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

March 22 to 28, 2026 ; Victoria, Vancouver Island, British Columbia

 Sunday ; Overcast, +9° C.

We slept late this morning. And we had planned an outing this afternoon, but we had been expecting nicer weather. So ... we postponed.

I did my regular weekly investment updates and analysis. **** ! ! ! <taking deep breath> I did some regular bill paying and banking. I posted my weekly blog entry. I did return home trip planning. I wasted time planning and browsing our possible next car to purchase. To be done in about a year ! Hence the “time wasting”.

It was my turn to cook supper tonight ; Udon noodle stir fry, one of my specialties.

Monday ; Overcast, +9° C.

Today I finished revising our return home trip planning. I revised scheduling, routing, and daily destinations. I cancelled some previous reservations, and made new ones. DONE ! Probably. <shrug> Might be one more last minute change.

Tuesday ; Overcast in the morning, clearing in the afternoon, briefly reaching +10° C., chilly in the evening.

Didn’t accomplish much today. Bored, lazy ! Joanne went shopping at Save-On-Foods for advertised specials. I spent way too much time trying (and failing !) to reconcile our March MasterCard statement. Spent an hour and a half trying to reconcile $1.80 discrepancy ! First time in 22 years I have been unable to reconcile a credit card statement ! Must be losing my OCD touch ! HA HA HA !

Wednesday ; Raining in the morning, clearing in the afternoon, +9° C., chilly in the evening.

Another slow, lazy (somewhat bored) day. Paid some bills online. Finished fermenting a fresh batch of buttermilk. Retrieved two annuity income tax information slips I have been waiting for. With Joanne’s help, trimmed Apollo’s nails. Joanne went shopping by herself to Fairway Market and Dollarama at nearby Gorge Plaza. I lay in bed and read a book, and snoozed with Apollo.

All of us went for a walk at 6:30 PM to take advantage of the end of day sunshine. BRRRRR ! Joanne prepared my favourite meal tonight. Ate it while watching Survivor.

Thursday ; Sunny, +9° C. I had expected that Victoria’s spring would be a lot warmer than this by now.

This afternoon we went to Esquimalt Plaza to buy some advertised specials at Country Grocer (sold out), maybe buy something nice at Esquimalt Bakery (slim pickings today), and give Apollo at bath at Bosley’s Pet Food (no senior’s day discount on self-serve baths ... HMPH !). We left home at 3:30 PM and encountered rush hour traffic congestion already. HMPH ! We left Esquimalt Plaza at 4:30 PM to return to Robin Hood Inn, usually about a ten minute trip. Today it took about forty-five minutes ! HMPH ! ! !

Joanne felt ill (again) today. When we arrived back at home about 5:15 PM she went to nap, and didn’t awaken until after 8 PM. Her health has been slowly but steadily declining for at least the past two years, ever since she began chronically coughing in Mexico. Even longer than that, starting with the (unexplained / undiagnosed) extreme illness near the end of our winter in Portugal three years ago. Three bouts of pneumonia since then ! ! !

We / she has multiple medical appointments immediately upon our return to Winnipeg in a few weeks. AND I EXPECT (DEMAND !) RESULTS (DIAGNOSIS AND TREATMENT PLANS) FROM OUR / HER DOCTORS ! ! !

Friday ; Sunny, +11° C., a lovely spring day.

When Housekeeping arrived around 12:30 PM for our weekly full service we left to go get haircuts. We drove to First Choice Haircutters beside Canadian Tire on Admirals Road. I have had two haircuts previously this winter at First Choice Haircutters, and suggested to Joanne that she get a haircut there as well before we return home to Winnipeg. Apollo waited in the car while we both had haircuts. My haircut took less time than Joanne’s, so when my haircut was finished I took Apollo for a walk around the shopping mall area.

After our haircuts we drove to Esquimalt Gorge Park on Tillicum Road and went for a long leisurely walk around the lovely Japanese tea gardens. The cherry trees and tulips and daffodils are all in full bloom right now !

Saturday ; Overcast in the morning, clearing in the afternoon, chilly wind, +11° C.

Around 12:30 PM we left Apollo alone in our suite and went out to have lunch at a restaurant chosen by Joanne. Himalayan Flavours has a weekend buffet lunch. It is a Nepalese restaurant, with specialties similar to Indian food. Best curried goat I’ve ever had ! HA HA HA ! Joanne criticized me for “eating fifteen pounds of curried goat !” HA HA HA !

Apollo has been a very good dog while left alone in our suite at Robin Hood Inn multiple times in the last three months.

We spent quite a bit of the evening working on formulating a Plan B for next winter.

