August 3 to 9, 2014

Sunday ; Mostly sunny, very warm. We lost how much money in the stock market a couple of days ago ? ! ?

This afternoon I made Sun Oven dried "smoked" Rainbow Trout. I left it in a bit too long, and "over dried" it a bit, resulting in a bit less good meat than I would have liked. After
I was finished making "smoked" Rainbow Trout I made two small cake pans of bannock in the Sun Oven.

I repaired a folding chair that broke yesterday. I started work on a truck camper project to replace the flexible hose ducting from the furnace to the bathroom.

Our neighbour / friend Jeannine came over for barbecued Sockeye Salmon on bannock for dinner tonight.

Monday ; Sunny and hot. Joanne baked a pie in the Sun Oven.

I helped the next door neighbour ( the one who still speaks to me ! ) with some fifth wheel maintenance chores before he and his family returned to their regular home in the Lower Mainland / Vancouver area. I did some maintenance work inside our manufactured home and in our yard and in the truck camper up in the storage area.
I watered our plants and gardens and composters.

Early this evening I went fishing. I hiked a fair distance upstream, much of it difficult hiking in the river, to the spot where my next door neighbour took me a year ago to teach me how to fly fish. I was standing in thigh deep water, a fishing net tied to my belt loop when ... I hooked a decent sized Rainbow Trout ! I brought it all the way to me, and then while I was fumbling around with the net with my left hand ... the fish leaped up out of the water, twisting and turning and ... SPIT THE HOOK ! ! ! AAAARRRRRGGGGGHHHHH ! ! ! ! !

I have to learn to stop "playing" Rainbow Trout like they're Northern Pike !

Tuesday ; Still sunny and very hot. This area's summer heat wave, usually about two weeks long, has been going on for about five weeks so far this year.

We spent the day in Penticton running errands.

Wednesday ; Sunny and hot. I made Candied Chinook Salmon in the Sun Oven today. When I was done, Joanne cooked eggs and potatoes in the Sun Oven for potato salad for tomorrow.

We harvested tomatoes and rhubarb from our gardens today. I finished repairing the truck camper's furnace ducting to the bathroom. When we bought the truck camper in December I prepared a lengthy list of repairs and improvements required. Today ... about nine months later ... I completed that list. WOO-HOO ! The truck camper is now in better shape than when it left the factory ... seventeen years ago ! This evening we planned our upcoming Bella Coola to Port Hardy trip.

Thursday ; Sunny and hot during the day, with a bit of a chilly wind coming off Lake Okanagan in the evening.

This afternoon we headed to Penticton to attend PeachFest. We ran a few errands then headed downtown to find a parking spot as near as possible to Lake Okanagan Beach Park. Since we were arriving fairly early ( 5:30 PM ) ... we found a spot only about two blocks away.

We walked to the park and set up our folding chairs at the back of the crowd in front of the main stage, to reserve our seating for the late night finale concert that was our primary motivation for being there. We watched a classic rock group ( WOO-HOO ) then a teenage boy dance group ( YUCK ) perform, followed by an acrobatic trampoline group from Quebec, sort of a Cirque du Soleil type act. As a matter of fact, the group is an affiliate of Cirque du Soleil. The last act we watched before going for supper was an eleven piece "show band".

At 8 PM we walked back to where the truck was parked, got our picnic basket, and walked across the street to have our picnic supper in Gyro Park. As we were eating the wonderful ( as always ) picnic dinner Joanne had prepared we realized that ALL components of the meal had been cooked in the Sun Oven over the previous couple of days ; "smoked" candied Chinook Salmon, "fried" chicken, eggs and potatoes for the potato salad, and Buttermilk Pie. Totally a Sun Oven picnic. Thank you, my dear, wonderfully done picnic dinner !

After eating we walked back to Lake Okanagan Beach Park and settled in for the evening's finale act, the Canadian rock icons from the 1970's, TROOPER ! Holy shit ... somebody should tell these geezers that everybody should retire eventually ! HA HA HA ! They looked like a bunch of guys that you would find in any Escapees RV Park. HA HA HA < SNORT > HA HA ! I was never a fan of Trooper's, but ... Joanne wanted to go, so ... < shrug > ... whatever my Princess wants, she gets !

< singing > We're here for a good time ... not a long time ! So have a good time ... the sun can't shine every day.

< singing > Raise a little hell, raise a little hell, raise a little hell < BOOMP BOOMP BOOMP BOOMP >.

Friday ; Sunny and very warm. Heat wave over ?

I rewrote one of Trooper's signature songs this "morning" when I woke up.
< singing > Raise a little hell. raise a little hell, sleep until noon < BOOMP BOOMP BOOMP BOOMP >. HA HA HA ... they probably did, as well.

I had a bit of a slow day. I did some minor maintenance chores. I reinstalled the fifth wheel hitch into the bed of the truck, in preparation for a trailer delivery job on Monday.
I went fishing, but only briefly. It was too windy to enjoy fly fishing.

Saturday ; Sunny and very warm.

This afternoon I installed a shelf in our hallway closet. That task had been on my "HONEY DO" list for about a year. In the evening we once again went to Penticton to attend PeachFest.

Tonight's motivation was the evening's finale performance on the main stage in Okanagan Lake Beach Park by another iconic 1970's Canadian rock band, The Stampeders. My interest in The Stampeders goes back to 1982 / 83 when I was briefly acquainted with the ex-wife of one of the band members.

DSK