Sunday ; Sunny ... I think ... hard to tell ... and very warm. The wild fire smoke had diminished somewhat overnight, but it was still pretty hazy this morning.
This morning Joanne wanted me to make some of my famous pancakes for brunch. Anything you want, my dear ! Afterwards I took a very small load of recyclables to the municipal dump ; a box full of glass jars, and some aluminum soffit waste. Back at home, we worked on yard cleanup, including moving surplus landscape ties and concrete blocks from two places in our yard to one. I’m trying not to expand the “rez” look one of our next door neighbours has cultivated in his yard. HA HA HA !
This afternoon the wild fire smoke thickened again. As soon as we stepped outdoors we began to cough. We visited for awhile with our neighbour / friend Jeanine. Her cancer surgery has been scheduled about a month from now in Vancouver. We made the mistake of bringing Bo with us when we went to visit Jeanine ( and her dog Charlie ). He ( Bo ) certainly can be a bad dog sometimes.
Joanne prepared kale stuffed Stromboli for supper. < whispering > Have I mentioned how much I dislike kale ? In the evening we watched Bachelor In Paradise. I have taken to calling it Badger In Paradise. HA HA HA ! Those people are some pieces of work ! It's no wonder that they're in their late 20's to mid 30's and still looking for Mr. / Ms. Right.
Monday ; Another day of thick wild fire smoke / haze. Very warm temperature.
Another lazy day. In the morning we washed the minivan. Lots of bug splatter from highway driving. In the afternoon I had a lengthy phone chat with my sister. In the evening we had a very nice dinner of steak, new small potatoes, beets, mushrooms, and stuffed tomatoes, all cooked on the barbecue. We watched "Badger In Paradise"
< snicker >. I downloaded, printed, reconciled, and paid the monthly MasterCard billing.
We lost how many tens of thousands of dollars in the stock market on Friday and today ? ! ?
Tuesday ; Hazy again, warm. Mornings and evenings are becoming chilly.
We did some home, yard, and shed clean up today. The beginnings of "fall
pre-departure" which usually doesn't start until October, but we're leaving very early this year. I always find it challenging to decide what to keep, what to store, what to discard.
I have anxiety about dying and having my "heirs" curse me for being a hoarder. To say nothing of the space constraints that come with the “small and simple” lifestyle we have tried to embrace.
This afternoon I worked on researching, selecting, and buying travel medical insurance for our winter travel away from Canada / in the United States. YIKES ! Joanne has entered into a new “age category“, and her travel medical insurance premium has increased sixty-three percent ! Since I am still sixty years of age, I still fit into the 35 to 60 age category. For the final time !
Wednesday ; Another smoky, warm day. Another lazy day.
We did not do much of anything today. Reading, napping, a long walk with the dog, a play session in the dog park, watching a lot of TV. At supper time, as the smoke descended down into the valley, it once again became hard to breathe. Walking home from the dog park, we were all coughing, including Bo, and we were all having difficulty breathing. Our vehicles are becoming coated in fine ash.
Thursday ; Very warm, sunny with smoke haze. A very lazy day. I read. I napped. We walked around the park. We took Bo to the dog park. I puttered around with fall
pre-departure preparations. I polished shoes. I barbecued Sockeye Salmon for supper. Joanne made dill cream sauce to pour over the salmon. MMMMM !
Friday ; Warm, cloudy, humid.
My plan for today was to go flying. However ... the low clouds prevented that ! So ... Joanne went to Penticton by herself for a day of shopping errands. I stayed home with the dog. If I couldn't go flying, there really was no good reason for me to go to Penticton. I read. I napped. I took the dog for a long walk. I took the dog to the dog park. I repeated as necessary. HA HA HA !
Bad weather is on the way !
Saturday ; Warm. A brief but vicious squall this morning, with extreme wind and heavy rain. Then the sky cleared. Then it became cloudy. Then it cleared. Then it became cloudy again. And so went the day !
Both Joanne and Bo were ill this evening. < shrug > Go figure !
Did nothing productive today. < sigh > I have only one project on my "to do" list, and I'm afraid to start it, with only three weeks left before we depart for the winter. So ... like the last few days, I read, I napped, we walked the dog, we took the dog to the dog park. We visited with our neighbour / friend Jeanine. We watched TV. WOO-HOO ... Fishing With Gussy ! HA HA HA ! Big Northern Pike on Lake Of The Woods in Northwestern Ontario. Reminiscent of my life as a young man.
DSK
Sunday, August 30, 2015
Sunday, August 23, 2015
August 16 to 22. 2015
Sunday ; Sunny and warm.
This morning ( at 11:30 AM ) we headed west on Hwy. 3 to Princeton ... third day in a row ... for the final day of the annual Princeton Traditional Music Festival. Nice weather, great music .. we had a good day. We arrived back home about 7 PM.
Joanne wanted to try a new recipe tonight, poaching salmon in olive oil. I'm better at cooking fish than she is, so ... I did it, following her recipe guidelines. Well ... it was okay ... but ! Not the best salmon meal we've ever had, and ... not worth the amount of olive oil that we used.
While eating supper we watched Bachelor In Paradise, followed by Hamiltons and Stewarts, the "reality" show featuring the ex-wife and children of Rod Stewart and George Hamilton. What a disgusting bunch of people. This was the third episode we've watched and ... I refuse to watch another one !
Monday ; Sunny and very warm. Lots of wildfires nearby causing lots of concern. HUGE fire near Rock Creek, east of Osoyoos. Two fires near Oliver, one north of town, one south of town. We're wondering if the Rock Creek fire will result in cancellation of the Rock Creek Fall Fair in a month ? Seems likely that the B.C. Forest Service wilderness campground near Rock Creek that we stayed at a month or so ago, and that we plan to stay at again in a month, is probably destroyed by fire. Bo will be sad. It was his favourite Rainbow Trout fishing stream. HA HA HA !
Today was a long day of shopping errands in Penticton. Salmon harvest season has begun. Got two lovely, fresh, large Pacific Wild Pink Salmon at Save-On-Foods ( who always has the best salmon prices at this time of year ) for ... < blink blink > ... four bucks a pop !
Tuesday ; Sunny and hot. Only a few more hot days left this summer.
This morning I did some routine vehicle maintenance work then set to work in the truck camper, hoping to be able to re-prime the freshwater pump. With considerable effort
I succeeded, but ... < sigh > ... in the process, I broke the kitchen sink faucet. Attached underneath the faucet , and integral to / part of the faucet were two "flexible" supply hoses. Well ... flexible maybe eighteen years ago when they were new. But not today ... not anymore ! When I attempted to move one of the "flexible" hoses a bit ... CRACK !
< sigh >
We headed into town to have lunch at Samosa Garden, the East Indian buffet restaurant attached to Sanderson Farms fruit and produce stand. We enjoy having lunch there once each summer. Great Butter Chicken ! After lunch we bought some fresh fruit and vegetables at ... well ... Sanderson Farms, of course. Joanne went to Valu-Plus to buy some groceries and I went to Keremeos Building Supplies to buy a new kitchen sink faucet and two new flexible supply hoses for the truck camper. On our way back into Riverside RV Park Resort we went over to visit with our neighbour / friend Jeanine.
I repaired my river sandals, the sandals I wear when fishing because ... that's what they're designed for ... to be worn in water. I filleted the two salmon I bought yesterday. Twelve servings / six meals from eight bucks worth of salmon. Well done, Daniel ! Joanne harvested tomatoes. A lot of tomatoes ! I did some preparatory work on the installation of the new kitchen sink faucet and supply hoses in the camper. We took Bo for a play session in the dog park.
Wednesday ; Sunny and hot. Joanne cooked a Leg of Lamb in the Sun Oven today.
I spent the morning installing the new kitchen sink faucet in the truck camper. Didn't go smoothly, but ... got done ! Discovered two other repair jobs that needed doing. Did them ! Did an obedience session with Bo. Well done, Bo, good dog !
