November 9 to 15, 2025 ; Hope to Victoria, BC

 Sunday ; Hope, BC

Sunny, +9° C. A very nice fall day in a lovely small town in the Cascade Mountains.

Today was a rest day. We slept late, got a late start, went for a leisurely walk through the large municipal park across the street from our current motel, walked around town, checked out a different motel, the one we will stay at next spring on the way back home, then got in the car and ran errands.

I refilled the minivan with fuel at Centex, then we went for lunch to a new Italian Restaurant called Mia Pizza & Pasta. No pizzas though, despite their name. Wood fired oven not installed yet. Lunch was overpriced and disappointing. Three staff ; one server and two “cooks” in the “kitchen”, server doing 80% of the work, two kitchen staff sharing the remaining 20% of the workload. My take on it was that the server was “hired help”, and the two “cooks” were owner and granddaughter. After lunch we drove to Save-On-Foods to buy something for tonight’s supper and tomorrow’s lunch on the ferry.

Back at the motel I processed photos and posted my weekly blog entry, and ... had a long nap with Apollo. At 4:30 PM we went for another leisurely walk through and around the park, until it got dark and chilly at 5 PM. I spent the evening reconciling October investment statements. We spent the late part of the evening watching last night’s episode of Saturday Night Live.

Monday ; Hope to Victoria, BC

Raining and +4° C this morning in Hope. Intermittent rain as we were driving. Mix of sun and clouds, +16° C in Lower Mainland (Vancouver area) around noon, sunny and +14° C on Vancouver Island in the afternoon.

We were out of our motel in Hope at 10 AM, continuing west once again on Trans-Canada Hwy. 1. Traffic through the Fraser Valley (Chilliwack, Abbotsford, Langley) was heavy and fast ! Speed limits don’t seem to apply in the Lower Mainland region. Especially for double trailer gravel trucks spewing rocks onto windshields !

We arrived at the Tsawwassen Ferry Terminal (Vancouver) at noon, too late for the ferry departing at noon. We were on the ferry that departed at 1 PM, arriving in Swartz Bay (Vancouver Island) on the northern tip of the Saanich Peninsula at 2:35 PM. We attempted to spend the ferry ride in our car to keep Apollo calm, but we were kicked out of our car (with Apollo) by staff as the ferry was departing, and sent to a small and crowded pet room. Apollo made a new friend with Louie the French Bulldog. Joanne and I chatted with a variety of other dog owners. The two cats in carriers spent the entire journey with BIG eyes, watching the room full of strange dogs. Poor kitties !

A few minutes off the ferry we stopped at a Thrifty Foods in Sidney, and bought some food for tonight and tomorrow, and filled our five gallon water jug. It took about another half hour of driving south to reach downtown Victoria. We checked into Royal Scot Hotel & Suites at 4:15 PM. I felt exhausted ! Apollo was THRILLED to be back at the Royal Scot, in an identical suite to the one that we were in last winter. I guess a 2500 km. cross-country journey was more than enough for all of us !

Tuesday ; Remembrance Day ; LEST WE FORGET

Mostly sunny, thin clouds, +9° C.

My father was a veteran of the second world war. Remembrance Day is a big deal to me.

At 10:30 AM we left our suite at Royal Scot and walked a half a block to the BC Legislature Building where Remembrance Day ceremonies were to be conducted at the Cenotaph. There were thousands of people lining Belleville Street in front of the Legislature Building, and on the massive front lawn, and all around the Inner Harbour. Too bad that the Legions, after probably a hundred years or so of organizing Remembrance Day services here have not yet realized that they need a sound system that transmits audio out further than a few hundred feet or so.

AND ... <sputter> ... too bad that people around our age (early 70’s) are still too stupid or too ignorant to STFU during observance of a few minutes of silence at 11 AM. TO REMEMBER ! I had to “shush” the couple standing beside us. Thousands of people around us and we have to be beside the self-centred ignoramuses that don’t know when to STFU ! ! ! ! !

<taking deep breath>

Apollo was extremely well behaved, surrounded by a lot of people and a lot of dogs. Good dog, Apollo ! After the ceremonies we walked back to our hotel, got the car, and went Wal-Martin’. Oh, joy ! <sarcasm> It shouldn’t, but it still always surprises me how large our first grocery bill is when we arrive at our winter destination, and we’re “starting from scratch”. Today we spent over $250 on groceries and supplies at Wal-Mart and Dollarama at Hillside Shopping Centre. You know ... where the two storey Wal-Mart is ! <rolling my eyes> What fun to ride from floor to floor, sending one’s shopping cart up and down the shopping cart escalators beside the people escalators. <more sarcasm>

Back at our hotel suite by around 2:30 PM we had a very late lunch, then Apollo and I went for a nap while Joanne went to the hotel laundromat downstairs to do laundry.

Wednesday ; Mostly sunny, +9° C.

A restful, slow day, getting caught up on chores ; paying bills, financial records keeping, stretching exercises, lymphedema massage, restaurant research, etc. Went for a walk in the afternoon to the Legislative Building to check on this week’s menu in the Parliamentary Dining Room. Watched Survivor and Amazing Race in the evening.

Thursday ; Light rain all day, +9° C.

Was up early for a 9 AM (Victoria) / 11 AM (Winnipeg) phone appointment with my gastroenterologist to review my recent colonoscopy findings. Polyps were removed, biopsies taken, ulcerative colitis / inflammatory bowel disease in clinical remission, so ... managed effectively. I would hope so, been at this rodeo for 35 years !

At Joanne’s request I made pancakes for breakfast.

Spent much of the afternoon giving Apollo an overdue haircut. We postponed both his haircut and mine until after our arrival here in Victoria. Will probably get my haircut next Monday.

Friday ; Cloudy, +9° C., light rain in evening.

After having lunch we left Apollo in our suite and walked to Thrifty Foods which is not quite one kilometre away. We bought some advertised specials and requirements for the supper I had planned to make tonight. I paid with a $50 gift certificate I had received as an honorarium from one of the National Research Council projects that I participated in during the last year.

When we returned back home to our suite after an absence of only 1¼ hours ... Apollo was barking. I found him beside the bed, facing the wall, barking with anxiety. FFS Apollo ... we rarely leave you alone, and when we do it’s not for very long. His separation / abandonment anxiety is difficult to endure.

Joanne received an e-mail from one of her cousins, written in French. It’s about some genealogical research findings on their maternal grandmother and her eight children, one of whom was Joanne’s mother, another of whom was the cousin’s mother. The attachments are social service agency reports about the grandmother’s and her children’s illnesses with tuberculosis, hospitalizations, temporary placements in orphanages, etc. in the early 1930’s, during “The Great Depression”. I began to read the reports aloud to Joanne. It was difficult. The cousin ended her e-mail with “get your handkerchiefs ready”. She wasn’t kidding ! I was choking back tears while reading this aloud.

