June 18th to 20th - Kelowna

June 18^th – Wed

We joined a large group for golf at Mission Creek GC this morning.  Darlene managed to add us on so we teed off before everyone else with just the 2 of us.  The course is short and flat so walking the 18 holes was easy.  Unfortunately I started with a par (par 3) so there was nowhere to go but down!  We had a short rain shower before we left so I wore long pants which weren’t necessary.  But I did need closed shoes rather than my sandals as the course was quite wet the whole game.

The marshal kept us posted as to the status of the groups behind us and as there would be a long time until the last group finished, we decided just to leave when we finished.  We stopped at a craft & farmers’ market to wander around and have lunch.  We also got diesel on the way back and then went the short distance to Winfield to an ATM and to get some Beve coolers (thanks Marg!).

Terri stopped by with a message and ended up staying to have a drink with us.

We went to happy hour with “the whole group” at 4 and were surprised when the lovely sunshine was interrupted by a downpour.  We covered the bike, Terri put her bicycle under a tree and we were invited into a nearby motor home for a nice chat until the rain quit.  Home for dinner.

June 19^th – Thurs

We played computer games this morning but don’t have very good internet so we don’t connect to FB all the time which is why no one is receiving lives from us.  After breakfast we went for a few groceries and I found some new sunglasses.  We did a little exploring and discovered we had to go all the way back to Winfield to get back on the highway. 

We had some quiet time and then attended HH and a BBQ hamburger dinner at the patio of the small golf course here in the resort.  It was only $5 per person for a great dinner of burgers, salad and ice cream treats for dessert.  Members of the motor home club prepared dinner.  After dinner we went to Ron & Terri’s for a nightcap along with Bob & Dar and, a bit later, Grant & Marilyn.

June 20^th – Fri

We joined Ron & Terri and Ron Sr. for golf at 7 this morning.  There is a little par 3 course with 6 holes here at the park and you can play as much as you want for $10 per day.  We played 12 holes and then attended the morning coffee event at 8:30 in a park meeting room.

Ron & Terry went to Costco while Terri & I played golf again.  We were finishing the first round when Bob & Dar arrived so they joined us for another round.  Our timing was good as Terri had just changed her shoes in preparation to walk to her motor home when Ron & Terry got back.

I made lunch of leftovers & salad in time for Terry to go golfing with Ron.  Terri went on a wine tour and I decided that I had enough golf for one day so I enjoyed HGTV and computer games.

We were both feeling a little puny - up too early?! – so we had a nice relaxing evening.

June 14th to 17th - 100 Mile to Kelowna

June 14^th – Sat

We finally got organized and Marg made pancakes for breakfast before we left for another trip to Williams Lake.  Pat had ordered rims for her car and they needed to be picked up at Canadian Tire.  Marg wanted to look at a brush cutter for the tractor but the place was only open until noon.  We wandered around Surplus Herbie’s, stopped at WalMart & Canadian Tire and then donated to the casino.

We had thawed chicken for dinner and by the time we got a casserole in the oven we ended up with a late – but yummy - meal.

June 15^th – Sun

I made jelly biscuits this morning for breakfast.  Marg, Pat & I went to Bev (Pat’s sister) & Diana’s place near Horse Lake to look at the latest tiny lamb which was 4 days old.  Diana raises a small breed of wool sheep that have wool all the way down their legs so the little lamb looked like it was wearing leg warmers.   While we were gone, Terry went into town for diesel and propane.

When we got back, I made another large batch of cookies so I can take some with us.  I also made rice krispy squares and boiled ribs for dinner.  The rain stopped long enough to dry the motorcycle cover so we decided to load the bike tonight as we are leaving tomorrow.  Surprise, the bike would not start.  I did some digging on the internet but didn’t find anything useful.  Marg & Pat helped push the bike up the ramp but they couldn’t get it over the ridge so Marg got a come-along and they got it in & tied down.

Terry did his usual fine job with ribs on the BBQ and we had a great dinner.

June 16^th – Mon

We put the truck in 4 wheel drive so we wouldn’t make ruts getting out of the muddy yard and pulled out on target at 9.  We stopped in town to dump the tanks and then made our usual stop in Cache Creek for breakfast at Chum’s.

