June 6th to 11th - Pemberton & Summerland

June 6^th – Thurs

We finished loading everything up in Marg’s motor home – including the desk that we cleaned out – and were on the road about 10.  As Terry was checking our rig after we hooked up, pulled in the slides and drove off the leveling boards, he noticed that our spare tire was gone!!  The wind-up cable that secures the tire was still all the way wound up so we have no idea how it came off or where.  I was very nervous about driving without a spare so Terry agreed that we should see if we could get a new tire in 100 Mile.  Marg had a couple of errands to run and ended up leaving town while we were still waiting for the tire to be mounted on a rim.  Of course, we had a mag wheel on the spare just like the other tires and now have a plain white rim.  Marg & Aunt Jessie waited for us at Hat Creek Ranch and then we followed them to a picnic area just out of Lillooet for lunch.

There wasn’t too much traffic on the Duffy Lake road but it is definitely winding & hilly.  I managed to get a picture of the sign for a 13% grade but missed the sign for the 15% grade.  We arrived at brother Bob’s farm in Pemberton about 3:45, pulled in behind the root house and set up.  Not long after, our brother Doug arrived from Port McNeil on Vancouver Island and it was time for everyone to relax with a drink. We were able to sit outside without too many mosquito bites.

Bob is not a very good housekeeper so Aunt Jessie HAD to start cleaning while Marg & I made dinner.  We had just finished eating when the minister, Dave, arrived for a meeting to discuss the “Celebration of Life” for Dad.  We all decided that it would be very informal (and not religious) and had a hard time trying to figure out Dave’s role.  He kept asking questions until we had a rough agenda.  A good friend, Allan, was also there and will give the eulogy so we had to help him with information and ended up with many stories and actually lots of laughs.

June 7^th – Fri

Bob had eaten breakfast and fed his cows by the time we had coffee and headed to the house.  Marg waylaid us on the way and asked if we would make her a cup of coffee while she got dressed.  Aunt Jessie had eaten and was ready to start cleaning again so after a bit I helped her clean the bathroom and part of the kitchen.  I put a big beef roast in the crock pot for dinner.

We had some shopping to do  for the gathering tomorrow so we, Marg & Aunt Jessie went to town in our truck and Doug rode his bike – nearly 10 miles but it is all flat and he is used to a lot of hills.  We took a little detour through some very nice houses on a hill above town, discovered that the liquor store was not in the old spot and stopped at the hardware store to get a BBQ for Bob.  We found the liquor store and were still figuring out what to buy when Doug joined us.  Then we all traipsed over to the grocery store and spent quite a bit of time getting what we needed there.  It was 1:30 by now so we went to McDonalds for lunch.

Back at the farm we unloaded everything, Terry helped Bob put the BBQ together and I loaded some music on the tablet before making gravy.  Friends Toni & Micheal from 100 Mile arrived with their little dog Poppy and we all sat outside to enjoy a drink.  There are mosquitoes but luckily for me they like other people better.

We had a great dinner and others did the dishes – perfect again.  Marg, Toni, Micheal, Jessie & Doug went for a walk, Terry & Bob watched TV and I messed with the tablet before joining a group in the house.

 

June 8^th – Sat

Showers threatened this morning so Bob borrowed & set up a couple of pop-up shelters just in case.  We continued with some cleaning, prepared plates of snacks and set up our picture boards.  We had a late breakfast so we wouldn’t be too hungry waiting until after the service to eat again.  We just had time to change clothes before the first people arrived when were still trying to get tables organized.   The organized part of the afternoon was supposed to start at 1:00 but it was a bit late as people were still arriving.

I had a hard time recognizing people that I haven’t seen for anywhere from 10 to 30 years.  Our Aunt Barbara Mitchell arrived from Sardis with 2 of her sons – Russell and Andy (with his wife Colleen).  Another cousin Wayne Becker and his wife Patti came from Chilliwack.  Our elementary school teacher (grade 1 for me) Norma Fraser also made a long trip.  Doug’s son Dennis, his wife Nina and their 7 month old daughter Adele also came from Port McNeil. Marg’s good friends Francis & Nicole came from 100 Mile and will stay overnight in their camper. Marg managed a partial count and somewhere between 55 & 70 people were there to pay their respects.

The weather co-operated and the sun broke through partway through the eulogy.  Of course it was very emotional so it is a good thing that Marg stocked up on Kleenex!

Lots of people stuck around to eat the platters of food contributed by many people.  Naturally we provided a cooler of beer and lots of wine.  A few people stuck around to join us for hamburgers for dinner cooked on Bob’s new BBQ.

June 9^th – Sun

I went to the house fairly early to get a rhubarb cake in the oven and then came back to join Marg, Francis, Nicole, Terry & Toni for coffee.  I decided to make breakfast burritos and Aunt Jessie made a fruit salad for breakfast.  Toni & Micheal left for their trip home and we coordinated the rest of “the group” for a drive up the valley to bury Dad’s ashes beside Mom in a small cemetery.  Nothing like the informality of a small community!

At the gravesite were us 4 “kids”; Terry; Dennis, Nina & Adele; Bob’s son Trevor & girlfriend Sara; very good friends of Dad Don & Mary Millerd who were unable to attend yesterday;  Francis & Nicole; and Aunt Jessie.  The cemetery custodian had marked the site boundaries with small stakes and we actually buried the ashes and reset the headstone.  He also allowed us to place one of Dad’s metal flowers on the site as it could be removed and replaced easily for mowing.  This blog entry may seem a little odd & morbid but although many tears were shed it was actually a good ceremony.

Francis & Nicole left for 100 Mile when we got back, Don & Mary came back with us to visit and ended up staying for lunch.  They had to go back to their home in Horseshoe Bay today so left soon after lunch.  Terry, Marg & I made a trip to town for some potatoes and also Cool Whip to go with the rhubarb cake.  We took the opportunity to take down some of the posters that Bob put up in town.  Doug took another ride on his bike, Aunt Jessie had a well deserved nap and Bob worked on some farm equipment.

We used up some leftovers to make Shepherd’s Pie for dinner and added a salad of already mixed greens so it wasn’t too strenuous.

June 10^th – Mon

The remaining 6 of us showed up for breakfast about 8.  We each did our own thing for the meal and then started gathering up stuff that had to go with us and making sure that Bob knew what was being left for him to use.  More tearful farewells – at least for Marg & I!! – and Terry & I and Aunt Jessie pulled out at 9.