Spent the afternoon installing vinyl soffit underneath the entry landing roof. Almost finished, but ... need to buy one more length of vinyl soffit.
Joanne took our neighbour / friend Jeanine to Penticton today for chemotherapy. They were gone all day, returning home about 5 PM. This morning I went into Keremeos to shop at Keremeos Home Building Centre. This afternoon I completed the entry landing roof replacement project, cutting and installing the final pieces of soffit underneath. And so ends my "planned" summer projects. With four weeks to spare before "fall' departure.
Our lettuce has stopped growing. So today we harvested what we could, and pulled out three of the four rows. Joanne wanted to leave one row for harvest later. We cut all the soffit waste into small enough pieces to fit into a garbage bag. With help from Joanne
I measured, cut, and installed a section of aluminum fascia on the sewage treatment plant behind our house. After three years of seeing a section of fascia missing on the sewage treatment plant ... I couldn't stand it any more !
Tonight for supper we had ( some of ) the Leg of Lamb we cooked in the Sun Oven a couple of days ago. WOW ... that was GOOD !
Saturday ; Sunny and very warm, with forest fire smoke haze.
A bit south of us, in the Omak, Washington area are a series of horrendous wildfires. A couple of days ago three young firefighters lost their lives, four others were injured, one with such severe burns that survival seems unlikely. The winds yesterday were blowing from west to eat, causing the city of Spokane to have such terrible air quality as to be classified "hazardous". Overnight the winds shifted, blowing today from south to north. This morning we had a bit of forest fire smoke haze. It increased throughout the day. By suppertime, we were coughing from the smoky air, and the haze was so thick we could not see the mountain across the river, nor the mountain across the highway. Visibility at ground level was just a few hundred feet !
My planned summer projects are completed. So ... today was a bit "leisurely". I puttered around, not doing much, not accomplishing much. Within a day or two I suppose
I should get started on "fall pre-departure" preparations, since we are leaving in about four weeks.
We received an update tonight from our Kamloops friend Laszlo who is currently in Kelowna Hospital recovering from the removal of half his left lung yesterday due to cancer. All has gone as well as can be. Congratulations, Laszlo ! You're well on your way to beating cancer for the second time !
DSK
This morning ( at 11:30 AM ) we headed west on Hwy. 3 to Princeton ... third day in a row ... for the final day of the annual Princeton Traditional Music Festival. Nice weather, great music .. we had a good day. We arrived back home about 7 PM.
Joanne wanted to try a new recipe tonight, poaching salmon in olive oil. I'm better at cooking fish than she is, so ... I did it, following her recipe guidelines. Well ... it was okay ... but ! Not the best salmon meal we've ever had, and ... not worth the amount of olive oil that we used.
While eating supper we watched Bachelor In Paradise, followed by Hamiltons and Stewarts, the "reality" show featuring the ex-wife and children of Rod Stewart and George Hamilton. What a disgusting bunch of people. This was the third episode we've watched and ... I refuse to watch another one !
Monday ; Sunny and very warm. Lots of wildfires nearby causing lots of concern. HUGE fire near Rock Creek, east of Osoyoos. Two fires near Oliver, one north of town, one south of town. We're wondering if the Rock Creek fire will result in cancellation of the Rock Creek Fall Fair in a month ? Seems likely that the B.C. Forest Service wilderness campground near Rock Creek that we stayed at a month or so ago, and that we plan to stay at again in a month, is probably destroyed by fire. Bo will be sad. It was his favourite Rainbow Trout fishing stream. HA HA HA !
Today was a long day of shopping errands in Penticton. Salmon harvest season has begun. Got two lovely, fresh, large Pacific Wild Pink Salmon at Save-On-Foods ( who always has the best salmon prices at this time of year ) for ... < blink blink > ... four bucks a pop !
Tuesday ; Sunny and hot. Only a few more hot days left this summer.
This morning I did some routine vehicle maintenance work then set to work in the truck camper, hoping to be able to re-prime the freshwater pump. With considerable effort
I succeeded, but ... < sigh > ... in the process, I broke the kitchen sink faucet. Attached underneath the faucet , and integral to / part of the faucet were two "flexible" supply hoses. Well ... flexible maybe eighteen years ago when they were new. But not today ... not anymore ! When I attempted to move one of the "flexible" hoses a bit ... CRACK !
< sigh >
We headed into town to have lunch at Samosa Garden, the East Indian buffet restaurant attached to Sanderson Farms fruit and produce stand. We enjoy having lunch there once each summer. Great Butter Chicken ! After lunch we bought some fresh fruit and vegetables at ... well ... Sanderson Farms, of course. Joanne went to Valu-Plus to buy some groceries and I went to Keremeos Building Supplies to buy a new kitchen sink faucet and two new flexible supply hoses for the truck camper. On our way back into Riverside RV Park Resort we went over to visit with our neighbour / friend Jeanine.
I repaired my river sandals, the sandals I wear when fishing because ... that's what they're designed for ... to be worn in water. I filleted the two salmon I bought yesterday. Twelve servings / six meals from eight bucks worth of salmon. Well done, Daniel ! Joanne harvested tomatoes. A lot of tomatoes ! I did some preparatory work on the installation of the new kitchen sink faucet and supply hoses in the camper. We took Bo for a play session in the dog park.
Wednesday ; Sunny and hot. Joanne cooked a Leg of Lamb in the Sun Oven today.
I spent the morning installing the new kitchen sink faucet in the truck camper. Didn't go smoothly, but ... got done ! Discovered two other repair jobs that needed doing. Did them ! Did an obedience session with Bo. Well done, Bo, good dog !
Spent the afternoon installing vinyl soffit underneath the entry landing roof. Almost finished, but ... need to buy one more length of vinyl soffit.
Thursday ; Sunny and hot. I made maple syrup glazed candied "smoked" salmon in the Sun Oven today.
Joanne took our neighbour / friend Jeanine to Penticton today for chemotherapy. They were gone all day, returning home about 5 PM. This morning I went into Keremeos to shop at Keremeos Home Building Centre. This afternoon I completed the entry landing roof replacement project, cutting and installing the final pieces of soffit underneath. And so ends my "planned" summer projects. With four weeks to spare before "fall' departure.
Friday ; Sunshine ... rain ... sunshine ... rain ... repeat frequently all day.
Our lettuce has stopped growing. So today we harvested what we could, and pulled out three of the four rows. Joanne wanted to leave one row for harvest later. We cut all the soffit waste into small enough pieces to fit into a garbage bag. With help from Joanne
I measured, cut, and installed a section of aluminum fascia on the sewage treatment plant behind our house. After three years of seeing a section of fascia missing on the sewage treatment plant ... I couldn't stand it any more !
Tonight for supper we had ( some of ) the Leg of Lamb we cooked in the Sun Oven a couple of days ago. WOW ... that was GOOD !
Saturday ; Sunny and very warm, with forest fire smoke haze.
A bit south of us, in the Omak, Washington area are a series of horrendous wildfires. A couple of days ago three young firefighters lost their lives, four others were injured, one with such severe burns that survival seems unlikely. The winds yesterday were blowing from west to eat, causing the city of Spokane to have such terrible air quality as to be classified "hazardous". Overnight the winds shifted, blowing today from south to north. This morning we had a bit of forest fire smoke haze. It increased throughout the day. By suppertime, we were coughing from the smoky air, and the haze was so thick we could not see the mountain across the river, nor the mountain across the highway. Visibility at ground level was just a few hundred feet !
My planned summer projects are completed. So ... today was a bit "leisurely". I puttered around, not doing much, not accomplishing much. Within a day or two I suppose
I should get started on "fall pre-departure" preparations, since we are leaving in about four weeks.
We received an update tonight from our Kamloops friend Laszlo who is currently in Kelowna Hospital recovering from the removal of half his left lung yesterday due to cancer. All has gone as well as can be. Congratulations, Laszlo ! You're well on your way to beating cancer for the second time !
