July 27th – Tues – Watrous
Manitou Lake, very close to where we are staying, is full of minerals and is hyped as being very good for you as well as making you very buoyant. I went in the last time we were here but this time we decided to use the pool in which the scummy water is filtered. We went to check it out and unfortunately the pool has been closed since May 1st with no definite reopening date. We drove into Watrous to look around and get diesel. Driving past the post office reminded me of something I had to mail to Marg so we came back, packaged up Marg’s fishing item and loaded up the golf clubs.
There is a golf course right across the road and we purchased a discount golf package with our RV site so we hit some range balls and then played 9 holes in a cart which we normally wouldn’t do. The fairways needed mowing so it was hard for me to get any distance as I depend on the roll but that just gave me more practice hitting! There were thousands of little dragon flies on the course that stayed mainly close to the ground.
We had a snack and then went for a walk around the park which is quite large. I couldn’t talk Terry into walking the nature trail which we saw at the end of the park.
At 8 to 9:30 we went to a dance at Danceland. This is a large facility with a huge dance floor that has horsehair underneath to provide some give & spring. The local band played old time music and entire families attended. Some parents were teaching children to dance and other just let kids run around and have fun on the waxed floor. We danced quite a bit but haven’t mastered the swing waltz so we sat those out.
July 28th – Wed – to Moose Jaw
We left at 9 for the 2 ½ hour drive to Moose Jaw, almost directly south of Watrous and through typically flat Saskatchewan country. As we neared Moose Jaw, there were some bumps and gullies as there are some big lakes in this area.
We are staying at the Prairie Oasis complex – campground, motel, mobile home park, restaurant and large water slide/pool building. It was quite full but we got a pull through site with 20 amp (?) electric – 30 amp plug but they said it was 20 amps and would not run an air conditioner.
After lunch we had to find the local casino which is located right downtown. All the street parking is metered and the parkade had a low clearance but we finally found a meter and it actually had nearly 2 hours to go. The casino is very small. I sat down at a couple of machines and hit a bonus on the first spin but we both ended up losing our allowance.
Downtown Moose Jaw is very busy with lots of little shops on Main Street – different from a lot of downtown areas. However, our long truck does not make it easy to pop into a small parking spot on the street. We stopped for a few groceries including a steak for the BBQ. After dinner, we found a car wash to get rid of all the dragon flies & dirt on the truck. Then we sat outside and lit a buddy burner and had a few people stop to see what it was.
July 29th – Thurs – Moose Jaw/Regina
We were very lazy this morning and enjoyed fresh peaches and coffee (after Terry & neighbors reset a community electrical breaker many times) before going for a drive to Regina, about 45 miles east of here. Of course our main destination there was a casino which was in an old railway station and quite unique. Like Moose Jaw, it has paid parking but we were able to get into the higher clearance parkade and get our ticket validated after we gambled for a while. Our gambling allowance lasted quite a few hours so we just drove through the town a bit before heading back where we made a stop for diesel and found a liquor store.
Our site has some strategically placed little spruce trees which provide the perfect amount of shade to sit out to read & watch TV. A neighbor stopped by to check out our TV in the outside compartment just as we were dishing up dinner so we told her to come by later with her husband and Terry could tell him how he ran wires for it.
We lit our buddy burner again and had more people stop by to admire it and get instructions to make one. Our neighbors came by and joined us for a drink which made for a very nice evening even though Terry had to put out the awning because of rain.
July 30th – Fri – to Swift Current, Sask
We had another short (2 hour) drive this morning. We were early so we stopped at the casino in Swift Current where I was going to make a sandwich for lunch. But I had stepped in some tar somewhere and tracked it into the rig – including on the carpet - so I had to clean it up first. By the time I finished, Terry felt sorry for me so we went into the casino for lunch. Of course we couldn’t leave without trying our luck with $20 each. Terry finally lost his and I got back to my original 20 and was smart enough to quit.
We are staying with Gilbert & Grace who we met in Desert Hot Springs last winter. Grace is Cliff’s sister. They live on a large farm and share-crop where someone else does the actual farming and they get paid “rent” in crops. Gilbert is working for the summer but was home by the time we got here. Just before 6, Terry went with Gilbert to meet Cliff & Pauline and pick up Grace’s brother Glen who will be here for the weekend.
Grace had a huge ham in the crock pot so we had a great dinner and then played the card game Wizard.
Saturday, July 31, 2010
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
July 23rd to 26th - Alberta & Saskatchewan
July 23rd – Fri – Sherwood Park
We went for a drive looking for an RV salvage yard that we used a couple of years ago when we had a problem with our 5th wheel. Cliff needs windshield wipers for his motor home and no one carries them here so we thought the salvage yard might have some. Unfortunately, our memories weren’t as good as we thought and we didn’t find the place.
We had lunch at Quizno’s and then came back to the house. C&P’s neighbor Francois (who dropped in for a while last night) has 160 acres of mostly treed land and has cut trails – actually narrow roads – through the trees. So we all walked the trails to Francois’ house, expecting him to be at work but just wanting the exercise. We were turning around to go back when Francois came out of the house and called us back. We went in and chatted with him a bit and then walked back.
I helped Cliff set up a spreadsheet for expenses on his computer and then showed him how to scan photos into his computer. Terry & Pauline played pinball while Cliff & I worked!
Cliff’s cousin Doreen & her husband Bob (who we met in Desert Hot Springs) came over for dinner. We were flattered that they drove an hour each way just to see us for a few hours! C&P made a typical Mennonite dinner of sausage (made & smoked by Cliff), noodles and gravy made from the sausage drippings – YUM. Bob & Doreen left about 10 and we had to get out the Sequence game again and reinforce the female dominance in this group.
July 24th – Sat – Sherwood Park
I made breakfast sandwiches for all of us this morning which we enjoyed out on C&P’s huge screened porch. Then we went downtown to an indoor farmers’ market where we bought a few items. We couldn’t decide if we wanted lunch so we ended up with smoothies and headed to a mall to buy coffee beans for Cliff. Then we spent a couple of hours at the Edmonton Casino where only Terry was not a loser. We made a quick stop at Costco before heading back just in time for snacks (since we didn’t eat lunch) and happy hour. Cliff & Terry spent time setting up a satellite TV receiver while Pauline & I worked on dinner. We did a shared dinner tonight where we contributed our usual baby back ribs and great fresh lettuce that Les sent with us.
C& P taught us a new card game – Wizard. We really enjoyed it and will be adding it to our game assortment. As if it was not late enough, we all put on our swim suits and boiled in the hot tub that is also in the screened porch so there are no pesky bugs around. It was 1 o’clock when we headed to our rig. We have not been up so late for more than one night in a long time!
July 25th – Sun – to North Battleford, Saskatchewan
We got everything ready to leave and went to C&P’s for coffee. Pauline had other ideas and they made bacon, eggs & pancakes for breakfast. I love this restaurant!!
