Sunday ; Sunny and mild.
This morning I conducted a 6000 km. inspection on the truck, part of getting it ready for the long drive south. Like us, that truck isn't getting any younger. Using "Awesome" spray cleaner, I scrubbed the poutine gravy stains off my shoes. HA HA HA ! When
I was walking from the food vendor back to the truck camper in the parking lot at the Adams River Sockeye run last Thursday, I spilled poutine gravy all over my feet. HA HA HA ! We took Ozzie for a long walk, and I returned a book to the library in the clubhouse. Ozzie got snarled and snapped at by a female English Springer Spaniel who was off leash along our riverfront walking path. PUT YOUR DAMN DOG ON A LEASH, ASSHOLE !
After lunch and a nap we went to visit our neighbour / friend Jeanine. After supper
I worked on Joanne's spousal RRIF annual withdrawal details.
Monday ; Sunny and mild.
Fall pre-departure preparations slowly continue. I harvested the remaining lettuce in our garden, then tilled the garden. I checked the truck tire air pressures. I phoned the pharmacy to check on the prescriptions I am waiting for. HMPH ... not ready yet. I shut down our furnace ... completely ... after using it all last winter. Turned off the power at the electrical panel. Turned off the blower motor switch. Turned off the gas valve. Cleaned the filter. Hope to never have to use the furnace again. This home, and its furnace, are now twelve years old, and the furnace has been used for only one winter.
I prepared some travel documents. You know ... the "proof" that U.S. Customs & Border Patrol requires to prove that we don't intend to illegally remain in the United States beyond our six month allowance. HA HA HA ! Right ! Old Canadians ... in declining health ... living in a country with "free" / universal health care ... just might want to become illegal "Merkins". HA HA HA < SNORT > HA HA ! They're so ****ing s****d !
I did some work on our long range financial planning. Because Joanne's 65th birthday is not too far off, OAS follows that, as does income from some annuity type investment products we have. Got to "keep our ducks in a row" ! And in the evening I began working on my medication inventory records. What do I have at home ? In the
camper ? In the trailer in Yuma ? What's on order at the pharmacy ? What more do
I need ? Buy it here ? Buy it in Mexico ?
Tuesday ; Sunny and mild. Not too many of these nice fall days left.
Fall pre-departure preparations continue. Treated Ozzie's ears and brushed his ( six ) teeth, a regular weekly job. Ears remain infection free. WOO-HOO ! Made some phone calls. Disconnected and / or removed solar lighting in the yard. Found our old American cell phone. Charged its battery. Will try to reactivate it before we depart in a week. Did monthly computer backup procedures in the evening. Filled out my BC voting referendum forms. Watched a new episode of “Highway Thru Hell”. Makes me eager to never spend another winter here !
Wednesday ; Sunny and mild.
I spent much of the day on the telephone ; making calls, missing calls, lots of telephone tag ... ! All of the calls were with our travel medical insurer. Who has worked very hard, for over two months, to manipulate / back me further and further into a corner. Until there is insufficient time to permit me to purchase travel medical insurance elsewhere. And today presented me with two options ; bad and worse ! ! ! Pay more than double the two thousand dollars they have already charged me for six months worth of travel medical insurance coverage, or ... delay our departure for three weeks. It's a long and aggravating story / explanation. I won't even bother !
I chose the three week delayed departure.
And ... I am NOT happy about it ! ! ! ! !
So ... I might as well start my campaign as soon as possible ;
ANYONE WHO NEEDS TRAVEL MEDICAL INSURANCE ... DON'T CHOOSE MEDIPAC. THEY ARE NOT TRUSTWORTHY ! ! ! ! ! AND THEY PROVIDE EXCEPTIONALLY POOR CUSTOMER SERVICE !
Let's hope ... and pray, if you are so inclined ... that we won't need to make a claim with them over this upcoming winter season. Because ... if they work that hard to make it that difficult to purchase travel medical insurance, I am certain that they would put an extraordinary amount of effort into finding ways to deny claims made.
Thursday ; Cloudy and cool.
And yet another day goes by where MEDIPAC fails to do what they said yesterday would get done today ! ! ! ! ! Have lost count of how may times this has happened in the past two and a half months ! ! ! ! !
Spent much of today thinking about and revising travel plans. Neighbour / friend Jeanine came over for a visit this afternoon. Late this morning we went into town to pick up prescriptions, refill water jug, refill propane tank, buy produce. Had a "medications review" meeting with pharmacist.
Friday ; Penticton
Cloudy and mild.
Today was another long day of running errands in Penticton. It was supposed to be our last errand day in Penticton before departing for the winter, but ... obviously ... now that is not the case.
At home in the evening I worked on reconciling and paying our October MasterCard billing. YIKES ! And trip planning. Planning where to have American Thanksgiving dinner ( Seven Feathers Casino in Southern Oregon ) and where to buy SAS shoes and maybe a laptop computer on Black Friday ( Medford in Southern Oregon ).
Saturday ; Sunny and mild. We continued trip planning and preparations today.
I got hired today to tow a trailer next Thursday, my last trailer towing job of the year, no doubt. It means taking the camper off the truck, reinstalling the fifth wheel hitch, then removing the hitch and reinstalling the camper after the job is completed. Lots of work, but ... oh, well ! It makes up for / is exactly the same amount of revenue as the job I lost a few weeks ago due to a "dead" truck.
DSK
Sunday, October 28, 2018
Sunday, October 21, 2018
October 14 to 20, 2018
Sunday ; Sunny and mild.
This afternoon I cleaned both the small barbecue in the camper and the larger "home" barbecue. YUCK ! The home barbecue is now cleaned and stored for the winter. The camper barbecue is now cleaned and ready for use as we travel.
We planted a hazelnut tree in the park. I would like it to be a memorial tree for Bo. Joanne found this little hazelnut seedling in our composter early last spring and transplanted it into a pot. It grew well over the last six months or so, and we decided to plant it in the park near some mature hazelnut trees, hoping that it will be pollinated by being in proximity to other hazelnut trees.
