August 18 to 24, 2019 ; home to Duncan Lake, Kootenay Rockies

Sunday ; Princeton

Sunny and hot. A nice day to attend a music festival.

We left home this morning around 11 AM heading west on Crowsnest Highway 3 to Princeton, and day two of the annual Princeton Traditional Music Festival. We arrived there around noon, and stayed until 6 PM.

Around 4:30 PM, while we were at the Museum Stage, the smaller of the two outdoor stages, a large, black, Standard Poodle romped into the audience, then onto the stage. We had seen the dog yesterday, so knew that his owners were at the festival, probably at the other stage. The dog was obviously lost, and panicked. He jumped off the stage, ran over to the side of the stage, and peed on a musician’s guitar case. The musician was NOT amused ! ! ! Nobody else was moving, so … I jumped up, left the audience, and ran over and caught the dog. 
I dragged him over to a nearby picnic table, then sat down and tried to calm him. A woman at the picnic table read the dog’s name tag ( Julian ) and phoned the number on the tag, advising the owner where the dog was. Sure enough, she was at the other stage, and was unaware that Julian had left ! Not the sharpest knife in the drawer ! ! !

We were back home around 7 PM. Had perogies for supper while watching a documentary on the Woodstock music festival fifty years ago. < blink blink > … Geez, we’re old !

Monday ; home to Vernon

Sunny and very hot. Too hot in the camper for Emma !

This morning we prepared for departure, finished loading the camper, and left home around 12:45 PM. We stopped at Sanderson Farms in Keremeos to buy fruits and vegetables. We stopped at the Yellow Lake rest area halfway to Penticton and had lunch.

In Penticton we exchanged a defective item at Wal-Mart then went to Total Pet to buy dog food for Ozzie. They were out of stock of Ozzie’s food … < sigh >. They phoned the store in West Kelowna ( a.k.a. Westbank ) who ( allegedly ! ) said that they did not have the large bag that we wanted, but they did have a small bag. We ordered a large bag to be picked up in the Penticton store in a couple of weeks, and headed to Westbank for the small bag.

Battling regular Okanagan / Westbank / Kelowna traffic congestion we arrived at the address the Penticton store gave us for the Westbank store and … 
< sputter > … it was not there ! ! ! We returned to Hwy.97 and continued northbound, finding the pet food store in a newer, larger mall just down the road ! I waited in the truck with Ozzie while Joanne went into the store to buy the small bag of dog food. They didn’t have it ! ! !

They claimed that there must have been some manner of misunderstanding on the phone call between the two stores. < sputter … fume > They phoned the Kelowna store who ( allegedly ) had a small bag, but not a large bag, of Ozzie’s food. Off to Kelowna we went ! When we arrived at the Kelowna store, there on the shelf was … wait for it … a large bag of Ozzie’s food ! ! ! < shaking my head in despair > Yes, yes … it’s still very difficult to get good help in a pet food store ! We bought the large bag and asked the Kelowna store bimbo to phone the Penticton store bimbo and cancel our order for a large bag.

While in Kelowna we checked out a couple of malls that are apparently good overnight boondocking spots, then drove into, around, and out of the Kelowna airport so that I could have some advance familiarity with the airport before Joanne’s flight departure from there in a few weeks. We continued northbound on Hwy. 97 to our boondocking spot for tonight, the parking lot of the Superstore in Vernon, arriving around 6 PM. Boondocking acceptable, sani-dump station in the parking lot, and fuel bar beside the parking lot. Absolutely everything RV’ers need ; safe and quiet overnight parking, groceries, fuel, freshwater refill, 
sani-dump station ! Thank you, Superstore !

Tuesday ; Vernon to Armstrong to Vernon to Lost Lake Rest Area

Sunny and hot.

This morning Joanne went into Superstore to buy some groceries while I dumped our waste holding tanks and refilled our freshwater tank at Superstore’s 
sani-dump station. From there we drove north on Hwy. 97 about 20 km. / 12.5 miles to the village of Armstrong. Our destination there was … WOO-HOO … Village Cheese Factory. We arrived there around noon, and browsed for cheeses before having lunch. We bought four packages of different cheeses, put them into the fridge in the camper, then went back into the store to have lunch. AND … look through the glass wall into the factory and watch this week’s batch of cheese curds being made. WOO-HOO, WOO-HOO, WOO-HOO … a fresh batch of cheese curds was going to be ready by the time we were finished lunch.

