Sunday ; Still sunny and warm.
Moments after leaving home this morning, Lanoire's odometer rolled through 200,000 kilometres ( 125,000 miles ). WOW ! What a great truck ! Two hundred thousand kilometres without a serious problem, just routine maintenance and a few minor repairs over the years. Here's hoping for another 200,000 kilometres.
Late this morning we headed for Penticton. First stop was to buy dog food. A few days ago the pet food store was out of stock of Bo's food, so ... for the last couple of days Bo has been fed ... dog biscuits, dog treats, roast beef and potatoes, pancakes with maple syrup ... ! He thinks we should run out of dog food more often. HA HA HA !
After buying dog food we stopped at a BC SPCA "flea market". Nothin' but junk ! We headed over to the Cannery Stage at the Cannery Trade Centre for the Sunday afternoon matinee performance of Storm Warning, a play written by Norm Foster, performed by Penticton's Many Hats Theatre Company. Great play ! Excellent performance ! Only two characters / actors. A difficult performance for each of the two actors to pull off. And they each did very well ! BRAVO !
After the play we rushed over to Sleep Country to pick up our new mattress before the store closed for the day. We loaded the mattress into the truck then headed over to
Save-On-Foods to buy some groceries before heading home.
Monday ; Warm and mostly sunny.
Today I started a home improvement project to install a water spigot on the front of the house. The "factory installed" spigot is on the back of the house. Today's work didn't go particularly well. And I need more parts and hardware !
Tuesday ; Continued sunny and warm.
Even though we had been in Penticton just two days ago, I had to go to Penticton again. This morning I headed into Penticton to buy more plumbing supplies to continue my water spigot installation project. I don't like soldering copper plumbing. I don't like gluing plastic plumbing. I don't like galvanized plumbing because it corrodes. I don't like crimp ring fittings on plastic pipe. I like brass plumbing fittings, and I like the ease of use of "shark bite" fittings with PEX plastic pipe. So ... this relatively simple project has cost me $150 in parts so far !
This afternoon I continued working on my spigot installation project. It went okay. I'm hoping to finish the project tomorrow.
Wednesday ; Another sunny and warm day.
This afternoon I completed the water spigot installation project. Good thing I never tried to make a living as a plumber ! But ... the end result is very well done. I'm pleased and proud.
Tonight I made "Indian Ice Cream" using the soapberry concentrate we received as a gift at the Chief Will-Yum PowWow we attended in 150 Mile House in June. We had it for dessert after supper. EEEEEUUUUWWWW ... < puckering lips and shuddering > ... it's a tad sour ! Guess it's an acquired taste. Well ... except for Bo. He liked it immediately. HA HA HA !
Thursday ; Still sunny and warm.
Well ... today I sold my next door neighbour's car ! Last week I took photos of the car, and posted a "for sale" ad on Kijiji. I used my Kijiji account to place the ad, so my e-mail address showed on the ad. I was planning to simply forward to my neighbour any e-mails I received regarding the car. But late this morning ... I received by e-mail an offer to purchase the car. I knew the offer would be acceptable to them, so ... Joanne and I took four wine glasses and a bottle of wine next door and told them ... "congratulations, your car is sold" ! HA HA HA !
Somewhat strangely ... this is at least the fourth time in my life that I have been the middleman / broker for a family member's or friend's car purchase or sale.
My work project for today was to mount our hose reel box to a concrete patio stone by drilling holes in the concrete slab, installing lead anchors, then screwing lag bolts through the bottom of the hose reel box into the lead anchors in the concrete slab. Done !
Bo was a bad dog at today's dog party, snarling and snapping at his dog friends Ozzie and Dudley.
Friday ; Our next door neighbour from the Lower Mainland ( Vancouver region ) who visits here only a few weekends per year gave us a huge Sockeye Salmon today. WOW ... thank you ! Guess what we'll be feeding my sister and brother-in-law when they visit in two weeks ? ! The fish was caught by dip netting in the Fraser River, a fishing method employed only by First Nations people ... ( and white poachers ).
Wanna see it ? Click on the links below !
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gte-AzLYONw&feature=player_detailpage
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=tgYvfb8Xru8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=Prnb-nyoT6g
Saturday ; Still sunny and warm. Getting chilly in the evenings.
Went into Keremeos this afternoon to have lunch at Samosa Garden, the Indian buffet restaurant that is part of Sanderson Farms produce stand. MMMMM ! ! ! Back at home we planned the placement of the storage shed I ordered online, resulting in the replanning of our trailer placement and truck parking spots. In the evening we did some trip planning for the first two weeks of November, from Keremeos, BC to Quartzsite, Arizona.
And .. despite considerable effort not to ... we continued the squabbling and bickering that has been going on for the better part of a week already !
DSK
Sunday, September 30, 2012
Sunday, September 23, 2012
September 16 to 22, 2012
Sunday ; Late summer beautiful weather continues. As do the daily dog parties in Riverside RV Park Resort's new dog run. Bo loves them.
Today was dedicated to routine, mundane household chores. We had a slow start to the day. I made pancakes for brunch. And came to a somewhat odd realization. My pancakes in Canada are slightly better ( lighter and fluffier ) than my pancakes in the United States because of the differences between Canadian and American flour. Joanne wasn't surprised at all, having realized long ago that American flour is different than Canadian flour.
Monday ; Great weather continues.
We spent much of today cleaning windows. After six years of ( unintentional ) neglect, the windows and sills in this park model home were filthy. So ... today we began working on cleaning them. We clean the windows as much as possible, Joanne inside, me outside, then I remove the windows ( blinds have to come off first ), Joanne finishes cleaning the "inaccessible" sides, she cleans the sills, and I reinstall windows and blinds. We did about half the house today.
I also spent a lot of time today preparing an ad for my next door neighbour. She wants to sell her classic car, a 1975 Mercedes 450 SL. Over the last few days she has been cleaning and polishing it for photos. Today I had her drive it down to the cul-de-sac by the orchard. I took lots of photos of it, topless, hard top on, soft top on. I transferred all the photos to my computer and "enhanced" them. Then I placed an ad with photos on Kijiji for her. I had somewhat forgotten that they placed engines that large ( 460 cu. in. V8 ) in cars that small ( 2 seater coupe ) in the 70's ! Damn thing must go like a bat out of hell !