I read only some of it aloud to Joanne. It’s a painful and lengthy story with more to read at another time. It helps me to understand that time better, in the context of what my father was experiencing during that era of “The Great Depression”. He left home at age 12 to fend for himself. He lied about his age and enlisted in the military at age 16, going off to fight in the Second World War just so he would have a roof over his head, a bed to sleep in, and food in his belly.

Our parents had a hell of a tough life, especially as children. And they succeeded magnificently in ensuring that we, their children, never had to endure what they did, and had a much better life and opportunities than they did. THANK YOU !

I prepared an Eggs Benedict concoction for supper tonight. With smoked sockeye salmon lox, readily available here on Vancouver Island. It was very good ! Well done, Daniel !

Saturday ; Overcast, 9° C.

Around 11:30 AM we took Apollo for a long walk and headed through the James Bay neighbourhood to the James Bay Community Centre to browse their fall “garage sale”. Each of us took a turn going inside to browse while the other sat outside on a bench waiting with Apollo. Neither of us found anything worth buying. From there we headed to the White Eagle Polish Hall where for three hours every Saturday home made Polish food is available for sale at Polka Perogis [sic], a food concession trailer in the parking lot. When we got there the trailer was closed, with a sign indicating that as of today, and for the next month, until they close for the winter season, their home made food sales were indoors, inside the hall.

Joanne waited outside with Apollo while I went inside to check it out. Two “Babas” (grandmothers) were in the kitchen making perogies, holubtsi (cabbage rolls) and borscht (beet soup). I bought a tray of their frozen cabbage rolls to try, and we will likely return for more Polish food in a month when the Polish Hall holds a “Christmas Market”.

We walked home to the Royal Scot where Apollo guzzled water, scarfed his lunch, and promptly fell deep asleep in his dog bed. HA HA HA ... not quite the “hiker” he used to be. Then again ... neither are we. HA HA HA HA HA !

About an hour later we headed out again, this time in the car, for a very late lunch. We went to Benjamin’s Café, a Filipino restaurant that occasionally has a buffet day, offering many Filipino specialty dishes, buffet style. Today was one of those buffet days. Joanne discovered that a few days ago while researching Victoria restaurants, and we couldn’t pass up the opportunity to try many Filipino specialty dishes.

WOW ! That was an excellent foodie experience !

DSK

November 2 to 8, 2025 ; Moosomin, Saskatchewan to Hope, British Columbia

 Sunday ; Moosomin to Swift Current, Saskatchewan

Cold, extremely windy, overcast and light rain this morning in Moosomin, extremely windy on the highway, still windy but sunny and warmer in Swift Current.

We were out of our room this morning about 10 AM. I spent about fifteen minutes or so “discussing” the motel’s “pricing error” with the desk clerk who was unable to rectify because he “lacked authority” and the general manager neither works on weekends nor is available to her staff by telephone. OK ... I’ll just take it up with Motel 6’s head office management, (which I did this evening, by e-mail) ! I found it baffling and unacceptable that I presented a printed copy of my reservation confirmation upon check-in yesterday afternoon, and this morning they presented me with a bill that charged over $20 more than the confirmed reservation. By the time I refilled the minivan with fuel at a nearby Esso station and was pulling out of town it was 10:30 AM.

We continued westbound on Trans-Canada Hwy. 1. We stopped for lunch at a Flying J just before reaching Regina. After Regina and Moose Jaw Joanne drove for about an hour from the middle of nowhere to Herbert (I wonder if they still sell development lots in that town for one dollar ? !) while I napped. We arrived at Motel 6 in Swift Current at 4 PM.

We watched Tony Shalhoub’s Breaking Bread series on CNN while we ate dinner, then watched Sister Wives, one of the shows we watch regularly.

Monday ; Swift Current

Sunny and cold in the morning, warming slightly in the afternoon. A non-driving rest day in Swift Current. Slept late this morning. Well ... except for having to take Apollo out at 7 AM to relieve himself. At 12:30 PM we went out to refill the minivan with fuel at Canadian Tire Fuel Bar beside Motel 6, then shopping for a few groceries at Dollarama and Co-op MarketPlace, then take-out lunch at Bar Burrito, all in the shopping mall across the street from Canadian Tire Fuel Bar.

In the afternoon I received an e-mail from the General Manager of Motel 6 in Moosomin regarding yesterday’s pricing error. She met my demands for an apology and prompt refund of amount of pricing error, and provided a somewhat convoluted explanation of how error occurred. <shrug> OK ... I guess.

After a leisurely lunch in the comfort of our motel room, Apollo and I had a long snooze. The rest of the afternoon was spent reading the newspaper and working on my laptop, updating credit card transaction data, writing my journal, doomscrolling on Bluesky, etc.

At 6:30 PM we went out for an exercise walk with Apollo then drove to Kusina Swift Current, a nearby Filipino restaurant chosen by Joanne, to get some take-out food for supper. Joanne is in charge of food while we travel, whether it’s buying or preparing something to eat for lunch in the car, or restaurants to dine in or get take-out to have in motel rooms.

Well ... <blink blink> ... that was not anywhere near as good a meal as we were expecting !

Tuesday ; Swift Current, Saskatchewan to Lethbridge, Alberta

Sunny and +4° C this morning as we were leaving Swift Current at 10 AM, sunny and 9° C when we arrived in Lethbridge at 3:15 PM (6¼ hr., time zone change again).

We continued westbound on Trans-Canada Hwy. 1 to Medicine Hat, Alberta where we stopped at Superstore to buy some groceries and refill the car with fuel. After that we drove one freeway exit further and went to the Visitor Information Centre where we ate lunch in the car in the parking lot. And used their washrooms. And Apollo got to have an unleashed / “free range” shit in their small, fenced dog park. HA HA HA !

At Medicine Hat we left TCH 1, which heads NW towards Calgary, and turned onto Crowsnest Hwy. 3 which follows a more southerly route across half of Alberta and most of BC. It’s our previous “home road”. Our home at Riverside RV Park Resort near Keremeos was on Crowsnest Hwy. 3. We’ll be passing by there in a couple of days.

Crowsnest Hwy. 3, a two lane undivided highway, is a much more difficult road to drive than the four lane divided TCH 1, but for much of the year (fall, winter, spring !) Hwy. 3 is likely to have much better weather than the more northerly TCH 1, especially on the Coquihalla Hwy. (a.k.a. Highway thru Hell) stretch from Kamloops to Hope, BC.

As we arrived at Motel 6 in Lethbridge I saw that the fuel station across the street had a very good price on fuel, so before checking into the motel I refilled the car with fuel again.

<blink blink> What the hell happened to the Canadian stock market today ? ! ? Was that the result of the federal budget release today ? ? ?