Because of the very nice fall weather we took a couple of long, leisurely walks with Ozzie today, stopping frequently to chat with neighbours. And ... I said goodbye to Jake, a twelve year old beagle who lives in the park. He is ill and his life will probably have to end tomorrow.
Monday ; Penticton
Sunny and mild.
Late this morning we drove into Keremeos and I paid the bill for the truck repairs, but left the truck there at the auto repair facility in Keremeos until we were returning home from Penticton in the evening. We continued on to Penticton and spent a long, tiring day running errands in Penticton, including a doctor's appointment for me, and a meeting with our financial advisor. While I was seeing my doctor Joanne took the minivan to Canadian Tire and had the headlights aimed. When we were driving home in the early evening ... AHHHHH ... that's better !
On the way home we stopped in Keremeos again, Joanne refilled our five gallon water jug, and I drove the truck home.
Tuesday ; Sunny and mild.
I awoke at 6 AM to ... < sniff, sniff ... ahem > ... clean the litter box. And since that was 9 AM Toronto time, I phoned our travel medical insurer to find out what the hell is going on with our travel medical insurance policies, which we should have received in the mail at least a couple of weeks ago. AND ... < sputter > ... after some telephone tag,
I received a phone call from their doctor later in the morning. Medipac has decided that ... I need to fill out MORE forms ... provide a copy of my last echocardiogram and ... < sputter > … pay an additional $200 administrative fee ! ! !
With not enough time left before departure to switch to another travel medical insurer,
I feel as if there is no alternative. I'm livid, and feel manipulated. Despite their excellent reputation, I am extremely dissatisfied and will not be doing business with Medipac in the future ! Too bad I don't really have any other viable option for this upcoming winter season. I will take any and every opportunity I get to "bad mouth" Medipac to my Canadian Snowbird acquaintances. I hope Medipac thinks the extra two hundred bucks they suck out of me will be worth the lost future business I hope to cause them !
While walking Ozzie around lunch time we were joined by our neighbour Colleen and her new Cocker Spaniel puppy Quincy. Colleen has been having difficulty controlling Quincy while walking. Joanne took Quincy's leash, and we "pack walked" him with Ozzie. It didn't take Quincy very long to accept following Ozzie, his new "pack leader". Well done, Quincy. And ... well done, Ozzie.
Before lunch I drove into Keremeos to take my new prescriptions to the pharmacy to be filled. While I was there I got a flu shot. In the afternoon we mounted Elsie the camper back onto the bed of Lanoire the truck, in preparation for departure tomorrow on a short ( two day ) trip to see the Adams River Sockeye Salmon run.
Wednesday ; home to Kamloops
Sunny and mild at home, cold in the evening at Kamloops.
This morning we finished our preparations for departure, then took Ozzie for a long walk, accompanied by our neighbour Dave with Quincy the Cocker Spaniel puppy, before departing at noon. We headed west on Crowsnest Hwy. 3 to Princeton, then north on Hwy. 5A to Hwy. 97C, the Coquihalla - Okanagan Connector, then west to Merritt. At Merritt we refilled with diesel at the Mobil / Extra Foods Fuel Bar, then
I parked in the grocery store parking lot to take a nap for an hour.
After I napped we continued north on Hwy.5, the Coquihalla / "Highway Thru Hell". Minutes after leaving Merritt a passing car threw a stone up into our windshield, making a "star" chip in the glass. DARN ! As soon as we arrived in Kamloops, just before
6 PM, we headed for Canadian Tire where I bought a windshield stone chip repair kit. By the time it got dark at 6:30 PM I had completed about 95% of the repair procedures. I will finish the repair tomorrow morning. The last part of the repair requires sunlight to cure the resin.
We left the Canadian Tire parking lot and drove a short distance to the Visitor Information Centre, our boondock "home" for tonight. While Joanne prepared supper,
I turned on the 12 volt DC to 120 volt AC inverter, plugged the TV into the inverter outlet, raised the rooftop antenna, and began searching for "over the air" TV signals. Found one signal, and fortunately it was the Global Okanagan feed from Kamloops. WOO-HOO ... the Global network carries Survivor, which is what we wanted to watch.
Thursday ; Kamloops to Adams River to Penticton
Mostly cloudy, cool.
This morning we dumped our waste holding tanks and refilled our freshwater tank at the Kamloops Visitor Information Centre before departing. We headed east on
Trans-Canada Hwy. 1 to Squilax where we turned north to Tsútswecw Provincial Park, and the "Salute To The Sockeye" Festival at the Adams River Sockeye Salmon spawning grounds.
This is a "dominant" Sockeye spawning year. Every fourth year, the Sockeye population is very high. This year about 750,000 Sockeye will be returning, over a three week period, to this small section of this small river to spawn ... then die. It's an astounding spectacle to witness. We did it once before, twelve years ago. When we arrived late this morning there were many school buses, and MANY school children there on field trips, to view and learn about the Sockeye life cycle. What a great way to learn !
We walked down to the river, then ambled along the riverbank for an hour or so marvelling at the sight of all those large, green headed, red bodied Sockeye Salmon jockeying for position to lay eggs or fertilize eggs, in water too shallow to cover their bodies. We returned to the camper and fed Ozzie ... ( "HEY ... MY LUNCH IS LATE !" ) ... then wandered around the small vendors' area, looking at Sockeye Salmon related Native arts and crafts. The food vendors' area was interesting, so ... for lunch we had Russian Borscht, a grilled Sockeye Salmon fillet on a bun, and an extremely large order of very good poutine. What do I care ? My arteries are bypassed ! HA HA HA
< SNORT > HA HA ! The poutine fed both of us for lunch and supper !
Because it was chilly Ozzie was wearing his multi-coloured fleece sweater. We call it his clown suit. He was a big hit with the teenaged schoolgirls. "< giggle giggle > He's SOOOOO adorable < giggle giggle>". HA HA HA ... who knew ?