Tuesday ; Gorgeous weather continues ! Sunny and very warm today.
Another day of running errands in Penticton. We were going to leave our Penticton errands until Thursday when we have a trailer delivery job in Penticton, but decided there wouldn't be enough time after our trailer delivery work to run all our errands. We continued mattress shopping in Penticton. I think we're close to making our decision. We ran into a Riverside RV Park Resort neighbour who asked us to pick up a piece of furniture she had just bought in Penticton and deliver it to Riverside. A whole lot easier for us to do it with the truck than for her to try to squeeze it into her little car.
After returning home, and delivering the furniture to our "across the street" neighbour Darlene, our next door neighbour asked for a few minutes of "heavy lifting" help. After the small "heavy lifting" job I chatted with them for way too long on their patio while Joanne prepared supper and then waited and waited and waited for me to return home. Supper had to be reheated !
Wednesday ; Another beautiful day.
Cleaning windows continues ! The more we work at this job the bigger it becomes !
We drove into town ( Keremeos ) to run some errands and take some photos of apple trees ready for harvest. The photos are to send to an SKP friend in New Mexico. We browsed at Keremeos Variety, a business in town that is closing its doors ... forever ... for real. Not just a marketing ploy. It has become a "poster child" for the remaining small businesses in town who are upset that economic hard times and a tough municipal tax base are turning "downtown" Keremeos into a bit of a small business ghost town.
This evening our next door neighbour had their first "tire kicker" come out to see their classic Mercedes for sale, only two days after I took photographs and placed an ad on Kijiji for them.
WOO-HOO ! Season premiere of Survivor !
Thursday ; Still sunny and warm.
Most of today was dedicated to a trailer delivery job. We picked up a large fifth wheel trailer on Old Hedley Road near Princeton. We had delivered it there early in the summer. We took it to Keremeos where we dumped the waste holding tanks at the municipal sani-dump, then we "winterized" it. We drove it to Penticton, had a late picnic lunch at Skaha Lake Beach Park, met the client at her chosen storage yard, and dropped off the trailer.
Then we went shopping. Bought a mattress. Will pick it up Sunday. Bought a new digital camera. Did some Wal-Martin'. Refilled with diesel, then headed home to Keremeos and Riverside RV Park Resort. Joanne made "hamburgesa y frijoles del tio Dan" for supper, a recipe I "invented" while in Mexico.
Had a long phone conversation this evening with a Similkameen Valley tourism marketing "guru" who phoned me regarding Similkameen Day Tours. I don't think what
I had to say was what she expected ! HA HA HA !
Friday ; Still sunny and warm ! Very warm !
Today we finished the park model window cleaning project. And discovered a large dining room window installed incorrectly. Which would explain why it has been difficult to open and close. I fixed the incorrect installation. Which was easy, because ... part of the incorrect installation was ... the window installer at the home manufacturer dropped a special installation tool while installing the window, and it remained wedged in the window track. YUP ... still hard to find good help ! So ... I had the special installation tool that allowed me to correct the installation error.
We had a good obedience session with Bo. We went into Keremeos and ran a few errands. We went to the daily dog party. Joanne baked a nectarine cake in the Sun Oven.
Saturday ; Still sunny and warm. Not sunny enough to cook a roast in the Sun Oven though. Early this afternoon we put a roast in the Sun Oven. Soon thereafter the sky became hazy. We had to transfer the roast into the oven in the house. I think the sky was hazy with smoke, maybe from some wildfires in Washington state south of us.
We did some "refurbishment" work today on our new ( to us ) oak dining room table and chairs. I did some minor maintenance, and Joanne cleaned and polished. Looks good !
I removed my new camera from its packaging, read the manual, and did some experimenting with the camera. Seems better than my last camera. This is my third digital camera in ... < thinking > ... about 8½ years. Each one has been much better and much cheaper than the one before !
DSK
Today was dedicated to routine, mundane household chores. We had a slow start to the day. I made pancakes for brunch. And came to a somewhat odd realization. My pancakes in Canada are slightly better ( lighter and fluffier ) than my pancakes in the United States because of the differences between Canadian and American flour. Joanne wasn't surprised at all, having realized long ago that American flour is different than Canadian flour.
Monday ; Great weather continues.
We spent much of today cleaning windows. After six years of ( unintentional ) neglect, the windows and sills in this park model home were filthy. So ... today we began working on cleaning them. We clean the windows as much as possible, Joanne inside, me outside, then I remove the windows ( blinds have to come off first ), Joanne finishes cleaning the "inaccessible" sides, she cleans the sills, and I reinstall windows and blinds. We did about half the house today.
I also spent a lot of time today preparing an ad for my next door neighbour. She wants to sell her classic car, a 1975 Mercedes 450 SL. Over the last few days she has been cleaning and polishing it for photos. Today I had her drive it down to the cul-de-sac by the orchard. I took lots of photos of it, topless, hard top on, soft top on. I transferred all the photos to my computer and "enhanced" them. Then I placed an ad with photos on Kijiji for her. I had somewhat forgotten that they placed engines that large ( 460 cu. in. V8 ) in cars that small ( 2 seater coupe ) in the 70's ! Damn thing must go like a bat out of hell !
Another day of running errands in Penticton. We were going to leave our Penticton errands until Thursday when we have a trailer delivery job in Penticton, but decided there wouldn't be enough time after our trailer delivery work to run all our errands. We continued mattress shopping in Penticton. I think we're close to making our decision. We ran into a Riverside RV Park Resort neighbour who asked us to pick up a piece of furniture she had just bought in Penticton and deliver it to Riverside. A whole lot easier for us to do it with the truck than for her to try to squeeze it into her little car.
