Sunday ; Penticton
Sunny and hot.
We left home at 1 PM heading for Penticton. We had tickets to attend the 2 PM performance of Many Hats Theatre's production of the play "Self Help". It was a funny play, well done. After the play ended around 4 PM we drove to the Portuguese
Multi-Cultural Centre for their weekly 5 PM Portuguese Sunday dinner. We were there by 4:15 PM so we parked then walked a couple of blocks to the beach on Okanagan Lake and sat for awhile. The air was filled with so much smoke from the wildfire at nearby Peachland that my eyes were stinging.
Portuguese dinner was quite good, a spicy chicken and potato dish. The woman in charge was welcoming and hospitable, seating us and visiting with us repeatedly throughout the evening. We ate dinner and chatted with her, an old man, and a woman who was the cook of tonight's dinner. We left there around 7 PM because we needed to get home and take care of Ozzie's "needs".
Monday ; Mix of sun and clouds, hot.
At 10:30 AM we headed for Keremeos. I had an appointment at 10:50 AM at the medical laboratory in the South Similkameen Health Centre / Keremeos Clinic to have blood drawn for tests ordered by my new family doctor. While I was at the clinic Joanne went produce shopping. After finishing at the clinic I went to the pharmacy to pick up some prescriptions, then to FasGas to have a propane tank refilled.
This afternoon we did some yard and gardening work. I watered our composter.
I picked peas from our garden. What a poor production of peas this year. All pods held only four peas. I harvested tomatoes. As always, my cherry tomato plants are producing far more than the regular tomato plants. And ... the "golden" cherry tomato plant I bought at the nursery is inexplicably producing "golden" regular sized tomatoes. HUH ? The nursery must have screwed up their tomato plant labelling. We picked two pails of Transparent Apples from our RV park's orchard. Joanne likes to make apple sauce with the early ripening Transparent Apples. Late in the afternoon we went to the swimming pool to do cardiac exercises.
Tuesday ; Penticton
Sunny and hot, outdoor temperature in the shade when we returned home at 5 PM was 92º F / 33.5º C.
This morning we left home around 11 AM heading for a day of errands in Penticton. First stop was Value Village where I bought three pairs of swimming trunks for myself, Joanne bought herself a blouse, and I bought a barbecue spatula / turner. Tuesday is seniors' discount day at Value Village ! Next was lunch at Subway. BUT ... before having lunch at Subway we went to have lunch at Tim Horton's. The staff were so inept ... two of them ... at taking our rather simple lunch order, that in frustration
I walked away and we went to Subway instead. Still hard to get good help, je suppose !
I refilled the minivan with fuel, we shopped at Wal-Mart and Superstore, and were back at home around 5 PM. I napped, barbecued supper, and we watched Amazing Race Canada.
Wednesday ; Sunny and very hot, hazy with wildfire smoke late in the afternoon. Joanne cooked my favourite Sun Oven meal today, a Mexican chicken and rice dish. As the smoke haze increased throughout the afternoon, the Sun Oven temperature slowly declined.
I reinstalled a refilled propane tank in the camper. The camper is ready for our next adventure ! I did a very minor repair in the minivan. I removed an access hatch to underneath our home and measured for a plumbing fitting I require for a modification project.
Late in the afternoon we attended a "farewell" in the clubhouse for a long term resident of the park who is leaving at the end of the month. Then we had a long chat with some neighbours, standing on the road near their home. That long chat with neighbours gobbled up our pool exercise time. TSK TSK !
After supper I reconciled our monthly MasterCard statement. WOW ... < blink blink > ... some months are certainly more expensive than others, aren't they ? ! ?
Thursday ; Sunny and hot. Some wildfire smoke haze. Joanne baked an apple cake in the Sun Oven today.
Before using the Sun Oven today we partially dismantled it and cleaned it thoroughly.
I also did some cleaning in the shed today. Late in the afternoon we went to the swimming pool and did an exercise session.
Friday ; Sunny and hot, temperature 91.5º F / 33º C at 5 PM. I made sun dried Roma tomatoes in the Sun Oven today.
We went to town ( Keremeos ) this morning. I refilled the truck with diesel. We refilled our five gallon water jug at the water refill machine in town. We bought fresh local produce at Sanderson Farms. Watermelon ! Nectarines ! Freestone peaches ! Small cucumbers ! Patty Pan Squash ! And a couple of pakoras for lunch ! I picked up five prescriptions at Similkameen Pharmacy.
At home this afternoon I harvested tomatoes. I returned a book to the library. I went bicycling. I prepared for tomorrow's park wide yard sale. I have two items to sell. I set up a table on the road below our rock slope "front yard", with the two items and an "honour pay" jar.
In the evening I worked on some trip planning / motel reservations for an upcoming
( possible ) very long distance trailer towing job.
Saturday ; Sunny and very hot, temperature 96º F / 36º C at 5:30 PM when we walked Ozzie, hotter earlier in the day. Joanne cooked zucchini lasagna in the Sun Oven today.
This morning I prepared the truck for an upcoming trailer towing job. I installed the fifth wheel hitch, and loaded all the necessary trailer towing equipment and supplies. Next Monday with temperature forecast to be 105º F I will be towing a 14,000 pound trailer up the extremely long and steep ascent of the Coquihalla Highway / "Highway Thru Hell" from Merritt to Hope, on my way from Winfield to Surrey. Wish me luck ! Let's see if Lanoire the truck is still up to that kind of extreme task !
This afternoon I worked indoors, at my desk. I did prescription accounting and records keeping. I posted some ads on Kijiji for items for sale. I continued work on trip planning and motel reservations for an upcoming very long distance trailer towing job in a couple of weeks. Maybe ! The client has not been communicative so ... who knows ? ? ?
DSK
Sunday, July 29, 2018
Sunday, July 22, 2018
July 15 to 21, 2018
Sunday ; Sunny and very hot. Joanne baked a rhubarb cake in the Sun Oven today, as well as preparing the potato dish for tonight's supper in the Sun Oven.
On hot days like this it's difficult to find the motivation to do much work. One of today's priorities was to phone our Oregon friend Eilene to congratulate her on reaching
ninety-seven years of age. Yesterday was her birthday. I deboned the candied Rainbow Trouts that I made in the Sun Oven yesterday. DARN ! I left them in the Sun Oven a bit too long, they were overdone. We went to the swimming pool, but just to cool down, not to do cardiac exercises. I did some truck maintenance records keeping. I made arrangements to attend the weekly dinner next Sunday at the Portuguese Multicultural Society in Penticton, after we attend a Many Hats Theatre performance.
In the evening ... after barbecuing a wonderful supper ... I posted my weekly journal entry to my blog, and did routine weekly investments summary updates. HMMM ... seem to have made a lot of money last week !
Monday ; Sunny and very hot, temperature 99º F / 38.5º C at 5:15 PM when we walked Ozzie. Joanne cooked beef ribs in the Sun Oven today.
Another day that was too hot to do much of anything. I used to relish hot weather but now ... not so much. Did my cardiac bypass surgery change something within me ? Stamina / tolerance for heat ? < shrug >
This morning we removed the rear seat from the minivan, then carefully loaded our four pieces of artwork for sale into the minivan. Tomorrow we'll be taking them to Kelowna for an appraisal. I checked the air pressure in all of the truck's and minivan's tires. WHEW ... that's actually a pretty difficult chore in 100 degree sunshine.