I had a bowl of ( extra hot, of course ) beet borscht with today’s fresh cheese curds added, and a turkey baguette sandwich. Joanne had a bowl of asparagus soup with today’s fresh cheese curds added, and a ham baguette sandwich. Lunch was overpriced but … there’s not that many places where one can get 
( extra hot ) beet borscht with fresh cheese curds, n’est-ce pas ? HA HA HA ! By the time we were finished lunch today’s cheese curds were ready for sale. An employee was bringing packages of cheese curds out from the factory floor, a few packages at a time, after pricing them, and … she was not getting an opportunity to place the packages on the shelf. People were lined up to take them from her as soon as she came through the factory door into the store. HA HA HA

We got a package of cheese curds ( twenty-seven bucks a kilo ! ), paid for them, and left. OOOOO … cheese curds so fresh they squeak loudly when you chew them ! ! ! HA HA HA ! AND … we discovered … Ozzie and Emma love them too ! HA HA HA HA HA !

We drove south on Hwy. 97 back to Vernon where I returned to Superstore to refill Lanoire with diesel. AND … Joanne decided … since we had fresh curds … she should run back into the store and buy a can of poutine gravy, and make poutine for supper tonight. WOO-HOO … HA HA HA !

We headed east on Hwy. 6 through Lumby and Cherryville and beyond. We explored forest service recreation sites / remote wilderness campgrounds as we traveled. The last one of the day … we failed to find. HMPH ! After about twenty km. of rough gravel road, which became a terrible dirt road, one lane wide, we failed to find the campground which should have been at about km. marker 17 on the forest service road. SO … we turned around, and drove twenty km. back to the highway. HMPH !

We stopped for the night at Lost Lake Rest Area, at the Monashee Summit on Hwy. 6. For supper we had fresh corn picked and bought yesterday at Sanderson Farms, and … poutine ! It was SOOOOO GOOOOD !

Wednesday ; Lost Lake Rest Area to Box Lake BCFSRS

Mostly sunny and warm, a bit of light drizzle in the evening.

We got a late start to our day, leaving the Lost Lake Rest Area shortly before noon. We continued east on Hwy. 6 until we reached the Lower Arrow Lake ferry at Needles. It’s a free ferry that takes just a few minutes to cross Lower Arrow Lake, from Needles on the west side to Fauquier on the east side. While on the ferry a similar Lance camper on a similar Dodge truck was parked beside us. 
I chatted with the Alberta young couple that were travelling in a rig similar to ours … with three young children ! YIKES !

After crossing Lower Arrow Lake on the ferry we continued eastbound on Hwy. 6. We stopped at McDonald Creek Provincial Park to have a late lunch and refill our freshwater tank. We continued northeast on Hwy. 6 until reaching Nakusp where the highway turns southeast. About 10 km. / 6 miles after Nakusp we turned off the highway to reach Box Lake Forest Service Recreation Site remote wilderness campground.

Box Lake is the first British Columbia Forest Service Recreation Site remote wilderness campground that we went to, about a dozen years ago. We have no recollection of why we were inspired to try to reach a remote wilderness campground while towing a large fifth wheel trailer, but … we did ! Joanne remembered Box Lake with fondness and wanted to return.

After enduring the difficult, rough two km. trail to reach Box Lake we found an empty site and settled in. We chatted with a woman who was carrying a beautiful, fragrant, large mushroom that she identified as a Pine Mushroom. We were not familiar with anything called a Pine Mushroom, and our Mushroom Hunter book has no listing for that name. The woman said that Pine Mushrooms and Lobster Mushroom were now “in season” in this area.

We took Ozzie for a long walk, and searched for mushrooms as we hiked down a forest trail. The terrain was cedar forest, with ground ferns and moss. Rainforest ! I found a batch of mushrooms that I thought were Boletes, probably King Boletes. I harvested a dog poop bag full. HA HA HA ! Joanne found a batch of mushrooms that seemed likely to be Lobster Mushrooms, a type of mushroom we have never seen except in our Mushroom Hunter book. I harvested a dog poop bag full of those as well.