We are heading right back to Kelowna to meet up with an RV group (Fraser Valley Explorers) that Ron & Terri and Bob & Dar belong to.  A lot of the members are staying for a week at Holiday Park Resort and we were lucky enough to be allowed to join them.  Terry looked up some CanAm dealers so we found one in Vernon.  Luckily, as you will see a bit further in the blog, it was closed today.  We were right next to Lordco so Terry bought a trickle charger that has 3 connection options including the “cigarette lighter”. 

We registered at the park, backed into our snug spot, connected the electricity and hooked the bike up to the charger.  If the bike starts, we can’t get it out without moving partway out of our site so we made a trip to a grocery store & a liquor store while the bike charged.  When we got back, the emergency brake would set but the bike wouldn’t start.  We made a drink and went for a little walk in the park.  When we got back, Ron & Terri came by on their bikes (we saw them earlier and they were running an errand and said they would come see us) so we sat out at the picnic table with a drink.  We made a phone call to Julie and put her on speaker so we could all talk to her.

Now the good part – the motorcycle started!!!  We left it running while we pulled out far enough to unload the bike and then quickly set up.  We rode the motorcycle to a group HH and met a bunch of the members.  They are all super friendly so we are looking forward to a fun week.

June 17^th – Tues

There is a hair salon here in the park so we went by to see if I could get a haircut.  The stylist was just finishing a cut so I was able to finally get mine done.  It is a little shorter than I had in mind but, as usual, it will grow!

We took the motorcycle into Kelowna, stopped for lunch and then went to the downtown casino.  It was not nice to us!  We had time to relax for a while and then went to the group HH at a different site.  It was quite warm and most people were looking for a shady spot to set their chairs.  Then it was time for another activity – a dinner cruise on Okanagan Lake.  Ron & Terri and Bob & Dar joined us and we went downtown to a dock area.  Terry dropped us off and then he & Ron went to find a parking spot which ended up being about 4 blocks away.

There were 57 people on the boat, the weather was perfect and the water was dead calm.  We left shortly after 7, motored slowly out under the new bridge and enjoyed cocktails on the upper deck while dinner was being prepared “downstairs”.  We had a choice of steak, chicken or salmon which was served with salad, rice & cooked veggies.  The crew is very organized and they bring down small groups from the upper deck to avoid lines at the serving area.

We talked about stopping at DQ for dessert but somehow drove right past.  We dropped of the others and didn’t even go back for a nightcap.

June 9th to 13th - 100 Mile House

June 9^th – Mon

Marg went to work and the rest of us continued playing computer games before having breakfast.  We went to Timber Mart to pick up some shelves for the Women’s Center (where Marg is working) but the manager(Ralph) doesn’t work on Monday and no one else knew what was arranged.  We got Gina – Ralph’s wife – involved and found out that the shelves hadn’t been paid for so we went to get some groceries while Marg got things straightened out.

The shelves turned out to be industrial strength metal with each of the three boxes weighing about 150 pounds.  An employee at Timber Mart helped with the loading but Terry had to do the main lifting with a regular size hand cart to unload.  We were all happy when that job was done.

Dinner was in the crockpot again so not too much work to finish preparation.

June 10^th – Tues

We all went to Kamloops this morning.  Our first stop was Costco and we had lunch there as well.  Then to Princess Auto and Price Matters where there was only one bag of cottage cheese perogies left.  Now it was time for a visit to the casino which was not as fun as the last casino stop!  We stopped at Dairy Queen in Cache Creek on the way home for our Blizzard/Banana Split/Peanut Buster Parfait fixes. 

June 11^th – Wed

Marg went to work and Pat & I started painting the new fence.  Terry ran another errand for Marg and picked up a small freezer at Sears and delivered it to the Women’s Center.  Francis & Nicole stopped by with a small job for Marg.  Francis is making window boxes for a friend and tried to cut supports out of 2x10’s with a jigsaw.  It wasn’t too successful so Marg used her band saw to cut the pieces.