Indoors, I paid some bills online, and reconciled our Bank of America statement. We took Ozzie for a walk at 5 PM, watched the 5:30 PM news on TV, then at 6 PM went to the swimming pool to do exercises. Somebody's two young granddaughters, about six and eight years of age, were in the pool. They found our exercise routines amusing, so ... they joined in with us. The older one asked why I had such a large scar on my chest. I explained my cardiac surgery in simple terms. Both girls screwed up their noses as if they had just smelled something distasteful. HA HA HA ! The older girl thought my surgery was "gross, but interesting".
Tuesday ; Kelowna
Sunny and hot with a brief but violent thunderstorm around suppertime.
We left home at 10:15 AM heading for Kelowna and a meeting with the owner of an auction house. We brought him our four pieces of artwork for sale. < sigh > His appraisal / estimate of sale prices was exceptionally disheartening, but ... we ( read that as "I" ) should have never put these pieces of art into storage fourteen years ago ! Should have sold them then ! We left them to be sold at auction on Thursday evening. Life will go on !
From the auction house we went to a pawn shop that had an ad on Castanet for a GPS unit I was interested in. My interest disappeared immediately upon the pawn shop salesman telling me that the three year old GPS unit was no longer able to be updated. Goodbye ! Your GPS unit is worthless ! Last stop in Kelowna was Princess Auto to buy an advertised item.
We left Kelowna and drove to West Kelowna / Westbank for a late lunch at Kekuli Café, an Indigenous restaurant that we have been to before. But will not be returning to after today's disappointing experience. They have "migrated" from being a café into being a coffee shop. My venison Indian bannock taco was ... okay. Joanne thought the venison meat tasted like rancid liver. HA HA HA ! Joanne's chili Indian bannock taco was unsatisfactory, in her opinion. My "custom made" ... HA HA HA ... Saskatoon milk shake was pretty darn good, although rather expensive. Since this was an Indigenous owned and operated business, and they bake muffins and cookies with Saskatoon berries, I found it rather odd that they had never been asked for a Saskatoon milk shake before. I guess you can take the Indian out of the city, but you can't take the city out of the Indian. HA HA HA < SNORT > HA HA !
From Westbank through Peachland, Summerland, Penticton, and Keremeos, we were home around 5 PM.
Wednesday ; Penticton
Sunny and hot. We left home this morning about 10:45 AM taking both vehicles.
I dropped the truck off in Keremeos for service, and we continued in the minivan to Penticton. On the way we stopped at the rest area at Yellow Lake so that I could use the bathroom. As I walked back to the car ... < sputter > ... a female Mallard duck with MANY babies was trying to cross the busy highway. I ran over to the road, and ... "herded" the duck family to safety. HA HA HA ... at first Joanne, who was waiting in the car, did not understand why I was hurrying over to the highway after coming out of the bathroom. When she saw what I was doing, she laughed out loud.
In Penticton I dropped Joanne off at Value Village then went to run some errands by myself. I refilled the minivan with fuel, then bought all the parts I need to fabricate and install a winterization bypass kit on the camper's water heater at Midtown RV, Home Hardware, and Leisureland RV. I picked Joanne up at Value Village and we shopped at Dollarama before having lunch at Burger King.
After lunch I went for my first appointment with my new family doctor. I was pleased and impressed. His front office receptionist / assistant was friendly and efficient. I was seen by the doctor a few minutes before my appointment time ! What a pleasant change ! ! ! The young doctor was friendly, and engaged, and efficient, and ... seemed quite competent. Again ... what a pleasant change ! ! !
After my doctor's appointment we spent the rest of the afternoon shopping at Wal-Mart and Superstore. We left Penticton around 4:30 PM. In Keremeos we stopped to buy some fresh produce at Sanderson Farms. We were back home around 6 PM.
As we pulled into our driveway our neighbour Betty was in the alleyway scowling at the yard of the neighbour between her and us. He had been here yesterday for the first time in nine months. He spent about six hours cleaning the five foot tall weeds in his yard, then left ! But ... not before disturbing a massively huge hornet's nest underneath his home's entry steps. Many angry hornets were buzzing around, displeased that their home had been disturbed, fractured into four large segments and left on the ground.
I hope that the asshole got stung when he discovered the nest ! Betty and I agreed to meet at 9 PM and we would both use whatever hornet eradication sprays we each could find in our sheds.
At 9 PM Betty came over for our hornet killing date. HA HA HA ! She used all the hornet spray she had, and I used almost all of a large can that I had. I sure hope that ends that problem !
Thursday ; Sunny and hot, windy in the evening.
At 11:45 AM we left home heading for Keremeos, and our noon lunch date at Benja Thai Restaurant with previous neighbours / old friends Mitch and Diane. We treated them to lunch as a gesture of appreciation for sending some trailer towing business our way recently. Thank you, Diane. We were finished eating lunch around 1 PM but sat in the restaurant chatting until they turned the lights off at 3:30 PM. HA HA HA ! They close each day from 3 PM to 4:30 PM to clean up after lunch and prepare for dinner.
After taking the "lights out" hint we ran errands in town. Joanne ran errands using the minivan. I paid for and picked up the truck at the new auto repair facility in town. I went to the South Similkameen Health Centre a.k.a. Keremeos Clinic and selected a laboratory appointment time for Monday for a blood test ordered yesterday by my new family doctor. Last stop in town for me was to drop off new prescription orders at the pharmacy.
Back at home we sat at our picnic table and trimmed Emma's claws, and gave both Emma and Ozzie some hair trims. Ozzie on the face and Emma ... uhhhhh ... not on the face. HA HA HA !
Friday ; Mix of sun and clouds, hot, windy. I baked potatoes and eggs for potato salad in the Sun Oven today, challenging because the sun kept disappearing behind clouds.
This morning I phoned the auction house in Kelowna to find out how much our four pieces of artwork sold for last night at auction. The results ... made me cry. I'm not kidding ! < deep sigh > You win some, you lose some, I guess. Time to move on !
This afternoon I worked on fabricating and installing a winterization bypass kit on the water heater in the camper. I finished the project today. It went a bit better than expected. We went to the swimming pool and did cardiac exercises. We took some weeds and other yard and gardening waste down to the burn pile / compost area down by the river. I wanted to examine the river, in anticipation of going fishing soon now that the river level has receded. < blink blink > Holy Mackerel ... the river has completely changed. Deep holes are ... gone. The river bed is completely ... changed ! My upstream "secret fishing hole" looks like ... it's not there any more ! ! ! I won't know for sure until the river flow slows enough that I can walk across the river and then walk upstream.
Saturday ; Sunny early in the day, cloudy late in the day, very warm, windy.
This afternoon I reinstalled the sacrificial anode drain plug into the truck camper's water heater, refilled the water heater, heated the water, and checked the sacrificial anode drain plug and all the winterization bypass plumbing for leaks. Everything's okay so far. I will check again tomorrow. I inspected the new U-joints in the rear driveshaft of the truck. I went fly fishing for about half an hour but ... the water is still flowing too fast, and it was too windy. I had a profanity laced screaming match with the moron next door neighbour who confronted me about his "few weeds". ASSHOLE ! Most of the profanity came from me. So ... at least now he knows what I think of him ! And his "few weeds" ! ! !
DSK
On hot days like this it's difficult to find the motivation to do much work. One of today's priorities was to phone our Oregon friend Eilene to congratulate her on reaching
ninety-seven years of age. Yesterday was her birthday. I deboned the candied Rainbow Trouts that I made in the Sun Oven yesterday. DARN ! I left them in the Sun Oven a bit too long, they were overdone. We went to the swimming pool, but just to cool down, not to do cardiac exercises. I did some truck maintenance records keeping. I made arrangements to attend the weekly dinner next Sunday at the Portuguese Multicultural Society in Penticton, after we attend a Many Hats Theatre performance.
