !
Some of our neighbours seem to think that we have been living in an RV for the last eight years because we are too "poor" to afford a "bricks and sticks" house, and must be very pleased that we were finally able to buy one. HA HA HA < SNORT > HA HA !
Friday ; Today started out sunny and hot. Late in the morning an extremely strong wind blew up very suddenly, followed by violent thunderstorms. Bo ... who experienced Hurricane Ivan in Alabama as a puppy ... hid from the storm on our bed, trembling. Poor Bo.
Joanne spent the morning weeding lot 4. So much done, so much still to do. I spent much of the day on financial matters related to the purchase of lot 4, which necessitated a trip into town. Almost done, I hope ! This very simple real estate deal has become far more complicated than I expected it to be, reinforcing my theory that most work done by lawyers exists mostly to ... create work for lawyers ! No offense intended to our current lawyer.
Saturday ; AHHHHH ... today was a great day. Well ... except for having to get up early to meet at 8:15 AM with a local contractor to get an estimate on building a rock wall on lot 4, from our yard level down to the road level, which currently is just a weed infested steep slope. Well ... and also ... except for the sunburns we both have. HA HA HA !
Today was sunny and hot. After my early morning meeting with the contractor we headed out to Princeton, about an hour west on Highway 3. For the Princeton "International" Air Show. And what a surprisingly good air show it was. Princeton is a small town, with a "two Cessnas" airport. My expectations were low. But it was a really good air show. And well choreographed ... "on the fly", so to speak ... since some of the scheduled aircraft did not arrive due to yesterday's bad weather near here. Even Joanne liked the show, especially Kent Pietsch's performances in his 1941 Interstate Cadet. WOW ! What a versatile aircraft, especially for one that is now 71 years old ! Or maybe it's just the pilot that's that good ? ! ?
See videos at www.jellybelly.com/sports_sponsorships/kent_pietsch.aspx
BUT ... < sigh > ... DUH ... we got sunburned ! Pair of dumb asses ! On our way home we took Old Hedley Road instead of Highway 3, so that we could collect a load of copper rocks for Joanne to use to build a new herb garden border along one side of our new home. Between Hedley and Riverside RV Park Resort we stopped on the side of the road to look at an osprey nest with binoculars. There was one baby osprey visible in the nest. I think ospreys reproduce only one per year. It was a goofy looking, gangly, fuzzy little thing we could see. I'm still haunted by the memory of watching a baby osprey flutter down from this nest and onto the highway right in front of me a few years ago. 2007, I think ! YUP ... you may recall ... SPLAT ! ! ! End of one baby osprey's life !
We also stopped to pick some wild apricots. Evidently this was not a banner year for wild apricots. Our favourite / "secret" wild apricot tree had less fruit than other years, and it was not quite as good looking fruit as before. We picked, but haven't tasted them yet, so I don't know how the quality is. They're still a few days away from being completely ripe. Even if they're less than perfect, it's still a wonderful treat to pull a bag of BC wild apricots out of our freezer in January in Arizona to be used in baking or mixed with yoghurt.
DSK
Sunday, July 15, 2012
July 8 to 14, 2012
Sunday ; A sunny, very hot day ! Finally !
MMMMM ! ! ! Bo loooooves Saskatoon pancakes for breakfast. HA HA HA !
We finished washing the trailer. We worked off some of those Saskatoon pancake calories with a Bo-gility session. Incorporating a new component into the course.
A kiddies' wading pool, part of Bo's agility course only during the hottest part of summer.
We spent the hottest part of the afternoon in our RV park's indoor / outdoor swimming pool. AHHHHH ! ! ! Joanne cooked Jambalaya in the Sun Oven for supper.
Monday ; Today started out sunny and hot, but in the afternoon it cooled down and some heavy rain fell intermittently.
This morning I received a phone call from a woman who had been referred to us ( d.b.a. Similkameen Trailer Towing ) by a Penticton RV dealership. She needed a large fifth wheel trailer towed from Penticton to Old Hedley Road. HEY ... right up our alley, so to speak ! And she wanted it moved today or tomorrow. Okay ... we jumped in the truck, drove to Penticton, ran some errands very quickly, then met her and her family at a trailer storage facility. We hitched up the trailer, her husband followed in his car, and we drove to the municipal trailer dumping station in Keremeos. We flushed the winterization antifreeze out of the plumbing system, refilled the fresh water tank, and emptied the waste holding tanks. We discovered that the trailer needed a new water heater sacrificial anode. On the way through Keremeos we stopped at Fas Gas and adjusted the air pressure in all the trailer's tires. We drove to our trailer at Riverside RV Park Resort, and I installed a new water heater sacrificial anode. My spare one. I added the cost of the anode to his bill. We drove through Hedley and onto Old Hedley Road to the customer's property halfway between Hedley and Princeton.
I gave a lot more service than a routine trailer delivery job would usually get, at no additional charge, but ... it was an investment. This customer will need their trailer returned to Penticton in the fall. Great service today should result in repeat business.
When we returned home from our trailer delivery job, I phoned the real estate agent who had dropped by this afternoon while we weren't home. Our offer to purchase the deceased neighbour's property from her NHL hockey player son and estate executor had gone sour because he had to get a sibling involved. Too bad !
Tuesday ; Well ! ! ! Sometimes ... ya take your best slapshot ... and just hope that it goes in the net !
He shoots ! HE SCORES ! ! !
Today was sunny and hot. Late this morning we went to the large Saskatoon bush at our RV park's front gate to pick berries. While we were picking Saskatoons ... lo and behold ... who should show up, but ... the real estate agent. Moments before the expiry of our "lowball" offer, the sister relented and signed the papers.