We are taking Jessie home to Summerland and decided the best way with the 5^th  wheel would be back over the Duffy to Cache Creek, then onto Hwy 5 just out of Kamloops, over the Connector from Merritt and down Okanogan Lake to Summerland.  We stopped for diesel in Pemberton and dragged our bike rack on the steep slope which put holes in our bike cover.  We had lunch in Cache Creek and got more fuel in Merritt.  The 13% grades that we went down on Thursday really sucked up the diesel today and we are trying very hard not to run our tank so far down that we have to worry about where we will find a station.

We arrived at Aunt Jessie’s at 4 and Terry backed into her downhill, side-ways sloping driveway in one shot.  It didn’t take us long to set up and take our drinks inside to relax a bit.  Aunt Jessie took her car to get a few groceries and we went to find a car wash.  There were only a couple of basic, do-it-yourself washes so we just stopped at A&W to pick up chicken for dinner.  Yes, there is no Kentucky Fried here!!

After eating, we all went for a walk around a long block with one uphill side.  The weather was clear and the temperature perfect.  Aunt Jessie stopped to visit with some neighbors while we continued on, put up the satellite dish and plopped on the couch.

June 11^th – Tues

Aunt Jessie had been up for hours by the time we went inside with a cup of coffee about 8:30.  After a bite of breakfast, I put in a load of laundry and Terry checked out the laundry tub which w are going to replace.  Then we went shopping – first to the Home Hardware here in Summerland where there was a tub but it was quite flimsy so we continued on to Penticton.  We found a car wash to get most of the bugs & dirt off the truck and then went to Home Hardware where they had a better tub and taps and Aunt Jessie got some lawn fertilizer.  We made another stop to get mushroom manure, stopped at the grocery store back in Summerland and came home where I made sandwiches for lunch.

Terry didn’t have any problem putting in the new laundry tub – just the usual lack of space to work behind it as it is sandwiched between the washer & dryer.  I finished the first load of laundry and started another and then cut the old blooms off a lilac bush.  Aunt Jessie was puttering around in the house & garden so we spent some time in our rig watching TV and I wiped down a lot of the woodwork.

My cousin Kelly and his wife Sam joined us for dinner.  Aunt Jessie made a pork roast and Yorkshire pudding which was new for Terry – and very good.  We chatted for a while after dinner so we were all ready for bed when Kelly & Sam left around 9:30.

June 4th & 5th - 100 Mile House

June 4^th- Tues

Marg & Aunt Jessie were eating breakfast by the time we got in this morning as I had done a couple of extras with the chores.  Marg was a bit early as she had a meeting at 9:30 and had to run errands first.  Aunt Jessie started a batch of bread – yum!

Terry & I hooked up the new trailer and loaded junk to take to the dump.  There was a concrete sink that was so heavy that Terry had to break it up with a sledge hammer.  Marg had OK’d some items and on others I made the decision.  But we got to the point where Marg had to say aye or nay so we left it until she returned.  Terry moved Marg’s motor home from the barn to the front of the house so it could be cleaned for Thursday when we are all leaving for Pemberton.  I washed sheets, Aunt Jessie wiped everything & cleaned windows and I vacuumed.

When Marg got back, we had a short window of time before she had to go get a haircut so she helped us load up a bunch more excess “treasures”.

Terry & I took the load to the dump while Aunt Jessie got the cabbage rolls in the over and Marg got her haircut.  We stopped on the way back to return a borrowed license plate to Quille’s trailer since Marg picked up the plate for the new trailer.  Marg & I sorted through a desk that was Dad’s and is going back to Pemberton and then went through a dresser that also had Dad’s stuff with decisions to be made.

We were just finishing dinner when Francis & Nicole stopped by for a chat.  I don’t quite know how Nicole ended up doing dishes but I wasn’t going to complain!  Marg & I worked on spreadsheets for her taxes and we didn’t finish until after 11. 

June 5^th – Wed

Marg had a meeting & conference call this morning with a woman arriving at 10 so she cleaned off a table in the basement for all their paperwork.  I made a batch of rice krispie squares.  Terry & I took the ATV and first packed water for the lame ewe & her lamb – yes I added a small bucket and we both ended up with wet butts!  Then we took the chain saw to trim up limbs on a few trees.  BC Hydro trimmed branches that could fall on power lines but they left lower branches intact which is a really weird look and Marg thought Terry could stand on the ATV to get at higher branches.  Some branches were too high so we got the tractor and I lifted him in the bucket.  Then we found out that we did the wrong trees so we went back for a couple more.  We got the wagon, loaded up one batch of branches and dumped them by the burn pile.

By now Marg was finished with her meeting.  We finished our outside job just in time as it poured rain for about 10 minutes.  I made more squares before lunch and Aunt Jessie made date squares after lunch.  We filled the afternoon with cleaning, loading stuff in the motor home, doing the last spreadsheet for Marg, laundry, working on the jigsaw puzzle and visiting with Marg’s friends Bev & Diana.

Aunt Jessie cooked dinner again and Marg did dishes – perfect!

We are leaving for Pemberton tomorrow and I don’t know if I will have wifi available.  So no emails saying “why are you behind on your blog?”!

June 1st to 3rd - 100 Mile House

June 1^st – Sat

I spent more time looking & printing pictures and then going back to find the dates.  Can’t do everything in one pass!  I dumped out a new puzzle yesterday so Terry worked on it a bit even though he said the miserable puzzle we just finished was the last.

After a late breakfast and more puttering around, we went to Safeway to pick up some sale items and a few ingredients for dinner tomorrow.  We had lunch when we got back and since it wasn’t raining we decided we should do some mowing.  By the time I got outside and was plugging in the weed eater, Terry was mowing by the hay barn.  Mistake!!  He didn’t notice some big dips and the blades dug into dirt.  There was an unusual noise after that so we drove the mower up on the loading ramps on the new trailer so we could work on the mower deck.  Terry discovered a large metal piece that was broken in two spots so we tried unsuccessfully to get it out so we could order a new one.  Finally I suggested that we just drive the mower onto the trailer and take it to town where Marg bought it.  Luckily the store was still open so they lifted the mower off the trailer with a forklift and will order the part and make the repair – but it won’t be ready until next Saturday.

