Still Raining

Another week flew by in Costa Rica.  I would recommend to anybody who wants to vacation here, to wait until after the rainy season is done.  We have had rain everyday since arriving on the coast.  So far we’ve only been caught in it once. 

It’s usually sometime in the afternoon; and it’s very refreshing to have the humidity let up while it’s raining.  We aren’t complaining though… cause it’s way better than snow.  Looks like we escaped just at the right time.

We have our own washer/dryer in our condo; and it was an added extra bonus.  I've been using a laundry mat for 4 ½ years; and it’s wonderful to have on-site facilities.  So that’s what we did on Tuesday, some laundry and some cleaning.  And a relaxing day for the rest.

A few weeks back we needed to get some money out; and it was our first introduction to the banking system here.  Very small bank; with an armed guard, who opened the door for us.  He then asked us to remove our hats.  There was only one teller; and he was behind bullet proof glass.  We were the only ones in there.  Only problem was, they wouldn’t let us take money out of our account, only off the credit card.  And they didn’t have a bank machine.

On Wednesday, we needed to get some more cash out; and stopped at the first bank that we came across.  This time there was a bank machine; but you can only get US funds or colones.  You get more colones for a USD than a Canadian dollar.

So into the bank we went.  This time, as the 2 armed guards were pointing at our hats, we were one step ahead, and the hats were already in the process of being removed.  Guess a hat obscures your face too much; if you were ever stupid enough to try to rob a bank here!

This time we were also wanded down and I was asked to open my bag.  There were lots of people in the bank, but the air conditioning felt sooo good after a long walk; that we decided to wait.  The guard directed us to a machine; where we got our number.  Then he pointed to chairs; and indicated that we sit.  Kind of reminded me of waiting at the passport office, or to renew your drivers license.

It’s a good thing that there were chairs and that it was cool in there, cause it took us 45 minutes to change some US funds to colones.  Also, nobody stands in the bank, except if your already at the teller.  Like I said, you’d have to be a “few bricks short of a load” to try and rob a bank here.

Mind you, you also have to be very patient.  The tellers and slow and even our simple transaction took the better part of 5 minutes.

We then continued on to walk the rest of main street.  We were hoping to stop and get a fruit smoothie, but they were closed.  So onto the post office we continued… which was a the opposite end of town.  Off the main street, in a dilapidated old building.  Costs more for 8 stamps then it did for 2 smoothies.  Then off to Rustico's for another delicious dinner.  $8.00 for both, and that includes a huge plate and a drink! 

And today we headed back to the grocery store for a few more things.  We decided to buy a blender to make our own smoothies; and don’t you know, the thing broke within the first few minutes.  Guess we’ll be back there tomorrow to get another one.  We did manage to puree the fruit enough, but something else was missing; and it wasn’t near as good as the place downtown.  But we’ve got 5 more months to master making a smoothie.  Any suggestions out there in blog land for a fruit smoothie?

Take a look at our pictures.

Living in Paradise

Well, we’ve been on our own for an entire week.  And so far, so good.

We ventured into town last Monday, and took in the sights and sounds of downtown Jaco.  Very reminiscent of most beach communities.  Lots of shops selling their wares on both sides of the street.

From our condo to the edge of town is roughly a half an hour walk.  Once on the main street, we slow down and just stroll taking in as much as possible. 

That first afternoon, a man was selling adventure tours.  We said no thanks; and continued on walking.  He then asked if we were from Canada.  Which we responded yes to.  He had noticed the Canadian flag pin on Mike’s Tilley hat.  Turns out he lived in Vancouver, BC for a few years.  Herman already asked for the pin; which we will give him, but not until we leave here. 

I do get a kick when people ask where were from and we respond Canada.  They then ask where in Canada; and we say London, Ontario.  Which, usually brings on a response of “London, England, I thought you said you lived in Canada?”  Much easier just to say we live in Toronto.  Everybody knows about Toronto.  And this isn’t just people here… many Americans have asked the same thing.

On Tuesday, we walked around our complex just checking things out.  We live up a hill; and there’s a few more complexes, plus a couple of fancy hotels all in the same area.  By the time we got back to our place, we were in desperate need of a shower.  Everything seems uphill around here; plus throw in high humidity; and boy oh boy the sweat just pours off of us!

Wednesday, we hiked to the grocery store.  It’s only about a 20 minute walk from here.  Found a nice short cut, down the stairs for our pool; down a short hill and then it’s only another 700 metres up the road. 

Thursday, we spent some time lounging at the pool.  It’s three condos over from us; but 65 stairs down a switch back concrete staircase.  Can’t see a need to have a gym membership here; you get quite the work out just opening the front door.  It’s 3 levels up to the road.

Friday, we discovered an unsecured internet connection at the complex across from us.  Posted the blog; and then made some Skype phone calls.  It was wonderful to talk to so many of our family and friends. 

While on the phone to Dave, Mike’s youngest brother, a Tucan flew right past us and landed in a tree.  But unfortunately the camera was at home.  It’s the second time we’ve seen Tucan’s over at that pool complex, and I’m sure we’ll get a shot sooner or later.

Saturday, we walked back downtown.  We stopped and talked to Herman again, and asked him where the locals ate.  He told us about a place called Rustico. 

We continued on down the main street; stopping again for a fresh fruit smoothie.  This time pineapple, banana and strawberry… boy what a refreshing drink after a long, hot walk.

We then continued on til the end of the main street and headed towards the ocean.  Watched a few surfers and families playing on the beach; and then found our way to Rustico.  Discovered very quickly why the locals ate there.  The food was amazing!!!  It was about 4:00 in the afternoon, there wasn’t a seat to be found; and a line-up out the door.

Mike had a bowl of seafood soup that was enough to feed a small family; plus he helped me eat most of my dinner.  Rice, beans, beef, fried plantains and salad.  The portions here are huge; and so far we haven’t spent more than $10 on a meal and that includes your drink!

Sunday, we did a whole bunch of nothing.  In fact I didn’t even get out of my p.j.’s yesterday.  We had been on the “go” since before leaving home; and a day of doing nothing was much needed. 

There was some kind of street party going on downtown.  We could hear music and drums from our balcony.  But the day was very overcast and had been raining on and off since getting up.

Last night we had our clearest night so far.  And there are some beautiful constellations in the sky.  Don’t know what any of them our.  Guess we’ll have to get out a star chart so that we know what were looking at.

And today, we were up and out the door shortly before 10; heading to the grocery store for a few things.  We had worn our bathing suits under our clothes; and stopped at our pool on our way back.  Again we were soaked from the sweat; and the cool pool felt wonderful!

We have turned into morning people since being here.  Mike and I have always been night owls; and we find by 10 pm, we can hardly keep our eyes open.  Most mornings, were up and ready to face the day by 7 am.

And today, we got our cable and internet.  Most of the stations are in Spanish, but there’s a few in English. 

