Aug 28 - Sept 30, 2019 Back to Alberta and move our stuff.

Aug 28
We have had a great time here on the Island but it's time to head home. We got up a little earlier than usual so we could have coffee and get to the ferry terminal early. We just missed catching the 8 am boat but for sure on the 9 o'clock so that will work okay. We are going to my nephew Bryon's house for a visit and then out for lunch with his wife and his girls. Niki is working today but we can meet close to her work for lunch at Boston Pizza.

Meeting another ferry in Active Pass.

Absolutely beauty day today!

The ferry crossing was nice and smooth with a beautiful sunny day to enjoy on deck. Leslie toured around inside after we had breakfast but I like being in the wind and the sun. We got to Vancouver and let the GPS guide us to Bryon's house in North Van. Traffic wasn't even terrible today so it was an easy drive. He wasn't home when we got there but got there within a few minutes after taking the girls to swimming. With big hugs and handshakes we said hello to Bryon, Ellie & Sophia. So good to see them. We toured Bryon's wood shop in the garage and then relaxed inside for a little bit. It's really getting warm today; 31C is the forecast high!

How cute are these two??

Not so flattering for Bryon & I ... Sophia blocking Margaret from the living room.

At lunchtime we loaded up in the cars and headed to BP's close to Niki's work for lunch. Short visit but glad we got the chance to see them all.

There's Mom! Niki & Sophia

We drove back to Bryon's house to pick up Margaret and after hugs and handshakes we let the GPS put us back on Trans Canada Hwy #1 to leave the coast and head home. 

Sadly we can't see everyone on every trip (Sorry Rob and Charlene) Another we would have liked was in Penticton to see Terryn and her family but it's too far out of our path this trip. We got see her in the spring but it still would have been nice to see her again. Sorry Terryn :( we'll probably see you next spring on our return to Canada.

It was a beautiful drive through the mountains again with nothing but sunshine all the way. Our stop for tonight is a little motel we saw on the way down just outside of a super small town called Little Fort, BC. We got there close to 6 pm and checked in to a clean and comfortable room for $125. They have a free breakfast too so we can just grab a bite in the morning and go. Perfect. 

We asked about a place for supper and were told to drive 4km's back to the town of Little Fort to the High Five Diner. I love finding these small town gems and the High Five is amazing! The portions are huge and it's really good food with great servers. It's like they know you already and they chat like we're old friends. Look for it if you drive highway 5 through BC in Little Fort. Well worth the stop.

Cool front entrance, needs to be on Diners, Drive Ins & Dives!

Memorabilia from the good ol days.

My shepherds pie & caesar salad, Leslie's hamburger steak

with onions and a garden salad. Awesome!!

We were absolutely stuffed when we left and I thought about a slice of homemade pie to go on the way out but just couldn't imagine eating anymore. We drove back to the motel and took Margaret for a walk around the grounds before relaxing in the room for the evening. Fat and happy you might say.

We got a decent early start the next day partly because our room was beside the stairs to the second level and the folks upstairs left earlier than us. We chatted with the owners of the motel at breakfast and then hit the road for our Pineridge home. Another spectacular day for driving through the mountains. We got pictures of Mt Robson like we have never seen before. 

Mt Robson is the tallest peak in the BC Rockies.

Love how the cloud just hung there like a ring around the peak.

Another Moose Lake, not by Bonnyville obviously.

Back on home turf.

In Jasper National Park.

It was a fantastic couple of weeks away but we are glad to be back in our rig and we're tired from being away. It's an early night tonight.

Aug 30

The Ridge social club, (the name of our phase here in PGR) is having a hamburger/ hot dog barbecue to celebrate the last long weekend here for the summer so we are sticking around for that and Graham is coming to visit with the kids too. We head to B'ville again right after that to get to work moving our stuff out of the house and garage.

There has been a new development with our house that is just fantastic. The people we agreed to rent our house to, (I'll ask them if I can use their names later) have had some trouble in their current house and asked us if they can move in October 1 instead of January when their lease runs out. That is great for us so absolutely they can move in!! It just shortens our timeline for getting stuff out but that's okay. We work better under pressure lol. So we will enjoy the Labour Day weekend and then pull the rig up to B'ville and get going on the move. How awesome is the timing for this? Now our house will have great people in it even before we leave. Perfect!