We were a little luckier in that we drove into town & back without getting stopped for no lights on the trailer as we don’t have the necessary adapter for the plug on the trailer.  It was still dry when we got back so we mowed the garden area & the rest of the yard with the push mower.  As we were taking the mower back to the garden, I felt a raindrop.

We were definitely ready for a drink before dinner.

June 2^nd – Sun

We took it easy with coffee & breakfast before we decided it was dry enough to do more mowing.  Terry mowed three strips by the firepit and ran out of gas.  Marg had emptied both gas cans in the boat when she went fishing so we had to go to town to get them filled.  At 1.41 per liter it is a bit of a shock that it costs $74 to fill 2 jerry cans.

Terry continued mowing and I got out the weed eater.  We were just finishing the side of the house when Marg & Aunt Jessie arrived.  

We saw a lame ewe so Marg decided that we should check her and count the sheep. Now was a good time as they were all in for a break from grazing.  We quickly opened & closed strategic gates – Terry had to move fast when the sheep decided they wanted to get the heck out – and had the sheep in a small pen in no time.  From there we let a few animals into a pen, got a separate count of ewes & lambs and used a rope to raise a small gate into a larger pen.  It is a pretty nifty setup which Marg can handle by herself when necessary.  When we finished, we had the lame ewe in a separate pen and we were short 6 lambs!  Terry took the ATV and found 7(!) lambs and a broken fence.  By then Marg had also seen the fence so while they were putting in 3 new posts, I was making dinner.  Marg can’t imagine what was big enough to do that much damage to the fence.

We brought up a couple of perfect pieces of hardboard –packing from the new laundry tub - for our photo display and Marg & I spent a lot of time finding pictures and laying it out.  This gave Terry time with Aunt Jessie which is good.

June 3^rd – Mon

I don’t know why the lamb of the lame ewe decided to wait until 4:00 am to start calling for mom!  The ewe has a croaky baa so it was quite a concert.  Luckily the lamb decided to go grazing with everyone else about 4:30 so I could get back to sleep.  When I was doing chores, I noticed that the lamb was back so I got Marg and we were able to get the lamb into a pen and then open it up to the ewe.

Aunt Jessie had breakfast ready by the time we got into the house.  We made a notice last night for Dad’s memorial service and had to email it to a couple of people since my brother Bob does not have a printer.  Amazing how long something like that can take especially since the internet connection was slow this morning.

Marg had a doctor appointment so we took Aunt Jessie to town for some groceries as Terry talked her into making cabbage rolls.  When Terry went to the liquor store, Jessie & I went to the Bargain Bin.  They didn’t have glue sticks so after we got groceries we HAD to go to the Dollar Store just down from the grocery store.

Marg beat us home so we carried everything in and Aunt Jessie made lunch.  We all did miscellaneous things in the afternoon – pictures, computer lessons, dismantling a sheep shelter, looking for recipes, jigsaw puzzle, phone calls.  Yesterday Marg brought home a nice, very pink trout that was caught in Logan Lake so I filleted & BBQ’d it for dinner.  Actually, Terry ate leftover pork chops & cabbage (his favorite) from last night.

May 28th to 31st - 100 Mile House

May 28^th – Tues

Terry decided this morning that he was going to start all over with the laundry tub which would mean cutting off the drain close to the wall so we could route the drain in a more logical fashion.  We figured out what we would need and went to the hardware store.  I thought the leak was caused by an irregularity in the tub where the strainer sits so the guy at the store recommended plumber’s putty.  As we were driving back I suggested that we just try the putty first and it worked!!!  I touched up a few paint spots, we put a shelf back up and we were done with that project.

There is a baseboard heater in the downstairs bathroom and when we remodeled a few years ago we painted it with the same paint as the walls.  The heat & the moisture made a heck of a mess of the paint so we bought heat resistant spray paint.  We couldn’t remove the cover easily so we masked everything really well and put on a couple of coats which look great.  We bought a gel coat product for the shower so I applied that which really spiffed it up.

With all this activity, we didn’t even lunch until 3 so we ended up eating a late dinner as well.  I mixed up a big batch of cookies and started baking them.  Marg called about 8 to say they were an hour or so away and suggested we could get the sheep into the barn yard by taking a drive in the ATV which the sheep would follow back to the barn – and they did.  We wanted the sheep in the yard as the shearer is coming tomorrow and we hoped we could get them into the barn for the night.  Once Marg & Quille unloaded their mountains of gear – and some fish – we went out to move the sheep into the barn.  Sage (the dog) worked quite well but we finally had to get tame Lamby into the back part of the barn with grain to lure in the rest of the sheep in a couple of batches.  We were all ready for a nightcap when we finished at 10.

May 29^th – Wed

We wanted the sheep in the barn last night in case it rained but it was dry all night and clear & sunny this morning.  We ate breakfast for a change to provide some fuel for shearing.  Dave, the shearer, was expected at 9 so we definitely had everything ready when he arrived at 9:45 - the lambs sorted out, gates in place, wool bag hung on the frame and helpers waiting.  Marg & I trimmed hooves after Dave was done, Denise kept everything swept & clean, Terry & Francis delivered one animal at a time to Dave (literally a shitty job!), Ted picked up each fleece and delivered it to Nicole who picked out junk & folded it up so Ted could throw it in the bag where Rick tramped it all down.  There were 27 sheep to shear and we were finished in an hour & 15 minutes.

Marg & Dave went to Marg’s neighbor’s place to shear 3 small sheep while I started lunch.  Terry got a fire going in the firepit behind the house, I heated up the BBQ and Nicole looked after cooking the burgers.  Marg & Dave were back before the burgers were cooked.

Ted & Denise had dentist appointments so we told them to come back later and we would save a couple of burgers for them.  They were gone longer than we expected so Marg went to town to get cash to buy the trailer that we looked at a few days ago.  When Marg got back, Ted & Dennis were happily downing their late lunch.

Marg had something to deliver to Al & Cecile so we went for a drive.  They were just going for a walk when they heard us coming up the drive so our timing was good.  They made us a drink and we had a great chat.  We carried on from there to buy the trailer, made a delivery at Quille’s on the way back and got home at 6:30.  I made quick work of the chores and we could relax.  Marg & I weren’t too hungry so we had a simple dinner.

