Sunday ; Mostly sunny, very warm, humid.
This morning we unwrapped and photographed the second of our four pieces of artwork for sale. This afternoon we planted our vegetable garden. I updated our investments summary and posted my weekly journal to my blog. I barbecued a large Sockeye Salmon fillet for supper. It was superb ! Great food product, well prepared. Well done, Daniel. I spent the evening reviewing the ( too many ! ) documents pertaining to our RV park's upcoming annual general meeting.
Monday ; Joanne's 17th anniversary as a cancer survivor
Overcast with light rain in the morning, partially clearing by afternoon, warm and humid. The Similkameen River is almost over the banks. The riverfront residents are panicked and sandbagging. There's a moral in there somewhere ... something about building on riverbanks !
Joanne went into Keremeos this morning by herself to run some errands. After lunch we gave Ozzie a bath. We washed the minivan. We went to the swimming pool and did cardiac rehab exercises. We unwrapped and photographed the third of our four pieces of artwork we want to sell. I reviewed and adjusted the inventory of my clothing in the camper. I prepared for an upcoming meeting with our financial advisor / stock broker.
Tuesday ; Mostly sunny, warm, humid. Joanne spent most of the day running shopping errands by herself in Penticton.
The Similkameen River is flooding ! It has come over its banks and flooded our park's burn pile area, and the road adjacent to our park. However ... it still has not yet breached its banks within the park, so ... we remain "dry", although ... it's getting close ! I was hired today by a park resident to move their large fifth wheel trailer away from their riverfront lot. I parked it beside the community mailboxes near the entrance gate.
I attended an emergency park meeting called by the President of our Board of Directors to discuss the flooding river situation. There is definitely a serious problem brewing, but there is also a lot of unnecessary "the sky is falling" rhetoric and panic.
I did some spring maintenance work on the camper. I printed the ballots for our park's upcoming annual general meeting, reviewed the issues, and cast our votes. I did some investment file updating.
Wednesday ; Rain overnight. Mostly sunny, warm, humid today.
The Similkameen River continues to rise. The panic amongst the park's residents continues. ANOTHER emergency meeting late this afternoon. The fast flow of the high water has destroyed the riverbank along our park's "burn pit" area, so that now our burn pit is a "lake". And the water has flowed over Hwy. 3 adjacent to our park, so that the grazing ranch land across the highway from us is another lake. The water flowing across the highway is extremely shallow, but that didn't stop some moron from hitting the water at a very high rate of speed this morning, then slamming on the brakes and skidding off the road. < rolling my eyes >
I power flushed the camper's water heater this afternoon. Joanne restocked the camper's toiletries and supplies that she had removed for the winter. We went to the swimming pool for an exercise session. After the pool we went to visit our neighbour / friend Jeanine, but after only a few minutes of visiting, there was a knock at the door announcing the emergency meeting, starting immediately. After the meeting we said hello to our neighbour / friend Kolly whom we haven't seen for about seven months, since two days after her husband's death / three days before my cardiac bypass surgery.
After we ate supper, and were about to watch Survivor, there was a knock on our door. It was two men from Search & Rescue Penticton, who were going door to door in our RV park, issuing each residence an evacuation alert, a precursor to an evacuation order.
Thursday ; Cloudy, intermittent light rain.
Today we found out that my sister's fourteen year old cat Lily has died. We extend our heartfelt sympathies to Sharon and Bud. It's so painful to lose a beloved pet. Farewell, Lily.
This morning I cancelled our trip into Penticton to run errands, and our meeting with our investment advisor / stock broker. It seemed unwise to leave home for the day, risking that while we were out the evacuation alert affecting our community might become an evacuation order. If that happened, we would not be allowed to return home, and Emma and Ozzie would be trapped alone in the house for the duration of the evacuation order.
Highway 3 was closed overnight, from Princeton to the west, to Keremeos to the east, because of the Similkameen River flowing over the highway right at the entrance to our community, Riverside RV Park Resort. All day today there was heavy equipment working on the highway adjacent to our RV park trying to dig out the ditches enough to divert the water from flowing over the highway, to flowing down into our community's "burn pit" area, and then back into the river. Well ... right now the river and the burn pit area are one and the same ! Also ... all day our park was filled with workers and heavy equipment building a temporary dike along our riverfront. They used folding tote like crate things, and were setting them up along the riverfront path and filling them with gravel. Our lovely riverfront path and landscaping are now destroyed but ... c'est la vie, I guess.
We loaded the camper onto the truck, to be ready to evacuate, if it becomes necessary.
Friday ; Mostly sunny, warm and humid.
This morning we headed into Keremeos to run a few errands. As we approached Keremeos from the west we passed the roadblock that prevented anyone from travelling west of Keremeos on Highway 3 due to the highway closure / flooding at our park gate. I dropped off Joanne at the Keremeos Clinic to go to the lab. I went to the Post Office and picked up a package, then to the pharmacy to order a prescription refill. I picked up Joanne at the clinic and we refilled our five gallon water jug. As we were leaving town the highway closure roadblock was being removed. The highway was open again, in both directions, after being closed for the last two days, from Keremeos all the way to Princeton.
Joanne returned to town a few hours later, to have yet another confrontation appointment with her doctor. She is having a vicious battle with her doctor over malicious and unethical behaviour by staff at the clinic, much like I battled a couple of years ago. I finally gave up that battle and moved on to a different clinic and physician. I hope Joanne does the same. I think she is fighting a losing battle with a toxic organization.
Late in the afternoon we unwrapped and photographed our large tapestry from Italy, the last of our four pieces of artwork we wish to sell.
Saturday ; Sunny and very warm. Joanne cooked a beef pot roast in the Sun Oven today.
This morning we gave Ozzie a ... < ahem > ... "strategic" hair trim. I did a very small amount of maintenance work on the truck. This afternoon Joanne did laundry. And while that was being done, we went to the swimming pool and did exercising.
The level of the river has dropped. But the next few days will be hot, so snow remaining at high elevations will melt. The river will likely rise again over the next week or so. Flooding isn't over yet.
DSK
Sunday, May 13, 2018
Sunday, May 6, 2018
April 29 to May 5, 2018
Sunday ; < grumble > A lost day !
Monday ; Mix of sun and cloud, mild.
Joanne went into Keremeos this afternoon to have an appointment / confrontation with her doctor. The battle continues beyond today. Good luck to her. I gave up on the Keremeos Clinic and its power abusing, corrupt "administrative" staff a few years ago.
I planted tomatoes. I restored the camper's water system, "reversing" the winterization process. We went to the swimming pool for cardiac rehabilitation aquatic exercises.
Tuesday ; Sunny and mild. Another lost day ! ! ! < gritting my teeth >
Wednesday ; Sunny and warm.
Joanne spent the day shopping by herself in Penticton. I stayed home and did household and yard chores. At 6 PM I went to the swimming pool and did my cardiac rehabilitation aquatic exercises. By myself ! < pouting >
Thursday ; Partially sunny and warm.
Today we unwrapped and photographed the first of the four pieces of artwork we are selling. I prepared for a trailer towing job tomorrow. Joanne did laundry. I downloaded the many documents sent by our "homeowners' society" regarding the upcoming annual general meeting. I did some budget planning work. The first of three packages of automotive valve extender stuff I ordered from Amazon arrived. F***, *U**, **C* ! ! !
I made an ordering mistake ! ! !
Friday ; home to Osoyoos to Oliver to Okanagan Falls to home
Sunny and warm.
At 10 AM we left home heading for a trailer towing job in Osoyoos. We stopped at the medical clinic in Keremeos so that Joanne could deliver a letter to her doctor. We drove east on Hwy. 3 to Osoyoos where we picked up a client's trailer at an RV service facility where we had delivered it for service about three weeks ago. Then north on Hwy. 97 to Oliver where we delivered the trailer back to the client's farm on the outskirts of town. Easy money !
We continued north on Hwy. 97 to Okanagan Falls where we went to IGA to buy some Sockeye Salmon fillets that were an advertised special. Bought four lovely, large
fillets ! MMMMM ! Joanne had prepared a picnic lunch for us. We had our late picnic lunch in the waterfront park in Okanagan Falls, on the southern shore of Skaha Lake. Before leaving Okanagan Falls after lunch we drove around the small village browsing for condominiums for sale.
We continued north on Hwy. 97 a short distance to Kaleden where we turned south onto Hwy. 3A back to Keremeos, then west on Hwy. 3 to home at Riverside RV Park Resort. We were back home about 3:30 PM. I napped, then we went to the swimming pool for cardiac rehab exercising before I barbecued Dan-O-Cheeseburgers for supper. AHHHHH ... spring !
Saturday ; Happy 17th birthday to Joanne's niece Amelia
Sunny and very warm. Joanne cooked my favourite Sun Oven recipe today, a Mexican chicken and rice dish.
Our neighbour Betty came by for a visit today, to discuss the upcoming Celebration of Life for her recently departed husband Dave.