Marg & Pat went golfing but my arm has been sore – not helped by throwing pieces of wood on Monday – so I wimped out and stayed home with Terry.

June 12^th – Thurs

Similar to yesterday – Marg to work, late breakfast for the rest of us, Pat & me painting the second coat, Terry with no errands.  We used up all the paint so Marg stopped on the way home to get more – can’t have an idle work force!

We went to Francis & Nicole’s for dinner which was wonderful as usual.  Nicole is a very good cook.  We enjoyed watching a couple of young deer at the salt lick & water bucket beside the garden fence.  Nicole knows which plants that deer won’t eat and it is amazing to see them totally ignore those plants outside the fence.

June 13^th – Fri

After breakfast, I continued painting the fence and the others took the tractor & ATVs to clear a couple of trails that Marg uses for snowshoeing & skiing in the winter.  First they had to cut down a tree that was bent over a fence.  I had just finished painting & wrapping up the brush when Terry came back on an ATV to get water so I went back with him rather than catch up the blog.  Marg made good use of our help and we cleared more than she thought would get done.

We just had time to clean up and have a drink before we went to friend Toni’s for dinner which was to be a wiener roast.  We had huge rumbles of thunder and then rain just as we arrived at Toni’s so we thought the wieners might be BBQ’d.  We sat inside for a while, the weather cleared and we had our fire & dinner.

June 6th to 8th - 100 Mile House

June 6^th – Fri

We all worked on the fence this morning.  We used little “orchard posts” which are 2 ½ inches in diameter and too small to use the post pounder on the tractor so Terry had to use the heavy hand pounder.  It is a big cylinder with a closed top and two large handles which you lift above the post and slam down.  The ground is dry, hard and full of rocks so it is a slow process.  When you hit a large rock directly in the way of the post, you have to dig it out as the spacing of the posts can’t be changed.  Marg used a “chisel” to start the holes for the posts and helped keep the posts vertical as Terry slammed them down.  Pat & I put on the 1x4 boards in a staggered pattern.  Luckily Pat insisted that we use screws rather than nails as the posts would have been pretty wobbly after hammering in nails.

We called it quits after about half the 26 posts were done.  Marg, Pat & I went to town for groceries and some more fence supplies.  I also had to get contact solution.  I bought the WalMart brand for the first time and just started using it here.  My eyes have been bothering me so I decided to go back to the brand name solution to rule out one variable.

Marg wasn’t happy with the spacing on the fence boards so when we came back we stopped by the fence and finally decided to change the boards – tomorrow.

June 7^th – Sat

Back to the fence building after a late breakfast of French toast with fresh strawberries.  Pat & I changed a section of boards and we all decided that it looked better so we had to change them all.  It didn’t take us too long to catch up to Marg & Terry as they were putting in the rest of the posts – and running into rocks.  We finished the fence – except for a small gate – about 3.

We took the 2 quads on an inspection ride around the farm and found a tree fallen across the fence – a project for another day.  The dogs had a great time running and cooling off in a little water hole.  Pat’s dog Row is a Golden Retriever and launches himself off the bank when you throw a stick in the water.

We put meat in the crock pot this morning for another fairly easy dinner.

June 8^th – Sun

Pat went to help her sister Bev plant her garden today.  After we had breakfast, Marg, Terry & I went to do some “logging” to deal with the big tree that broke off and fell across the electric fence at the back of the farm.  Marg ran the chainsaw, Terry drove the tractor and I was the grunt.  After cutting the big tree in half, Terry lifted it with the tractor so Marg could cut it into rounds – some good enough for fire wood.  Terry pushed the root out of the ground which made room to push over another dead tree behind it.  Then we took out 4 smaller trees that were bent over so Terry could push over a huge, dead spruce tree – more sawing &removing branches.  There was a nearby burn pile which became several times larger by the time Terry was done dumping buckets of branches, roots & rotting wood.  Luckily the chainsaw ran out of gas so we loaded the fire wood into the bucket and were done with that job.

Marg worked in her garden, Terry & I took turns in the shower and I did laundry.