We returned to our campsite and got our Mushroom Hunter book. It was easy to determine that what we thought were Lobster Mushrooms were indeed. What we thought were King Boletes were not so obvious. Finally we each tasted a tiny, raw piece of a mushroom. YUCK ! Very bitter aftertaste. A bit more research brought me to the conclusion that these were Bitter Boletes, an inedible member of the Bolete family. Joanne was convinced that they were Death Caps. GEE … 
I certainly hope not. We had each eaten a tiny piece. I am writing this about four hours later and we haven’t died yet, so … ! Wish us luck. HA HA HA !

The Lobster Mushroom is very interesting. It starts out as a nondescript, somewhat tasteless type of mushroom, and only becomes an edible, tasty Lobster Mushroom when it becomes “invaded” by a microscopic parasite. So … it’s only edible and tasty as a parasitized fungus. HA HA HA ! Joanne sauteed them for supper. They were good !

I lit a campfire and cooked burgers on the open fire. Cheese curds on top of the burgers. Lobster Mushrooms on the side !

Thursday ; Box Lake BCFSRS

Sunny and warm, a lovely day for relaxing by a beautiful mountain lake.

After morning chores we went for a long mushroom hunting hike in the cedar rainforest with Ozzie. We’ve never seen him so eager and happy ! The trail through the forest was soft, covered in cedar needles, the forest floor covered in moss. He excitedly trotted ahead of us, then behind, then off the trail into the forest to check things out … repeat as necessary. HA HA HA ! We hiked for quite awhile, perhaps an hour or so, and he covered about three times the distance that we did. That would explain his five hour afternoon nap. HA HA HA !

We were looking for more Lobster Mushrooms, or perhaps Pine Mushrooms. What we found were … Cauliflower Mushrooms. We picked a poop bag full. This was another type of mushroom that we had never seen before, except in our Mushroom Hunter book.

HEY ! I’m sitting at the picnic table in our campsite, typing this at 5:30 PM, and a little wasp has just landed on my laptop screen. GO AWAY !

A few minutes ago I discovered that I forgot to bring my laptop’s power cord, so … in a few days the laptop battery will run out of power, and … I won’t be able to write my daily journals. HMPH !

After lunch Joanne cleaned the Cauliflower Mushrooms. We will have them for dinner tomorrow, in pasta. The Lobster Mushrooms that we ate yesterday with our burgers were good, and caused us no stomach upset, so … they are safe to eat. Hope the same is true of the Cauliflower Mushrooms.

In the evening I lit a campfire and cooked packets of meat, potatoes, and vegetables over the open fire. After dinner we sat around the campfire enjoying the lovely evening … and the single mother / tween daughter drama next door. HA HA HA !

Friday ; Box Lake BCFSRS to Duncan Lake

Overcast, warm, intermittent light rain in the evening.

This morning as we were leaving the Box Lake campground, we “hunted for mushrooms” as we slowly drove the two km. of rough dirt trail back to the highway. I saw a solitary Lobster Mushroom in the rainforest on my side of the road, stopped, and picked it. Before reaching the highway Joanne thought she saw a Lobster Mushroom in the rainforest on her side of the road. OH MY GOODNESS ! ! ! Not only was there a batch of Lobster Mushrooms, one of them was HUGE ! We picked them ! AND … nearby we found a White Russala Mushroom, the “host” for the microscopic parasite that then turns it into a Lobster Mushroom. Our Mushroom Hunter book says that where Lobster Mushrooms exist … invaded by the parasites … there will be no parasite free White Russalas. HMPH ! Proved that wrong today !

We drove southeast on Hwy. 6 to New Denver where we shopped, but did not buy anything, at the weekly Farmers’ Market. We drove about 5 km. / 3 miles out of town to Rosebery Provincial Park to check it out, and have lunch there. As we drove throughout the day, as we passed provincial parks or forest service roads leading to remote wilderness campgrounds, we checked them out. After lunch we drove back into New Denver where we dumped our waste tanks and refilled our freshwater tank at the municipal campground, then went to the grocery store in town to buy some luncheon meats and buns.

We drove east on Hwy. 31A to Kaslo where we refilled the truck with diesel, and refilled our five gallon water jug at a grocery store. From Kaslo we headed north on Hwy. 31, along the west side of Kootenay Lake. We checked out a couple of provincial parks on the way. At the northern tip of Kootenay Lake we took a gravel road about 15 km. / 9 miles along the east shore of Duncan Lake to Glacier Creek Regional Park, an unserviced campground on Duncan Lake. While Joanne prepared a surprise ( for me ) appetizer for dinner, I fished from our lakeside campsite, catching and releasing a Mountain Whitefish.