I trimmed my beard. I did some minor maintenance on the truck and my bicycle. Joanne helped me wash the extremely filthy truck. I replaced a bulb in my DayLight UV therapy light, a task more difficult than it sounds. After supper we watched Saturday Night Live.
DSK
Monday ; Mix of sun and cloud, mild.
Joanne went into Keremeos this afternoon to have an appointment / confrontation with her doctor. The battle continues beyond today. Good luck to her. I gave up on the Keremeos Clinic and its power abusing, corrupt "administrative" staff a few years ago.
I planted tomatoes. I restored the camper's water system, "reversing" the winterization process. We went to the swimming pool for cardiac rehabilitation aquatic exercises.
Tuesday ; Sunny and mild. Another lost day ! ! ! < gritting my teeth >
Wednesday ; Sunny and warm.
Joanne spent the day shopping by herself in Penticton. I stayed home and did household and yard chores. At 6 PM I went to the swimming pool and did my cardiac rehabilitation aquatic exercises. By myself ! < pouting >
Thursday ; Partially sunny and warm.
Today we unwrapped and photographed the first of the four pieces of artwork we are selling. I prepared for a trailer towing job tomorrow. Joanne did laundry. I downloaded the many documents sent by our "homeowners' society" regarding the upcoming annual general meeting. I did some budget planning work. The first of three packages of automotive valve extender stuff I ordered from Amazon arrived. F***, *U**, **C* ! ! !
I made an ordering mistake ! ! !
Friday ; home to Osoyoos to Oliver to Okanagan Falls to home
Sunny and warm.
At 10 AM we left home heading for a trailer towing job in Osoyoos. We stopped at the medical clinic in Keremeos so that Joanne could deliver a letter to her doctor. We drove east on Hwy. 3 to Osoyoos where we picked up a client's trailer at an RV service facility where we had delivered it for service about three weeks ago. Then north on Hwy. 97 to Oliver where we delivered the trailer back to the client's farm on the outskirts of town. Easy money !
We continued north on Hwy. 97 to Okanagan Falls where we went to IGA to buy some Sockeye Salmon fillets that were an advertised special. Bought four lovely, large
fillets ! MMMMM ! Joanne had prepared a picnic lunch for us. We had our late picnic lunch in the waterfront park in Okanagan Falls, on the southern shore of Skaha Lake. Before leaving Okanagan Falls after lunch we drove around the small village browsing for condominiums for sale.
We continued north on Hwy. 97 a short distance to Kaleden where we turned south onto Hwy. 3A back to Keremeos, then west on Hwy. 3 to home at Riverside RV Park Resort. We were back home about 3:30 PM. I napped, then we went to the swimming pool for cardiac rehab exercising before I barbecued Dan-O-Cheeseburgers for supper. AHHHHH ... spring !
Saturday ; Happy 17th birthday to Joanne's niece Amelia
Sunny and very warm. Joanne cooked my favourite Sun Oven recipe today, a Mexican chicken and rice dish.
Our neighbour Betty came by for a visit today, to discuss the upcoming Celebration of Life for her recently departed husband Dave.
I trimmed my beard. I did some minor maintenance on the truck and my bicycle. Joanne helped me wash the extremely filthy truck. I replaced a bulb in my DayLight UV therapy light, a task more difficult than it sounds. After supper we watched Saturday Night Live.
DSK
Sunday, April 29, 2018
April 22 to 28, 2018
Sunday ; Oliver
Sunny and mild, another nice spring day.
After an early lunch we left for Oliver. East on Hwy. 3 to Osoyoos, then north on Hwy. 97 to Oliver. We attended a South Okanagan Amateur Players production of "Outside Mullingar". I thought the play was ... okay. Joanne thought it was better then that. After the play we went to a condominium building under construction and visited their display suite. Not at all to our tastes ! Especially the "starting at $400,000" part ! ! ! Before leaving Oliver we stopped at a grocery store and bought a couple of items needed for tonight's supper.
We were back home about 6:15 PM. We walked Ozzie, then made supper together.
Monday ; Sunny and mild, a lovely spring day.
This morning I did a 6000 km. inspection on the truck, then dismantled ... piece by piece ... brad nail by brad nail ... two old wood planters. To discard wood into our park's "burn pile", all screws, nails, etc. must be removed from the wood.
This afternoon we went to the pool to do some exercises. I wasn't really into it ... my right knee is very sore. Afterwards we went to our neighbour / friend Jeanine's to trim her little dog Charlie's nails. Like Ozzie, Charlie is having spring time allergy flare-ups, so we brought him back to our home to treat a severe hot spot he has on his inner thigh. And we "installed" an Elizabethan collar on him. HA HA HA ... Ozzie and Charlie wandering around our small home, both wearing cones, both "coning" everybody and everything in their paths.
Tuesday ; Penticton
Sunny and warm. AHHHHH ... spring is here !
At noon we left for Penticton, in both our vehicles. I took the truck to Canadian Tire in Penticton to have new tires installed. And to have the truck's brakes inspected.
I expected that the front brakes would need replacement. We spent the afternoon running errands, using the minivan.
While we were having lunch at Dairy Queen, Canadian Tire employee "Bob" phoned to tell me that the front brakes on the truck had been inspected, and they were okay. Not yet ready for replacement. About an hour later while we were shopping for a jacket for me at Value Village, another Canadian Tire employee phoned, this one with a "the sky is falling" message about the truck's rear and front brakes. I suggested that he and Bob have a discussion and get their acts together ! A few minutes late, Bob called for the second time, trying to sound like my long lost best friend, addressing me as "Danny". I "corrected" him, and none too gently either ! I told him I would be back at Canadian Tire in half an hour.
At Canadian Tire, Bob took me out into the shop and gave me a "scare tactic" lecture about a problem with one of the truck's rear brake rotors. I was not at all impressed by both his and his colleague's attitudes and "upsell" tactics. I told him to finish installing the new tires, and leave the brakes alone ! More attitude exhibited by Bob.
We left Canadian Tire for the second time, continued our shopping errands, and an hour later returned to Canadian Tire for the third time today, and picked up the truck, with new tires, and no brake repairs. I did not leave the minivan for a brake inspection as I had initially planned. Too bad you two clowns shot yourselves in the collective foot like that !
On our way walking across the Rona parking lot I zigged and ... Joanne did not !
I bumped her hard and she fell sideways, sustaining severe "road rash" on her left elbow. < sigh > I did first aid in the car as best as I could, then did better first aid as soon as we returned home. I'm extremely sorry, my dear !
On the way home in the minivan Joanne got delayed as she tried to rescue a little dog running around on the highway. Unfortunately she was unable to capture the little dog.
Wednesday ; Sunny and warm.
After lunch Joanne went to Penticton for an afternoon of shopping by herself. BUT ... before she left, I set up the Sun Oven, and she put our first sun cooked meal of the year into the Sun Oven. AHHHHH ... spring !
This afternoon I puttered around with outdoor chores. I removed the copper propane line connecting the propane tank to our home, and replaced it with a rubber propane hose I purchased in Penticton yesterday. The copper line had been installed last October, shortly after my heart surgery, while I was still quite ill, by a "licensed gas fitter". We called the ugly copper line installation "the abortion". It was probably the worse looking job I have ever paid a "professional" to do ! After Joanne returned from Penticton I loaded a pile of scrap wood into the back of the minivan and took it down to the park's burn pile. We had our wonderful sun cooked chicken meal, then watched Survivor and Code Black.
Thursday ; Sunny and warm. Joanne cooked supper in the Sun Oven again, making a sausage and bean cassoulet.
This morning we drove to Cawston ( small village just east of Keremeos ) to buy bedding plants at Little Bushy's Nursery. I bought tomato plants and Joanne bought herb plants. On our way through Keremeos we refilled our five gallon water jug.
This afternoon Joanne did gardening and yard cleanup work. I worked on the truck's new tires. I checked the tightness of all the lug nuts using my large torque wrench.
I adjusted the air pressure in all six tires, from 60 PSI to 80 PSI, which took quite awhile using my small compressor. I reinstalled the front tires' wheel liners and hub caps.
I haven't finished the rears yet because I am still waiting for my order of new valve extenders from Amazon. OH ... they arrived in my mail box late this afternoon.
Friday ; Sunny and very warm, temperature in the 80's F. Actually ... too hot to work outdoors in the sunlight in mid-afternoon. Joanne cooked a beef pot roast in the Sun Oven today.
Our neighbour / friend Jeanine came over for a visit this afternoon. I worked on the installation of the new valve extenders on the truck. Simply put ... they won't work ! Tonight I ordered different products online, and ... < sputter > ... attempted and partially failed to return the items I already have received from Amazon. I thought ordering ... and returning ... items from / to Amazon was supposed to be "hassle free" ! Stay
tuned !
Saturday ; Cloudy, mild, intermittent light rain.