DSK
Sunday, August 16, 2015
August 9 to 15, 2015
Sunday ; Sunny nad hot. WHAT ? ? ? "nad" ? ? ? REALLY ? ? ? ! ! ! < sigh >
Joanne cooked ratatouille in the Sun Oven today.
This afternoon I finished the camper rot repair / rebuild project. WOO-HOO ! Well done, Daniel ! I weatherstripped the storage compartment door. I reinstalled the rear corner jack. AND ... I caulked ... and caulked ... and caulked !
Monday ; AAAAARRRRRGGGGGHHHHH ... OW OW OW OW OW ! ! ! I have just removed a "band-aid" from my chest. The nurse who ( dry ) shaved my chest this afternoon at the hospital cut me slightly, and when she put the "band-aid" on after removing all the ECG electrodes, she stretched it over to where my chest was not shaved ... where there was plenty of hair ! OW !
Sunny and very warm. This morning we headed to Penticton and ran errands until
mid-afternoon. Joanne dropped me off at Penticton Hospital and she went to continue shopping. I went to the hospital's cardiology department and met the cardiologist who was going to conduct and assess my cardiology stress test.
As mentioned, the nurse shaved my chest, and made a little cut. OW ! The stress test consisted of walking on a treadmill which increased in speed and incline every few minutes while ten electrodes attached to me displayed ECG data as the "stress" increased. Finally, when I was short of breath, and beginning to suffer chest tightness, and ... you know ... a bit of angina pain, I advised the doctor and nurse that I was at my limit. WHEW !
As I sat and recuperated the doctor and I had a brief discussion, and he wants to see me for a more thorough discussion in his office within the next month or so.
Tuesday ; Mostly sunny, hot, humid. It rained briefly in the afternoon.
I did some preventive maintenance on both the truck and the minivan. I resumed working on the entry landing soffit replacement, now that the metal roofing has been installed and now that I am finished the camper dry rot repair project.. I installed the necessary J-trim pieces on the entry landing. Our neighbour / friend Jeanine came over for a brief visit. Her chemotherapy treatments are taking a toll.
I had a brief phone chat with my sister early this evening. Despite receiving very good news this morning regarding the success of her husband's cancer treatments, she's feeling "down". Unfortunately, my phone VoIP connection dropped the call, and I wasn't able to get another connection.
Wednesday ; Mostly sunny, a bit hazy ( wildfire smoke ? ), hot, humid, a vicious little thunder squall late in the afternoon.
This morning I did a lengthy obedience session with Bo. Excellent work, Bo, good dog ! Joanne harvested tomatoes from our tomato garden, an almost daily occurrence now. And she did laundry. We mounted Elsie the truck camper onto Lanoire the truck in preparation for a weekend trip to the Princeton Traditional Music Festival. We worked on installing soffit underneath our deck roof. That work was interrupted by the little squall that blew through, flinging eight foot lengths of aluminum soffit around, bending it, and threatening to decapitate us.
Joanne invited Jeanine over for a supper of Mexican Lasagna. A good recipe, well done by Joanne. Afterwards we watched Amazing Race Canada.
Thursday ; Sunny, very hot, humid, a bit hazy.
This morning I trimmed my beard and ... gave Joanne a haircut. Did a damn fine job, too ! We went into town to buy some hardware and vinyl soffit material. The local hardware store did not have what I needed. < sigh > Ever since they changed their affiliation from "Irly Bird" to "Home Hardware" a couple of years ago they have gone downhill, both in terms of service and inventory. We were planning to have lunch at Samosa Garden but ... I wasn't feeling completely healthy, so we postponed until next Tuesday.
This afternoon I worked on completing the installation of the aluminum soffit underneath the new metal roof on our deck. But ... I ran out of the correct screws. As I knew
I would. That was one of the items I went to town to buy this morning. In the evening
I did some online research / browsing of travel medical insurance. YIKES ! Joanne is in a new age / cost category.
Friday ; Sunny and hot early in the day, violent thunderstorms late in the day.
This morning we prepared Elsie ( the truck camper ) for departure and took care of some household chores and watering all the planters and gardens. We departed late in the morning, heading west on Hwy. 3 towards Princeton, about an hour away, for the opening ceremonies of the Princeton Traditional Music Festival.
We stopped at Bromley Rock Provincial Park, one of our favourite local spots, for lunch and some beach time on the Similkameen River. While there we discovered that the camper's freshwater pump was not functioning. It ran, but would not draw water out of the freshwater holding tank. The pump had lost its "prime", probably when I recently changed the freshwater holding tank's drain system. These RV water pumps are supposed to be self-priming, but at the age of eighteen years, I suppose this pump has earned the right to lose its self-priming capability when drained dry in hot weather. I am hopeful that I will be able to manually "persuade" some water into the pump to moisten the rubber diaphragm and the pump will resume working. In the meantime ... the camper has no freshwater capability, meaning we can't even flush the toilet !
After lunch I took Bo down to the beach on the Similkameen River and we played "beach doughnut fetch" in the warm, shallow water with his Mexican fishing net float "beach doughnut". HA HA HA ... well done, Bo. Although ... he certainly does not play "beach doughnut fetch" with as much enthusiasm as he did in his much younger days.
I fiddled with the water pump for awhile but was not able to resolve the problem. We left Bromley Rock Provincial Park and continued west on Hwy. 3 to Princeton. I bought some hardware at Fletcher Building Supplies and we bought some groceries at Cooper's Foods before heading to the parking lot where we were planning to boondock for a couple of nights. I fiddled some more with the pump and still couldn't resolve the problem. It seemed unlikely that we could spend the next couple of days in the camper.
Bo and I took a nap while Joanne worked on Sudoku puzzles. By the time I awoke it was raining. The temperature had dropped, the clouds looked menacing, and it seemed unlikely that the Princeton Traditional Music Festival opening ceremonies and street dance would be much fun in cold rain. We decided to return home.
As we drove back home to Riverside RV Park Resort the rain became heavier, with thunder and lightning. By the time we arrived home, the weather was pretty terrible.
I suppose our decision to return home when we did was the right one. We prepared a very nice pizza for supper. Sun Oven dried tomatoes, seasoned ground beef, mushrooms, onions, capers, and anchovies ( on my side only ). With many thanks to Trader Joe's !
Our neighbour / friend Jeanine stopped by on her way back from Kelowna Hospital where she underwent some tests today. Her chemotherapy has worked well, and she will be having surgery in September.
Saturday ; Cloudy and cold early in the day, with occasional light rain. Rain ended by mid-afternoon, and clouds began to clear early in the evening.
At 11 AM we left home, once again heading west on Hwy. 3 to Princeton for the first full day of the annual two day ( not including the Friday night opening ceremonies and street dance ) Princeton Traditional Music Festival. We've been to this very eclectic music festival before and we really enjoy its variety and diversity. Today was exceptional ! The only minor flaw was the terrible CD that I purchased from a blues artist whose live performance was ... AWESOME ! He should be ashamed of himself for "conning" his audience members out of ten bucks for such a crappy compilation of only THREE songs.
We returned home about 7 PM and while Joanne prepared supper I finished installing screws in the soffit underneath the new metal roof of our deck off the living room. Finished ! The entry landing roof awaits !
DSK
Joanne cooked ratatouille in the Sun Oven today.
This afternoon I finished the camper rot repair / rebuild project. WOO-HOO ! Well done, Daniel ! I weatherstripped the storage compartment door. I reinstalled the rear corner jack. AND ... I caulked ... and caulked ... and caulked !
Monday ; AAAAARRRRRGGGGGHHHHH ... OW OW OW OW OW ! ! ! I have just removed a "band-aid" from my chest. The nurse who ( dry ) shaved my chest this afternoon at the hospital cut me slightly, and when she put the "band-aid" on after removing all the ECG electrodes, she stretched it over to where my chest was not shaved ... where there was plenty of hair ! OW !