Joanne’s “surprise” appetizer was sauteed Lobster Mushrooms, picked this morning, covered in Havarti Cheese ( from Village Cheese in Armstrong a few days ago ) then baked in the oven. < big eyes > It was stupendous ! In the evening she cleaned and cooked the rest of the Lobster Mushrooms, packing them in ( three ! ) plastic containers and freezing them for later use, probably to make Lobster Mushroom Bisque, a recipe in our Mushroom Hunter book.

Saturday ; Glacier Creek Regional Park on east side of Duncan Lake to Howser BCFSRS on west side of Duncan Lake

Mostly sunny and warm, a few drops of rain around 5 PM.

This morning we refilled our freshwater tank at Glacier Creek Regional Campground before leaving around 11 AM. We drove south on the gravel road about 15 km. back to Hwy. 31 where we turned north, following the west side of Duncan Lake. Just north of the tiny village of Meadow Creek we took a detour to view the Kokanee Salmon spawning channel on Meadow Creek … the creek, not the village. HMPH ! No spawning Kokanee Salmon yet ! We continued north on Hwy. 31 to Howser Station Road, then turned east. Through the village of Howser, then just a few more km. to Howser BCFSRS remote wilderness campground, on the west side of Duncan Lake. It’s a small unserviced campground with about half a dozen sites. We selected a site, had a late lunch, then I napped with Ozzie.

After napping I went fishing for about half an hour or so, catching nothing. But it was nice to be sitting on a large piece of driftwood, on the pebble beach, fishing in the emerald green lake surrounded by mountains.

We went for a long mushroom hunting hike. Joanne found a few more Lobster Mushrooms which we picked. Her “mushroom hunter” eyes are better than mine. HA HA HA ! Once again Ozzie had a wonderfully happy time on the hike. It’s very rewarding to see him so happy, so late in his life. Back at the camper, when Joanne began to clean the Lobster Mushrooms, she found that their flesh was a bit spongy, so she discarded them. The previous ones we picked all had firm flesh.

Shortly after 6 PM I lit a campfire. I baked potatoes over the fire, then grilled a thick, juicy, marinated steak on the fire. MMMMM … great supper ! We shared a tiny bottle of Zinfandel wine we bought in Los Algodones, Mexico last winter.

DSK

August 11 to 17, 2019

Sunday ; Cloudy, windy, chilly. HMPH ! What a change !

Joanne went into town to buy some groceries and refill our five gallon water jug. 

I did routine household chores. Around suppertime we went to the pool and exercised. I did some trip planning. We’re going on a brief “vacation” trip in a week or so. Mind you … our entire lives are a “vacation”, n’est-ce pas ?

Monday ; Sunny and warm.

Joanne went to Penticton today by herself for a day of running errands. I had an easy day at home. I took Ozzie for a couple of longer than usual walks. I puttered around with some yard and garden work. I put the camper onto the truck.

Tuesday ; Sunny and warm.

Another slow, lazy day. I did some camper preparation work today. We’re going camping / travelling next week. We gave Ozzie a bath. We went to the swimming pool and exercised. After supper we watched Amazing Race Canada.

Wednesday ; Sunny and warm.

Joanne became very ill in the middle of the night with a stomach flu like illness. She slept until noon, then was slightly ill for the entire day. I went fly fishing in the Similkameen River this afternoon for two hours. I caught three Rainbow Trout, lost one before getting it in the net due to sloppy handling on my part … < fume > … kept two, and caught one Whitefish which I released. I seem to not be having as much fly fishing success in the Similkameen River as I have had in previous years.

Thursday ; Sunny and very warm. Joanne cooked a “barbecued / pulled” beef roast in the Sun Oven today.

She continued to be slightly ill today.

I did some preparations for our upcoming camping trip, loading all my fishing gear into the camper. In the afternoon I cleaned our barbecue thoroughly. YUCK ! Joanne cleaned the truck interior. YUCK ! I did some online set-up work for a new U.S. cell phone service provider I want to try this winter season.

Friday ; Sunny and warm, a bit windy.

I felt really “off” today, mentally and emotionally.

This morning I bought two tickets to see the fiftieth anniversary “resurrection” performance of the musical rock opera Jesus Christ Superstar in Las Vegas in a few months. The tickets went on sale this morning. Fifty years ? ! ? Wow … we’re old ! I paid some bills online. I did some Alaska Marine Highway trip planning for next summer. We went to the swimming pool and exercised. I barbecued Steelhead Trout for supper.