We spent the evening channel switching between CBC and CNN, watching the analyses of the Canadian federal budget and the results of the US gubernatorial and mayoralty elections.

Wednesday ; Lethbridge, Alberta to Cranbrook, British Columbia

Overcast, +2° C. this morning in Lethbridge. Raining, +2° C. this afternoon in Cranbrook.

We were out of Motel 6 in Lethbridge this morning at 10 AM. We continued westbound on Crowsnest Hwy. 3, crossing from Alberta into British Columbia through the Crowsnest Pass around noon. We stopped at the Visitor Information Centre in Sparwood, BC to eat lunch in the car.

We arrived in Cranbrook around 2:30 PM, but did not go straight to our motel. We stopped at Superstore to buy a few grocery items, then drove to Cranbrook’s dog park to give Apollo an opportunity to roam around off leash for awhile. Leaving Superstore we had a close call with the minivan’s electronic operated sliding side door, coming very close to injuring (or worse !) Apollo. It left both of us very upset for a couple of hours. We checked into Motel 6 around 4 PM.

Fifteen hundred kilometres down, a thousand to go !

We ate supper while watching Amazing Race, then later in the evening we watched Survivor.

Thursday ; Cranbrook

Sunny, cold in the morning, warming in the afternoon.

By design we slept late this morning, then got a very slow start to the day. Shortly after noon we left the motel to take Apollo to the dog park, then run some errands before having a very late lunch back at the motel.

We bought a few items at Dollar Tree, refilled with fuel at Superstore Fuel Bar, then bought take-out lunch at That’s A Wrap. We returned to Motel 6, and had our wrap sandwiches with soup. A few days ago we bought some tetra packs of ready to heat and eat soups.

Today I (and 266 others) received an e-mail from a life lease seniors’ condominium in Southdale, advertising an open house yesterday, and threatening to remove us from their waitlist because we did not respond. This is the first communication we have received from this development since expressing our interest almost five years ago !

HMPH ! Pretty slim pickings on TV on Thursday evening in Cranbrook !

Friday ; Cranbrook to Osoyoos, British Columbia

Mostly cloudy, temperature ranging from -4° C to +11° C today, depending on elevation.

Last year we took three days to get from Cranbrook to Hope, stopping overnight in Christina Lake (near Grand Forks) and Princeton. This year, to trim one day off the journey, and reduce motel expenses a little, we planned to take two days to get from Cranbrook to Hope, stopping overnight in Osoyoos. <sigh> That was a mistake. Today was too long a day of driving, leaving Cranbrook at 10 AM and arriving in Osoyoos at 5 PM, dark already for about half an hour. Eight hours on the road (another time zone change today), on Crowsnest Hwy. 3 which is a difficult drive, non-divided two lanes, non-stop hills and curves from Cranbrook all the way to Hope.

Next spring, on the way back home, I think we’ll try taking the Trans-Canada Hwy. 1 all the way from Victoria to Winnipeg, which would mean Hope to Kamloops on the Coquihalla (Highway Thru Hell), then to Revelstoke and Calgary.

After checking out of Cranbrook’s Motel 6 we stopped at the dog park for a few minutes to give Apollo an opportunity for a “free range shit”. “WOO-HOO” says Apollo !

Despite having travelled this route many times in the past, and having an up to date GPS, I missed a fork in the road shortly after Salmo, routing us through Trail and Rossland on Hwy. 3B, instead of through Castlegar on Hwy. 3 which is what I had intended. Not a significant difference in distance, but certainly a more challenging section of an already difficult to drive highway. With higher elevations, and our first exposure to (a lot of) snow !

We stopped at Save-On-Foods in Creston to buy some advertised specials. We stopped to have lunch in Trail. The plan had been to stop for lunch in Castlegar, but somebody missed a turn ! We stopped at Mobil in Grand Forks to refill the minivan with fuel.

When we arrived at our motel in Osoyoos, right at the junction of Crowsnest Hwy. 3 running east/west from Medicine Hat, Alberta to Hope, BC, and Hwy. 97, running north/south all the way from the northern Okanagan region, to the Canadian/U.S. border at Osoyoos, and then beyond to Weed, California, I stepped out of the car to register at the motel office and ... <GAG> ... was met with a horrible stench of ... manure ? Or sewage ? WTF ? Well ... this is new ! We lived nearby for fifteen years and never experienced this stench before ! It was already dark, so I couldn’t see a source of the odour. It churned my stomach, and I abdicated responsibility for unloading stuff from the car, and walking the dog, to Joanne. Thank you, my dear ... I’m really sensitive to odours, whether foul or pleasant (like perfumes).

At 9 PM I took Apollo outside. <sniff sniff> HMPH ... foul odour is gone ! Wonder what that was ?

Saturday ; Osoyoos to Hope, British Columbia

Sunny, cold in the morning in Osoyoos, cool in the late afternoon in Hope.

We departed our motel in Osoyoos at 10 AM (no odour outside this morning), continuing westbound on Crowsnest Hwy. 3, through the Similkameen Valley to Keremeos and beyond to Riverside RV Park Resort, our summer home from October, 2006 to April, 2021. I was reminded of how much I loved this area the first time we saw it in 2005. And I still do ! The Similkameen Valley from Osoyoos to Keremeos to Princeton is one of the most beautiful areas in Canada, and the world, in my opinion.

We drove slowly through Riverside RV Park Resort, remembering how beautiful it was in its early days (2006 / 2007), and how it slowly evolved into what it is today ; a trashy trailer park ! <shrug> Another chapter of our lives closed, just at the right time ... for us ! I again said goodbye to (the memory/spirit of) Ozzie a.k.a. “the dead neighbour’s dog” ... the nickname we gave him when we inherited him upon the death of our next door neighbour Gord. His (Ozzie’s) ashes are sprinkled in Riverside’s dog park, officially named in memory and honour of Gord, the driving force behind the creation of that dog park. Joanne again said goodbye to (the memory/spirit of) Emma the cat, whose ashes are sprinkled in the raised garden bed of our previous lot in the park.

We continued westbound, passing through the small town of Hedley, past Bromley Rock Provincial Park, a favourite place of ours, and into Princeton where we stopped to buy a few grocery items at Save-On-Foods.

As the elevation rose going into Manning Provincial Park there was some snow on the ground. We stopped at Manning Park Resort to eat our lunch in the car. We arrived in Hope around 3 PM. We checked into Windsor Motel, wondering why it was so much more expensive than a year ago. OH ... totally renovated ! Very nice ! Just at dusk (4:45 PM !) we took Apollo for a leisurely walk through the lovely large municipal park across the street.