In the evening ... after barbecuing a wonderful supper ... I posted my weekly journal entry to my blog, and did routine weekly investments summary updates. HMMM ... seem to have made a lot of money last week !
Monday ; Sunny and very hot, temperature 99º F / 38.5º C at 5:15 PM when we walked Ozzie. Joanne cooked beef ribs in the Sun Oven today.
Another day that was too hot to do much of anything. I used to relish hot weather but now ... not so much. Did my cardiac bypass surgery change something within me ? Stamina / tolerance for heat ? < shrug >
This morning we removed the rear seat from the minivan, then carefully loaded our four pieces of artwork for sale into the minivan. Tomorrow we'll be taking them to Kelowna for an appraisal. I checked the air pressure in all of the truck's and minivan's tires. WHEW ... that's actually a pretty difficult chore in 100 degree sunshine.
Indoors, I paid some bills online, and reconciled our Bank of America statement. We took Ozzie for a walk at 5 PM, watched the 5:30 PM news on TV, then at 6 PM went to the swimming pool to do exercises. Somebody's two young granddaughters, about six and eight years of age, were in the pool. They found our exercise routines amusing, so ... they joined in with us. The older one asked why I had such a large scar on my chest. I explained my cardiac surgery in simple terms. Both girls screwed up their noses as if they had just smelled something distasteful. HA HA HA ! The older girl thought my surgery was "gross, but interesting".
Tuesday ; Kelowna
Sunny and hot with a brief but violent thunderstorm around suppertime.
We left home at 10:15 AM heading for Kelowna and a meeting with the owner of an auction house. We brought him our four pieces of artwork for sale. < sigh > His appraisal / estimate of sale prices was exceptionally disheartening, but ... we ( read that as "I" ) should have never put these pieces of art into storage fourteen years ago ! Should have sold them then ! We left them to be sold at auction on Thursday evening. Life will go on !
From the auction house we went to a pawn shop that had an ad on Castanet for a GPS unit I was interested in. My interest disappeared immediately upon the pawn shop salesman telling me that the three year old GPS unit was no longer able to be updated. Goodbye ! Your GPS unit is worthless ! Last stop in Kelowna was Princess Auto to buy an advertised item.
We left Kelowna and drove to West Kelowna / Westbank for a late lunch at Kekuli Café, an Indigenous restaurant that we have been to before. But will not be returning to after today's disappointing experience. They have "migrated" from being a café into being a coffee shop. My venison Indian bannock taco was ... okay. Joanne thought the venison meat tasted like rancid liver. HA HA HA ! Joanne's chili Indian bannock taco was unsatisfactory, in her opinion. My "custom made" ... HA HA HA ... Saskatoon milk shake was pretty darn good, although rather expensive. Since this was an Indigenous owned and operated business, and they bake muffins and cookies with Saskatoon berries, I found it rather odd that they had never been asked for a Saskatoon milk shake before. I guess you can take the Indian out of the city, but you can't take the city out of the Indian. HA HA HA < SNORT > HA HA !
From Westbank through Peachland, Summerland, Penticton, and Keremeos, we were home around 5 PM.
Wednesday ; Penticton
Sunny and hot. We left home this morning about 10:45 AM taking both vehicles.
I dropped the truck off in Keremeos for service, and we continued in the minivan to Penticton. On the way we stopped at the rest area at Yellow Lake so that I could use the bathroom. As I walked back to the car ... < sputter > ... a female Mallard duck with MANY babies was trying to cross the busy highway. I ran over to the road, and ... "herded" the duck family to safety. HA HA HA ... at first Joanne, who was waiting in the car, did not understand why I was hurrying over to the highway after coming out of the bathroom. When she saw what I was doing, she laughed out loud.
In Penticton I dropped Joanne off at Value Village then went to run some errands by myself. I refilled the minivan with fuel, then bought all the parts I need to fabricate and install a winterization bypass kit on the camper's water heater at Midtown RV, Home Hardware, and Leisureland RV. I picked Joanne up at Value Village and we shopped at Dollarama before having lunch at Burger King.
After lunch I went for my first appointment with my new family doctor. I was pleased and impressed. His front office receptionist / assistant was friendly and efficient. I was seen by the doctor a few minutes before my appointment time ! What a pleasant change ! ! ! The young doctor was friendly, and engaged, and efficient, and ... seemed quite competent. Again ... what a pleasant change ! ! !
After my doctor's appointment we spent the rest of the afternoon shopping at Wal-Mart and Superstore. We left Penticton around 4:30 PM. In Keremeos we stopped to buy some fresh produce at Sanderson Farms. We were back home around 6 PM.
As we pulled into our driveway our neighbour Betty was in the alleyway scowling at the yard of the neighbour between her and us. He had been here yesterday for the first time in nine months. He spent about six hours cleaning the five foot tall weeds in his yard, then left ! But ... not before disturbing a massively huge hornet's nest underneath his home's entry steps. Many angry hornets were buzzing around, displeased that their home had been disturbed, fractured into four large segments and left on the ground.
I hope that the asshole got stung when he discovered the nest ! Betty and I agreed to meet at 9 PM and we would both use whatever hornet eradication sprays we each could find in our sheds.
At 9 PM Betty came over for our hornet killing date. HA HA HA ! She used all the hornet spray she had, and I used almost all of a large can that I had. I sure hope that ends that problem !
Thursday ; Sunny and hot, windy in the evening.
At 11:45 AM we left home heading for Keremeos, and our noon lunch date at Benja Thai Restaurant with previous neighbours / old friends Mitch and Diane. We treated them to lunch as a gesture of appreciation for sending some trailer towing business our way recently. Thank you, Diane. We were finished eating lunch around 1 PM but sat in the restaurant chatting until they turned the lights off at 3:30 PM. HA HA HA ! They close each day from 3 PM to 4:30 PM to clean up after lunch and prepare for dinner.
After taking the "lights out" hint we ran errands in town. Joanne ran errands using the minivan. I paid for and picked up the truck at the new auto repair facility in town. I went to the South Similkameen Health Centre a.k.a. Keremeos Clinic and selected a laboratory appointment time for Monday for a blood test ordered yesterday by my new family doctor. Last stop in town for me was to drop off new prescription orders at the pharmacy.
Back at home we sat at our picnic table and trimmed Emma's claws, and gave both Emma and Ozzie some hair trims. Ozzie on the face and Emma ... uhhhhh ... not on the face. HA HA HA !
Friday ; Mix of sun and clouds, hot, windy. I baked potatoes and eggs for potato salad in the Sun Oven today, challenging because the sun kept disappearing behind clouds.
This morning I phoned the auction house in Kelowna to find out how much our four pieces of artwork sold for last night at auction. The results ... made me cry. I'm not kidding ! < deep sigh > You win some, you lose some, I guess. Time to move on !
This afternoon I worked on fabricating and installing a winterization bypass kit on the water heater in the camper. I finished the project today. It went a bit better than expected. We went to the swimming pool and did cardiac exercises. We took some weeds and other yard and gardening waste down to the burn pile / compost area down by the river. I wanted to examine the river, in anticipation of going fishing soon now that the river level has receded. < blink blink > Holy Mackerel ... the river has completely changed. Deep holes are ... gone. The river bed is completely ... changed ! My upstream "secret fishing hole" looks like ... it's not there any more ! ! ! I won't know for sure until the river flow slows enough that I can walk across the river and then walk upstream.
Saturday ; Sunny early in the day, cloudy late in the day, very warm, windy.