Puttered around with some minor maintenance work on the truck, minivan, house, camper, and garden / yard. Received an e-mail from Amazon Customer Service. They confirmed that one of the items I wanted to return was non-returnable. SO ...
< sputter > ... they were simply going to issue a refund ! I could keep the item , discard it, or donate it. < blink blink > THEN ... they asked if that was satisfactory. Well ... DUH !
DSK
Sunny and mild, another nice spring day.
After an early lunch we left for Oliver. East on Hwy. 3 to Osoyoos, then north on Hwy. 97 to Oliver. We attended a South Okanagan Amateur Players production of "Outside Mullingar". I thought the play was ... okay. Joanne thought it was better then that. After the play we went to a condominium building under construction and visited their display suite. Not at all to our tastes ! Especially the "starting at $400,000" part ! ! ! Before leaving Oliver we stopped at a grocery store and bought a couple of items needed for tonight's supper.
We were back home about 6:15 PM. We walked Ozzie, then made supper together.
Monday ; Sunny and mild, a lovely spring day.
This morning I did a 6000 km. inspection on the truck, then dismantled ... piece by piece ... brad nail by brad nail ... two old wood planters. To discard wood into our park's "burn pile", all screws, nails, etc. must be removed from the wood.
This afternoon we went to the pool to do some exercises. I wasn't really into it ... my right knee is very sore. Afterwards we went to our neighbour / friend Jeanine's to trim her little dog Charlie's nails. Like Ozzie, Charlie is having spring time allergy flare-ups, so we brought him back to our home to treat a severe hot spot he has on his inner thigh. And we "installed" an Elizabethan collar on him. HA HA HA ... Ozzie and Charlie wandering around our small home, both wearing cones, both "coning" everybody and everything in their paths.
Tuesday ; Penticton
Sunny and warm. AHHHHH ... spring is here !
At noon we left for Penticton, in both our vehicles. I took the truck to Canadian Tire in Penticton to have new tires installed. And to have the truck's brakes inspected.
I expected that the front brakes would need replacement. We spent the afternoon running errands, using the minivan.
While we were having lunch at Dairy Queen, Canadian Tire employee "Bob" phoned to tell me that the front brakes on the truck had been inspected, and they were okay. Not yet ready for replacement. About an hour later while we were shopping for a jacket for me at Value Village, another Canadian Tire employee phoned, this one with a "the sky is falling" message about the truck's rear and front brakes. I suggested that he and Bob have a discussion and get their acts together ! A few minutes late, Bob called for the second time, trying to sound like my long lost best friend, addressing me as "Danny". I "corrected" him, and none too gently either ! I told him I would be back at Canadian Tire in half an hour.
At Canadian Tire, Bob took me out into the shop and gave me a "scare tactic" lecture about a problem with one of the truck's rear brake rotors. I was not at all impressed by both his and his colleague's attitudes and "upsell" tactics. I told him to finish installing the new tires, and leave the brakes alone ! More attitude exhibited by Bob.
We left Canadian Tire for the second time, continued our shopping errands, and an hour later returned to Canadian Tire for the third time today, and picked up the truck, with new tires, and no brake repairs. I did not leave the minivan for a brake inspection as I had initially planned. Too bad you two clowns shot yourselves in the collective foot like that !
On our way walking across the Rona parking lot I zigged and ... Joanne did not !
I bumped her hard and she fell sideways, sustaining severe "road rash" on her left elbow. < sigh > I did first aid in the car as best as I could, then did better first aid as soon as we returned home. I'm extremely sorry, my dear !
On the way home in the minivan Joanne got delayed as she tried to rescue a little dog running around on the highway. Unfortunately she was unable to capture the little dog.
Wednesday ; Sunny and warm.
After lunch Joanne went to Penticton for an afternoon of shopping by herself. BUT ... before she left, I set up the Sun Oven, and she put our first sun cooked meal of the year into the Sun Oven. AHHHHH ... spring !
This afternoon I puttered around with outdoor chores. I removed the copper propane line connecting the propane tank to our home, and replaced it with a rubber propane hose I purchased in Penticton yesterday. The copper line had been installed last October, shortly after my heart surgery, while I was still quite ill, by a "licensed gas fitter". We called the ugly copper line installation "the abortion". It was probably the worse looking job I have ever paid a "professional" to do ! After Joanne returned from Penticton I loaded a pile of scrap wood into the back of the minivan and took it down to the park's burn pile. We had our wonderful sun cooked chicken meal, then watched Survivor and Code Black.
Thursday ; Sunny and warm. Joanne cooked supper in the Sun Oven again, making a sausage and bean cassoulet.
This morning we drove to Cawston ( small village just east of Keremeos ) to buy bedding plants at Little Bushy's Nursery. I bought tomato plants and Joanne bought herb plants. On our way through Keremeos we refilled our five gallon water jug.
This afternoon Joanne did gardening and yard cleanup work. I worked on the truck's new tires. I checked the tightness of all the lug nuts using my large torque wrench.
I adjusted the air pressure in all six tires, from 60 PSI to 80 PSI, which took quite awhile using my small compressor. I reinstalled the front tires' wheel liners and hub caps.
I haven't finished the rears yet because I am still waiting for my order of new valve extenders from Amazon. OH ... they arrived in my mail box late this afternoon.
Friday ; Sunny and very warm, temperature in the 80's F. Actually ... too hot to work outdoors in the sunlight in mid-afternoon. Joanne cooked a beef pot roast in the Sun Oven today.
Our neighbour / friend Jeanine came over for a visit this afternoon. I worked on the installation of the new valve extenders on the truck. Simply put ... they won't work ! Tonight I ordered different products online, and ... < sputter > ... attempted and partially failed to return the items I already have received from Amazon. I thought ordering ... and returning ... items from / to Amazon was supposed to be "hassle free" ! Stay
tuned !
Saturday ; Cloudy, mild, intermittent light rain.
Puttered around with some minor maintenance work on the truck, minivan, house, camper, and garden / yard. Received an e-mail from Amazon Customer Service. They confirmed that one of the items I wanted to return was non-returnable. SO ...
< sputter > ... they were simply going to issue a refund ! I could keep the item , discard it, or donate it. < blink blink > THEN ... they asked if that was satisfactory. Well ... DUH !
DSK
Sunday, April 22, 2018
April 15 to 21, 2018
Sunday ; Cloudy and mild.
I did some minor maintenance on the camper this afternoon. Joanne did laundry and a bit of yard work. I did some banking and investment work on the computer, and uploaded my weekly journal entry to my blog.
Monday ; Cold and raining.
The outdoor work we had planned for today did not get done because of the poor weather. I did a minor home improvement project on the bathroom in the house. We went to the swimming pool and did cardiac rehabilitation aquatic exercises.
Tuesday ; Mix of sun and clouds, chilly, windy. Our electricity went off this morning before we got out of bed, and stayed off until after lunch time.
This morning Joanne left for a day of running errands in Penticton by herself. Because of a mudslide at Yellow Lake four days ago, Hwy. 3A from Keremeos to Kaleden has been closed. SO ... she had to drive east all the way to Osoyoos, then turn north on Hwy. 97 and go through Oliver and Okanagan Falls to get to Penticton, turning a one hour drive into a two hour drive. Just before she was ready to come home around 5 PM a single lane of Hwy. 3A was reopened to traffic.
Wednesday ; Sunny and cool.
We did a very small amount of outdoor work today. I exercised our generator.
I reinstalled / reconnected our garden hoses. Joanne watered and turned our composter contents. We took Ozzie for a couple of walks. Our neighbour / friend Jeanine and her little dog Charlie came over for a visit this afternoon.
Thursday ; Penticton
Sunny and mild, a nice spring day.
After lunch we headed to Penticton to attend another "Kitchen Stove Film" presentation. This month's film was "Meditation Park", a "foreign art film" made in Vancouver. HA HA HA ! I found it to be somewhat depressing. Joanne quite liked it. After the film we went shopping at Wal-Mart.
This was the first time I saw the after effects of the mud slide at Yellow Lake last Friday. YIKES ! Half the mountain slid down, across the road, and into the lake. With significant damage to the road !
Friday ; Partially sunny, mild.
We had a bit of a lazy day again. Joanne did a bit of outdoor / yard work. We went to the swimming pool for an aquatic exercise session. We went for long walks with the dog.
Saturday ; Mostly sunny, mild, very windy.
This afternoon Joanne did some yard maintenance work. I did some truck maintenance work. First I removed all the valve extenders, hub caps, and wheel liners from the truck, in preparation for the installation of new tires on Tuesday. Then I removed and replaced the truck's headlight assemblies. Tougher job that I thought it would be. Each of the truck's headlights has one mounting screw ( of three ) that is near impossible to remove and reinstall. And as a fat old man, I lack the dexterity / flexibility to contort my fingers and hands and arms and body as necessary for automotive maintenance work !
DSK
I did some minor maintenance on the camper this afternoon. Joanne did laundry and a bit of yard work. I did some banking and investment work on the computer, and uploaded my weekly journal entry to my blog.
