Oct 1 - Oct. 7 Staying in Penticton at Wrights Beach Camp/ Thanksgiving

Oct 1
We have some chores to do today, laundry and clean the inside of the trailer. We'll get that done and go visit Margi. We picked up Shannon at her hotel and headed to Margi's for a great visit. More of her friends showed up while we were there so it got pretty busy. I remember some of her friends but it's been 30+ years since I have seen them. We stayed as long as we could and then dropped Shannon off to do some more work from her hotel. We went back to the rig and did a couple more chores and called it a day. We have free cable TV for the week!
Oct 2 
My buddy Mark has this week off and is coming over for coffee this morning. Mark is a long haul trucker and recently invested in his own rig. The "Big Pumpkin" I called it. A new Peterbuilt with lots of chrome and a monster sleeper. He's RV'ing and getting paid for it!

Mark and his new rig

We had a great chat and a couple coffees and then he was off to meet up with his daughter, Sam. We will meet up with Sam later this week.

Margi's son, Bryon, is driving up today from Vancouver. It will be great to see him again. We all gathered at the hospice and had a nice afternoon together. Bryon is staying in Summerland at his in-laws house. He has a hot tub to use and free beer and wine. Lucky guy! Not much else to say, not every day is a dinger.
Oct 3
We worked on a blog post in the morning. Terryn texted that everybody is going for lunch at Earls so we will meet them there. Bryon drove to Kelowna and picked up another friend of Margi's from the airport. Kristie flew in from Vancouver Island and will be here a few days. 

Kristie, me, Terryn, Tammy, Shannon, Leslie & Bryon

We had a good lunch and then went to Margi's for a visit. Leslie and I went back to our rig after to get supper ready. Shannon and Dan are coming over tonight for barbecue steaks etc. 

Bad pic, some weird light thing going on.

After supper we are going bowling!! It has been years since Leslie has been bowling and I have never tried 10 pin bowling. It will be great to have some fun with Shannon, Dan and Bryon. We all met at the bowling alley and picked up our really cool shoes lol.

Setting up

Smiling cousins; Bryon and Shannon

Posing with bowling balls

I might have had beginners luck but I actually won the first game! I did bowl as a kid in a league but that was 5 pin not 10 pin. So we decided to try a second game. One thing we learned about Dan at the wedding was that he is just a little competitive..... maybe just a little. He made a bet with Leslie and Shannon that he could beat them both this game and if he did they would have to do a shot. They agreed on a shot called a pickle back. A shot of whiskey backed up with a shot of pickle juice. I'm not in on the bet thankfully. If they both beat Dan then he'll have to do 3 shots! lol. The final score ended with Leslie tying with Dan and Shannon behind by a bit. They ended up each doing a pickle back shot as a compromise.

Compromise.

We all had a good time. It was time to call it a day. So on a happy note we said good night with hugs and handshakes until we see everybody tomorrow.

Oct 4

We did our usual morning routine and went to see Margi. There is a weird sign at the hospital parking lot so Leslie grabbed a picture. 

For real ?? We were here for over two weeks and never saw one!

In the afternoon Leslie wanted a nap so I went over to visit Mark's daughter, Sam. She was working on a wood table and her fella Dave was working on a Viking wood carving for a customer. I was amazed at the work Dave was doing on the Viking. We had a beer and talked in the back yard where they were working. The carving was still in rough form but I asked Sam to send me some finished pics. It's cheating but so cool to see the finished product.

Before color and finishing

Incredible work!

Sam was working on a table top while Dave did the Viking. Really cool products they are producing.

I went back to the rig and got cleaned up because we are off for wings at Bar One at the Sandman tonight. We haven't been out so much in years. Leslie got a short power nap in so she's good to go. We drove down to Sandman where Terryn had reserved a big table for all of us. The place is packed for wing night. Wings were great and the company even better. Everybody made it out, even Mark dropped by after he had another dinner. Good times.

Good wings bad pic lol.

Me, Shannon, Dan, Terryn, Kristie

Mark & me

With big hugs we said so long to Bryon and Kristie as they are leaving early in the morning back to the coast. Cheers guys! So good to see you.

Oct 5

With all the eating out we need to get some exercise. We got out on a beautiful morning for a run. Leslie took Margaret for a run on the beach. Margaret doesn't run very far before she needs to sniff and investigate everything!! Leslie said they got a decent workout in the sand. Good stuff. I did a 4k run to the airport and back to the rig. It was a great run and brought back some old memories because I used to work at the airport in the early 80's as a baggage handler and fuelling planes for Spencer Aviation. The fuel shack is still there under the same name! Cool. We went and enjoyed some time with Margi before going home to get ready for an evening out with Shannon and Dan. The Victoria Royals hockey team is playing in Kelowna tonight so we are going to watch. Shannon and Dan are season ticket holders so it's a bonus to catch a road game. They even brought their jerseys! We drove to their hotel and Shannon drove us to Kelowna. We went for supper at a pub called Tonic a few blocks from the arena. It was a great choice as the food was great and Guinness on tap for $5 was the beer special. After supper we walked to the arena for the game and cheered as the Royals beat Kelowna 4 - 3.