We left the provincial park around 3 PM and headed east on TCH 1 to Salmon Arm where we parked in a shopping mall and I had a nap. At 5 PM we left Salmon Arm heading south on Hwy. 97B, then Hwy. 97A to Vernon, our planned destination for tonight. On the way we stopped at Armstrong to buy some cheese curds, but we were too late, the cheese factory closed at 5 PM. At Enderby we stopped to take Ozzie for a walk around a lovely municipal park.
When we arrived at Vernon about 6:30 PM, we were neither hungry nor tired, so we decided to continue south on Hwy. 97. Same decision at Kelowna. Same decision at Westbank. We stopped for the night at 8:15 PM in Penticton. Joanne has an appointment here tomorrow, and we have errands to run here. We boondocked overnight in the Wal-Mart parking lot.
Sunny and mild.
We spent the day in Penticton, running errands. Joanne had a medical appointment in the afternoon. We arrived back at home around 5 PM. Emma was very glad to see us, after being left home alone for two and a half days.
Saturday ; Sunny and mild.
This morning I finished the windshield chip repair that I started a couple of days ago. I did some work on the camper, removing an empty propane tank, and refilling the freshwater tank. Joanne helped me carry the fifth wheel hitch into the shed, to put it into storage for the winter. I drained the remaining two ( of our four ) garden hoses, and put them into winter storage in the shed. Joanne worked on camper interior cleaning. Late in the afternoon we went to the swimming pool for an exercise session.
Eleven days to winter departure !
DSK
This afternoon I cleaned both the small barbecue in the camper and the larger "home" barbecue. YUCK ! The home barbecue is now cleaned and stored for the winter. The camper barbecue is now cleaned and ready for use as we travel.
We planted a hazelnut tree in the park. I would like it to be a memorial tree for Bo. Joanne found this little hazelnut seedling in our composter early last spring and transplanted it into a pot. It grew well over the last six months or so, and we decided to plant it in the park near some mature hazelnut trees, hoping that it will be pollinated by being in proximity to other hazelnut trees.
Because of the very nice fall weather we took a couple of long, leisurely walks with Ozzie today, stopping frequently to chat with neighbours. And ... I said goodbye to Jake, a twelve year old beagle who lives in the park. He is ill and his life will probably have to end tomorrow.
Monday ; Penticton
Sunny and mild.
Late this morning we drove into Keremeos and I paid the bill for the truck repairs, but left the truck there at the auto repair facility in Keremeos until we were returning home from Penticton in the evening. We continued on to Penticton and spent a long, tiring day running errands in Penticton, including a doctor's appointment for me, and a meeting with our financial advisor. While I was seeing my doctor Joanne took the minivan to Canadian Tire and had the headlights aimed. When we were driving home in the early evening ... AHHHHH ... that's better !
On the way home we stopped in Keremeos again, Joanne refilled our five gallon water jug, and I drove the truck home.
Tuesday ; Sunny and mild.
I awoke at 6 AM to ... < sniff, sniff ... ahem > ... clean the litter box. And since that was 9 AM Toronto time, I phoned our travel medical insurer to find out what the hell is going on with our travel medical insurance policies, which we should have received in the mail at least a couple of weeks ago. AND ... < sputter > ... after some telephone tag,
I received a phone call from their doctor later in the morning. Medipac has decided that ... I need to fill out MORE forms ... provide a copy of my last echocardiogram and ... < sputter > … pay an additional $200 administrative fee ! ! !
With not enough time left before departure to switch to another travel medical insurer,
I feel as if there is no alternative. I'm livid, and feel manipulated. Despite their excellent reputation, I am extremely dissatisfied and will not be doing business with Medipac in the future ! Too bad I don't really have any other viable option for this upcoming winter season. I will take any and every opportunity I get to "bad mouth" Medipac to my Canadian Snowbird acquaintances. I hope Medipac thinks the extra two hundred bucks they suck out of me will be worth the lost future business I hope to cause them !
While walking Ozzie around lunch time we were joined by our neighbour Colleen and her new Cocker Spaniel puppy Quincy. Colleen has been having difficulty controlling Quincy while walking. Joanne took Quincy's leash, and we "pack walked" him with Ozzie. It didn't take Quincy very long to accept following Ozzie, his new "pack leader". Well done, Quincy. And ... well done, Ozzie.
Before lunch I drove into Keremeos to take my new prescriptions to the pharmacy to be filled. While I was there I got a flu shot. In the afternoon we mounted Elsie the camper back onto the bed of Lanoire the truck, in preparation for departure tomorrow on a short ( two day ) trip to see the Adams River Sockeye Salmon run.
Wednesday ; home to Kamloops
Sunny and mild at home, cold in the evening at Kamloops.
This morning we finished our preparations for departure, then took Ozzie for a long walk, accompanied by our neighbour Dave with Quincy the Cocker Spaniel puppy, before departing at noon. We headed west on Crowsnest Hwy. 3 to Princeton, then north on Hwy. 5A to Hwy. 97C, the Coquihalla - Okanagan Connector, then west to Merritt. At Merritt we refilled with diesel at the Mobil / Extra Foods Fuel Bar, then
I parked in the grocery store parking lot to take a nap for an hour.
After I napped we continued north on Hwy.5, the Coquihalla / "Highway Thru Hell". Minutes after leaving Merritt a passing car threw a stone up into our windshield, making a "star" chip in the glass. DARN ! As soon as we arrived in Kamloops, just before
6 PM, we headed for Canadian Tire where I bought a windshield stone chip repair kit. By the time it got dark at 6:30 PM I had completed about 95% of the repair procedures. I will finish the repair tomorrow morning. The last part of the repair requires sunlight to cure the resin.
We left the Canadian Tire parking lot and drove a short distance to the Visitor Information Centre, our boondock "home" for tonight. While Joanne prepared supper,
I turned on the 12 volt DC to 120 volt AC inverter, plugged the TV into the inverter outlet, raised the rooftop antenna, and began searching for "over the air" TV signals. Found one signal, and fortunately it was the Global Okanagan feed from Kamloops. WOO-HOO ... the Global network carries Survivor, which is what we wanted to watch.
Thursday ; Kamloops to Adams River to Penticton
Mostly cloudy, cool.