Monday ; Cold and raining.
The outdoor work we had planned for today did not get done because of the poor weather. I did a minor home improvement project on the bathroom in the house. We went to the swimming pool and did cardiac rehabilitation aquatic exercises.
Tuesday ; Mix of sun and clouds, chilly, windy. Our electricity went off this morning before we got out of bed, and stayed off until after lunch time.
This morning Joanne left for a day of running errands in Penticton by herself. Because of a mudslide at Yellow Lake four days ago, Hwy. 3A from Keremeos to Kaleden has been closed. SO ... she had to drive east all the way to Osoyoos, then turn north on Hwy. 97 and go through Oliver and Okanagan Falls to get to Penticton, turning a one hour drive into a two hour drive. Just before she was ready to come home around 5 PM a single lane of Hwy. 3A was reopened to traffic.
Wednesday ; Sunny and cool.
We did a very small amount of outdoor work today. I exercised our generator.
I reinstalled / reconnected our garden hoses. Joanne watered and turned our composter contents. We took Ozzie for a couple of walks. Our neighbour / friend Jeanine and her little dog Charlie came over for a visit this afternoon.
Thursday ; Penticton
Sunny and mild, a nice spring day.
After lunch we headed to Penticton to attend another "Kitchen Stove Film" presentation. This month's film was "Meditation Park", a "foreign art film" made in Vancouver. HA HA HA ! I found it to be somewhat depressing. Joanne quite liked it. After the film we went shopping at Wal-Mart.
This was the first time I saw the after effects of the mud slide at Yellow Lake last Friday. YIKES ! Half the mountain slid down, across the road, and into the lake. With significant damage to the road !
Friday ; Partially sunny, mild.
We had a bit of a lazy day again. Joanne did a bit of outdoor / yard work. We went to the swimming pool for an aquatic exercise session. We went for long walks with the dog.
Saturday ; Mostly sunny, mild, very windy.
This afternoon Joanne did some yard maintenance work. I did some truck maintenance work. First I removed all the valve extenders, hub caps, and wheel liners from the truck, in preparation for the installation of new tires on Tuesday. Then I removed and replaced the truck's headlight assemblies. Tougher job that I thought it would be. Each of the truck's headlights has one mounting screw ( of three ) that is near impossible to remove and reinstall. And as a fat old man, I lack the dexterity / flexibility to contort my fingers and hands and arms and body as necessary for automotive maintenance work !
DSK
Sunday, April 15, 2018
April 8 to 14, 2018
Sunday ; Penticton
Cloudy, mild, intermittent light rain.
After lunch we headed to Penticton to attend the BC Interior RV Show at the South Okanagan Events Centre. First stop at the show was to visit our trailer towing client and their two very large trailers that we delivered, to see how their weekend at the show had been. To our surprise, the attendance at the show had been very good, despite the poor weather. For about an hour and a half we wandered around the RV show in three buildings. When the show ended at 4 PM we left to go run errands in Penticton.
We returned at 5:30 PM to remove their two trailers from inside the Penticton Trade & Convention Centre building. We removed the first trailer, got it parked outside, unhitched, and were just about to go back inside the building to get the second trailer when it got towed out by convention centre staff using a fork lift. We hitched up to the second trailer and headed for home, leaving the first trailer parked and locked in the convention centre parking lot. We have to remove it by 11 AM tomorrow.
We drove home in rain ... < sigh >. Nice rainbow over K Mountain, the "backdrop" to the village of Keremeos. Once home we parked the trailer inside our RV park's front gate and unhitched. We were home about 7:15 PM.
Monday ; home to Penticton to Kamloops to home
Mostly sunny, mild, temperature reaching 63º F / 17º C while we were in Kamloops this afternoon.
We left home at 9:30 AM and headed to Penticton where we picked up the forty-four foot long ( SHEESH ! ) trailer that we had left parked there last night after the BC Interior RV Show. We refilled the truck with diesel before picking up the trailer. We hitched up and were pulling out of the South Okanagan Events Centre parking lot at 10:45 AM, fifteen minutes before all exhibitors had to get their RV's cleared out of the parking lots.
We headed north on Hwy. 97 through Summerland and Peachland, then turned west on Hwy. 97C / the Coquihalla Okanagan Connector. Steep ascent for about half an hour, then steep descent for about half an hour to Merritt. We then headed north on Hwy. 5 / the Coquihalla / "Highway Thru Hell" to Kamloops. We arrived at the RV dealership about 2 PM, half an hour earlier than planned. We parked and unhitched the trailer, then drove a short distance to the Visitor Information Centre to eat our picnic lunch. We were back on the road again at 2:30 PM.
South on "the Coke" to Merritt where we refilled with diesel again, then east on "the Connector", and south on Hwy. 5 to Princeton where we refilled with diesel for the third time today ! East on Crowsnest Hwy. 3, and we were home at Riverside RV Park Resort by 5:30 PM. Before having supper we hitched up to the remaining forty-four foot trailer which we had left inside our RV park's front gate. We're ready to go tomorrow morning !
WHEW ! Three down, one more to go !
Tuesday ; home to Kamloops to Kelowna to Summerland to home
Mix of sun and clouds, mild. Left home at 9:45 AM, returned at 8:15 PM. Long day ! No Ozzie "accidents". Good dog, Ozzie !
Took the remaining forty-four foot trailer back to Kamloops. Dropped it off at the dealership at 1 PM. Had a quick sandwich, left Kamloops heading for Vernon and Kelowna. Refilled with diesel fuel in Vernon. Arrived in Kelowna and met second trailer towing client at 3:30 PM. Followed her to where seller of trailer was located to pick up client's new ( to her ) trailer. Had to refill all four tires with air using my little compressor. Pulled the trailer out of its difficult to access location. < sigh >
Drove slowly through Kelowna's rush hour traffic. < sigh > Drove slowly through Westbank's rush hour traffic. < sigh > Client followed us until near Summerland, then led us to their work location ( organic farm ! ) where trailer was to be parked. Client and her employer wanted trailer positioned impossibly. < sigh > We parked trailer as well as possible, with great difficulty and much time and effort, then headed for home.
I'm considering restricting my future trailer towing efforts to dealerships only. I'm tired of getting hired to transport decrepit pieces of junk that are impossible to get out of their old locations, and / or impossible to get parked in their new locations.
Wednesday ; home to Oliver to Osoyoos to home
Sunny early in the day, cloudy and windy later in the day.
We left home at 9:45 AM heading for a trailer towing job in Oliver. East on Hwy. 3 to Osoyoos, then north on Hwy. 97 to Oliver. At 11 AM we picked up a large fifth wheel trailer and took it for servicing at an RV dealership in Osoyoos. We will probably have to return it to Oliver in a week or two. We had our picnic lunch in "Bo's PP park" in Oliver, sitting on a park bench overlooking Osoyoos Lake, enjoying the sunshine. While having lunch we discussed whether we should scatter Bo's ashes there. We were back home about 2 PM.
After I napped we went to the swimming pool for a cardiac rehabilitation aquatic exercise session. Afterwards I posted my weekly journal to my blog ... a few days late. Joanne had a phone chat with her sister who has recently returned from her first Mexican vacation. Joanne made my favourite supper which we ate while watching Survivor.
Thursday ; Penticton
Mostly sunny and mild during the day, changing to chilly and light rain around suppertime.
Our doorbell rang this morning while I was walking around wrapped in a towel, shortly after showering, and Joanne was in the shower. At the door was a woman I had never seen before, asking about trailer towing / truck camper delivery services. HUH ? Apparently she had been referred to me by some relative of hers who lives in our RV park. I pulled on a pair of jeans, put on a shirt, and stepped outside ( with wet hair ! ) to have a brief discussion with her about her truck camper transport needs.
We headed to Penticton late this morning. I dropped Joanne off at Wal-Mart then went to refill the truck with diesel fuel and to Canadian Tire to order new tires for the truck. SHEESH ! Almost two thousand dollars for six new tires for the truck ! And the tires are on sale ! I picked Joanne up at Wal-Mart and we went to Cherry Lane Mall to have lunch in the food court. We bought a couple of items at M & M Meats, a specialty food market chain that we have not shopped at in over fourteen years, since living in Ottawa. We browsed unsuccessfully for a jacket for me at the Salvation Army Thrift Store. And we did our big weekly grocery shopping trip at Superstore. We arrived back home about 5 PM.
Ozzie is having severe allergy flare-ups manifesting as ear infections and skin infections. Must be a spring time thing for him ! ? !
Friday ; Mix of sun and clouds, windy, mild temperature.
This morning I returned a phone call to an RCMP Sergeant in Fort Simpson, Northwest Territories. He has been assigned to be "the next level" of my complaint regarding use of excessive force by an RCMP Officer last July in Hay River, Northwest Territories. We played telephone tag for a few calls back and forth, then finally connected. We had a fifteen minute phone discussion, and he will now elevate my complaint to some manner of disciplinary committee. Oh ... good ! And after only nine months ! ! !