Saturday ; Princeton

Mostly sunny and warm, intermittent chilly wind late in the afternoon.

After regular routine morning chores we packed a picnic lunch, left home around noon and headed west on Crowsnest Highway 3 to Princeton, about an hour away. Today was the first day of the two day annual Princeton Traditional Music Festival.

We spent from 1 PM to 6 PM in Princeton, wandering back and forth between the three music stages in town, with musical acts changing every half hour. Two stages were outdoors, one was in the town’s library. We’ve attended the Princeton Traditional Music Festival many times before and have always enjoyed the eclectic mix of “traditional” musicians. Today was no exception. And as in previous years, this year there were “new” performers ; some blues artists, a blues “workshop”, a military band, a Doukhobor choir.

We were home around 7 PM. We’ll be back there tomorrow.

DSK

August 4 to 10, 2019

Sunday ; Sunny and hot. Joanne cooked a Peach Morning Glory cake, followed by a sausage and beans casserole, in the Sun Oven today.

I did some maintenance on our bedroom evaporative ( swamp ) cooler. Did some online investment analysis work, and posted my weekly blog entry. Joanne had a long phone chat with her sister.

At 6 PM we went to the swimming pool to do our cardiac exercises ( me ) and sore shoulder exercises ( Joanne ).

Monday ; Sunny and very hot, temperature around 100º F / 38º C. Joanne cooked a Sloppy Joe’s meat sauce in the Sun Oven today.

Late yesterday I discovered a long weekend seat sale at Swoop Air, with an excellent deal on flights from Kelowna to Winnipeg. Had a late evening discussion with Joanne, sent an e-mail to her sister in Winnipeg, and this morning after receiving a response from her sister, I booked flights for Joanne to Winnipeg and back in early September.

This afternoon I reviewed the biographies of all the performers appearing at the upcoming Princeton Traditional Music Festival, and planned our attendance. Late in the afternoon we went to the swimming pool and exercised. It was refreshing to be in the pool on such a hot day.

Tuesday ; Sunny and very hot, temperature over 100 degrees F. Joanne cooked a potato au gratin dish in the Sun Oven today to accompany the chicken sausages I barbecued.

This morning we went into town to run some errands. I went to the hardware store. They didn’t have what I needed. Joanne went to the grocery store to buy milk. And bought over fifty bucks worth of meat and Sockeye Salmon on sale.

I went fishing this afternoon. I fished for about an hour and a half. I caught one Rainbow Trout. But … I had many, many “bites”. I could see the fish dart up from underneath and “swipe” at my fly, without taking it in their mouth, sometimes leaping right out of the water, but still “missing” the fly. Sometimes, they would suck the fly into their mouth, then immediately spit it out. HMPH ! The bright sunlight, very hot temperature, and warm water makes the fish … sort of “lazy”, 

I guess. I look forward to mid-September, when the trout get really “hungry”.

Wednesday ; Penticton

Sunny and very hot, temperature over 100º F again.

This morning we headed to Penticton for another day of running errands, a physiotherapy appointment for Joanne, and to attend the opening shows of PeachFest late in the afternoon. Things did not work out quite as planned.

We left home around 11:30 AM. We arrived in Penticton about half an hour before Joanne’s physiotherapy appointment at 1 PM, so we went shopping at Canadian Tire. At Joanne’s physiotherapy appointment she had physiotherapy, and acupuncture, as before, but today the therapist added electrotherapy. Her treatments took fifty minutes. I read a newspaper, and … fell asleep in our minivan. HA HA HA !

We spent from 2 PM until 5 PM running shopping errands. At 5 PM we headed downtown to attend the first of two opening attractions of PeachFest ; the Canadian Forces Skyhawks Parachute Team’s show from 5 to 5:30 PM, and the Canadian Forces Snowbirds Air Demonstration Squadron … ( YAAAAAYYYYY ) … from 6 to 6:30 PM. The traffic into downtown was so congested that we watched the parachutists perform as we crawled along in gridlock traffic, everybody unsuccessfully trying to find a parking spot near Okanagan Lake Park.