Oh, yeah, and for a cab ride home from either downtown or the grocery store, is $3.00.  Don’t think you can even open a cab door at home for less than $5.00.  And it’s well worth the price, for the cab to take us and our groceries up the long hill from the road!

Take a look at our pictures

First Week in Costa Rica

It’s hard to believe that we’ve been in Costa Rica for over a week already.  It still feels like we’re dreaming.

Mike’s brother Ken drove us to Toronto on November 15th to begin our Costa Rican adventure.  It seemed fitting, as we drove Ken and Calen to the Toronto airport to begin their adventure summer of 09.  We were up bright and early and headed to the airport shortly after 4:00 am.

We sailed through customs and security and then flew out at 6:30 am.  I had never flown over Toronto with the city lit up; and it was quite pretty to see.  Within a few minutes we were over Lake Ontario; and then a short 2 and a half hours later in Atlanta, Georgia. 

We barely had enough time to get to our connecting flight.  In fact, they had already called the final call by the time we got there.

The flight went well; and we were greeted to a warm, sunny afternoon upon arriving in Costa Rica.  Mike’s luggage got lost somewhere along the way; but it was delivered to our hotel the next afternoon.

We stayed at the Best Western Irazu and it turned out to be a good choice.  On the first afternoon, we started walking around; and found a small mall beside our hotel.  In the mall was a realty office; we were looking at some of their properties, when Tom from Georgia came out to say hello.  We told him that we were looking for a short term (3-6 months) condo rental. 

He had a couple for us to see.  And one of his agents, Merari, was asked to show them to us.  This young lady, turned out to be more help then we could have possibly hoped for.  Her English was very good; and she was quite eager to help.  She had a couple of places in mind; and was confident that we would take one of them.  Having found a agent to help us so quickly; freed up the rest of our time in San Jose.

Wednesday, we took a cab to Sabana Park; and enjoyed strolling around for the afternoon.  We stopped to watch some locals playing soccer.  We then had a glass of fresh squeezed orange juice from a vendor.  And we just took in the sites and sounds of San Jose. 

After walking back to our hotel; we had an hour or so before happy hour started in the bar.  That’s where me met Jeff and Cathy from Port Elgin, Ontario.  We shared all kinds of stories and ended up joining them for dinner.

After dinner, we headed down to the hot tub; and soaked away the days walk.  Also met Canadian Gilles, who turns out to be renting not far from us.

Then early Thursday morning; Merari, our agent picked us up; and off to the coast we went.

The drive was very beautiful through the country side of Costa Rica.  And I was glad to be a passenger and take in the scenery. 

The first rental that she showed us turned out to be the one that we took.  It’s in a little beach community of Jaco (hawk-o).  Our condo is owned by a Canadian named Mike - how ironic is that?!? 

We have the lower unit; of this 2 story chalet.  We’re on the side of a hill; with a private balcony looking directly into beautiful, lush green foliage and a mountain.  Pretty nice! 

The town of Jaco itself is about an hour walk from here; but it’s nice to be away from the noise. 

Merari ended up staying for the weekend; in the unit upstairs.  On Friday we took care of the rent details; and she helped get the cable/internet ordered for us.  It was supposed to be here by today; but looks like that’s not going to happen.  Another neighbour in the complex is also waiting for his; and said a week here isn’t like a week back home.

Merari also took us to the grocery store and made us dinner on our first night here.  She made us a local delicacy, ceviche.  Which is fished “cooked” in lemon juice with spices and vegetables.  The fish is only cooked by the acid of the lemon.  A little different for my taste buds.  She also went shopping for us; and got us a TV, a slow cooker (to cook beans in, which she also showed us how to do); and a patio table for our balcony.  Of course, this was all on Mike’s (owner) nickel.

So far, the hottest part of the day is first thing in the morning.  Our balcony is facing East and we get the early sun.  And boy, oh boy, is it ever hot!  Seems though, that that is the hottest part of the day so far.  By mid to late afternoon, the skies open up and the rains come.  Since being in the condo, it has rained at some point everyday. 

We’ve also had ourselves a few really nice lightning shows.  Our balcony is perfect for storm watching; and we’re nicely protected from the rain.

On Monday, we walked into town; and spent the afternoon looking in shops.  We also stopped and had ourselves a fruit smoothie; and watched all sorts of people on the street.  And so far, we’ve been able to get along with just English.  A lot of people that we’ve had to communicate with, have some degree of English.  Hopefully, we’ll start to understand some Spanish as the time goes on.

Please take a look at our pictures

Decisions... Decisions

By now we should have already been long gone.  We were supposed to have left Ontario back on October 31st.  Destination was supposed to be Oklahoma City first; to meet some new friends of ours; and then we were supposed to head to Texas.  This is the second time that we've planned a winter in Texas.  And this is the second time that that isn't going to happen.

We've been having some problems with our truck; and decided to have it looked at one more time before heading out.  Boy, was that a good decision.  It turns out that we need a new engine!  But that's not all.  We apparently have a blockage of some sort in the coolant system.  Because of this, we had too much pressure, which in turn messed up our torque converter; which in turn messed up the crankshaft; which in turn messed up the engine.  Kind of reminds me of  "the ankle is connected to the shin bone, the shin bone is connected to the..." well most of you would remember that.  I have learned more about diesel trucks and engines than I ever cared to in this past while; and know that any way we choose to go equals expensive!

If we choose to only put a re-built engine in, then we're back to square one.  So that means fixing everything; and the cost of this is astronomical.  We've been quoted up to $12,000 to do this - yikes!  Our other options are to  trade our truck in and hope that the next one is okay; or to buy brand spanking new. What to do, what to do.

So... after much consideration, we've decided to go and bury our heads in the sand for the next six months.  Literally.  We're heading to Costa Rica this Tuesday morning; and we'll figure out what to do with this truck in the spring. 

As I write this blog, the rig has been winterized; the truck has been parked; and our bags are packed.  We are house sitting in London for the weekend; and will leave on Monday night to head to Toronto.  We fly out bright and early on Tuesday morning; and will arrive in Costa Rica by early afternoon.

We can hardly wait!  We even stopped at Chapters today and bought ourselves an English to Spanish dictionary.  Might come in handy, as neither of us speaks any Spanish.  But the name of our blog is Adventures with MnM and we are about to go on one heck of an adventure!  This feels like Molly's last gift to us; the freedom to go and adventure abroad.  Wish us luck.

Thank You

Mike and I would like to take this opportunity to say thank you to all our family, friends and strangers that have sent heartfelt messages to us about Molly.  It has touched our hearts to know that she touched so many.  I was in tears by the time I finished reading each message; but it's all part of the healing process, and it's helped greatly.

We would also like to thank the staff at Abbeydale Animal Clinic in St. Thomas.  Molly's very first visit was there; and although the staff has changed over the years; the care that we have received over the years was great.  A special thanks to Dr. Yvonne Ennis for helping Molly (and us) make the transition to dog heaven a little easier. 

Even today when we went in to settle the bill and get her clay paw print, they showed nothing but care and concern.  I would recommend this clinic to anybody.

