October 29 to November 4, 2026 ; Winnipeg, Manitoba to Medicine Hat, Alberta

 Thursday ; Sunny and chilly.

More fall pre-departure preparations. I sorted and checked our (more than a dozen !) prescriptions for the winter. Joanne packed them. We loaded some packed totes into the car. <sigh> This car seems so much smaller then our minivan was. Of course, when I bought it in May ... <whispering> ... I thought we would be going to Mexico for the winter.

I cooked a frittata for supper. Joanne always has done a superb job of ensuring all perishable foods are used before we depart. After tonight, we have no more eggs ! While enjoying the excellent frittata we watched yesterday’s episode of Amazing Race.

Friday ; Sunny and cool.

A very busy day. I spent the morning paying month end and new month bills. Joanne and I separately packed stuff in the car, her more than me.

After lunch our neighbour across the hall, Pamela, came over for a cup of tea and to ask some questions about our mail pickup and condo care arrangements when we are absent for the entire winter. She is preparing to leave for a trip to Australia for the winter (here ... it will be summer there) to visit her daughter, son-in-law, and new granddaughter. And a second grandchild will be born before she leaves there in June to return home here.

After our visit with Pamela I took the car to have it washed, then refilled fuel. It’s clean, full of fuel, and ready to go Sunday around lunch time (we hope).

At 6:45 PM I left to pick up our (home made by volunteers) Greek food at the local Greek church’s final Greek Food Night fund raiser. Our scheduled pick up time was 7 PM. I was the last order to be picked up on the last Greek Food Night until next spring. And ... everything went wrong with our order !

To make a long story short, they ran out of moussaka, and my order wasn’t ready until 7:30 PM. Sometimes ... shit happens when an event is organized and executed by many volunteers. HA HA HA ! After half an hour of waiting out front in my car, I got pissed off and stomped into the church looking for the kitchen. I found many women scurrying about trying their disorganized best to get my order ready. Some were dedicated to apologizing to me. Some seemed to think that their errors and disorganization could and should be offset with ... more food ! HA HA HA HA <SNORT> HA HA !

You go, girls ! By the time I left with my order of moussaka dinner for two, which included two orders of (fresh from the oven, piping hot) moussaka, two (extra generous) orders of Greek salad, two (extra thick) slices of homemade Greek bread, and a baklava desert for two, my bag included ... two orders of spanakopita, two Greek rice puddings, a Galaktoboureko (custard in puff pastry) desert for two, and a Kourabiethes (large Greek wedding cookie for two, almond shortbread, heavily coated in icing sugar).

HA HA HA HA HA ... all is forgiven, ladies ! That much food will last us all the way to Moosomin, Saskatchewan ! <ROFLMAO>

P.S.  It actually lasted all the way to Moose Jaw !

Hallowe’en ; Sunny and mild, a very warm day for Hallowe’en here in Winnipeg.

Final day of pre-departure preparations. Joanne finished packing everything. We made some last minute adjustments in suitcases, switching to two larger ones. I worked on condo preparations for winter absence. I completed month end and new month bill paying and accounting.

From noon to 3 PM I watched the CFL East semi-final game between Toronto Argonauts and Winnipeg Blue Bombers. Winnipeg is this year’s West to East “crossover” team in the nine league Canadian Football League finals. (No, I can’t explain it, it’s complicated.) Next week they will compete against Montreal Alouettes in the East final, having won today’s semi-final game against Toronto. And what an ugly win it was !

Our condominium had a Hallowe’en costume party and potluck dinner tonight from 5 PM to 7 PM in our entry foyer / lobby. We were too busy today to want to contribute to a potluck dinner and attend a costume party. We made a brief appearance ... sans costumes ... at 6 PM to say farewell to friends. When I walked through the party (<singing> like I was walking onto a yacht ... HA HA HA HA HA) when taking Apollo out for his 7 PM walk, some of our more astute neighbours recognized that they were almost certainly saying goodbye to Apollo for the final time.

Sunday ; Winnipeg, Manitoba to Moosomin, Saskatchewan

Overcast and mild this morning in Winnipeg. Thick fog, zero visibility, mild in Moosomin this afternoon and evening.

This morning while Joanne finished loading the car I winterized our apartment. We were hoping to leave home at noon. I closed and locked the door to our apartment at 12:03 PM. Close enough ! HA HA HA !

We headed through the west side of Winnipeg to Perimeter Hwy. 101, then a short distance north to Trans-Canada Hwy. 1, and headed west. About an hour later we stopped to eat lunch in the car at the abandoned shopping mall on the west side of Portage La Prairie. I continued driving after lunch, but got tired and Joanne took over driving duties for about an hour. Like me, she found our new (to us) Volvo a very comfortable and easy car to drive on the highway. Apollo seems to hate it ! Too small and cramped, he thinks. HA HA HA ... how much room does a very old Miniature Schnauzer really need ? ! ?

Joanne drove from east of Brandon to Oak Lake, a bit east of Virden. I drove the rest of the way to Moosomin. West of Virden it quickly became extremely foggy, resulting in zero visibility. Most vehicles, including us, slowed to 80 km./hr., and turned on emergency flashers to make ourselves more visible.

We arrived at Moosomin’s Motel 6 at 4 PM, five hours after we left home (time zone change). From inside our room, as it became dusk, we could not see the vehicles on the highway right outside our window ! And after dark, all we could see on the highway were occasional little pinpoints of lights as trucks rumbled by.

Joanne brought home made salad and spaghetti with meat sauce for supper tonight in our motel room. With freebie Greek rice puddings for desert. HA HA HA.

Has Apollo mentioned ... he LOOOOOVES Motel 6’s ? HA HA HA !

Monday ; Moosomin to Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan

Cold and windy this morning in Moosomin, intermittent light rain and fog all day.

We checked out of Moosomin’s Motel 6 at 10:15 AM this morning, a bit earlier than we had expected. I refilled the car with fuel at Esso before leaving Moosomin. Every time we have stayed in Moosomin ... I think this was the fifth time ... it has been extremely cold and windy. Standing beside the car refilling it with fuel in Moosomin reminds me of crossing Portage and Main in Winnipeg when it’s 40 below ! Thankfully, I haven’t had to do that since 1987 ! HA HA HA !