We left about 10 and headed east on Hwy 16 (Yellowknife Hwy). When the highway passed through Elk Island National Park, we saw several large, healthy-looking buffalo near the road. We stopped at an information center in Lloydminster and then carried on to North Battleford where we needed to get fuel.
It was 2:40 by the time we fueled up so we decided to see if David Laird Campground had a spot for us – and it did. We dumped our waste tanks and set up.
When we got diesel, we got a credit at a grocery store so we went back there and picked u a few items. Unfortunately, it was right next to a casino so we had to go there too. In my usual recent fashion, I lost a small allowance and shortly afterwards Terry was done also. But we decided to spend a little more and Terry ended up winning enough to cover our losses. We got back to the park about 8:30, Terry cleaned the bugs off the front of the 5th wheel and I made a light dinner.
July 26th – Mon – to Watrous Sask
A thunderstorm blew in with huge amounts of rain last night but we only had a few very light showers when we started driving. We were going to head through Saskatoon and directly to Watrous until I mentioned that at the casino last night I found out that I could win money in my birthday month but my card had to be active for a day to do so. We knew there was a nice casino just south of Saskatoon so we made a slight detour. It turned out that Monday was seniors’ day – even better!
This time it was Terry’s turn to lose and my turn to win. I was ahead when we stopped for lunch and Terry discovered that our cards were now activated so we each got $15 free play – and I got nothing for my “birthday” card scan. It took quite a while to lose our free play money and I lost some of my winnings before we headed out about 4.
Terry didn’t want to drive back to Saskatoon (part of which is rough & narrow & some is in town) and then to Watrous so we took a little longer route south & then east. Mistake! We remembered too late that we drove part of this route a couple of years ago and the rough sections are even worse now. We arrived at Manitou Regional Campground just out of Watrous around 6. First we were assigned a short, wide site way in the back so Terry asked if we could have a drive through that he spotted right near the front. When we were here previously we tried one of the sites in the back and it was so wet that we left big ruts and got a new site.
The park has fast wifi service that we are getting at our site so it is nice to be connected again. The weather was hot all day but it cooled off quickly and sent us inside for the evening.
We went for a drive looking for an RV salvage yard that we used a couple of years ago when we had a problem with our 5th wheel. Cliff needs windshield wipers for his motor home and no one carries them here so we thought the salvage yard might have some. Unfortunately, our memories weren’t as good as we thought and we didn’t find the place.
We had lunch at Quizno’s and then came back to the house. C&P’s neighbor Francois (who dropped in for a while last night) has 160 acres of mostly treed land and has cut trails – actually narrow roads – through the trees. So we all walked the trails to Francois’ house, expecting him to be at work but just wanting the exercise. We were turning around to go back when Francois came out of the house and called us back. We went in and chatted with him a bit and then walked back.
I helped Cliff set up a spreadsheet for expenses on his computer and then showed him how to scan photos into his computer. Terry & Pauline played pinball while Cliff & I worked!
Cliff’s cousin Doreen & her husband Bob (who we met in Desert Hot Springs) came over for dinner. We were flattered that they drove an hour each way just to see us for a few hours! C&P made a typical Mennonite dinner of sausage (made & smoked by Cliff), noodles and gravy made from the sausage drippings – YUM. Bob & Doreen left about 10 and we had to get out the Sequence game again and reinforce the female dominance in this group.
July 24th – Sat – Sherwood Park
I made breakfast sandwiches for all of us this morning which we enjoyed out on C&P’s huge screened porch. Then we went downtown to an indoor farmers’ market where we bought a few items. We couldn’t decide if we wanted lunch so we ended up with smoothies and headed to a mall to buy coffee beans for Cliff. Then we spent a couple of hours at the Edmonton Casino where only Terry was not a loser. We made a quick stop at Costco before heading back just in time for snacks (since we didn’t eat lunch) and happy hour. Cliff & Terry spent time setting up a satellite TV receiver while Pauline & I worked on dinner. We did a shared dinner tonight where we contributed our usual baby back ribs and great fresh lettuce that Les sent with us.
C& P taught us a new card game – Wizard. We really enjoyed it and will be adding it to our game assortment. As if it was not late enough, we all put on our swim suits and boiled in the hot tub that is also in the screened porch so there are no pesky bugs around. It was 1 o’clock when we headed to our rig. We have not been up so late for more than one night in a long time!
July 25th – Sun – to North Battleford, Saskatchewan
We got everything ready to leave and went to C&P’s for coffee. Pauline had other ideas and they made bacon, eggs & pancakes for breakfast. I love this restaurant!!
We left about 10 and headed east on Hwy 16 (Yellowknife Hwy). When the highway passed through Elk Island National Park, we saw several large, healthy-looking buffalo near the road. We stopped at an information center in Lloydminster and then carried on to North Battleford where we needed to get fuel.
It was 2:40 by the time we fueled up so we decided to see if David Laird Campground had a spot for us – and it did. We dumped our waste tanks and set up.
When we got diesel, we got a credit at a grocery store so we went back there and picked u a few items. Unfortunately, it was right next to a casino so we had to go there too. In my usual recent fashion, I lost a small allowance and shortly afterwards Terry was done also. But we decided to spend a little more and Terry ended up winning enough to cover our losses. We got back to the park about 8:30, Terry cleaned the bugs off the front of the 5th wheel and I made a light dinner.
July 26th – Mon – to Watrous Sask
A thunderstorm blew in with huge amounts of rain last night but we only had a few very light showers when we started driving. We were going to head through Saskatoon and directly to Watrous until I mentioned that at the casino last night I found out that I could win money in my birthday month but my card had to be active for a day to do so. We knew there was a nice casino just south of Saskatoon so we made a slight detour. It turned out that Monday was seniors’ day – even better!
This time it was Terry’s turn to lose and my turn to win. I was ahead when we stopped for lunch and Terry discovered that our cards were now activated so we each got $15 free play – and I got nothing for my “birthday” card scan. It took quite a while to lose our free play money and I lost some of my winnings before we headed out about 4.
Terry didn’t want to drive back to Saskatoon (part of which is rough & narrow & some is in town) and then to Watrous so we took a little longer route south & then east. Mistake! We remembered too late that we drove part of this route a couple of years ago and the rough sections are even worse now. We arrived at Manitou Regional Campground just out of Watrous around 6. First we were assigned a short, wide site way in the back so Terry asked if we could have a drive through that he spotted right near the front. When we were here previously we tried one of the sites in the back and it was so wet that we left big ruts and got a new site.
The park has fast wifi service that we are getting at our site so it is nice to be connected again. The weather was hot all day but it cooled off quickly and sent us inside for the evening.
Friday, July 23, 2010
July 18th to 22nd - Missoula to Edmonton Alberta
July 18th – Sun – to Conrad MT
We drove through some beautiful country today as we headed north to Canada in beautiful weather. The Missouri River winds around and the highway crosses it many times. There were lots of people fishing and rafting in the river.