May 30^th – Thurs

After phone calls by Marg and a late breakfast, we took the mattress out of an old hide-a-bed couch and moved the 2 sections to the kitchen so we could take them to the dump later.  Of course we had to vacuum after moving the couch.  We then went to pick up an ATV and chainsaw that had been repaired.  On the way, we stopped to return plumbing fittings that we didn’t need and Marg filled her truck with gas.  The ATV loaded easily on the new trailer.  Back home, we unloaded the ATV and used the trailer to take the couch to the dump.  The couch was so heavy that I can’t imagine loading it in the back of a pickup as opposed to sliding it across the deck and tipping it onto the trailer.

We stopped at the Forest Grove general store and bought “refreshments” for a stop at Rick’s new house.  He was making dinner for guests but had plenty of time for us to check out his house and have a drink.

Marg worked in her garden while I prepped dinner, did chores and then made dinner.  Lots of rain during the day so we slopped across the yard to our rig to go to bed.

May 31^st – Fri

I set Marg’s printer up on the router and then we printed pictures to use at Dad’s memorial service next weekend.  We had a late breakfast and then went to repair the chicken run where a couple of chickens escaped yesterday.  Marg thinks that Sage smelled some predator and dug big holes under a rotting board at the bottom of the wire around the run.  Of course, by the time we went outside, the rain started again so we were all dripping when we finished.

It was time for Marg to get organized to leave for Summerland where she will stay overnight with Aunt Jessie and then they will both go to an anniversary celebration for Rick & Pat in Logan Lake.  We moved books, magazines, CDs & misc paperwork so we could reposition a file cabinet and bookshelf to use the space from the old couch.  Terry tried to set up SmartHub on Marg’s new TV while I tried to find information for him on the internet.

At 1:20, we headed to town for an appointment for a haircut for me.  Terry fueled up while he was waiting.  We picked up some groceries before heading back.  The weather had cleared and stayed nice long enough for Terry to BBQ steaks & bell peppers for an early dinner.  There were a few drops of rain while I was doing chores and we wonder if it will ever stop.

May 25th to 27th - 100 Mile House

May 25^th – Sat - 100 Mile

After breakfast and working on a jigsaw puzzle a bit, we went to town to get paint and some groceries.  We drove to Forest Grove to look at a trailer that Terry told Marg about when he saw it advertised on a board at the mall.  It can hold 2 quads loaded from the side.  Marg is going to buy it but the guy didn’t want a check and didn’t have transfer papers anyhow so they will finish the deal next week.

We got back in time for a late lunch.  Marg was packing up stuff to go fishing at Quesnel Lake with her friend Quille for 3 days.  After Terry helped Marg a bit with fishing poles, we connected a longer cable to our TV so we can show pictures from our computer more easily.  Terry wanted to be able to have the cable accessible without pulling out the TV but it doesn’t look easy or neat.

Quille got off work earlier than expected so she was here about 3:30 – just in time to move stuff from her vehicle to Marg’s truck in a huge downpour.

We were lazy for the rest of the day – TV, puzzle, chores & dinner.

May 26^th – Sun

We got to work this morning.  I painted 2 small walls where the new laundry tub will go and Terry pulled out caulk from the shower that needs some work.  The water here is nasty and leaves iron(?) deposits everywhere.  We had to get a couple more plumbing fittings so we also got a can of spray CLR which worked great – along with a LOT of elbow grease.  The shower has fiberglass panels glued to the walls and one had come loose so we pulled it out enough to squirt liquid nails behind it and then used a rolling pin to press it together. 

After lunch I put on a second coat of paint.  Then it was time to work on the laundry tub and of course nothing is easy – especially since Terry didn’t want to wait long enough for the paint to dry completely.  The old tub had the drain in the middle and the new one has the drain in a back corner.  It also has a drawer that has to clear the pipes.  After a couple of trips to the shop to cut pipes, we finally cobbled together a solution but we kept having a small leak.  Must be time for HH & dinner!!

May 27^th – Mon

Terry caulked the shower first thing so it would have lots of time to dry before Marg comes back and wants to clean up.  I worked on the blog but went to help Terry on the laundry tub before I finished.  We tried all sorts of things and could not fix the leak so we had lunch and headed to the casino in Williams Lake!

The casino did not treat us well so we didn’t feel much better after our break!  We went to WalMart to pick up a few things before heading back.  We goofed off & worked on the jigsaw puzzle as there wasn’t enough time to do much else before chores & dinner.

May 22nd to 24th - 100 Mile House

May 22^nd – Wed

We got a reasonably early start for a shopping trip to Kamloops.  It was cloudy & drizzly here and rained more as we drove.  We stopped for breakfast in Cache Creek.  Our first stop in Kamloops was Costco which took a while as Marg had to order new eye glasses.  I can’t believe that it takes 2 weeks to get them.  We also got a laundry tub as that is one of our projects this year.  Then we went to a computer shop, Staples, Super Store, Summit Tools, Canadian Tire and Princess Auto.  We had a very late lunch before going to the casino where we stayed for about 3 hours.  I am getting quite discouraged at my lack of luck but at least Terry kept us afloat again.  Marg would have done better if we had been ready to leave earlier!

We stopped at Dairy Queen in Cache Creek and when we got home at 10 we left everything in the truck to be unloaded tomorrow.

May 23^rd – Thurs

Cold and overcast this morning but no rain.  Chores are easy right now – feed Buck & Snow a “flake” of hay, feed the barn cats (about 11 right now!), feed the chickens & collect eggs and feed OLD cat Uncle.  If spoiled barn cat Shorty is around, he gets some food too.  Every 2 or 3 days the sheep get a salt & mineral mix.

Marg & I entered more expenses into a spreadsheet while Terry unhooked the connections from the old laundry tub.  We had a breakfast burrito about 10 and while Marg & I were cleaning up, deciding what to have for dinner and then inviting Francis & Nicole over for dinner, Terry was wrangling the new laundry tub off the truck and into the basement.  I helped move it into the laundry room so Terry could see what fittings we were going to need which sent Marg to the shop to dig through a large box of miscellaneous plumbing bits.  Somewhere along the line Marg & I got a rhubarb cake in the oven.

By the time I joined them in the shop, they were studying the wheels on an upside-down, heavy metal saw.  The metal where the wheels were fastened had bent so the wheels didn’t turn anymore.  Marg had to move the saw to get the plumbing box which made her decide to fix it even though we were supposed to be fixing a couple of fences.  So she & I fixed the wheels while Terry took a broken handle out of an axe head and then put up a hose reel for an air compressor.