DSK

March 15 to 21, 2026 ; Victoria, Vancouver Island, British Columbia

 Sunday ; Intermittent light rain, +7° C.

This afternoon I downloaded yesterday’s aquarium videos from our i-Phone to my laptop, then posted my weekly blog entry. Joanne went grocery shopping to Thrifty Foods. I did some weekly investments updating and analysis. YIKES ! ! ! <mumbling> ****ing orange moron ! ! ! ! !

We shared supper making duties, making Eggs Florentine tonight.

Monday ; Overcast, +10° C.

Today was “creative budget planning” day. HA HA HA ! Needs to be done periodically. Part of the “dream big” process !

Tuesday ; Overcast, +10° C.

This morning I finished the budget planning I started yesterday. In the afternoon while Apollo and I napped Joanne went out to run errands. After her return I went to Canadian Tire to purchase a storage tote to replace the one in the car that Apollo has destroyed the lid by jumping on and off it.

Wednesday ; Overcast, 11° C.

We went out for lunch today, to Thai Hideaway in the Victoria community of Fairfield. It’s a small, family run (two brothers and a sister) restaurant in a suburban strip mall. We had been there once before to try it out, but it was closed while the three siblings were back home in Thailand attending another sister’s wedding.

Today’s lunch was the best Thai food we have ever had. And we have eaten a lot of Thai food, at a lot of very nice Thai restaurants over the years, from our previous home in Keremeos, B.C. to Palm Springs, California.

This afternoon I did some maintenance work on our minivan. And some maintenance work on Apollo. HA HA HA ! Haircut around the anus ! Anal glands drained ! <whispering> Sorry, Apollo, good dog !

We had supper while watching tonight’s episode of Survivor.

Thursday ; Intermittent rain, +12° C.

I had breakfast by myself this morning. Joanne was tired and slept until 11:30 AM ! ! !

This afternoon I downloaded and reconciled some bank statements, from both the Bank of Montreal, and Steinbach Credit Union. In light of the horrific stock market declines of the past couple of weeks, I did some investment analysis, and planning.

<mumbling> ****ing orange moron ! ! ! And his cabal of ****ing sycophants !

Late in the afternoon I had a lengthy (1¾ hours) interview with a University of Manitoba Master’s of Computer Science student conducting research on “digital legacy”. He recruited elderly volunteers to be interviewed to provide their thoughts / perspectives on what could / should be done with one’s digital legacy (photographs, documents, etc.) after death.

Friday ; First day of spring ; SUNNY, +14 C !

When Housekeeping showed up at our suite at noon to do weekly (full) servicing we left to go recreational food shopping at H MART at Mayfair Shopping Centre. H MART is a huge Asian supermarket. To us, very exotic and interesting foods. We bought about fifty bucks worth of interesting stuff ; roasted duck spring rolls, beef kimbap for today’s lunch for me, ube loaf, Korean potato & mozzarella corn dogs, sweet potato croquettes, and fresh Steelhead trout fillet for tonight’s supper. On the way there I stopped at a local LFL / roadside Little Free Library to pick up a couple more books to read.

After a late lunch and nap for me and Apollo I finished an investment analysis project I started yesterday. <SMH> I certainly am pissed off at the unnecessary horrific declines in the stock market these last three weeks due to the orange asshole’s war in Iran !

Saturday ; Sunny, +12° C.

Just before noon I drove to Shoppers Drug Mart in nearby Gorge Shopping Centre to pick up a prescription refill for Joanne. After lunch and a brief nap for me and Apollo we left our suite at 3:20 PM and drove to Belfry Theatre to attend a matinee performance of the husband and wife comedy team created and acted play “Big Stuff”. Apollo remained home alone in our suite. Very good dog, Apollo.

We agreed that the play was good, although Joanne thought it was “maudlin”. <shrug> Well ... perhaps ... but I think that was their point, their intention. It’s about a middle aged couple ... them ... facing the onerous task of dealing with the possessions remaining after all four of their parents die. She’s a “keeper”, he’s a “discarder”.

Fortunately for us, Joanne and I are both on the “throw it out” page !

DSK

March 8 to 14, 2026 ; Victoria, Vancouver Island, British Columbia

 Sunday ; Sunny, +10° C.

Started the day with resetting all clocks and watches to daylight savings time. Then cleared and reconfigured our suite’s dinette table, converting it from my office back into what it really is ; our suite’s dinette table ! HA HA HA ! That included going to the Robin Hood Inn’s front desk and requesting a fourth dinette chair. Our suite had only three dinette chairs, and we needed a fourth to accommodate Lorraine and Grant for supper tonight. (This afternoon, actually !) They are back from their adventure to Tofino on the other side of Vancouver Island.