We continued westbound on Trans-Canada Hwy. 1. We stopped to eat lunch in the car at Flying J just before reaching Regina. We arrived at Super 8 (motel) in Moose Jaw at 2:15 PM. As I was checking in at the front desk, the clerk told me we would have to wait 45 minutes before being assigned a room, “because check-in time is 3 PM”.

I was pleased to learn that my “stink eye” still works well. HA HA HA ! She changed her mind as soon as she lifted her face from her computer and looked at me. HA HA HA HA HA ! I mean ... come on ... it’s ****ing Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan on a weekday in November. Not Mar-a-Lago on July 4 !

At 7 PM I drove across the highway to buy supper at Dairy Queen. Joanne walked the dog and made a salad while I was buying supper.

Tuesday ; Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan

Sunny, cold in the morning and evening, mild in the afternoon.

We woke early, I took Apollo for a morning toileting walk, Joanne went to the motel’s breakfast room and got pancakes for us. After breakfast we all went back to sleep. Today was a no drive rest day. And rest we did !

At noon Joanne took Apollo for another toileting walk while I drove across the highway to refill with fuel at Superstore’s Mobil gas station. We ate lunch, then ... HA HA HA ... Apollo and I had another nap. Hey, we’re old ! HA HA HA ! After our nap we all went for a leisurely walk around the neighbourhood, enjoying the warm afternoon sun. <sigh> Apollo’s leisurely walk endurance is ... very low. <sigh>

We spent much of today brainstorming and researching potential travel destinations for winter 2027 / 2028.

We ate dinner while watching the US midterm election results.

Wednesday ; Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan to Medicine Hat, Alberta

Sunny and mild.

WOO-HOO ! Farewell to ... Greg (evil) Abbott ... Ken (corrupt) Paxton ... Susan (concerned !) Collins ... Vivek (piece of shit) Ramaswamy ... AND ... <insert drum roll here> ... 160 million of Musk’s dollars blown on Paxton’s campaign advertising ! HA HA HA ! Welcome to ... Dr. Abdul El-Sayed ... Ken Talarico ... et al.

We were awake earlier than planned. Apollo woke earlier than expected, and needed to be taken outside. So ... we departed earlier than planned, leaving Moose Jaw’s Super 8 Motel at 10:15 AM. We continued westbound on Trans-Canada Hwy. 1. We stopped to eat lunch in the parking lot of Wal-Mart in Swift Current, Saskatchewan.

After lunch Joanne drove for about an hour while Apollo and I napped. We changed drivers again at the Saskatchewan / Alberta border, and I drove the rest of the way to Medicine Hat. I refilled the car with fuel at Superstore’s Mobil gas station before arriving at Prairie Crest Hotel, checking in at 2:30 PM. Our arrival was filled with minor problems. Firstly we were assigned a room at the furthest end of the hotel, on the third floor. That’s problematic for getting Apollo outside quickly in the morning. When making the reservation I requested a main floor room, near an exit, as I always do. The front desk clerk said there was no such message on our reservation. <sigh> Recent change of ownership ! After seeing how far the third floor room was from an exit, I returned to the front desk and requested a change of room.

The second room we were assigned was on the first floor, right beside an exit. Excellent ... thank you. Upon getting settled in the room we discovered the TV wasn’t working properly. A previous guest had left a gaming console connected to the TV and I was not able to figure out how to switch from the gaming console back to TV function. I had to get the front desk clerk to come to the room and fix that.

After she left, I discovered ... <deep breath> ... the TV remote control was broken. <sigh> Another trip to the front desk to ask for a new remote control. All in all, nothing significant, but plenty of irritation ! We had stayed here once before, a couple of years ago, and everything was excellent, but the recent change of ownership seems to have thrown a monkey wrench into the works !

At 6:15 PM I left to buy supper at the nearby Osmow’s Shawarma. At the same time Joanne took Apollo for a walk. The food from Osmow’s was good, as it was the last time we bought supper there a couple of years ago. But ... the franchise restaurant is now under new management, a new franchisee. And I can’t remember an instance where I have encountered bigger crooks than the group running this restaurant. Good thing I’m OCD when it comes to scrutinizing what’s being rung into a cash register and what’s showing up on the credit card terminal. Two ... count’ em ... two (failed) attempts to overcharge me, once on the register, once on the credit card terminal ! Overcharging each customer about a buck and half must be quite profitable, n’est-ce-pas ? ! ?

We watched tonight’s episode of Survivor while eating dinner.

DSK

October 22 to 28, 2026 ; Winnipeg, Manitoba

 Thursday ; Mostly sunny, mild, very brief, heavy rain mid-afternoon.

For the first day in two months I didn’t awake to the pressure of having to try to wrangle a deposit refund from the Mexican rental condo American grifter owner. AHHHH ... like a breath of fresh air ! Good riddance, Jennifer !

We have started fall pre-departure preparations in earnest.

Friday ; Sunny and warm.

This evening we went to Joanne’s sister’s home for dinner. In addition to Lorraine’s partner Grant, her eldest daughter Madeleine was also there for dinner. It was our opportunity to express our condolences for the recent passing of their cat Mushroom.

In a very strange incident of “small world”, as Joanne and I told Lorraine and Grant about the recent passing of our neighbour Jim, followed five days later by the death of his wife Debby, Lorraine realized that we were talking about the Debby that she worked with at Prairie Theatre Exchange many decades ago, who later hired Lorraine to be her assistant at Alzheimers Manitoba, where Lorraine eventually replaced Debby, and subsequently worked for decades, until her recent retirement.

Saturday ; Sunny and cold.

Most of the day was spent on preparations for departure on November 1. I did some automotive preventive maintenance this afternoon. Joanne worked on packing. I did some annual preventive maintenance in our suite. And did monthly computer backups.

Sunday ; Sunny and cold.

Pre-departure preparations continue. Our neighbour Vicki visited us this afternoon, for a cup of tea, and to pick up our apartment and mailbox keys. Vicki will collect our mail this winter.