Now we could finally get organized and head out to fix the fences.  But first we had to cut up the tree by the chicken house that Terry limbed on Tuesday.  We had to limb & cut up 3 trees that fell over 2 sections of fence.  The nice thing is that the wires generally don’t break so once the trees are off and the small posts set upright, the fence might just need a little tightening.  Of course we also had to push over and cut up another dead tree that could fall over the fence if left alone.  We brought back a wagon & tractor bucket of wood rounds that we stacked between 2 trees near the house.  Then Terry picked up the rounds from the tree in the yard & stacked them while Marg & I were splitting and stacking some of the wood that we had separated out as it was very dry and ready to burn.  Marg made a tour of the fence line on the ATV and I started dinner.

Francis & Nicole came over just as Marg got back about 5:30.  We had a lovely evening and a good dinner if I do say so myself.

May 24th – Fri

Rainy this morning.  After breakfast, we ran errands.  We took a large birdhouse (made by Marg out of old barn wood and stained glass windows made by her neighbor) to the mall where people were going to sell raffle tickets today.  We dropped off normal recyclables and also a huge old TV that Marg recently replaced with a nice big flat screen. We bought some plumbing parts and picked up color swatches to decide on paint for the laundry room.  Also had to stop at the library, the post office and to make an appointment for a haircut for Marg next week.  We stopped in town so Marg could get a watch band and have it sized.  Terry & I took a quick tour through the Farmer’s Market but we were late and some vendors were already shutting down.

I made sandwiches for a late lunch and it seemed like no time before Marg had to leave to start here ticket selling shift at 3.  It quit raining and the grass was fairly dry so Terry got the riding mower and mowed the area where the dead tree had prevented Marg from mowing earlier.  I raked the area where the stump was pushed out and picked up a couple of buckets of sticks which we then took on the ATV to the burn pile.  This finished our work for the afternoon!  I decided on chili for dinner and got it started.  We spent some time on the diabolical jigsaw puzzle and watched TV.  Dinner, TV, computer, reading and dozing (guess who!) filled the evening.

May 19th to 21st - BC

May 19^th – Sun

We went to Claude & Val’s for coffee and shortly after Val & I joined their neighbor Donna to help prepare turkey dinner for everyone in the development.  The developer bought all the food and lots of women pitched in to cook.  We peeled & boiled 40 pounds of potatoes, chopped onions & celery for stuffing and boiled 5 dozen eggs that were originally planned for potato salad but someone else made potato salad so we made devilled eggs.

I took a break before peeling the eggs to make breakfast for lunch for us and Claude & Val.  When we finished cooking, Val & I took a walk around the park and I was introduced to more people than I could remember.  We had time for a drink before taking chairs to the community area for dinner at 5.  The weather was lovely so it was very enjoyable to sit outside to eat a great dinner.

After dinner, Claude lit a fire in their firepit and we sat out for quite a while longer until it cooled off and we were ready for bed.

May 20^th – Mon – to 100 Mile House

We packed up and went to Claude & Val’s for coffee again before hugging goodbye about 9.  We had an uneventful drive in lovely weather through Kamloops to 100 Mile House.  We stopped for breakfast in Cache Creek and lined up to dump our tanks in 100 Mile.  This was a long weekend for Canadians and lots of campers were heading home.

We set up at my sister Marg’s place, changed into old clothes and went to work!  We put oil in the steering system on the boat and helped clean it up so we could get it parked in the shed before it decided to rain.  We cleaned up hay from winter feeding in mangers so we could empty the wagon for the next job which was pulling up pallets that were under a stack of hay used in the winter.  Then we cleaned up the old hay that we knocked loose from the pallets.  I took a ride on the bucket on the tractor to retrieve a rope used to hang Marg’s pontoon boat in the barn.  A hook straightened out and the boat fell down so we had to put it back up.  Marg’s motor home has been parked all winter so she decided to try to start it and turned Terry into a believer when it started right up.

We carried perishable items from our fridge, did the few evening chores and have a well deserved drink while dinner cooked.  I helped Marg enter expenses into a spreadsheet which we didn’t finish as we kept stopping to watch DWTS.

May 21^st – Tues

Marg had to go to the dentist this morning so after morning chores (me) then coffee & toast, Terry & I mowed the garden area.  While I finished up the mowing, Terry got the chain saw and limbed a dead tree that Marg had pushed over with the tractor before it decided to fall on the chicken run.  We picked up all the limbs – now sticks – and dumped them on the burn pile.  As we were driving back on the ATV, it started to rain so we headed inside where Terry decided we should tackle another project.  We swapped a queen bed & dresser from one spare room with 2 twin beds and a dresser from another spare room.  Luckily, both rooms are downstairs.  Of course I had to sweep & dust while the furniture was out.  And just for something else to do, I put a bedspread in the washer.

Believe it or not, it was just now time to make lunch.  We had finished eating when Marg returned from the dentist & other errands.  Marg & I went to the shop to finish rebuilding 2 bird feeders for a friend.  I think it would have been just as easy to start from scratch.  I did the chores and then got dinner started.  Same routine – drink, dinner, computer, TV.  And I got to play with one of the house cats while trying to finish the blog.

May 16th to 18th - BC

May 16^th – Thurs – to Vernon BC

It was snowing lightly when we got up so we hit the road in a hurry.  The snow did not last long but it remained cold.  Before we left Lake Louise we filled up with diesel at $1.41/liter – a little high but guess we better get used to these prices as BC will likely be higher than Alberta.

After miles of bumpy roads, we stopped for a late breakfast at Sicamous.  We gained an hour when we crossed another time zone.

We thought the Silver Star RV park in Vernon would be busy because Monday is Victoria Day which is a long weekend in Canada.  There were lots of sites available but we could fit into only about a third of them.

I did some cleaning while Terry checked our bank accounts on the slow but free internet connection.  Then I finished & posted my blog which was a little behind.  Now it was time to head to the nearby casino where we didn’t do as well as the last couple of times that we visited.  We got a coupon and had a “seafood buffet” for dinner for $10 each.  Now I see why Canadian visitors rave about American buffets!!  After dinner, we each got a scratch ticket for free play – Terry got $5 and I got $10 which went even faster than our original money.  We stopped at The Superstore on the way back and then watched TV since our satellite was not blocked by trees. 