This afternoon I reinstalled the sacrificial anode drain plug into the truck camper's water heater, refilled the water heater, heated the water, and checked the sacrificial anode drain plug and all the winterization bypass plumbing for leaks. Everything's okay so far. I will check again tomorrow. I inspected the new U-joints in the rear driveshaft of the truck. I went fly fishing for about half an hour but ... the water is still flowing too fast, and it was too windy. I had a profanity laced screaming match with the moron next door neighbour who confronted me about his "few weeds". ASSHOLE ! Most of the profanity came from me. So ... at least now he knows what I think of him ! And his "few weeds" ! ! !
DSK
Sunday, July 15, 2018
July 8 to 14, 2018
Sunday ; Mix of sun and clouds, hot, windy.
I did a bit of gardening / landscaping today. Trimmed my beard. Went bicycling. Took the dog ( and the wifey ) for a couple of long walks. Disassembled a couple of custom commissioned oil on canvas paintings of our 80's / 90's dog and cat Nikki and Toby. They were a cherished gift from my mother-in-law, about twenty-five years ago or so. We'll donate the frames to the Salvation Army Thrift Store. The oil on canvas paintings ... < sigh > ... will go to the garbage. I did some online bill paying. I posted my weekly journal to my blog. I updated our investments summary file. I ... uhhhh ... inexplicably .... browsed for condos in Steinbach, Manitoba. HA HA HA ! Maybe we'll move there in a few years.
Monday ; Mostly sunny, hot, humid.
Today I worked on removing the plumbing leading into and out of the water heater in the camper, the first step in my current project to fabricate and install an RV water heater winterization bypass kit. Around suppertime we went to the swimming pool to do cardiac rehab exercises.
Tuesday ; Mostly sunny, cool, windy.
I climbed up onto the roof of the camper to clean the inside / underside of the MaxxAir cover over the bathroom roof vent, but was unable to do so because of the manner in which I had installed the MaxxAir cover a few years ago. Oh, well ... < shrug >.
I removed and discarded a dead string of solar rope lights around our garden border.
I exchanged books at the park's library in the clubhouse. I went bicycling. I assisted Joanne in giving Ozzie a bath. He's partially white, with curly hair, and needs more frequent bathing than Bo did. I assisted Joanne in cleaning the deck off the living room using compressed air.
Wednesday ; Mix of sun and clouds, hot. We tried cooking supper in the Sun Oven today, but no sooner had we set up the Sun Oven and put supper in, than the sun kept disappearing behind clouds. We cooked supper indoors.
Joanne did a lot of laundry today. We did cardiac exercises in the swimming pool. We took the truck into town for brake service, then drove in the minivan to Hedley to check our "secret" wild apricot tree. HMPH ! It has no fruit this year. Like the apricot tree in our RV park's orchard. And like the apricot tree on our previous lot 89. HMPH ! Why are there no apricots this year ? ! ? Did the bumblebees not do their pollination job this year ? I harvested small “cherry” tomatoes and regular / large tomatoes from our garden today. I downloaded and reconciled June’s investment statements.
I attempted ... and failed ... to fabricate a new exhaust duct for our portable air conditioner unit in the living room. Isn’t it amazing how expensive pieces of equipment are brought to their demise by the cheapest and simplest of components ... that can not be replaced ? ! ?
Thursday ; Sunny and hot. Joanne cooked a beef pot roast in the Sun Oven today.
Did some online work researching options for consignment sale of four pieces of artwork we have for sale. Did some research on travel medical insurance for next winter, made much more complicated ( read that as "expensive" ) by my triple bypass surgery less than a year ago. Went bicycling. Harvested tomatoes. Walked the dog. Read in bed. Avoided working in the heat. Discussed a trailer towing job with a potential new client, an RV dealer north of Kelowna.
Friday ; Sunny and very hot, temperature 97º F / 36º C when I picked up the truck in Keremeos on the way home from Penticton around 5 PM.
We left home this morning at 10 AM heading for Penticton where Joanne had an 11 AM appointment for a pedicure at the cosmetology school. I dropped her off at the cosmetology school and ran errands until it was time to pick her up about an hour and a half later. We finished our errands about 4 PM. It was Joanne's idea to buy milkshakes at Dairy Queen for the long, hot ride back home. Brilliant idea, my dear !
The truck's minor repairs cost well over a thousand dollars ! And it will have to go back in again next week for a new problem discovered.
Saturday ; Sunny and very hot, temperature around 100º F. I made candied Rainbow Trout in the Sun Oven today.
My chores today started with taking a photo of our next door neighbour's tallest weed ; five feet four inches ! ! ! And sending the photo to our Homeowners Association's Board of Directors, with a note of ... < ahem > ... displeasure ! I repaired and replaced the minivan's parking spot's marker pole ... < scowl > ... knocked down by Joanne yesterday as she drove into our yard ! I torqued the truck's lug nuts, installed some
( but not all ... still awaiting receipt from Amazon ! ) of the new valve extenders, and reinstalled the wheel liners and hub caps. I installed a new fuel filter in the truck. I did some measuring and configuring of plumbing modifications required in the camper.
At 5 PM we drove into town and had an early dinner at Samosa Garden, the Indian restaurant attached to Sanderson Farms produce stand. It was the first part of a "big surprise" date I had planned. After supper we drove to Cawston to attend an intimate "unplugged" concert by Valdy. Yes, yes ... Valdy ... in Cawston ! In a venue that seats only a hundred people. And ... < sputter > ... it was not sold out ! It was a "last minute" booking arranged by the Historic Grist Mill in Keremeos. And it was initially planned to be held at the Historic Grist Mill. But ... some manner of scheduling conflict with a wedding resulted in Valdy being moved to the Cawston Community Hall.
WOW ! What a treat to be entertained by Valdy that "up close and personal". We have attended Valdy performances at Winnipeg's Centennial Concert Hall and the National Arts Centre in Ottawa, venues seating thousands of people, over a period stretching more than forty years ! There was no sound system in the Cawston Community Hall. Valdy did not want the stage lights on, he wanted the hall's main lights left on so that he could see and interact with the very small audience. And he turned the concert into an "every song has a story" treat.
What a great "big surprise" date. Joanne loved it as much as I did.
Well ... except for the late evening heartburn I had from Chicken Tikka Masala !
DSK
I did a bit of gardening / landscaping today. Trimmed my beard. Went bicycling. Took the dog ( and the wifey ) for a couple of long walks. Disassembled a couple of custom commissioned oil on canvas paintings of our 80's / 90's dog and cat Nikki and Toby. They were a cherished gift from my mother-in-law, about twenty-five years ago or so. We'll donate the frames to the Salvation Army Thrift Store. The oil on canvas paintings ... < sigh > ... will go to the garbage. I did some online bill paying. I posted my weekly journal to my blog. I updated our investments summary file. I ... uhhhh ... inexplicably .... browsed for condos in Steinbach, Manitoba. HA HA HA ! Maybe we'll move there in a few years.
Monday ; Mostly sunny, hot, humid.
Today I worked on removing the plumbing leading into and out of the water heater in the camper, the first step in my current project to fabricate and install an RV water heater winterization bypass kit. Around suppertime we went to the swimming pool to do cardiac rehab exercises.
Tuesday ; Mostly sunny, cool, windy.
I climbed up onto the roof of the camper to clean the inside / underside of the MaxxAir cover over the bathroom roof vent, but was unable to do so because of the manner in which I had installed the MaxxAir cover a few years ago. Oh, well ... < shrug >.
I removed and discarded a dead string of solar rope lights around our garden border.
I exchanged books at the park's library in the clubhouse. I went bicycling. I assisted Joanne in giving Ozzie a bath. He's partially white, with curly hair, and needs more frequent bathing than Bo did. I assisted Joanne in cleaning the deck off the living room using compressed air.