I downloaded, reconciled, and paid our MasterCard billing this afternoon. That included quite a bit of time on the phone with their security department. There were two fraudulent charges on our MasterCard this month, both on the same day, both from a “hospitality” (bar or restaurant ?) business in Wilmington, Delaware. The security agent asked a lot of (necessary) questions before removing the charges from my MasterCard billing, cancelling my MasterCard, and will be issuing me a new MasterCard with new number.

After adjusting the car’s tire pressures yesterday, today I took the car for a (7 km.!) drive to reset the tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS). The many computerized features of our new (to us) Volvo are ... sort of weird but wonderful. We’ve had vehicles with TPMS before, but none have had to be “reset” after changing tires or adjusting pressures.

Monday ; Sunny and cold, -2 C right now at 9 PM, on its way to -4 C overnight.

More fall pre-departure preparations. Washing, selecting, packing clothing, outerwear, shoes (and winter boots for the drive in both directions, westbound next week, eastbound in April).

Had multiple phone calls with the pharmacist at nearby Superstore, to get his assistance in “attaching” the Superstore pharmacy to our Optimum / PC Health online account, to enable me to manage Joanne’s and my prescriptions. Have previously attached Shoppers Drug Mart and Superstore pharmacies in Steinbach, Winnipeg, and Victoria to our online account without problem, but ... this time, with the local Superstore ... much drama ! Wasted a lot of my time and his. I appreciate his assistance.

Tuesday ; Cloudy and cold, light rain briefly in the afternoon.

More fall pre-departure preparations. Mostly selection and packing of clothes. Mostly done by Joanne.

Our building’s water was turned off today to permit the replacement of one of the three large water heaters that supply hot water to the entire building. I got up early to shower etc. before the 9 AM shut off time, and I filled a five gallon water jug and three gallon pail for use throughout the day if needed for flushing or whatever.

Wednesday ; Low cloud overcast, cold.

Busy afternoon today. While Joanne went to have lunch with her sister at an upscale Lebanese restaurant Joanne wanted to try, I had lunch at home then spent about 2½ hours on my monthly Zoom meeting with a University of Manitoba Computer Science Master’s degree student and his professor, participating in his Master’s degree thesis Digital Legacy focus group. Yeah ... it’s a long story.

When my Zoom meeting was over around 3:30 PM, Joanne was back home and we went out together to run errands. First stop was the veterinarian to pick up a prescription order for Apollo. Next was Superstore where we had to pick up six prescriptions for me and four for Joanne. And we presented Apollo’s prescription order and waited for it to be filled. OK ... everybody’s got their prescriptions filled for the next six months. One huge item crossed off the fall pre-departure checklist. On our way back home we made one last stop, at Shaftesbury High School, to vote in Winnipeg’s municipal election.

While having dinner we watched tonight’s episode of Survivor.

DSK

October 15 to 21, 2026 ; Winnipeg, Manitoba

 Thursday ; Cloudy, windy, cold.

At noon we headed to nearby Superstore to have flu and Covid vaccinations. We are beginning to feel the effects of that this evening (now 9:30 PM). Apollo’s anti-seizure / anti-sundowning medication is working well. Hopefully the new antibiotic will also bring improvement.

Friday ; Sunny and mild.

Joanne spent the afternoon running errands. I stayed home and took care of chores. Of course, that includes napping with the dog. I cooked pickerel for dinner, then watched the (Winnipeg Blue) Bomber game. Not an encouraging result !

Saturday ; Sunny and chilly.

This afternoon we gave Apollo a haircut. That was so stressful for him that after we finished and he “escaped” he had a persistent series of small seizures, culminating in what we believe was a stroke. For awhile, his body was twisted to the right, his tail was twisted to the right, and he staggered around in clockwise circles, looking scared.

<exhaling deeply> I placed him in his dog bed, wrapped myself around him, and spoke softly to him for a few minutes until the episode ended, his body relaxed, and he went to sleep. He slept for awhile, and was fine when he woke. Scary, close call !

Tomorrow is bath day for him. We’ll bathe him slowly and gently, trying not to allow his stress level to rise as much as it did while getting a haircut today. Wish us luck.

On his recent visit to the veterinarian, she suggested that his recent onset of seizures may be due to the development of brain tumours, a somewhat common occurrence in very old dogs. <sigh> At this late stage in his life, we choose not to subject him to even the diagnostic procedures necessary, let alone the dubious treatments available.

Sunday ; Sunny and mild, a nice fall day.

This afternoon we gave Apollo a bath. Slowly and gently. It still stressed him out, he hates getting bathed. But there were no seizures (or worse !) today.

Monday ; Sunny and mild, another nice fall day, despite an early temperature of 0° C. at 8:30 AM when I walked Apollo.

Today was the last of his three regular grooming days. Today was nail trimming. Yes, yes, he was stressed about that, as always, but his medication seems to be working as it should to calm him enough that he no longer suffers evening “sundowning”, and no seizures or stroke as a result of nail trimming.

Tuesday ; Sunny and warm !

Wednesday ; Sunny and warm. Again !

We send our deepest condolences to Joanne’s sister Lorraine and her partner Grant. Today they fulfilled the most difficult obligation that pet owners have, and helped their family cat cross the Rainbow Bridge. Godspeed, Mushroom, you shall be ill no more.

After 58 days of much more time and effort than was warranted, we (jointly) succeeded in wrestling a refund of our US$2000 deposit for the rental condo in Mexico from the American owner / grifter. Her parting volley was a lengthy rant, including references to God <rolling my eyes>, her assessment that we must lack intelligence and be “poor class”, and most impactful ... “my bank is bigger than your bank”.

Have a nice American day, Jennifer ! It’s been such a pleasure doing business with you. <sarcasm>

And we are SO pleased that our winter condo rental budget of CA$15,000 will NOT be going into an American’s pockets !

WOO-HOO ! We applaud the bold and courageous move on tonight’s episode of Survivor by Kilby the Canadian !