After returning home, and delivering the furniture to our "across the street" neighbour Darlene, our next door neighbour asked for a few minutes of "heavy lifting" help. After the small "heavy lifting" job I chatted with them for way too long on their patio while Joanne prepared supper and then waited and waited and waited for me to return home. Supper had to be reheated !
Wednesday ; Another beautiful day.
Cleaning windows continues ! The more we work at this job the bigger it becomes !
We drove into town ( Keremeos ) to run some errands and take some photos of apple trees ready for harvest. The photos are to send to an SKP friend in New Mexico. We browsed at Keremeos Variety, a business in town that is closing its doors ... forever ... for real. Not just a marketing ploy. It has become a "poster child" for the remaining small businesses in town who are upset that economic hard times and a tough municipal tax base are turning "downtown" Keremeos into a bit of a small business ghost town.
This evening our next door neighbour had their first "tire kicker" come out to see their classic Mercedes for sale, only two days after I took photographs and placed an ad on Kijiji for them.
WOO-HOO ! Season premiere of Survivor !
Thursday ; Still sunny and warm.
Most of today was dedicated to a trailer delivery job. We picked up a large fifth wheel trailer on Old Hedley Road near Princeton. We had delivered it there early in the summer. We took it to Keremeos where we dumped the waste holding tanks at the municipal sani-dump, then we "winterized" it. We drove it to Penticton, had a late picnic lunch at Skaha Lake Beach Park, met the client at her chosen storage yard, and dropped off the trailer.
Then we went shopping. Bought a mattress. Will pick it up Sunday. Bought a new digital camera. Did some Wal-Martin'. Refilled with diesel, then headed home to Keremeos and Riverside RV Park Resort. Joanne made "hamburgesa y frijoles del tio Dan" for supper, a recipe I "invented" while in Mexico.
Had a long phone conversation this evening with a Similkameen Valley tourism marketing "guru" who phoned me regarding Similkameen Day Tours. I don't think what
I had to say was what she expected ! HA HA HA !
Friday ; Still sunny and warm ! Very warm !
Today we finished the park model window cleaning project. And discovered a large dining room window installed incorrectly. Which would explain why it has been difficult to open and close. I fixed the incorrect installation. Which was easy, because ... part of the incorrect installation was ... the window installer at the home manufacturer dropped a special installation tool while installing the window, and it remained wedged in the window track. YUP ... still hard to find good help ! So ... I had the special installation tool that allowed me to correct the installation error.
We had a good obedience session with Bo. We went into Keremeos and ran a few errands. We went to the daily dog party. Joanne baked a nectarine cake in the Sun Oven.
Saturday ; Still sunny and warm. Not sunny enough to cook a roast in the Sun Oven though. Early this afternoon we put a roast in the Sun Oven. Soon thereafter the sky became hazy. We had to transfer the roast into the oven in the house. I think the sky was hazy with smoke, maybe from some wildfires in Washington state south of us.
We did some "refurbishment" work today on our new ( to us ) oak dining room table and chairs. I did some minor maintenance, and Joanne cleaned and polished. Looks good !
I removed my new camera from its packaging, read the manual, and did some experimenting with the camera. Seems better than my last camera. This is my third digital camera in ... < thinking > ... about 8½ years. Each one has been much better and much cheaper than the one before !
DSK
Sunday, September 16, 2012
September 9 to 15, 2012
Sunday ; A sunny but windy day.
Having Joanne back home provides me with an opportunity to "talk things through" with somebody. That's what I did today. I have been troubled lately by my pending deal to purchase a share of the Penticton Flying Club's Cessna 172 C-GBFB. Joanne listened to my explanation of the deal, and helped me to admit to myself that there were a lot of "warning bells". Late this morning I "walked away" from the deal, a very difficult thing to do given how much I miss flying.
A few days ago Riverside RV Park Resort's new dog run was completed. I initiated a daily dog party, much like we initiated at Kofa Ko-op in Yuma, Arizona and have participated in at Park Sierra in Coarsegold, California. On each of the first three days Bo has been joined by only a few other dogs, but he LOOOOOVES daily dog parties.
Monday ; A chilly, windy day. Bath day for Bo. Huge wildfire at Peachland !
Gee, Joanne is talented at taking advantage of local, fresh produce, whenever and wherever we are. Thank you for the superb nectarine pie, dear.
Tuesday ; Today was sunny and mild.
We had a long, hard day in Penticton of running errands and shopping for a new mattress. The weather has cooled enough that Bo could come along with us and spend much of the day waiting in the truck. He's a very good "waiter" dog. He would rather come along with us for a "drivey" even if it means a whole lot of waiting in the truck while we shop and run errands. Good dog, Bo !
We bumped into our friends and previous neighbours Mitch and Diane today in the parking lot of the bank. We chatted for awhile.
There certainly are a lot of deer hopping across the highway between Penticton and Keremeos at dusk ! Joanne should have let me buy one of them honkin' huge grille guards ( I call them Toyota pushers ) for the truck while we were in Texas. All the big Texas trucks have 'em. If a deer ( or Toyota ) gets in your way ... just smack 'em outta the way and keep driving ! HA HA HA ! I'd make a good Redneck in Texas or Alabama.
Wednesday ; Today was sunny and warm, a lovely late summer day. We spent a long time walking around our RV park with Bo, from the orchard on one side all along the river to the crown land on the other side. We even went through the park gate into the crown land and wandered around the crown land for awhile. The Similkameen River is very low and very slow at this time of the year, after a summer when it was high and fast for most of the summer.
This afternoon I sanded the picnic table while Joanne weeded lot 4. We did some "pet care" work. I dried tomatoes and bananas in the Sun Oven. We had a fun obedience session with Bo. And another fun "daily dog party" in Riverside's new dog run.
Thursday ; Today was sunny and warm.
We went to Benja Thai Restaurant in Keremeos for a late lunch today. MMMMM ! ! !
This afternoon I worked on installing a check valve / backflow preventer on the incoming water line underneath the park model. More complicated and more difficult than I had expected.
While we were in the dog run for the daily dog party the wind picked up and blew the Sun Oven off its table beside the trailer. Quite a bit of damage ! Reflector panels bent and dented. Glass door hinge screws ripped out of wood frame. < sigh > Hope I can repair it satisfactorily.