As the Skyhawks Parachute Team’s show ended around 5:30 PM … we gave 
up !  I wanted to just drive home and have supper. Joanne wanted to go to Dairy Queen to have ice cream treats … and maybe hamburgers for supper. So … you know … < sigh > … we went to Dairy Queen. As we ate our hamburgers and ice cream treats we occasionally saw Snowbirds flying by, so we got to see a bit of their performance. We left Dairy Queen around 6:30 PM and as we drove by Penticton Airport a few minutes later I pulled over and we watched all nine Snowbirds’ approaches over Skaha Lake and landings on runway 34. Some waggled their wings at all the people on Skaha Lake Beach that were watching. Some “blew smoke” as they passed over the beach.

As we drove away from Penticton, towards Kaleden we could see a huge “mushroom cloud” of thick wildfire smoke over Oliver. We stopped in Keremeos to make a purchase on our way home. We arrived home just in time to watch the series finale of Love Island. HA HA HA !

It was somewhat disappointing to learn that McLeod’s and Shmegelsky’s bodies had been found near Gillam, Manitoba this morning. It was obvious why our neighbour’s son-in-law was killed by them near Dease Lake / Stikine River Bridge, but … what the hell was the reason why they killed the young couple near Liard River Hot Springs ? ! ?

Thursday ; Sunny and very hot, probably the last day of the current heat wave.

Spent a long time on the phone … AGAIN … trying to get a credit card “points” problem resolved. We recently got new MasterCards and Joanne’s is not earning “points” as it should. And every time I phone them … I speak to people who speak English with a heavy African accent. I can’t understand their English, and they can’t understand mine ! ! !

Wrote yesterday’s journal entry. Did yesterday’s credit card accounting. YIKES ! Went to the swimming pool and did exercises. Did some fly fishing gear maintenance. Did some meal planning. Specifically … our weekly fish meal planning. Fish meals are my responsibility. I catch them … or buy them … and once per week I prepare them.

Friday ; Cloudy and hot.

This morning I did some planning work for Joanne’s upcoming trip to Winnipeg, making arrangements for her to visit and tour the seniors’ condominium development in Dugald that we wish to move to in a couple of years.

In the afternoon we went to the swimming pool and did cardiac exercises … at the same time as Joanne did laundry. I cooked Cutthroat Trout caught by me at Crooked River in June, pan fried and butter basted for dinner tonight. Very nice ! After supper we watched Downton Abbey.

Saturday ; Cloudy, very warm, intermittent thunderstorms.

This afternoon we attended a “Celebration of Life” for our neighbour / friend Bob, who died almost two months ago. His widow Christine and their two sons hosted this memorial. Their grandchildren, Bob’s siblings, many other family members, and a large contingent of friends and neighbours attended. A large luncheon was prepared by women in our community, including Joanne.

Bob died of a heart valve malfunction. He had a malfunctioning heart valve replaced seven years ago, but … something went wrong a couple of months ago, and deteriorated rapidly. Coupled with medical community uncertainty and “buck passing” … the result was today’s “Celebration of Life”

You were a good man, Bob. And you are missed. Rest in peace !

Late this afternoon I made “campfire starters” using a cardboard egg crate, dryer lint, and melted paraffin wax, a technique I learned as a Boy Scout about fifty years ago or so. I downloaded and reconciled some monthly investment statements. We went for a long walk with Ozzie, who is relieved that the heat wave is over. During the latest heat wave he has been unwilling to go for walks. We’ve been limiting his walks to fairly short distances.

DSK

July 28 to August 3, 2019

Sunday ; Sunny, hot, windy.

Had a bit of a lazy day. Updated investment summaries. Posted my blog. Took Ozzie for a couple of walks. Did monthly computer backup work. Joanne did laundry, and while waiting for the laundry to be done she exercised by herself in the pool, working on her sore shoulder exercises.

Monday ; Sunny and hot.

After routine morning chores I decided to go fishing. I walked to my “secret fishing hole” about twenty minutes upstream to find that the Similkameen River “topography” has changed for the second summer in a row. I fished for an hour and a half, catching two Rainbow Trout and one Whitefish. I kept the Rainbows. HMPH ! The larger, stronger Whitefish bent my favourite Muddler Minnow fly. The return hike back home was much more difficult than the hike to the fishing spot. Probably because on the hike back home I was sun burned, very hot, slightly dehydrated, and somewhat “out of fuel” / hungry.