Now for a few more "fun" facts about Molly.

When she was a year old, we found out that Molly was the most popular name for female dogs in 1999.  We met at least a dozen Molly's over the years.

She was small but mighty when she first came to us.  And Mike loved to do his magic tricks on her and tease her.  She loved to tease him right back but when she had enough she had no problem letting Mike know.  Whoever said that dogs can't talk never owned a dog.

A few of you asked about Molly's nicknames.  Mollygirl, cause that's what she was... our Mollygirl.  The Mollster, cause that suited her.  Pita stood for Pain in the ass, which on many occasions she was.  Houdini because she was great at disappearing into the night.  Snorty Snorterson was because she would snort if she didn't like something.  And Mutt... well she was a cup of lab, a tablespoon of shepherd, a dash of collie and a pinch of husky... add it all up and she's 100% mutt.  You should have seen some of the looks people gave me when I called her that.  But she was our mutt and we loved her.

Molly was a very kind, submissive dog; and we're proud to say that in her lifetime she never once snarled, bared teeth, nipped or bit a human or another animal.  She was just a happy well tempered dog.

Over the years, people would cross the street or a park to come and comment on her.  And although people seemed to line up to pat her, unless you had food, she wasn't much interested.  If you did have treats or food, then you had a friend for life.

Her favorite time of the year was the fall and winter.  She would walk off trail through piles of leaves and romp in the snow til she looked like a snowman. 

She brought a lot of pleasure into our lives.  And she will be greatly missed by both of us.  It's already way to quiet around here. 

Again, thank you to all for your comments,

Love and hugs, MnM

A Tribute to our Molly

I would like to take this opportunity to tell you about the life of our wonderful dog Molly.

The week before Christmas of 1999; we had the chance to rescue a puppy from a not very good situation. After some discussion; a little brown bundle of energy came into our lives. She wasn't quite 6 weeks old and weighed about 5 and a half pounds. Barely old enough to be weaned. Molly was the first name that came to mind; and after an hour or so of tossing around names, she became our Molly.

She answered to many names over the years; Molly girl, the Mollster, Mutt, Pita, Houdini and Snorty Snorterson; just to name a few.

The first few weeks with a new puppy was a lot of fun. She was the runt of her litter; and was used to being pushed aside at feeding time. That wasn't the case at her new home; and it was quite comical watching her eat. She was so little that she would end up standing in her bowl to get to the pieces that she had pushed with her nose. Little sips of water in between. She was so dainty. Of course, that changed over time; and she would gulp her food down pretty quick. She always came over to both of us afterwards to thank us.

The first lake that Molly swam in was Lake Erie. That would be the first of many swims. She is the only dog I know that has been in 3 of the Great Lakes - Erie, Huron and Superior. She has swam in the Gulf of St. Lawrence and the Gulf of Mexico. Also along the way, she swam in the Bay of Fundy and the Colorado River. And she has had her paws in both the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. Plus many lakes, rivers and streams in between.

Mike and I were avid campers; and the first time we took Molly camping, we weren't sure how it would go. We headed up to McGregor Point on the long weekend that first May; and she took to camping like a duck to water. This is where she received Houdini as one of her nicknames. The first night; we had just gotten all tucked in and turned off the lights. Within a few seconds it sounded like a huge animal or person was walking close to our tent. Got up, turned on the lights, and Molly wasn't in the tent?!? Unbeknownst to us, she had put a hole in the side of the tent; and had gone back outside. Because of her dark fur, she also blended into the night and many times sitting around a campfire, we had to really look to see her.

In all the years that we interior camped with our canoe; she only ever tipped us once. Mike had gotten out to look for a well camoflaged portage and Molly jumped out to follow. Over the canoe went, with all of our stuff and me! But thankfully we were on a small lake, at the shoreline.

The first time in the canoe, she was snoring along with her chin resting on the gunnels, when all of a sudden, she spotted a couple of deer on the shore. She never did bark at them, but did a low, gutteral growl instead. It was pretty funny, she was a tenth of the size of the deer.

I can't begin to add up the kilometres that Molly has put on over the years. Whether it was from all the drives for the many camping trips, plus the last 4 years of full time rving; or from all the hikes that she went on. For the first 7 years of her life; most weekends we took her to a conservation area. The walk took us about an hour; and she did it 10 times to our once. From the start of the walk, she was either running full tilt after her frisbee, which she loved; or chasing squirrels or rabbits. She was great at catching the frisbee, but never did catch a squirrel. But I gotta give her an A+ for trying.

Molly came nose to nose with a Massassauga Rattler and a tarantula, but luckily nothing bad happened. And in all the years that we had her, she never got sprayed by a skunk. Came real close to that happening this past spring, but lucky for us, the skunk went a different way.

The first time that we had Molly in the desert, we hadn't gotten more than a few feet away from the truck, when she came back with half a dozen cactus "bulbs" stuck in her fur. I had holes in my fingers for weeks after I pulled them out of her.

Molly was always an avid traveler, and as long as we were there, she didn't care where we were. Over the years, Molly has been in 8 Provinces and 29 States. When we first started this lifestyle; she would get really anxious when it was time to leave. But once she was in the truck; she was a happy girl. She knew that she was coming with us; and wouldn't be forgotten.

A few years ago, Molly had a bad injury to her back legs, and that seemed to be the beginning of the end. The past year or so has been hard on her; and despite giving her shark cartiledge and glucosamine, old age and arthritis caught up. She was having a lot of problems with walking and negotiating the stairs into our place had become a challenge.

On October 25th, Mike and I were both with her when she passed on to dog heaven. She will always have a special place in our hearts and we will both miss her greatly.

Please take a look at some of our favourite pictures of her

Summer of 2010

It just seemed liked yesterday when we arrived home from Florida. And here it is middle of October, and we leave in less than 2 weeks. Where did the time go?

The summer of 2010 just flew by for us. We have lots of family and friends in this area; and it seemed to be non stop visiting, parties, dinners... etc...etc.

We had Rob and Emalynn join us from BC for a few weeks; then a couple of our nieces spent a week with us. Lots of days at the beach during that time.

My long time friend Claudia and her kids came for a overnighter. And the list just keeps on going.

Don't forget the poker tournaments that we held at our park; plus lots of cards nights with Ken/Rosie and Tina/Randy.

Then just a few nights ago; I threw a early 60th surprise birthday party for Mike. He actually doesn't turn 60 until February, but by then we'll be deep in the heart of Texas.

To get Mike out of the house for a few hours, me and Mike's sister and sisters-in-law sent Mike and his brothers Ken and Dave out for a horse back ride. They spent an hour out at the Horseshoe J Dude Ranch in Iona Station.

Mike frequented the ranch for many years, and he figured that its been close to 40 years since the first time he went there. Like I said at the beginning of this post... where does the time go?

When the boys returned to the park; there were close to 20 family and friends waiting at the rec hall to help Mike celebrate. He was very surprised. It's always great when a surprise party is just that... a surprise. But then again, his birthdays not til February.