We wanted to get close to the border crossing so we found an RV park in Conrad. It was a little old park with narrow interior roads but it was right across the street from a grocery store so we could pick up a few items without unhooking the truck.
July 19th – Mon – to Red Deer Alberta
We had an uneventful border crossing at Sweetgrass. They did not ask any questions about fruit & vegetables which is really strange considering the items that we had to throw away when we went into B.C. at the beginning of May. We decided to stay at Drumheller and visit some sites. It started to pour rain before we got there and we couldn’t find the RV park right away so we had some lunch and carried on.
The Wanderer RV park in Red Deer is right beside the fairgrounds where they were setting up for a fair. We were able to get a spot only for one night – which is what we wanted – as it was booked for the fair. It had rained on the drive but cleared so we could take a short walk around the park.
July 20th – Tues – to Beaumont (Edmonton) AB
We are here to visit friends Les & Wendy who we met in San Carlos Mexico in March of 2008. It was a short drive so even with a lazy start we arrived at the Lions’ Club RV park just a block from Les & Wendy’s about 11:30. Les came by as we were setting up and then went to get Wendy. Unfortunately, they were on their way to a funeral so it was not the happiest day for them. We ran a few errands (booze, food, diesel & propane), took a short walk on a path beside the RV park and then decided to find a casino. The Edmonton Casino is quite large with few 1 & 2 cent slot machines. Terry spent a bit on the slots and then played 21 where he ended up even. I won enough to keep me going for a while and then lost.
Back at the rig, we put out lawn chairs in the shady city park right behind us and were enjoying a drink when Les & Wendy returned. Of course they joined us for a short while and then we went to their place for dinner. Wendy had already planned a crock pot dinner so they added some veggies and more side dishes and we had a lovely dinner. We sat out for a while before dinner but grabbed the chair pads and dashed inside when thunder was followed by a rain shower. Alberta has been getting a lot of rain this year after suffering several years of drought. Of course it is too much and crops are very late.
L&W have spent some time in Costa Rica so we saw some of their pictures and then showed them some of our pictures.
July 21st – Wed – Beaumont
We had finished breakfast and making seasoned pretzels when Les came by to see if Terry wanted to go with him to check out his daughter’s house which had been flooded in the basement. I took the opportunity to go for a brisk walk (about 2 miles) on the wonderful trail system right beside our RV spot. The trail led around a little lake and past a water park for kids – a great walk.
Wendy stopped by on her way to the grocery store (walking) and chatted for a bit while I finished up a potato salad. Then we went back to the casino for a while. Same story as yesterday – I lost my allowance on the slots and Terry broke even on the 21 table. Terry would have made money but he persuaded me to join him at the 21 table and we found out I could lose there too!
We went to Les & Wendy’s for dinner again. A tree provided perfect shade so we could sit out for drinks & snacks. After dinner we lit a buddy burner and impressed 2 more people. We got back to the rig after 11.
July 22nd – Thurs – to Sherwood Park
Les & Wendy came by to say goodbye before our LONG trip of 15 miles today. We just had to go further east in the Edmonton area to see Cliff & Pauline who we met in Desert Hot Springs last winter. We are parked and plugged in by their big motor home garage behind their house.
Pauline made us a lovely lunch – with homemade buns! – and then we all went golfing near Wetaskiwin. We walked the 9 hole course and no one was bragging about their scores! But we all decided that the weather and the company made for a good afternoon.
We got back in time for happy hour and Pauline (& Cliff on the BBQ!) made us a wonderful dinner. Then the women wrecked the men’s day by beating them soundly at Sequence. With the luck I had I should have been at the casino!
We drove through some beautiful country today as we headed north to Canada in beautiful weather. The Missouri River winds around and the highway crosses it many times. There were lots of people fishing and rafting in the river.
We wanted to get close to the border crossing so we found an RV park in Conrad. It was a little old park with narrow interior roads but it was right across the street from a grocery store so we could pick up a few items without unhooking the truck.
July 19th – Mon – to Red Deer Alberta
We had an uneventful border crossing at Sweetgrass. They did not ask any questions about fruit & vegetables which is really strange considering the items that we had to throw away when we went into B.C. at the beginning of May. We decided to stay at Drumheller and visit some sites. It started to pour rain before we got there and we couldn’t find the RV park right away so we had some lunch and carried on.
The Wanderer RV park in Red Deer is right beside the fairgrounds where they were setting up for a fair. We were able to get a spot only for one night – which is what we wanted – as it was booked for the fair. It had rained on the drive but cleared so we could take a short walk around the park.
July 20th – Tues – to Beaumont (Edmonton) AB
We are here to visit friends Les & Wendy who we met in San Carlos Mexico in March of 2008. It was a short drive so even with a lazy start we arrived at the Lions’ Club RV park just a block from Les & Wendy’s about 11:30. Les came by as we were setting up and then went to get Wendy. Unfortunately, they were on their way to a funeral so it was not the happiest day for them. We ran a few errands (booze, food, diesel & propane), took a short walk on a path beside the RV park and then decided to find a casino. The Edmonton Casino is quite large with few 1 & 2 cent slot machines. Terry spent a bit on the slots and then played 21 where he ended up even. I won enough to keep me going for a while and then lost.
Back at the rig, we put out lawn chairs in the shady city park right behind us and were enjoying a drink when Les & Wendy returned. Of course they joined us for a short while and then we went to their place for dinner. Wendy had already planned a crock pot dinner so they added some veggies and more side dishes and we had a lovely dinner. We sat out for a while before dinner but grabbed the chair pads and dashed inside when thunder was followed by a rain shower. Alberta has been getting a lot of rain this year after suffering several years of drought. Of course it is too much and crops are very late.
L&W have spent some time in Costa Rica so we saw some of their pictures and then showed them some of our pictures.
July 21st – Wed – Beaumont
We had finished breakfast and making seasoned pretzels when Les came by to see if Terry wanted to go with him to check out his daughter’s house which had been flooded in the basement. I took the opportunity to go for a brisk walk (about 2 miles) on the wonderful trail system right beside our RV spot. The trail led around a little lake and past a water park for kids – a great walk.
Wendy stopped by on her way to the grocery store (walking) and chatted for a bit while I finished up a potato salad. Then we went back to the casino for a while. Same story as yesterday – I lost my allowance on the slots and Terry broke even on the 21 table. Terry would have made money but he persuaded me to join him at the 21 table and we found out I could lose there too!
We went to Les & Wendy’s for dinner again. A tree provided perfect shade so we could sit out for drinks & snacks. After dinner we lit a buddy burner and impressed 2 more people. We got back to the rig after 11.
July 22nd – Thurs – to Sherwood Park
Les & Wendy came by to say goodbye before our LONG trip of 15 miles today. We just had to go further east in the Edmonton area to see Cliff & Pauline who we met in Desert Hot Springs last winter. We are parked and plugged in by their big motor home garage behind their house.