I removed all the trailer towing materials and equipment from the truck then parked the truck part way under the camper. Only part way because I left the fifth wheel hitch in the truck, pending the return trip from Osoyoos to Oliver of the fifth wheel trailer
I delivered to Osoyoos a couple of days ago. I did some maintenance and "home improvement" work on the camper.
After lunch and a nap for me we went to the swimming pool for a session of cardiac rehabilitation aquatic fitness. We walked Ozzie, retrieved mail, and took a book back to the library in the "lodge". In the evening I did some financial work, and ordered some valve extenders for the truck from Amazon. I want / need to try a different style of dually valve extenders than I have been using for the last fourteen years.
MMMMM ... wonderful, fresh, BC Steelhead Trout for supper ! First time we've had Steelhead. Almost like a "cross" between a salmon and a Rainbow Trout.
Saturday ; Cloudy, mild, occasionally windy.
Today the weather was nice enough to allow for some outdoor work to be done ... in comfort. I did a repair on the truck. I did some maintenance on the camper. I replaced a section of moulding in the bathroom in the house. I did some Similkameen Trailer Towing administrative work at my desk.
MMMMM ... wonderful roast leg of lamb !
DSK
Cloudy, mild, intermittent light rain.
After lunch we headed to Penticton to attend the BC Interior RV Show at the South Okanagan Events Centre. First stop at the show was to visit our trailer towing client and their two very large trailers that we delivered, to see how their weekend at the show had been. To our surprise, the attendance at the show had been very good, despite the poor weather. For about an hour and a half we wandered around the RV show in three buildings. When the show ended at 4 PM we left to go run errands in Penticton.
We returned at 5:30 PM to remove their two trailers from inside the Penticton Trade & Convention Centre building. We removed the first trailer, got it parked outside, unhitched, and were just about to go back inside the building to get the second trailer when it got towed out by convention centre staff using a fork lift. We hitched up to the second trailer and headed for home, leaving the first trailer parked and locked in the convention centre parking lot. We have to remove it by 11 AM tomorrow.
We drove home in rain ... < sigh >. Nice rainbow over K Mountain, the "backdrop" to the village of Keremeos. Once home we parked the trailer inside our RV park's front gate and unhitched. We were home about 7:15 PM.
Monday ; home to Penticton to Kamloops to home
Mostly sunny, mild, temperature reaching 63º F / 17º C while we were in Kamloops this afternoon.
We left home at 9:30 AM and headed to Penticton where we picked up the forty-four foot long ( SHEESH ! ) trailer that we had left parked there last night after the BC Interior RV Show. We refilled the truck with diesel before picking up the trailer. We hitched up and were pulling out of the South Okanagan Events Centre parking lot at 10:45 AM, fifteen minutes before all exhibitors had to get their RV's cleared out of the parking lots.
We headed north on Hwy. 97 through Summerland and Peachland, then turned west on Hwy. 97C / the Coquihalla Okanagan Connector. Steep ascent for about half an hour, then steep descent for about half an hour to Merritt. We then headed north on Hwy. 5 / the Coquihalla / "Highway Thru Hell" to Kamloops. We arrived at the RV dealership about 2 PM, half an hour earlier than planned. We parked and unhitched the trailer, then drove a short distance to the Visitor Information Centre to eat our picnic lunch. We were back on the road again at 2:30 PM.
South on "the Coke" to Merritt where we refilled with diesel again, then east on "the Connector", and south on Hwy. 5 to Princeton where we refilled with diesel for the third time today ! East on Crowsnest Hwy. 3, and we were home at Riverside RV Park Resort by 5:30 PM. Before having supper we hitched up to the remaining forty-four foot trailer which we had left inside our RV park's front gate. We're ready to go tomorrow morning !
WHEW ! Three down, one more to go !
Tuesday ; home to Kamloops to Kelowna to Summerland to home
Mix of sun and clouds, mild. Left home at 9:45 AM, returned at 8:15 PM. Long day ! No Ozzie "accidents". Good dog, Ozzie !
Took the remaining forty-four foot trailer back to Kamloops. Dropped it off at the dealership at 1 PM. Had a quick sandwich, left Kamloops heading for Vernon and Kelowna. Refilled with diesel fuel in Vernon. Arrived in Kelowna and met second trailer towing client at 3:30 PM. Followed her to where seller of trailer was located to pick up client's new ( to her ) trailer. Had to refill all four tires with air using my little compressor. Pulled the trailer out of its difficult to access location. < sigh >
Drove slowly through Kelowna's rush hour traffic. < sigh > Drove slowly through Westbank's rush hour traffic. < sigh > Client followed us until near Summerland, then led us to their work location ( organic farm ! ) where trailer was to be parked. Client and her employer wanted trailer positioned impossibly. < sigh > We parked trailer as well as possible, with great difficulty and much time and effort, then headed for home.
I'm considering restricting my future trailer towing efforts to dealerships only. I'm tired of getting hired to transport decrepit pieces of junk that are impossible to get out of their old locations, and / or impossible to get parked in their new locations.
Wednesday ; home to Oliver to Osoyoos to home
Sunny early in the day, cloudy and windy later in the day.
We left home at 9:45 AM heading for a trailer towing job in Oliver. East on Hwy. 3 to Osoyoos, then north on Hwy. 97 to Oliver. At 11 AM we picked up a large fifth wheel trailer and took it for servicing at an RV dealership in Osoyoos. We will probably have to return it to Oliver in a week or two. We had our picnic lunch in "Bo's PP park" in Oliver, sitting on a park bench overlooking Osoyoos Lake, enjoying the sunshine. While having lunch we discussed whether we should scatter Bo's ashes there. We were back home about 2 PM.
After I napped we went to the swimming pool for a cardiac rehabilitation aquatic exercise session. Afterwards I posted my weekly journal to my blog ... a few days late. Joanne had a phone chat with her sister who has recently returned from her first Mexican vacation. Joanne made my favourite supper which we ate while watching Survivor.
Thursday ; Penticton
Mostly sunny and mild during the day, changing to chilly and light rain around suppertime.
Our doorbell rang this morning while I was walking around wrapped in a towel, shortly after showering, and Joanne was in the shower. At the door was a woman I had never seen before, asking about trailer towing / truck camper delivery services. HUH ? Apparently she had been referred to me by some relative of hers who lives in our RV park. I pulled on a pair of jeans, put on a shirt, and stepped outside ( with wet hair ! ) to have a brief discussion with her about her truck camper transport needs.
We headed to Penticton late this morning. I dropped Joanne off at Wal-Mart then went to refill the truck with diesel fuel and to Canadian Tire to order new tires for the truck. SHEESH ! Almost two thousand dollars for six new tires for the truck ! And the tires are on sale ! I picked Joanne up at Wal-Mart and we went to Cherry Lane Mall to have lunch in the food court. We bought a couple of items at M & M Meats, a specialty food market chain that we have not shopped at in over fourteen years, since living in Ottawa. We browsed unsuccessfully for a jacket for me at the Salvation Army Thrift Store. And we did our big weekly grocery shopping trip at Superstore. We arrived back home about 5 PM.
Ozzie is having severe allergy flare-ups manifesting as ear infections and skin infections. Must be a spring time thing for him ! ? !
Friday ; Mix of sun and clouds, windy, mild temperature.
This morning I returned a phone call to an RCMP Sergeant in Fort Simpson, Northwest Territories. He has been assigned to be "the next level" of my complaint regarding use of excessive force by an RCMP Officer last July in Hay River, Northwest Territories. We played telephone tag for a few calls back and forth, then finally connected. We had a fifteen minute phone discussion, and he will now elevate my complaint to some manner of disciplinary committee. Oh ... good ! And after only nine months ! ! !
I removed all the trailer towing materials and equipment from the truck then parked the truck part way under the camper. Only part way because I left the fifth wheel hitch in the truck, pending the return trip from Osoyoos to Oliver of the fifth wheel trailer
I delivered to Osoyoos a couple of days ago. I did some maintenance and "home improvement" work on the camper.
After lunch and a nap for me we went to the swimming pool for a session of cardiac rehabilitation aquatic fitness. We walked Ozzie, retrieved mail, and took a book back to the library in the "lodge". In the evening I did some financial work, and ordered some valve extenders for the truck from Amazon. I want / need to try a different style of dually valve extenders than I have been using for the last fourteen years.
MMMMM ... wonderful, fresh, BC Steelhead Trout for supper ! First time we've had Steelhead. Almost like a "cross" between a salmon and a Rainbow Trout.
Saturday ; Cloudy, mild, occasionally windy.
Today the weather was nice enough to allow for some outdoor work to be done ... in comfort. I did a repair on the truck. I did some maintenance on the camper. I replaced a section of moulding in the bathroom in the house. I did some Similkameen Trailer Towing administrative work at my desk.