A great time was had by all. And mother nature made for a beautiful fall night to sit with good friends around a campfire.

Take a look at our pictures taken during this time

June til... Now

I know that's it's been forever since I wrote a blog; so I'll give you a quick recap of what we we're doing from the summer til now.

We set up home for the summer out at Trout Haven Park in Strathroy. It's a great park; and conveniently located to a lot of our family and friends.

We have a lot of family/friends in this area; and most of the summer was spent visiting and playing cards. Fortunately for us; lots of our family and friends are card players, and both of us got our fill. We spent a lot of nights at either Ken/Rosie's for pepper; or Tina/Randy for Blak-bone. Lots of fun.

We had a couple of nieces spend a few nights with us in July and both Megan and Jamana had a lot of fun. Mike's brother Ken and his son Calen, headed off on an adventure of a lifetime; and spent 5 weeks driving from London England to Ulaan Bataar Mongolia as part of the Mongol Rally. We had the pleasure of driving the first leg of the rally, by taking them to Pearson International in Toronto; and 5 weeks later, drove the last leg, by picking them up.

We also had a lot of visitors out to the park; and we managed to burn roughly 4 truck loads of wood. All in all, it was a great summer that went by way too fast!

At the end of October, we winterized our rig and moved into my folks apartment, downtown London. We really wanted to be in Canada to watch the upcoming Olympics, and their apartment is empty in the winter. I also had a girls weekend with some old friends from highschool. Reconnected with these girls through Face Book; and it was nice catching up.

December 5th, we got a phone call early in the morning; and our winter plans we're about to quickly change. My Dad was having some health issues; and ended up being medi-vacked home. He's doing great; but his insurance won't let him go back to Florida for the rest of the year. So... that's where this blog is being updated from.

Fortunately for us, we just "happened to be free" and we're more than happy to house sit for them in Florida. We arrived late morning on Sunday (Jan. 24th) to a balmy 78 degrees; and will be here until the end of April. Luckily we'll still be able to watch the olympics.

On December 22nd, my friend Jenn and I took part in the Community Olympic event in St. Thomas. There were 1000's of people who came out to take part in the flame relay. Then a few days later, on December 24th, Mike and I watched the flame come up Wellington Road in London, being carried by... Santa Claus! There was a pass off right in front of us; and it was pretty cool to take place in Olympic history. Can't wait for the Olympics to begin.

And yesterday, our niece Natalie, gave birth to a 7lb 10oz baby boy! Way to go Natalie! Can't wait to see the pictures. According to grandma; mom and baby are both well; and she should be home tonight.

Molly is still with us and doing great. Still a little slow; and completely deaf now; but she's still motoring along and doing just fine.

Well that pretty much catches up the past few months. Will try to do a blog more often.

Take a look at our pictures

The Visiting Continues

It's hard to believe that we've been home for a couple of weeks already. The time has just flown by; and we've had more hugs in these past two weeks then we've had all year long. And I can tell you that there's nothing like hugs from family.

Last Friday, we spent the afternoon visiting Mike's sister Marlene. Molly's litter mate, Sadie, lives right across the street from Marlene, and the two "girls" were quite happy to see each other again. Both are a little slower, but they still acted like puppies. Molly is also continuing to improve. Thanks again Gary for suggesting the shark cartilage - it has worked wonders.

Last Sunday we drove to Corunna to see some friends of ours perform. The Satiniques are a singing group that mostly sing hits from the 50's and 60's. We met up with the group a few years ago; and became their unofficial "groupies" back in Punta Gorda, Florida. While we were waiting for the show to begin, Mike's cousin Ray and his wife Linda sat down right behind us. It had been 7 years since we had seen Ray and Linda; and it was nice to be able to catch up. The show was also terrific; good job Rick, Donna, Joe and Anne! A great time was had by all.

This past Tuesday we moved to our new "home" for the summer. We are currently set up at Trout Haven Park in Strathroy. We spent most of the day setting up; cleaning; organizing and doing laundry; and by that evening, we were pooped! We had done very little "living" in our rig over the past few weeks; and the inside needed some TLC. The beauty of living in a small space though is that it doesn't take too long to clean or tidy up.

Wednesday was our first day of doing nothing since arriving, and it felt wonderful to do just that... a whole bunch of nothing. We did have some wood delivered though; and Wednesday night we sat out by the campfire for quite some time.

We went to Grand Bend to visit Mike's sister Lyn on Thursday; off to the dentist on Friday morning; more visiting in the afternoon with niece Natalie and then yesterday back to London for a birthday party for another niece - Happy Birthday Jen! Today, is a relaxing day.

I've been writing our blog for just over a year now. And have been pleasantly surprised at how many are reading it. I always put on the bottom of the email update that if you want to be removed from the list or are having troubles with the link to let me know; and I'm happy to tell you that nobody wants off the list or are having troubles... yay! Keep on sending those positive comments and emails.

Oh yeah, Mike and I celebrated our 10th wedding anniversary on Monday! Enjoyed a nice lunch with my folks, then a nice dinner with friends Sally and John. Topped off with a bubble bath and a back wash from my hubby; what a wonderful day!

And by the way, the camera was tucked away quite nicely in our entertainment centre and not lost at all (what a relief!). As a result of this, there are just a few pictures to post.

We're Home

We arrived "home" on Thursday night; and the first of many surprises began. Even though we had told everybody that we wouldn't be home until the end of May early June, nobody seemed to believe us. A few of the family had suspected that we might be home by the weekend, but nobody was expecting us on Thursday night. We showed up at Ken and Rosie's at 9:00 PM and totally surprised their son Calen. Rosie arrived shortly after and was also quite surprised to see us.

We spent the night at their place; and showed up at my folks on Friday afternoon. It felt good to get hugs from my folks again, as it had been a while. Saturday, the surprises continued; and we caught Dave and Anne off guard. It's not too often that we are able to pull off a good surprise; and we managed to pull this one off perfectly.

One of the reasons that we wanted to be back by the weekend, was a big family party in Blenheim. Mike's Uncle Leo and Aunt Marie were celebrating milestone birthdays; his cousin Ed is off to Quebec for the summer for naval training; and his brother Ken and nephew Calen are off to do the Mongol Rally this summer. It was nice to be able to see so many family and relatives all in one shot.

This last week has been spent dropping in on more friends and family. We have barely stopped since arriving; and by Wednesday, I was pooped! I also don't have much of a voice right now; and sound like I've swallowed a few frogs. We were back in Port Stanley late afternoon, where were staying with goods friends Sally and John; and went right to bed, slept right through til 9:00 the next morning. Guess I needed it!

Molly is doing much better and has improved a whole bunch! We are still giving her 2 glucosamines everyday and have added a shark cartilage to that. She still needs help going up stairs, but overall is much better! Thanks for all the good wishes being sent her way.

We are still looking for a place to call home for the summer; and will let you know where we are once we get set up.