Pauline made us a lovely lunch – with homemade buns! – and then we all went golfing near Wetaskiwin. We walked the 9 hole course and no one was bragging about their scores! But we all decided that the weather and the company made for a good afternoon.
We got back in time for happy hour and Pauline (& Cliff on the BBQ!) made us a wonderful dinner. Then the women wrecked the men’s day by beating them soundly at Sequence. With the luck I had I should have been at the casino!
Sunday, July 18, 2010
July 16th & 17th - Spokane to Missoula MT
July 16th – Fri – Spokane
Kathy & I made one of what used to be her usual last minute arrivals for our 10:30 tee time with Donna & Debbie at Qualchan GC. It was a beautiful day with a breeze to cool us off. Qualchan is a tough course for me and I struggled as I did the other few times that I played it. After golf, we left 2 vehicles in a parking lot and went together to Arbor Crest Winery for some wine tasting. The winery sits up on a bluff above Spokane valley so it has wonderful views. One of the wine pourers went to school with Kathy’s son Nick so the tasting was a little more personal and fun. Everyone bought wine except me (we will be going back to Canada) so we got glasses, had a bottle opened and enjoyed it outside – this was also a little early celebration for Kathy’s birthday on Monday.
The guys were back from an excellent fishing/float trip when we got home. They had stopped for an Effie burger in Lewiston on the way home so Kathy & I made another gourmet dinner for her & me featuring some really fresh bass. The guys were a little sunburned and felt cool in the house so we sat outside to enjoy the setting sun and then moved closer to the house and turned on a propane patio heater for a while. We got into a conversation about the changes in daylight as you go further north and ended up with the computer outside so we could do a little research – it has been a long time since 5th grade science!
July 17th – Sat – Spokane
We didn’t have a long trip today so we had coffee and then breakfast with S&K. I was able to do a final couple of things on their computer while Terry carried back all our stuff that had migrated inside. We said goodbye and were on the road just after 10.
We stopped at Dave Smith Motors in Kellogg as we went through to check out new trucks. They did not have the configuration that we want so we didn’t have to make a decision about actually buying one!
We got the last site at the KOA in Missoula, partially set up and went to Bretz RV to see a couple of 5th wheels that Terry had seen advertised on their web site. They have exactly what we want (Montana 3400RL) and we came back to think things over. We finally decided to enjoy the slight changes and fixes that we just made to our current rig and stick with it for a while.
A couple (Jim & Nancy) pulled in beside us when we were outside having a drink. They were really friendly and said they just picked up their new Montana 5th wheel. It turned out that we had seen them transferring stuff from their old 5th wheel when we were at Bretz. They were worn out and were happy to join us for a drink and to relax in the shade for a while. A steak on the BBQ ended a long day.
Kathy & I made one of what used to be her usual last minute arrivals for our 10:30 tee time with Donna & Debbie at Qualchan GC. It was a beautiful day with a breeze to cool us off. Qualchan is a tough course for me and I struggled as I did the other few times that I played it. After golf, we left 2 vehicles in a parking lot and went together to Arbor Crest Winery for some wine tasting. The winery sits up on a bluff above Spokane valley so it has wonderful views. One of the wine pourers went to school with Kathy’s son Nick so the tasting was a little more personal and fun. Everyone bought wine except me (we will be going back to Canada) so we got glasses, had a bottle opened and enjoyed it outside – this was also a little early celebration for Kathy’s birthday on Monday.
The guys were back from an excellent fishing/float trip when we got home. They had stopped for an Effie burger in Lewiston on the way home so Kathy & I made another gourmet dinner for her & me featuring some really fresh bass. The guys were a little sunburned and felt cool in the house so we sat outside to enjoy the setting sun and then moved closer to the house and turned on a propane patio heater for a while. We got into a conversation about the changes in daylight as you go further north and ended up with the computer outside so we could do a little research – it has been a long time since 5th grade science!
July 17th – Sat – Spokane
We didn’t have a long trip today so we had coffee and then breakfast with S&K. I was able to do a final couple of things on their computer while Terry carried back all our stuff that had migrated inside. We said goodbye and were on the road just after 10.
We stopped at Dave Smith Motors in Kellogg as we went through to check out new trucks. They did not have the configuration that we want so we didn’t have to make a decision about actually buying one!
We got the last site at the KOA in Missoula, partially set up and went to Bretz RV to see a couple of 5th wheels that Terry had seen advertised on their web site. They have exactly what we want (Montana 3400RL) and we came back to think things over. We finally decided to enjoy the slight changes and fixes that we just made to our current rig and stick with it for a while.
A couple (Jim & Nancy) pulled in beside us when we were outside having a drink. They were really friendly and said they just picked up their new Montana 5th wheel. It turned out that we had seen them transferring stuff from their old 5th wheel when we were at Bretz. They were worn out and were happy to join us for a drink and to relax in the shade for a while. A steak on the BBQ ended a long day.
Friday, July 16, 2010
July 13th to 15th - Spokane
July 13th – Tues – Spokane
S&K headed to the gym but after doing a couple of errands along the way, decided to skip the workout. The guys were organizing stuff for their trip so Kathy & I went for a walk around the neighborhood. Kathy took it easy on me and went on a route without too many hills.
We finished lunch just in time to rush to the CDA Municipal golf course. Terry did really well on the first 9 but got angry & frustrated waiting for a 5-some ahead of them and let it influence his game on the second 9. I did OK and made one VERY long putt which was really fun. After golf, we all went to dinner at Bardenay’s in Coeur d’Alene which is a fairly new restaurant in the Rockstone development. Five of us can vouch for the fish & chip dinner – very good. Unfortunately it had cooled off too much to enjoy dinner out on the deck.
We got home in time to watch “America’s Got Talent” but didn’t realize that it was 2 hours and wouldn’t finish until 11. We did (mostly!) keep our eyes open until it ended.
July 14th – Wed – Spokane
Skip got going really early this morning and was back from his workout, carrying a load of dry cleaning, by the time we were having coffee. The guys took off, Kathy went to the gym and I worked on pictures, called Marg and got going again on Kathy’s Blackberry.
Kathy & I didn’t have lunch planned so Skip suggested going to Max’s restaurant. We sat outside and had a very nice lunch – but too much food!
Kathy & I stopped for a few groceries on the way home and the guys met Pat (who is going on the float trip) to load the boats. Then I was back on the computer where I finally loaded most of the information that Kathy had not already entered manually from her old Palm to her Blackberry. And I finally decided that MS Contacts was not going to work and ordered MS Outlook.
Terry brought in our Terry Fator (ventriloquist) CD which S&K just loved. Since we had a late, large lunch, we had a late dinner. We made a huge mess making “pounded & breaded chicken breasts” which was partly to provide leftovers for the guys’ sandwiches tomorrow.
July 15th – Thurs – Spokane
Skip & Terry left shortly after 4 this morning. I heard Kathy getting ice for her water bottle & then heard the garage door so I thought she was going to the gym really early. Turns out she got water and went back to bed so we figure the guys forgot something and came back for it.