Wednesday ; Mix of sun and clouds, hot. We tried cooking supper in the Sun Oven today, but no sooner had we set up the Sun Oven and put supper in, than the sun kept disappearing behind clouds. We cooked supper indoors.
Joanne did a lot of laundry today. We did cardiac exercises in the swimming pool. We took the truck into town for brake service, then drove in the minivan to Hedley to check our "secret" wild apricot tree. HMPH ! It has no fruit this year. Like the apricot tree in our RV park's orchard. And like the apricot tree on our previous lot 89. HMPH ! Why are there no apricots this year ? ! ? Did the bumblebees not do their pollination job this year ? I harvested small “cherry” tomatoes and regular / large tomatoes from our garden today. I downloaded and reconciled June’s investment statements.
I attempted ... and failed ... to fabricate a new exhaust duct for our portable air conditioner unit in the living room. Isn’t it amazing how expensive pieces of equipment are brought to their demise by the cheapest and simplest of components ... that can not be replaced ? ! ?
Thursday ; Sunny and hot. Joanne cooked a beef pot roast in the Sun Oven today.
Did some online work researching options for consignment sale of four pieces of artwork we have for sale. Did some research on travel medical insurance for next winter, made much more complicated ( read that as "expensive" ) by my triple bypass surgery less than a year ago. Went bicycling. Harvested tomatoes. Walked the dog. Read in bed. Avoided working in the heat. Discussed a trailer towing job with a potential new client, an RV dealer north of Kelowna.
Friday ; Sunny and very hot, temperature 97º F / 36º C when I picked up the truck in Keremeos on the way home from Penticton around 5 PM.
We left home this morning at 10 AM heading for Penticton where Joanne had an 11 AM appointment for a pedicure at the cosmetology school. I dropped her off at the cosmetology school and ran errands until it was time to pick her up about an hour and a half later. We finished our errands about 4 PM. It was Joanne's idea to buy milkshakes at Dairy Queen for the long, hot ride back home. Brilliant idea, my dear !
The truck's minor repairs cost well over a thousand dollars ! And it will have to go back in again next week for a new problem discovered.
Saturday ; Sunny and very hot, temperature around 100º F. I made candied Rainbow Trout in the Sun Oven today.
My chores today started with taking a photo of our next door neighbour's tallest weed ; five feet four inches ! ! ! And sending the photo to our Homeowners Association's Board of Directors, with a note of ... < ahem > ... displeasure ! I repaired and replaced the minivan's parking spot's marker pole ... < scowl > ... knocked down by Joanne yesterday as she drove into our yard ! I torqued the truck's lug nuts, installed some
( but not all ... still awaiting receipt from Amazon ! ) of the new valve extenders, and reinstalled the wheel liners and hub caps. I installed a new fuel filter in the truck. I did some measuring and configuring of plumbing modifications required in the camper.
At 5 PM we drove into town and had an early dinner at Samosa Garden, the Indian restaurant attached to Sanderson Farms produce stand. It was the first part of a "big surprise" date I had planned. After supper we drove to Cawston to attend an intimate "unplugged" concert by Valdy. Yes, yes ... Valdy ... in Cawston ! In a venue that seats only a hundred people. And ... < sputter > ... it was not sold out ! It was a "last minute" booking arranged by the Historic Grist Mill in Keremeos. And it was initially planned to be held at the Historic Grist Mill. But ... some manner of scheduling conflict with a wedding resulted in Valdy being moved to the Cawston Community Hall.
WOW ! What a treat to be entertained by Valdy that "up close and personal". We have attended Valdy performances at Winnipeg's Centennial Concert Hall and the National Arts Centre in Ottawa, venues seating thousands of people, over a period stretching more than forty years ! There was no sound system in the Cawston Community Hall. Valdy did not want the stage lights on, he wanted the hall's main lights left on so that he could see and interact with the very small audience. And he turned the concert into an "every song has a story" treat.
What a great "big surprise" date. Joanne loved it as much as I did.
Well ... except for the late evening heartburn I had from Chicken Tikka Masala !
DSK
Sunday, July 8, 2018
July 1 to 7, 2018
Sunday ; CANADA DAY
HAPPY BIRTHDAY / BONNE FÊTE CANADA !
Mix of sun and clouds, warm, a bit windy.
We chose to stay at home today, and have a low key Canada Day. Like most days, we simply puttered around with chores. And went for walks with the dog. Joanne cleaned the camper. Much cleaning work to be done after our recent three week trip. Emma makes a mess around her two litter boxes. Yes, yes ... she has to have two litter boxes, despite how small the camper living space is. And one of them is up in the bedroom area. Litter gets tossed around and out of the litter box and against and under my side of the bed as we travel on rough roads. Lots of cleaning for Joanne today.
I reinstalled the truck's rear wheel fender flap. So the "remove / repair / reinstall" project of the rear wheel well liner and fender flap is now complete. We mounted the ornamental windmill on our front yard rock slope. Joanne is happy with it ! I paid some bills. I retrieved and printed month end bank statements and investment updates.
Monday ; Raining and chilly for most of the day.
Joanne did laundry. We went to the swimming pool and did cardiac rehab exercises for the first time in over a month. Most of my work plans for today were thwarted by the rain. I paid some bills. I did some work in the camper. I sharpened knives. Lots of them. All the home knives, the camper's knives, my fish filleting knives, my fishing tackle box knives, my fly fishing bag knife, my pocket knife. I read. I napped.
< sigh > I hate rainy days !
Tuesday ; Mix of sun and clouds, warm, humid.
This morning after pet dental and ear care, I sanitized and refilled the camper's freshwater holding tank. In the afternoon we drove into town ( Keremeos ) with both vehicles, dropping the minivan off at a new auto service facility for brake service.
I drove Joanne to the medical clinic and left her there for a doctor's appointment while
I ran errands in town. First I picked up my repaired bicycle at the bicycle repair shop. Then I went to the credit union to make a change to our monthly maintenance fee automatic debit. WHEW ... long line up of fruit pickers waiting to cash their cherry picking cheques. Must have been a lot of cherry picking going on this past long weekend. Last stop before returning to pick up Joanne at the medical clinic was the insurance agency to pay our annual home insurance premium. When I returned to the medical clinic an hour after I dropped her off ... < sigh > ... Joanne was still sitting in the waiting room. Yeah ... typical for the Keremeos Clinic. When she finally got to see the doctor, to review the mammogram results that the front desk had told her a few days ago were available, the doctor said that the front desk had made a mistake and the mammogram results were not yet available to him. Yeah ... < fume > ... that's ****ing typical for the Keremeos Clinic !
Back at home we went to pick Saskatoons at our RV park's front gate. WOW ... great crop ! Best Saskatoons in twelve years of living here ! And we'll probably be able to do another picking in another few days, if we're lucky. Ozzie injured himself ( slightly, we hope ) when he jumped off the back of the truck to visit his friend Loki the Border Collie. Joanne and I were standing in the bed of the truck picking berries, and Ozzie was in the bed of the truck munching on whatever berries dropped into the truck.
Wednesday ; Mostly sunny, very warm.
This afternoon we washed the camper. And went to the swimming pool to do cardiac rehab exercises. Walking back home from the swimming pool building we bumped into our neighbours / friends Bob and Christine, and their little Pomeranian Shelby. We got to chatting and ended up sitting on their deck and visiting for over an hour. By the time we got back home to prepare supper it was after 8 PM.
Thursday ; Penticton
Sunny and very hot, temperature 95 F / 35 C while we were driving home from Penticton between 5 PM and 6 PM.