As we drove and reminisced today, suddenly a light bulb went off in Joanne’s head. During the many years when we had a summer side hustle delivering and setting up RV trailers (Similkameen Trailer Towing) we occasionally took clients’ trailers to Osoyoos to be stored over the winter. Before winterizing them and putting them into the large RV storage yard in Osoyoos we would empty the waste storage tanks at an RV dump station in Osoyoos. It was adjacent to the Osoyoos municipal sewage treatment plant. Right near the motel we stayed at last night !

Some manner of malfunction at the plant yesterday afternoon / evening ? ! ?

2200 kilometres thus far, 300 kilometres and a ferry ride left to go !

DSK

October 26 to November 1, 2025 ; Winnipeg, Manitoba to Moosomin, Saskatchewan

 Sunday ; Low overcast, mild.

AWWWWW ... just ****ing great ! Big blizzard today on Crowsnest Hwy. 3 across southern BC. <sigh>

Pre-departure preparations continued today. We took Apollo for a walk in the park around 6 PM. Met Josef, an 84 year old immigrant from Iran, in Canada for 50 years. Lives in condominium building across the street. Very friendly fellow. Sang the praises of raising his three sons, all with engineering degrees from University of Manitoba, here in Tuxedo / Winnipeg / Canada.

Painter came by this afternoon to pick up paint colours sample booklet, and keys to our building and suite. Painting and renovation work will be done in December or January. WOO-HOO ... looking forward to seeing results when we return in mid-April.

Monday ; Rain all day !

Joanne’s sister came for a visit this afternoon. The plan was for her to come over so that we could all go for a pleasant walk in fine fall weather. Nope ... not today !

I continued working on fall pre-departure preparations. And I combined that with some maintenance work in the suite, removing bathroom fan vents and cleaning inside the ducts. And this suite has four water valves that are behind walls, and require a special tool that inserts into tiny holes in the wall to turn them on or off. I checked them a few days ago, and two of the four were stuck / seized from years or decades of never being turned off or on. I lubricated them with Liquid Wrench lubricant a day or two ago, and today I was finally able to loosen the two seized ones, and with considerable difficulty, close them and re-open them.

There was a lot of risk in doing that. If a valve broke while being forced to close / open, well ... they’re behind walls. Two of them are behind the wall behind the washer. Two of them are behind the wall behind a bathroom vanity. Breaking them would result in rapid flooding inside the walls. And repairing / replacing them would cost thousands of dollars ! And repairs to suites on lower floors below us would cost tens of thousands of dollars.

And you wonder why I get pissed off about lack of routine maintenance done by previous owners of homes we’ve bought ? ! ? With assistance from my OCD, I am in the process of preparing a “preventive maintenance” spreadsheet for this suite. “Lubricate, close, and re-open water valves behind walls” will certainly be on the “to do annually” list ! ! ! ! !

Tuesday ; Sunny and cool, another pretty nice fall day.

At 12:30 PM we left home heading for Transcona for Joanne’s optometrist appointment at 1:15. I waited in the car with Apollo while she went in to see her eye doctor. This appointment was made about six months ago, before we decided to move.

After her eye exam was completed we drove to the Crossroads shopping area at Regent Ave. and Lagimodiere Blvd. I dropped Joanne off at Freshco to buy some produce and I drove to the next mall over to shop at Rona. This Rona store had one of the two items I was looking for. I returned to Freshco and took Apollo for a walk while we waited for Joanne to finish grocery shopping. On the way back home we stopped at Rona (again), Canadian Tire, and Home Depot on Kenaston Blvd., looking for the second item I was shopping for. Didn’t find it. <shrug>

Once we were back at home we both continued working on fall pre-departure preparations, and I continued maintenance work. I’m beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel of suite maintenance. In the evening we watched the season premiere of Married At First Sight.

Wednesday ; Sunny and cool, another pretty nice fall day.

Today was “pack for winter” day. I hate “pack for winter” day. Admittedly Joanne does most of the work, but it’s always very stressful for both of us. “Where is (fill in the blank) ?” “Where did you put (fill in the blank) ?” “Do you want or need to bring (fill in the blank) ?” “Should we bring (fill in the blank) ?”

It was such a nice afternoon we took Apollo for a walk in Swindon Oaks Park (across the street) again. Again we met and chatted with Josef, the elderly Iranian immigrant who lives in the condominium building across the street. Such an interesting and engaging fellow.

Watched tonight’s episode of Amazing Race while having (chicken) pollo mole (Mexican, specifically Oaxacan, pronounced “poyo molay”) for dinner, recorded tonight’s episode of Survivor to watch tomorrow.

Thursday ; Overcast, occasional light drizzle.

Packing and preparations for departure on Saturday continue in earnest. Have been dreading and procrastinating emptying desk contents ... again. Had to do that less than two months ago for moving from Dugald Estates to Winslow House. Had to do it again today to lighten load of extremely heavy desk that painters will have to move when painting office.

Went shopping for dog food and treats at PET VALU in Tuxedo Park Shopping Centre this afternoon. Monthly seniors discount day ! Bought a small bag of Apollo’s food. Usually buy big bags for economy, but don’t want to haul big bag from Winnipeg to Victoria.

Watched last night’s recorded episode of Survivor while having supper.

Friday ; Overcast and cold.

When we moved suitcases out of our hallway storage closet I was reminded that behind the suitcases was some wall damage that I had not had time to repair before we moved stuff into the storage closet. Today was the opportunity to rectify that.

Joanne baked cookies and muffins to take with us on the road. Because of our many years of experience of full time RV’ing, and trailer hauling / delivering, she is an excellent planner of feeding us while we travel. Even though we no longer travel in an RV, and consequently don’t travel with a kitchen on board, we do have a small fridge in the car. She prepares and brings enough food to feed us for the first couple of days of travel, and then is very adept at replenishing our food, in small quantities, usually with a daily brief stop at a grocery store, to keep us healthily nourished. With frequent visits to bakeries, if I have anything to say about it. HA HA HA !

Saturday ; Winnipeg, Manitoba to Moosomin, Saskatchewan

Overcast in Manitoba, sunny in Saskatchewan, cold and windy.

We finished our travel packing, I winterized our suite, we left home at 11:30 AM, half an hour ahead of schedule. I refilled the minivan with cheap rez gas at nearby Oodena Gas and we headed through the small amount of Winnipeg that remains to the west of Tuxedo, and onto Trans-Canada Hwy. 1 westbound.

We stopped to eat lunch at a rest area near Elkhorn, Manitoba. I drove from Winnipeg to Brandon, then Joanne drove from Brandon to Virden while I napped. I drove from Virden to Moosomin. We arrived at Moosomin’s Motel 6 at 3:30 PM, five hours after we left home (time zone change).

