August 28 to 31, 2014; Final days at Sushwap Provincial Park

AUG  28 to 31; Our final working days
We woke up to rain this morning!?  But the sun did come back in the afternoon.  Busy day at work as we were one guy short.  The Park is pretty empty but it will be full for this Long Labor Day Week-End.   Everyone said their GOODBYES to Jordan as this is her last day; she leaves tomorrow for Cranbrook where she will be a teaching Aid (whenever they get back to work from their strikes).  Second day was busy and rainy but we made it through without getting too wet.  Everybody at work is in such happy mood lately!  Sunday the 31^st was quite boring as no one left so there were no sites to clean, only recycling and a few odds & ends.

Another month gone by and only ONE day left at work!

August 21 to 27, 2014; Work and daily routine

AUG  21 to 25, WORK!
First day back was busy but fun; everyone is in a good mood, nearing the end!  The weather was very pleasant all week; we had warmed days but not hot with fresh mornings.  The fire ban is off so everyone in the Park is happy to have a fire.  Sunday evening, we met some of our crew at Scotch Creek Pub to say goodbye to Johanna and her husband Doug (who also work in the Park) as they leaving on the 2^nd of September for Alberta to work and live.  They also bought a new Montana fifth-wheel.  In attendance were Jordan and her friend, Steph, Jeff and Donna and us.  We had a good dinner and a nice time.  We were home by 9 pm and I was in bed by 9:30 pm.  Monday being our “Friday” was quiet with few sites to clean.  Came home by 3:45 and had a shower then a glass of wine and relaxed before dinner.  After dinner, we went to Dennis & Ruth’s house and visited with his son Tim and his two boys; Carter and Ethan.  Also present were Dan and Heather and Kim.  We had a very pleasant evening and we came home around 10 pm.  Val went to bed and I decided to have one last glass of wine so I opened one and dropped it on the floor with the end results wine everywhere.  I cleaned up what I thought was all of it and went to bed.

 

AUG  26, Tuesday; Wash Day!
When we got up this morning, Val found wine stain on the couch and the wood floor.  She was silent about it and we cleaned it up;  I guess it will come to haunt me later!!! J.  After a healthy breakfast of bacon and eggs, I went out and washed “Beaver” from top to bottom, end to end!  Val did the laundry.  It is sunny and warm today!  I was going to do the inside of the Jeep but gave up; just too hot!  Dinner then we watched the tube for a while and spent some time sitting out enjoying a very nice evening.

 

AUG  27, Wednesday; Shopping and more cleaning
After a lazy morning, we drove to Sorrento where I got one year insurance for BEAVER, mailed my tax papers and picked some meds that I short on.  Onward to Salmon Arm where I bought a new pillow at Wal-Mart then we picked up Val’s rings which were re-aligned.  From here, we stopped for breakfast at PG family restaurant.  Although the prices are good, the service is very, very slow.  It took over a half hour to get our breakfast.  Oh well, live and learn!  We stopped for gas then picked up our mail.  Finally made it to Save-on-Foods and got our groceries.  One last thing to do…an oil change for the Jeep then home.  We unloaded the Jeep and I proceeded to clean the inside while Val put everything away.  Afterwards, I BBQ’ed hamburgers for dinner.  Relax was the word for the evening and we made our lunches for work tomorrow

August 14 to 20, 2014; Work and shopping

AUG  14 to 18; Work, work, work!
We finally got some rain on Thursday, not much though!  The heat wave continues!  I talked to Rochelle and Kevin last night and all is well at that end.  Graeme is continuing on the renovations of their new house, Hayley is moving to a new apartment with a new roommate and Vanessa is doing well.  They are looking forward to seeing Gaetan & Josette.
Work was somewhat slow and wet the first 3 days.  Campers are winding down and most Albertans have gone home to get ready for school and work.  Last day was sunny and quiet; looking forward to two days off… only 2 weeks of work left.

 

AUG  19, Tuesday; clean up at home
We spent the day doing laundry and clean-up.  I took a few items to the storage that we won’t need for the winter as we are spending it here in BC.  It was cloudy most of the day.  I washed the car and the Jeep then it began raining; go figure!!!  We had a small Happy Hour with Gail and Bob and a neighbour from down the street, Bill.  After dinner, we watched some of the recording I had made previously.  We tried to call Jenaya but there was no answer at home.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO GRAND-DAUGHTER JENAYA!  11 years old!