I spent more hours on the computer & Kathy’s Blackberry and discovered that Outlook 2010 that I got last night will not currently work with the BB. Luckily, Microsoft processed a refund to Kathy’s credit card but they no longer have Outlook 2007 which we need – aaauugh! OK – let’s have lunch & go shopping!
After shopping, I had to show Kathy how to backup – and restore if needed – from her Blackberry. Every time we have connected her device, we got a message saying there were updates so we finally decided to update the software on the BB – but it aborted part way through! What the heck else can go wrong?
We finally got to make a nice dinner & sat and gabbed for a couple of hours.
S&K headed to the gym but after doing a couple of errands along the way, decided to skip the workout. The guys were organizing stuff for their trip so Kathy & I went for a walk around the neighborhood. Kathy took it easy on me and went on a route without too many hills.
We finished lunch just in time to rush to the CDA Municipal golf course. Terry did really well on the first 9 but got angry & frustrated waiting for a 5-some ahead of them and let it influence his game on the second 9. I did OK and made one VERY long putt which was really fun. After golf, we all went to dinner at Bardenay’s in Coeur d’Alene which is a fairly new restaurant in the Rockstone development. Five of us can vouch for the fish & chip dinner – very good. Unfortunately it had cooled off too much to enjoy dinner out on the deck.
We got home in time to watch “America’s Got Talent” but didn’t realize that it was 2 hours and wouldn’t finish until 11. We did (mostly!) keep our eyes open until it ended.
July 14th – Wed – Spokane
Skip got going really early this morning and was back from his workout, carrying a load of dry cleaning, by the time we were having coffee. The guys took off, Kathy went to the gym and I worked on pictures, called Marg and got going again on Kathy’s Blackberry.
Kathy & I didn’t have lunch planned so Skip suggested going to Max’s restaurant. We sat outside and had a very nice lunch – but too much food!
Kathy & I stopped for a few groceries on the way home and the guys met Pat (who is going on the float trip) to load the boats. Then I was back on the computer where I finally loaded most of the information that Kathy had not already entered manually from her old Palm to her Blackberry. And I finally decided that MS Contacts was not going to work and ordered MS Outlook.
Terry brought in our Terry Fator (ventriloquist) CD which S&K just loved. Since we had a late, large lunch, we had a late dinner. We made a huge mess making “pounded & breaded chicken breasts” which was partly to provide leftovers for the guys’ sandwiches tomorrow.
July 15th – Thurs – Spokane
Skip & Terry left shortly after 4 this morning. I heard Kathy getting ice for her water bottle & then heard the garage door so I thought she was going to the gym really early. Turns out she got water and went back to bed so we figure the guys forgot something and came back for it.
I spent more hours on the computer & Kathy’s Blackberry and discovered that Outlook 2010 that I got last night will not currently work with the BB. Luckily, Microsoft processed a refund to Kathy’s credit card but they no longer have Outlook 2007 which we need – aaauugh! OK – let’s have lunch & go shopping!
After shopping, I had to show Kathy how to backup – and restore if needed – from her Blackberry. Every time we have connected her device, we got a message saying there were updates so we finally decided to update the software on the BB – but it aborted part way through! What the heck else can go wrong?
We finally got to make a nice dinner & sat and gabbed for a couple of hours.
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
July 10th to 12th - Spokane
July 10th – Sat – Spokane
We had coffee with S&K before they decided they better hit the gym. We went to the CDA Casino, stopping for gooey donuts for a late breakfast on the way. When we stopped playing slots to have an early dinner about 3:30, I was ahead a bit and Terry was even. The dinner stop seemed to change our luck as I started to go down and Terry headed up. I was just about burned out & ready to quit when I won $205 on a bonus spin. With our original stake recovered, we continued to play until about 9:30 (!!) and actually left with more money than we started with.
S&K had gone to a pool party in the afternoon and we beat them home.
July 11th – Sun – Spokane
We worked with Skip on scanning photos into his computer while Kathy made breakfast. We discovered that Skip’s printer/scanner will not separate multiple pictures and brought in our little printer to make sure that it separated pictures in the Vista operating system – which it does as it is a feature of the printer.
We went golfing at MeadowWood with S&K. A group of their friends had the tee time right behind us so the guys played a side game on the par 3s. Money went to the player closest to the pin as long as he parred the hole. Terry won 2 of the 4 par 3s and also played a very good game. I had enough good shots to think that I might be a golfer one day!
We enjoyed a beer with the whole group before heading home. After another great dinner, we played a couple of games of Yahtzee which we have not played for many years.
July 12th – Mon – Spokane
Today was an errand/shopping day with above average success in finding what we were looking for. We met Bill, Georgia and their granddaughter Samantha for lunch. Good thing we were enjoying our visit and not in a hurry as the restaurant messed up our order and it took a while to get lunch.
When we got back to S&K’s, we continued the photo scanning program with Skip. He bought a printer like ours but we had some problems getting larger photos to be recognized separately. Then I worked on trying to get Kathy’s new Blackberry synced to contacts on the computer.
S&K’s friend Gayle stopped by and we ended up deciding to stay another day and play golf with Gayle & Dennis and S&K tomorrow. A bit later, Skip asked Terry to join him on a float trip so we will be here until Saturday!
Skip put on a movie after dinner – Terry may have stayed awake for 5 minutes, Skip lasted at least ½ hour. It wasn’t a movie that Kathy & I were really enjoying so we woke the guys and went to bed.
We had coffee with S&K before they decided they better hit the gym. We went to the CDA Casino, stopping for gooey donuts for a late breakfast on the way. When we stopped playing slots to have an early dinner about 3:30, I was ahead a bit and Terry was even. The dinner stop seemed to change our luck as I started to go down and Terry headed up. I was just about burned out & ready to quit when I won $205 on a bonus spin. With our original stake recovered, we continued to play until about 9:30 (!!) and actually left with more money than we started with.
S&K had gone to a pool party in the afternoon and we beat them home.
July 11th – Sun – Spokane
We worked with Skip on scanning photos into his computer while Kathy made breakfast. We discovered that Skip’s printer/scanner will not separate multiple pictures and brought in our little printer to make sure that it separated pictures in the Vista operating system – which it does as it is a feature of the printer.
We went golfing at MeadowWood with S&K. A group of their friends had the tee time right behind us so the guys played a side game on the par 3s. Money went to the player closest to the pin as long as he parred the hole. Terry won 2 of the 4 par 3s and also played a very good game. I had enough good shots to think that I might be a golfer one day!
We enjoyed a beer with the whole group before heading home. After another great dinner, we played a couple of games of Yahtzee which we have not played for many years.
July 12th – Mon – Spokane
Today was an errand/shopping day with above average success in finding what we were looking for. We met Bill, Georgia and their granddaughter Samantha for lunch. Good thing we were enjoying our visit and not in a hurry as the restaurant messed up our order and it took a while to get lunch.