DSK

October 8 to 14, 20026 ; Winnipeg, Manitoba (home)

Thursday ; Sunny and mild.

Well ... Apollo is still alive, although not “and well”. Today was a veterinarian visit day. As he approaches and we prepare for his “end of life”.

On January 1 of this year, when I was booking a rental condo in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, for next winter, we expected that Apollo would not survive beyond Thanksgiving this year. Well, it now seems as if we were wrong. And regardless of that, we decided near the end of August (remember the “walk away from the trade deal”) that it was unacceptable to us to pump $15,000 for winter accommodations in Mexico into the pockets of the pair of American owners of the rental condo in Mexico. Our “elbows up” values have grown into “elbows up, gloves off, over the boards” !

The Mexico rental condo has been cancelled, and I’ve rented a (legal) “granny suite” in Langford, a suburb of Victoria, BC. We’re leaving on November 1 for Vancouver Island for the winter ... for the third time.

Apollo’s health continues to deteriorate, as he approaches his 15^th birthday. He is deaf. His vision has deteriorated to the point where he seems unable to focus clearly beyond about five feet. His right hip is very arthritic / stiff and painful. His left shoulder is moderately arthritic / stiff and painful. His cognitive decline manifests mostly as moderate to severe “sundowning” each evening. He has begun to have minor seizures.

So ... today we took him to the vet for a physical examination, blood and urine testing, and diagnosis and treatment plan for the minor seizures and not so minor sundowning. She prescribed a new medication which we administered for the first time tonight at 6 PM.

Friday ; Sunny and mild.

YIKES ! From 8 PM last night until 8 PM tonight Apollo was “stoned” ! HMMM ... dosage too high ? ! ? We did not administer his medication tonight at 6 PM. Tomorrow at 6 PM we’ll administer a half dose, and assess results.

Our “health goals” for him now are just to keep him comfortable, with an acceptable “quality of life”. Seizure free, minimal to no sundowning, calm, comfortable. He walks in slow motion. We help him ascend the pet steps onto and off of our bed. We use a lot of “sign language” to guide him. Every time he falls asleep ... many times per day ... we cover him with his blue blankie and put his pink pillow under his head. We lift him into and out of the car when he accompanies us going “drivey”. He sleeps a lot, and that’s wonderful. His end of life is likely not far off. <sigh> Not our first rodeo ! But experience doesn’t make it any easier !

Joanne treated me to a superb lunch at Jane’s Restaurant, in celebration of my birthday tomorrow. Jane’s is an upscale, very fine dining restaurant, in an exquisite location in a grand old bank / heritage building in The Exchange district downtown, beside Winnipeg City Hall. It is operated by Red River College. It’s a training facility for their culinary arts program. They are open to the public for fine dining only rarely, and Joanne carefully watched for an opportunity for us to dine there near the date of my birthday.

Thank you, my dear. It was a great experience. Excellent food, ambience, and service. Huge open kitchen allowing patrons to watch. Many students “doing”, many instructors teaching and supervising cooks, service staff, and beverage staff. In a huge space, three storey high ceilings, marble columns holding the place up, a main bank building built in 1906 !

After we were finished lunch, before leaving the building, we wandered over to their café, open to the public at lunch, where students are taught and learn other food services. <blink> WOW ! Trays of eight elaborate canapés being sold for two bucks. Bought two ! Ciabatta loaves for a buck and a half. Bought two !

Saturday ; Daniel’s 72^nd birthday ; HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME !

Sunny and warm. Beautiful fall weather. My favourite season.

Thanks to faithful high school friend / Joanne’s Maid of Honour Shirley for (always) remembering birthday and anniversary dates.

After a very early dinner at home we drove downtown to attend a performance of Cyrano de Bergerac at Manitoba Theatre Centre, my birthday gift to myself. It was a powerful play, with a very powerful final scene.

A home made birthday cake, with candles, was waiting for me upon our return home at 11 PM.

Sunday ; Gloomy ! Windy ! Cold !

Last night we administered a half dose of Apollo’s new medication. That seemed to work a lot better.

Monday ; our 52^nd wedding anniversary & (Canadian) Thanksgiving ; HAPPY ANNIVERSARY TO US !

Gloomy, COLD, windy, COLD, raining ! Did I mention ... COLD ? Today ... Thanksgiving ... not even mid-October yet ... Winnipeg was much colder than Victoria (on Vancouver Island) in January and February ! ! !

Walking Apollo repeatedly today was an ordeal. For him and us ! He is not healthy enough to endure winter weather. And neither of us wants to have to walk a dog in Winnipeg winter weather ! So ... he will likely survive until we reach Victoria, but is unlikely to be alive when we return to Winnipeg next spring. And he will be our last dog.

Joanne prepared an exquisite leg of lamb Thanksgiving / anniversary dinner tonight. Waldorf salad to start. Roasted lamb with sautéed Brussells sprouts and mushrooms, lightly smashed baby potatoes drenched with fresh homemade kefir, Dijon mustard on the lamb slices. WHEW ... <swoon> !

Tuesday ; Sunny & chilly.

A week ago our neighbour Jim died at home. While we didn’t get to know him well in the year that we have lived here, we have become friends with his wife Debbie. They were high school sweethearts married for 58 years. Jim’s funeral was to be tomorrow. But today we learned that it will be a double service, because ... <cough> ... two days ago ... <sputter> ... Debbie died !

Wednesday ; Sunny and mild.

This afternoon we attended the joint funeral service of our neighbours Jim and Debbie. It was our first Jewish funeral. In my opinion, it made more sense than other funeral services we have attended in our lives. Rest in peace, Jim and Debbie.

At 6 PM we had a phone meeting with Apollo’s veterinarian. Somewhat surprisingly, his blood and urine tests all indicated excellent results. Tonight we will begin administering an antibiotic to him for the next ten days.

At 7 PM we attended our condominium’s annual general meeting. It was the most ineptly conducted AGM I have ever attended. And we’ve attended about three dozen AGM’s in our lifetime !