We spent the day in Penticton, running errands. On the way to Penticton we stopped at the new auto repair facility in Keremeos, where the minivan is in for some service / repairs. I viewed the repairs required, discussed pricing, and authorized the repairs. In Penticton I took the truck for fluids and filter changes while Joanne was shopping at Wal-Mart. We went downtown to do some business at the Bank of Montreal. We shopped for groceries at Superstore. I shopped for a GPS at Staples, deciding on what I want, but not buying it yet. We shopped at Dollar Tree and Dollarama. I went to "All Hitches by Dr. Hook" to get some information on a "stinger" hitch extension that would allow me to tow a trailer while the camper is on the truck. We shopped at Salvation Army Thrift Store and Value Village. I went to the BC Liquor Store and bought a six pack of beer. My annual allotment. HA HA HA ! I don't drink much beer !
We were home about 6 PM. I barbecued Rainbow Trout ( caught by me up north ) in a creamy dill sauce for supper.
Friday ; Mix of sun and clouds, hot, humid, violent but brief thunderstorm around suppertime.
This afternoon we did an annual tedious chore, which took much longer than we had expected it would. We cleaned all the cottonwood "fluff" and pollen and fir needles and other outdoor debris out from between the gazebo screens and wood framing using compressed air. And a toothbrush. And a dental tool.
Saturday ; Mix of sun and clouds, warm.
We went into town this morning to pick up the repaired minivan. I returned home in the truck with Ozzie, while Joanne refilled our five gallon water jug and bought fresh produce before driving back home in the minivan.
This afternoon we harvested Saskatoons. For the last time this year. The Saskatoons are beginning to shrivel and dry. I did some minor work in the camper and on my bicycle. And I removed the hub caps and wheel liners from the truck in preparation for brake service next week. We went to the swimming pool and did cardiac rehab exercises. I barbecued excellent Dan-O-Cheeseburgers for supper.
DSK
HAPPY BIRTHDAY / BONNE FÊTE CANADA !
Mix of sun and clouds, warm, a bit windy.
We chose to stay at home today, and have a low key Canada Day. Like most days, we simply puttered around with chores. And went for walks with the dog. Joanne cleaned the camper. Much cleaning work to be done after our recent three week trip. Emma makes a mess around her two litter boxes. Yes, yes ... she has to have two litter boxes, despite how small the camper living space is. And one of them is up in the bedroom area. Litter gets tossed around and out of the litter box and against and under my side of the bed as we travel on rough roads. Lots of cleaning for Joanne today.
I reinstalled the truck's rear wheel fender flap. So the "remove / repair / reinstall" project of the rear wheel well liner and fender flap is now complete. We mounted the ornamental windmill on our front yard rock slope. Joanne is happy with it ! I paid some bills. I retrieved and printed month end bank statements and investment updates.
Monday ; Raining and chilly for most of the day.
Joanne did laundry. We went to the swimming pool and did cardiac rehab exercises for the first time in over a month. Most of my work plans for today were thwarted by the rain. I paid some bills. I did some work in the camper. I sharpened knives. Lots of them. All the home knives, the camper's knives, my fish filleting knives, my fishing tackle box knives, my fly fishing bag knife, my pocket knife. I read. I napped.
< sigh > I hate rainy days !
Tuesday ; Mix of sun and clouds, warm, humid.
This morning after pet dental and ear care, I sanitized and refilled the camper's freshwater holding tank. In the afternoon we drove into town ( Keremeos ) with both vehicles, dropping the minivan off at a new auto service facility for brake service.
I drove Joanne to the medical clinic and left her there for a doctor's appointment while
I ran errands in town. First I picked up my repaired bicycle at the bicycle repair shop. Then I went to the credit union to make a change to our monthly maintenance fee automatic debit. WHEW ... long line up of fruit pickers waiting to cash their cherry picking cheques. Must have been a lot of cherry picking going on this past long weekend. Last stop before returning to pick up Joanne at the medical clinic was the insurance agency to pay our annual home insurance premium. When I returned to the medical clinic an hour after I dropped her off ... < sigh > ... Joanne was still sitting in the waiting room. Yeah ... typical for the Keremeos Clinic. When she finally got to see the doctor, to review the mammogram results that the front desk had told her a few days ago were available, the doctor said that the front desk had made a mistake and the mammogram results were not yet available to him. Yeah ... < fume > ... that's ****ing typical for the Keremeos Clinic !
Back at home we went to pick Saskatoons at our RV park's front gate. WOW ... great crop ! Best Saskatoons in twelve years of living here ! And we'll probably be able to do another picking in another few days, if we're lucky. Ozzie injured himself ( slightly, we hope ) when he jumped off the back of the truck to visit his friend Loki the Border Collie. Joanne and I were standing in the bed of the truck picking berries, and Ozzie was in the bed of the truck munching on whatever berries dropped into the truck.
Wednesday ; Mostly sunny, very warm.
This afternoon we washed the camper. And went to the swimming pool to do cardiac rehab exercises. Walking back home from the swimming pool building we bumped into our neighbours / friends Bob and Christine, and their little Pomeranian Shelby. We got to chatting and ended up sitting on their deck and visiting for over an hour. By the time we got back home to prepare supper it was after 8 PM.
Thursday ; Penticton
Sunny and very hot, temperature 95 F / 35 C while we were driving home from Penticton between 5 PM and 6 PM.
We spent the day in Penticton, running errands. On the way to Penticton we stopped at the new auto repair facility in Keremeos, where the minivan is in for some service / repairs. I viewed the repairs required, discussed pricing, and authorized the repairs. In Penticton I took the truck for fluids and filter changes while Joanne was shopping at Wal-Mart. We went downtown to do some business at the Bank of Montreal. We shopped for groceries at Superstore. I shopped for a GPS at Staples, deciding on what I want, but not buying it yet. We shopped at Dollar Tree and Dollarama. I went to "All Hitches by Dr. Hook" to get some information on a "stinger" hitch extension that would allow me to tow a trailer while the camper is on the truck. We shopped at Salvation Army Thrift Store and Value Village. I went to the BC Liquor Store and bought a six pack of beer. My annual allotment. HA HA HA ! I don't drink much beer !
We were home about 6 PM. I barbecued Rainbow Trout ( caught by me up north ) in a creamy dill sauce for supper.
Friday ; Mix of sun and clouds, hot, humid, violent but brief thunderstorm around suppertime.
This afternoon we did an annual tedious chore, which took much longer than we had expected it would. We cleaned all the cottonwood "fluff" and pollen and fir needles and other outdoor debris out from between the gazebo screens and wood framing using compressed air. And a toothbrush. And a dental tool.
Saturday ; Mix of sun and clouds, warm.
We went into town this morning to pick up the repaired minivan. I returned home in the truck with Ozzie, while Joanne refilled our five gallon water jug and bought fresh produce before driving back home in the minivan.
This afternoon we harvested Saskatoons. For the last time this year. The Saskatoons are beginning to shrivel and dry. I did some minor work in the camper and on my bicycle. And I removed the hub caps and wheel liners from the truck in preparation for brake service next week. We went to the swimming pool and did cardiac rehab exercises. I barbecued excellent Dan-O-Cheeseburgers for supper.
DSK
Sunday, July 1, 2018
June 24 to 30, 2018 ; home to Calgary Stampede Park & return
Sunday ; Sunny and hot.
Late this morning I made Saskatoon ( berry ) pancakes for brunch. WOW ... they were good ! I set up the Sun Oven and made ( liquid ) smoked, maple syrup glazed / candied Rainbow Trout. We'll take them ( two small fish ) with us on our trailer delivery job as "road lunch".