When we got back to S&K’s, we continued the photo scanning program with Skip. He bought a printer like ours but we had some problems getting larger photos to be recognized separately. Then I worked on trying to get Kathy’s new Blackberry synced to contacts on the computer.
S&K’s friend Gayle stopped by and we ended up deciding to stay another day and play golf with Gayle & Dennis and S&K tomorrow. A bit later, Skip asked Terry to join him on a float trip so we will be here until Saturday!
Skip put on a movie after dinner – Terry may have stayed awake for 5 minutes, Skip lasted at least ½ hour. It wasn’t a movie that Kathy & I were really enjoying so we woke the guys and went to bed.
Saturday, July 10, 2010
July 7th to 9th - Cranbrook to Spokane
July 7th – Wed – Cranbrook
Doug had to go to work this morning – 6 to 10 mowing fairways at the local golf course. We had just finished breakfast in our rig when he returned. Louise had made a tee time so we all went golfing at 1:00. We walked the first nine and got carts for the second nine as it was really hot and Doug has had some problems with his hip. Actually, Doug’s hip problem was the excuse for the rest of us to ride!!
We figured we should take them out for dinner but Louise suggested hamburgers at home would be more relaxing & fun. Also, B.C. has lowered the alcohol rate for drinking & driving which allows for about 1 drink before you are over the limit.
July 8th – Thurs – to Spokane
Doug made a great breakfast of bacon, eggs & pancakes and then we were on our way. The weather was beautiful, traffic light and we didn’t lose any produce at the border. The agriculture inspector at the border did ask us a lot of questions, searched the rig and would have taken the tomato that I thought I had but it turned out that I had left it with Louise.
We are parking in Skip (Terry’s brother) & Kathy’s driveway and staying in their house as we don’t have room to put out our slides.
S&K were gone so we unhooked, picked up our mail and bought Terry his new GPS at Costco. Kathy made a great dinner which we could eat outside as the temperature had dropped enough by then. Terry blew the screen door off the track when he did not realize that it was closed but no damage done to either the door or Terry.
July 9th – Fri – Spokane
We had coffee with S&K this morning and kept them from getting to the gym for their daily workout. They had meetings & a golf tournament today. We went to Skip’s storage facility to pick up our photo albums and a couple other bags of stuff to go through. We dropped off the storage shelf from our photo albums at Goodwill, ran our filthy truck through a very good car wash and came back to wash the 5th wheel – always a big job but great to get done. After going through our other stuff from storage, we ended up with more pictures to scan, some missing cutlery that I have puzzled over for 4 years and some bags of clothes to take to Goodwill.
I called Bill & Georgia and they invited us over for dinner. We had enough time to check out some 5th wheels at 3 dealers and luckily did not find anything that we had to have! After dinner, we sat outside and played Sequence until nearly 10:30. It was amazing that it was warm enough and there weren’t any bugs to send us inside.
Doug had to go to work this morning – 6 to 10 mowing fairways at the local golf course. We had just finished breakfast in our rig when he returned. Louise had made a tee time so we all went golfing at 1:00. We walked the first nine and got carts for the second nine as it was really hot and Doug has had some problems with his hip. Actually, Doug’s hip problem was the excuse for the rest of us to ride!!
We figured we should take them out for dinner but Louise suggested hamburgers at home would be more relaxing & fun. Also, B.C. has lowered the alcohol rate for drinking & driving which allows for about 1 drink before you are over the limit.
July 8th – Thurs – to Spokane
Doug made a great breakfast of bacon, eggs & pancakes and then we were on our way. The weather was beautiful, traffic light and we didn’t lose any produce at the border. The agriculture inspector at the border did ask us a lot of questions, searched the rig and would have taken the tomato that I thought I had but it turned out that I had left it with Louise.
We are parking in Skip (Terry’s brother) & Kathy’s driveway and staying in their house as we don’t have room to put out our slides.
S&K were gone so we unhooked, picked up our mail and bought Terry his new GPS at Costco. Kathy made a great dinner which we could eat outside as the temperature had dropped enough by then. Terry blew the screen door off the track when he did not realize that it was closed but no damage done to either the door or Terry.
July 9th – Fri – Spokane
We had coffee with S&K this morning and kept them from getting to the gym for their daily workout. They had meetings & a golf tournament today. We went to Skip’s storage facility to pick up our photo albums and a couple other bags of stuff to go through. We dropped off the storage shelf from our photo albums at Goodwill, ran our filthy truck through a very good car wash and came back to wash the 5th wheel – always a big job but great to get done. After going through our other stuff from storage, we ended up with more pictures to scan, some missing cutlery that I have puzzled over for 4 years and some bags of clothes to take to Goodwill.
I called Bill & Georgia and they invited us over for dinner. We had enough time to check out some 5th wheels at 3 dealers and luckily did not find anything that we had to have! After dinner, we sat outside and played Sequence until nearly 10:30. It was amazing that it was warm enough and there weren’t any bugs to send us inside.
Wednesday, July 07, 2010
July 4th to 6th - Chase & Cranbrook BC
July 4th – Sun – to Chase/Shuswap
It rained all night so it was a good thing that Terry parked the rig with an easy turn and then out the driveway when he got back from dumping the tanks. As it was, he had to put the truck in 4WD when we started to spin.
We stopped at the Costco in Kamloops where we met Pat & Rick in order to return an item left at Marg’s by their grandson Landon. We grabbed a hot dog for lunch and continued on to Claude & Val’s place. Claude was working so we got set up in a lot owned by a friend of theirs and visited with Val. Just before Claude got home we had to move inside as it started to rain enough to splash under the awning.
We were joined by Don & Joanne (from Logan Lake) for dinner made by Val. After Don & Joanne left, we played Sequence and the guys won.
July 5th – Mon – Chase
I made jelly biscuits to take over to C&V’s to have with coffee this morning. The guys took Claude’s truck in for a radiator flush and I went with Val to do her laundry. We picked up a few groceries while the clothes were washing and chatted with a young lady from Quebec who was here picking mushrooms which her boyfriend dries and exports to France.
I made us all chicken burgers for lunch and then we went for a drive. We went through the provincial park where Claude is working and then went to Don & Joanne’s “cabin” on Shuswap Lake. Don had offered to take us out on his boat but it was pretty windy & choppy when we arrived so we enjoyed the wonderful view from their deck while sipping a couple of drinks – tough life!
We provided baby back ribs for dinner and Val made everything else. We had a late dinner but had time for a few rounds of Sequence which this time the ladies won. We said our goodbyes to Claude & Val as Val goes to work early tomorrow and Claude figured he would not be up as we are leaving early as well.
July 6th – Tues – to Cranbrook
On the road at 6:40 in sunny weather with a stop for diesel in Salmon Arm. The drive was beautiful through Revelstoke & Golden and then south to Cranbrook. Doug & Louise met us in a mall parking lot so they could guide us to their house from the best direction to back into their driveway where we are staying. Doug did some trimming on a tree (!!) and we used 3 boards to level but it worked out.