DSK

April 12 to 18, 2026 ; Revelstoke, British Columbia to Winnipeg, Manitoba

 Sunday ; Revelstoke, British Columbia to Airdrie, Alberta

Low overcast, intermittent rain, snow flurries through all the BC and Alberta National Parks, temperatures from +1° C to +7° C.

We checked out of Stoke Hotel and departed Revelstoke at 10:35 AM. We continued eastbound on Trans-Canada Hwy. 1 through Revelstoke National Park, Glacier National Park, Rogers Pass (lots of snow), into the town of Golden, BC, where we stopped to eat our picnic lunch in the car, and reset clocks and watches from Pacific Time to Mountain Time. Through Yoho National Park, into Alberta, past Lake Louise, into Banff National Park, past the town of Banff (where we honeymooned 51½ years ago), and onto Hwy. 206, the ring road around Calgary at 5 PM.

Around the west side of Calgary to the north side where we found our way to Darwin’s Charcoal BBQ Chicken, a Filipino barbecued chicken restaurant, where Joanne ordered two Filipino barbecued chicken dinners with pancit side dishes, to eat in our motel room later in the evening.

From the restaurant we headed north on Hwy. 2 to the town of Airdrie. I refilled the minivan with fuel at Superstore’s Mobil Fuel Bar, then we checked in at Motel 6, arriving at 6:15 PM. WHEW ... a lot of miles, on a poor weather day, very tiring !

Yes, yes ... supper was superb ! And the mountain goats and elk we saw today were interesting.

Monday ; Airdrie to Medicine Hat, Alberta

Overcast in Airdrie and Calgary, clearing slowly as we drove, sunny by the time we got to Medicine Hat, +15° C.

We checked out of Motel 6 this morning at 10:30 AM and drove a very short distance to Superstore where we bought a few grocery items for today’s meals. We were finished at Superstore and on our way at 11 AM. We headed south on Hwy. 2 back towards Calgary and the Trans-Canada Hwy 1. Before reaching Calgary’s ring road, inexplicably our GPS routed us eastbound on Hwy. 566, a two lane “back road”, for about forty kilometres, then southbound on Hwy. 9 to connect with TCH 1 eastbound. <shrug>

We stopped to have lunch in Brooks, parked in the parking lot of the museum. We arrived in Medicine Hat at 3:30 PM, and checked into the Baymont Inn & Suites for two nights. At 7:30 PM we drove a very short distance to Church’s Texas Chicken and bought take-out chicken for dinner. We first became fans of Church’s Texas Chicken while in La Feria, Texas. Where it is known simply as Church’s Chicken. HA HA HA !

This afternoon as I came up behind a large sewage pumper truck on the highway ... CRACK !

**** ! ! ! Guess I’ll be spending tomorrow afternoon trying to repair a large rock chip in the windshield.

Tuesday ; Medicine Hat, Alberta

Sunny, very windy, +18° C., chilly in the evening.

I’m sitting here at 10 AM, sipping on a cup of coffee that I brought back to our room from the breakfast room. I have to stand up to close the window I opened just a short time ago, because of the noise of the large sewage pumper truck that has just arrived and is now noisily sucking something out of this hotel. I sure as hell hope it’s the coffee from the breakfast room !

“Hello ? Johnny’s Sewage ? Please hurry to the Baymont Inn & Suites and suck out all the coffee we made this morning. It’s horrible ! ! !” HA HA HA !

Rather than repair the windshield chip by myself, which would require me to borrow a step stool from the hotel, then replacing the windshield chip repair kit I keep in the car, I decided to just let a professional take care of the job. I needed to go to Canadian Tire to buy some replacement fuses ... I had to replace a fuse yesterday and didn’t have the correct size, so installed an oversize fuse temporarily ... and there was a DECO windshield repair kiosk located in the Canadian Tire parking lot. Good decision ! The young man working the kiosk examined yesterday’s large chip in the windshield, and a smaller one adjacent ... two chips yesterday (!) ... and also found another chip at the very bottom of the windshield that had already cracked about six inches or so. <sigh> The most economical approach to the three repairs required was to purchase a one year service plan to cover all chip and crack repairs for one year. And that includes windshield glass waterproofing and anti-glare treatments, and headlight restoration treatments. <shrug> Okay ... fix the three chips and one crack, and treat the windshield glass, and restore the headlights today please. While he worked on that I went into Canadian Tire and purchased a pack of 20 amp fuses, then replaced the oversized fuse I installed yesterday with the correct one. Many birds with one stone, so to speak !

From Canadian Tire we drove to Superstore to buy a few grocery items for today’s lunch, and to refill the minivan with fuel. Except ... the fuel bar was “out of order”.

So ... at 7:15 PM we went out again. We refilled the car with fuel at Superstore’s Mobil Fuel Bar, then drove to Brooklyn Dumpling Shop and bought a variety of Korean / Filipino fusion cuisine take-out for supper. We returned to our hotel room and ate supper while watching the two hour season finale of DOC.

Wednesday ; Medicine Hat, Alberta to Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan

Sunny for most of the day, +15° C., sky / clouds looking pretty ugly at dusk, blizzard conditions expected overnight !

We checked out of Medicine Hat’s Baymont Inn & Suites at 10:15 AM and continued eastbound on Trans-Canada Hwy. 1. We stopped to buy lunch at SubExpress in Swift Current at 12:30 PM, eating our lunch parked at Wal-Mart. We were back on the road at 1:30 PM. We arrived at Super 8 in Moose Jaw at 3:30 PM.

I napped briefly upon arrival, then spent the rest of the afternoon trying ... and failing ... to get my laptop connected to the motel’s Wi-Fi. There was no problem connecting the i-Phone, but ... I could not connect the laptop. I have no idea what the problem was ! I gave up in frustration. Partially because the motel’s front desk clerk was unable to provide any assistance. She didn’t even know the location of the router, in order to satisfy my request to reboot it.

By the time we were ready for supper, I was too tired and frustrated to even want to go out to buy supper. I persuaded Joanne that we could survive by simply scrounging whatever leftovers and snacks we still had. We ate our “scrounge dinner” while watching Survivor.

Thursday ; Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan

BLIZZARD ! -8° C., WCF = -14° C.!