Congratulations to us ! We are now the proud owners of a 2006 Moduline Pacific park model manufactured home on lot 4 of Riverside RV Park Resort. WOO-HOO ! That continues a long range "housing plan" that began with our purchase of lot 52 at Kofa
Ko-op in Yuma last winter.
Joanne and I were trying to determine how much usage this home has had. We estimate that our deceased neighbour, the original / previous owner, could not have occupied this home more than a dozen nights in the last six years.
As soon as the real estate agent's car left, most of the residents of Riverside RV Park Resort were aware that we were the new owners of lot 4, apparently thanks to my journal / blog entry for last Saturday and a very miniscule bit of deduction. I guess if I don't want my business known by all my neighbours ... I shouldn't write about it in my blog ! DUH ! ! ! What a dumbass! ! !
Tonight, for the third time in a week, dessert was Saskatoon berry banana splits ! MMMMM ... thank you, my dear.
And ... as a sincere closing note ... we offer our condolences to the brother and sister who sold us their mother's vacation / retirement home, on the loss of their mother to the evil of cancer. That hits pretty close to home.
Wednesday ; Another sunny, very hot day.
Ran some errands in town this morning. Obedience session with Bo. Harvested lots of Mesclun mix lettuce.
After supper measured lot 4 land and building then drafted "site plan" for planning purposes. Drafting skills VERY rusty !
Thursday ; Another sunny, hot day, temperatures way into the 90's again. I love this kind of weather. We spent a couple of hours during the hot afternoon in the swimming pool.
I baked a loaf of bread in the Sun Oven. Joanne roasted chicken and vegetables for supper in the Sun Oven.
Most of today was taken up with "planning" regarding our new home and property. Day dreaming, measuring, sketching ... repeat as necessary. We picked Saskatoons again. Short season ! Less than two weeks of picking Saskatoons and we can see the end is near. The berries on the bush are just starting to dry out, even if they're not ripe yet. We'll pick again in two or three days and that will probably be the end of this year's Saskatoon season.
Friday ; Sunny and hot. Violent thunderstorm tonight. Scared Bo and Sully.
I spent most of today working on lot 4 purchase "logistics". I'm taking a D.I.Y. approach in order to minimize expenses. Major accomplishment was hiring a lawyer. I hired a "neighbour". He's a lawyer in Vanderhoof, BC. Has an RV lot in this park as a vacation property. The "local boys" wouldn't sell me what I wanted. "Minimalist" legal services.
I don't need, or want, and won't pay for ... a real estate purchase "bundle" of legal services. And ... apparently ... "à la carte" doesn't seem to be available in the local legal world. Unless one hires a personal acquaintance / neighbour.
Our real estate agent dropped by today. I had asked to be allowed into our new home next time she was nearby so that ... well ... < whispering > ... I could see the bathroom. HA HA HA ! I had not looked in the bathroom prior to purchasing.
Saturday ; Today was overcast, hot, and humid. YUCK !
All day long we were concerned about a baby robin that was hiding under the leaves of our rhubarb plant and Saskatoon bush, alternating from one location to the other whenever it became frightened by our proximity. Finally, at dusk, and in response to its mother's calls from a nearby tree, it fluttered up to the top of our gazebo, and then beyond. Spread your tiny little wings and fly, baby robin !
Today was Riverside RV Park Resort's annual general meeting / AGM. Mercifully, we did not attend, having decided in disgust three years ago not to attend any more AGMs. It was a more productive use of my time this afternoon to nap with the cat !
Once again, our day was mostly taken up with dreaming and scheming about our new home. I met with a "house mover" from Oliver to discuss the feasibility and costs of moving our new park model from lot 4 to lot 89. We had pretty much already ruled out that scenario, but I needed cost information to complete the decision. NOPE ! It will stay where it is. We'll move to lot 4 and sell lot 89, despite how nice lot 89 is. Lot 4 will be "starting from scratch", but ... < shrug > ! I took photos of lot 4 for my blog and photos of lot 89 for my "for sale" ads. Joanne went to town to run some errands.
I chatted with a neighbour that we don't see very often any more. He was the original park manager, and had been a principal player in the initial development of this park, including the purchase of a few park models that the developer had purchased and set up within the park as "display homes". I found out that the park model on lot 4, our new home, had originally been the developer's private "weekend retreat" for about a year before it was sold the first time. That might explain the lovely leather sofa and matching overstuffed easy chair, as well as the other upscale furnishings that remain in the home as part of our purchase. That would also explain why the house mover was very impressed with the initial set up of the home, and insulation in the crawl space / behind the skirting, when he opened the "crawl space access hatch" to peek underneath to see if the original axles, wheels, and hitch had been left stored underneath. They had been !
I received a phone call from our lawyer ( and neighbour ) to clarify some ambiguity in our "contract of purchase and sale". HEY ... I guess that's why the world reluctantly needs lawyers. HA HA HA !
Late this afternoon we picked what will likely be our last batch of Saskatoons this season. Lots of Saskatoons, but such a short season !
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DSK
MMMMM ! ! ! Bo loooooves Saskatoon pancakes for breakfast. HA HA HA !
We finished washing the trailer. We worked off some of those Saskatoon pancake calories with a Bo-gility session. Incorporating a new component into the course.
A kiddies' wading pool, part of Bo's agility course only during the hottest part of summer.
We spent the hottest part of the afternoon in our RV park's indoor / outdoor swimming pool. AHHHHH ! ! ! Joanne cooked Jambalaya in the Sun Oven for supper.
Monday ; Today started out sunny and hot, but in the afternoon it cooled down and some heavy rain fell intermittently.