Around supper time a grass & sage fire started on Upper Bench Road near Herder Winery. It grew very quickly !
Friday ; Another sunny, warm day. Beautiful late summer weather.
I repaired the Sun Oven. Not the first possession of ours to sustain some "road rash".
I installed some eye screws around the Sun Oven table and will now secure the Sun Oven with bungee cords to prevent the wind from blowing it off the table. Somewhat like shutting the barn door after the horse is gone !
The brush fire on Pincushion Mountain near Herder's was fought all night long by a crew of about twenty. Their "base camp" was at Herder Winery and their efforts were aimed at preventing the fire from consuming the vineyard and winery. They were successful. By tonight the fire was under control. Close call ! About 16 hectares / 40 acres were burned bordering Herder Winery and Clos du Soleil Winery.
Saturday ; Still sunny, warm, and beautiful late summer days.
Late this morning we headed into Keremeos to attend the annual pepper festival, Similkameen Sizzle. The only pepper festival in Canada. We arrived in time to participate in the tasting and judging of the chili contest. Riverside RV Park Resort won the chili championship last year. This year our park's entry placed second. After the chili tasting and judging we walked around Memorial Park browsing at the many vendors.
We left Similkameen Sizzle and ran some errands around Keremeos and Cawston.
I stopped to take some photos of apple trees ready to be harvested, photos I promised this spring to our SKP friend Larry from New Mexico when he and Carol Mae visited in May. My camera died ! I got some photos, but was unable to make any adjustments to the camera's settings. And, not surprisingly, I was unable to transfer the photos to my computer later in the day. The camera is ... finished !
We also drove down Upper Bench Road to see the wildfire. There were still some firefighters on the mountainside behind Herder's Winery, although the fire seemed to be out. I guess they were doing some manner of "mop up" work. From a distance it looks as if there is nothing to burn on Pincushion Mountain, but once up close, one can see how much grass and sage grows on the mountainside.
We returned to Memorial Park, and Similkameen Sizzle, to have a late lunch and listen to the live band performing.
DSK
Having Joanne back home provides me with an opportunity to "talk things through" with somebody. That's what I did today. I have been troubled lately by my pending deal to purchase a share of the Penticton Flying Club's Cessna 172 C-GBFB. Joanne listened to my explanation of the deal, and helped me to admit to myself that there were a lot of "warning bells". Late this morning I "walked away" from the deal, a very difficult thing to do given how much I miss flying.
A few days ago Riverside RV Park Resort's new dog run was completed. I initiated a daily dog party, much like we initiated at Kofa Ko-op in Yuma, Arizona and have participated in at Park Sierra in Coarsegold, California. On each of the first three days Bo has been joined by only a few other dogs, but he LOOOOOVES daily dog parties.
Monday ; A chilly, windy day. Bath day for Bo. Huge wildfire at Peachland !
Gee, Joanne is talented at taking advantage of local, fresh produce, whenever and wherever we are. Thank you for the superb nectarine pie, dear.
Tuesday ; Today was sunny and mild.
We had a long, hard day in Penticton of running errands and shopping for a new mattress. The weather has cooled enough that Bo could come along with us and spend much of the day waiting in the truck. He's a very good "waiter" dog. He would rather come along with us for a "drivey" even if it means a whole lot of waiting in the truck while we shop and run errands. Good dog, Bo !
We bumped into our friends and previous neighbours Mitch and Diane today in the parking lot of the bank. We chatted for awhile.
There certainly are a lot of deer hopping across the highway between Penticton and Keremeos at dusk ! Joanne should have let me buy one of them honkin' huge grille guards ( I call them Toyota pushers ) for the truck while we were in Texas. All the big Texas trucks have 'em. If a deer ( or Toyota ) gets in your way ... just smack 'em outta the way and keep driving ! HA HA HA ! I'd make a good Redneck in Texas or Alabama.
Wednesday ; Today was sunny and warm, a lovely late summer day. We spent a long time walking around our RV park with Bo, from the orchard on one side all along the river to the crown land on the other side. We even went through the park gate into the crown land and wandered around the crown land for awhile. The Similkameen River is very low and very slow at this time of the year, after a summer when it was high and fast for most of the summer.
This afternoon I sanded the picnic table while Joanne weeded lot 4. We did some "pet care" work. I dried tomatoes and bananas in the Sun Oven. We had a fun obedience session with Bo. And another fun "daily dog party" in Riverside's new dog run.
Thursday ; Today was sunny and warm.
We went to Benja Thai Restaurant in Keremeos for a late lunch today. MMMMM ! ! !
This afternoon I worked on installing a check valve / backflow preventer on the incoming water line underneath the park model. More complicated and more difficult than I had expected.
While we were in the dog run for the daily dog party the wind picked up and blew the Sun Oven off its table beside the trailer. Quite a bit of damage ! Reflector panels bent and dented. Glass door hinge screws ripped out of wood frame. < sigh > Hope I can repair it satisfactorily.
Around supper time a grass & sage fire started on Upper Bench Road near Herder Winery. It grew very quickly !
Friday ; Another sunny, warm day. Beautiful late summer weather.
I repaired the Sun Oven. Not the first possession of ours to sustain some "road rash".
I installed some eye screws around the Sun Oven table and will now secure the Sun Oven with bungee cords to prevent the wind from blowing it off the table. Somewhat like shutting the barn door after the horse is gone !
The brush fire on Pincushion Mountain near Herder's was fought all night long by a crew of about twenty. Their "base camp" was at Herder Winery and their efforts were aimed at preventing the fire from consuming the vineyard and winery. They were successful. By tonight the fire was under control. Close call ! About 16 hectares / 40 acres were burned bordering Herder Winery and Clos du Soleil Winery.
Saturday ; Still sunny, warm, and beautiful late summer days.