Apollo was very restless this morning at home, sensing that we were “moving” and worried that he would once again be “abandoned”. Poor little fellow ! He settled down once we were on our way, when he knew he was not being left behind. He travels well, enjoying snoozing, front half on Joanne’s lap, back half on his travel pillow on the console of the car. For reasons unknown to me, my lap is unacceptable, and when Joanne drives and I nap in the passenger seat, he pouts and lies down in his dog bed behind the console, looking forlorn.

We checked into Motel 6, Joanne unloaded stuff from the car to our room, I went to the breakfast room and got Joanne and me each a cup of hot chocolate, Apollo climbed onto the bed, messed up the covers to his satisfaction, and went to sleep. He LOOOOOVES Motel 6’s. <shrug> Go figure !

Tonight we watched the World Series game seven. First baseball game I’ve watched in ... <thinking> ... about sixty years. I was very tired, but able to watch until the end of the game in the bottom of the eleventh inning. <sigh> Congratulations to the Los Angeles Dodgers.

DSK

October 19 to 25, 2025 ; Winnipeg, Manitoba

 Sunday ; Sunny and cool.

A night’s sleep helped sharpen my problem solving skills. I resumed working this morning on mounting the reverse osmosis water system faucet on the edge of the sink. I had it installed by 11 AM. Much of the problems I had with this faucet mounting job and with the previous job of removing the garburator and rebuilding the kitchen sink plumbing has to do with incompetent “professional” renovation work done in the past. Oh, sure, some clown managed to get the work “visually” completed to the satisfaction of an elderly woman in her 90’s, but ... there were a lot of “renovation sins” hidden underneath / behind the pretty facades ! I suspect that happens a lot in the home construction and renovation trades. But then again, perhaps it’s just because I’m OCD.

After lunch and a nap, I began working on the installation of the main parts of the reverse osmosis system. And as I had hoped and expected, the rest of the installation went smoothly. I had done it before, a couple of years ago, at Dugald Estates. I was completely finished the installation of the entire reverse osmosis water filtration system by 5 PM. And we had reverse osmosis filtered water in the three gallon storage tank underneath the sink by 7 PM. Well done, Daniel !

When we were planning our move here I had hoped that in the month and a half between moving here and leaving for Victoria for the winter I would accomplish, amongst other smaller projects, the re-installation of the bidet system in the ensuite bathroom and the re-installation of the reverse osmosis water treatment system underneath the kitchen sink. Both projects are completed, and none too soon. We have a very busy schedule for the next two weeks before we depart for the winter.

Both Joanne and I have sore shoulders from yesterday’s flu and covid vaccinations. I have a headache that has lasted about 24 hours. And a mild sore throat. Joanne feels weak and tired and vaguely ill.

The sun was shining and there was no wind, so at 5:30 PM I decided to go for a long, slow bicycle ride. This is such a lovely neighbourhood for cycling.

Monday ; Raining all day.

Worked at my desk much of the day. Had a (father & son) painting company come over to provide an estimate. Another one tomorrow. We want to have the entire suite repainted, either immediately upon our return in the spring, or perhaps even while we’re gone for the winter.

Tuesday ; Sunny, cold, windy.

Had another painting contractor over early this afternoon to provide an estimate / quote. Both contractors impressed us enough that we would hire either. Both quotes in the same ballpark. Both very reasonable. HMPH ! Makes us think we may have overpaid for painting services in Steinbach four years ago. Both contractors have excellent reviews / ratings. Made our (probable) decision this evening.

Joanne went for a haircut and other errands this afternoon. She has always been reluctant / hesitant about haircuts / hair stylists. Except in Mexico ... <shrug> ! She often asks me to accompany her to help “translate” her desires to the stylist. Not today, I said ! Well ... today’s haircut, achieved without husband “translator” is just fine !

Wednesday ; Sunny and cold, but no wind.

After an early lunch and brief nap we set out to run errands. First stop was Steinbach Credit Union to sign some documents, then Wal-Mart for Joanne while I went to our insurance agency to submit forms to allow them to renew my driver’s license and vehicle registration this winter while we are away. This is the second time I’ve dealt with this agency in the month and a half that we’ve lived here. First time went smoothly. Today was a disaster ! Three agents serving me, acting like Larry, Curly, and Moe, acting like I’m the first client they’ve ever served that goes away for the winter. Looks like I’ll be searching for a new Autopac agency in the spring !

Joanne met me at Home Depot where I bought more needed hardware, then we rushed home to be on time to meet our selected painting (& renovations) contractor to firm up our contract and ... for me to assign more work to him. More painting, and some minor electrical and carpentry work.

Joanne has been persuading me for quite some time now to be more willing to pay others to do work that has become more difficult for me, either due to age or danger or time constraints or whatever. Well ... OK ! I’m a wealthy, old man living in Tuxedo. Time to start acting the part ! HA HA HA !

While having supper we watched tonight’s episode of Survivor, recording Amazing Race to watch another time.

Thursday ; Sunny and chilly, sunlight intense enough to make it seem warmer than it actually was.

At 11 AM we departed home, heading to Dugald Estates to pick up our friend and former neighbour Glennis, owner of Gracie the Toy Poodle that we walked twice a day for 2½ summers. On the way to lunch at L’Arche Tova Café in Transcona we went to Oakbank to pick up a prescription refill I had ordered from Pharmasave, then to Mission Thrift Store in Transcona to donate a large, mirrored jewellery cabinet that I removed from our bedroom wall yesterday now that we have hired a painter.

L’Arche Tova Café is a “charity” restaurant operated by and for the benefit of a developmentally challenged community. Open every day for lunch only, great “home made” food, profits for a good cause. We had a long, leisurely lunch and visit with Glennis. When we took Glennis back home to Dugald Estates after lunch we visited with Gracie, who misses us a lot apparently. We miss her too. This may have been the last time we see them both.

HA HA HA ... without us walking her twice a day, 2½ year old Gracie is ... “thickening”.

On the way back home I had to stop at the local insurance agency AGAIN ... to pick up from where we left off yesterday, when I stomped out after about half an hour of watching the three stooges try to compile the right forms to renew my driver’s license and vehicle registration when they both expire next February ... while we are absent from Manitoba. I told the agent serving me to phone when she had finished finding the right forms and filling them out, and only then would I return to sign them. She phoned a few hours later yesterday afternoon, to advise that everything was complete and ready for my signing.

<sputter> NOT SO ! When I arrived today the three stooges show began anew. Two agents/stooges today instead of yesterday’s three agents/stooges ! I grit my teeth and endured another half hour of their gong show, finally leaving with signed copies of driver’s license and vehicle registration renewals prepared and ready for submission by them next February.

Only after I arrived back home and was at my desk did I notice ... <sputter> <sputter> <sputter> ... they had entered my previous (Dugald Estates) address on my renewal forms. I phoned and left a message, and a few hours later a manager phoned me. I relayed my tale of woe, emphasizing my dissatisfaction with his agency’s ineptitude. He asked me to return tomorrow and he personally would fix things.