This morning I received a phone call from a woman who had been referred to us ( d.b.a. Similkameen Trailer Towing ) by a Penticton RV dealership. She needed a large fifth wheel trailer towed from Penticton to Old Hedley Road. HEY ... right up our alley, so to speak ! And she wanted it moved today or tomorrow. Okay ... we jumped in the truck, drove to Penticton, ran some errands very quickly, then met her and her family at a trailer storage facility. We hitched up the trailer, her husband followed in his car, and we drove to the municipal trailer dumping station in Keremeos. We flushed the winterization antifreeze out of the plumbing system, refilled the fresh water tank, and emptied the waste holding tanks. We discovered that the trailer needed a new water heater sacrificial anode. On the way through Keremeos we stopped at Fas Gas and adjusted the air pressure in all the trailer's tires. We drove to our trailer at Riverside RV Park Resort, and I installed a new water heater sacrificial anode. My spare one. I added the cost of the anode to his bill. We drove through Hedley and onto Old Hedley Road to the customer's property halfway between Hedley and Princeton.
I gave a lot more service than a routine trailer delivery job would usually get, at no additional charge, but ... it was an investment. This customer will need their trailer returned to Penticton in the fall. Great service today should result in repeat business.
When we returned home from our trailer delivery job, I phoned the real estate agent who had dropped by this afternoon while we weren't home. Our offer to purchase the deceased neighbour's property from her NHL hockey player son and estate executor had gone sour because he had to get a sibling involved. Too bad !
Tuesday ; Well ! ! ! Sometimes ... ya take your best slapshot ... and just hope that it goes in the net !
He shoots ! HE SCORES ! ! !
Today was sunny and hot. Late this morning we went to the large Saskatoon bush at our RV park's front gate to pick berries. While we were picking Saskatoons ... lo and behold ... who should show up, but ... the real estate agent. Moments before the expiry of our "lowball" offer, the sister relented and signed the papers.
Congratulations to us ! We are now the proud owners of a 2006 Moduline Pacific park model manufactured home on lot 4 of Riverside RV Park Resort. WOO-HOO ! That continues a long range "housing plan" that began with our purchase of lot 52 at Kofa
Ko-op in Yuma last winter.
Joanne and I were trying to determine how much usage this home has had. We estimate that our deceased neighbour, the original / previous owner, could not have occupied this home more than a dozen nights in the last six years.
As soon as the real estate agent's car left, most of the residents of Riverside RV Park Resort were aware that we were the new owners of lot 4, apparently thanks to my journal / blog entry for last Saturday and a very miniscule bit of deduction. I guess if I don't want my business known by all my neighbours ... I shouldn't write about it in my blog ! DUH ! ! ! What a dumbass! ! !
Tonight, for the third time in a week, dessert was Saskatoon berry banana splits ! MMMMM ... thank you, my dear.
And ... as a sincere closing note ... we offer our condolences to the brother and sister who sold us their mother's vacation / retirement home, on the loss of their mother to the evil of cancer. That hits pretty close to home.
Wednesday ; Another sunny, very hot day.
Ran some errands in town this morning. Obedience session with Bo. Harvested lots of Mesclun mix lettuce.
After supper measured lot 4 land and building then drafted "site plan" for planning purposes. Drafting skills VERY rusty !
Thursday ; Another sunny, hot day, temperatures way into the 90's again. I love this kind of weather. We spent a couple of hours during the hot afternoon in the swimming pool.
I baked a loaf of bread in the Sun Oven. Joanne roasted chicken and vegetables for supper in the Sun Oven.
Most of today was taken up with "planning" regarding our new home and property. Day dreaming, measuring, sketching ... repeat as necessary. We picked Saskatoons again. Short season ! Less than two weeks of picking Saskatoons and we can see the end is near. The berries on the bush are just starting to dry out, even if they're not ripe yet. We'll pick again in two or three days and that will probably be the end of this year's Saskatoon season.
Friday ; Sunny and hot. Violent thunderstorm tonight. Scared Bo and Sully.
I spent most of today working on lot 4 purchase "logistics". I'm taking a D.I.Y. approach in order to minimize expenses. Major accomplishment was hiring a lawyer. I hired a "neighbour". He's a lawyer in Vanderhoof, BC. Has an RV lot in this park as a vacation property. The "local boys" wouldn't sell me what I wanted. "Minimalist" legal services.
I don't need, or want, and won't pay for ... a real estate purchase "bundle" of legal services. And ... apparently ... "à la carte" doesn't seem to be available in the local legal world. Unless one hires a personal acquaintance / neighbour.
Our real estate agent dropped by today. I had asked to be allowed into our new home next time she was nearby so that ... well ... < whispering > ... I could see the bathroom. HA HA HA ! I had not looked in the bathroom prior to purchasing.
Saturday ; Today was overcast, hot, and humid. YUCK !
All day long we were concerned about a baby robin that was hiding under the leaves of our rhubarb plant and Saskatoon bush, alternating from one location to the other whenever it became frightened by our proximity. Finally, at dusk, and in response to its mother's calls from a nearby tree, it fluttered up to the top of our gazebo, and then beyond. Spread your tiny little wings and fly, baby robin !
Today was Riverside RV Park Resort's annual general meeting / AGM. Mercifully, we did not attend, having decided in disgust three years ago not to attend any more AGMs. It was a more productive use of my time this afternoon to nap with the cat !
Once again, our day was mostly taken up with dreaming and scheming about our new home. I met with a "house mover" from Oliver to discuss the feasibility and costs of moving our new park model from lot 4 to lot 89. We had pretty much already ruled out that scenario, but I needed cost information to complete the decision. NOPE ! It will stay where it is. We'll move to lot 4 and sell lot 89, despite how nice lot 89 is. Lot 4 will be "starting from scratch", but ... < shrug > ! I took photos of lot 4 for my blog and photos of lot 89 for my "for sale" ads. Joanne went to town to run some errands.