Sunny and very warm. This morning we headed to Penticton and ran errands until
mid-afternoon. Joanne dropped me off at Penticton Hospital and she went to continue shopping. I went to the hospital's cardiology department and met the cardiologist who was going to conduct and assess my cardiology stress test.
As mentioned, the nurse shaved my chest, and made a little cut. OW ! The stress test consisted of walking on a treadmill which increased in speed and incline every few minutes while ten electrodes attached to me displayed ECG data as the "stress" increased. Finally, when I was short of breath, and beginning to suffer chest tightness, and ... you know ... a bit of angina pain, I advised the doctor and nurse that I was at my limit. WHEW !
As I sat and recuperated the doctor and I had a brief discussion, and he wants to see me for a more thorough discussion in his office within the next month or so.
Tuesday ; Mostly sunny, hot, humid. It rained briefly in the afternoon.
I did some preventive maintenance on both the truck and the minivan. I resumed working on the entry landing soffit replacement, now that the metal roofing has been installed and now that I am finished the camper dry rot repair project.. I installed the necessary J-trim pieces on the entry landing. Our neighbour / friend Jeanine came over for a brief visit. Her chemotherapy treatments are taking a toll.
I had a brief phone chat with my sister early this evening. Despite receiving very good news this morning regarding the success of her husband's cancer treatments, she's feeling "down". Unfortunately, my phone VoIP connection dropped the call, and I wasn't able to get another connection.
Wednesday ; Mostly sunny, a bit hazy ( wildfire smoke ? ), hot, humid, a vicious little thunder squall late in the afternoon.
This morning I did a lengthy obedience session with Bo. Excellent work, Bo, good dog ! Joanne harvested tomatoes from our tomato garden, an almost daily occurrence now. And she did laundry. We mounted Elsie the truck camper onto Lanoire the truck in preparation for a weekend trip to the Princeton Traditional Music Festival. We worked on installing soffit underneath our deck roof. That work was interrupted by the little squall that blew through, flinging eight foot lengths of aluminum soffit around, bending it, and threatening to decapitate us.
Joanne invited Jeanine over for a supper of Mexican Lasagna. A good recipe, well done by Joanne. Afterwards we watched Amazing Race Canada.
Thursday ; Sunny, very hot, humid, a bit hazy.
This morning I trimmed my beard and ... gave Joanne a haircut. Did a damn fine job, too ! We went into town to buy some hardware and vinyl soffit material. The local hardware store did not have what I needed. < sigh > Ever since they changed their affiliation from "Irly Bird" to "Home Hardware" a couple of years ago they have gone downhill, both in terms of service and inventory. We were planning to have lunch at Samosa Garden but ... I wasn't feeling completely healthy, so we postponed until next Tuesday.
This afternoon I worked on completing the installation of the aluminum soffit underneath the new metal roof on our deck. But ... I ran out of the correct screws. As I knew
I would. That was one of the items I went to town to buy this morning. In the evening
I did some online research / browsing of travel medical insurance. YIKES ! Joanne is in a new age / cost category.
Friday ; Sunny and hot early in the day, violent thunderstorms late in the day.
This morning we prepared Elsie ( the truck camper ) for departure and took care of some household chores and watering all the planters and gardens. We departed late in the morning, heading west on Hwy. 3 towards Princeton, about an hour away, for the opening ceremonies of the Princeton Traditional Music Festival.
We stopped at Bromley Rock Provincial Park, one of our favourite local spots, for lunch and some beach time on the Similkameen River. While there we discovered that the camper's freshwater pump was not functioning. It ran, but would not draw water out of the freshwater holding tank. The pump had lost its "prime", probably when I recently changed the freshwater holding tank's drain system. These RV water pumps are supposed to be self-priming, but at the age of eighteen years, I suppose this pump has earned the right to lose its self-priming capability when drained dry in hot weather. I am hopeful that I will be able to manually "persuade" some water into the pump to moisten the rubber diaphragm and the pump will resume working. In the meantime ... the camper has no freshwater capability, meaning we can't even flush the toilet !
After lunch I took Bo down to the beach on the Similkameen River and we played "beach doughnut fetch" in the warm, shallow water with his Mexican fishing net float "beach doughnut". HA HA HA ... well done, Bo. Although ... he certainly does not play "beach doughnut fetch" with as much enthusiasm as he did in his much younger days.
I fiddled with the water pump for awhile but was not able to resolve the problem. We left Bromley Rock Provincial Park and continued west on Hwy. 3 to Princeton. I bought some hardware at Fletcher Building Supplies and we bought some groceries at Cooper's Foods before heading to the parking lot where we were planning to boondock for a couple of nights. I fiddled some more with the pump and still couldn't resolve the problem. It seemed unlikely that we could spend the next couple of days in the camper.
Bo and I took a nap while Joanne worked on Sudoku puzzles. By the time I awoke it was raining. The temperature had dropped, the clouds looked menacing, and it seemed unlikely that the Princeton Traditional Music Festival opening ceremonies and street dance would be much fun in cold rain. We decided to return home.
As we drove back home to Riverside RV Park Resort the rain became heavier, with thunder and lightning. By the time we arrived home, the weather was pretty terrible.
I suppose our decision to return home when we did was the right one. We prepared a very nice pizza for supper. Sun Oven dried tomatoes, seasoned ground beef, mushrooms, onions, capers, and anchovies ( on my side only ). With many thanks to Trader Joe's !
Our neighbour / friend Jeanine stopped by on her way back from Kelowna Hospital where she underwent some tests today. Her chemotherapy has worked well, and she will be having surgery in September.
Saturday ; Cloudy and cold early in the day, with occasional light rain. Rain ended by mid-afternoon, and clouds began to clear early in the evening.
At 11 AM we left home, once again heading west on Hwy. 3 to Princeton for the first full day of the annual two day ( not including the Friday night opening ceremonies and street dance ) Princeton Traditional Music Festival. We've been to this very eclectic music festival before and we really enjoy its variety and diversity. Today was exceptional ! The only minor flaw was the terrible CD that I purchased from a blues artist whose live performance was ... AWESOME ! He should be ashamed of himself for "conning" his audience members out of ten bucks for such a crappy compilation of only THREE songs.
We returned home about 7 PM and while Joanne prepared supper I finished installing screws in the soffit underneath the new metal roof of our deck off the living room. Finished ! The entry landing roof awaits !
DSK
Sunday, August 9, 2015
August 2 to 8, 2015
Sunday ; Sunny and very hot, temperature about 100º
F / 38º
C again. I made maple glazed candied "smoked" salmon in the Sun Oven today.
After lunch we headed into town to refill our five gallon water jug, buy some fresh produce, and attend Kars Under The "K", our local, annual, antique and classic car show. After returning home I spent most of the rest of the afternoon continuing to work on the truck camper rot repair project. Progress is slow but coming along well.
Early in the evening, as it cooled down, we took Bo to the dog park. After supper we watched Batchelor In Paradise. When did the ( age ) late 20's become the new ( age ) 14 ? Late in the evening we gave Bo a bath.
Monday ; Cloudy, hot, humid.
This afternoon our 94 year old friend Eilene came for a visit. On an annual basis, Eilene and her long time travelling buddy Dorothy and Eilene's daughter Alice drive from Oregon to Williams Lake, BC, to visit Dorothy's sister. The group left Williams Lake very early this morning on their way back home to Oregon, and stopped here for a brief rest and visit. These old ladies drive HARD ! Two days from Williams Lake, B.C. to The Dalles, Oregon ( Eilene's home ) to Portland, Oregon ( Dorothy's home ). Joanne prepared grilled mint julep peaches as a snack for the ladies. AND ... the candied "smoked" salmon that I prepared yesterday in the Sun Oven for today's lunch got diverted to become tonight's supper on the road for the ladies. Triscuit crackers with cream cheese and candied salmon. YUM ! Joanne would have put cucumber slices on the crackers as well, except that U.S. Agriculture would have probably not allowed the cucumber across the border, and Joanne didn't want to risk having the ladies' "road supper" confiscated and discarded.