Take a look at our pictures

A Visit in Dryden

One of the best things about this adventure that we're on, is the family, relatives, friends and new people that you meet along the way. We have visited people that we know from the East coast to the West coast; down to the Southern states and points in between. We have stopped in to see people that we know; haven't seen for a very long time; or have never met. We always seem to have a great time; and always manage to find something to talk about.

This was the case this past weekend. My Uncle Ted and Aunt Bonnie are from Thunder Bay, Ontario. A few weeks back, we contacted them to let them know that we were going to be passing through on the May long weekend; and to see if they were going to be free. They were, and suggested that we meet them in Dryden, Ontario instead. Bonnie's youngest sister Kim and her family live there. I hadn't seen Kim in over 25 years; and both Mike and I were looking forward to it.

We arrived at their place on the lake on Friday afternoon; and were welcomed with big hugs all around. Kim is exactly how I remember her from before - warm, friendly, inviting and always a big smile on her face. And her husband Gary and their girls, Alex and Tayler, are also the same. It was also great seeing Ted and Bonnie; and a great weekend was had by all!

We spent the weekend catching up, sharing old and new memories and lots of laughter. It was tough to leave on Tuesday morning, as not only was the company great, but the meals that they made for both breakfasts and dinners were truly delicious! They have extended an invitation back to us anytime; and we hope to take them up on that offer one day.

We got an early start the next day; and arrived in Thunder Bay with plenty of time to get a much needed hair cut and buy some Persians. For those of you who don't know this, Persians are a bakery treat that are only available in Thunder Bay. And boy are they tasty!!! Mmm mmm good! I had promised one of the workers from Living Forest, who was also from Thunder Bay, a package of them, so had to also find a Canada Post. She should have them by Friday. We may have 1 or 2 of them left by the time we make it "home". Hope that you all had as an enjoyable long weekend as we did.

Tuesday through Thursday were spent driving East along #17. Northern Ontario has always been a favorite place of ours to drive through. There is lots of nature to see along the way and the scenery is beautiful. Lots of little rivers and streams; and of course Lake Superior along the way, plus rock and forests. On Tuesday evening, we saw 2 fox, 3 moose and a bear. Most wildlife we've seen in the Thunder Bay area in a long time.

Take a look at our pictures

A visit in Alberta

The reason for stopping in Kananaskis was to do some visiting. My cousin Kelly came from Calgary with her 3 dogs on Saturday. She arrived early afternoon; and even though there were some rain showers, we still managed to have a campfire going. We enjoyed having Kelly for the afternoon and had a nice visit. The next day, my friend Sam and her husband Lou and their dog Barnie came for a visit. We were also able to have a campfire and spent the afternoon catching up; and learning about all the places we needed to see while in the area.

Monday, we drove North; and started out at Johnston Canyon. The day was beautiful; and off on the hike we went. We finally ended at the falls; and were again awed by mother natures beauty.

After making our way back to the truck; we continued on to Lake Louise. Unfortunately, this early in the spring the lake was still frozen, but the mountains surrounding the lake were still beautiful. Guess we'll have to come back here in another season to see the emerald colours of the lake.

Next stop was Banff. We spent roughly an hour driving around Banff, with stops at the hot springs and then the gondola. We didn't actually use the hot springs, as it was getting late in the day; but it wasn't anything like how I remembered it as a kid. And because we had just taken the Peak 2 Peak Gondola at Whistler, we decided to pass on the Banff Gondola. It was pretty overcast and we wanted to get home to Molly. Monday night we decided to burn up the rest of our fire wood; and plan our route home.

We left on Tuesday and by the time we stopped at the dump station, we were only the road by 10:30. Kelly had told us of a by-pass for Calgary, and as we try to avoid most big cities; we paid close attention to her; and found the by-pass easily. We ended up only seeing the backs of homes and the downtown skyline in the very far distance.

Within a short period of time the landscape had changed drastically. Behind us the Rockies were quickly disappearing and ahead lay the Canadian prairies. The temp was hovering around 17 again; and mostly sunny. The Trans Canada highway is a great highway to drive on. It's a divided highway and a lot of the time you can't even see the west bound lanes. Nice not having to have lights in your eyes, or have traffic bunching up behind you. However, there were quite a few areas that are in desperate need of repair.

We ended up just East of Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan and found a Husky Truck stop to spend the night. The next morning we woke up to SNOW!!! BRRRRR it was freezing! And after filling our tank, we were soon on the highway again. The price of diesel has drastically dropped in price and the lowest that we have seen it for was 69/litre. It's a darn sight better than the $161.9/litre last summer. We hope that this trend continues, and of course we had just filled up for 73.9 when we passed the 69. Never seems to be in your favour. But were still not complaining!!!

Mike was driving at this time; and all I had to do was take pictures; especially the one that said Welcome to Manitoba; well, don't you know, I missed it! But trust me, we were there. We seemed to breeze across the prairies; and last night we found a truck scale with a lot for truckers right at the Manitoba/Ontario boarder; so that's were we spent the night. And boy was it cold! I don't think that Mother Nature has gotten the memo that it's spring yet. Sure hope that it warms up soon.

And today, we are currently in Kenora, Ontario. We have been invited to some relatives/friends in Dryden for the long weekend; and we thought we would hang out here for a day; and rest up from the long drive. Molly is glad to be out of the truck; and we're glad to have warmth again. Nice hot showers, and then off to the Walmart to send this blog. As the Internet is also not working here. Canada needs to "kick it up a notch" as far as Internet for travellers goes.

Take a look at our pictures

A drive through the Rockies

We finally left Vernon late on Thursday afternoon. The pocket book was roughly $2500.00 lighter; but the truck was much quieter! The park that we had been staying at was right on the highway; tight small spots; and the Internet wasn't very good either. We were quiet happy to see the end of Vernon.

We drove for 2 hours up the Okanagan Valley, with breath taking beauty all around... again. The Canadian Rockies were certainly giving us a beautiful show right out the front window. Most of the mountains are still snow covered; and that just made everything prettier. There are tree covered, rounded, jagged, snow covered and a mix of all; and it didn't seem to matter which direction you looked, there were mountains... nice!

We arrived just East of Revelstoke around 7:30 and found a truck stop to spend the night. We had an open view of mountains all around; and after having supper, we were all in bed shortly after 10.

The next morning, we were up and on our way shortly before 6:30 am - yes I said am, I know that doesn't happen too often, but once in a while we manage to get up with the sun.

The drive from Revelstoke heading towards Alberta put the WOW factor in overdrive! Around every curve, and in my estimate we went around a gazillion curves (give or take a few) the words wow, oh wow, holy wow, unbelievable, beautiful, etc, came out of our mouths for most of the day. This is where one of the rigs with the big windows would have been nice. Oh well, maybe one day. Because of the easy navigation, were heading #1 East; Mike was able to do his other "job" while I drove. Picture taking - and believe me, he took lots of pictures - roughly 150, but don't worry, not all will be in the album :)

The very first day we drove with the rig (almost 3 years ago); we passed another rig and the driver waved to us; since that day I have waved to all RV's when we're pulling and sometimes you get a wave back but a lot of times you don't. On this day, I got a triple wave. One from the passenger and driver, plus the driver of the big truck that was right behind.

