June 29 & 30, 2013; End of another month

JUN 29 & 30; end of another month

We went out for dinner Friday night as it was Donna & Marcel’s and Bob & Gail’s anniversaries.  We had a yard sale on Sunday the 30^th, from 8:30 am to noon.  I put a few things out and the Park Committee had a donated items sale at the front entrance.  From what I hear, it was a good show.  Today was a hot day and sunny, I had the A/C on all day

June 22 to 28, 2013; Lee Creek and surprise visitors

JUN  22, Saturday, Surprise visit!!!
Our neighbours across the road came in last night so we have someone else to talk to.  We were still in our pyjamas when a there was a knocking on our wall.  I wondered who would be out visiting at this time of the day (9:30 am) and when I poked my head out, there standing was Kathy (Val’s sister) and Louie from Geraldton, Ontario.  What a shocker!!!  We invited them in and had a wonderful reunion.  I called Brook and rented his trailer next door for the next two nights.  Val had a haircut appointment at 1 PM and afterwards we went to Salmon Arm to do some shopping.  We went to Boston Pizza for dinner, compliments of Kathy and Louie, and then we came home and watched the hockey game.  We called it quit early as they were both tired.

 

JUN  23, Sunday,
We had a mix of sun and clouds but no rain.  We went to Chase and stopped at “Home Hardware” as Val was looking for a narrow but deep laundry basket.  We didn’t find one so we went for lunch before picking up some groceries and ended up in Scotch Creek as the restaurant we went to appeared to be really slooooowwww!  We went to “FRIENDS” and that place is under new MNGMT so we couldn’t get any beer with our lunch.  Afterwards, we picked the necessary groceries then came home and relaxed.  For dinner we had hamburger cooked on the BBQ then we watched the movie”Impossible”, about a family caught in the tsunami in Thailand.

 

JUN  24, Monday, Visitors leave
Woke up to more rain, how boring but it was forecast!  Kathy and Louie left around 10:30 am this morning.  It is lunch time and the rain has finally let off.  We went to Chase to return the movie we rented yesterday.  At 4 PM, Bob and Gail arrived back from Williams Lake and joined us for Happy Hour and so did Dennis and Ruth.  We caught up to their news then it was dinner and hockey.  We got a call from Audrey and she says that she heard we can no longer get Star Choice service in the USA!??  Will have to investigate that more in depth.

 

JUN  25, Tuesday; Orientation at the Park
We were both up by 7 AM and headed to the Provincial Park for our 9 AM “Orientation Day”.  It lasted 4 hrs and we were served hamburgers and hot dogs for lunch (free of course).  Afterwards we went to Chase to return a couple movies then came home.  The sun was shining for most of the day.  We had HH at Donna and Marcel however, as yesterday, it began to rain so we called it quit just in time as it just poured and we even had thunder and lightning.  We watched a couple movies after dinner.

 

JUN  26, Wednesday; Last day of rest 
First thing this morning, I went to the Health clinic in Chase to have some blood test then came home and had a bite to eat and a coffee ( I had to fast since 8 pm yesterday).  Shaw’s technician came in around 11 am to install our new HDPVR; unfortunately, to have this hooked up we need two lines coming in and, as hard as he tried, he never did find a second line coming in so we had to cancel our order.  He did say that once we have our new satellite installed on the roof, that we could have it done then so that’s we will do.  In the meantime, he did hook up a line so that we could have HD.  We had HH at Gail and Bob then dinner and watched a movie afterwards.  This is my last day of freedom, tomorrow I start work, five days a week, 10 AM to 5:30 PM.

 

JUNE  27, Thursday; first day of work for me
It went well and felt good being back doing something productive.  The weather held for us at the Park although it did rain here in Lee Creek.  I came home around 5:40 pm and joined the group for HH.  Val says she spent the day doing laundry, shopping for groceries and mailing some letters; sounds like a busy day for her too.  I was in bed by 10 PM!