I continued working on the camper rot repair project. Joanne did as well. She's working on cleaning / removing old, dried caulking and sealant from the aluminum skin and mouldings.
Tuesday ; Cloudy, hot, humid.
First thing this morning Joanne headed to town for a doctor's appointment. The visit with the doctor marked the end of her annual cancer screening processes. AND ... hopefully ... it ends her relationship with that jerk of a doctor who retires next month ! She looks forward to a new doctor next spring.
In addition to continuing to work on the camper rot repair project, today I also worked on two other projects, both best tackled while I have the rear lower skirt of the camper torn apart. First I worked on the removal, repositioning, and replacement of the freshwater tank drain hose and valve. Then I worked on finding and resolving the source of a small leak somewhere in the plumbing underneath the bathroom. The freshwater tank drain valve project will require the purchase of some hardware. And while I identified the location and cause of the leak ... a cracked drain pipe ... it's so inaccessible and complex a problem that it will have to be deferred until January in Yuma. It will be a big job to fix a small problem ! ! !
Wednesday ; Cloudy, chilly, raining in the evening. Had to wear long pants, socks, and shoes for the first time in a couple of months.
After I made pancakes for brunch we headed to Penticton. We ran a few errands before our early afternoon annual meeting with our financial advisor. After our meeting we ran more errands until it was time to head to Okanagan Lake Park at 5 PM for PeachFest's opening.
We found a good parking spot nearby ... right place, right time, car backing out of a parking spot ... and in Okanagan Lake Park we set up our folding chairs in a good spot to see the late evening concert. We wandered around looking at all the food and merchandise vendors. We bumped into and chatted with a previous trailer towing client. We watched the Lumberjack Show, a crew of young lumberjacks demonstrating their axe throwing, wood cutting, tree climbing, log rolling skills. Darn good things they have those skills ... 'cause they sure as hell wouldn't make it as stand up comedians !
At 6 PM everybody turned their attention to the Okanagan Lake waterfront, anticipating the half hour opening show performed by the Canadian Forces precision flight demonstration team The Snowbirds. My heroes ! ! ! HA HA HA ! The last time we attended the PeachFest opening with a performance by the Snowbirds a few years ago, their show was cancelled due to rain. And tonight was almost the same ! The clouds were low, and there was light drizzle falling. Everybody expected that the show would be cancelled. But at about 6:15 PM ... TA-DA ... THE SNOWBIRDS ! ! !
They put on a half hour show of precision formation and aerobatics flight. MAN ... they ****in' move me ! ! ! HA HA HA !
As their show ended at almost 7 PM, the rain began falling heavier. We decided ...as did much of the crowd ... that it was too cold and too wet to watch local entertainers on the main stage until the headliners ... Canadian rock group from the 80's Barney Bentall & The Legendary Hearts ... came on at 9:15 PM. We left ... as did almost everybody else. Which created a pretty bad traffic jam in downtown Penticton ! Eventually we made it to China Palace, a buffet restaurant where we had supper. Wasn't great ! By then I was tired and ready to head home. Joanne insisted that we shop for groceries at Superstore first. She won that argument. Regrettably ! By the time we arrived home it was after 10 PM, and we were both very tired.
I hate driving in the dark in the rain !
Thursday ; Mostly sunny, cool in the morning, very warm in the afternoon.
Joanne took our neighbour / friend Jeanine to Penticton Hospital today for tests and chemotherapy. They were gone all day.
I replaced the truck camper's freshwater tank drain system this afternoon, using new hoses, new fittings, and relocating it. So ... now it actually functions ! As opposed to the original drain system installation by the factory some eighteen years ago, which has not been functional since we purchased the camper a year and a half ago !
I also continued working on the lower rear skirt rot repair / rebuild project. And today
I competed the "rebuild". So ... the real hard work is done. And all the questions are ( hopefully ) answered. And all the problems are ( hopefully ) solved. Now all that remains is reassembly. Although ... that's not as simple as you might think !
Friday ; Sunny and hot. I made candied, "smoked" salmon in the Sun Oven today. Then Joanne baked an apricot cake in the Sun Oven.
At 9 AM this morning the contractor that I hired to replace the metal roofing on our entry landing and on our deck arrived with the metal roofing panels, ready to start work. Two men, one young, two and a half hours, and the job was done ! It's disheartening to watch an agile young man scramble around on and off ladders, on and off the roofs, in and out of tight squeezes between lumber stringers, and realize ... yes, yes, I'm too old to do that < heavy sigh >. Which is why my dear little wifey nagged me to hire somebody to do the "up top" part of the job < another heavy sigh >. I'll do the "underneath" part of the job, installing new soffit panels. After the truck camper dry rot repair / rebuild project is finished.
Today I feel old !
After the contractor finished I drove into town to refill the barbecue propane tank, get some coinage and small bills at the bank ( for tomorrow's community yard sale ), and pick up a prescription at PharmaSave. While at PharmaSave I bought some stye medication for Joanne, who woke up this morning with a swollen, inflamed eyelid. When I got home ... < sigh > ... Joanne did not want the stye medication. Partially because it seemed to be old stock, with an expiry date soon. < sigh > I'll have to return it for a refund.
I continued working on the truck camper dry rot repair / rebuild project. I can see the light at the end of the tunnel ! It's looking great ! And more importantly, it's better than new ! Where the Lance factory used 1" x 2" strapping lumber and chip board ( known here in B.C. as "beaver puke" ), I used solid wood and metal plate. And I waterproofed the wood ! It might rot again. But not during my lifetime !
Saturday ; Partially sunny, hot, humid, light rain in the evening.
We were both up earlier than usual today to participate in Riverside RV Park Resort's annual community yard sale. First time for us ! We drove down to the front entrance area where participants were setting up their items for sale near our community mail boxes. I unloaded our items for sale from the minivan and left Joanne there to sell them, from 8 AM until noon.
The community yard sale was a dismal failure, for all concerned. The highway between us and town was closed all morning due to a fire between us and town. So ... no traffic could get through from town to us ! ! ! Four hours of sitting out in the hot sun, with no customers. Result ; tired, crabby wife !
I did a teensy bit of fussing and fiddling with the metal roofing installed yesterday.
I continued working on the camper rot repair project. I am very near to completing that project ! We drove into town late in the afternoon to refill our water jug, buy silicone caulking, return an item to PharmaSave, and buy fresh produce at Sanderson Farm. The local fire department was still working on the fire. It was on the Alexis Reservation. A couple of acres of scruffy brush had burned, some trees along the river front were still smouldering, under the supervision of the firefighters a local contractor was knocking them down with a bulldozer, a few decrepit old buildings had burned, a yard full of hulks of vehicles had burned. It was a mess, but then again ... that place had been a mess before it caught fire and burned ! ! ! Not exactly a "Better Homes & Gardens" kind of place. HA HA HA !
DSK
After lunch we headed into town to refill our five gallon water jug, buy some fresh produce, and attend Kars Under The "K", our local, annual, antique and classic car show. After returning home I spent most of the rest of the afternoon continuing to work on the truck camper rot repair project. Progress is slow but coming along well.
Monday ; Cloudy, hot, humid.
This afternoon our 94 year old friend Eilene came for a visit. On an annual basis, Eilene and her long time travelling buddy Dorothy and Eilene's daughter Alice drive from Oregon to Williams Lake, BC, to visit Dorothy's sister. The group left Williams Lake very early this morning on their way back home to Oregon, and stopped here for a brief rest and visit. These old ladies drive HARD ! Two days from Williams Lake, B.C. to The Dalles, Oregon ( Eilene's home ) to Portland, Oregon ( Dorothy's home ). Joanne prepared grilled mint julep peaches as a snack for the ladies. AND ... the candied "smoked" salmon that I prepared yesterday in the Sun Oven for today's lunch got diverted to become tonight's supper on the road for the ladies. Triscuit crackers with cream cheese and candied salmon. YUM ! Joanne would have put cucumber slices on the crackers as well, except that U.S. Agriculture would have probably not allowed the cucumber across the border, and Joanne didn't want to risk having the ladies' "road supper" confiscated and discarded.