May 17^th – Fri

I contacted our friends Terry & Judy who have a house here (strangely enough Judy sent an email Wed which I read yesterday saying she had not checked our blog for a while and wondered if we would be coming their way) and we made plans to have them over for dinner today.  After coffee and putting dinner in the crock pot, Terry found that the 3 washers in the laundry room were being used so we went back to the casino and left some money to keep yesterday’s donation company.  We went to WalMart for a few more groceries, put everything away and then did the laundry.  It was very nice out so we sat on a bench in the sun – in our shorts – while we waited for the laundry.

Terry & Judy came over about 4 and we sat outside to chat but very soon it started to sprinkle so we moved inside.  We had a great time catching up with news on both sides and looking at pictures of our trip through Newfoundland in 2008 which is when we first met.  We may have talked them into coming to VVV this fall to check out a bigger park.  The last couple of years they have stayed in a small park in Buckeye which is quite a ways from most anything.

 

May 18^th – Sat – to the Shuswap

We left at 8 for the short drive to Scotch Creek which is on Shuswap Lake.  This is where Claude & Val have a lot and we HAD to check out their new motor home.  Claude was helping put up a big tent and flagged us down when we drove into their development.  He directed us to an unoccupied lot so we backed in, opened the slides and went to see Val.  Their motor home is lovely.  It is a used Beaver in beautiful shape and they are delighted with it.

Claude came back shortly after and we chatted over coffee while Val made sandwiches for lunch.  At 1:30 they had to go to a home owner meeting so we came back to our rig & relaxed.

A large group had planned to go to Salmon Arm for a special themed dinner at a golf course and we were invited to join them.  After a drink outside, we went with Claude & Val for the 30-40 minute drive.  We had been told that dinner was at 7 but it turned out that the second sitting wasn’t until 7:30 so we sat outside on a covered patio for a drink and soon the rest of the group (10 more) arrived.  The golf course was amazingly green & lush and also quite hilly.

The theme for dinner was “fishing” so it was a seafood buffet.  The servers got into the spirit with things such as lures for necklaces and bobbers as earrings.  Appetizers were served to the tables and then there was a typical rush to the serving tables for the rest of dinner.  We were near the end of the line and as a result we got 2 little lobster tails instead of one as there were leftovers.  We sat across from a couple visiting from Calgary (George & Rhonda) who are originally from Newfoundland and enjoyed chatting with them.

Val graciously agreed to be the DD and got us home about 10.  We sat with them for a short time until Terry just could not keep his eyes open.

May 12th to 15th - Alberta

May 12^th – Sun

We called friends Les & Wendy (who we met in Mexico and who live in Beaumont which isn’t too far away) to invite them over for dinner and luckily they could come. We went shopping in Devon for a few groceries, some alcohol and got the truck washed.  After doughnuts for a late breakfast, we went for a walk between the river and a golf course and picked up 5 lost golf balls.  The dirt road showed damage from the very high river water this year and you could see dirt washed off the steep banks on the other side of the river.

While I did some dinner prep, Terry washed the bugs off the front of the 5^th wheel and I helped him a bit when he continued on down the side.  Luckily Les & Wendy showed up in time to stop that nonsense!

We sat in the shade of a spindly tree to chat for a while but had to move into the shade of the rig when we all got too hot.  We had a nice dinner and a great time catching up.  As usual, it is hard to say goodbye and not know when you will see them again.

May 13^th – Mon

We got a late start for the long drive – 36 miles – to Cliff & Pauline’s in Sherwood Park this morning.  I forgot to ask Pauline for their address and she was on the phone when I called back and Terry took the call when Pauline called back.  This is all prelude to saying that Terry wrote down the wrong street.  We weren’t lost for long – a few minutes – when Cliff called to see why we hadn’t arrived.  He told us to stay put in front of a golf course and came to escort us in a different way to make the turn into their house easier.

We found Pauline, her brother Ray & wife Robin, other brother Al & wife Merilee all busy deboning a pig to make sausage.  Terry backed the rig into a parking spot and we pitched in to help.  Putting the meat though a coarse plate and then a medium plate on a grinder was the next step.  We weighed 15 pounds of meat into a large bowl, Pauline added salt, pepper & preservative dissolved in water and mixed it well.  A bit of the first batch had to be taken into the house and fried so everyone could have a bite and check the seasoning which was pronounced perfect.  They have done away with cleaning their own casings and buy them from a store.  They have to be untangled before being loaded onto the machine that has a crank to squirt the meat into the casings.  The hardest job is to hold the casings with the right pressure to produce firm sausages without breaking the casings.  Ray did a very good job followed closely by Cliff as he was the only other one to get stuck with the job!

The sausages were hung to drip & dry a bit on a large rack made especially for this reason.  They ran out of casings so everything came to a halt while Pauline & Robin went shopping.  Actually, we took the opportunity to put out the slides, set up and show off the rig to Bob & Doreen (we met them in Desert Hot Springs) who had also arrived to make sausage.  Pauline made lunch for everyone while we were finishing & cleaning up.  The next step was to carry the rack to the smoke house and transfer all the sausages to pipes in the smoke house – which was actually built as an outhouse but never used for that purpose.  Cliff put in a large handful of straw, lit it and closed the door.  The straw only burns/smokes for about 20 minutes and then the sausages are left to cool overnight.

After ALL this work, happy hour & dinner made by Pauline – with assistants - were much enjoyed.

May 14^th – Tues

Cliff knocked on our door at 8 to see if we were coming in for coffee & breakfast.  We were just getting ready to head over.  Robin made sausage gravy with the new sausage along with a large handful of meat that stays in the bottom of the “stuffer” and didn’t get smoked.  Ray made crepes on a wonderful propane grill on the sun porch.  Pauline made Saskatoon berry sauce and sliced strawberries with sugar.

Everyone filled their own crepes (dinner plate size) with sausage gravy and/or the fruit sauces.  Believe it or not the berries were quite tasty on top of the meat but I left the whipped cream for my “dessert” crepe.  The eight of us demolished more sausage gravy than I believed possible!