 

JUN  28, Friday; Back to work for BOTH of us.
Val went to work at 6 AM this morning; she works until 2 PM.  I go at 10 AM until 5:30 PM!  The sun is shining this morning, will it last!???  I walked Tucker, made my lunch then off to work I go!  Back at home and dinner!  It was muggy today.  I am not sure what to do about this blog.  The next couple months are going to be very repetitive with little to report!  I am thinking of reporting once a week and highlight the main event.  This may be the best way to go.

JUNE 17 to 21, 2013; To Hope then home

JUN  17, Monday; Back to Hope, BC

We said our goodbyes to Rochelle (Kevin was done last evening) and she went to work; we packed up and drove to O’Connor’s to dump then to “Fountain Tire” to re-torque the wheel nuts on the motorhome.  We then hooked up the Jeep and headed East on Hwy 1 to Hope for one last visit with Johnny.  We stopped at Flying J where I fuelled @ 1.24/ltr then to Johnny and Irais’s place.  Shannon was home (she's finished school for the summer) and she gave us a power cord so that we could have power.  Johnny and Irais were home by 4:30 pm and after a “catch-up to news” and a drink, we went out to a Japanese restaurant which turned out to be closed so we settle for Chinese food.  We came home and proceeded to have a few drinks and some heavy conversations on the Big Bang theory and God (Irais does not believe in the Big Bang theory).  We ended the conversation when we realized it was past 11 pm and they have to work in the morning.  We said goodnight and goodbye as we won't see them in the morning then called it a day.

We travelled 47 miles @ an average 47 MPH

 

JUNE  18, Tuesday; Back home in the Shuswap
After saying goodbye to Shannon, we left Hope around 11 AM under cloudy sky and headed North on Hwy 5.  We hit a few rain showers along the way.  In Merritt we stopped for brunch.  Back on the road, we headed for Kamloops and stopped at “CUMMINS” to pick up a fuel line and an air filter that was on back-order then it was onward to our “Home Base” in Lee Creek.  After setting up, we went over to Donna and Marcel for a drink then came home, had dinner and had a relaxing evening watching reruns on the tube.

We travelled 72 miles @ an average 48 MPH in 4 hrs

 

JUNE  19, Wednesday; Lee Creek
Rain, rain, rain!  It rained non-stop all day!  We went to Salmon Arm to pick up our mail and some groceries; of course it rained all the way there and back.  We got home and put the groceries away then relax with a glass of wine.  I noticed a window that leaks at the end of the slide on the driver side.  I took the screen off and wiped it down.  That seemed to help some but I am keeping an eye on it.  I suspect the rubber seal outside is defective; need to call son-in-law Kevin for advice.  We bought a chicken for dinner so we had that with potatoes and gravy.  Watched the tube in the evening and went to bed by 11 PM

 

JUNE  20, Thursday;
We are the only one left here on this side; Marcel and Donna are gone to Kelowna, Ruth and Dennis are gone to Summerland, Judy and Ed are in Alberta and Bob and Gail are  gone to a funeral, it feels lonely here!!!  It was cloudy and cool all day but the rain held off.  I fixed the shower head and a couple of other little items.  Val got busy vacuuming and washing the floors.  For dinner, we had a stir-fry then relaxed after an evening walk.

 

June 21, Friday, First day of Summer
We sure hope it is a good omen...the sun came out and shined brightly and warmly on us today.  I had an eye specialist appointment in Salmon Arm first thing this morning so had to be up early; all is well!  I came home and loaded 3 boxes of empty bottles then drove to Chase, after walking Tucker, to bottle more wine.  Val worked in her garden most of the day and laundry.  We sat out for a drink then it was dinner and watched a movie in the evening.