I continued working on the camper rot repair project. Joanne did as well. She's working on cleaning / removing old, dried caulking and sealant from the aluminum skin and mouldings.
Tuesday ; Cloudy, hot, humid.
First thing this morning Joanne headed to town for a doctor's appointment. The visit with the doctor marked the end of her annual cancer screening processes. AND ... hopefully ... it ends her relationship with that jerk of a doctor who retires next month ! She looks forward to a new doctor next spring.
In addition to continuing to work on the camper rot repair project, today I also worked on two other projects, both best tackled while I have the rear lower skirt of the camper torn apart. First I worked on the removal, repositioning, and replacement of the freshwater tank drain hose and valve. Then I worked on finding and resolving the source of a small leak somewhere in the plumbing underneath the bathroom. The freshwater tank drain valve project will require the purchase of some hardware. And while I identified the location and cause of the leak ... a cracked drain pipe ... it's so inaccessible and complex a problem that it will have to be deferred until January in Yuma. It will be a big job to fix a small problem ! ! !
Wednesday ; Cloudy, chilly, raining in the evening. Had to wear long pants, socks, and shoes for the first time in a couple of months.
After I made pancakes for brunch we headed to Penticton. We ran a few errands before our early afternoon annual meeting with our financial advisor. After our meeting we ran more errands until it was time to head to Okanagan Lake Park at 5 PM for PeachFest's opening.
We found a good parking spot nearby ... right place, right time, car backing out of a parking spot ... and in Okanagan Lake Park we set up our folding chairs in a good spot to see the late evening concert. We wandered around looking at all the food and merchandise vendors. We bumped into and chatted with a previous trailer towing client. We watched the Lumberjack Show, a crew of young lumberjacks demonstrating their axe throwing, wood cutting, tree climbing, log rolling skills. Darn good things they have those skills ... 'cause they sure as hell wouldn't make it as stand up comedians !
At 6 PM everybody turned their attention to the Okanagan Lake waterfront, anticipating the half hour opening show performed by the Canadian Forces precision flight demonstration team The Snowbirds. My heroes ! ! ! HA HA HA ! The last time we attended the PeachFest opening with a performance by the Snowbirds a few years ago, their show was cancelled due to rain. And tonight was almost the same ! The clouds were low, and there was light drizzle falling. Everybody expected that the show would be cancelled. But at about 6:15 PM ... TA-DA ... THE SNOWBIRDS ! ! !
They put on a half hour show of precision formation and aerobatics flight. MAN ... they ****in' move me ! ! ! HA HA HA !
As their show ended at almost 7 PM, the rain began falling heavier. We decided ...as did much of the crowd ... that it was too cold and too wet to watch local entertainers on the main stage until the headliners ... Canadian rock group from the 80's Barney Bentall & The Legendary Hearts ... came on at 9:15 PM. We left ... as did almost everybody else. Which created a pretty bad traffic jam in downtown Penticton ! Eventually we made it to China Palace, a buffet restaurant where we had supper. Wasn't great ! By then I was tired and ready to head home. Joanne insisted that we shop for groceries at Superstore first. She won that argument. Regrettably ! By the time we arrived home it was after 10 PM, and we were both very tired.
I hate driving in the dark in the rain !
Thursday ; Mostly sunny, cool in the morning, very warm in the afternoon.
Joanne took our neighbour / friend Jeanine to Penticton Hospital today for tests and chemotherapy. They were gone all day.
I replaced the truck camper's freshwater tank drain system this afternoon, using new hoses, new fittings, and relocating it. So ... now it actually functions ! As opposed to the original drain system installation by the factory some eighteen years ago, which has not been functional since we purchased the camper a year and a half ago !
I also continued working on the lower rear skirt rot repair / rebuild project. And today
I competed the "rebuild". So ... the real hard work is done. And all the questions are ( hopefully ) answered. And all the problems are ( hopefully ) solved. Now all that remains is reassembly. Although ... that's not as simple as you might think !
At 9 AM this morning the contractor that I hired to replace the metal roofing on our entry landing and on our deck arrived with the metal roofing panels, ready to start work. Two men, one young, two and a half hours, and the job was done ! It's disheartening to watch an agile young man scramble around on and off ladders, on and off the roofs, in and out of tight squeezes between lumber stringers, and realize ... yes, yes, I'm too old to do that < heavy sigh >. Which is why my dear little wifey nagged me to hire somebody to do the "up top" part of the job < another heavy sigh >. I'll do the "underneath" part of the job, installing new soffit panels. After the truck camper dry rot repair / rebuild project is finished.
Today I feel old !
After the contractor finished I drove into town to refill the barbecue propane tank, get some coinage and small bills at the bank ( for tomorrow's community yard sale ), and pick up a prescription at PharmaSave. While at PharmaSave I bought some stye medication for Joanne, who woke up this morning with a swollen, inflamed eyelid. When I got home ... < sigh > ... Joanne did not want the stye medication. Partially because it seemed to be old stock, with an expiry date soon. < sigh > I'll have to return it for a refund.
I continued working on the truck camper dry rot repair / rebuild project. I can see the light at the end of the tunnel ! It's looking great ! And more importantly, it's better than new ! Where the Lance factory used 1" x 2" strapping lumber and chip board ( known here in B.C. as "beaver puke" ), I used solid wood and metal plate. And I waterproofed the wood ! It might rot again. But not during my lifetime !
We were both up earlier than usual today to participate in Riverside RV Park Resort's annual community yard sale. First time for us ! We drove down to the front entrance area where participants were setting up their items for sale near our community mail boxes. I unloaded our items for sale from the minivan and left Joanne there to sell them, from 8 AM until noon.
The community yard sale was a dismal failure, for all concerned. The highway between us and town was closed all morning due to a fire between us and town. So ... no traffic could get through from town to us ! ! ! Four hours of sitting out in the hot sun, with no customers. Result ; tired, crabby wife !
I did a teensy bit of fussing and fiddling with the metal roofing installed yesterday.
I continued working on the camper rot repair project. I am very near to completing that project ! We drove into town late in the afternoon to refill our water jug, buy silicone caulking, return an item to PharmaSave, and buy fresh produce at Sanderson Farm. The local fire department was still working on the fire. It was on the Alexis Reservation. A couple of acres of scruffy brush had burned, some trees along the river front were still smouldering, under the supervision of the firefighters a local contractor was knocking them down with a bulldozer, a few decrepit old buildings had burned, a yard full of hulks of vehicles had burned. It was a mess, but then again ... that place had been a mess before it caught fire and burned ! ! ! Not exactly a "Better Homes & Gardens" kind of place. HA HA HA !
DSK
Sunday, August 2, 2015
July 26 to August 1, 2015
Sunday ; Mostly cloudy, some rain in the afternoon, mild temperature.
Today I completed my part of the roofing replacement project as far as I can take it. Now I have to wait for the contractor who is going to install metal roofing on our entry landing and our deck. Then I will resume working on the replacement of the soffit underneath. Today I finished measuring, cutting, and installing fascia trim and drip edge moulding on the entry landing. Pretty good results considering it's the first time I've done this type of work. Sometimes OCD isn't so bad. HA HA HA !
Monday ; Some sun, some cloud, sometimes cool, sometimes hot, sometimes windy.
This morning we went into town to run errands. Bought some produce at Sanderson Farms. Bought some fuel for the minivan at FasGas. Refilled our five gallon water jug. Bought some groceries. Paid our annual house insurance policy at the local insurance agency.
This afternoon while polishing my shoes I discovered that my three month old U.S.$200 SAS sandals are falling apart ! ! ! I'm NOT impressed ! ! ! I hope they can be repaired.
Barbecued Sockeye Salmon for supper. MMMMM ! ! ! Watched the series finale of The Bachelorette ! What a bimbo ! ! !