Dan cheering on the guys going on the ice, matching jerseys!

The $5 Guinness were still available after the game so we stopped for a quick one before heading home. My sister Donna and her kids are very close to getting to the Okanagan too. When we left Kelowna they were in Salmon Arm. We'll see them tomorrow.

Oct 6

We got ready and drove over to Donna & Dennis's place to see the whole gang. Donna's son Kevin, his wife Lisa, Kerry and her sons Brody and Jetson were all finished breakfast and ready to have some fun.

Kevin, Lisa & Brody

Brody& Jetson getting drinks from Grandma (Donna)

Kevin, Lisa & Kerry all went to see Margi for a while. Leslie and I are waiting and letting others visit. Margi is getting a ton of company and that's fantastic but tiring. 

In the afternoon Leslie joined Kevin and gang for a wine run at Blasted Church winery, one of their faves, and a bonus trip to Dubh Glas Distillery in Gallagher Lake for some really smooth and tasty gin. A fun time was had by all except the driver!

Kevin, Kerry & Shannon

Just outside of Penticton, a great winery.

I chose to stay at Donna's because my cousin Michael had just arrived from Chilliwack and I haven't seen him in a couple years. We had coffee and chatted with Donna and Dennis for a bit and then I drove Michael up to see Margi. They haven't seen each other for a while too so it was really cool that they got to visit for a bit. We stayed for a bit and then we all met back at Donna's for a fabulous roast beef supper.

Relaxin after supper.

That was a busy day! Les and I drove back to the park and called it a day. So good to get everyone together :)

Oct 7

Happy Thanksgiving!! It's Leslie writing now (Dave hit the shower). We got up fairly early and I started prepping for the big dinner tonight. I made up a large bowl of guacamole, prepped some brussel sprouts with onions, romaine and Caesar salad dressing and Dave cooked up some bacon the sprout and the salad. Once we had all that done Kevin, Lisa, Kerry and the boys came over to check out the trailer. Kerry's boys, Brody and Jet, both LOVE RV's so we showed them how all the slides and jacks work and they loved it. Of course we were too busy to get any other pictures but the one below.

Kerry, Lisa, Margaret and Dave at the trailer

Once the tour was over we headed to Donna and Dennis's for the big dinner. Thank goodness it was a nice enough day for lots of us to sit outside as we ended up with 21 people for dinner. Terryn, Jordan and Graydon arrived with Margi around 3:30. Margi was so very happy to see everyone. 

Michael and Margi catching up

I spent most of the pre-dinner time in the kitchen helping Dennis. Dave was outside visiting and cooking up the brussel sprouts on our BBQ. Margi ended up spending a bunch of time outside visiting too. After an amazing meal we managed to gather everyone together for a picture. 

Dave had a little trouble with the timer...lol

All of us together

We all had a wonderful time and shared many hugs before heading home for a well earned sleep. Thanks so much to Donna and Dennis for hosting such a large group. It was so great to see the smile on Margi's face and for all of us to be together too. 

Sept 23 - 30 Travel to Vernon and Penticton, BC

Sep 23 
It's normal when we attend a race with Barry & Ailsa that we do post race burgers and beer. We had decided to meet at a place called Taps in downtown Golden. We had been there before and it was great. It didn't disappoint this time. Different bartender this time which is unfortunate because the fella that worked there in 2015 was hilarious. We drove out of our site, a great spot just west of downtown. Golden Municipal Campground.

Beautiful fall colours!

Our site #23

We got a big table up front with enough room for Ailsa's family and the 3 of us. Burgers and beers were so good! We only got one picture and it's Ailsa and her sisters. They were seeing who was taller. Mhairi wins and I think Donna is taller than Ailsa by a bit but there was debate lol.

The MacDonald sisters (there's one more not here)

We said good bye to everybody with hugs and handshakes and drove back to the rig to relax for the evening. John is leaving early tomorrow so it's our last chance to visit. I had to pack it in early because I was just tired after a big day. So great having John there for the weekend! How awesome that he drove all that way and stayed in a hotel just to be there for my birthday and the race. Thanks bro!