Joanne did a lot of gardening again today. I washed the very filthy truck. I did not feel comfortable showing up tomorrow for a fairly long distance, fairly expensive trailer towing job for a new client with a truck that looked like it had just done a tour of duty on the streets of Beirut ! We visited with neighbours / friends Bob and Chris, and their one year old Pomeranian Shelby, on their deck. We prepared for our upcoming trailer delivery job to Calgary. I prepared the truck and trailer towing equipment / supplies. Joanne prepared food and clothing.
Monday ; home to Penticton to Golden, BC
The day started out sunny and warm at home, rain starting while we were in Penticton from noon to 2 PM, becoming chilly and raining as we travelled.
This morning we continued to prepare for our trailer delivery trip to Calgary, and we left home for Penticton around 10:30 AM. We made a stop at the Post Office in Keremeos to pick up a package, then ran a couple of errands in Penticton until Joanne was due at the hospital at 12:30 PM. I dropped her off at the hospital for a mammogram, refilled the truck with diesel, ran another couple of errands, then picked Joanne up at the hospital at 1 PM.
We met our new trailer towing client at 1:15 PM at her company's storage warehouse. We hitched up to her large travel trailer and were on our way by 1:45 PM. By 2 PM we were at a highway rest area between Penticton and Summerland, having our picnic lunch in the truck, while heavy rain poured down.
North on Hwy. 97 through the entire Okanagan Valley, through Summerland, Peachland, Westbank, Kelowna, and Vernon. At Sicamous we reached Trans-Canada Hwy. 1 and turned east. Through Revelstoke, Mount Revelstoke National Park, Glacier National Park, we reached Golden and were checking into the Rondo Motel at 8:30 PM, tired and hungry.
Tuesday ; Golden, BC to Calgary Stampede Park, Calgary, Alberta and back to Golden
Mostly sunny and warm, becoming cloudy late in the afternoon.
Last night I left a wake up call at the front desk for 8 AM. At 7 AM the phone rang ... and a cheery voice advised me that it was 8 AM. DARN ! We crossed a time zone late yesterday. Oh, well ... we decided to just stay on our home time.
We left the motel around 9 AM and continued east on Trans-Canada Hwy. 1. From Golden to Field to Lake Louise to Banff to Calgary. We drove all the way across Calgary, including through downtown, to reach the Calgary Stampede Park where we met Mr. New Client. Yesterday in Penticton we dealt with Mrs. New Client. He had just arrived from Winnipeg with multiple food concession trailers and staff. He was very busy and simply wanted us to get the trailer into its assigned parking spot, unhitch ... and leave. We arrived at Stampede Park around 1:15 PM and were out of there in about half an hour.
We thought that there must be a better route to / from Stampede Park than through downtown as we had done ... with a large trailer ... < sigh >. We left Stampede Park and headed north on Hwy. 2, hoping to reach Calgary's ring road, and drive around the city instead of through it. We more or less achieved that. But ... that route was not faster. It was easier. But it was also quite a bit more mileage.
We saw a large Co-op store, with a fuel bar. It was after 2 PM. We needed to have lunch. We had lunch at the Subway restaurant near the Co-op store, then shopped for supper items in the Co-op store before refilling with diesel and hitting the road again around 3:30 PM. Shortly after leaving the Co-op mall and getting back on the highway the traffic ground to a halt. < sigh > A serious automobile accident caused us to be stuck in gridlock for about an hour.
Back through Banff National Park in Alberta, and Yoho National Park in BC, we were back at our motel in Golden at 7:30 PM, again tired and hungry.
Wednesday ; Golden, BC to home
Cloudy, warm, a bit humid.
We checked out of our motel in Golden at 10 AM and headed west on Trans-Canada Hwy. 1. Through Glacier National Park and Mount Revelstoke National Park ... frequent delays due to road reconstruction. At Sicamous we turned south on Hwy. 97A. At Armstrong we stopped at Armstrong Cheese Factory to have lunch and buy lots of cheese and ... MMMMM ... fresh cheese curds. For lunch we both enjoyed a steaming hot bowl of borscht with cheese curds added. We ... mostly I ... selected quite an assortment of cheeses and ... waited just a few minutes for today's fresh cheese curds to be ready and available. WOO-HOO ... curds so fresh they squeak.
I persuaded Joanne to make poutine for supper using the fresh curds.
From Armstrong we continued south on Hwy. 97. Traffic through Vernon was ... very heavy. Through Kelowna and Westbank / West Kelowna it was ... torture ! Rush hour gridlock ! How can people endure that day after day ? ! ? < heavy sigh > At Penticton we stopped to deposit our trailer delivery payment funds into the BMO ATM at Safeway, refill the truck with diesel at BG Fuel Bar, then wash the truck at the Great Canadian Oil Change car wash, an automatic car wash large enough to accommodate a dually pickup truck. We arrived back home at 7 PM, very tired and hungry for the third day in a row. It took nine hours to get from Golden, BC to home, a distance of slightly less than five hundred kilometres / three hundred miles !
As planned, we had ( salad and ) poutine for supper. HA ! ! ! Take THAT, you coronary artery bypass grafts ! ! ! HA HA HA HA HA !
I spent the evening getting my "to do" list reorganized. I did the accounting for the trailer delivery job just completed. You know ... the longer the trailer towing distance, the lower the profit margins. I'm a bit reluctant to undertake long distance jobs. The long distance jobs' profits may not be worth the hard, tiring work load. And ... I sort of / maybe / probably already agreed to do a very long distance trailer towing job for this new client in a couple of months.
Thursday ; Happy 54th Birthday to Joanne's sister Lorraine
Mix of sun and clouds, a few minutes of rain ... while we were picking Saskatoons, of course.
I have been waiting for over two months for two Amazon orders I placed for valve extender products. One order has still not yet arrived. The other order arrived and ...
< sputter > ... they sent the wrong item ! Tonight I demanded my money back for both orders.
We picked Saskatoons today. WOW ... nice berries ! We hadn't been picking for long when the rain started, so we abandoned the picking. Guess we'll pick more in a couple of days. We went into town and while Joanne was seeing a doctor I took my bicycle to a repair shop, refilled a five gallon water jug, and made an appointment for service on the minivan at a new auto repair facility in Keremeos. On the way out of town we stopped at Sanderson Farms to buy produce. I unloaded trailer towing equipment and supplies out of the truck and parked it back under the camper. I did annual maintenance on our four fire extinguishers. In the evening I paid bills, and reconciled June's MasterCard statement. I did credit card accounting for our recent trailer towing job. I did some trip planning for a long distance trailer towing job in mid-August.
Friday ; Cloudy, warm, windy.
Joanne spent the day in Penticton by herself running errands. I stayed at home, mostly doing work on the truck. I did preventive maintenance. I did a 6000 km. inspection. And I repaired the damaged rear wheel well liner. Plan A did not work. Plan B did.
Saturday ; Cloudy, warm, humid, windy.
Joanne did gardening. I reinstalled the repaired rear wheel well liner on the truck. We picked Saskatoons. I harvested cherry tomatoes for the first time this year.
I assembled the 4.5 foot tall ornamental windmill I purchased in Kamloops a month or so ago. Yes, yes ... I realize it's kitschy but ... we both want to have one on our rock slope / front yard.
We visited with our neighbour / friend Jeanine. And we visited with our neighbours / friends Bob and Christine to lend them our Forest Service campground book for their upcoming vacation trip.