NO ! ! ! I am NOT going to come back and sit at a desk for half an hour or more and watch YOU and your stooges “fix” your errors ! YOU and your stooges don’t need me there to watch your antics of ineptitude any further. If and when you finally get all the I’s dotted and T’s crossed, double checked and triple checked for accuracy, phone me and I will return to sign forms. If I have to be there longer than 30 seconds ... I’ll walk out and take my business elsewhere. “Is there any part of that you don’t understand ... sir ?”

He seemed to understand !

Over dinner tonight we watched last night’s episode of Amazing Race. Joanne has been mastering the process of recording TV shows on our new to us TV service provider’s system.

Friday ; Sunny and cool. No wind. A nice day for this time of year.

So ... the manager of the insurance agency phoned this morning to tell me my driver’s license and vehicle registration renewal documents were corrected and ready for me to pick up. He offered to serve me personally when I showed up, and we agreed to meet at 3 PM.

GOOD NEWS ; I was in and out in about thirty seconds, as I had demanded. So ... apparently he DID understand ! ! !

BAD NEWS ; He chickened out on meeting / serving me. He was nowhere to be seen, and sent one of his underlings, a seemingly competent young woman to bring documents to the counter for me to sign and take. <me making chicken clucking sounds>

On the way back home I stopped at Kal Tire and had the air pressure adjusted in all of the minivan’s tires in preparation for upcoming Winnipeg to Victoria cross country trip. And I refilled the minivan with cheap rez gas at nearby Oodena Gas.

At 7 PM we drove to nearby St. Demetrius Greek Orthodox Church to pick up our order of parishioner prepared home cooked Greek food for supper tonight, the second time we have done this recently. The sale of home cooked Greek food is a church fund raiser activity that takes place every Friday evening during October. The first time we indulged in the church’s “Greek Food Night” a few weeks ago it was ... superb.

Tonight was ... even better than that ! ! !

Saturday ; Sunny and mild, a nice fall day.

We have begun fall pre-departure preparations. We’re departing in a week for Victoria, BC, for the winter.

I watched the Blue Bombers game this afternoon, the final game of the regular season. The Bombers will be in the playoffs which start next Saturday. I wonder if / hope that I can listen to their game against either Montreal or Calgary as we are driving the first leg of the trip, from home to Moosomin, Saskatchewan.

DSK

October 12 to 18, 2025 ; Winnipeg, Manitoba

Sunday ; our 51^st anniversary

Low ceiling overcast ... gloomy ! Chilly and windy. A bit of nearly horizontal rain in the afternoon.

OOOOO ... tough week in the stock market ! Well, not the entire week, just Friday, I guess.

Finished Apollo’s regular grooming routine today ; cleaned his ears, trimmed his nails. He hates both ! Did some grout repairs in the kitchen and bathroom. As I said before, this is the third time in a row we buy (or co-op life lease) a home previously occupied by an old woman who was unable to keep up with routine maintenance issues for a long time. The result is we once again have a new to us home that has an overwhelming volume of minor maintenance issues that need fixing. Some of the “minor” maintenance issues are not that minor ! There is a broken plumbing connection underneath the kitchen sink that will require complete replacement of the plumbing, in conjunction with removal of the garburator (which Joanne hates, and is afraid of) and installation of our reverse osmosis water filtration system. I’m still hoping that I can achieve that three part project before departing for the winter season in less than three weeks. Probably not this upcoming week, which already has a quite busy schedule.

Late last night I created an anniversary card using an online card creation app. I printed it on card stock. I incorporated a photo from our Inverness Falls Resort mini-vacation. Joanne was impressed. HAPPY 51^st ANNIVERSARY ! I still love you.

Monday ; Canadian Thanksgiving

Sunny, windy, cold.

Went for a bicycle ride this afternoon, probably my last time this year. BRRR !

Supper yesterday was both an anniversary dinner and Thanksgiving dinner. Because ... Joanne had an appointment this evening at Health Sciences Centre for an MRI of the brain, ordered by her stroke prevention neurologist. Seemed like a bit of an odd scheduling, but efficient use of resources, I suppose.

We left home at 9 PM and drove to HSC for her 9:45 PM appointment. No traffic, empty parkade, no waiting in the MRI department at the hospital, in and out in about half an hour. HMPH ... wish we could get more late evening medical appointments !

Tuesday ; Sunny and cold.

Left home this morning at 10:30 AM heading to Southdale for appointments with our family doctor. Joanne reviewed her ongoing issues with the doctor, I needed prescription refills. Before leaving the Southdale mall we went to Shoppers Drug Mart to take advantage of my “birthday gift” Optimum points offer. Bought three bottles of probiotics at $26 each to get my bonus points.

Headed back towards home, stopping at Wal-Mart on Kenaston near our home. HMPH ! ! ! Found an equivalent probiotic at Wal-Mart for a bit less than half the Shoppers Drug Mart price ! ! ! Will be returning the Shoppers product for refund ! Yeah ... thanks for the “birthday gift”, Mr. Weston !

Wednesday ; Sunny, chilly.

Not a great day ! I spent noon to 6 PM working on removing and replacing the kitchen plumbing. Including two trips to Home Depot. And ending the day’s work on this project by making a mistake and ruining a $15 plumbing part. <sigh> So ... another trip to Home Depot first thing tomorrow, and then, hopefully, I will finish this job tomorrow, and restore our kitchen to functionality.

The main point of this plumbing “remove and replace” was to eliminate the garburator and set the stage for the installation of our reverse osmosis water system.

Joanne was stoic, but likely not pleased, not only about the dishwasher being out of commission ... because I had to shut off the water to the kitchen ... but about having to wash dishes by hand ... in the bathroom sink. SORRY !

This evening was Winslow House’s AGM / annual general meeting. I’ve always hated AGM’s ; first at Riverside RV Park Resort in Keremeos, then Stone Creek Courts in Steinbach, and now at Winslow House. Dugald Estates’ AGM was held when we were away for the winters, so we never had to endure one. BUT ... their monthly residents’ meetings were just as bad as an AGM. Or worse ! Kofa Ko-op in Yuma, Arizona was the only place where the AGM’s were well organized and productive meetings.

I had decided when we were advised of Winslow House’s AGM that we should attend tonight, since we were new residents, but I don’t intend to continue to attend in the future.

After the AGM and a very late dinner I continued working on the plumbing until I finally figured out the “puzzle pieces” and was able to mock up the system satisfactorily. It’s now 2:15 AM ! I suppose it’s a good thing I never tried to earn a living as a plumber. HA HA HA !

Thursday ; Intermittent light rain, mild temperature.