I decided that the strenuous hike to and from my fishing spot sufficed as my cardiac exercising for the day so … Joanne went to the swimming pool by herself this afternoon. I napped ! HA HA HA !

Late this afternoon while transferring our GPS from the truck to the minivan Joanne broke the GPS mount. < fume >

Tuesday ; Penticton

Sunny and hot.

We left home this morning at 11 AM, with our ( now surplus ) forty pound propane tank in the minivan. I had advertised it for sale, and sold it to a woman in Kaleden, agreeing to deliver it to her home. When we arrived at her home in Kaleden, her husband took the tank, then handed me forty dollars. UHHHHH … NO … pal … it’s seventy-five dollars ! Forty pound tank … not forty dollar tank ! ! ! The husband and wife … both elderly … seemed confused. I began to load the tank back into our minivan. The husband reluctantly coughed up seventy-five dollars !

We spent the day running errands in Penticton. Primary reason for the trip was a doctor’s appointment for me. I have been recording my blood pressure twice daily since an adjustment in the dosage of one of my heart medications about three weeks ago. The dosage adjustment seems to have put my blood pressure back “on track”. Good thing ! Now my “pre-existing condition” meets the “ninety day stability” ( prior to departure ) requirement of our travel medical insurance.

We had a wonderful lunch at a new Asian buffet restaurant. EXCELLENT food ! Chinese, Korean, and Thai. We left Penticton around 5 PM when our chores were finished and were home at 6 PM. We had a light supper before watching Amazing Race Canada.

Wednesday ; Happy 58^th Birthday to my brother Russell

Sunny and hot.

WOW ! Stunning news by e-mail this morning. We have just found out that the elderly ( well … just a few years older than us ) man killed by the Stikine River bridge near Dease Lake in Northern BC ten days ago by the two young men now being hunted by the police in Northern Manitoba was one of our neighbours’ son-in-law ! ! ! Our deepest sympathies go out to John and Shelia, their daughter and grandsons.

This morning we drove to Hedley to check our “secret” wild Apricot tree. For the second year in a row, the tree has not produced any fruit. HMPH ! Bees not doing their job ?

We went to the swimming pool mid-afternoon to exercise, but there were so many people in the pool that we did not want to go in. We went to visit with our neighbour / friend Jeanine instead. After visiting with her for awhile we returned to the pool. All that remained were a middle aged couple with their teenage son, so … we did our exercising.

After I barbecued burgers for supper we watched Love Island, Jade Fever, and Highway Thru Hell. I’m ashamed to admit … we have started watching Love Island and have become “hooked”. HA HA HA !

Thursday ; Sunny and hot.

This afternoon I did some monthly budget accounting. And some investment analyses. Joanne went to the swimming pool to do arm and shoulder exercises. 

I went bicycling.

Around suppertime I worked for about an hour providing handyman services to our next door neighbour, doing some preventive maintenance inside her trailer and on the trailer roof.

Friday ; Sunny and hot, windy.

Paid bills, reconciled bank statements, updated investment files. Went to the pool and exercised late in the afternoon. Reviewed meeting minutes and other documents received from our community homeowners’ association.

Saturday ; Sunny and hot. Joanne cooked a beef stew in the Sun Oven today.

This morning we drove into Keremeos to run some errands. Priority was the hardware store. < sputter > It was closed … today, tomorrow, and Monday. Because … Monday is a holiday. Why would they close on Saturday and Sunday because Monday is a holiday ? ! ? And you wonder why small town businesses can’t survive ? ! ? We bought quite a lot of produce at Sanderson Farms. WOW … busy place on a long weekend ! Especially after a Hell’s Angels puppet club from the Lower Mainland / Vancouver area roared in. Bunch of old men reprobate bikers … who should have gotten haircuts and real jobs long ago … buying peaches and cherries. HA HA HA ! We refilled our five gallon water jug and stopped in at the grocery store for one item.

In the afternoon I purchased our annual travel medical insurance. Despite much effort I was unable to find an acceptable alternative to MEDIPAC, who pissed me off so severely last year that I vowed not to do business with them again. I rinsed our home’s bedroom windows, the minivan, truck, and camper now that our new 

( OCD ? ) next door neighbour has finished “blow drying” her gravel yard with a leaf blower … < fume > !

In the evening I did some planning work on our next summer’s planned trip by ferries through the Inside Passage to about a half dozen or so points in Alaska. WHEW … mucho dineros !

DSK