 

June 14 to 16, 2013; Vanessa Graduation and Father's Day

JUN  14, Friday; to Abbottsford for graduation
We left the house at 9 am and arrived at the UFV Campus right on time for the start of the Graduation ceremony.  We watched Vanessa receive her diploma in Bachelor of General Art in History Major and English minor and a Diploma in Liberal Arts.  We are ALL so very proud of her achievements.  There were well over 100 students in the ceremony so it took a long time, including all the speeches.  We took some pictures afterwards then it was off to Cactus Cafe for lunch with everyone.  Sid and Vera drove with us.  We came back to Jeff’s house around 3 pm and took Debbie and the dogs over to a dog park.  Jeffrey joined us there after work then we came home.  We installed the closet that Jeff built in his shop, took some pictures then had a relaxing drink.  We drove to the Pub for dinner and a good time.  It was very busy place and noisy.  We were in bed by 11 PM
 

Dad (Kevin), Vanessa (the Graduate), Garrette (husband), Hayley (sister), Mom (Rochelle)

 

JUN  15, Saturday, time on the boat then back to Chilliwack.
I uploaded a bunch of pictures in Folder #104 if anyone is interested!  We finally have a sunny day!!!  After showering and breakfast, we headed to Coquitlam at Rey’s Marina where Jeff keeps his boat (very nice).  We went out and drove to False Creek harbour in Vancouver.  We had a beer there at anchor and after a while, we came back, moored the boat and headed home to Langley, arriving around 7 PM.  We had a great day and the boat performed without a flaw. We had steak and salad for dinner and Debbie made a warm English style potato salad which was quite different but delicious.  After a short visit and saying our goodbyes until tomorrow, we hooked up the Jeep and left for Chilliwack arriving around 10:30 PM and finding a car parked in our spot at Rochelle & Kevin so we parked on the main driveway.  We were soon in bed!

 

JUN  16, Sunday; Father’s Day!
Another very nice day; The car in our spot finally moved so we moved the Beaver back to its spot and about 10 minutes later Rochelle and Kevin arrived from Harrison Hot Spring where they had attended a wedding yesterday.  We all got busy getting everything ready.  Father’s Day luncheon was attended by all the Grand-Parents, Mom and Dad and the kids; Jeffrey and Debbie also attended.  Rochelle had cooked a huge ham, Farmer Sausage and lots of add-ons.  It was a success.  We had lots of laughs, some at the expense of Grand-Son Graeme who has a date tonight.  It is so fantastic to share this moment with a Loving family.  Everyone went home some time in the afternoon and we ended up having a snooze for a couple hours. 

June 10 to 13, 2013; Chilliwack to Langley, BC

JUN  10, Monday, CHWK
A sunny day!  We went to visit Vanessa & Garrett’s new house; Very nice!  It has three bedrooms on a 3 level townhouse overlooking the Chwk valley.  We had a nice visit but soon had to leave as they had to go to work.  We drove to TIM HORTON and picked up 3 coffees then on to Kevin and Rochelle’ new shop.  The new sign is up above the entrance and looks great and the front entrance is pretty well finish and also looks great.  We are so proud of them!  We came home and read until the kids were home then had dinner: BBQ’s ribs, a Greek salad.  It was all delicious and then proceeded to empty 3 bottles of wine then the girls  turned to gin and tonic.  Finally went to bed at 10 PM

 

JUN  11, Tuesday; Wheel alignment
We were up by 7 AM and drove to GREEN ACRES where I had a wheel alignment done on  “Little Beaver”.  They recommended that I have the tires rotated so I took it to FOUNTAIN TIRE and had that done too.  I brought our “Baby” back home, parked and hooked up.  We read for the rest of the day; although it was sunny, this was not a warm day.  For dinner, Val made her famous meatball and mash potatoes which was a success with Kevin.  We watched a movie in the evening then went home to bed.

 

JUN  12, Wednesday; CHWK, spare key cut
It rained overnight and cloudy this morning!  Val did a load of laundry and I filled the water tank again.  We also discovered that there is still a leak at the toilet bowl; very frustrating.  Anyway, we went to town to “Liquor Store” where they were having a sale on some wine so we bought some.  We also bought one for dinner tonight.  We stopped at O’Connor Jeep and Chrysler and I had a spare key cut for the Jeep.  Rochelle cooked us a delicious pork medallion in an orange sauce which was absolutely delicious.  Val made a salad and rice for the dish.  Their friends, Russ and Cathy, were also present and we had a great evening laughing.  We finally went to bed by midnight.