Late this morning we headed into Keremeos to attend the annual pepper festival, Similkameen Sizzle. The only pepper festival in Canada. We arrived in time to participate in the tasting and judging of the chili contest. Riverside RV Park Resort won the chili championship last year. This year our park's entry placed second. After the chili tasting and judging we walked around Memorial Park browsing at the many vendors.
We left Similkameen Sizzle and ran some errands around Keremeos and Cawston.
I stopped to take some photos of apple trees ready to be harvested, photos I promised this spring to our SKP friend Larry from New Mexico when he and Carol Mae visited in May. My camera died ! I got some photos, but was unable to make any adjustments to the camera's settings. And, not surprisingly, I was unable to transfer the photos to my computer later in the day. The camera is ... finished !
We also drove down Upper Bench Road to see the wildfire. There were still some firefighters on the mountainside behind Herder's Winery, although the fire seemed to be out. I guess they were doing some manner of "mop up" work. From a distance it looks as if there is nothing to burn on Pincushion Mountain, but once up close, one can see how much grass and sage grows on the mountainside.
We returned to Memorial Park, and Similkameen Sizzle, to have a late lunch and listen to the live band performing.
DSK
Sunday, September 9, 2012
September 2 to 8, 2012
Sunday ; OW OW OW ! As I sit here at my desk late in the evening my knee is getting very sore and stiff. I injured it this afternoon. In a moment of carelessness I stabbed myself fairly deeply into the flesh at the top of the knee. With a drill bit sticking out of my power drill. Don't even ask !
Today was sunny and warm. Nice weather ! I did an agility session with Bo. Well done, Bo ! I sprayed weeds on our lot. I did more refurbishment work on the rocker glider that was part of the furnishings that came with our park model. And my big project for today was installing a bunch of solar lights around our yard. HEY ... they were on sale really cheap at Rona. I installed the lights in holes I drilled in the landscaping ties of our "Yuma fencing". Hence the drill accident !
While taking Bo for a long walk around the park I accepted an invitation to have a beer with "old" neighbours ( near lot 89 ).
Monday ; Another lovely, sunny, warm, late summer day.
Today I removed the park model's storm door, removed the damaged bottom section of frame, and installed the replacement section of door frame that I ordered and received from the manufacturer. Then ... I repaired the damage that I did to the picnic table using it as a workbench < sigh >. Bo and I went on multiple walks today just to enjoy the lovely weather, and visit with neighbours ( and their dogs ). In the evening I worked on making my special campfire starters, but ... I ran out of paraffin wax.
Tuesday ; Another lovely, sunny, warm, late summer day !
Today I completed the picnic table repair I started yesterday. I weeded lot 89. Weeds grow so fast on unoccupied lots here. If there's no vehicular or foot traffic on the lot the weeds grow like ... well, weeds ! I helped the next door neighbour with a little job and then had a beer with him. I did some minor maintenance work on the park model's storm door and my bicycle.
AND ... my big project of the day ; I made my "secret" pine sap salve recipe. My neighbour Betty gave me a teensy bit of coaching help in the kitchen. Without her help
I probably would have burned the pine sap as I heated it to liquify it. I made four little jars of Daniel's Pine Sap Salve. The texture seems about right. Hope my "healing formula" is good ! Most herbalists, Native medicine men, hippy throwbacks, and other wingnuts who make this kind of stuff use calendula and / or comfrey. I didn't have either. I used tea tree oil. And 100% pure beeswax !
Joanne left Winnipeg this morning on a Greyhound bus. She'll be home in two days. After sixteen days of preparing very good dinners for myself during her absence, tonight my supper was ... BLECH ! Oh, well ... sixteen out of seventeen is pretty good !
Wednesday ; Well ! ! ! There goes three and a half hours of my life that I'll never get back !
Today was mostly sunny and warm. I had a loaf of bread baking in the Sun Oven this afternoon when the sun disappeared behind clouds. HMPH ... had to put the bread into the oven in the park model to finish baking. Nice loaf of bread though ! Did some minor maintenance today. Visited with neighbours. Did laundry ! When's my wife going to be home ? ! ?
A couple of days ago I was invited, as Similkameen Day Tours, to a Similkameen Valley tourism industry planning session in Hedley tonight. What a colossal waste of my time. And I know for a fact that I'm not the only one there who felt that way ! Three and a half hours of people spinning their wheels trying to reinvent the wheel ! ! ! Reminded me of my career at Canada Post Headquarters in Ottawa. Reminded me of why I left Canada Post to become self-employed ! Made me extremely grateful to be retired !
Thursday ; Today was sunny and warm. In the middle of the night ( so to speak ), at 5 AM, I picked up Joanne at the Greyhound depot in Keremeos. She had difficulty sleeping on the bus during the two day trip home from Winnipeg, so she was exhausted and sleep deprived. She fell into bed immediately upon arriving home, and slept until 4 PM !
I spent the day tiptoeing around trying to be quiet, working on a variety of minor maintenance projects, including refurbishing a vacuum cleaner that I scavenged from a neighbour's garbage. HEY ... a foot of duct tape, a dab of glue, and it's like brand new again.
Friday ; Sunny and warm.
Today was the first of three days of the annual Pentastic Jazz Festival in Penticton. Friday evening, all day Saturday, and Sunday morning music performances by many jazz and related bands in five venues. Very pricey tickets. This afternoon there was a free "teaser" concert at Penticton High School by one of the bands that I was most interested in seeing. Joanne said ... "let's go" ! So ... off to Penticton we went to see a music concert and run a few errands.
WOW ! What a great performance by a great Cajun / Swamp Pop / Zydeco band from Southern California. Gator Beat ! A zydeco band from Southern California ? ! ? DAMN ... sounded like they just drove in from Opelousas, Louisiana. WOW ! ! !
Saturday ; Sunny and warm again.
This morning I drove to Oliver to attend an aviation seminar at the Oliver Airport. It was hosted by the South Okanagan Flying Club based at Oliver Airport. The seminar was conducted by Transport Canada. It was billed as a "recurrency seminar". It was a waste of my time and my money !