The weather for most of the day was around 17c and once we passed the rain clouds, the sun was shining. Just an absolute perfect day to spend driving through the Rockies! We arrived in Kananaskis, about an hour west of Calgary, on Friday afternoon. We booked in at the Bow Valley Campground for 4 nights. Nice big private sites, with plenty of trees around. In fact, from our site, you couldn't even see the mountains that were all around us.

Trying to be optimistic, we thought that the glucosamine was making a difference in Molly. But in reality, it doesn't seem to be. We now help her into the truck and rig with a sling. We know that "the day" is coming soon; but with all the travelling that we have coming ahead of us; we're hoping that she can make it home. We keep her as comfy as we can; and give her lots of TLC.

We haven't had the Internet since leaving Vernon; so will post another blog next chance I get.

Take a look at our pictures

A layover in Vernon

We left Osoyoos yesterday; and drove North along 97 heading towards Vernon. Beautiful drive through the Okanagan valley with mountain views all around.

A few days earlier, our truck started making strange noises. It's never a good thing when your vehicle starts making strange noises. And it turns out, this wasn't going to be an exception. After getting set up yesterday in our new park in Vernon, Mike brought the truck to the local Ford dealership.

Turns out that one of the cylinders is leaking at the exhaust manifold. They've been working at this since yesterday afternoon; and are having quite the time getting the rusted bolts off. One of the bolts was giving them quite the hassle; and had to be sent to a machinist to get it off. The bill, so far, is roughly $2500.00 - ouch!!! Hopefully, with any luck, this will be the last thing needing fixing for a while - wish us luck. We're hoping to be back on the road again tomorrow.

Molly is doing okay though. She still needs help getting in and out of the truck and the rig; and she doesn't get very far very fast; but she seems to making small improvements on a daily basis. Hopefully the glucosamine and aspirin will only continue to help. Thanks for all the warm wishes being sent her way... now can you also pray to the truck gods for us... and the lotto gods... thanks.

No pictures today.

Onwards to Osoyoos

I know that it's been a long time since I posted a blog. So I'll fill you in on what we've been up to. After leaving Sqaumish, our next destination was Chilliwack. The reason for this stop, was to have another visit with Mike's brother Rob, before we left the area. The park itself was crammed in tightly and overpriced and right on the Trans Canada, so very noisy; but the visit was great. There were also nice mountain views all around, but we were happy to pull out on Monday morning.

We took the Crowsnest Pass, Highway #3 heading East towards Osoyoos. Very little traffic; and the views all around were again breath taking. Didn't matter which direction you looked, there were mountains.

We arrived early afternoon; and were enjoying the hot tub and heated pool, shortly there after. Very nice park, well layed out; lots of trees in between sites, and a lake out the back window - pretty nice! The internet however, wasn't the strongest; and that contributed to the long blog delay.

Tuesday was a pretty rough day. Molly isn't doing very well these days - the arthritis in her back legs has gotten worse; and she having a tough time getting in and out of the rig. And going for walks is painfully slow. We made a few phone calls to local vets, to see about having her put to sleep; but when she looked at us with those big brown eyes, we both melted and neither of us had the heart; so off to the pharmacy we went instead. She's now on glucosamine sulphate and an aspirin. It's been almost a week; and even though the improvements are small; she does seem to be improving.

Thursday found us heading East on #3 for a day trip. The "hill" heading out of town is the Anarchists Highway; and even with just the truck; it was a workout. But once at the top... you guessed it, breath taking views all around, with Osoyoos spread out below. There was barely a cloud in the sky; and you could see a long way. Including our campground. From there, we continued on a gravel road up towards Mount Baldy. The skiing is done for the year and most of the snow is gone. On towards Oliver, and then back to the park.

Another adventure on Friday, this time the Desert Cultural Centre. Spent some time in the centre; and then off on the hike we went. I haven't mentioned this yet, but Osoyoos is in Canada's Senoran desert. And very reminiscent of our time in the south west.

Another day drive on Saturday and a hike on Sunday. The weather turned out to be pretty nice this past week, low 20's and mostly sunny and it was great to be out and about doing things.

Take a look at our pictures

Shannon Falls and Sqaumish

Turns out the "day after" skiing wasn't near as bad as Mike thought it would be. Maybe having a steam room and hot tub, plus a naproxen was a good idea.

Also turns out that the last run wasn't on 7th Heaven, but on Whiskey Jack and Olympic Run; on the Whistler side of the mountain. Mike's still smiling; and I'm sure he will be for a while yet.

Wednesday we ended up taking a drive to Shannon Falls. This little gem of a place is just south of Squamish; and was worth the drive over. The roar of the water rushing down the mountain side is deafening; and the views and sights around are breathtaking.

Thursday, we drove back north of Squamish and took a rough gravel road towards the Tantalus Mountains. Lots of pot holes to dodge on this road; but Al, we didn't lose any fillings - not a one!!!

Last night, we had a campfire as it was also our last night in Squamish. The 9 nights there flew by; and the weather turned out to be way nicer than was predicted.

Today, we travelled to Chilliwack. There was lots of construction along the way, but the traffic moved along pretty good. We were here and set up just after 2:30 this afternoon. The park is right beside the Trans Canada and the sites are pretty small. But, there are mountains surrounding us, in any direction you look - pretty nice. We're only here for the weekend; and isn't too far for Rob to come for a visit.

We've been getting lots of comments on the blog plus lots of emails with lots of really nice comments about our travels. It puts a smile on our faces knowing that so many of you are enjoying our travels and blog. We'll be doing lots of travelling in the next while, so there will be lots to see, do and share. Hope that you enjoy it was much are we are!

Take a look at the pictures

A Long Time Dream Comes True

From the time Mike was 18 right through until his late 30's he loved skiing. Many of his holidays from Ford were to places such as Mount Tremblant; Smuggler's Notch; Madonna Mountain; Stowe and Killington just to name a few. His dream however was always to ski Whistler. And even though he lived in BC for a year; and came out on many visits, it just never seemed to happen.

When we went up the Peak 2 Peak on Saturday, I was quite content just to look around; and take in the views, watch the skiers, etc. I thought that Mike was too, but once up there, he was itchin to have a pair of skis on.

On Tuesday, his dream finally came true!!! We headed up to Whistler on Tuesday morning; and arrived there with lots of time to get outfitted with boots, skis, and poles and get his half day ticket. Since he hadn't skied in over 20 years, I suggested that maybe a half day would be plenty.

Back to the truck we went, so he could get dressed and then off to the lifts. The beam on his face as he came down the first time back to me was the biggest I've ever seen on Mike's face! Reminded me of the Visa commercials...$38.84 for half day ski equipment rental, $64.45 for half day lift ticket, the smile on his face PLUS fulfilling a long time dream... priceless. It was a great day for Mike, and I'm glad to have shared it with him.