I chatted with a neighbour that we don't see very often any more. He was the original park manager, and had been a principal player in the initial development of this park, including the purchase of a few park models that the developer had purchased and set up within the park as "display homes". I found out that the park model on lot 4, our new home, had originally been the developer's private "weekend retreat" for about a year before it was sold the first time. That might explain the lovely leather sofa and matching overstuffed easy chair, as well as the other upscale furnishings that remain in the home as part of our purchase. That would also explain why the house mover was very impressed with the initial set up of the home, and insulation in the crawl space / behind the skirting, when he opened the "crawl space access hatch" to peek underneath to see if the original axles, wheels, and hitch had been left stored underneath. They had been !
I received a phone call from our lawyer ( and neighbour ) to clarify some ambiguity in our "contract of purchase and sale". HEY ... I guess that's why the world reluctantly needs lawyers. HA HA HA !
Late this afternoon we picked what will likely be our last batch of Saskatoons this season. Lots of Saskatoons, but such a short season !
Sunday, July 8, 2012
July 1 to 7, 2012
Sunday ; Happy Canada Day
Our plan was to head to Osoyoos this morning for the joint Cherry Festival / Canada Day celebrations. BUT ... we woke up to gloomy skies and rain once again. SO ... we rolled over and went back to sleep until noon.
Suffice to say ... we had a pretty lazy Canada Day.
Monday ; Today was cloudy, warm, and a bit humid. And ... as could be expected for the beginning of July ... the Saskatoons are ripe ! ! ! WOO-HOO, WOO-HOO, WOO-HOO ! ! ! That was Bo, not me ! HA HA HA ! We picked a lot of Saskatoons. And as Joanne and I picked ... so did Bo. HA HA HA ! I had to put him inside the truck to stop him. There are two problems with him picking Saskatoons. First of all ... he simply doesn't know when to stop. He's a dog ! And secondly ... he's not very discriminating between ripe and not ripe. If there's a cluster of berries within his reach, one berry is ripe, and half a dozen are green ... GLOMP ... they're gone !
This afternoon we gave Bo a haircut. And ... WOO-HOO, WOO-HOO, WOO-HOO ... that was me this time ... Joanne baked a Saskatoon pie. HA HA HA HA HA ! Thank you, my dear, great pie !
Tuesday ; Today started out cloudy, rainy, and quite chilly, but the weather slowly improved throughout the day. We spent a long, tiring, slightly boring day of running errands in Penticton. We wasted the evening in front of the TV watching three hours of cheesy reality shows ; Hell's Kitchen, Master Chef, and ... WOO-HOO, my new favourite ... Love In The Wild.
This afternoon at the Farmers' Market in Penticton we learned about ... and bought ... garlic scapes from an organic vegetable farmer from Cawston.
Wednesday ; Today was sunny and warm.
This afternoon I drove into town to buy some beeswax at Orchard Blossom Honey. John, the owner of Orchard Blossom Honey is a really nice fellow. He sold me a small amount of beeswax to use in making my pine sap and beeswax wound salve, and when he found out I was having a bit of difficulty finding little glass jars he sold me four little glass jars with lids. He also brought to my attention that there is a local herbalist in Cawston who makes beeswax and comfrey wound salve similar to what I am planning to make. Thank you for all your help and advice, John. If my efforts don't work well ... I'll just buy some beeswax and comfrey wound salve from the local herbalist and add some pine pitch and maybe some tea tree oil to it.
For supper I barbecued a Rainbow Trout stuffed with leeks and garlic scapes. It turned out pretty darn good. < whispering> Maybe next time I'll use a bit less garlic scapes !
< BURP >
Thursday ; Today was partially sunny and warm. The sunlight was too intermittent to allow for the use of the Sun Oven. Too bad. Last night I mixed a batch of bread dough to be baked today in the Sun Oven. I had to bake it indoors in the trailer oven. Nice loaf of bread ! My bread making skills are improving !
This morning Joanne defrosted the fridge. My role in that chore is minimal. This afternoon she went into town to run some errands. I napped with the animals while she did that. Later in the afternoon I did a plumbing improvement modification. A tough job, well done, hopefully a problem solved.
Friday ; Today was mostly sunny and very warm. For supper tonight Joanne cooked roast chicken in the Sun Oven. The sunshine was a bit intermittent today, making Sun Oven cooking a bit "iffy". But ... all's well that ends well !
This afternoon we washed the truck. And we picked an ice cream pail full of big, juicy, Saskatoons. While we picked berries, so did Bo, standing in the bed of the truck and gorging himself. I finally had to put him inside the cab of the truck for fear that he would eat Saskatoons until he puked.
Saturday ; Today was sunny and hot.
This morning was Riverside RV Park Resort's annual "yard sale". Because of the expected flow of "traffic" the yard sale would generate, the local real estate agents who have listings within the park all had "open houses" to coincide with the yard sale times. Being a "nosy neighbour" I wanted to see a couple of the park model / manufactured homes that were for sale.
We went to see the first one of two that I was "nosy" about. We liked it ! Joanne was already finished viewing the inside and was outside waiting for me when the real estate agent made an offhand comment that flipped a light switch inside my brain. The unit had been owned by a woman who died of cancer a couple of years ago < sad sigh >. We had met her because of her little Yorkshire Terrier dog similar to Bo. Unfortunately, during the three or four years or so that she owned the home and property, she had only visited here a few times before her cancer illness prevented her from coming out here from her home somewhere in the Vancouver / Lower Mainland area. The current owner of the property is her son and executor of her estate, an NHL professional hockey player.
As soon as the agent mentioned that her son is a professional hockey player, I thought ... DING ! ... then money is not his primary concern in the sale of this home. I thought ... maybe he's more interested in getting rid of this little headache his mother left him ... with minimal hassle ... quickly and easily ... than he is concerned with the selling price.