The social club did a great job setting up the barbecue and 50/50 draws. After a trip to the playground with the kids we walked over to enjoy the barbecue. Good times and the kids got to play and swing with the other kids while we relaxed.

Some playground action before the food.

Me, Graham and his dog Louie. Katelyn walking Margaret.

Graham stayed until the kids had enough for one day. They will sleep good tonight after lots of fresh air! With big hugs we waved good bye as they headed home. 

Leslie & I noticed a few folks were still around the fire so we wandered over for another drink. We met a couple from down the road a few sites, Dave & Danielle, with their beautiful dog Briggus. We were enjoying getting to know them better so invited them in for a bit. Margaret wanted no part of this big dog in her house so she went to bed. We probably should have too but stayed up having fun instead. They are a really nice couple and Briggus is a great dog. He's named after a town in Newfoundland if you are wondering about his name.

Leslie invited him up, she's pretty happy at this point lol.

The next day was of not as fast paced. We did our usual routine and slowly packed things away for the trip to B'ville. My brother John was already planning a trip to Alberta in the coming week and now his timing is great for us and not so good for him. He can help us move !! He has helped us move before...a couple times. I think he enjoys the workout. 

We drove both vehicles and the trailer out to B'ville and set up beside the garage with the rig. We set up a blowup bed for John in the basement and got busy selling stuff and moving the rest to the garage so we can clean and paint. Leslie went to work a couple days and I did what I could by myself before John got there. We cleaned out one room at a time and put everything in the garage and then we'll load the trailer. I painted two of the bedrooms and steam cleaned the carpets while Leslie moved the remaining clothes and loaded boxes. By the time John got there we were ready to load up and move. A local realtor, Marcel Sylvester, lent me his company enclosed trailer for the move. Awesome thing for him to do. Thanks Marcel! Long story short we fixed, cleaned, painted and got everything done before September 21st. Awesome!

John's bed for a few days.

Leslie packing stuff together.

Painter guy. Love the bedroom furniture in the living room!

Did this room twice! Don't ask. It's embarrassing.

Put stuff in the garage....

Into Marcel's trailer. Perfect fit.

On September 14th we all jumped in the truck and drove the trailer to PGR first to unload most of the stuff. Leslie's sister Lorin drove out to help too. Thanks Lorin! Next stop is Ryan's house with two king size beds to take upstairs. Without a doubt the toughest part of the move was getting two king mattresses up the stairs with a 90 degree turn! Yay....it's time for Corona! 

The move crew; me, John, Leslie & Lorin. 

Ryan got the selfie shot.

Now for some great news!! While visiting with Ryan & Ashtyn we noticed a little extra jewelry on her hand. They got engaged on the West Coast Trail!!!! So happy for them. That's fantastic news! We have two weddings next year; our grand daughter Drew & now Ryan & Ashtyn.

How romantic... and sweaty haha

She said yes, so happy for them.

Amazing emerald and diamond ring!

We stayed overnight at Ryan's and got to sleep in our own king bed that we set up in Ryan's spare room. Thanks buddy for holding our stuff. The next morning we had just a couple more items in the trailer to drop off for Sam, Leslie's daughter. We drove from there back to B'ville to drop off the trailer. Phew just about there. The three of us are sore and tired from all the moving and driving. We took John out for supper at Sandpipers restaurant as a thank you dinner but it really doesn't equal what he did for us. So awesome that he drove all the way from Victoria to help us for a few days. Thanks bro! You're the best movers helper ever lol.

We had a slow start the next day and made some breakfast for John before he leaves to continue his visit in Edmonton with my sister Donna and family.

That afternoon Leslie caught a ride with her buddy Shannon to a baby shower for Ashley's new baby boy, Arlo. She got a chance for baby snuggles which she loves and to say good bye to some other friends we haven't seen much of lately. Congrats to Ashley & Tim on their new boy! I stayed and did nothing with Margaret, perfect. 

We did our final clean of the house and I even washed the garage floor before we leave. Sure hope our new renters love the place like we did. They seem like a really nice couple and we are sure they will be great. We're really lucky to have met them. (Thanks Kevin!)