Tuesday ; Sunny, hot, humid.
This morning Joanne took Jeanine to Penticton Hospital for her weekly chemotherapy treatment. While Jeanine endured the process, Joanne ran some errands. Yesterday, during morning water aerobics in the pool, one of Joanne's water aerobics buddies was complaining of back pain and nausea. Well ... DUH ... it's because she was having a heart attack ! ! ! After Jeanine's chemotherapy treatment was finished, Joanne and Jeanine went to the ICU to visit Doreen.
Today I changed a valve extender on the truck ... again ! I've been having a problem with two of the truck's rear tires slowly losing air. I seem to have solved the problem on one of the tires, and now I'm trying to solve it on the second tire. It's almost always a dually valve extender that causes a slow leak problem.
After Joanne returned home from Penticton late in the afternoon I started the camper rot repair project, my biggest project of this summer. Last year I rebuilt the lower rear skirt of the camper on the passenger side, and this year I am going to do the same on the driver's side. The passenger side rot was much worse than the driver's side, so the passenger side got done first. Today I disassembled, removing the jack on that corner, and mouldings, and a storage compartment access door, and aluminum skin. The final step of disassembly will be to remove a large carriage bolt that seems inaccessible.
< sigh > Tomorrow's problem !
We took Bo for a walk, and to the dog park to play. On the way back home I found a dead, very tiny snake on the roadway. Maybe a baby Rattlesnake, probably a Gopher / Bull Snake. Hard to tell when they're only a few inches long. I picked it up and discarded it. Poor baby ... didn't develop "street smarts" quickly enough !
After a nice dinner of barbecued Dan-O-Cheddar-Dogs we watched America's Got Talent and I did flight planning for a flight to Kamloops on Thursday.
Wednesday ; Sunny and hot. I made sun dried tomatoes in the Sun Oven today.
I did an obedience session with Bo, then we trimmed his nails. Good dog, Bo. Joanne watered all our plants and gardens then asked for my help with some gardening ; harvesting and planting. I wasn't much help ! Kind of like Bo when he has difficulty maintaining focus. HA HA HA ! I did some home maintenance chores then spent the latter part of the afternoon working on the truck camper dry rot repair / rebuild project. I've got the rear lower skirt panel of the camper all torn apart now, and I'm trying to figure out exactly what needs to be done and how. While I worked on that Joanne worked on cleaning old caulking and sealant putty off components that I have disassembled / removed from the truck camper.
I ended my afternoon by taking Bo to the dog park for a play session. Well ... not much play, actually ... he sniffed around a lot while I rested. While Joanne prepared supper
I prepared and filed two flight plans for tomorrow's flights to Kamloops and return. In the evening we watched MasterChef and Amazing Race Canada.
Thursday ; Sunny and hot. Very hot in Cessna 172 C-GHBM !
This morning we left home at 10 AM headed for Penticton, and a DanAir flight to Kamloops. When we arrived at BP Aviation, there was ... HUH ? Crowds of people ... nowhere to park ... WHAT ? And on the airfield side of the fence, where Cessna 172 C-GHBM would normally be PARKED, was ... WHAT THE **** ? ! ? A monstrously huge, World War II B-17 "Flying Fortress" Bomber. HUH ? ? ? ! ! !
The shiny huge "WarBird" was on display ... five bucks a pop to take a look ... and was giving twenty minute flights ... for $400 to $800 a pop, depending on where in the aircraft one wanted to be seated. < blink blink > Eight hundred bucks a pop ? In U.S. funds ? ? ? The plane was from a commemorative air museum in Arizona, and was here as a fund raiser for the Penticton Flying Club. And there seemed to be no shortage of people willing to pony up U.S.$400 to U.S.$800 for a twenty minutes ride. HMPH ... go figure !
I got Hotel Bravo Mike ready to fly, we taxied over to the fuel pumps, filled the wing tanks full, and took off for Kamloops around 12:30 PM. Fifty-four minutes to fly there ... fifty-two minutes to fly back in the evening. Penticton to Kamloops by road would be about four to five hours of driving. It was an absolutely gorgeous day to fly ! When we landed at Kamloops our friends Laszlo and Gayle were waiting for us. They took us to Swiss Chalet for a wonderful, late lunch, and an afternoon of chatting. They drove us to see the lovely rural property where they are spending the summer as "workcamping" grounds keepers, for want of a better definition. And to see Laszlo's "posse", the three resident Pygmy Goats that follow him around. HA HA HA ... very cute. We said "hello" to their pit bull DeeOGee whom we haven't seen since they left Kofa Ko-op in Yuma, Arizona near the end of March, shortly before we left early in April.
Laszlo and Gayle took us back to the Kamloops airport around 5 PM or so. We departed Kamloops around 6 PM and were back in Penticton around 7 PM, home about 8:30 PM.
From my perspective, it was a GREAT day ! However ... I would have to agree with Joanne's complaint that the airplane was stifling hot.
OH ... and I almost forgot ! Small world story ! When we landed at Kamloops airport, parked two airplanes over was ... < sputter > ... Cessna 172 C-GCVO, purchased brand new in the spring of 1998 by the Ottawa Flying Club while I was a member there. I was one of the first pilots to fly Charlie Victor Oscar, and one of the first pilots to fly it on a long cross-country flight when I flew it that summer from Ottawa to Winnipeg and back. I walked over to chat with the very young pilot who was preparing to fly it. Yes, yes ... it's still owned by the Ottawa Flying Club. The pilot had landed in Kamloops to have lunch and refuel the airplane on his way to Vancouver.
Friday ; Happy 54th Birthday to my brother, Russell
Sunny and very hot, temperature 100º F, 38º C. I made more sun dried tomatoes in the Sun Oven.
This morning I drove into town to order a prescription refill at PharmaSave and to buy lumber and hardware at Keremeos Home Building Centre for the truck camper dry rot repair project. Bo came along for a drivey, although ... < snicker > ... he doesn't much like drivey in the minivan. The minivan doesn't have a front seat centre console for him to be on like our truck does ... < rolling eyes >. What a spoiled dog !
This afternoon we both worked on the truck camper dry rot repair project. I carefully measured and cut out all the dry rot. Joanne worked on cleaning dried caulking and sealant off the aluminum outer skin panel that I removed. By the time we stopped working late in the afternoon, we were both feeling a bit ill from too much sun and too much heat.
We went to the annual summer street party tonight in the nearby village of Hedley, but we didn't stay long. We squabbled while getting ready to go, and while driving there, and I was in a pretty bad mood by the time we got there. The conditions for a small town street party were perfect. Sunny and hot ! Blues band performing ! But ... I wasn't enjoying myself. We returned home to watch Doc Martin on PBS and barbecue a thick, juicy steak for supper. After supper we watched Best In Show, a hilarious satire movie with the wonderful comedy duo of Eugene Levy and Catherine O'Hara.
Saturday ; Sunny and very hot again. Joanne cooked a chicken and wild rice dish in the Sun Oven. It was great !
Today was filled with either vicious squabbling or avoiding one another as we each tried to shake it off. And we were not able to get on the same ( reconciliation ) page at the same time.
Again I spent the too hot afternoon working on the truck camper rot repair project. I can only work for a few hours in this heat, and I take a lot of rest breaks, so ... my progress is slow. And ... throw in a lot of vicious squabbling and my progress is even slower ! ! ! BUT ... I think I have most of the rot repair questions answered, and ... "I'm working on it" !
DSK
Today I completed my part of the roofing replacement project as far as I can take it. Now I have to wait for the contractor who is going to install metal roofing on our entry landing and our deck. Then I will resume working on the replacement of the soffit underneath. Today I finished measuring, cutting, and installing fascia trim and drip edge moulding on the entry landing. Pretty good results considering it's the first time I've done this type of work. Sometimes OCD isn't so bad. HA HA HA !
Monday ; Some sun, some cloud, sometimes cool, sometimes hot, sometimes windy.