After a tour of their house, we ended up on the deck with a drink in our hand. Do you see a pattern here? Louise made a steak dinner for us and their friend Don walked over to visit when we were eating. Then his wife Raye joined us after her golf game. We had to do a “show & tell” with a buddy burner and Cranbrook will have at least a couple of them.
It rained all night so it was a good thing that Terry parked the rig with an easy turn and then out the driveway when he got back from dumping the tanks. As it was, he had to put the truck in 4WD when we started to spin.
We stopped at the Costco in Kamloops where we met Pat & Rick in order to return an item left at Marg’s by their grandson Landon. We grabbed a hot dog for lunch and continued on to Claude & Val’s place. Claude was working so we got set up in a lot owned by a friend of theirs and visited with Val. Just before Claude got home we had to move inside as it started to rain enough to splash under the awning.
We were joined by Don & Joanne (from Logan Lake) for dinner made by Val. After Don & Joanne left, we played Sequence and the guys won.
July 5th – Mon – Chase
I made jelly biscuits to take over to C&V’s to have with coffee this morning. The guys took Claude’s truck in for a radiator flush and I went with Val to do her laundry. We picked up a few groceries while the clothes were washing and chatted with a young lady from Quebec who was here picking mushrooms which her boyfriend dries and exports to France.
I made us all chicken burgers for lunch and then we went for a drive. We went through the provincial park where Claude is working and then went to Don & Joanne’s “cabin” on Shuswap Lake. Don had offered to take us out on his boat but it was pretty windy & choppy when we arrived so we enjoyed the wonderful view from their deck while sipping a couple of drinks – tough life!
We provided baby back ribs for dinner and Val made everything else. We had a late dinner but had time for a few rounds of Sequence which this time the ladies won. We said our goodbyes to Claude & Val as Val goes to work early tomorrow and Claude figured he would not be up as we are leaving early as well.
July 6th – Tues – to Cranbrook
On the road at 6:40 in sunny weather with a stop for diesel in Salmon Arm. The drive was beautiful through Revelstoke & Golden and then south to Cranbrook. Doug & Louise met us in a mall parking lot so they could guide us to their house from the best direction to back into their driveway where we are staying. Doug did some trimming on a tree (!!) and we used 3 boards to level but it worked out.
After a tour of their house, we ended up on the deck with a drink in our hand. Do you see a pattern here? Louise made a steak dinner for us and their friend Don walked over to visit when we were eating. Then his wife Raye joined us after her golf game. We had to do a “show & tell” with a buddy burner and Cranbrook will have at least a couple of them.
Saturday, July 03, 2010
July 1st to 3rd - 100 Mile House
July 1st – Thurs – HAPPY BIRTHDAY, CANADA
Marg, Terry & I did some fence checking and repairs this morning. Then we all went to the Canada Day celebrations at Heritage Park at 108 Mile. We started with Lions Club hamburgers for lunch, watched some entertainment (belly dancing & 2 music groups) and browsed the vendors.
Before heading home, we made a stop at Dairy Queen for varied ice cream treats. Marg is still feeling puny with her cold so we took it easy for the rest of the afternoon – except for Dad who headed to the shop.
July 2nd – Fri – 100 Mile House
Dad still had some things on the go in the shop so he was happy to stay home while Marg, Terry & I took off. We went to the Farmer’s Market and additional small flea market and then went golfing. We all kind of struggled but the weather was lovely so it was still fun.
We had a good lunch at the Red Rock Grill in the Red Coach Inn (even though it took forever and the service left a lot to be desired) and then ran some errands in town.
We got home in time to put Buck & Snow out to graze. Dad was still puttering happily in the shop. Terry & I took the tractor to lift me up & repair the insulator on the main electric fence line that came down a couple of weeks ago and had a temporary fix. Marg went to dinner at Quille & Gail’s to celebrate Quille’s birthday. I had enough various leftovers to make an easy – and later - dinner for us.
July 3rd – Sat – 100 Mile House
Terry had to fix the front wheel on his golf cart this morning. Yesterday, he gave it a push thinking it would end up by the green but he miscalculated the steepness & angle of the hill. It made a turn directly towards the green and Terry started running to catch it. Unfortunately, it was going too fast and he was too far away so the cart went across the green, down a hill on the other side, headed for the first fairway and then was stopped – abruptly – by a tree. Even he admits it was a dumb move!
I helped Marg vacuum her motor home then Terry helped her do a few small repairs, dump the holding tanks and get the old, stuck plug out of the boat. Marg, Terry & I dismantled the temporary electric fence that we put up shortly after we got here – doesn’t take long with 3 people. Then we headed for town to get a new battery for one of the ATVs and a plug for the boat followed by another round of golf. It was another wonderful weather day, we didn’t have to wait for anyone in front of us and no one was behind us so it was a great couple of hours.
After golf, we picked up some groceries to restock the essentials in our 5th wheel as we are leaving tomorrow. I folded the last of 3 loads of laundry, we unloaded groceries, I vacuumed our rig and then finally got to relax a bit while dinner was cooking.
Terry thought the dump station would be busy tomorrow because of the long weekend so he just hooked up and went to dump the tanks.
As I mentioned, we are leaving tomorrow, visiting Claude & Val on Shuswap Lake, then visiting Doug & Louise in Cranbrook and carrying on to Spokane. At least that is our plan right now. We tend to change our minds!
Marg, Terry & I did some fence checking and repairs this morning. Then we all went to the Canada Day celebrations at Heritage Park at 108 Mile. We started with Lions Club hamburgers for lunch, watched some entertainment (belly dancing & 2 music groups) and browsed the vendors.
Before heading home, we made a stop at Dairy Queen for varied ice cream treats. Marg is still feeling puny with her cold so we took it easy for the rest of the afternoon – except for Dad who headed to the shop.
July 2nd – Fri – 100 Mile House
Dad still had some things on the go in the shop so he was happy to stay home while Marg, Terry & I took off. We went to the Farmer’s Market and additional small flea market and then went golfing. We all kind of struggled but the weather was lovely so it was still fun.
We had a good lunch at the Red Rock Grill in the Red Coach Inn (even though it took forever and the service left a lot to be desired) and then ran some errands in town.
We got home in time to put Buck & Snow out to graze. Dad was still puttering happily in the shop. Terry & I took the tractor to lift me up & repair the insulator on the main electric fence line that came down a couple of weeks ago and had a temporary fix. Marg went to dinner at Quille & Gail’s to celebrate Quille’s birthday. I had enough various leftovers to make an easy – and later - dinner for us.
July 3rd – Sat – 100 Mile House
Terry had to fix the front wheel on his golf cart this morning. Yesterday, he gave it a push thinking it would end up by the green but he miscalculated the steepness & angle of the hill. It made a turn directly towards the green and Terry started running to catch it. Unfortunately, it was going too fast and he was too far away so the cart went across the green, down a hill on the other side, headed for the first fairway and then was stopped – abruptly – by a tree. Even he admits it was a dumb move!