We had barely cleaned up from breakfast when Ray decided to replace Pauline’s oven with a new one that was in the garage as part of a kitchen remodel.  Of course the wiring was a challenge and soon almost everyone was involved somehow – getting tools, helping lift/move and giving “advice”!  The installation and other conversations & visiting went on until Pauline decided we needed a light lunch so we wouldn’t start happy hour on totally empty stomachs.  She made a wonderful noodle & wonton soup and put out cookies left over from Christmas and thawed yesterday – yumyum again!

Ray took a nap after lunch so Cliff & Terry finished the oven installation with some help from me reading the instructions!  Al & Merilee and Ray & Robin went on separate shopping trips so we and Cliff & Pauline played Ponytail Canasta.  I have been threatened with all kinds of harm if I don’t say that the guys won by a huge amount!

When everyone returned, Pauline started dinner and Cliff became Mr. Bartender.  We had yet one more great meal and then most of us played Wizard before heading for bed.

May 15^th – Wed – to Lake Louise AB

We packed up & went in for coffee, muffins & fruit with Cliff & Pauline before we hugged goodbye just after 8.  I am happy to report that this restaurant maintained its 5 Star rating!!

Wanda agreed with Cliff’s clear directions so we were soon heading west with no problems.  We stopped for diesel at 1.13/liter and had a burger for lunch.  We were heading for Golden via Jasper & the national parks so we had to pay $19 for the privilege of driving through the parks.

Believe me when I say that there is still lots of snow above 6000 feet!  There were lots of photo ops.  We had to get more fuel and were held up by a station in the park that charged 1.71/liter!  We didn’t fill up and then wondered if that was a mistake when we started climbing again.

We pulled into Lake Louise Campground and were instructed by a sign to pull into a vacant site and then come back & self-register.  We lucked out with site #1 and didn’t have too far to walk back as we didn’t want to unhook the truck.

There were too many trees for the satellite dish so Terry had to make do with music & computer games while I read and made dinner.  RVs pulled in in a steady stream followed by people walking back to register.  Roads were rough in spots but we got by without much wind today.

May 7th to 11th - Sask to Alberta

May 7^th – Tues - to Watrous SK

We were in no hurry to leave this morning as we didn’t want to run into rush hour traffic.  We took the perimeter road around the southwest corner of Winnipeg and hit Hwy 16 – the Yellowhead.  We stopped for fuel just out of town and had an uneventful drive to the next fuel stop where we also had lunch.  We decided to stop at Watrous as driving all the way to Saskatoon was a little too far and would probably involve heavy traffic.  We were getting low on fuel again but didn’t see a handy station so turned off Hwy 16 when told to do so by Wanda.  I already knew that I didn’t agree with one road so we went past it.  We went past several unpaved roads that Wanda was sure we should take and finally took one that actually had a sign for Watrous and ended up driving nearly 20 miles in the dust.

We got fuel again and this time our credit card was denied!  Terry was so ticked off that he paid cash instead of pulling out our backup card.  As I predicted, before we got to the RV park, we got a phone call from the credit card fraud department as a result of charging 3 large amounts of fuel in one day in Canada.   They removed the hold and we put the number in our phones for future reference.

The RV park office was still open when we arrived at 5:30 and we thought we must have crossed a time zone and gained an hour.  Turns out that Saskatchewan does not observe DST so in the summer the time is the same as Mountain Time.  We didn’t even unhook the truck – just hooked up water & electric and relaxed.  Of course I did have to make dinner.

May 8^th – Wed - to Saskatoon

We left about 9 for the short trip to Saskatoon.  Road construction and an odd route by Wanda slowed us down a bit.  I emailed Don & Susan Jackson from VVV last night to see where they were and if we could get together and we got an email back this morning.  Last night Susan was composing an email to us (they saw in our blog that we were in Winnipeg) and she got a notification that she had an email from us.  They are in Gordon Howe Campground which is where we planned to stay.

We told the office employee that we had friends here and wondered if we could get a space near them.  He said that Don had already been there and said they were expecting company so he knew exactly where to assign us a site.  Don & Susan had to move to a different site and did so today instead of tomorrow when it was originally planned.  Susan is working part time for the summer but was off today so she made lunch for us and then they took us to the casino.

After we had enough fun at the casino, we all went for dinner downtown.  We sat outside for a bit when we got back but it cooled off quickly so we went into their MH and I played with the dog (Waffles) they are looking after for their daughter.

May 9^th – Thurs

Susan had to work today so after I put a roast in the crock pot for dinner, we went to a grocery store.  We wanted to get the truck washed but didn’t see an automatic car wash.  While I was putting groceries away and making dessert, Terry pulled in the large slide to take off a tire that has a slow leak.  He & Don went to a couple of tire stores before they found one that was willing to take on the small job of finding the problem – a small nail – and fixing it.  By the time they got back I was reading a book outside in the sun.  Actually, by then I had moved into the shade!

I took Waffles for a walk and then we all sat outside chatting until it was time for Don to pick Susan up from work.

It was still warm enough to sit outside for a drink & an appetizer but we moved inside for dinner as the sun would be down soon.  We had a great time continuing our blabfest and even called Larry & Suz.  I had made crème brulee for dessert but had to make a couple of 321 cakes for them to try as well.

May 10^th – Fri

It rained shortly after Don & Susan left last night so Terry had to run out and put the chairs away.  Good thing we didn’t find a car wash yesterday.

I made jelly biscuits & cantaloupe for breakfast for all of us.  We then hugged goodbye and Don & Susan left to spend a couple of days at their daughter’s house in Prince Albert.  Laundry was on our list today so we used the clean, bright laundry room here at the RV park.  We got on the internet for a while before it went down again.  It is supposed to be working all over the park by later today.

We were the only ones doing laundry so it went fast and we had time to go to the Dakota Dunes Casino again.  Luckily Terry continued to do OK as I blew through my allowance in a short time.  Computer, dinner & TV filled the evening.

May 11^th – Sat – to Alberta

I didn’t post the blog last night and figured I could do it this morning.  Wrong!!!  The internet was not working again.  I really miss our own Verizon modem that we use in the U.S.

We left about 9 and decided to take Hwy 16 even though Terry talked to a neighbor who said there was a flooded portion yesterday.  We stopped in N. Battleford to check out a casino and have lunch after Terry covered my slot losses again.

We did have to drive through water over the road for a short stretch.  There were a few inches running over the westbound lanes and quite a bit more over the eastbound lanes but traffic was still moving.  There was a huge rubber bladder acting as a dam on our side of the highway and workers were installing pipes to move water away from the low spot.