MMMMM ... wonderful roast leg of lamb !
DSK
Wednesday, April 11, 2018
April 1 to 7, 2018
Easter Sunday ; Sunny, cool, windy.
After walking Ozzie this morning we visited briefly with our neighbour / friend Jeanine. This afternoon I did some minor maintenance work on the truck and minivan. I did some month end accounting, and bill paying, and reconciliations. I did some online research and shopping for valve extenders for the truck tires.
Monday ; Sunny and cold.
Joanne left this morning for a day of running errands in Penticton by herself. Emma began sneezing frequently, apparently with a relapse / recurrence of her upper respiratory infection. I did a bit of outdoor work, and prepared for our upcoming trailer towing jobs.
Joanne returned home around 5 PM just as I was leaving to go to the swimming pool for cardiac rehabilitation aquatic exercises. So ... she joined me. Late in the evening
I completed our income tax returns, then electronically filed and paid them.
Tuesday ; home to Kamloops and return
We left home at 10 AM this morning, heading to Kamloops to pick up a forty-four foot trailer to be delivered to the BC Interior RV Show in Penticton this weekend. We decided to leave Ozzie at home today. West on Hwy. 3 to Princeton, north on Hwy. 5A to the Coquihalla Okanagan Connector, then west to Merritt. We refilled with diesel at Extra Foods Fuel Bar in Merritt before continuing north on the Coquihalla Highway / "Highway Thru Hell" / "the Coke" to Kamloops.
We arrived at Jubilee RV at 1 PM, checked in with them, then left to go have lunch and shop at Princess Auto, returning to Jubilee RV at 2 PM, our scheduled trailer pick up time. We hooked up to the first of two forty-four foot long trailers that we are transporting to Penticton for Jubilee RV, and headed out. WOW ! Twenty-one feet of truck, three feet of trailer tongue, forty-four feet of trailer, total length sixty-eight feet !
On our way back home, southbound on "the Coke", between Kamloops and Merritt ...
< sputter > ... we drove through TWO blizzards ! ! ! Count 'em ... TWO ! ANOTHER episode of "Highway Thru Hell" ! ! ! Unfortunately, that resulted in the shiny new trailer getting dirty. And there is nowhere for me to get it cleaned before delivering it to the South Okanagan Events Centre in Penticton for the BC Interior RV Show in a couple of days.
We arrived back home at 5:30 PM. MMMMM ... I barbecued lamb chops for supper.
Wednesday ; home to Kamloops and return ... again
Sunny and cold.
We left home at 10 AM, again heading for Kamloops. At Merritt we refilled with diesel fuel again at Extra Foods Fuel Bar. WOW ! A near empty fuel tank on the truck takes $130 to refill ! We arrived in Kamloops right on time at 1 PM. The client was not pleased that the trailer I transported yesterday got dirty because I drove through two blizzards on the "Highway Thru Hell". So ... he was insistent that I take an alternative route today, through Vernon and Kelowna to avoid the likelihood of bad weather on the Coquihalla Highway or the Coquihalla Okanagan Connector. I HATE driving through Kelowna, especially with a 68 foot long rig ... during rush hour ! ! ! BUT ... what the client wants ... the client gets.
We left Kamloops at 1:45 PM driving east on Trans-Canada Highway 1, then southeast and south on Hwy. 97 through Vernon and Kelowna < sigh >. We arrived at the South Okanagan Events Centre in Penticton at 5:10 PM. We had the trailer parked and unhitched by 5:30 PM. We refilled the truck with diesel fuel again before leaving Penticton, and were back home by 7 PM. We hitched up again to the trailer that we towed from Kamloops yesterday, and that we left here at home today.
Just before Joanne had supper ready, I received a phone call from an RCMP Sargeant in Hay River, Northwest Territories. He was phoning to discuss a complaint I made about eight months ago regarding an incident I witnessed of an RCMP officer using excessive force during an arrest of a drunk Indian / inebriated Indigenous man. After a 7½ minute phone conversation ... the RCMP Sargeant did almost all the talking ... his perspective and mine remain different. He will have to elevate my complaint to the next level. < shrug > Tough shit, pal !
Thursday ; Penticton
Raining and cold. BRRRRR !
This morning as we were getting ready to leave home to deliver the trailer to the South Okanagan Events Centre for 10 AM, the client phoned at 8:15 AM. He needed the trailer there right now ! So away we went ! We got the trailer to the South Okanagan Events Centre at 9:30 AM, and to our surprise, we were required to drive it into the building and get it situated. The event's advance communications and preparations left a lot to be desired. The client was ... not as well advised in advance by the show's organizers as he should have been.
Nevertheless ... we got the trailer into the building and situated ... right beside the trailer we had left in the parking lot last night and which someone else had already brought into the building this morning. We unhitched, got out of the building, and left the clients working feverishly to have everything ready for the three day show which starts tomorrow. We went to Safeway, bought some halibut, and deposited our trailer delivery payment cheque into our bank's ATM. We went to a couple of Dollar Stores looking for an item, then drove home, arriving back home at noon.
Okay ! Two very large trailers from the Kamloops dealership into the South Okanagan Events Centre in Penticton for the BC Interior RV Show. This four part job is half
done ! On Sunday evening we will have to return to the South Okanagan Events Centre, remove both trailers from the building, put one in the parking lot, bring one home, then spend Monday and Tuesday returning the trailers to Kamloops. And this afternoon ... I got hired to do another job ... next Wednesday. HMPH ! Pretty busy for a retired guy ! I have laughed at a lot of my contemporaries over the last thirteen years for being "failures at retirement". I need to be careful not to fall into that category
myself ! HA HA HA !
Friday ; Cloudy and cool.
Late this morning we headed into Keremeos. We refilled our five gallon water jug, then went to Benja Thai Restaurant where we met Kofa Ko-op / Yuma, Arizona neighbours David and Shauna ( Canadians from Manitoba ) for an early ( for us ) lunch. We had a leisurely, great lunch, chatting about my cardiac bypass surgery and what transpired over the winter season at Kofa Ko-op. After lunch Joanne invited David and Shauna
( and their wonderful little dog Zona ) back to our home for some tea and more chatting. We had an enjoyable visit for the rest of the afternoon at our home. Zona enjoyed destroying Ozzie's plush monkey toy. HA HA HA ... good dog, Zona.
After our visitors left about 4:30 PM we took Ozzie for a walk, then Joanne and I went to the swimming pool for a cardiac rehabilitation aquatic exercise session. Thank you for encouraging me, my dear.
Saturday ; Light rain, cold.
Just the sort of day that is conducive to laziness, in my opinion. So ... I blew off the morning, snoozing and reading in bed. In the afternoon I trimmed my beard, then we gave Ozzie a haircut on his head and face. We had left the hair on his head long, and now that he is wearing a cone ( Elizabethan collar ) he's getting matted around the ears. After we cut the hair on his head and face much shorter, he's not as cute. SHHHHH ... don't tell him ! HA HA HA !
I removed a short section of baseboard moulding in the bathroom that needs replacing. I did some desk / computer work.
DSK
After walking Ozzie this morning we visited briefly with our neighbour / friend Jeanine. This afternoon I did some minor maintenance work on the truck and minivan. I did some month end accounting, and bill paying, and reconciliations. I did some online research and shopping for valve extenders for the truck tires.
Monday ; Sunny and cold.
Joanne left this morning for a day of running errands in Penticton by herself. Emma began sneezing frequently, apparently with a relapse / recurrence of her upper respiratory infection. I did a bit of outdoor work, and prepared for our upcoming trailer towing jobs.
Joanne returned home around 5 PM just as I was leaving to go to the swimming pool for cardiac rehabilitation aquatic exercises. So ... she joined me. Late in the evening
I completed our income tax returns, then electronically filed and paid them.
Tuesday ; home to Kamloops and return
We left home at 10 AM this morning, heading to Kamloops to pick up a forty-four foot trailer to be delivered to the BC Interior RV Show in Penticton this weekend. We decided to leave Ozzie at home today. West on Hwy. 3 to Princeton, north on Hwy. 5A to the Coquihalla Okanagan Connector, then west to Merritt. We refilled with diesel at Extra Foods Fuel Bar in Merritt before continuing north on the Coquihalla Highway / "Highway Thru Hell" / "the Coke" to Kamloops.
We arrived at Jubilee RV at 1 PM, checked in with them, then left to go have lunch and shop at Princess Auto, returning to Jubilee RV at 2 PM, our scheduled trailer pick up time. We hooked up to the first of two forty-four foot long trailers that we are transporting to Penticton for Jubilee RV, and headed out. WOW ! Twenty-one feet of truck, three feet of trailer tongue, forty-four feet of trailer, total length sixty-eight feet !
On our way back home, southbound on "the Coke", between Kamloops and Merritt ...