DSK
Late this morning I made Saskatoon ( berry ) pancakes for brunch. WOW ... they were good ! I set up the Sun Oven and made ( liquid ) smoked, maple syrup glazed / candied Rainbow Trout. We'll take them ( two small fish ) with us on our trailer delivery job as "road lunch".
Joanne did a lot of gardening again today. I washed the very filthy truck. I did not feel comfortable showing up tomorrow for a fairly long distance, fairly expensive trailer towing job for a new client with a truck that looked like it had just done a tour of duty on the streets of Beirut ! We visited with neighbours / friends Bob and Chris, and their one year old Pomeranian Shelby, on their deck. We prepared for our upcoming trailer delivery job to Calgary. I prepared the truck and trailer towing equipment / supplies. Joanne prepared food and clothing.
Monday ; home to Penticton to Golden, BC
The day started out sunny and warm at home, rain starting while we were in Penticton from noon to 2 PM, becoming chilly and raining as we travelled.
This morning we continued to prepare for our trailer delivery trip to Calgary, and we left home for Penticton around 10:30 AM. We made a stop at the Post Office in Keremeos to pick up a package, then ran a couple of errands in Penticton until Joanne was due at the hospital at 12:30 PM. I dropped her off at the hospital for a mammogram, refilled the truck with diesel, ran another couple of errands, then picked Joanne up at the hospital at 1 PM.
We met our new trailer towing client at 1:15 PM at her company's storage warehouse. We hitched up to her large travel trailer and were on our way by 1:45 PM. By 2 PM we were at a highway rest area between Penticton and Summerland, having our picnic lunch in the truck, while heavy rain poured down.
North on Hwy. 97 through the entire Okanagan Valley, through Summerland, Peachland, Westbank, Kelowna, and Vernon. At Sicamous we reached Trans-Canada Hwy. 1 and turned east. Through Revelstoke, Mount Revelstoke National Park, Glacier National Park, we reached Golden and were checking into the Rondo Motel at 8:30 PM, tired and hungry.
Tuesday ; Golden, BC to Calgary Stampede Park, Calgary, Alberta and back to Golden
Mostly sunny and warm, becoming cloudy late in the afternoon.
Last night I left a wake up call at the front desk for 8 AM. At 7 AM the phone rang ... and a cheery voice advised me that it was 8 AM. DARN ! We crossed a time zone late yesterday. Oh, well ... we decided to just stay on our home time.
We left the motel around 9 AM and continued east on Trans-Canada Hwy. 1. From Golden to Field to Lake Louise to Banff to Calgary. We drove all the way across Calgary, including through downtown, to reach the Calgary Stampede Park where we met Mr. New Client. Yesterday in Penticton we dealt with Mrs. New Client. He had just arrived from Winnipeg with multiple food concession trailers and staff. He was very busy and simply wanted us to get the trailer into its assigned parking spot, unhitch ... and leave. We arrived at Stampede Park around 1:15 PM and were out of there in about half an hour.
We thought that there must be a better route to / from Stampede Park than through downtown as we had done ... with a large trailer ... < sigh >. We left Stampede Park and headed north on Hwy. 2, hoping to reach Calgary's ring road, and drive around the city instead of through it. We more or less achieved that. But ... that route was not faster. It was easier. But it was also quite a bit more mileage.
We saw a large Co-op store, with a fuel bar. It was after 2 PM. We needed to have lunch. We had lunch at the Subway restaurant near the Co-op store, then shopped for supper items in the Co-op store before refilling with diesel and hitting the road again around 3:30 PM. Shortly after leaving the Co-op mall and getting back on the highway the traffic ground to a halt. < sigh > A serious automobile accident caused us to be stuck in gridlock for about an hour.
Back through Banff National Park in Alberta, and Yoho National Park in BC, we were back at our motel in Golden at 7:30 PM, again tired and hungry.
Wednesday ; Golden, BC to home
Cloudy, warm, a bit humid.
We checked out of our motel in Golden at 10 AM and headed west on Trans-Canada Hwy. 1. Through Glacier National Park and Mount Revelstoke National Park ... frequent delays due to road reconstruction. At Sicamous we turned south on Hwy. 97A. At Armstrong we stopped at Armstrong Cheese Factory to have lunch and buy lots of cheese and ... MMMMM ... fresh cheese curds. For lunch we both enjoyed a steaming hot bowl of borscht with cheese curds added. We ... mostly I ... selected quite an assortment of cheeses and ... waited just a few minutes for today's fresh cheese curds to be ready and available. WOO-HOO ... curds so fresh they squeak.
I persuaded Joanne to make poutine for supper using the fresh curds.
From Armstrong we continued south on Hwy. 97. Traffic through Vernon was ... very heavy. Through Kelowna and Westbank / West Kelowna it was ... torture ! Rush hour gridlock ! How can people endure that day after day ? ! ? < heavy sigh > At Penticton we stopped to deposit our trailer delivery payment funds into the BMO ATM at Safeway, refill the truck with diesel at BG Fuel Bar, then wash the truck at the Great Canadian Oil Change car wash, an automatic car wash large enough to accommodate a dually pickup truck. We arrived back home at 7 PM, very tired and hungry for the third day in a row. It took nine hours to get from Golden, BC to home, a distance of slightly less than five hundred kilometres / three hundred miles !
As planned, we had ( salad and ) poutine for supper. HA ! ! ! Take THAT, you coronary artery bypass grafts ! ! ! HA HA HA HA HA !
I spent the evening getting my "to do" list reorganized. I did the accounting for the trailer delivery job just completed. You know ... the longer the trailer towing distance, the lower the profit margins. I'm a bit reluctant to undertake long distance jobs. The long distance jobs' profits may not be worth the hard, tiring work load. And ... I sort of / maybe / probably already agreed to do a very long distance trailer towing job for this new client in a couple of months.
Thursday ; Happy 54th Birthday to Joanne's sister Lorraine
Mix of sun and clouds, a few minutes of rain ... while we were picking Saskatoons, of course.
I have been waiting for over two months for two Amazon orders I placed for valve extender products. One order has still not yet arrived. The other order arrived and ...
< sputter > ... they sent the wrong item ! Tonight I demanded my money back for both orders.
We picked Saskatoons today. WOW ... nice berries ! We hadn't been picking for long when the rain started, so we abandoned the picking. Guess we'll pick more in a couple of days. We went into town and while Joanne was seeing a doctor I took my bicycle to a repair shop, refilled a five gallon water jug, and made an appointment for service on the minivan at a new auto repair facility in Keremeos. On the way out of town we stopped at Sanderson Farms to buy produce. I unloaded trailer towing equipment and supplies out of the truck and parked it back under the camper. I did annual maintenance on our four fire extinguishers. In the evening I paid bills, and reconciled June's MasterCard statement. I did credit card accounting for our recent trailer towing job. I did some trip planning for a long distance trailer towing job in mid-August.
Friday ; Cloudy, warm, windy.
Joanne spent the day in Penticton by herself running errands. I stayed at home, mostly doing work on the truck. I did preventive maintenance. I did a 6000 km. inspection. And I repaired the damaged rear wheel well liner. Plan A did not work. Plan B did.
Saturday ; Cloudy, warm, humid, windy.
Joanne did gardening. I reinstalled the repaired rear wheel well liner on the truck. We picked Saskatoons. I harvested cherry tomatoes for the first time this year.
I assembled the 4.5 foot tall ornamental windmill I purchased in Kamloops a month or so ago. Yes, yes ... I realize it's kitschy but ... we both want to have one on our rock slope / front yard.
We visited with our neighbour / friend Jeanine. And we visited with our neighbours / friends Bob and Christine to lend them our Forest Service campground book for their upcoming vacation trip.
DSK
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)