Apollo woke up this morning, asking to go out, at 8:15 AM. I took him outside and ... BLIZZARD ! ! ! In front of the motel there was a tow truck pulling a minivan out of the ditch. Apollo was NOT PLEASED ! “Why are here HERE ? ? ?”

I attended a seminar / webinar in Winnipeg from 11:30 AM to 12:30 PM, via ZOOM. Excellent content ... terrible presenter ! When finished with that we all loaded into the car, ... all of us dressed as if it was the middle of winter. On the prairies ! Which it was ! ! ! We drove very carefully out of the motel’s parking lot, across a large intersection, and into the Superstore Mobil Fuel Bar. I refilled the minivan with fuel ... and almost froze to death doing so ! We parked at Superstore and went inside to buy a few items. We left the car locked, engine running, heater on high, Apollo lying on his bed on the centre console, with his frozen little face positioned right in front of a heater vent.

After purchasing our groceries we drove another very short distance to One Stop Eats, a fast food court mall and ordered lunch at RedHotz Hotdogs & Poutine. We drove back across the intersection, back to the motel, and had lunch in our room.

Apollo and I napped !

At 7 PM we went out again, this time to buy supper. The blizzard had ended. The motel’s parking lot had been cleared of snow around 5 PM. We drove downtown to Safeway and bought something for dinner tomorrow night. Then to Angel Jane’s Chinese Restaurant for a giant bowl of pho style beef noodle soup to take back to the motel to have for supper tonight while watching THE PITT.

Driving conditions were treacherous ! I hope the highway will be in better condition tomorrow than the city streets were today.

Friday ; Moose Jaw to Moosomin, Saskatchewan

Blowing snow, very windy, extremely cold, -10° C., WCF = -19° C.

Horrific driving conditions all day !

Refilling the car with fuel at Esso in Moosomin, Saskatchewan was the coldest experience I have had in 38 years !

We checked out of Super 8 in Moose Jaw at 10:30 AM and continued eastbound on Trans-Canada Hwy. 1. The snow had not yet been cleared from the highway. The strong wind from the north was blowing snow across the highway. The thick cloud layer was so low to the ground as to occasionally be fog. Visibility was near zero for most of the day, particularly the first half of today’s drive, from Moose Jaw to Indian Head. Our speed for most of the day was around 80 km/hr on a four lane divided highway with a speed limit of 110 km/hr. There were multiple cars that had slid off the road into the ditch. And of course ... there were plenty of assholes doing their best to maintain 110 km/hr or better, jeopardizing the lives of everyone they tried to pass. <singing “Slip Sliding Away”>. Most of them were huge black pickup trucks (just like we had for 16 years !) with Alberta plates !

Apollo hated every minute of the day, from the time we left our motel room in Moose Jaw until we were in our next motel room in Moosomin. Poor, old dog ! Shivering, frozen paws, walking / hopping on three legs, occasionally refusing to walk and needing to be carried, unwilling to defecate all day until his 6:30 PM walk, after we had arrived at Motel 6 in Moosomin.

We had lunch in Indian Head from 1:00 to 1:45 PM. We arrived in Moosomin at 3:30 PM. By the time I had purchased fuel and we were checked into Motel 6 it was 4 PM.

We all feel drained by a stressful day. We’re hoping tomorrow will be better, but forecasts suggest it probably won’t be.

Winter in Victoria. Driving half way across the country ... there and back ! <whispering> I don’t want to do this any more !

Saturday ; Moosomin, Saskatchewan to Winnipeg, Manitoba

Sunny, +2° C.

All three of us are grateful that today’s weather was not as severe as the past two days. It was cold, but sunny, with little wind. And while I had anxiety about another day of driving conditions like yesterday, today was much easier. The highway was clean and dry east of Moosomin. There was no snow on the farm fields, so I guess the blizzard started at Moose Jaw and ended at Moosomin.

We checked out of Motel 6 at 10:45 AM and continued eastbound on TCH 1. We crossed from Saskatchewan into Manitoba and stopped in Brandon around 12:30 PM, immediately reset our clocks and watches to 1:30 PM (CDT), and ate our lunch in the parking lot of a Subway restaurant on the highway on the west side of Brandon. We were on our way again around 2:15 PM.

We reached the western edge of Winnipeg around 4:30 PM. We drove to our Tuxedo neighbourhood and stopped at Superstore to buy supper for tonight, then refilled the minivan with fuel at Oodena Gas very near our home. We arrived home at Winslow House at 5:30 PM.

I was really pissed off at Oodena Gas. They are an indigenous enterprise, and employ indigenous pump attendants to provide full service at the pumps. The customer simply pulls up to the pump island, then goes inside to wait to pay when the pump attendant has finished pumping the fuel. And providing other “full service” like cleaning the windshield and rear window.

Our car is filthy from driving in yesterday’s blizzard. And instead of cleaning the windshield and rear window while the fuel was pumping, the attendant stood beside our car with his face focused on his phone screen ! As soon as the tank was full, he hung up the hose and nozzle, and quickly disappeared.

That sort of shit does nothing except reinforce prejudices !

We are all very glad to be home !

DSK

April 5 to 11, 2026 ; Victoria, Vancouver Island to Revelstoke, British Columbia

 Easter Sunday ; Sunny, +18° C. !

WOW ! Beach weather ! ! ! So ... after lunch and a nap for me and Apollo we set off for a visit to Willows Beach, in the Oak Bay neighbourhood of Victoria. Lovely beach, soft sand, many dogs romping off leash. We no longer allow Apollo to be off leash. First of all, he’s now deaf, and can’t hear any commands. Secondly, he’s ... cognitively impaired (old doggie dementia), moves in slow motion, gets distracted easily, forgets where he is and why, etc. ! We walked along the beach for about 45 minutes or so, although we didn’t cover much distance for the amount of time we were meandering.

Upon our return home to our suite, he flopped on the floor and promptly fell asleep for the rest of the day. HA HA HA ! Good dog, Apollo ! Take another nap !

Monday ; Mostly sunny, some thin clouds, windy, +16° C.