 

JUN  13, Thursday; To Langley
We were up by 7 AM, showered, walked Tucker then we drove to “Mark’s Worldwear” and bought shorts for ourselves and a frock for me to work around.  We had a quick coffee at T.H., picked a couple coffees for R & K then drove to the shop to hand them their coffees.  We said our goodbyes, drove back to the house, got the M.H. and drove to “O’Connor’s” to dump.  We finally got on Hwy 1 and drove West to North Langley to Jeffrey’s shop where him and I proceeded to take the washing machine out and built shelves in there then we tore the shelve off in the bedroom and began constructing a closet.  We got the wood cut and called it quit as it was 6 pm by then.  We had a beer, a chat then drove to Jeffrey’s house where Debbie cooked us a great dinner of spare ribs (Jeff’s favorite).  We sat and chatted for a while then it was time for an early bed as everyone was tired.  Jeff’s new home (rented) is great looking and well situated in a very quiet area.  It has three bedrooms and a very nice yard for the dogs (they have two).

June 4 to 9, 2013; Chilliwack, Langley and Coquitlam

JUN  4, Tuesday; to Chilliwack
We said goodbye to Shannon and Irais and were on the road by 8:40 AM!  We drove west on Hwy 1 to Chilliwack and got off at Yale Road to ROADMASTER where we left the Jeep and the MH to have the Base Plate installed on the Jeep.  We got the vehicles back at 3 PM but he didn’t install the hitch at the back of the Jeep so will have to come back.  We went for breakfast in a small place just down the road then Rochelle picked us up and we drove to her place after visiting Kevin in the new shop on Young St.  I also made an appointment for the MH at Green Acres for a wheel alignment.  We drove to the house and visited with Rochelle and read for a while.  After picking up the vehicles, Val drove home while I went to O’CONNOR to dump the tanks then came to the house and parked.  We had steak and potatoes with vegetables for dinner then Vanessa and Garrett came over for a visit.  She is all brown as they went to CANCUN for two weeks.  Hayley came over earlier and we caught up to her news too.  We had a nice visit with them all and look forward seeing them again.

N  49* 07.800’

W 121* 57.763’
ALT: 53 feet

We drove 38 miles in 50 minutes @ 42 MPH average

 

JUN  5, Wednesday, Chwk
Cloudy but it cleared later in the morning.  A relaxing day for us; Val did laundry and I filled the water tank.  We spent the day relaxing, sleeping and reading.  Rochelle got home at 4 PM, Kevin around 5 PM and Jeffrey and Debbie arrived about that time too.  We visited while having happy hour then Val cooked a vegetable stir fry with chicken.  Everyone devoured it in no time (it was popular) then, after clearing the table, we sat around chatting until Jeff and Debbie had to leave for home (they live in Langley, about 40 minutes from here).  We soon after went to bed after clearing the table and putting everything in the dishwasher.

 

JUN  6, Thursday; Haircut for Tucker
We took Tucker for his haircut around 10:30 AM.  Afterwards, we went grocery shopping then picked up 5 coffee and tidbits at TIM HORTON and took the works to Kevin’s shop for everyone there.  Everyone took a break then we left them to continue their work.  We came home, unpacked and Val started preparing the lasagna dinner for later.  I set a couple traps for mice as we have found evidence of an unwanted guest.  I had bought a couple of different gourmet sausages so I cut them up and served them for HH.  Johnny, Irais and Shannon arrived around 6 PM so we served dinner then visited afterwards for a while.  They left around 9 PM and we all called it quit about an hour later.  It was a very nice and warm day!

 

JUN  7, Friday, more work on the Jeep
RAIN!  But it did clear up later in the afternoon.  We read for a good part of the morning and I also did some minor repair inside.  Our investor came over to discuss a few things and to have a look at our new rig.  In the afternoon, I took the jeep back to TRADEMASTER and had the receiver installed at the back.  We joined Kevin and Rochelle for a drink then Hayley and her boyfriend Brad came over and joined us.  We all went out for dinner at “ORIGINAL JOE” for dinner.  Vanessa and Garrett work there so she served us.  Dinner was great and Vanessa bought our table a chocolate cake and ice cream for dessert.  We came home and everyone went to their own bed so we came home and I worked on my blog.