This morning we dumped our waste holding tanks and refilled our freshwater tank at the Kamloops Visitor Information Centre before departing. We headed east on
Trans-Canada Hwy. 1 to Squilax where we turned north to Tsútswecw Provincial Park, and the "Salute To The Sockeye" Festival at the Adams River Sockeye Salmon spawning grounds.
This is a "dominant" Sockeye spawning year. Every fourth year, the Sockeye population is very high. This year about 750,000 Sockeye will be returning, over a three week period, to this small section of this small river to spawn ... then die. It's an astounding spectacle to witness. We did it once before, twelve years ago. When we arrived late this morning there were many school buses, and MANY school children there on field trips, to view and learn about the Sockeye life cycle. What a great way to learn !
We walked down to the river, then ambled along the riverbank for an hour or so marvelling at the sight of all those large, green headed, red bodied Sockeye Salmon jockeying for position to lay eggs or fertilize eggs, in water too shallow to cover their bodies. We returned to the camper and fed Ozzie ... ( "HEY ... MY LUNCH IS LATE !" ) ... then wandered around the small vendors' area, looking at Sockeye Salmon related Native arts and crafts. The food vendors' area was interesting, so ... for lunch we had Russian Borscht, a grilled Sockeye Salmon fillet on a bun, and an extremely large order of very good poutine. What do I care ? My arteries are bypassed ! HA HA HA
< SNORT > HA HA ! The poutine fed both of us for lunch and supper !
Because it was chilly Ozzie was wearing his multi-coloured fleece sweater. We call it his clown suit. He was a big hit with the teenaged schoolgirls. "< giggle giggle > He's SOOOOO adorable < giggle giggle>". HA HA HA ... who knew ?
We left the provincial park around 3 PM and headed east on TCH 1 to Salmon Arm where we parked in a shopping mall and I had a nap. At 5 PM we left Salmon Arm heading south on Hwy. 97B, then Hwy. 97A to Vernon, our planned destination for tonight. On the way we stopped at Armstrong to buy some cheese curds, but we were too late, the cheese factory closed at 5 PM. At Enderby we stopped to take Ozzie for a walk around a lovely municipal park.
When we arrived at Vernon about 6:30 PM, we were neither hungry nor tired, so we decided to continue south on Hwy. 97. Same decision at Kelowna. Same decision at Westbank. We stopped for the night at 8:15 PM in Penticton. Joanne has an appointment here tomorrow, and we have errands to run here. We boondocked overnight in the Wal-Mart parking lot.
Friday ; Penticton
Sunny and mild.
We spent the day in Penticton, running errands. Joanne had a medical appointment in the afternoon. We arrived back at home around 5 PM. Emma was very glad to see us, after being left home alone for two and a half days.
Saturday ; Sunny and mild.
This morning I finished the windshield chip repair that I started a couple of days ago. I did some work on the camper, removing an empty propane tank, and refilling the freshwater tank. Joanne helped me carry the fifth wheel hitch into the shed, to put it into storage for the winter. I drained the remaining two ( of our four ) garden hoses, and put them into winter storage in the shed. Joanne worked on camper interior cleaning. Late in the afternoon we went to the swimming pool for an exercise session.
Eleven days to winter departure !
DSK
Sunday, October 14, 2018
October 7 to 13, 2018
Sunday ; Cloudy and mild.
We worked on yard and garden cleanup today. Joanne continued to work on cleaning up our front yard rock slope. I helped with the difficult removal of some Russian Sage. I removed my tomato plants. And I removed the beans from our vegetable garden. Indoors we cleaned and drained the living room air conditioner. I removed the microwave upper vent panel ... YUCK ... and Joanne cleaned it.
Joanne baked a boneless lamb shoulder for our Thanksgiving dinner tonight. And she prepared a mint sauce using fresh mint from our garden. Great dinner ! Thank you.
What am I thankful for this year ? ! ? That we live in a country with a great health care system that immediately provided me with the health care I needed to save my life a year ago.
Monday ; Thanksgiving ( Canadian )
Raining and cold. < sigh >
I did some yard cleanup and winter preparation work this morning. This afternoon we went to the swimming pool and did an exercise session. We walked Ozzie and
I returned a book to the library. I watered and turned our composter, maybe for the final time this year. I drained, cleaned and stored two of our four garden hoses.
And I spent a fair amount of time in bed with Emma, reading a book ( me ) and snoozing ( both of us ).
Tuesday ; Sunny and cool.
Today I finished removing the Russian Sage from our front yard rock slope. Joanne wanted them truly removed, so that they won't grow back. I used a reciprocating saw, and a power drill with a large bit, to cut and drill and damage the roots as much as
I could. I adjusted the air in all seven truck tires. I did some other truck preventive maintenance to get it ready for travel. Just before supper I went bicycling. BRRRRR ... getting too cold for bicycling !
WOO-HOO ... more episodes of "Highway Thru Hell".
Wednesday ; Daniel's 64th birthday
Cloudy and cool. Happy Birthday to me ! Joanne presented me with a pile of birthday gifts to unwrap over breakfast. First was a double size version of my favourite chocolate bar. Then ... some toiletries she bought on her recent trip to Winnipeg ; beeswax and honey soap, goat's milk and sage soap, beeswax and sunflower oil body lotion, goat's milk, chamomile and calendula face wash, beeswax and lemon lip balm. WOW ! There was also a wild herb smudge bundle ( to burn ) that she made herself at a "Culture Days" workshop. And ... finally ... a paper bag filled with Milkweed pods. She had planned a fun activity for us of busting open the ripe pods, harvesting the seeds with their little fluffy parachutes, and planting the seeds, to grow Milkweed flowers to attract bees and butterflies. BUT ... HA HA HA ... since she acquired the pods a week and a half ago ... they completely dried out, and burst open, leaving a small paper bag filled with Milkweed seeds on their little fluffy parachutes.