< sputter > ... we drove through TWO blizzards ! ! ! Count 'em ... TWO ! ANOTHER episode of "Highway Thru Hell" ! ! ! Unfortunately, that resulted in the shiny new trailer getting dirty. And there is nowhere for me to get it cleaned before delivering it to the South Okanagan Events Centre in Penticton for the BC Interior RV Show in a couple of days.
We arrived back home at 5:30 PM. MMMMM ... I barbecued lamb chops for supper.
Wednesday ; home to Kamloops and return ... again
Sunny and cold.
We left home at 10 AM, again heading for Kamloops. At Merritt we refilled with diesel fuel again at Extra Foods Fuel Bar. WOW ! A near empty fuel tank on the truck takes $130 to refill ! We arrived in Kamloops right on time at 1 PM. The client was not pleased that the trailer I transported yesterday got dirty because I drove through two blizzards on the "Highway Thru Hell". So ... he was insistent that I take an alternative route today, through Vernon and Kelowna to avoid the likelihood of bad weather on the Coquihalla Highway or the Coquihalla Okanagan Connector. I HATE driving through Kelowna, especially with a 68 foot long rig ... during rush hour ! ! ! BUT ... what the client wants ... the client gets.
We left Kamloops at 1:45 PM driving east on Trans-Canada Highway 1, then southeast and south on Hwy. 97 through Vernon and Kelowna < sigh >. We arrived at the South Okanagan Events Centre in Penticton at 5:10 PM. We had the trailer parked and unhitched by 5:30 PM. We refilled the truck with diesel fuel again before leaving Penticton, and were back home by 7 PM. We hitched up again to the trailer that we towed from Kamloops yesterday, and that we left here at home today.
Just before Joanne had supper ready, I received a phone call from an RCMP Sargeant in Hay River, Northwest Territories. He was phoning to discuss a complaint I made about eight months ago regarding an incident I witnessed of an RCMP officer using excessive force during an arrest of a drunk Indian / inebriated Indigenous man. After a 7½ minute phone conversation ... the RCMP Sargeant did almost all the talking ... his perspective and mine remain different. He will have to elevate my complaint to the next level. < shrug > Tough shit, pal !
Thursday ; Penticton
Raining and cold. BRRRRR !
This morning as we were getting ready to leave home to deliver the trailer to the South Okanagan Events Centre for 10 AM, the client phoned at 8:15 AM. He needed the trailer there right now ! So away we went ! We got the trailer to the South Okanagan Events Centre at 9:30 AM, and to our surprise, we were required to drive it into the building and get it situated. The event's advance communications and preparations left a lot to be desired. The client was ... not as well advised in advance by the show's organizers as he should have been.
Nevertheless ... we got the trailer into the building and situated ... right beside the trailer we had left in the parking lot last night and which someone else had already brought into the building this morning. We unhitched, got out of the building, and left the clients working feverishly to have everything ready for the three day show which starts tomorrow. We went to Safeway, bought some halibut, and deposited our trailer delivery payment cheque into our bank's ATM. We went to a couple of Dollar Stores looking for an item, then drove home, arriving back home at noon.
Okay ! Two very large trailers from the Kamloops dealership into the South Okanagan Events Centre in Penticton for the BC Interior RV Show. This four part job is half
done ! On Sunday evening we will have to return to the South Okanagan Events Centre, remove both trailers from the building, put one in the parking lot, bring one home, then spend Monday and Tuesday returning the trailers to Kamloops. And this afternoon ... I got hired to do another job ... next Wednesday. HMPH ! Pretty busy for a retired guy ! I have laughed at a lot of my contemporaries over the last thirteen years for being "failures at retirement". I need to be careful not to fall into that category
myself ! HA HA HA !
Friday ; Cloudy and cool.
Late this morning we headed into Keremeos. We refilled our five gallon water jug, then went to Benja Thai Restaurant where we met Kofa Ko-op / Yuma, Arizona neighbours David and Shauna ( Canadians from Manitoba ) for an early ( for us ) lunch. We had a leisurely, great lunch, chatting about my cardiac bypass surgery and what transpired over the winter season at Kofa Ko-op. After lunch Joanne invited David and Shauna
( and their wonderful little dog Zona ) back to our home for some tea and more chatting. We had an enjoyable visit for the rest of the afternoon at our home. Zona enjoyed destroying Ozzie's plush monkey toy. HA HA HA ... good dog, Zona.
After our visitors left about 4:30 PM we took Ozzie for a walk, then Joanne and I went to the swimming pool for a cardiac rehabilitation aquatic exercise session. Thank you for encouraging me, my dear.
Saturday ; Light rain, cold.
Just the sort of day that is conducive to laziness, in my opinion. So ... I blew off the morning, snoozing and reading in bed. In the afternoon I trimmed my beard, then we gave Ozzie a haircut on his head and face. We had left the hair on his head long, and now that he is wearing a cone ( Elizabethan collar ) he's getting matted around the ears. After we cut the hair on his head and face much shorter, he's not as cute. SHHHHH ... don't tell him ! HA HA HA !
I removed a short section of baseboard moulding in the bathroom that needs replacing. I did some desk / computer work.
DSK
Sunday, April 1, 2018
March 25 to 31, 2018
Sunday ; Sunny and cold.
I was somewhat "crippled" today, by an extremely sore left knee. I must have injured it yesterday during exercises in the pool. Even using a cane today I could barely move around.
I processed some photos taken on our trailer towing trip to Kamloops and back a couple of days ago. I updated our investment summary today. < BLINK BLINK > We lost almost $23,000 last week ? ? ? I uploaded my weekly journal to my blog. I reconciled and paid our monthly MasterCard bill. I did some online research on truck tires. It's almost time to replace the truck's tires. We gave Ozzie a bath. Well ... Joanne gave Ozzie a bath. I assisted a teensy bit.
Monday ; Cold and raining.
Today's weather was very conducive to being lazy. I snoozed for much of the day, resting my sore knee and ... just enjoying the laziness.
Our friend Laszlo in Kamloops had bladder ( and prostate ) removal surgery today. Best wishes, Lasz ! We hope you have a successful recovery and will beat cancer for the third time !
Tuesday ; Penticton ; HAPPY 14th BIRTHDAY TO OZZIE
We spent the day running shopping errands in Penticton. I went to the walk-in clinic that I use and obtained new prescriptions for all my medications. I took the minivan to Integra Tire and had the studded winter tires removed and the summer tires put back on. We went to the South Okanagan Events Centre and sort of figured out where we need to deliver the large trailers we are towing to the BC Interior RV Show next week.
At home in the evening I got a phone call from a Yuma, Arizona neighbour of ours. We arranged for a lunch date at the Thai restaurant in Keremeos in a week and a half.
Wednesday ; Sunny, mild, windy.
This morning I was hired by a local trailer dealer to deliver a ( three ) horse trailer tomorrow to Abbotsford, near Vancouver. Late this afternoon as I went to pull the truck out from underneath the camper, to go pick up the trailer at Twin Lakes, halfway to Penticton, I discovered ... < sputter > ... both rear tires on the driver's side were flat ! Using our small air compressor I completely re-inflated one tire and partially re-inflated the other before it was time to leave to go pick up the trailer.
We drove into Keremeos and I went to Fas Gas to continue adding air to the tires and purchase diesel fuel. I was hurrying. I re-inflated the second tire on the driver's side, and adjusted the air in all the other tires. I pulled over to the diesel pump and left Joanne to put away the long air hose at the station's compressor station. I refilled with diesel, went inside to pay for my purchase, and returned to the truck to find that ...
< sigh > ... Joanne had tripped and fell on the asphalt, injuring her left knee, landing on both hands and scraping them, then tumbling forward onto her face, giving herself a fat lip and scraped nose !
I am of the opinion that this kind of incident has been an annual occurrence, more or less, for the last ten years or so. Joanne vehemently disagrees with me. So ... we fought about it for awhile !
We rushed to Twin Lakes, picked up the horse trailer to be delivered, then rushed home. While I walked Ozzie, Joanne took care of her injuries.
The truck tires seem to be holding air ... for now ! Joanne's knee hurts a lot ! It's scraped and very swollen ! Her hands hurt ! Her upper lip hurts ! Her nose hurts ! What more is there I can say ? ! ?
Thursday ; home to Abbotsford & return
I was up early this morning, at 7 AM, and was ready for departure by 8:30 AM. Because of her injuries sustained yesterday, Joanne stayed home and I did this trailer delivery job by myself. West on Crowsnest Hwy. 3 to Princeton where I stopped at Kal Tire to have the air adjusted in the truck's two troublesome tires. I continued west on Crowsnest Hwy. 3 through Manning Provincial Park where the weather deteriorated. As the elevation continued to rise, I was driving in clouds and rain. At Hope, Crowsnest Hwy. 3 ended and merged onto Trans-Canada Hwy. 1. At Hwy. 11 in Abbotsford
I turned south for a short distance to the Costco store where I met the trailer's buyer and delivered the trailer at 1 PM.