 

JUN  8, Saturday; To Langley
Sid and Vera (Kevin’s parents) came over this morning so we visited with them for a while then we left for Langley where Jenaya (Val’s grand-daughter) was playing soccer.  After her games, we drove over the new Portman Bridge which is now toll, to John and Joanne’s house in Coquitlam.  We had lunch and visited with McKinley, what a little darling.  Jenaya is working on a science project that has to do with salt, water and the effects of it in caves.  She was building a mock-up she proudly showed us.  For dinner, we had BBQ chicken and salad with BBQ vegetables.  We finally left around 9:30 and were home by 11 PM.  It was a great visit.

 

JUN  9, Sunday, Chwk
Cloudy and windy but the sun did shine through from time to time.  We went to town then basically stayed around the house and read and napped.  Rochelle invited Sid and Vera for dinner and she served chicken and vegetable and Sid’s famous potato salad.  We visited for a while then they went home and so did we soon after.
I POSTED NEW PICS IN FOLDER #104 PICASA

June 1 to 3, 2013; Logan Lake and Hope, BC

JUNE  1, 2013, Saturday; Logan Lake
Cloudy this morning, we have WIFI here!  Lots happening in town: there is a garage/yard sale, a meeting of bikers, sales in the village mall and a huge antique car parts sale with an antique car show. There were lots of people about from Merritt, Kamloops and other areas.  After showering, I took Tucker for his morning walk then we went into town to pay for our spot and look around.  We ended meeting the crew at the BULL’s PUB where we all had beer and lunch and I had my fix of Bull’s Ribs.  We drove back to our place where everyone piled in and admired our new home.
At 5 PM, we went back to the Bull’s Pub where our friends Pat and Rick were celebrated for their 30^th Wedding Anniversary.  We met again with old friends from the village and met new ones.  Of course, Lynden, Charlene, Mike, Donna and Trenton also joined us.  Dinner consisted of Roast Pork, mash potatoes, carrots and broccoli mixed in a delicious sauce, gravy, salad and dessert.  All was delicious and I even had second.  We chatted with everyone and finally called it quit around 8 PM.  We went to the Kirkby’s for a nightcap and called a night around 11 PM.  We said our goodbyes and hugged everyone then came home and to bed

 

JUN  2, Sunday; To Hope, BC visiting brother Johnny and his new girlfriend
It rained overnight and the sky is threatening more this morning.  We left around 10 AM and arrived in the town of Hope at my brother and girlfriend Irais around 1:30 PM.  We drove down 97C to Merritt where we stopped for breakfast at TIM HORTON then headed south on Hwy 5.  Irais had lunch ready for us when we got here then we set up and chatted and got to know brother Johnny’s girlfriend.  John wanted to go to Chilliwack, 30 miles away, to pick up a sofa but once there, he finally realized that it wouldn’t fit in the back of the Jeep so we drove back to Hope via Hwy 7 where he showed me where he works in Agassiz.  At hope we sat around for HH then cooked hamburgers for all.  Irais is Hispanic and has a daughter named Shannon, a 15 yr old who is very nice and pretty.  After dinner, we sat around and enjoyed a good conversation getting to know each other.  We finally went to bed by 11 PM as they both have to work tomorrow.

N 49* 23.267’
W 121* 26.876’
ALT: 139 Feet

We drove 109 miles in 2hrs and 20 minutes at an Av. 47 MPH

 

JUN  3, Monday; Hope, BC
We woke up to a warm, sunny day; Irais and Johnny went to work and Shannon to school.  After showering, we went to town to look around and stopped at a grocery store where we bought some stuff for dinner tonight.  We spent the rest of the day reading and snoozing.  Everyone was home by 4 pm and after HH, we cooked steaks and Val made a salad.  Dinner was delicious and we had great conversations.  We called it quit at 9 PM as everyone has to work again tomorrow and we are headed out to Chilliwack for an appointment.