It was supposed to be warmer than 16° today, but the wind kept the temperature down. After lunch Joanne went shopping at Thrifty Foods, already purchasing some “road food” for our trip home starting in a few days. I downloaded yesterday’s beach pics from the i-Phone to my laptop, and processed them. In the afternoon I trimmed my beard. Wouldn’t want to return to Tuxedo looking like some kind of a bushman. HA HA HA !

I have an excruciatingly painful right wrist and hand. This problem has been developing for a couple of days. At first I thought it was carpel tunnel syndrome. But now I think it is gout. Gout in the wrist and hand is rare, but I have had it before. I took Prednisone this morning. I hope it helps ! ! ! I can’t even hold a pencil, and write.

Tuesday ; Sunny, +12° C.

<sigh> Yesterday when I was doing some online research of using Prednisone to treat gout I noticed numerous warnings about use / dosages of Prednisone for the “elderly”, defined as over 65 years of age. <sigh> Obviously, that meant ... me !

Yesterday, after taking 20 mg. of Prednisone in the morning, my blood pressure spiked around noon. (Every two days I take a blood pressure reading.) At bedtime I developed angina (heart pain) and shortness of breath. Either I was having a heart attack (possible) or ... my dosage of Prednisone was too high (probable). The “elephant on chest” syndrome was powerful enough that I administered a dose of nitroglycerine, only the fourth time in my life I have done so, and only the second time since my CABG (triple bypass) surgery 8 ½ years ago.

Well ... obviously I survived, so ... it (probably) wasn’t a heart attack ! But ... that precluded me from taking another dose of Prednisone this morning. And while my gout has diminished significantly (80% ?), it’s still bothering me. Hopefully it continues to improve. If not ... <sigh> ... Plan B ?

Preparations for departure on Thursday morning began in earnest today.

Wednesday ; Sunny, +14° C.

Most of today was spent packing and preparing for departure tomorrow morning. After Apollo’s noon walk I drove to nearby Canco Fuels to refill the minivan with fuel. Next refill will be in Hope. I “Hope” that the price will be lower than here on Vancouver Island. HA HA HA ! Bad Dad joke ? Bad Grandpa joke ? Bad cranky old man joke ? !

Well ... that ceasefire didn’t last long, did it ? ? ? ! ! !

Thursday ; Victoria, Vancouver Island to Hope

Sunny, +13° C. in Victoria, +17° C. in Vancouver, +22° C. in Hope.

We were up at 8 AM, earlier than usual for us. We were checked out and leaving the Robin Hood Inn at 10:45 AM. We drove through Victoria, and north on the Saanich Peninsula, to the BC Ferries terminal at Sidney, arriving at 11:30 AM. The ferry left on time at noon, and arrived on time at Tsawwassen (Vancouver) at 1:45 PM.

Because we were parked on the lower deck of the ferry (below water line, no escape possible) we were once again not allowed to remain in our vehicle with Apollo. Now we finally understand why sometimes we have been allowed to remain in our vehicle (when parked on an upper deck, above water line, escape possible) and sometimes not. We spent the ferry crossing time in a pet room, which we shared with a couple from Langley, along with Diego, their rescued from Mexico street dog. Of course, after spending the last three years of his life as an affluent Langley (Vancouver suburb) dog, Diego no longer looks like a Mexican street dog. HA HA HA !

A few minutes after departing the ferry we stopped at Tsawwassen Mills, a huge shopping mall, to have our picnic lunch prepared by Joanne. We parked in front of the enormous Wal-Mart, to have easy access to restrooms before and after lunch. After lunch we headed into Vancouver and then east on the Trans-Canada Hwy. 1 through Langley and Surrey and Abbotsford and Chilliwack and onwards, arriving in Hope at 5 PM. Before checking into the City Centre Motel we stopped at Hope’s lovely Memorial Park and took Apollo for a (slow motion !) walk in the park.

After settling into our room Apollo and I had a very short nap, then Joanne prepared our casserole supper, cooked two days ago in Victoria, frozen, and simply needing reheating in the microwave tonight. We watched THE PITT and Cirque Life while having supper.

Friday ; Hope to Revelstoke Sunny, +22° C.

This morning we took Apollo for a walk in Hope’s Memorial Park before checking out of the City Centre Motel at 10:45 AM. We headed north on Coquihalla Hwy. 5. For a few km. / miles before and after the summit ... 2000 metres / 6600 feet ASL ... there was still snow on the ground. Around noon we stopped in Merritt to refill with fuel at Mobil, then bought a few groceries at No Frills. We continued heading north on “The Coke” to Kamloops, planning to stop at Kamloops Visitor Information Centre to eat lunch in the car.

When we arrived at the Kamloops Visitor Information Centre at around 1:30 PM, it was ... HUH ? Not there ! ? ! <blink blink> The Visitor Information Centre is now the Protective Services building. What a waste of expensive infrastructure ! The former Visitor Information Centre has an RV sewage dump station, an RV potable water refill station, a fenced dog park, many EV charging stations, and lots of both car and RV sized parking spots ! Except for a few car parking spots, all useless now !

We drove across the street to the Aberdeen Mall and ate lunch in the large shopping mall’s parking lot. When I went into the mall to use the washroom, I found ... hmmm ... a Purdy’s Chocolatier Shop. <shrug> Probably the last opportunity to purchase a (fifty dollar !) box of Purdy’s chocolates for the love of my life. Hopefully, she’ll offer a few chocolates to me. HA HA HA !

From Kamloops we rejoined the Trans-Canada Hwy.1 heading east. Just before reaching Sicamous we were forced to detour around the town because of road construction on the highway through town. We had to travel about half an hour south on Hwy. 97C almost all the way to Vernon, then northeast on Hwy. 97A back to the Trans-Canada Hwy. 1 on the east side of the town of Sicamous. Almost an hour detour to get from one side of a little town to the other !

When we reached TCH 1 on the eastern edge of Sicamous we stopped at a municipal park to give Apollo a bathroom walk, and stretch our legs. We were all feeling tired and stiff. We continued east on TCH 1 to Revelstoke, arriving shortly after 5:30 PM. It seemed like a long, tiring day.