Around 11:30 AM I headed to Home Depot again to purchase plumbing parts. I was home within half an hour (it’s nearby !) and resumed working on the kitchen plumbing replacement project. WOO-HOO ! It was finished by 2 PM. Excellent work, Daniel. Well ... <shrug> ... except for the $15 mistake ! A bit slow, but ... eventually well done ! My lack of plumbing expertise is made up for by my OCD. HA HA HA !

Late in the afternoon we went to the second floor to visit with neighbours who have rented our indoor parking spot for the winter and will collect our mail and check our suite weekly during the winter. Thank you very much, Rob and Kim. They have a very nice little dog, a five year old male Wheaten Terrier / Miniature Poodle cross named Percy.

Friday ; Intermittent light rain, mild temperature.

Left home at 11:45 AM for a noon appointment at nearby Steinbach Credit Union. After a brief meeting we crossed the street to Home Depot where I got a refund on all the leftover / unneeded plumbing parts I recently bought. On the way home we stopped at Harvest Bakery to buy some rye bread (Friday special) and bagels.

While Apollo and I napped after lunch Joanne went Wal-Martin’. Yeah ... I don’t like Wal-Martin’ at any time and I sure as hell won’t do it on weekends !

I have created a “fitness area” on about a third of our enclosed balcony / sunroom and this afternoon I did some dumbbell / weights exercising. I need to do WAY more of that !

In the evening I watched the Blue Bombers game. Well ... HMPH ... that was an ugly win for the Bombers, wasn’t it ? ! ?

Saturday ; Sunny and mild.

<sigh> I seem to be losing my D.I.Y. skills. Age related deterioration ? <sigh>

This morning I began to work on the reinstallation of our reverse osmosis water filtration system. We bought it a couple of years ago when we moved into Dugald Estates. Installation was very difficult, mostly due to the difficulty of drilling through the horizontal top edge of a stainless steel sink. But ... installing it here is a second time installation, so should be considerably easier than the first time around. <taking deep breath> Not so !

All I wanted to get done today was remove the somewhat useless hand soap dispenser mounted on our kitchen sink edge, and use that hole to mount the reverse osmosis faucet assembly. I worked on it a bit this morning, then again from 4:30 PM until 2 AM ! With a short break for supper and ... multiple trips to Home Depot and Canadian Tire to buy tools. And return them for refunds because they were not the right tools for the job. <another deep breath> You would think that at the ripe old age of 71 I would own every tool known to mankind ! Not so !

It’s 2:30 AM and I’m tired !

After lunch we went to Shoppers Drug Mart in Tuxedo Park Shopping Centre to get flu and Covid vaccinations, and replenish many prescriptions (six for me, three for Joanne) for the first half of the winter in Victoria. We’ll need to refill prescriptions again halfway through the winter in Victoria.

DSK

October 5 to 11, 2025 ; Winnipeg, Manitoba (& Whiteshell Provincial Park)

 Sunday ; Cold, rainy, windy. BRRR ... feels like winter is near !

Well ... it’s about time to resume writing my daily journal and posting it weekly to my blog, n’est-ce pas ? It’s been six months since I last posted. Here’s what has happened in our lives over the last six months ;

HOME ; Well ... we’ve moved. We have left our seniors’ co-op condominium in Dugald on the eastern outskirts of Winnipeg, and moved to a large two bedroom, two bathroom luxurious condominium suite we purchased in Tuxedo, Winnipeg’s prestigious “old money” neighbourhood. We’ve been here for three weeks. All is great so far !

The highlight of our new home, in my opinion, is the large balcony converted to a four season sunroom. The ceiling, floor and side walls have been insulated and finished, including lush, thick carpeting the same as in the rest of the suite. The outside of the balcony has been enclosed with triple pane, screened, opening windows, floor to ceiling glass, the inside wall has been removed, opening up the living room to the sunroom, with the removed living room wall replaced with floor to ceiling sliding glass panels which we leave open all the time, turning the balcony / sunroom into an extension of the already large living room. Spectacular ! The sunroom is also heated, with thermostat controlled heaters enclosed in both side walls.

This community is quite different than Dugald Estates. Thankfully ! While this building is not designated “senior”, most of the residents are seniors / retirees. There are a lot of dogs in our building, and in the neighbouring condominium buildings as well. As we were shopping for a new home earlier this summer, a real estate agent referred us to this Swindon Way neighbourhood of condominium buildings, noted for all being pet friendly. Apollo appreciates the many new dog friends and smells in the neighbourhood. We appreciate the diversity that was lacking at Dugald Estates, a “white bread” community of narrow minded “parochials” (yes, yes ... it’s okay to read that as “hillbillies”) who think adventure travel means going to Beausejour for lunch ! Who think that the sun rises and sets on Anola !

Winslow House, our new home, is filled with many different shades of skin colour, varied religions and sexual orientations, with (affluent) immigrants from all over the world, speaking a multitude of languages. With men wearing yarmulkes instead of John Deere baseball caps !

HEALTH ; I have had some cardiac issues this summer which resulted in needing an angiogram, which went well. Partially due to my cardiac triple bypass surgery eight years ago, implantation of stents was not a viable option for resolving this summer’s angina problems. But medication was, and the reintroduction of a cardiac medication which I used for the first couple of years following my bypass surgery has solved the current angina issues.

Joanne continues to have a chronic coughing problem, persistent for a year and a half now. And still undiagnosed ! ! ! Our family doctor referred her to a respirologist about a year ago, and she finally saw him (the respirologist) this spring, about six months ago. He referred her for some tests, one of which has still not been scheduled ! ! ! SO ... since we’re leaving soon for the winter, it appears that her coughing problem will remain undiagnosed, let alone treated and resolved, for over two years ! ! ! ! !

And even more worrisome than that ... on our 21^st retirement anniversary date (June 18) she experienced three TIA’s (transient ischemic attacks) / mini-strokes ! Our family doctor referred her for a multitude of tests and scans, culminating in a visit a few days ago to a neurologist at Winnipeg’s stroke prevention clinic. He ordered more tests and scans. Winnipeg’s health care delays due to waitlists / scheduling issues means that those tests and scans won’t take place until we return from Victoria next spring.

Not only is the health deterioration of aging having a significant impact on both of us, we are both tired of the amount of time and energy that has gone into medical issues and appointments this summer.

WEALTH ; <shrug> The stock market continues to be generous !

Monday ; home to Brereton Lake

Sunny, windy, cold.

This morning we finished preparing and packing for a four day mini-holiday at Inverness Falls Resort on Brereton Lake in Whiteshell Provincial Park. We left home at 12:30 PM, stopping to refill the minivan with cheap “rez gas” at Oodena Gas, the new Indigenous owned and operated fuel bar very near to our home. We stopped again, this time on Pembina Highway, to drop off some donated items at Goodwill, before heading to Hwy. 101, Winnipeg’s Perimeter Hwy., heading east and south around the city to Dugald Road / Hwy.15. Heading east on Dugald Road, through the village of Dugald, Joanne waving (with one finger) at Dugald Estates as we passed by.