What I wasn't aware of ... was that this weekend the Oliver Airport was hosting a training and socialization gathering of "War Birds". A bunch of rich guys with extremely expensive World War II military aircraft like Harvards and Nanchangs. So ... understandably... some of the seminar was geared towards formation flying issues and air show issues. And the presenter was a fellow from Transport Canada whose English was heavily accented, and whose mumbling, soft voice couldn't be heard ten feet away. Especially when there were Harvards and Nanchangs firing up their engines outside the hangar the seminar was in. Waste of my time and money !
However ... after the seminar and lunch, I stood outside on the grass between Oliver Airport's one taxiway and one runway ... and watched War Birds take off. And Cessnas land. And skydivers dropping in. Geeeeez ... what a busy day at the normally quiet Oliver Airport. After standing out there for awhile, I headed home, thinking ... gee, Lanoire's Cummins diesel engine sounds quieter today than usual. I spent the rest of the day saying "HUH ? What did you say ?". HA HA HA ! Note to self ... don't stand 100 feet from the runway and watch War Birds take off.
DSK
Today was sunny and warm. Nice weather ! I did an agility session with Bo. Well done, Bo ! I sprayed weeds on our lot. I did more refurbishment work on the rocker glider that was part of the furnishings that came with our park model. And my big project for today was installing a bunch of solar lights around our yard. HEY ... they were on sale really cheap at Rona. I installed the lights in holes I drilled in the landscaping ties of our "Yuma fencing". Hence the drill accident !
While taking Bo for a long walk around the park I accepted an invitation to have a beer with "old" neighbours ( near lot 89 ).
Monday ; Another lovely, sunny, warm, late summer day.
Today I removed the park model's storm door, removed the damaged bottom section of frame, and installed the replacement section of door frame that I ordered and received from the manufacturer. Then ... I repaired the damage that I did to the picnic table using it as a workbench < sigh >. Bo and I went on multiple walks today just to enjoy the lovely weather, and visit with neighbours ( and their dogs ). In the evening I worked on making my special campfire starters, but ... I ran out of paraffin wax.
Tuesday ; Another lovely, sunny, warm, late summer day !
Today I completed the picnic table repair I started yesterday. I weeded lot 89. Weeds grow so fast on unoccupied lots here. If there's no vehicular or foot traffic on the lot the weeds grow like ... well, weeds ! I helped the next door neighbour with a little job and then had a beer with him. I did some minor maintenance work on the park model's storm door and my bicycle.
AND ... my big project of the day ; I made my "secret" pine sap salve recipe. My neighbour Betty gave me a teensy bit of coaching help in the kitchen. Without her help
I probably would have burned the pine sap as I heated it to liquify it. I made four little jars of Daniel's Pine Sap Salve. The texture seems about right. Hope my "healing formula" is good ! Most herbalists, Native medicine men, hippy throwbacks, and other wingnuts who make this kind of stuff use calendula and / or comfrey. I didn't have either. I used tea tree oil. And 100% pure beeswax !
Joanne left Winnipeg this morning on a Greyhound bus. She'll be home in two days. After sixteen days of preparing very good dinners for myself during her absence, tonight my supper was ... BLECH ! Oh, well ... sixteen out of seventeen is pretty good !
Wednesday ; Well ! ! ! There goes three and a half hours of my life that I'll never get back !
Today was mostly sunny and warm. I had a loaf of bread baking in the Sun Oven this afternoon when the sun disappeared behind clouds. HMPH ... had to put the bread into the oven in the park model to finish baking. Nice loaf of bread though ! Did some minor maintenance today. Visited with neighbours. Did laundry ! When's my wife going to be home ? ! ?
A couple of days ago I was invited, as Similkameen Day Tours, to a Similkameen Valley tourism industry planning session in Hedley tonight. What a colossal waste of my time. And I know for a fact that I'm not the only one there who felt that way ! Three and a half hours of people spinning their wheels trying to reinvent the wheel ! ! ! Reminded me of my career at Canada Post Headquarters in Ottawa. Reminded me of why I left Canada Post to become self-employed ! Made me extremely grateful to be retired !
Thursday ; Today was sunny and warm. In the middle of the night ( so to speak ), at 5 AM, I picked up Joanne at the Greyhound depot in Keremeos. She had difficulty sleeping on the bus during the two day trip home from Winnipeg, so she was exhausted and sleep deprived. She fell into bed immediately upon arriving home, and slept until 4 PM !
I spent the day tiptoeing around trying to be quiet, working on a variety of minor maintenance projects, including refurbishing a vacuum cleaner that I scavenged from a neighbour's garbage. HEY ... a foot of duct tape, a dab of glue, and it's like brand new again.
Friday ; Sunny and warm.
Today was the first of three days of the annual Pentastic Jazz Festival in Penticton. Friday evening, all day Saturday, and Sunday morning music performances by many jazz and related bands in five venues. Very pricey tickets. This afternoon there was a free "teaser" concert at Penticton High School by one of the bands that I was most interested in seeing. Joanne said ... "let's go" ! So ... off to Penticton we went to see a music concert and run a few errands.
WOW ! What a great performance by a great Cajun / Swamp Pop / Zydeco band from Southern California. Gator Beat ! A zydeco band from Southern California ? ! ? DAMN ... sounded like they just drove in from Opelousas, Louisiana. WOW ! ! !
Saturday ; Sunny and warm again.
This morning I drove to Oliver to attend an aviation seminar at the Oliver Airport. It was hosted by the South Okanagan Flying Club based at Oliver Airport. The seminar was conducted by Transport Canada. It was billed as a "recurrency seminar". It was a waste of my time and my money !
What I wasn't aware of ... was that this weekend the Oliver Airport was hosting a training and socialization gathering of "War Birds". A bunch of rich guys with extremely expensive World War II military aircraft like Harvards and Nanchangs. So ... understandably... some of the seminar was geared towards formation flying issues and air show issues. And the presenter was a fellow from Transport Canada whose English was heavily accented, and whose mumbling, soft voice couldn't be heard ten feet away. Especially when there were Harvards and Nanchangs firing up their engines outside the hangar the seminar was in. Waste of my time and money !