I put a roast for pulled pork in the crock pot this morning and Marg made a salad for an easy dinner.  We had invited Bev & Dianna for dinner but Dianna was sick and stayed home.  Bev came back with Pat as she is borrowing Pat’s car for a couple of days.

June 3rd to 5th - 100 Mile House

Oops - I did the blog and forgot to post it!!!

June 3^rd – Tues – 100 Mile House

After Marg went to “work”, TaG & Pat took nails out of the old fence boards and then leveled the area for the new fence beside the driveway.  There is a little ditch by the driveway and some high areas that were behind the old fence.  Terry used the bucket & blade on the tractor to move dirt to the ditch and Pat & I raked.  Then Terry used the bucket to scoop up manure from the corral and continued filling the ditch – which Pat & I raked as smooth as possible.

We had lunch and Marg arrived home shortly afterwards.  Now it was time for a trip to Williams Lake to buy fence posts.  We also made a stop at a grocery store and a Husquevarna dealer before going to the casino.  We had a great time as we all came out ahead.

We brainstormed on the way back about what to have for dinner and finally decided that we had all the ingredients that we needed for “loaded” backed potatoes.  Oops – I messed up on the sour cream so Pat had to make a quick trip to town which was OK as she also needed to fill up the car with gas.

June 4^th – Wed

After coffee & computer games, Marg went to “work”, Pat mowed the lawn area of the garden and then helped Terry & I work on the area for the new fence – pack with the ATV, put up marking strings & clean up wild roses & grass in one corner.  Marg still hadn’t decided on the final construction of the fence so we didn’t start putting in the posts.

The weather was unsettled with a few light sprinkles – enough for Terry to move the ATV under cover – but it cleared up enough that I went golfing with Marg & Pat on their weekly ladies’ night golf.  We left Terry to fend for himself and he eventually went to town to get a burger as he couldn’t find anything in the fridge and he told me to go golfing and not worry about fixing him anything for dinner.

The golf group goes to a restaurant for dinner and prizes are awarded & drawn.  Tonight was “3 clubs & a putter” which is always interesting.  It is amazing that most people can do as well with fewer clubs.  It was cool & breezy which kept the mosquitoes away.

June 5^th – Thurs

Terry & I were late coming to the house this morning as we were watching “How is it made” on TV.  There are some really interesting things on that show.  I will remember exactly how silk is made for a few days at least!

Marg had to go to work and Pat left to get a haircut & get the winter tires swapped out on her car.  Terry & I eventually had breakfast for lunch.  I started making cookies but discovered one missing ingredient so I had to wait until Marg picked it up and got home.  While I baked cookies, Marg & Pat went to get fence boards and a few groceries and Terry played computer games.

Then Pat mowed copious amounts of grassy areas (not really lawns), Terry & Marg worked on the fence and I made dessert, did other dinner prep and worked on the blog.

Francis & Nichole came over for dinner and a good visit.

May 26th to June 2nd - ID, Canada

May 26^th – Mon

We had coffee and played computer games until Larry asked if we wanted to go to breakfast.  They took us to a restaurant in nearby Athol (say that name out loud several times!) and it turned out to be really good.  As we were leaving, Julie ran into her sister Joyce and husband Mel and their daughter Terri.

Everyone was taking it easy so Terry helped Terry with his motor home step and a battery problem in his boat.  Too bad Terry M. wasn’t watching when he stood up and connected with the motor home slide with his forehead – hard head so not too much damage.  We took a walk around town which doesn’t take too much time!  Everyone gathered for snacks & drinks before dinner which was mostly prepared on the big BBQ again.

Kevin & Melanie were setting Tena up on face book so everyone was on their phones finding friends and responding to requests.  We had another lovely fire to end a great day.

May 27^th – Tues

We dumped the tanks, loaded the bike and hugged everyone goodbye.  Did I ever mention that I hate goodbyes?!

The weather was lovely and we had an easy drive to Oroville where we crossed the border.  We actually headed south back to I90, through Spokane and up Hwy 2 as, according to the GPS, it was only a few miles longer and a much easier drive.

We decided to stay overnight at Gallager Lake RV where we have stayed before.  It was very empty & quiet so we enjoyed a walk by the lake and a couple of drinks outside in the sun before dinner.