As Lorraine and Grant are departing for home in Winnipeg early tomorrow morning ... (middle of the night, actually !) ... and we won’t have any further need to accommodate passengers in our minivan, this afternoon I reconfigured the seating in our minivan, “stowing and going” the two middle row bucket seats.

At 3:30 PM Joanne phoned a take-out order into Syriana Restaurant. I immediately left to go pick up the order at 4 PM, stopping on the way to refill the minivan with fuel at Esso. I picked up the order at Syriana at 4 PM and was back home at Robin Hood Inn by 4:15 PM. Lorraine and Grant had already arrived. We chatted and ate supper and chatted more, until they were ready to leave around 6:30 PM to return to their B&B room to prepare for departure and sleep for a few hours.

<waving> Bye !

Monday ; Overcast, windy and cold, +7° C.

BRRRRR ... winter seems to have returned to Victoria. And this cold spell is forecast to last all week. Maybe even snow ! Which has not happened (yet !) this winter in Victoria.

This afternoon I finished reconciling our February investment statements, did a bit of work on our income tax returns, and trimmed my beard. I have gone almost as far as possible in preparing our income tax returns until I receive some additional tax information slips which are not due until the end of March. HMPH !

Tuesday ; Overcast, windy and cold, +7° C.

This morning I paid the final monthly “rent” payment on our one bedroom suite at Robin Hood Inn & Suites. After lunch Apollo and I napped while Joanne went shopping at Country Grocer. Later I did some fitness program planning and car purchase planning. Fitness program starts upon our return home in another month. Car purchase likely about a year from now.

Wednesday ; Raining, cold, +5° C.

BRRR ... winter has arrived in Victoria ! HA HA HA !

While I napped with Apollo after lunch Joanne went out to run errands at Dollarama and Fairway Market. Upon her return we went to Burnside Boutique, a local thrift store, to drop off some clothing donations and browse. We didn’t buy anything. Apollo enjoyed going for a “drivey”.

I spent probably too much time today watching a series of videos about a female social media “influencer” and incompetent private pilot in Tennessee who killed herself and her father when she crashed her airplane. (Thanks, Doug)

We had dinner tonight while watching Survivor 50.

Today was the first monthly payment of our (complicated) annuity pension benefits administered by our new financial advisor in Winnipeg. Flawless ! Thank you !

Thursday ; Raining, cold, +4° C.

We had an early supper tonight, then left at 6:30 PM heading downtown to attend a special performance of the Victoria Symphony Orchestra at the Royal Theatre at 7 PM. We parked in the parkade underneath the library and walked half a block to the Royal Theatre in the cold rain. BRRR ... just like winter !

Tonight’s concert was a live performance of the soundtrack to the 1985 movie Back To The Future starring Michael J. Fox and Christopher Lloyd while the movie played on a giant screen above the orchestra. We thought it was a great movie in 1985. And it was even better 41 years later, with live orchestral accompaniment ! BRAVO ! Well done, VSO !

It was a great “date night”.

Apollo stayed alone in our suite for 3½ hours and was sleeping peacefully on the bed when we returned home at 10 PM. Very good dog, Apollo !

Friday ; Overcast, +6° C.

When Housekeeping showed up at 12:30 PM (while we were eating lunch !) to service our room we left to go Wal-Martin’ at Uptown (mall). Later in the afternoon we gave Apollo a partial haircut ; face and feet.

Saturday ; Sunny (finally !), +8° C.

After an early lunch we left our suite at 12:30 PM (without Apollo) and headed north on the Saanich Peninsula to Sidney, on the northern tip of the peninsula, where the airport and ferry terminal are located. Our destination was the Shaw Centre for the Salish Sea, an aquarium.

We arrived about 1:15 PM, parked in their parkade, then spent about an hour and a half exploring the aquarium, including many huge glass tanks filled with sea creatures, and large touch tanks, where one can reach into and gently touch the many different sea creatures within. OH, BOY ... I felt like an eleven year old ! ! ! HA HA HA !

The aquarium was fascinating !

We left the aquarium’s parkade and found a parking spot on the street a short distance away in downtown Sidney, near the thrift stores Joanne wanted to visit. She thought there were five thrift stores in close proximity. I found a sixth ! We browsed each store, each of us buying a pair of pants at the last one, a thrift store operated by a local animal rescue organization. That was the one I found, the sixth one, and the one where I was most pleased to leave some money behind.

We arrived back home at 4:30 PM. We found Apollo asleep on the bed. He had been alone for 4½ hours. Very good dog, Apollo !

DSK