I helped Marg vacuum her motor home then Terry helped her do a few small repairs, dump the holding tanks and get the old, stuck plug out of the boat. Marg, Terry & I dismantled the temporary electric fence that we put up shortly after we got here – doesn’t take long with 3 people. Then we headed for town to get a new battery for one of the ATVs and a plug for the boat followed by another round of golf. It was another wonderful weather day, we didn’t have to wait for anyone in front of us and no one was behind us so it was a great couple of hours.
After golf, we picked up some groceries to restock the essentials in our 5th wheel as we are leaving tomorrow. I folded the last of 3 loads of laundry, we unloaded groceries, I vacuumed our rig and then finally got to relax a bit while dinner was cooking.
Terry thought the dump station would be busy tomorrow because of the long weekend so he just hooked up and went to dump the tanks.
As I mentioned, we are leaving tomorrow, visiting Claude & Val on Shuswap Lake, then visiting Doug & Louise in Cranbrook and carrying on to Spokane. At least that is our plan right now. We tend to change our minds!
Thursday, July 01, 2010
June 28th to 30th - 100 Mile House
June 28th – Mon – 100 Mile House
Marg went fishing with Quille this morning and Terry went to Ralph’s to finish driving fence posts. I worked on my blog until it was time to get Dad out of the shop to clean up for a doctor’s appointment. Then the batteries were dead on our truck & Marg had taken her truck. I raced over on the ATV to get Terry, Ralph followed us back to give us a jump and Terry got the truck started. We had to wait quite a while at the doctor’s so I locked the truck & left it running to charge the batteries. I dropped Dad at the hospital for his monthly blood test, went to the mall to get his prescriptions & a few groceries and the truck started fine when I was done.
Jeanna fed Terry a late lunch after they completed all the fence posts. Terry & I made another trip to town to get the correct anode rod for the hot water tank, put it in, re-taped the insulation blanket, replaced a shelf & items over the tank and cleaned up the myriad of tools that we had dragged in trying to get the job done. Marg & Quille returned about 4 with 2 nice Kokanee – and wet clothes from a downpour.
We went to Francis & Nichole’s for dinner. Nichole filleted trout that Marg had given her and breaded & fried the fillets. The flesh was surprisingly pink and the end result was delicious – and I am not too fond of trout.
June 29th – Tues – 100 Mile House
Marg & I left Terry on the computer and Dad in the shop and went to run errands and get haircuts. The errands got done but the hairdresser messed up our appointment so we didn’t get much needed haircuts.
After lunch we went to Quille & Gail’s for a Raku firing. Raku is a type of pottery using a special clay, glazes and firing method. Quille had several clay pieces ready for us to glaze. We had to talk Terry into doing something and he ended up with the best looking piece – a decorative plate. Quille uses a Tiger torch to heat the kiln and then the fired pieces are immediately put into a large pot with shredded newspaper. The paper catches fire, more paper is added and the lid is put on to keep oxygen out & the smoke in which darkens unglazed parts of the pottery. Another feature of Raku is that the application of a certain glaze rarely turns out the same on 2 pieces – or on different parts of one piece - so each completed batch is a surprise.
We had a chicken dish in the crock pot and Quille & Gail cleaned up our mess and joined us for dinner.
June 30th – Wed – 100 Mile House
It was raining when we got up this morning and a bit later when we were having coffee & working on the jigsaw puzzle it turned to a rain & SNOW mixture. I think I mentioned previously that Marg now has a cold and was not feeling well today. She took advantage of the rain to rest on the couch.
Terry tried starting the truck this morning and the batteries were dead again. He tried to jump it with various batteries but nothing provided enough juice for the diesel. After lunch I suggested that he just take Marg’s truck to town & buy some batteries which he did.
The weather cleared up so Marg tethered Buck out to graze. Fifteen minutes later I was heading out with a hooded jacket in pouring rain to put him & Snow in again as they aren’t fond of standing out in the rain.
By 3:30 it looked as if we could golf with the women’s group. We left early and got our haircuts and then had lovely weather for our golf game.
Marg went fishing with Quille this morning and Terry went to Ralph’s to finish driving fence posts. I worked on my blog until it was time to get Dad out of the shop to clean up for a doctor’s appointment. Then the batteries were dead on our truck & Marg had taken her truck. I raced over on the ATV to get Terry, Ralph followed us back to give us a jump and Terry got the truck started. We had to wait quite a while at the doctor’s so I locked the truck & left it running to charge the batteries. I dropped Dad at the hospital for his monthly blood test, went to the mall to get his prescriptions & a few groceries and the truck started fine when I was done.
Jeanna fed Terry a late lunch after they completed all the fence posts. Terry & I made another trip to town to get the correct anode rod for the hot water tank, put it in, re-taped the insulation blanket, replaced a shelf & items over the tank and cleaned up the myriad of tools that we had dragged in trying to get the job done. Marg & Quille returned about 4 with 2 nice Kokanee – and wet clothes from a downpour.
We went to Francis & Nichole’s for dinner. Nichole filleted trout that Marg had given her and breaded & fried the fillets. The flesh was surprisingly pink and the end result was delicious – and I am not too fond of trout.
June 29th – Tues – 100 Mile House
Marg & I left Terry on the computer and Dad in the shop and went to run errands and get haircuts. The errands got done but the hairdresser messed up our appointment so we didn’t get much needed haircuts.
After lunch we went to Quille & Gail’s for a Raku firing. Raku is a type of pottery using a special clay, glazes and firing method. Quille had several clay pieces ready for us to glaze. We had to talk Terry into doing something and he ended up with the best looking piece – a decorative plate. Quille uses a Tiger torch to heat the kiln and then the fired pieces are immediately put into a large pot with shredded newspaper. The paper catches fire, more paper is added and the lid is put on to keep oxygen out & the smoke in which darkens unglazed parts of the pottery. Another feature of Raku is that the application of a certain glaze rarely turns out the same on 2 pieces – or on different parts of one piece - so each completed batch is a surprise.
We had a chicken dish in the crock pot and Quille & Gail cleaned up our mess and joined us for dinner.
June 30th – Wed – 100 Mile House
It was raining when we got up this morning and a bit later when we were having coffee & working on the jigsaw puzzle it turned to a rain & SNOW mixture. I think I mentioned previously that Marg now has a cold and was not feeling well today. She took advantage of the rain to rest on the couch.
Terry tried starting the truck this morning and the batteries were dead again. He tried to jump it with various batteries but nothing provided enough juice for the diesel. After lunch I suggested that he just take Marg’s truck to town & buy some batteries which he did.
The weather cleared up so Marg tethered Buck out to graze. Fifteen minutes later I was heading out with a hooded jacket in pouring rain to put him & Snow in again as they aren’t fond of standing out in the rain.
By 3:30 it looked as if we could golf with the women’s group. We left early and got our haircuts and then had lovely weather for our golf game.
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