It ended up being a long day and we pulled into the Lions Campground in Devon about 6.  Just before we got here we HAD to find diesel.  As we were waiting for a slowpoke to pump fuel ahead of us, the “low fuel” indicator came on.  We try very hard not to get in this situation but we kept moving from one freeway to the next with no services obvious from the road.

We set up in a long pull-through that had a water repair done earlier so it has dirt instead of grass in one spot but we felt lucky to be able to get a spot as this large campground is full.  We changed into shorts, set up lawn chairs and relaxed with a drink and an appy.  We walked to the office to check on wifi – supposed to get it – and when the sun went down moved inside for the evening.

May 4th to 6th - ND to Manitoba

May 4^th – Sat – to Grand Forks ND

We decided to break the trip to Winnipeg into 2 days as the 400+ miles pushes our comfort level a bit.  It was a good idea as it gave us time to stop at 2 casinos!  We had an inexpensive breakfast buffet at the first one. 

The RV park in Grand Forks had only electric hookups as they just opened for the season and it is still freezing at night.  Luckily we still had enough water in the rig.  By the time we got here it was time for HH and a great dinner that used up leftovers and dying veggies.

May 5^th – Sun – to Winnipeg

I put remaining veggies on the side of the fridge that can be opened with the slides in so we could reach them if customs didn’t want them coming into Canada.  Not one question was asked about produce and we sailed through with no problems.  There was an odd “pre-check” at customs which we asked about when the regular customs guy finished with us.  It was an export check by the US and required 5 armed officers to ask questions or observe. 

We sucked up a lot of diesel fighting a head wind yesterday & today.  The Red River was very high and in some spots flooded fields on both sides of the highway and filled the center gulley between north & southbound lanes.  We checked into Travellers RV before noon and again have only electricity as the water & sewer are frozen.  But it still costs $33 plus tax per night.

We set up and I made breakfast for lunch before we called Brad & Clare who were on our street in Mesa.  We called them a couple of days ago and Clare immediately invited us for dinner.  We ran a couple of errands – propane, bank – before heading to their house where we sat outside for HH and even ate outside.  When it cooled off we moved inside but Terry faded quite soon and we came back after making plans to golf tomorrow.

May 6^th – Mon

We had coffee and a light breakfast before Brad & Clare arrived at 10 to take us sightseeing and then golfing.  We went to The Forks which is downtown where the Assiniboine & Red Rivers converge.  We walked around the area, took pictures and then went to a BBQ place for a good lunch.  We were early for a 1:45 tee time and were able to tee off at 1:30.  The golf course just opened Saturday and had some scruffy greens and some muddy spots but wasn’t too bad.  We walked the 18 hole course and all of us ran out of steam so we skipped holes 15 & 16 which was easy due to the layout of the course.

We stopped at a liquor store on the way back to Brad & Clare’s house where Clare had chili in the crock pot for dinner.  Of course we had to relax for a bit with a drink – mostly waters! – after the tough golf game.  About 8 we figured it was time for them to take us back & get the clubs packed back into the rig.

We had a marvelous time here with our new friends and we were all happy that the weather cooperated by being nice for 2 days.  It is supposed to be cooler tomorrow.

A weld on our step broke a short while ago and Terry bought some braces to fix it so he decided to do so tonight.  I ended up out there with him holding the flashlight and we got it fixed.

May 1st to 3rd - to South Dakota

May 1^st – Wed

We were a little lazier this morning and enjoyed relaxing with coffee, TV and miscellaneous cleanup & organizing.  Gloria called about 10 to say that they were going to come see us at the casino earlier than we had planned yesterday as the weather forecast is for snow later this evening.  I called our friends Clem & Marlene in SD and we will stop there to see them when we leave here.

We went to the casino and donated a bit before D&G arrived.  We all played slots before having a great lunch and then continued gambling.  The casino here is huge & very nice.  D&G left around 2 as some slushy rain was starting and they also didn’t want to hit rush hour traffic.  We stayed a bit longer.

We had a couple of errands to run – thank you Wanda for getting us there & back! – and then hunkered down for the evening.  We had such a large lunch that we had snacks for dinner.  We got a new Atlas with laminated pages and are going to transfer over all the highlighted roads that we have travelled.  The old Atlas had pages with maps of Western US, Central US, Eastern US, Northern Corridor & New England so I copied those pages and taped them to pages in the new Atlas that we won’t use.  I finally talked to Marg.  The 2 hour time difference makes calling more of a challenge as it us usually morning or evening when we talk so I have to wait until she gets up or until she gets home in the evening after badminton, pickleball or visiting.

May 2^nd – Thurs – to Madison SD

We did laundry at the RV park before we left this morning since we wanted to wait until after rush hour anyhow.  We didn’t get snow last night but Gloria said they got quite a bit.

Some of the roads today were bumpy and gusts of wind blew us around for the whole trip to Madison SD.  We called Phyllis who stays in VVV for the winter and met her for lunch in Pipestone which was right on our way.  We parked in a cul-de-sac at her condo and she drove a short distance to a new Mexican restaurant where we had a very good lunch.

We pulled into Lake Herman State Park about 3:30, got a site (which we decided was too slanted and picked another), set up and called Clem & Marlene to invite them over for dinner.

We had a great time catching up with them.  We connected the computer to the TV so when we talked about something that included a photo, I could just find it in Picasa and show it on the TV.

May 3^rd – Fri

Clem & Marlene picked us up at 9 for a trip to a new casino.  We didn’t realize it was in Larchwood, Iowa which is about an hour from here so we continued our gab-fest on the way.  We arrived a bit too late for breakfast so we gambled a bit until the lunch buffet opened at 11.  After lunch it was back to the slots.  I had won money before lunch but finally gave it all back.  Clem & Marlene were surprised that they gambled for so long with so little lost and Terry hit a bonus right before we left that put us up by about $30 which is OK.

We stopped at the park office when we got back to pay for another day - they weren’t open when we left this morning.  Then Clem & Marlene took us to dinner at a restaurant on a lake.  We did a bit of sightseeing, stopped at their house for a drink and then they drove us back.  We didn’t drive as we left the truck hooked up and C&M’s house is only a couple of miles away.  Seems like we cram a lot into a short time but the number of laughs should fill a week.