HMMM ... a very wealthy young man, eager to get rid of a little annoyance left behind by his mother. HMMM ... I didn't get to this point in my life by being stupid !
To make a very long story a whole lot shorter ... we made a "lowball" offer. But ... hassle free ! No conditions, no terms, no waiting for buyers to find financing, no waiting for buyers to get inspections done, no hassle from buyers who don't understand or are scared by the "communal" fractional ownership legalities of this RV Park ... and so on. He gets a bit less money than he would like ... BUT ... he's already a multi-millionaire ! What's a few ( tens of ) thousand bucks one way or another to him ? Hopefully, my reasoning and strategy will pay off. If not ... < shrug > ... nothing ventured, nothing gained.
DSK
Our plan was to head to Osoyoos this morning for the joint Cherry Festival / Canada Day celebrations. BUT ... we woke up to gloomy skies and rain once again. SO ... we rolled over and went back to sleep until noon.
Suffice to say ... we had a pretty lazy Canada Day.
Monday ; Today was cloudy, warm, and a bit humid. And ... as could be expected for the beginning of July ... the Saskatoons are ripe ! ! ! WOO-HOO, WOO-HOO, WOO-HOO ! ! ! That was Bo, not me ! HA HA HA ! We picked a lot of Saskatoons. And as Joanne and I picked ... so did Bo. HA HA HA ! I had to put him inside the truck to stop him. There are two problems with him picking Saskatoons. First of all ... he simply doesn't know when to stop. He's a dog ! And secondly ... he's not very discriminating between ripe and not ripe. If there's a cluster of berries within his reach, one berry is ripe, and half a dozen are green ... GLOMP ... they're gone !
This afternoon we gave Bo a haircut. And ... WOO-HOO, WOO-HOO, WOO-HOO ... that was me this time ... Joanne baked a Saskatoon pie. HA HA HA HA HA ! Thank you, my dear, great pie !
This afternoon at the Farmers' Market in Penticton we learned about ... and bought ... garlic scapes from an organic vegetable farmer from Cawston.
Wednesday ; Today was sunny and warm.
This afternoon I drove into town to buy some beeswax at Orchard Blossom Honey. John, the owner of Orchard Blossom Honey is a really nice fellow. He sold me a small amount of beeswax to use in making my pine sap and beeswax wound salve, and when he found out I was having a bit of difficulty finding little glass jars he sold me four little glass jars with lids. He also brought to my attention that there is a local herbalist in Cawston who makes beeswax and comfrey wound salve similar to what I am planning to make. Thank you for all your help and advice, John. If my efforts don't work well ... I'll just buy some beeswax and comfrey wound salve from the local herbalist and add some pine pitch and maybe some tea tree oil to it.
For supper I barbecued a Rainbow Trout stuffed with leeks and garlic scapes. It turned out pretty darn good. < whispering> Maybe next time I'll use a bit less garlic scapes !
< BURP >
Thursday ; Today was partially sunny and warm. The sunlight was too intermittent to allow for the use of the Sun Oven. Too bad. Last night I mixed a batch of bread dough to be baked today in the Sun Oven. I had to bake it indoors in the trailer oven. Nice loaf of bread ! My bread making skills are improving !
This morning Joanne defrosted the fridge. My role in that chore is minimal. This afternoon she went into town to run some errands. I napped with the animals while she did that. Later in the afternoon I did a plumbing improvement modification. A tough job, well done, hopefully a problem solved.
Friday ; Today was mostly sunny and very warm. For supper tonight Joanne cooked roast chicken in the Sun Oven. The sunshine was a bit intermittent today, making Sun Oven cooking a bit "iffy". But ... all's well that ends well !
This afternoon we washed the truck. And we picked an ice cream pail full of big, juicy, Saskatoons. While we picked berries, so did Bo, standing in the bed of the truck and gorging himself. I finally had to put him inside the cab of the truck for fear that he would eat Saskatoons until he puked.
Saturday ; Today was sunny and hot.
This morning was Riverside RV Park Resort's annual "yard sale". Because of the expected flow of "traffic" the yard sale would generate, the local real estate agents who have listings within the park all had "open houses" to coincide with the yard sale times. Being a "nosy neighbour" I wanted to see a couple of the park model / manufactured homes that were for sale.
We went to see the first one of two that I was "nosy" about. We liked it ! Joanne was already finished viewing the inside and was outside waiting for me when the real estate agent made an offhand comment that flipped a light switch inside my brain. The unit had been owned by a woman who died of cancer a couple of years ago < sad sigh >. We had met her because of her little Yorkshire Terrier dog similar to Bo. Unfortunately, during the three or four years or so that she owned the home and property, she had only visited here a few times before her cancer illness prevented her from coming out here from her home somewhere in the Vancouver / Lower Mainland area. The current owner of the property is her son and executor of her estate, an NHL professional hockey player.
As soon as the agent mentioned that her son is a professional hockey player, I thought ... DING ! ... then money is not his primary concern in the sale of this home. I thought ... maybe he's more interested in getting rid of this little headache his mother left him ... with minimal hassle ... quickly and easily ... than he is concerned with the selling price.
HMMM ... a very wealthy young man, eager to get rid of a little annoyance left behind by his mother. HMMM ... I didn't get to this point in my life by being stupid !
To make a very long story a whole lot shorter ... we made a "lowball" offer. But ... hassle free ! No conditions, no terms, no waiting for buyers to find financing, no waiting for buyers to get inspections done, no hassle from buyers who don't understand or are scared by the "communal" fractional ownership legalities of this RV Park ... and so on. He gets a bit less money than he would like ... BUT ... he's already a multi-millionaire ! What's a few ( tens of ) thousand bucks one way or another to him ? Hopefully, my reasoning and strategy will pay off. If not ... < shrug > ... nothing ventured, nothing gained.