I decided to pass on the skiing, as I haven't skied since the winter of 1985, and with my bad knees, I was quite content to wander around the stroll, people watch and souvenir shop.

When I met Mike back at the base shortly after 4; he looked tired, but happy. When I asked him how it was, the answer was "I'm pooped, but WOW, it was totally worth it!" Best skiing he's ever done, and his last run down started at the top of 7th Heaven and non-stop to the bottom. He managed to get 8 or 9 runs in and also got to take the Peak 2 Peak again. And trust me, the half day ticket was more than enough! :))

Figured he would be a little sore the next day, so off to the recreation centre for a steam room and hot tub we went; for "just in case". And it felt wonderful - and I wasn't even skiing!

Take a look at Mike in "action"

A visit to Vancouver

On Monday we were up and out the door shortly after 9 and headed down the Sea to Sky highway to Vancouver. Beautiful views the whole way.

Mike's brother Rob, drives for a transit company; and we met him on his lunch break. We ended up sitting in a park near Commercial and Grant; and spent a good half hour catching up. Rob's break came to an end; and back to work he went.

We however, had another stop to make. Our good friend Sally's daughter lives in this neighbourhood; and just had a baby girl back in November. So after stopping to buy a yellow stuffed elephant for baby Jubilee; we met Leslie and then stopped and shared a pizza.

Next, we took a self-guided tour of downtown Vancouver. We drove past the Pan Pacific hotel; drove through Gas Town; along west Hastings for a bit; and then eventually over to Stanley Park. We drove the perimeter of the park and took lots of loops along the way; plus when there was something nice to look at, we got out and looked around, took some pictures; and then moved on.

Once we left the park; we drove over the Lions Gate Bridge. Beautiful sites all around; and the sun glistening off the mountains, made things really pretty. We drove over to the Capilano Suspension bridge, but it was pretty pricey to walk across.

We only get one station, the CBC, at our park. And of course the NHL playoffs are happening right now. So, I'm pretty sure we watched a hockey game after supper and before heading off to bed.

Another perfect day on the West Coast. Take a look at our pictures.

Peak 2 Peak in Whistler

Today turned out to be a beautiful day for the Peak 2 Peak Gondola ride in Whistler. We left our park around noon; and headed on up. There was very little traffic; and no road construction going on today. On our way up on Thursday, the crews were out working in full, preparing for the upcoming Olympics.

We took the first part of the gondola ride up; and were in our own car. The views all around were breathtaking, and both the upper and lower villages of Whistler were right below us as we climbed up. The first ride up was roughly 25 minutes and no matter what direction you looked; there were snow covered mountains, skiers/boarders and breathtaking beauty.

Once at the top, you have a chance to walk around for a bit; watch the skiers/snowboarders; have a bite to eat; shop for souvenirs; or just enjoy the views around. Then you continue on in the Peak 2 Peak gondola; which takes you from Whistler Mountain over to Blackcomb. This ride is roughly 11 minutes; the cars are much bigger - holding roughly 12 people; and again breathtaking views no matter where you look.

When we reached the end; we again got out and walked around for a bit. Even with sun glasses on, the glare from the snow was hard on my eyes. We walked into a few of the buildings; watched some more skiing/boarding action for a while; and then took the cable ride back over to Whistler. Took a few more pictures; and finally took the cable car back to the bottom.

The Peak 2 Peak Gondola is the longest and highest continuous lift system in the world. The highest part is 1472 feet above Fitzsimmons Creek.

Mike couldn't believe that he was actually spending the day at Whistler and wasn't going to be skiing! He did a lot of skiing in his past; but it's been a long time and with no equipment, etc.; he was content to just be up there.

The sun was shining the whole time; and there was no wind. Just an absolute perfect day to spend at the top of Whistler.

There was a big music festival happening on The Stroll, so we stopped and got a burger and poutine and listed to the music while watching thousands of people walking to and from the slopes.

Take a look at our pictures

On the Road Again

Well, after a day's delay, we pulled out of the Living Forest RV park on Wednesday morning. We had said our goodbyes to a lot of people on Monday, but Bob and Alvisia came over to wish us safe travels and to see us off. After a quick stop at the office, we were on our way to Departure Bay ferry terminal. We had less than an hour wait; and the sailing went by smoothly. And this time, Molly's face didn't swell - yay!!!

We had beautiful snow capped mountains to watch on the 1 1/2 hour crossing; and as you approached the mainland, you could see Vancouver's skyline in the distance.

We got turned around a little bit getting off the ferry due to a detour; and ended up driving through a pretty swanky neighborhood in West Vancouver - pretty nice.

We are now settled in our new park in Squamish; and are completely surrounded by mountains. It's beautiful here. The park is quite new and the owners are busy making new sites, etc. But we are at the far end of the park; no neighbors; and our patio faces a wooded area.

Yesterday, we drove up to Whistler, which is under an hour; and spent a couple of hours driving from the upper village to the lower village and driving through some really nice neighborhoods. In fact, I don't recall seeing one single place in need of repair. And it's quite apparent, that you need some moola to live here. We finally made our way to the downtown shops. This area is called "The Stroll" and is pedestrians only; roughly 800 meters from start to finish and stores and restaurants on both sides. Some of the shops were pretty expensive; even the sales racks were a little steep for me!

The "stroll" eventually ends at the gondola and there were tons of people with ski attire on and carrying their skis or snowboards. Lots of restaurants down at this end of the mall to treat yourself after a long day on the slopes. We were planning on heading back today, to take the Peak to Peak gondola ride; but it's really overcast and drizzly. Guess we'll have to try another day.

Take a look at our pictures

Getting Ready to Roll

Well, this past month has been spent mostly doing what we normally do - going for daily walks; playing cards with friends; enjoying the steam room/hot tub at the aquatic centre and just enjoying spring on the island.

We also had some friends come for a quick visit. We picked Sally and Latisha up at the ferry at noon and dropped them off the next afternoon around 4. During their short 28 hour visit; we spent the first afternoon touring around Victoria. Latisha had never been to BC before, so it was nice to be able to show her the capital. Plus Victoria is a really pretty city and any excuse to go is good enough for us. We also found a really nice place to have a chinese dinner right in China town.

The next day, we were up and out the door fairly early and off to Cathedral Grove we went. We have now been to Cathedral Grove in all 4 seasons, and regardless of the season, it's a beautiful place to spend an hour or so walking amongst the giant cedars and douglas firs. We also stopped at Qualicum falls and Coombs - still no goats on the roofs!

After they left; we go serious about getting ready to roll. Every drawer, cupboard, closet and bin has been emptied out and reorganized. I figure we tossed out roughly 50 pounds worth of stuff that we had no use for, or was broken. That's a job that you really need to keep up with, when you're living in a small space.

We also spent the better part of a day washing our rig from the roof on down. What a job that was! Both of us had sore shoulders the next day. But it looks good! Mike and Bob also checked a couple of our axles/bearings on the rig; and everything looked fine.