Our empty living room. We're going to really miss the view.

The empty garage. The white stuff on the floor is cement sealer.

 We hooked up the rig in the morning and took the last of our stuff back to Pineridge. We're getting good at this trip. After getting set up and everything squared away with the rig Leslie says to me, "How about I buy you a burger and a beer at OJ's in Stony Plain?" This seems a little odd that she wants to go that far when we could just go to the clubhouse but it's my birthday and she wants something nice she says. Yeah okay if you drive. Surprise !!!

Ashtyn, Ryan, me, Sam, Richard & Leslie.

We walked out to the patio and Leslie had arranged for the gang to meet us in Stony Plain. Graham and Britt couldn't make it because he's working nights. It was a good surprise. I don't like making my birthday a big deal but we had a good dinner and a couple beers. Thanks everybody.

Now for some sad news unfortunately. Over the past few weeks as we have been getting our work done our good friend Howard has become terribly ill. We visited him in hospital twice over the last few weeks which was tough but so glad we did. Sadly on September 11 our old buddy Howard passed away in hospice care. We both will miss him very much. He was one of those gruff old guys who would come on like he was super tough and mean but he was honestly a genuine great guy. Here's a shot of Crown Royal Black to you my friend. You will be missed.

Howard, June 20, 1940 - Sept 11, 2019

From fall of 2012 after our ride to Glendon on the Harley. He looks badass lol.

Howard and I last year back at their house.

On Saturday the 22nd we attended a service at a hotel banquet room for Howard put on by his family. A sad day indeed. Our condolences to his whole family, hugs to you all.

The next day I was doing some stuff in the garage at PGR and thought it was nice enough to go for a ride on the Harley. I asked Les if she wanted to go but she thought it was going to rain. It really didn't seem that bad out. I dressed warm, or so I thought, and headed out with a roar of the pipes. What a great ride. The smell of the leaves, the wind in my face, hardly any traffic, awesome. Howard wouldn't like it; too cold. He only went on hot days. It was great for the first 2/3 of the ride but on my way back to the rig there was a slight mist falling. I still had about 20 miles/ 30 kms to go. By the time I got back I was chilled to the bone! I just parked the bike and ran inside to stand by the fireplace. Yep, it's time to park the bike for the season.

September 24th I had to get Leslie to drive me to Edmonton for a day surgery on my right arm. The 2 red marks that we have tried several ointments on over 3 years are actually carcinomas. Skin cancer yes, but the easily removed kind luckily. Everything went real smooth and I was done in less than an hour and back to PGR to rest and start healing the cut. It's about 2 1/2 inches long so it will be a little while before I can lift things etc. Leslie was my nurse afterwards, from changing the bandages every day to removing the stitches afterwards. Thanks Leslie. You're awesome.

We didn't do much for a few days after as my arm was really stiff and it did hurt a bit if I stretched it. We went out for a late lunch on Saturday with Graham, Brittany and the kids in Ft Saskatchewan because we won't get many more chances to see the kids before we head out for the winter. It was a really good lunch and Graham paid. Even better haha. Thanks Graham and Britt for buying.

The next day Leslie drove to Edmonton early in the morning to go to a bridal fair with Ashtyn, Sam, Lorin and some other girls. I stayed home and watched TV and walked Margaret. Her day was more fun I think.

Breakfast at Drunkin Ox Sober Cat Cafe.

 Lorin, Ashtyn, Sam, Joana, Richelle(behind Les) Leslie

Richelle, Ashtyn, Leslie, Jolene, Lorin.  Joana & Sam crouching in front.

Leslie had a great time with the girls at the bridal fair looking at all the different stuff you can have at your wedding. They found some really great stuff I hear that will be used next year. A new saying was born I heard also, SCDT aka Sam can do that! Sam is very crafty. Leslie, Sam & Joana went for a coffee after the fair and then Les drove back to her "patient" at PGR. She had a fun day with the girls.

That's pretty much our September in a nutshell. We're getting closer to current day activity. I need my arm to heal up so I have better range of motion but I can do most stuff, just have to be careful. Leslie is just doing what she always does .... looking after me lol. 

Cheers everybody.