May 28^th – Wed

We had a short drive to Summerland this morning.  We backed into Aunt Jessie’s driveway, took out the bike & set up.  Then Jessie made us a late breakfast as we had notified her that we would be there in time for breakfast.

We had a nice relaxing time catching up with Jessie, watering the garden and going for a walk.  We often have little jobs to help Jessie but this time all we did was turn the mattress on her bed! Terry loves Jessie’s cabbage rolls so she had things thawing to make a batch.  We had a great dinner and watched TV before hitting the sack.

May 29^th – Thurs

I started a load of laundry before we had breakfast with Jessie.  Then we all went to Westbank for a little shopping.  WalMart, lunch, liquor store and Canadian Tire.  By the time we got back to Summerland it was time for a visit to Dairy Queen and then we browsed through the Dollar Store.  We made a quick stop at a grocery store before heading home.

Terry bought a cable so we hooked up the TV in our bedroom to our satellite receiver – can’t be without 2 TVs!  I finished the laundry and Terry tightened Jessie’s clothes line.

Similar evening to yesterday – dinner, TV, phone call to Marg.

May 30^th – Fri

After breakfast with Jessie, we loaded up and headed to Vernon – another short drive.  We were hoping to see Ernie & Dianne in Kelowna while we were here but they had to make a sudden trip to Calgary to help their daughter-in-law.

We stayed at the Silver Star RV Park as it is easy to get to and close to the casino!  Speaking of the casino, once we set up that is where we headed.  I actually won a bit of money!  We had a late lunch there and then took the bike to see friends Terry & Judy.  They were setting up for a garage sale tomorrow but they were happy to take a break and visit with us.

TV, dinner & computer games filled up the evening.

May 31st – Sat

We had coffee & toast and went back to Terry & Judy’s where many homes in the adult community were having garage sales.  There were cars & people everywhere when we arrived about 8:30.  Two other couples brought their stuff to sell at Terry & Judy’s so we chatted with them a bit before we set off to “shop”. 

We bought a couple of items that we didn’t want to carry all over so we returned to stow them in the bike and carried on.  The development is on small hills and the roads are winding with some dead ends.  We walked & shopped for a long time in perfect weather – sunny but not too hot.

When we got back to Terry & Judy’s, Terry M had to take a couple of the women for rides on the bike and they shopped on the way.

We left about 1 and stopped at McDonald’s for a burger before going back to the casino.  Not so lucky this time!  We sat outside for a drink and then went back to Terry & Judy’s for dinner.

After dinner, we taught them to play Newfie Bingo and Cross Cribbage.  I couldn’t believe it was after 11 when we got back.

June 1^st – Sun – to 100 Mile House

We started with lovely weather for our drive and stopped in Cache Creek for a late breakfast.  As we headed north from there the weather got kind of ugly with intermittent wind & rain.  We stopped in town for fuel and arrived at sister Marg’s about 1:30.  Marg & Pat were just getting ready to leave to see Francis & Nicole so they waited until we unloaded the bike & set up and we all went.

We had a nice visit – and a drink – with Francis & Nicole.  Then we relaxed, ate, drank & played computer games – and worked a bit on the always present jigsaw puzzle.  It is kind of funny to see 4 of us with various “computers” (phones, tablets, PC) playing different games and cussing at the results.

June 2^nd – Mon

Marg had to go to the dentist this morning.  Pat & I tackled the nasty job of cleaning the chicken house while Terry took apart a small fence that Marg wants to rebuild.  Terry was also the tractor driver to take away the crap – literally – that Pat & I shoveled out of the hen house.

Marg is on the board of a women’s center in town and there are issues that are involving her in the solution so she will be spending time in meetings & phone calls while we are here.  She returned just in time for lunch and then we all went to play golf.

We walked the nine hole Marmot Ridge course and were all huffing & puffing on some hills.  It was definitely warm enough to have worn short pants.  Mosquitoes showed up but not too bad.

We went to a grocery store so Marg could get ingredients for dinner and headed home.  We relaxed while pork chops marinated and dessert baked and then had a great dinner.