DSK
Sunday, July 1, 2012
June 24 to 30, 2012
Sunday ; Clinton to Tunkwa Lake Provincial Park
Today was cloudy with light rain in Clinton, and as we were driving, but ended up partially sunny and cool at Tunkwa Lake.
This morning we prepared for departure and left Gold Trail RV Park in Clinton, continuing south on Hwy. 97. We stopped at Cache Creek to refill with diesel ( YIKES ... $138 ! ), then turned east on Trans-Canada Hwy. 1 following the north shore of the Thompson River. We stopped to view two provincial park campgrounds, Juniper Beach and Steelhead Provincial Parks.
First was Juniper Beach Provincial Park on the north shore of the Thompson River. The spring here in the BC Interior has been so wet that the Thompson River is overflowing its banks. The waterfront campsites are flooded. We didn't realize that the Thompson River Valley from Cache Creek to Kamloops is desert, like the Similkameen River Valley from Keremeos to Osoyoos. There were small Prickly Pear Cacti with yellow blooms in the Juniper Beach Provincial Park campground. And ... WOO-HOO ... Saskatoon berries ! And ... WOO-HOO ... they were ripe ! AND ... WOO-HOO, WOO-HOO, WOO-HOO ... so low to the ground that Bo could pick ( and eat, obviously ) his own ! HA HA HA ... Bo LOOOOOVES to pick his own Saskatoons. He was SOOOOO excited ! HA HA HA ... good dog, Bo, well done ! What a funny little dog. BUT ... the Saskatoon berries were seedy and bitter. Not enough sunlight as they were ripening ?
A little further east we stopped at Steelhead Provincial Park on the western tip of Kamloops Lake. It was not as nice a park as Juniper Beach. At Savona we turned south on Tunkwa Lake Road for a long, leisurely drive higher into the mountains, away from the desert area and into forest and alpine meadows, to Tunkwa Lake Provincial Park. We viewed the Tunkwa Lake campground then drove another mile or two to check out the two campgrounds on Leighton Lake. We liked Tunkwa Lake better than Leighton Lake so we returned to Tunkwa Lake and got set up in a campsite.
We had a late lunch. I napped with Sully. We did some obedience work with Bo. He's a tad unfocused on obedience exercises when we're in a new place, especially a forested campground with lots of interesting scents. Since he has seen deer every day for the last few days he's ever hopeful that maybe he can catch a deer < rolling my eyes >. I wonder if the scent of a live deer bears any resemblance to the scent of the dried deer meat / venison jerky I've been feeding him for the last few days ?
When the campground attendant came by to collect the nightly camping fee I bought some firewood. I chopped / split the firewood then we went for a long, leisurely walk with Bo around the campground and down to the lake. Joanne has been expressing interest in learning some of the Tai Chi that I learned in Yuma last winter, so ... today I taught her some introductory Tai Chi. I hope we can find the motivation to practice Tai Chi together on a regular basis.
After supper we spent the evening sitting around a campfire. AHHHHH ! ! ! At twilight we were once again serenaded by the haunting calls of loons. I wasn't aware that the BC Interior freshwater lakes have so many loons. I find their twilight calls so soothing and relaxing. Quintessential Canadian wilderness !
Monday ; Tunkwa Lake Provincial Park to Monck Provincial Park
Our plan for today was to drive to Logan Lake, phone and arrange to attend a tour of the Highland Valley Copper Mine this afternoon or tomorrow, stay at the Logan Lake municipal campground, and take advantage of their Wi-Fi to get caught up on online work.
We departed Tunkwa Lake Provincial Park and continued south on Tunkwa Lake Road until it reached Logan Lake. As soon as we reached Logan Lake, and it seemed likely that we would get a cell phone signal, I pulled over and phoned Highland Valley Copper Mine. DARN ! They have a morning and afternoon tour of their mine every day, and the available spots were booked up for the next three days ! I did not expect that copper mine tours at Logan Lake would be that popular. I was told that their mine tours were busy this week due to university student visitors. We decided to continue on to Monck Provincial Park.
While in Logan Lake we did some grocery shopping then went to the municipally operated trailer dump station to dump our grey waste tanks and refill our freshwater tank. We left Logan Lake heading south on Hwy. 97. We stopped to have lunch on the side of the road near Merritt. At Merritt we turned east on Hwy. 5A to Monck Provincial Park on Nicola Lake.
We got settled into a nice site at Monck Provincial Park, I napped briefly with Sully, then we went on a long, leisurely walk around the campground and down to Nicola Lake.
I made a campfire, Joanne packaged sliced potatoes, leeks, zucchini, and mushrooms in foil, I cooked them and barbecued chicken over the campfire. Well done, Daniel.
Oh, by the way, the weather was mostly sunny and mild today.
Tuesday ; Monck Provincial Park to Otter Lake Provincial Park
This morning we departed Monck Provincial Park and returned on Hwy. 5A to Merritt. We stopped at Wal-Mart to replenish supplies. We stopped at Canadian Tire to dump our grey waste tanks and refill our freshwater tank at their free RV dump station. Thank you, Canadian Tire ! We refilled with diesel at the Extra Foods Fuel Bar. We headed out of Merritt, southbound on Hwy. 5A.