This afternoon I finalized arrangements with a trailer towing repeat client for a job on Friday. So ... we went outdoors to remove the camper off the truck. And weren't able to complete that task, because I couldn't drive the truck out from underneath the camper. Because ... the truck's two batteries are dead ! Charging them with a battery charger did not work. Jump starting the truck from our minivan did not work. Jump starting the truck from a neighbour's large diesel truck with two large batteries did not work. I spent the evening shopping online for batteries. And found what I need ... immediately ... at NAPA in Oliver. NAPA in Keremeos and Penticton don't have stock immediately available. Guess I'll be heading to Oliver early tomorrow morning !
Before supper we walked down into our park's burn pile area and scattered all the Milkweed seed pods, throwing them into the air and letting the wind carry them away on their little parachutes. HA HA HA ... what fun ! Thank you for such a unique birthday present, my dear. And then ... I burned the herb bundle in the living room ( on a pie plate ) and filled the house with the aroma of burning sage and other wild herbs.
Joanne prepared my favourite meal as a birthday treat, and we ate it while watching Survivor. At bedtime she presented me with a birthday cake ... with lit candles. Thank you, Joanne, for making my birthday special. Well ... except for the dead batteries part. HA HA HA !
Thursday ; Sunny and cool.
I was up at 6 AM and outside working on the truck by 7 AM. I removed the truck's two batteries, cleaned the battery cables and trays, and was leaving at 8:10 AM heading for Oliver to pick up two new truck batteries at NAPA Auto Parts. Yesterday, online, the Keremeos NAPA store showed no stock of the batteries that were a match for my truck. Nevertheless, as I drove past the Keremeos NAPA store I decided to stop in and check, to be sure. Well ... they had stock of two batteries that were right for my truck, although slightly better and, of course, more expensive than the ones that I had chosen online, and were waiting for me at the Oliver store. But ... my time has value, so ...
I bought the slightly more expensive batteries in Keremeos, and avoided about two and a half hours of driving to Oliver and back.
I returned home, installed the two new batteries, turned the key in the ignition and ... nothing ! < sigh > The batteries weren't the problem. < sigh > Even though the old batteries were near or at the end of their life. So ... I phoned my emergency roadside assistance provider, and waited two hours for a tow truck to arrive.
The tow truck driver got my truck pulled out from underneath the camper, then took a long time to get ready to tow my truck into Keremeos. He had to disconnect the rear driveshaft in order to tow my truck with the dually rear wheels on the ground. And the tow truck driver was sick today with a migraine headache, so ... he was a bit slow and ... didn't have the right tools needed to disconnect my truck's rear driveshaft. Good thing I had the correct tools ! ! ! By the time he got my truck towed into Total Performance Automotive in Keremeos it was 2 PM.
I returned home, and cancelled my trailer towing job scheduled for tomorrow. And
I REALLY HATE cancelling a trailer towing job ! Hopefully the client will reschedule with me for next week. I will have to reimburse her for the wasted transport permit she purchased for having her trailer towed tomorrow.
Late in the day Total Performance Automotive phoned me with the diagnosis of the truck's problem. Not at all surprising to me, the starter needs to be replaced. Oh, well ... so this truck "eats" a starter once every thirteen years. My last truck "ate" one every six months !
Friday ; our 44th anniversary
Sunny and mild. Our 44th anniversary did not unfold quite as had been planned, nevertheless ... Happy Anniversary, my love !
This morning I had ANOTHER phone call with our travel medical insurer. And then ... spent much of the rest of the day stewing and fuming about it. Our travel medical insurance policies still seem to be lost somewhere in their bureaucratic Never-Never Land, and I can't seem to get answers. While Medipac has an excellent reputation as a travel medical insurer, so far ... my dealings with them have been quite unsatisfactory !
AND ... < sputter > ... my trailer towing client has "fired" me, so to speak, and has found someone else to tow her trailer. And I can't blame her at all. I was supposed to do her job today. And not only did I fail to be able to do that ... I still can't tell her when I will be able to do the job for her. My truck repairs were not completed today. Maybe Monday !
This afternoon I "rebuilt" our yard fence which I had disassembled and removed to facilitate having the truck pulled out of the yard by a tow truck yesterday. And while we carried the heavy concrete bicycle stand back to position, Joanne dropped her end, and ... < taking a deep breath > ... that injured my sternum ! Again ! It's still healing from the injury I inflicted upon it a few weeks ago by lifting the fifth wheel hitch by myself into the bed of the truck.
Before supper ... ( at home, because we had cancelled our "dinner out" plans ) ... we went to the swimming pool for an exercise session. After supper I planned an outing next week to see the Adams River Sockeye Salmon run.
Saturday ; Sunny and mild.
Today we continued slowly preparing for departure at the end of the month. I did a bit of outdoor work in the yard, cleaning and storing things for the winter. And I did work that I have been procrastinating doing on my fishing tackle, both my fly fishing equipment and traditional spinning reel equipment. All my tackle is now ready for next year.
We went for a couple of long walks with Ozzie. We bumped into and chatted with neighbours that haven't been here in over a year. And just before supper I went bicycling. Such nice fall weather !
DSK
We worked on yard and garden cleanup today. Joanne continued to work on cleaning up our front yard rock slope. I helped with the difficult removal of some Russian Sage. I removed my tomato plants. And I removed the beans from our vegetable garden. Indoors we cleaned and drained the living room air conditioner. I removed the microwave upper vent panel ... YUCK ... and Joanne cleaned it.
Joanne baked a boneless lamb shoulder for our Thanksgiving dinner tonight. And she prepared a mint sauce using fresh mint from our garden. Great dinner ! Thank you.
What am I thankful for this year ? ! ? That we live in a country with a great health care system that immediately provided me with the health care I needed to save my life a year ago.
Monday ; Thanksgiving ( Canadian )
Raining and cold. < sigh >
I did some yard cleanup and winter preparation work this morning. This afternoon we went to the swimming pool and did an exercise session. We walked Ozzie and
I returned a book to the library. I watered and turned our composter, maybe for the final time this year. I drained, cleaned and stored two of our four garden hoses.
And I spent a fair amount of time in bed with Emma, reading a book ( me ) and snoozing ( both of us ).
Tuesday ; Sunny and cool.