We stopped to eat our picnic lunch at Whistle Stop Park, a municipal park in Beausejour. WOO-HOO ... adventure travel ! <snicker> We arrived at Inverness Falls Resort precisely at our check-in time of 4 PM. We checked in, unloaded our stuff, then I drove to the resort’s nearby wood shed to load up with some firewood for the woodstove in our cabin. Our dog friendly cabin has a woodstove and an indoor hot tub.

We took Apollo for a walk, but soon all of us were cold, so we returned to our cabin for an evening of resting (all of us), snoozing (Apollo), and reading (Joanne and me) in front of the woodstove. At bedtime Joanne and I enjoyed some relaxing time in the hot tub before going to bed.

Tuesday ; Overcast until late afternoon, chilly, but no wind.

Apollo is ill today. Since before we’ve had him (almost a year and a half now) he’s had some manner of pancreatic / intestinal ailment which flares occasionally. Today he is constipated, lethargic, and occasionally shivering and moaning. Poor little fellow. We’re keeping him warm, wrapped up in a blanket, feeding him some extra kefir yogurt (which he has daily, a small amount with his lunch).

I woke at 8 AM, took Apollo outside, then we returned to bed where we all slept quite late. By design, we had a lazy day. This mini-vacation was intended to give us a rest from the challenges and demands of our recent move. <sigh> This was our third move in 4½ years ! I’m hoping that there will be no more moves in my life until I leave Winslow House in a pine box ! HA HA HA ! Or ... perhaps ... to an assisted living facility.

We took Apollo for a long slow walk before having a late lunch. His health seemed to be slowly improving as the day wore on. Joanne kept feeding him small servings of kefir yogurt, and that seemed to help, along with fresh air and slow exercise. After late lunch, and a nap for me and Apollo, we went out for another long, slow walk. The sky had cleared, and the brilliant sunshine made it feel warmer than it actually was. I went fishing off the end of the resort’s dock for about forty-five minutes. I didn’t catch anything, but sitting on the end of the dock with the sunshine in my face was great !

GOOD NEWS / BAD NEWS ; It’s 11:30 PM ... bedtime. Apollo seems to be feeling much better. Now Joanne is ill ! Story of my ****ing life !

Wednesday ; Sunny, mild, chilly wind coming off the lake.

Apollo is healthy and happy. Joanne less so. She has a mystery GI ailment that has been slowly improving throughout the day, so she’ll probably be fine by tomorrow.

Before lunch we went for a long, slow walk down the road to the west admiring the lakefront neighbourhood. After lunch and a nap for me and Apollo we drove to the resort’s wood shed and replenished firewood for our cabin’s woodstove, then went for a long, slow drive down the road to the east, until the road ended, again just to admire the lakefront neighbourhood. The cold wind blowing in off the lake discouraged me from fishing today.

We had supper and enjoyed another lovely fire in the woodstove while watching Survivor and Amazing Race. We ended another day with another relaxing soak in the hot tub a few feet from the cabin’s bed. AHHHHH ... good night !

Thursday ; Overcast, mild, windy near the lake.

Everybody is healthy today. WOO-HOO !

Another very lazy day. This afternoon we went for another long, slow walk. I paid our bill at the resort office to expedite tomorrow morning’s departure. I finished reconciling September’s investment statements which I have been puttering with on and off during our few days here.

At dusk we went for another leisurely, long walk with Apollo. After dinner we watched some TV, sat around in front of the fire in the woodstove, and had a soak in the hot tub at bedtime.

Friday ; Brereton Lake to Winnipeg

HAPPY 71^st BIRTHDAY TO ME !

Sunny and warm.

You know, for most of my life ... until my triple bypass surgery eight years ago, actually ... I had very little expectation / hope that I would live beyond age seventy. To my knowledge, no man in my paternal familial lineage ever has. So ... congratulations to me, I suppose ! Must have been all that clean living I did in the 70’s. HA HA HA <SNORT> HA HA !

We left Inverness Falls Resort at 10:40 AM and returned to Winnipeg. At 12:30 PM we stopped to have lunch at Dairy Queen in St. Vital then drove downtown for Joanne’s respirologist appointment at Winnipeg Clinic at 2 PM. I dropped Joanne off at the front door of the large medical clinic then drove around until I found a nearby parking spot. I accompany Joanne to most of her medical appointments, at her request, but I did not want to do so today. I am dissatisfied with her respirologist’s provision of services, and I am intolerant of his style of always being a minimum of one hour behind schedule. I have had doctors like that in the past, and I refuse to tolerate that disrespect and arrogance.

Apollo and I sat and waited in the car for almost two hours. I read the newspaper. Apollo napped. When Joanne returned to the car after her appointment we headed towards home, stopping at Harvest Bakery near home to buy a Black Forest Cherry Torte birthday cake, my favourite.

HMPH ! As beautiful as this bakery cake is, Joanne’s home made Black Forest Cherry Torte cake, which she usually makes for my birthday, is much better tasting.

Joanne prepared my favourite birthday dinner. Thank you, my dear. We each had a small glass of Forbidden Fruit Winery gold medal award winning Pomme Désirée ice wine which I bought at the winery near Cawston, BC last November as we were on our way to Victoria. It was supposed to be for last Christmas. Then New Year’s Eve. Then Joanne’s birthday in January. Then ... to drink at Inverness Falls Resort, while relaxing in front of the fire, or while soaking in the hot tub. HA HA HA ... we don’t imbibe much !

Even though it’s only been “home” for a few weeks, it’s nice to be back home.

Saturday ; Sunny early in the day, cloudy later, mild, windy.

Back at home, back to chores, back to every day life. Checked tire pressures and fluid levels on the car. Trimmed my beard. Gave Apollo a bath. Decided that this is the last time we give him a bath at home. All last winter on Vancouver Island we were taking him to PET VALU stores to give him baths at their self-serve dog wash stations. It’s much easier (on my back and recently injured hip) to bathe him in a dog wash station than at home.

Posted an ad on our condominium’s bulletin board that our indoor parking spot is available for rent for the winter. We own both an indoor and an outdoor parking spot here at Winslow House. Not every suite owns two parking spots. Certainly none of the suites owns two indoor parking spots. So ... maybe somebody with two vehicles might want to rent another indoor spot for the winter ? Hey ... <shrug> ... it’s Tuxedo ! HA HA HA !

Joanne went to the very nearby Superstore to replenish groceries. I processed photos from our Inverness Falls Resort mini-vacation. Then watched the Blue Bombers game in the evening.

DSK