We were headed for Otter Lake Provincial Park. We had planned to stay on Hwy. 5A all the way to Princeton, then "backtrack" north through Tulameen and Coalmont to Otter Lake Provincial Park. But ... halfway between Merritt and Princeton we found a "back door" to Otter Lake Provincial Park, driving 43 km. of an unmarked "back road", 33 km. of which was gravel, to Otter Lake Provincial Park. On this lovely drive through forest wilderness we saw ... a huge bull moose. We stopped and watched him stomping loudly through the bog. He was a big fellow with a big antler rack. We realized that this is the first moose we have seen in six years. The last time we saw a moose was in the spring of 2006 in Newfoundland. I also stopped at the site of a rockslide to pick some rocks that I hope at least one of will be the right size and shape to be "arms" for the Inukshuk I built five years ago in front of our little shed. I've never got the Inukshuk's "arms" quite right yet.
As soon as were settled into a nice site at Otter Lake Provincial Park we set off on a hike. It was Bo's idea. We picked a site right beside the park's "nature trail". As soon as we began to take Bo for a walk, he turned onto the nature trail and off we went. We hiked a lot further and longer than we had anticipated before returning to our campsite and trailer. I started a campfire and, once again, cooked supper over the open fire. I've done that a lot on this trip. I enjoy the challenge and it gives me a strange sense of accomplishment and self-sufficiency.
Wednesday ; Otter Lake Provincial Park to Riverside RV Park Resort
Today was sunny and mild.
This morning we prepared for departure from Otter Lake Provincial Park, but before we departed ... we walked down to the lake to play "beach doughnut" fetch with Bo. He LOOOOOVES to play "beach doughnut" fetch. Except ... HA HA HA ... when the lake is ice cold ! ! ! He jumped in the lake and retrieved his beach doughnut about half a dozen times, but each time he was a bit less enthused about jumping in. Poor Bo ! Well done, Bo, good dog ! Good thing he doesn't have any nuts or he would have frozen them off. HA HA HA < SNORT > HA HA !
We dried him with a towel and off we went heading south following the Tulameen River through the interesting and remote little communities of Coalmont and Tulameen before reaching Princeton. AHHH ... the home stretch. East on Hwy. 3 to Bromley Rock Provincial Park for lunch, then home to Riverside RV Park Resort.
Thursday ; Happy 48th Birthday to Joanne's sister Lorraine
Today was sunny and warm. After morning chores we headed into town to run some shopping errands. This afternoon Joanne did laundry and phoned her sister. I rebuilt my Inukshuk. WOO-HOO ... arms ! We moved our yard furniture around < rolling eyes >. We went for a long walk around the park. WOO-HOO ... the Saskatoons are almost ripe !
Today I bought a sinus rinse kit. Hopefully, to help with my allergies. And Sully's. This afternoon I sprayed saline solution up Sully's nose. I should have asked for Joanne's help to hold his legs. And I have the shredded t-shirt to prove the point. HA HA HA ... ouch !
Friday ; A sunny and warm day. I went to town this morning to get a haircut. We spent the afternoon doing yard work. I did some minor "upgrades" ( can you spell "OCD" ? ) to the four wood planters we bought in Clinton, we positioned them in the yard, filled them with soil, and Joanne planted flowers in one, lettuce in three.
Saturday ; Today had a few brief moments of sunshine, but most of the day was gloomy with occasional thunderstorm bursts of heavy rain. I was inspired to do ... not much of anything. Certainly not outdoors ! I did some computer work, but mostly just blew off the day !
DSK
Today was cloudy with light rain in Clinton, and as we were driving, but ended up partially sunny and cool at Tunkwa Lake.
This morning we prepared for departure and left Gold Trail RV Park in Clinton, continuing south on Hwy. 97. We stopped at Cache Creek to refill with diesel ( YIKES ... $138 ! ), then turned east on Trans-Canada Hwy. 1 following the north shore of the Thompson River. We stopped to view two provincial park campgrounds, Juniper Beach and Steelhead Provincial Parks.
First was Juniper Beach Provincial Park on the north shore of the Thompson River. The spring here in the BC Interior has been so wet that the Thompson River is overflowing its banks. The waterfront campsites are flooded. We didn't realize that the Thompson River Valley from Cache Creek to Kamloops is desert, like the Similkameen River Valley from Keremeos to Osoyoos. There were small Prickly Pear Cacti with yellow blooms in the Juniper Beach Provincial Park campground. And ... WOO-HOO ... Saskatoon berries ! And ... WOO-HOO ... they were ripe ! AND ... WOO-HOO, WOO-HOO, WOO-HOO ... so low to the ground that Bo could pick ( and eat, obviously ) his own ! HA HA HA ... Bo LOOOOOVES to pick his own Saskatoons. He was SOOOOO excited ! HA HA HA ... good dog, Bo, well done ! What a funny little dog. BUT ... the Saskatoon berries were seedy and bitter. Not enough sunlight as they were ripening ?
A little further east we stopped at Steelhead Provincial Park on the western tip of Kamloops Lake. It was not as nice a park as Juniper Beach. At Savona we turned south on Tunkwa Lake Road for a long, leisurely drive higher into the mountains, away from the desert area and into forest and alpine meadows, to Tunkwa Lake Provincial Park. We viewed the Tunkwa Lake campground then drove another mile or two to check out the two campgrounds on Leighton Lake. We liked Tunkwa Lake better than Leighton Lake so we returned to Tunkwa Lake and got set up in a campsite.
We had a late lunch. I napped with Sully. We did some obedience work with Bo. He's a tad unfocused on obedience exercises when we're in a new place, especially a forested campground with lots of interesting scents. Since he has seen deer every day for the last few days he's ever hopeful that maybe he can catch a deer < rolling my eyes >. I wonder if the scent of a live deer bears any resemblance to the scent of the dried deer meat / venison jerky I've been feeding him for the last few days ?
When the campground attendant came by to collect the nightly camping fee I bought some firewood. I chopped / split the firewood then we went for a long, leisurely walk with Bo around the campground and down to the lake. Joanne has been expressing interest in learning some of the Tai Chi that I learned in Yuma last winter, so ... today I taught her some introductory Tai Chi. I hope we can find the motivation to practice Tai Chi together on a regular basis.