However ... after the seminar and lunch, I stood outside on the grass between Oliver Airport's one taxiway and one runway ... and watched War Birds take off. And Cessnas land. And skydivers dropping in. Geeeeez ... what a busy day at the normally quiet Oliver Airport. After standing out there for awhile, I headed home, thinking ... gee, Lanoire's Cummins diesel engine sounds quieter today than usual. I spent the rest of the day saying "HUH ? What did you say ?". HA HA HA ! Note to self ... don't stand 100 feet from the runway and watch War Birds take off.
DSK
Sunday, September 2, 2012
August 26 to September 1, 2012
Sunday ; Today was sunny and warm.
My main project for today was to cut and install "wire" shelving in the park model's washer / dryer closet which we are using as a storage closet. My "Harbour Freight" reciprocating tool cut the metal shelving but took a very long time to do so. My next door neighbour once again came to my rescue. He brought over a grinding wheel and cut through the metal shelving like a hot knife through butter. Thank you ( once again ) Gord.
While I was installing the metal shelving the washer / dryer closet bi-fold door broke. When I examined it I discovered that it had been previously broken and repaired. I'm not sure it can be repaired again. I'll give it a try, but I think it will probably have to be replaced.
This evening I did laundry. WOW ... my laundering skills are a bit rusty ! Were Joanne's underwear that colour when they went in ? HA HA HA !
Monday ; Well ... I had a great day today.
It was sunny and warm. I made myself a great supper. MMMMM ! With some guidance from the Internet, I blanched and froze the beans I harvested from our lot 89 garden. Who says you can't teach an old dog new tricks ? AND ... with some creative problem solving, and a "nothing to lose" attitude, I figured out a repair / rebuild solution to the broken storage closet bi-fold doors. I'm about half finished repairing / rebuilding the doors. Wish me luck ! This evening I did some "refurbishment" work on the glider rocker that came with the house.
Tuesday ; Today was mostly sunny and mild, cold and windy in the evening. BRRRRR !
Today I completed repairing / rebuilding one half / one side of the closet bi-fold doors. Excellent results ! So ... I began repairing / rebuilding the other half / other side. Should be finished tomorrow. And I relocated the garden from lot 89 to lot 4. Easier said than done. First I disassembled the garden border kit ( bought in Oregon ... no sales tax ! ) then shovelled all the soil into a wheelbarrow. Cut some rebar to use as corner brace posts. Did some raking and levelling on lot 4. Reassembled the garden border with rebar corner posts, emptied the wheelbarrow of soil in and ... garden on lot 4 !
Wednesday ; Today was sunny and warm, nice late summer weather.
This morning there were four piles of dog shit beside my truck ! ! ! My very helpful next door neighbour's two dogs were using our lot as their bathroom for many years before we moved in a month ago, and modifying their habits is proving to be difficult for the neighbour. Of course, if they adhered to the "must be on a leash" park rule ...
< AHEM > ... ! ! !
Today I finished repairing and reinstalling the storage closet bi-fold doors. Well done, Daniel.
Thursday ; Another sunny and warm day. Beautiful late summer weather !
GEEEEEZZZZZ ... I missed hitting a deer by a few feet ... TWICE ... on the way home from Penticton late tonight.
I left home before lunch time for an afternoon of running errands in Penticton and an evening of flying. Yes, yes ... Dan Air flight 409 took to the skies tonight. And what a great flight it was ! I took off from Penticton, flew over Skaha Lake to Kaleden, then followed Highway 3A to Keremeos, then the Similkameen Valley to Riverside RV Park Resort.
I had neighbours expecting my flyover, so I "buzzed" the park, descending to about 600 feet AGL and doing a wings and tail waggle.
I climbed back up to about 5500 feet by the time I reached Keremeos again, and with encouragement from my "co-pilot", the treasurer of the Penticton Flying Club, we searched out the Keremeos Columns, a "hoodoo" like formation on a mountainside near Keremeos. After viewing the Keremeos Columns ( well ... it ain't exactly the Bryce Canyon ! ) I flew over Fairview Mountain ( had to climb to about 6600 feet ) to Oliver, then Okanagan Falls and back to Penticton. After landing and putting away the aircraft I had a meeting in the Penticton Flying Club with the treasurer to discuss purchasing a "share" of Cessna 172 C-GBFB. Yeah ... I'm in !
Friday ; HA HA HA HA HA ... what a funny little dog ! Good dog, Bo, well done !
Today was another lovely, late summer, sunny, warm day.
This afternoon Bo and I headed to Oliver. Each year, on the last day of operation for the summer, the Oliver Community Pool dedicates the last hour of the swimming pool season to a ... doggie swim party ! ! ! As soon as the doggie swim party is over, they drain the pool, and clean it, and prepare it for "winterization". This is the second year that Bo and I have attended. And what a lot of fun we had ! ! ! Bo has been a bit "out of sorts" while Joanne has been gone to Winnipeg, and he certainly feels that he has been "drivey deprived" lately. I've gone out a lot, and haven't taken him along. So when I offered him a "drivey" this afternoon, he was ecstatic. We drove to Osoyoos, then Oliver, where we joined a lot of other dogs in the huge outdoor swimming pool. WOO-HOO ... thought Bo ... not only a dog party ... but a dog POOL party ! ! !
We played beach doughnut fetch for an hour ! He's relentless ! What great enthusiasm and stamina for an 8½ year old dog. He was the last one out of the pool, still eager to continue playing even as the lifeguards were removing ladders from the pool edges to signal us that it was time to leave. He cuddled up against me to dry off as we drove from Oliver to Osoyoos. He fell asleep by the time we reached Osoyoos and slept all the way home. HA HA HA HA HA ... good dog, Bo, well done !
Saturday ; Today was sunny and warm.
This morning I had a phone chat with Joanne in Winnipeg. She misses me, her home, her regular every day life. After two weeks of visiting her sister, she's ready to come home.
This afternoon one of the "single women" neighbours invited me over for a glass of wine. While we were sitting on her porch sipping wine another of the "single women" neighbours walked by and gave me some fresh produce out of her garden. Then the first one gave me some fresh home made baking. GEE ... maybe I should encourage my wife to go away more often. HA HA HA < SNORT > HA HA !