This morning we went into town to run errands. Bought some produce at Sanderson Farms. Bought some fuel for the minivan at FasGas. Refilled our five gallon water jug. Bought some groceries. Paid our annual house insurance policy at the local insurance agency.
This afternoon while polishing my shoes I discovered that my three month old U.S.$200 SAS sandals are falling apart ! ! ! I'm NOT impressed ! ! ! I hope they can be repaired.
Barbecued Sockeye Salmon for supper. MMMMM ! ! ! Watched the series finale of The Bachelorette ! What a bimbo ! ! !
Tuesday ; Sunny, hot, humid.
This morning Joanne took Jeanine to Penticton Hospital for her weekly chemotherapy treatment. While Jeanine endured the process, Joanne ran some errands. Yesterday, during morning water aerobics in the pool, one of Joanne's water aerobics buddies was complaining of back pain and nausea. Well ... DUH ... it's because she was having a heart attack ! ! ! After Jeanine's chemotherapy treatment was finished, Joanne and Jeanine went to the ICU to visit Doreen.
Today I changed a valve extender on the truck ... again ! I've been having a problem with two of the truck's rear tires slowly losing air. I seem to have solved the problem on one of the tires, and now I'm trying to solve it on the second tire. It's almost always a dually valve extender that causes a slow leak problem.
After Joanne returned home from Penticton late in the afternoon I started the camper rot repair project, my biggest project of this summer. Last year I rebuilt the lower rear skirt of the camper on the passenger side, and this year I am going to do the same on the driver's side. The passenger side rot was much worse than the driver's side, so the passenger side got done first. Today I disassembled, removing the jack on that corner, and mouldings, and a storage compartment access door, and aluminum skin. The final step of disassembly will be to remove a large carriage bolt that seems inaccessible.
< sigh > Tomorrow's problem !
We took Bo for a walk, and to the dog park to play. On the way back home I found a dead, very tiny snake on the roadway. Maybe a baby Rattlesnake, probably a Gopher / Bull Snake. Hard to tell when they're only a few inches long. I picked it up and discarded it. Poor baby ... didn't develop "street smarts" quickly enough !
After a nice dinner of barbecued Dan-O-Cheddar-Dogs we watched America's Got Talent and I did flight planning for a flight to Kamloops on Thursday.
Wednesday ; Sunny and hot. I made sun dried tomatoes in the Sun Oven today.
I did an obedience session with Bo, then we trimmed his nails. Good dog, Bo. Joanne watered all our plants and gardens then asked for my help with some gardening ; harvesting and planting. I wasn't much help ! Kind of like Bo when he has difficulty maintaining focus. HA HA HA ! I did some home maintenance chores then spent the latter part of the afternoon working on the truck camper dry rot repair / rebuild project. I've got the rear lower skirt panel of the camper all torn apart now, and I'm trying to figure out exactly what needs to be done and how. While I worked on that Joanne worked on cleaning old caulking and sealant putty off components that I have disassembled / removed from the truck camper.
I ended my afternoon by taking Bo to the dog park for a play session. Well ... not much play, actually ... he sniffed around a lot while I rested. While Joanne prepared supper
I prepared and filed two flight plans for tomorrow's flights to Kamloops and return. In the evening we watched MasterChef and Amazing Race Canada.
Thursday ; Sunny and hot. Very hot in Cessna 172 C-GHBM !
This morning we left home at 10 AM headed for Penticton, and a DanAir flight to Kamloops. When we arrived at BP Aviation, there was ... HUH ? Crowds of people ... nowhere to park ... WHAT ? And on the airfield side of the fence, where Cessna 172 C-GHBM would normally be PARKED, was ... WHAT THE **** ? ! ? A monstrously huge, World War II B-17 "Flying Fortress" Bomber. HUH ? ? ? ! ! !
The shiny huge "WarBird" was on display ... five bucks a pop to take a look ... and was giving twenty minute flights ... for $400 to $800 a pop, depending on where in the aircraft one wanted to be seated. < blink blink > Eight hundred bucks a pop ? In U.S. funds ? ? ? The plane was from a commemorative air museum in Arizona, and was here as a fund raiser for the Penticton Flying Club. And there seemed to be no shortage of people willing to pony up U.S.$400 to U.S.$800 for a twenty minutes ride. HMPH ... go figure !
I got Hotel Bravo Mike ready to fly, we taxied over to the fuel pumps, filled the wing tanks full, and took off for Kamloops around 12:30 PM. Fifty-four minutes to fly there ... fifty-two minutes to fly back in the evening. Penticton to Kamloops by road would be about four to five hours of driving. It was an absolutely gorgeous day to fly ! When we landed at Kamloops our friends Laszlo and Gayle were waiting for us. They took us to Swiss Chalet for a wonderful, late lunch, and an afternoon of chatting. They drove us to see the lovely rural property where they are spending the summer as "workcamping" grounds keepers, for want of a better definition. And to see Laszlo's "posse", the three resident Pygmy Goats that follow him around. HA HA HA ... very cute. We said "hello" to their pit bull DeeOGee whom we haven't seen since they left Kofa Ko-op in Yuma, Arizona near the end of March, shortly before we left early in April.
Laszlo and Gayle took us back to the Kamloops airport around 5 PM or so. We departed Kamloops around 6 PM and were back in Penticton around 7 PM, home about 8:30 PM.
From my perspective, it was a GREAT day ! However ... I would have to agree with Joanne's complaint that the airplane was stifling hot.
OH ... and I almost forgot ! Small world story ! When we landed at Kamloops airport, parked two airplanes over was ... < sputter > ... Cessna 172 C-GCVO, purchased brand new in the spring of 1998 by the Ottawa Flying Club while I was a member there. I was one of the first pilots to fly Charlie Victor Oscar, and one of the first pilots to fly it on a long cross-country flight when I flew it that summer from Ottawa to Winnipeg and back. I walked over to chat with the very young pilot who was preparing to fly it. Yes, yes ... it's still owned by the Ottawa Flying Club. The pilot had landed in Kamloops to have lunch and refuel the airplane on his way to Vancouver.
Friday ; Happy 54th Birthday to my brother, Russell
Sunny and very hot, temperature 100º F, 38º C. I made more sun dried tomatoes in the Sun Oven.
This morning I drove into town to order a prescription refill at PharmaSave and to buy lumber and hardware at Keremeos Home Building Centre for the truck camper dry rot repair project. Bo came along for a drivey, although ... < snicker > ... he doesn't much like drivey in the minivan. The minivan doesn't have a front seat centre console for him to be on like our truck does ... < rolling eyes >. What a spoiled dog !
This afternoon we both worked on the truck camper dry rot repair project. I carefully measured and cut out all the dry rot. Joanne worked on cleaning dried caulking and sealant off the aluminum outer skin panel that I removed. By the time we stopped working late in the afternoon, we were both feeling a bit ill from too much sun and too much heat.
We went to the annual summer street party tonight in the nearby village of Hedley, but we didn't stay long. We squabbled while getting ready to go, and while driving there, and I was in a pretty bad mood by the time we got there. The conditions for a small town street party were perfect. Sunny and hot ! Blues band performing ! But ... I wasn't enjoying myself. We returned home to watch Doc Martin on PBS and barbecue a thick, juicy steak for supper. After supper we watched Best In Show, a hilarious satire movie with the wonderful comedy duo of Eugene Levy and Catherine O'Hara.
Saturday ; Sunny and very hot again. Joanne cooked a chicken and wild rice dish in the Sun Oven. It was great !
Today was filled with either vicious squabbling or avoiding one another as we each tried to shake it off. And we were not able to get on the same ( reconciliation ) page at the same time.
Again I spent the too hot afternoon working on the truck camper rot repair project. I can only work for a few hours in this heat, and I take a lot of rest breaks, so ... my progress is slow. And ... throw in a lot of vicious squabbling and my progress is even slower ! ! ! BUT ... I think I have most of the rot repair questions answered, and ... "I'm working on it" !
DSK
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