Today I finished removing the Russian Sage from our front yard rock slope. Joanne wanted them truly removed, so that they won't grow back. I used a reciprocating saw, and a power drill with a large bit, to cut and drill and damage the roots as much as
I could. I adjusted the air in all seven truck tires. I did some other truck preventive maintenance to get it ready for travel. Just before supper I went bicycling. BRRRRR ... getting too cold for bicycling !
WOO-HOO ... more episodes of "Highway Thru Hell".
Wednesday ; Daniel's 64th birthday
Cloudy and cool. Happy Birthday to me ! Joanne presented me with a pile of birthday gifts to unwrap over breakfast. First was a double size version of my favourite chocolate bar. Then ... some toiletries she bought on her recent trip to Winnipeg ; beeswax and honey soap, goat's milk and sage soap, beeswax and sunflower oil body lotion, goat's milk, chamomile and calendula face wash, beeswax and lemon lip balm. WOW ! There was also a wild herb smudge bundle ( to burn ) that she made herself at a "Culture Days" workshop. And ... finally ... a paper bag filled with Milkweed pods. She had planned a fun activity for us of busting open the ripe pods, harvesting the seeds with their little fluffy parachutes, and planting the seeds, to grow Milkweed flowers to attract bees and butterflies. BUT ... HA HA HA ... since she acquired the pods a week and a half ago ... they completely dried out, and burst open, leaving a small paper bag filled with Milkweed seeds on their little fluffy parachutes.
This afternoon I finalized arrangements with a trailer towing repeat client for a job on Friday. So ... we went outdoors to remove the camper off the truck. And weren't able to complete that task, because I couldn't drive the truck out from underneath the camper. Because ... the truck's two batteries are dead ! Charging them with a battery charger did not work. Jump starting the truck from our minivan did not work. Jump starting the truck from a neighbour's large diesel truck with two large batteries did not work. I spent the evening shopping online for batteries. And found what I need ... immediately ... at NAPA in Oliver. NAPA in Keremeos and Penticton don't have stock immediately available. Guess I'll be heading to Oliver early tomorrow morning !
Before supper we walked down into our park's burn pile area and scattered all the Milkweed seed pods, throwing them into the air and letting the wind carry them away on their little parachutes. HA HA HA ... what fun ! Thank you for such a unique birthday present, my dear. And then ... I burned the herb bundle in the living room ( on a pie plate ) and filled the house with the aroma of burning sage and other wild herbs.
Joanne prepared my favourite meal as a birthday treat, and we ate it while watching Survivor. At bedtime she presented me with a birthday cake ... with lit candles. Thank you, Joanne, for making my birthday special. Well ... except for the dead batteries part. HA HA HA !
Thursday ; Sunny and cool.
I was up at 6 AM and outside working on the truck by 7 AM. I removed the truck's two batteries, cleaned the battery cables and trays, and was leaving at 8:10 AM heading for Oliver to pick up two new truck batteries at NAPA Auto Parts. Yesterday, online, the Keremeos NAPA store showed no stock of the batteries that were a match for my truck. Nevertheless, as I drove past the Keremeos NAPA store I decided to stop in and check, to be sure. Well ... they had stock of two batteries that were right for my truck, although slightly better and, of course, more expensive than the ones that I had chosen online, and were waiting for me at the Oliver store. But ... my time has value, so ...
I bought the slightly more expensive batteries in Keremeos, and avoided about two and a half hours of driving to Oliver and back.
I returned home, installed the two new batteries, turned the key in the ignition and ... nothing ! < sigh > The batteries weren't the problem. < sigh > Even though the old batteries were near or at the end of their life. So ... I phoned my emergency roadside assistance provider, and waited two hours for a tow truck to arrive.
The tow truck driver got my truck pulled out from underneath the camper, then took a long time to get ready to tow my truck into Keremeos. He had to disconnect the rear driveshaft in order to tow my truck with the dually rear wheels on the ground. And the tow truck driver was sick today with a migraine headache, so ... he was a bit slow and ... didn't have the right tools needed to disconnect my truck's rear driveshaft. Good thing I had the correct tools ! ! ! By the time he got my truck towed into Total Performance Automotive in Keremeos it was 2 PM.
I returned home, and cancelled my trailer towing job scheduled for tomorrow. And
I REALLY HATE cancelling a trailer towing job ! Hopefully the client will reschedule with me for next week. I will have to reimburse her for the wasted transport permit she purchased for having her trailer towed tomorrow.
Late in the day Total Performance Automotive phoned me with the diagnosis of the truck's problem. Not at all surprising to me, the starter needs to be replaced. Oh, well ... so this truck "eats" a starter once every thirteen years. My last truck "ate" one every six months !
Friday ; our 44th anniversary
Sunny and mild. Our 44th anniversary did not unfold quite as had been planned, nevertheless ... Happy Anniversary, my love !
This morning I had ANOTHER phone call with our travel medical insurer. And then ... spent much of the rest of the day stewing and fuming about it. Our travel medical insurance policies still seem to be lost somewhere in their bureaucratic Never-Never Land, and I can't seem to get answers. While Medipac has an excellent reputation as a travel medical insurer, so far ... my dealings with them have been quite unsatisfactory !
AND ... < sputter > ... my trailer towing client has "fired" me, so to speak, and has found someone else to tow her trailer. And I can't blame her at all. I was supposed to do her job today. And not only did I fail to be able to do that ... I still can't tell her when I will be able to do the job for her. My truck repairs were not completed today. Maybe Monday !
This afternoon I "rebuilt" our yard fence which I had disassembled and removed to facilitate having the truck pulled out of the yard by a tow truck yesterday. And while we carried the heavy concrete bicycle stand back to position, Joanne dropped her end, and ... < taking a deep breath > ... that injured my sternum ! Again ! It's still healing from the injury I inflicted upon it a few weeks ago by lifting the fifth wheel hitch by myself into the bed of the truck.
Before supper ... ( at home, because we had cancelled our "dinner out" plans ) ... we went to the swimming pool for an exercise session. After supper I planned an outing next week to see the Adams River Sockeye Salmon run.