We checked into the Stoke Inn for two nights. HMPH ! More expensive than I had expected ! While Joanne brought stuff from the car into the room, I took Apollo for a walk. When we returned to our room, I fed him a meal of dog kibble with home made buttermilk on top. He very quickly scarfed that down, walked about two feet from his food bowl, and ... puked it all up ! ! ! <sigh> Good dog, Apollo <sarcasm>. I guess today was longer, hotter, and more stressful for him than we had realized.

We got that mess all cleaned up, then I turned on the TV. DARN ! I missed the Artemis splashdown ! The capsule was already in the water, and the astronauts were beginning to be removed from from inside.

Saturday ; Revelstoke Overcast, +13° C.

By design, a rest day. After each two days of driving ... a rest day.

This afternoon we went to “downtown” Revelstoke to Save-On-Foods to buy some items for dinner tonight. On the way back to Stoke Hotel I refilled the minivan with fuel for tomorrow, the longest distance and most difficult driving day of our return trip home.

DSK

March 29 to April 4, 2026 ; Victoria, Vancouver Island, British Columbia

 Sunday ; Raining, chilly, +5° C.

This morning I did some preventive maintenance on the car. In the afternoon Joanne and I continued contemplating and researching next winter’s travel options. I posted my weekly blog entry. I did my regular weekly investments updates and analysis. <fume>

Monday ; Sunny, +9° C.

Such a nice spring day we decided to go for a long ride in the countryside. So to speak ! We have been browsing Airbnb type rentals near here for next winter’s Plan B. After lunch we drove north on the Saanich Peninsula almost to Victoria airport and the ferry terminal in Sidney to look at a rental suite. Nope ! Before leaving the North Saanich area we stopped at Dominion Brook Park and took Apollo for a leisurely walk. Then we drove halfway back to Victoria to look at another rental suite, this one in the Gordon Head neighbourhod. WHEW ... high rent district ! Mind you ... in Victoria, aren’t they all ? ! ? This one was also a “Nope” !

<shrug> Well ... it was a nice drive in the “country” on a beautiful spring day, and we got to spend some time meandering around a large, lovely park with Apollo.

Tuesday ; Mix of sun and thin clouds, 11° C.

Around noon Joanne left to run some errands at Esquimalt Plaza. First stop was Country Grocer, to buy a few advertised specials. As she searched for the advertised specials, she realized ... oops, brain fart ! She was in Country Grocer, looking for advertised specials on sale at ... Save-On-Foods ! Oh, well ... at least she got a couple of excellent doughnuts at Esquimalt Bakery.

Needless to say, after lunch she headed to Tillicum Centre to buy the advertised specials at Save-On-Foods ! And ... might as well stock up on some “road snacks” at Dollar Tree for the upcoming long drive from Victoria, BC to Winnipeg, Manitoba.

I paid our monthly condo fees, juggled and shuffled money between accounts and banks, to take advantage of higher interest rates, and did monthly computer backup chores.

Wednesday ; Overcast, +9° C.

I had a discombobulated day, spinning my wheels, accomplishing little, and completely losing track of time for much of the day ! No, no ... I don’t have an explanation !

Just before having lunch I drove a short distance to Victoria Car Wash and vacuumed the interior of the car. In the evening we watched a double episode of Survivor.

<Porky Pig imitation> Th-th-th-that’s all folks ! <cue Looney Tunes music>

Thursday ; Sunny, +12° C.

At 5 PM we left our suite and headed to the tony community of Oak Bay, to find the locally renowned fish & chips shop Willows Galley. We bought a haddock dinner with fries, cole slaw, and curried tartar sauce. We ate dinner as soon as we arrived back home at 6 PM, about two hours earlier than we usually eat. Dinner was good, but ... not as stupendous as one would expect from the restaurant’s reviews and reputation. This is the second fish and chip shop we have eaten at in Victoria where the expensive halibut meals do not warrant the rave reviews and reputation the restaurants have.

Good Friday ; Overcast, +10° C.

Less than a week until departure for home / Winnipeg.

When Housekeeping showed up around 12:30 PM for the final full service of our suite we left for our weekly Wal-Mart shopping at Uptown Mall.

After we returned home, and Apollo and I had a nap, I browsed online for cars while Joanne shopped online for a vacuum cleaner. I cleaned the car windshield and windows inside. Yes, yes, we’re becoming a bit bored here ! I think we probably wouldn’t be if the weather improved. Which it is forecast to do very soon !

Excuse me. I think I’m going to go piss on people on Bluesky for awhile !

Saturday ; Sunny, +16 C.

I’ve been waiting all ****ing winter for this weather ! So ... today I went e-bicycling ! The Robin Hood Inn has a fleet of e-bikes available for free use by guests. At noon I went to the office and signed out a pretty blue Norco e-bike, the only bike in the fleet with a wide ass seat. HA HA HA !

It was great ! I got it up to 40 km/hr. On a section of Gorge Road where the speed limit was 30 km/hr. Left those cars in my dust ! Pretty good for an old man with a bad heart, n'est-ce pas ? ! ? HA HA HA ! I wonder if it’s possible to get a speeding ticket on an e-bike ? I rode from the Robin Hood Inn west on Gorge Road to Gorge Plaza (Fairway Market and Dollarama) then north on Tillicum Road to Tillicum Centre (Save-on-Foods and Dollar Tree), east on Burnside Road to Burnside Boutique Thrift Store, and south on Carroll Street back to Gorge Road and Robin Hood Inn. About 5 km. / 3 miles. I was very impressed with the e-bike !

The Robin Hood Inn also offers free use of kayaks. The front desk clerk suggested that next I should try kayaking on the Gorge Waterway. Yeah ... I don’t think so. The last time I went kayaking was nineteen years ago at Playa Santispac on Bahia Concepción, Baja California Sur, Mexico. Our dog at that time, Bo, stood on the bow of the kayak like some sort of hood ornament, keeping a lookout for ... I don’t know ... grey whales ?

My kayaking days are long gone !

DSK