After supper we spent the evening sitting around a campfire. AHHHHH ! ! ! At twilight we were once again serenaded by the haunting calls of loons. I wasn't aware that the BC Interior freshwater lakes have so many loons. I find their twilight calls so soothing and relaxing. Quintessential Canadian wilderness !
Our plan for today was to drive to Logan Lake, phone and arrange to attend a tour of the Highland Valley Copper Mine this afternoon or tomorrow, stay at the Logan Lake municipal campground, and take advantage of their Wi-Fi to get caught up on online work.
We departed Tunkwa Lake Provincial Park and continued south on Tunkwa Lake Road until it reached Logan Lake. As soon as we reached Logan Lake, and it seemed likely that we would get a cell phone signal, I pulled over and phoned Highland Valley Copper Mine. DARN ! They have a morning and afternoon tour of their mine every day, and the available spots were booked up for the next three days ! I did not expect that copper mine tours at Logan Lake would be that popular. I was told that their mine tours were busy this week due to university student visitors. We decided to continue on to Monck Provincial Park.
While in Logan Lake we did some grocery shopping then went to the municipally operated trailer dump station to dump our grey waste tanks and refill our freshwater tank. We left Logan Lake heading south on Hwy. 97. We stopped to have lunch on the side of the road near Merritt. At Merritt we turned east on Hwy. 5A to Monck Provincial Park on Nicola Lake.
We got settled into a nice site at Monck Provincial Park, I napped briefly with Sully, then we went on a long, leisurely walk around the campground and down to Nicola Lake.
I made a campfire, Joanne packaged sliced potatoes, leeks, zucchini, and mushrooms in foil, I cooked them and barbecued chicken over the campfire. Well done, Daniel.
Oh, by the way, the weather was mostly sunny and mild today.
Tuesday ; Monck Provincial Park to Otter Lake Provincial Park
This morning we departed Monck Provincial Park and returned on Hwy. 5A to Merritt. We stopped at Wal-Mart to replenish supplies. We stopped at Canadian Tire to dump our grey waste tanks and refill our freshwater tank at their free RV dump station. Thank you, Canadian Tire ! We refilled with diesel at the Extra Foods Fuel Bar. We headed out of Merritt, southbound on Hwy. 5A.
We were headed for Otter Lake Provincial Park. We had planned to stay on Hwy. 5A all the way to Princeton, then "backtrack" north through Tulameen and Coalmont to Otter Lake Provincial Park. But ... halfway between Merritt and Princeton we found a "back door" to Otter Lake Provincial Park, driving 43 km. of an unmarked "back road", 33 km. of which was gravel, to Otter Lake Provincial Park. On this lovely drive through forest wilderness we saw ... a huge bull moose. We stopped and watched him stomping loudly through the bog. He was a big fellow with a big antler rack. We realized that this is the first moose we have seen in six years. The last time we saw a moose was in the spring of 2006 in Newfoundland. I also stopped at the site of a rockslide to pick some rocks that I hope at least one of will be the right size and shape to be "arms" for the Inukshuk I built five years ago in front of our little shed. I've never got the Inukshuk's "arms" quite right yet.
As soon as were settled into a nice site at Otter Lake Provincial Park we set off on a hike. It was Bo's idea. We picked a site right beside the park's "nature trail". As soon as we began to take Bo for a walk, he turned onto the nature trail and off we went. We hiked a lot further and longer than we had anticipated before returning to our campsite and trailer. I started a campfire and, once again, cooked supper over the open fire. I've done that a lot on this trip. I enjoy the challenge and it gives me a strange sense of accomplishment and self-sufficiency.
Today was sunny and mild.
This morning we prepared for departure from Otter Lake Provincial Park, but before we departed ... we walked down to the lake to play "beach doughnut" fetch with Bo. He LOOOOOVES to play "beach doughnut" fetch. Except ... HA HA HA ... when the lake is ice cold ! ! ! He jumped in the lake and retrieved his beach doughnut about half a dozen times, but each time he was a bit less enthused about jumping in. Poor Bo ! Well done, Bo, good dog ! Good thing he doesn't have any nuts or he would have frozen them off. HA HA HA < SNORT > HA HA !
We dried him with a towel and off we went heading south following the Tulameen River through the interesting and remote little communities of Coalmont and Tulameen before reaching Princeton. AHHH ... the home stretch. East on Hwy. 3 to Bromley Rock Provincial Park for lunch, then home to Riverside RV Park Resort.
Thursday ; Happy 48th Birthday to Joanne's sister Lorraine
Today was sunny and warm. After morning chores we headed into town to run some shopping errands. This afternoon Joanne did laundry and phoned her sister. I rebuilt my Inukshuk. WOO-HOO ... arms ! We moved our yard furniture around < rolling eyes >. We went for a long walk around the park. WOO-HOO ... the Saskatoons are almost ripe !
Today I bought a sinus rinse kit. Hopefully, to help with my allergies. And Sully's. This afternoon I sprayed saline solution up Sully's nose. I should have asked for Joanne's help to hold his legs. And I have the shredded t-shirt to prove the point. HA HA HA ... ouch !
Friday ; A sunny and warm day. I went to town this morning to get a haircut. We spent the afternoon doing yard work. I did some minor "upgrades" ( can you spell "OCD" ? ) to the four wood planters we bought in Clinton, we positioned them in the yard, filled them with soil, and Joanne planted flowers in one, lettuce in three.
Saturday ; Today had a few brief moments of sunshine, but most of the day was gloomy with occasional thunderstorm bursts of heavy rain. I was inspired to do ... not much of anything. Certainly not outdoors ! I did some computer work, but mostly just blew off the day !
DSK
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