Saturday ; Sunny and mild.
Today we continued slowly preparing for departure at the end of the month. I did a bit of outdoor work in the yard, cleaning and storing things for the winter. And I did work that I have been procrastinating doing on my fishing tackle, both my fly fishing equipment and traditional spinning reel equipment. All my tackle is now ready for next year.
We went for a couple of long walks with Ozzie. We bumped into and chatted with neighbours that haven't been here in over a year. And just before supper I went bicycling. Such nice fall weather !
DSK
Sunday, October 7, 2018
September 30 to October 6, 2018 ; home to Lower Mainland / Vancouver area and return
Sunday ; home to Princeton to Chilliwack to Abbotsford
Cloudy, chilly, raining lightly at home, raining steadily as I drove, cold in the evening at the rest area near Abbotsford.
This morning I did household chores, completed packing and preparing for travel, and left home at 12:20 PM heading west on Crowsnest Hwy. 3. I stopped in Princeton to buy some groceries. I stopped at a rest area near Hope to take a nap. Ozzie and
I were cold and tired. From Hope I continued westbound on Trans-Canada Hwy. 1.
I stopped at Canadian Tire in Chilliwack to buy a couple of items I need to do a project on the camper next week. I arrived at the Mile Marker 99 rest area near Abbotsford at 6:15 PM. It was completely dark within an hour of arrival.
I got set up in a pull through RV site ... with 120V AC power ... fed and walked Ozzie, and did some online work until it was time to make supper. After having supper at 8 PM, I washed dishes, walked Ozzie again, and continued working on the computer until going to bed early.
Monday ; Abbotsford to Surrey to Chilliwack to home
Heavy rain all day, until near home.
Woke at 7 AM with departure from rest area planned for 8 AM and pick up of Joanne at Abbotsford Airport at 8:30 AM. Joanne awoke in Winnipeg at 3 AM BC time for 5 AM BC time departure from Winnipeg Airport. Her flight arrived in Abbotsford fifteen minutes late, at 8:15 AM. I arrived to pick her up about ten minutes late, at 8:40 AM.
We were both eagerly anticipating Ozzie's "big hello" for Joanne's return. Very surprisingly to both of us ... there was no "big hello". Ozzie seemed ... pissed off at Joanne. Maybe that's understandable, given that he has been abandoned firstly by Gord upon his death, then Marcie when she left to go live with her son in the Lower Mainland, and now, for the third time, by his "new mommy" Joanne.
From Abbotsford Airport we returned to Trans-Canada Hwy. 1, and drove a short distance west to the rest area at Mile Marker 77 Westbound. We had breakfast and chatted for awhile before continuing west on TCH 1, then south on Hwy. 15 to Royal City Bedding in Surrey where we ordered a custom fabricated foam and latex mattress for the camper. We ordered a custom fabricated mattress very similar to the one we had custom fabricated in Parksville on Vancouver Island about thirteen years ago for Harvey the fifth wheel trailer. We've always LOOOOOVED that mattress in the fifth wheel.
After ordering the mattress we returned to TCH 1 and headed back east, to Chilliwack. We shopped for advertised grocery specials at Superstore, then refilled with diesel at Petro-Canada. By the time we left Chilliwack at 2:30 PM I was already really sick and tired of the cold, heavy rain. We continued east on TCH 1 to Hope, then east on Crowsnest Hwy. 3, through Manning Provincial Park to Princeton. Through Manning the rain began to diminish, as expected. By the time we reached Princeton, the rain had just about stopped, as expected. By the time we reached home at 5:40 PM ... no more rain ... as expected. That's one of the main reasons why we live here !
After supper, Joanne ( and Ozzie ) went to bed very early, around 9 PM.
Maybe Ozzie’s pissed off at her for leaving for ten days, but ... I missed her and I’m very glad that she’s home.
Tuesday ; Cloudy, windy, very cold.
This morning as soon as I went outside I noticed ... < sigh > ... the truck had a flat tire. Oh, well ... better to have a flat tire on the driveway than while on the highway in pouring rain. When I went to check out the possible cause, I discovered that one of the 135 degree valve adaptors had broken ... < sigh >. So ... my "new" method of dually tire valve extenders is resulting in as many problems ... or more ... than my "old" method of dually tire valve extenders.
I removed the broken valve adaptor, installed a new one ... good thing I had just received the four spares that I had ordered ... and ... the new one broke as I installed it. < very deep sigh > Cheap junk made in Hong Kong ! When we get to Yuma, Arizona in November I will order American made ones that cost about four times more.
While walking Ozzie this morning we discovered ... WOO-HOO ... Shaggy Mane Mushrooms. They grow here about one week a year. We harvested a dog poop pickup bag full ... HA HA HA ... and Joanne prepared them as part of supper. Which was stuffed Portobello Mushroom caps. SO ... supper was stuffed mushrooms with a side dish of mushrooms ! HA HA HA ! And fresh green beans from our garden.
Wednesday ; Sunny and cold.
Today I very sadly recall the death of Bo one year ago.
And we spent the better part of today angry and/or hurt and/or squabbling and/or sniping.
Late in the afternoon we went to the swimming pool and did cardiac rehab aquatic exercises. While eating supper we watched Survivor and then Chicago Med.
Thursday ; Penticton
Sunny and cold.
Spent the day in Penticton, running errands, including getting a haircut and beard trim at the cosmetology school. Second and probably last time I will go there. Cost is a teensy bit cheaper than going to my regular stylist in Keremeos, but ... takes more than twice as long, and ... both times I was there the young women / students who cut my hair and beard were ... pleasant, but ... such bimbos !
Friday ; Sunny and cold.
It's time to start our fall pre-departure preparations. We're leaving for the winter in about four weeks.
This afternoon we went to the swimming pool and did a cardiac rehab exercise session.
This evening I binge watched The Discovery Channel, which is available on a free preview basis this month. WOO-HOO ... Highway Thru Hell ! It certainly is ... we spent a lot of time on that highway this year !
Saturday ; Sunny and mild.