For tonight's supper I cooked a perfect pot roast and vegetables in the Sun Oven today. MMMMM ... well done, Daniel ! The process, not the meat. HA HA HA !
DSK
My main project for today was to cut and install "wire" shelving in the park model's washer / dryer closet which we are using as a storage closet. My "Harbour Freight" reciprocating tool cut the metal shelving but took a very long time to do so. My next door neighbour once again came to my rescue. He brought over a grinding wheel and cut through the metal shelving like a hot knife through butter. Thank you ( once again ) Gord.
While I was installing the metal shelving the washer / dryer closet bi-fold door broke. When I examined it I discovered that it had been previously broken and repaired. I'm not sure it can be repaired again. I'll give it a try, but I think it will probably have to be replaced.
This evening I did laundry. WOW ... my laundering skills are a bit rusty ! Were Joanne's underwear that colour when they went in ? HA HA HA !
Monday ; Well ... I had a great day today.
It was sunny and warm. I made myself a great supper. MMMMM ! With some guidance from the Internet, I blanched and froze the beans I harvested from our lot 89 garden. Who says you can't teach an old dog new tricks ? AND ... with some creative problem solving, and a "nothing to lose" attitude, I figured out a repair / rebuild solution to the broken storage closet bi-fold doors. I'm about half finished repairing / rebuilding the doors. Wish me luck ! This evening I did some "refurbishment" work on the glider rocker that came with the house.
Tuesday ; Today was mostly sunny and mild, cold and windy in the evening. BRRRRR !
Today I completed repairing / rebuilding one half / one side of the closet bi-fold doors. Excellent results ! So ... I began repairing / rebuilding the other half / other side. Should be finished tomorrow. And I relocated the garden from lot 89 to lot 4. Easier said than done. First I disassembled the garden border kit ( bought in Oregon ... no sales tax ! ) then shovelled all the soil into a wheelbarrow. Cut some rebar to use as corner brace posts. Did some raking and levelling on lot 4. Reassembled the garden border with rebar corner posts, emptied the wheelbarrow of soil in and ... garden on lot 4 !
Wednesday ; Today was sunny and warm, nice late summer weather.
This morning there were four piles of dog shit beside my truck ! ! ! My very helpful next door neighbour's two dogs were using our lot as their bathroom for many years before we moved in a month ago, and modifying their habits is proving to be difficult for the neighbour. Of course, if they adhered to the "must be on a leash" park rule ...
< AHEM > ... ! ! !
Today I finished repairing and reinstalling the storage closet bi-fold doors. Well done, Daniel.
Thursday ; Another sunny and warm day. Beautiful late summer weather !
GEEEEEZZZZZ ... I missed hitting a deer by a few feet ... TWICE ... on the way home from Penticton late tonight.
I left home before lunch time for an afternoon of running errands in Penticton and an evening of flying. Yes, yes ... Dan Air flight 409 took to the skies tonight. And what a great flight it was ! I took off from Penticton, flew over Skaha Lake to Kaleden, then followed Highway 3A to Keremeos, then the Similkameen Valley to Riverside RV Park Resort.
I had neighbours expecting my flyover, so I "buzzed" the park, descending to about 600 feet AGL and doing a wings and tail waggle.
I climbed back up to about 5500 feet by the time I reached Keremeos again, and with encouragement from my "co-pilot", the treasurer of the Penticton Flying Club, we searched out the Keremeos Columns, a "hoodoo" like formation on a mountainside near Keremeos. After viewing the Keremeos Columns ( well ... it ain't exactly the Bryce Canyon ! ) I flew over Fairview Mountain ( had to climb to about 6600 feet ) to Oliver, then Okanagan Falls and back to Penticton. After landing and putting away the aircraft I had a meeting in the Penticton Flying Club with the treasurer to discuss purchasing a "share" of Cessna 172 C-GBFB. Yeah ... I'm in !
Friday ; HA HA HA HA HA ... what a funny little dog ! Good dog, Bo, well done !
Today was another lovely, late summer, sunny, warm day.
This afternoon Bo and I headed to Oliver. Each year, on the last day of operation for the summer, the Oliver Community Pool dedicates the last hour of the swimming pool season to a ... doggie swim party ! ! ! As soon as the doggie swim party is over, they drain the pool, and clean it, and prepare it for "winterization". This is the second year that Bo and I have attended. And what a lot of fun we had ! ! ! Bo has been a bit "out of sorts" while Joanne has been gone to Winnipeg, and he certainly feels that he has been "drivey deprived" lately. I've gone out a lot, and haven't taken him along. So when I offered him a "drivey" this afternoon, he was ecstatic. We drove to Osoyoos, then Oliver, where we joined a lot of other dogs in the huge outdoor swimming pool. WOO-HOO ... thought Bo ... not only a dog party ... but a dog POOL party ! ! !
We played beach doughnut fetch for an hour ! He's relentless ! What great enthusiasm and stamina for an 8½ year old dog. He was the last one out of the pool, still eager to continue playing even as the lifeguards were removing ladders from the pool edges to signal us that it was time to leave. He cuddled up against me to dry off as we drove from Oliver to Osoyoos. He fell asleep by the time we reached Osoyoos and slept all the way home. HA HA HA HA HA ... good dog, Bo, well done !
This morning I had a phone chat with Joanne in Winnipeg. She misses me, her home, her regular every day life. After two weeks of visiting her sister, she's ready to come home.
This afternoon one of the "single women" neighbours invited me over for a glass of wine. While we were sitting on her porch sipping wine another of the "single women" neighbours walked by and gave me some fresh produce out of her garden. Then the first one gave me some fresh home made baking. GEE ... maybe I should encourage my wife to go away more often. HA HA HA < SNORT > HA HA !
For tonight's supper I cooked a perfect pot roast and vegetables in the Sun Oven today. MMMMM ... well done, Daniel ! The process, not the meat. HA HA HA !
DSK
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