We also brought the truck in for a tune-up and oil change; and everything is working well. We also put a new set of tires on the truck. First time in 13 years and 4 vehicles that we've had to replace a full set at once.

Yesterday, our friends Barb and Marjorie came up from Victoria; and shared our Easter dinner with us. And it was delicious - turkey and all the trimmings... mmm mmm good!

We leave the island tomorrow; and our destination is Squamish. We've been across from the Sqamish/Whistler area for the winter; and are looking foward to being in the mountains, instead of just looking at them. Hopefully our sailing will go smoothly; and we should be there by late afternoon. I'll do a blog once we get set up.

Take a look at our pictures

The rest of Jenn's visit

A few weeks back, we found a nice place to go for a walk along the ocean. It's a park called Neck Point, and on Saturday, we had a beautiful day to take Jenn there. Although there was still snow on the paths and boardwalks, it was an easy walk.

There's only a few short uphills; but the views are totally worth it. You also drive through a very nice part of Nanaimo to get there. No cookie cutter homes in this area; and beautiful properties and views all around.

On Sunday, we toured around the harbour and downtown Nanaimo, before heading off to do some shopping. One of Jenn's favorite meals that I make is Chimichanga's from left over pot roast, so on Sunday night we feasted on chimi's. And then headed off for a hot tub and sauna.

Monday, Jenn and I headed off for a day of touring. We started mid morning in Chemainus; which is a small artsy community; with beautiful murals painted on buildings throughout the community. Made our way through half a dozen shops; but didn't do too much damage to the wallets.

Next stop was a picnic lunch at the summit of the Malahat. And then into Victoria. We toured around the cruise ship pier first; but didn't see any ships. Next stop was fisherman's wharf. Had my camera with me this time; and took some pictures of the house boats. Came across some harbour seals, just in time for some locals to feed fish to them. We then stopped at mile marker "0" on the Trans Canada where there was also a statute of Terry Fox.

Toured through some pretty nice neighbour hoods for a while and then made our way back to downtown, where we walked through the Empress Hotel; past the Parliament building and along the inner harbour before meeting my friend Barb for dinner.

Yesterday was spent at the casino, where we won; followed by a session of bingo, we both won; how often does that happen? And a stroll along the river in our park. We dropped her off bright and early this morning, at the ferry terminal and this time, there wasn't a speck of snow anywhere!

We had a great time with Jenn; and thoroughly enjoyed our visit with her. Who will be our next guest? We hear our couch is really comfy!

Take a look at the pictures

Winter Came Back

Well we thought for sure that winter in Nanaimo was done, but apparently we were wrong! It started to snow late afternoon on Wednesday and by the time we left here to head to Duke Point to pick up our friend at the ferry terminal; it was a full fledged blizzard! We are putting all of the blame on Jenn, as she has come from cold, snowy Ontario.

We left here just after 7:00 pm and with the quarter sized snow flakes blowing directly into our headlights, making out the road was a little tough. The speed limit on the highway there was 90 km's and I was driving along at 40 km's just to be on the safe side. I haven't driven in a blizzard in 3 winters, as the first two were in the south; and this year when it has snowed, we usually just stayed in. On the way back things appeared better; and we decided a nice hot tub and sauna at the aquatic centre would feel great; about half way there, we decided that it was time to turn back and try again the next night.

On Thursday we spent the afternoon shopping and taking Jenn for a quick tour around Nanaimo; and had that much needed hot tub later in the evening.

Today was beautiful; and we drove over to Cathedral Grove. This is a preserved area of forest with some of Canada's oldest Douglas firs. There was a smattering of snow on the ground; and it was a beautiful way to spend an hour walking through the forest. We then continued our drive and just outside of Port Alberni, we stopped at Sproat Lake for a picnic lunch and a nice walk out to some Petroglyphs. Heading back home, we stopped at Little Qualicum water falls; and found ourselves on a hike heading down to some falls. Again, just a little bit of snow, but it added to the ambiance. Our last stop on our way home was Goat on Roof in Coombs. This is a little tourist attraction that has an array of gift shops and a market. We were here earlier in the fall and both times, the goats haven't been out.

We arrived home around six and enjoyed a slow cooked blade roast dinner. Mmm Mmm good. A lot of the snow has already melted and should be gone by tomorrow.

Take a look at our pictures

February in Nanaimo

I know that it's been forever since I did an update on the blog; but we really haven't been doing too much exciting stuff lately.

Most of the snow was gone by early January and the winter up to this point has been really nice. The day time temps average around 8 and we haven't been below freezing over night in over a month. We've also have had very little rain. And when it does rain, it seems to do it over night.

We go for daily walks in and around our park. There's a really nice trail that boarders the park; and takes you along a river. The river is a playground for all kinds of birds. Just today we were over there and were entertained by a flock of Canadian geese.

Depending on how high or low the tide is decides how far we walk along the river. There's a couple of low places along the way, and when the tide is high, there's no way to cross. A few weeks back we had a really nice big rainbow going across the river; but we didn't find the pot of gold, oh well, maybe next time.

We have also been going to the aquatic centre quite a bit; and have been enjoying the sauna, steam room and hot tub. We usually go in the evenings; as there are less kids at that time.

A friend of ours is coming for a weeks visit starting tomorrow; and we'll be taking her to all kinds of places. We're both looking forward to it.

We also both celebrated our birthdays recently; and we both enjoyed our days.

Take a look at our photos

Christmas on the Island

Wow, it's hard to believe that Christmas 08 has come and gone and we're already into the 4th day of the New Year! Where does the time go?

We had a pot luck dinner at the club house before Christmas; and the turnout was really good. 32 people braved the cold and snow to indulge in a turkey dinner with many fixings to go with it. Mmm Mmm good. We also have gotten together many nights to play cards with Bob and Alvisia. Mostly pepper; but have also started to play frustration; and trust me - it is very frustrating!

Christmas day was spent talking to our family and friends through Skype. It was so nice to hear so many familiar voices; it melts the miles in between. It's great to be able to make as many calls as we want without costing us a thing. Okay, $24 for the year is pretty close to nothing. We some how managed to get our turkey in the oven between phone calls; and indulged in a turkey dinner later that day.

New Years was spent watching Shrek 2 and watching the ball drop from New York - 3 times. With the time difference, we were able to watch it from coast to coast. We were also treated to fireworks going off at midnight. Could only hear them; and intermingled with the fireworks were guns shots being fired into the air. Along with that, a ferry in the bay beside us blasted on the horn for a few good minutes. First time for gun shots and boat horns. What will next year bring?

The past couple of weeks have been mostly spent trying to keep the awning clear of snow; trying to figure out how long it will last before things go back to "normal"; going for walks; and just enjoying the winter wonderland we been living in for the past few weeks. We've had roughly 2 and half feet of snow in total.

We want to wish all of you a very happy, healthy and prosperous 2009! Thanks also for those of you who check the blog often; makes us happy to know that you're enjoying our adventure with us.

Take a look at the pictures that are posted.