We have both been eagerly awaiting this nice weather day this week, to get some outdoor work done. I recaulked a section of the camper, removing old, dried, cracked caulking, and applying new silicone caulking. Joanne worked on our front yard rock slope, cutting out and cleaning out perennial and annual plants and flowers. Our neighbour / friend Jeanine came over for a visit late in the afternoon.
DSK
Cloudy, chilly, raining lightly at home, raining steadily as I drove, cold in the evening at the rest area near Abbotsford.
This morning I did household chores, completed packing and preparing for travel, and left home at 12:20 PM heading west on Crowsnest Hwy. 3. I stopped in Princeton to buy some groceries. I stopped at a rest area near Hope to take a nap. Ozzie and
I were cold and tired. From Hope I continued westbound on Trans-Canada Hwy. 1.
I stopped at Canadian Tire in Chilliwack to buy a couple of items I need to do a project on the camper next week. I arrived at the Mile Marker 99 rest area near Abbotsford at 6:15 PM. It was completely dark within an hour of arrival.
I got set up in a pull through RV site ... with 120V AC power ... fed and walked Ozzie, and did some online work until it was time to make supper. After having supper at 8 PM, I washed dishes, walked Ozzie again, and continued working on the computer until going to bed early.
Monday ; Abbotsford to Surrey to Chilliwack to home
Heavy rain all day, until near home.
Woke at 7 AM with departure from rest area planned for 8 AM and pick up of Joanne at Abbotsford Airport at 8:30 AM. Joanne awoke in Winnipeg at 3 AM BC time for 5 AM BC time departure from Winnipeg Airport. Her flight arrived in Abbotsford fifteen minutes late, at 8:15 AM. I arrived to pick her up about ten minutes late, at 8:40 AM.
We were both eagerly anticipating Ozzie's "big hello" for Joanne's return. Very surprisingly to both of us ... there was no "big hello". Ozzie seemed ... pissed off at Joanne. Maybe that's understandable, given that he has been abandoned firstly by Gord upon his death, then Marcie when she left to go live with her son in the Lower Mainland, and now, for the third time, by his "new mommy" Joanne.
From Abbotsford Airport we returned to Trans-Canada Hwy. 1, and drove a short distance west to the rest area at Mile Marker 77 Westbound. We had breakfast and chatted for awhile before continuing west on TCH 1, then south on Hwy. 15 to Royal City Bedding in Surrey where we ordered a custom fabricated foam and latex mattress for the camper. We ordered a custom fabricated mattress very similar to the one we had custom fabricated in Parksville on Vancouver Island about thirteen years ago for Harvey the fifth wheel trailer. We've always LOOOOOVED that mattress in the fifth wheel.
After ordering the mattress we returned to TCH 1 and headed back east, to Chilliwack. We shopped for advertised grocery specials at Superstore, then refilled with diesel at Petro-Canada. By the time we left Chilliwack at 2:30 PM I was already really sick and tired of the cold, heavy rain. We continued east on TCH 1 to Hope, then east on Crowsnest Hwy. 3, through Manning Provincial Park to Princeton. Through Manning the rain began to diminish, as expected. By the time we reached Princeton, the rain had just about stopped, as expected. By the time we reached home at 5:40 PM ... no more rain ... as expected. That's one of the main reasons why we live here !
After supper, Joanne ( and Ozzie ) went to bed very early, around 9 PM.
Maybe Ozzie’s pissed off at her for leaving for ten days, but ... I missed her and I’m very glad that she’s home.
Tuesday ; Cloudy, windy, very cold.
This morning as soon as I went outside I noticed ... < sigh > ... the truck had a flat tire. Oh, well ... better to have a flat tire on the driveway than while on the highway in pouring rain. When I went to check out the possible cause, I discovered that one of the 135 degree valve adaptors had broken ... < sigh >. So ... my "new" method of dually tire valve extenders is resulting in as many problems ... or more ... than my "old" method of dually tire valve extenders.
I removed the broken valve adaptor, installed a new one ... good thing I had just received the four spares that I had ordered ... and ... the new one broke as I installed it. < very deep sigh > Cheap junk made in Hong Kong ! When we get to Yuma, Arizona in November I will order American made ones that cost about four times more.
While walking Ozzie this morning we discovered ... WOO-HOO ... Shaggy Mane Mushrooms. They grow here about one week a year. We harvested a dog poop pickup bag full ... HA HA HA ... and Joanne prepared them as part of supper. Which was stuffed Portobello Mushroom caps. SO ... supper was stuffed mushrooms with a side dish of mushrooms ! HA HA HA ! And fresh green beans from our garden.
Wednesday ; Sunny and cold.
Today I very sadly recall the death of Bo one year ago.
And we spent the better part of today angry and/or hurt and/or squabbling and/or sniping.
Late in the afternoon we went to the swimming pool and did cardiac rehab aquatic exercises. While eating supper we watched Survivor and then Chicago Med.
Thursday ; Penticton
Sunny and cold.
Spent the day in Penticton, running errands, including getting a haircut and beard trim at the cosmetology school. Second and probably last time I will go there. Cost is a teensy bit cheaper than going to my regular stylist in Keremeos, but ... takes more than twice as long, and ... both times I was there the young women / students who cut my hair and beard were ... pleasant, but ... such bimbos !
Friday ; Sunny and cold.
It's time to start our fall pre-departure preparations. We're leaving for the winter in about four weeks.
This afternoon we went to the swimming pool and did a cardiac rehab exercise session.
This evening I binge watched The Discovery Channel, which is available on a free preview basis this month. WOO-HOO ... Highway Thru Hell ! It certainly is ... we spent a lot of time on that highway this year !
Saturday ; Sunny and mild.
We have both been eagerly awaiting this nice weather day this week, to get some outdoor work done. I recaulked a section of the camper, removing old, dried, cracked caulking, and applying new silicone caulking. Joanne worked on our front yard rock slope, cutting out and cleaning out perennial and annual plants and flowers. Our neighbour / friend Jeanine came over for a visit late in the afternoon.
DSK
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