 

AUG  20, Wednesday; Shopping in Salmon Arm
After a late morning and a shower, we went to Salmon Arm for a doctor’s appointment (nothing serious).  On the way in I stopped at the RV store to get my pump checked and found out that it is the small control that needs replacing.  I will have to make a phone call to Arizona!  Val had to drop off her rings and a necklace to be repaired then we went to gas up at Husky.  The appointments over, we went to the grocery store to re-supply our cupboards then came home.  After putting everything away, we sat for a drink then had dinner and spent a quiet evening at home.  I was in bed by 9:30 pm.  Back to work tomorrow

 

August 7 to 13, 2014; Audrey and Marcel's visit

AUG  7 to 11; Back to more work and family visit
Val went to bottle our wine on Friday.  We heard from Gaetan and he is arriving in Calgary on the 30^th then driving here.  Val’s sister is arriving this coming Sunday and will be staying until Thursday.  We had a quick drink with Theresa and Ron then BBQ a couple steaks with a salad.  Saturday evening we walked up to Mark and his wife’s place and had a drink with them then we went to Ron and Theresa to say goodbye as they are going back to the coast tomorrow.  Audrey (Val’s sister) and hubby Marcel arrived on Sunday for a couple days visit.  We went to the Pub on Sunday for the Roast Beef dinner.  Monday evening was our time to get drunk in the yard with the propane fire place.  They are staying at the Quaaout Lodge tonight.

 

AUG  12, Tuesday; Time with family
We got a call this morning that Marcel had problems with the Jeep.  It turns out it will be out of service for a few weeks so we decided to drive them to Rocky Mountain House in Alberta, a 9-10 hours drive.  We left around 11 am and after a long drive with a couple fuel and lunch break, we arrived at Curt and Carol’s place where Aud and Marcel’s motorhome is situated.  We had a nice but short visit with Curt and Carol and finally hit the sack at 11:30 pm, BC Time as we lost an hour by being in Alberta. 

 

AUG  13, Wednesday; Back to Gateway
We were up by 9 am local time and Curt showed us around.  What a beautiful place; they own 159 acres and have total privacy.  It is about 30 km out of town and very isolated which they like.  They were wonderful host and after a perfect and full breakfast we unfortunately had to say our goodbyes.  Big hugs all around and we were on the road by 11:30 am local time.  We were home by 7 pm and in bed by 10 pm.  It was a busy and hectic two days off.

 

August 1 to 6, 2014; Goodbye Tucker, a very sad moment, indeed!

AUGUST  1-4, 2014; Work at Provincial Park
Another hot day at work!  Gateway has a lot of people in now, all wanting to enjoy BC DAY long week-end; all our neighbours have arrived!  There was a meeting on Saturday morning about the rules and regulations with the committee which I am part of but missed due to work.  From what I hear it went well and some new ideas were put forth.  The biggest controversy was allowing ATV and dirt bikes in the Park.  Anyway, I ended the night at Al and Dana for a drink of wine then it was home to bed.  The rest of the week was uneventful except for Sunday evening when we celebrated Ron’s birthday next door to us.  Quite a few people showed up and Tucker was in attendance and got to be petted by almost everyone.  He went home happy but sore and tired from all that excitement.

 

AUG  5, Tuesday; Goodbye to a wonderful friend and companion
Today was extremely hard, sad and yet a relief that our little bundle of Joy and Happiness, TUCKER, is no longer suffering.  He was in constant pain whenever he moved or turned in his sleep.  The meds that he was on were no longer satisfying for him so it was time!  I called the Vet and made an appointment for 3:30 pm to put an end to his suffering.  He died at 4 pm and is now in heaven with all his friends (Spone, Ruby, Gracie and a couple others) and maybe even his family.  It was extremely hard and lonely to come home without him and seeing all his stuff lying around.  I picked up and put away most of his stuff such as toys, bed, water and food bowls and his favorite blanket.  We had a few cries in the evening and I posted a little memorial for him on Facebook. 

 

AUG  6, Wednesday; Trying to adjust
I put Tucker’s stuff in storage then washed the windows on the Jeep.  I went to Sorrento and renewed the insurance on the jeep and my meds for the next two months.  On the way in, there was an accident where a trucker went off the road and into the lake.  He had to be really speeding for the way he went in!?  We went to Chase to pick up some groceries, came home and put that away.  The rest of the day was emotional, remembering our little buddy!  I MISS HIM SO MUCH ALREADY!!!