On the way back home I stopped at a rest area near Hope at 2 PM to have a late picnic lunch. I refilled with diesel in Princeton. I was home by 5 PM.
Good Friday ; six months post-operative
Sunny, cool, windy.
Today is six months since my cardiac bypass surgery. I'm doing well ! The healing / recuperation / rehabilitation milestones are three months, six months, twelve months, and eighteen months. So far, so good ! My most persistent problem, although not particularly serious, has been edema. For the last few weeks I have been severely restricting my fluid intake, and that has helped a lot.
This morning I did more work on the truck's two problematic rear tires. I have now removed the valve extenders from both tires, and it appears likely that will solve the problems ... for now. I am due for new tires in just a few more weeks. And I am going to be looking for a different solution to the problem of valve extenders for dually rear tires. Almost every tire problem that I have had in the last thirteen years has been due to dually rear valve extenders.
I torqued the lug nuts on the minivan, after having the tires changed over from winter to summer tires a few days ago. I removed the four studded winter tires from the back of the minivan, piled them on the picnic table, and photographed them, in preparation for selling them next fall. I hope to never need winter tires again ! I did some "heavy lifting" yard work. And as long as I worked slow and steady ... "heavy lifting" was not a problem. WOO-HOO ... no more angina ! ! !
We went to the swimming pool and did cardiac rehabilitation aquatic exercises. In the evening I ordered two new headlight assemblies for the truck. The headlight assembly that I recently ordered online for the minivan worked out well. I received and installed it. The total cost was about half of buying it locally at an auto supply store.
Saturday ; Sunny, mild.
This morning we drove to Twin Lakes to return the trailer dealer's license plate and pick up our payment cheque. On the way back home we stopped in Keremeos and
I dropped off new prescription orders at Similkameen Pharmacy.
This afternoon I checked the truck's problem tires' air pressures. All is well now that the valve extenders have been removed and the valves' internal cores have been tightened. I put the minivan's now redundant studded winter tires into storage in our shed. I serviced my bicycle, getting it ready for use, a "resurrected" Easter weekend ritual of mine since childhood. Joanne sewed a seam on my jacket, and did a lot of laundry. Ozzie and I walked down to the laundromat to meet her when she was finished. Ozzie loooooves "finding" his "mommy". HA HA HA ... good dog, Ozzie !
We weighed Ozzie again today. He has now lost a total of eight pounds since we got him six months ago. He's now down to twenty-five pounds, from thirty-three. Neighbours are now starting to call him "skinny Ozzie". I wonder how much he misses eating Burger King Whoppers and fries ? HA HA HA !
DSK
I was somewhat "crippled" today, by an extremely sore left knee. I must have injured it yesterday during exercises in the pool. Even using a cane today I could barely move around.
I processed some photos taken on our trailer towing trip to Kamloops and back a couple of days ago. I updated our investment summary today. < BLINK BLINK > We lost almost $23,000 last week ? ? ? I uploaded my weekly journal to my blog. I reconciled and paid our monthly MasterCard bill. I did some online research on truck tires. It's almost time to replace the truck's tires. We gave Ozzie a bath. Well ... Joanne gave Ozzie a bath. I assisted a teensy bit.
Monday ; Cold and raining.
Today's weather was very conducive to being lazy. I snoozed for much of the day, resting my sore knee and ... just enjoying the laziness.
Our friend Laszlo in Kamloops had bladder ( and prostate ) removal surgery today. Best wishes, Lasz ! We hope you have a successful recovery and will beat cancer for the third time !
Tuesday ; Penticton ; HAPPY 14th BIRTHDAY TO OZZIE
We spent the day running shopping errands in Penticton. I went to the walk-in clinic that I use and obtained new prescriptions for all my medications. I took the minivan to Integra Tire and had the studded winter tires removed and the summer tires put back on. We went to the South Okanagan Events Centre and sort of figured out where we need to deliver the large trailers we are towing to the BC Interior RV Show next week.
At home in the evening I got a phone call from a Yuma, Arizona neighbour of ours. We arranged for a lunch date at the Thai restaurant in Keremeos in a week and a half.
Wednesday ; Sunny, mild, windy.
This morning I was hired by a local trailer dealer to deliver a ( three ) horse trailer tomorrow to Abbotsford, near Vancouver. Late this afternoon as I went to pull the truck out from underneath the camper, to go pick up the trailer at Twin Lakes, halfway to Penticton, I discovered ... < sputter > ... both rear tires on the driver's side were flat ! Using our small air compressor I completely re-inflated one tire and partially re-inflated the other before it was time to leave to go pick up the trailer.
We drove into Keremeos and I went to Fas Gas to continue adding air to the tires and purchase diesel fuel. I was hurrying. I re-inflated the second tire on the driver's side, and adjusted the air in all the other tires. I pulled over to the diesel pump and left Joanne to put away the long air hose at the station's compressor station. I refilled with diesel, went inside to pay for my purchase, and returned to the truck to find that ...
< sigh > ... Joanne had tripped and fell on the asphalt, injuring her left knee, landing on both hands and scraping them, then tumbling forward onto her face, giving herself a fat lip and scraped nose !
I am of the opinion that this kind of incident has been an annual occurrence, more or less, for the last ten years or so. Joanne vehemently disagrees with me. So ... we fought about it for awhile !
We rushed to Twin Lakes, picked up the horse trailer to be delivered, then rushed home. While I walked Ozzie, Joanne took care of her injuries.
The truck tires seem to be holding air ... for now ! Joanne's knee hurts a lot ! It's scraped and very swollen ! Her hands hurt ! Her upper lip hurts ! Her nose hurts ! What more is there I can say ? ! ?
Thursday ; home to Abbotsford & return
I was up early this morning, at 7 AM, and was ready for departure by 8:30 AM. Because of her injuries sustained yesterday, Joanne stayed home and I did this trailer delivery job by myself. West on Crowsnest Hwy. 3 to Princeton where I stopped at Kal Tire to have the air adjusted in the truck's two troublesome tires. I continued west on Crowsnest Hwy. 3 through Manning Provincial Park where the weather deteriorated. As the elevation continued to rise, I was driving in clouds and rain. At Hope, Crowsnest Hwy. 3 ended and merged onto Trans-Canada Hwy. 1. At Hwy. 11 in Abbotsford
I turned south for a short distance to the Costco store where I met the trailer's buyer and delivered the trailer at 1 PM.
On the way back home I stopped at a rest area near Hope at 2 PM to have a late picnic lunch. I refilled with diesel in Princeton. I was home by 5 PM.
Good Friday ; six months post-operative
Sunny, cool, windy.
Today is six months since my cardiac bypass surgery. I'm doing well ! The healing / recuperation / rehabilitation milestones are three months, six months, twelve months, and eighteen months. So far, so good ! My most persistent problem, although not particularly serious, has been edema. For the last few weeks I have been severely restricting my fluid intake, and that has helped a lot.
This morning I did more work on the truck's two problematic rear tires. I have now removed the valve extenders from both tires, and it appears likely that will solve the problems ... for now. I am due for new tires in just a few more weeks. And I am going to be looking for a different solution to the problem of valve extenders for dually rear tires. Almost every tire problem that I have had in the last thirteen years has been due to dually rear valve extenders.
I torqued the lug nuts on the minivan, after having the tires changed over from winter to summer tires a few days ago. I removed the four studded winter tires from the back of the minivan, piled them on the picnic table, and photographed them, in preparation for selling them next fall. I hope to never need winter tires again ! I did some "heavy lifting" yard work. And as long as I worked slow and steady ... "heavy lifting" was not a problem. WOO-HOO ... no more angina ! ! !
We went to the swimming pool and did cardiac rehabilitation aquatic exercises. In the evening I ordered two new headlight assemblies for the truck. The headlight assembly that I recently ordered online for the minivan worked out well. I received and installed it. The total cost was about half of buying it locally at an auto supply store.
Saturday ; Sunny, mild.
This morning we drove to Twin Lakes to return the trailer dealer's license plate and pick up our payment cheque. On the way back home we stopped in Keremeos and
I dropped off new prescription orders at Similkameen Pharmacy.
This afternoon I checked the truck's problem tires' air pressures. All is well now that the valve extenders have been removed and the valves' internal cores have been tightened. I put the minivan's now redundant studded winter tires into storage in our shed. I serviced my bicycle, getting it ready for use, a "resurrected" Easter weekend ritual of mine since childhood. Joanne sewed a seam on my jacket, and did a lot of laundry. Ozzie and I walked down to the laundromat to meet her when she was finished. Ozzie loooooves "finding" his "mommy". HA HA HA ... good dog, Ozzie !
We weighed Ozzie again today. He has now lost a total of eight pounds since we got him six months ago. He's now down to twenty-five pounds, from thirty-three. Neighbours are now starting to call him "skinny Ozzie". I wonder how much he misses eating Burger King Whoppers and fries ? HA HA HA !
DSK
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