Sept 24

My legs are so sore!! Leslie was so great. She made coffee and massaged my calves with tiger balm before I got up. We both got a chuckle as I did the "tin man" walk to get down the 3 steps to the living room. Leslie booked a massage for me before we got here and it's at 3 pm. I'm actually looking forward to it. I don't usually do massage but it should really help and man am I stiff today. We didn't do a lot until the trip to Kinbasket Massage. The therapist and Leslie both told me that it would hurt later tonight but would be better tomorrow. Man they weren't kidding. Another early to bed night with Tiger balm on my legs. Thanks Leslie for looking after me today. She is so awesome.

Sept 25

We're moving to Vernon today to see if we can hook up with an old friend of Leslie's from her childhood. Leslie found this lady on Facebook last year. They were friends when Leslie was in Prince George BC before she was 9 years old. How cool that they found each other so many years later!

My legs are still stiff but much better than last night as promised. We got packed up and dumped tanks by the park office before saying good by to Golden and the epic adventure we had here. My brother had warned us about lots of road construction between Golden and Revelstoke. Wow he wasn't kidding. As soon as you got back to speed from one project there was another. The good side is that it made for a relaxing slow drive through Rogers Pass which is a high mountain road with lots of twists and turns. Great views around every turn.

Lots of construction happening.

The cute Margaret picture.

What a beauty travel day! There was a little bit of rain but nothing to worry about. We love mountains almost as much as the ocean.

Leslie and her tunnels lol. There are 7 of them.

It took longer than usual but we arrived in Revelstoke.We decided to stop for lunch at a Dennys we saw. There was a big empty lot next door with tons of parking so I took advantage of that. We both laughed when I got out of the truck for the first time. My legs were so stiff! I held on to the truck a little to get going towards the restaurant. Leslie helped me again. It had to look weird walking in with both of us laughing and me hobbling like a stick man.

Leslie got some cool pics of the CN train beside the highway going in and out of the tunnels.

Train in Three Valley Gap.

We arrived in Vernon BC by about 3:30 and checked out an RV park on the north side of town. It was nice but expensive and we're not here long so we decided to check out Kekuli Provincial Park just south of Vernon instead.

8k (5 mi) south of Vernon, water available, no dump station

Kalamalka Lake below our site, so nice.

Our site, tough back in but beauty view.

I think $32 is a little steep for no services but it is a provincial park and the washrooms/ showers are spotless clean. We had a set of flush toilets not far from our site and I filled the water before we parked so it was okay. Leslie contacted her childhood friend through messenger but there is a problem. She has the flu and her husband is working super early in the morning so our timing couldn't be worse. We are visiting my sister next in Penticton and I'm not going anywhere near the flu bug before that. Unfortunately we had to try another time. Too bad really. How cool to see somebody after 40 years? I'm sure we'll be back through again before too long, maybe then. So now we have a couple days to get some projects done and a little relaxing. We have a cell signal for the blog and 1 OTA TV channel. We get Survivor so Leslie is a happy girl. Just have to stretch that genny run time rule. We are on this row alone almost so I don't think that will matter much. 

Sept 26

First on our chore list is groceries and a trip to Home hardware in Vernon. There are some nice murals on the buildings downtown. Vernon has grown lots over the years. I haven't stopped here since the mid 80's so it's not unexpected??! The trim pieces on the front of the trailer are loose and screws are stripped so that's our job today. Removing the old caulking is a tough task but with a little patience and a new blade on the exacto knife it will happen.

Need my glasses to see up close.

A choice of scrapers and screw drivers.

That whole piece needs to come off.

We managed to get one side done and underneath the front on that side. What a pain working from our knees looking up for a couple hours. Good thing we brought knee pads. Once done we decided on a little walk in the park. Margaret has been sitting in the truck all afternoon and she's ready for a stretch.

Beautiful park and the lake is so green.

Converted rail trail along the lake.

After our walk we just had a nice supper and watched a little TV before bed. Moving again tomorrow.

Sept 27

We're moving to Penticton this afternoon. It's only a couple hours drive but through Kelowna. Usually lots of traffic through the valley so we are just taking our time and enjoying the drive along the lake. 

Nice tables at Kekuli park and a lovely table model!

Getting close to Penticton.

The view from our site at Wright's Beach Camp on Skaha Lake

We texted my niece, Terryn, to let her know we're in town but it's too late to go anywhere tonight so we'll get a fresh start in the morning.

Sept 28

We had originally planned to go east from Golden after the race but thanks to this new lifestyle we changed on the fly to come here to Penticton. I grew up here from 1975 - 85 and my sisters have moved and come back again.

Unfortunately we learned at Shannon's wedding that my sister Margi's cancer has returned with a vengeance so she is fighting that battle right now. Leslie and I are so grateful that we can change our plans and be here to help in a small way. We'll head across the border around Oct 15 but for now we can visit and help if needed.

We drove up to where my sister is being cared for right next to the hospital. Terryn is basically living there too and helping her Mom deal with all the stuff. Terryn is an LPN so she knows all too well how to help. So glad she's doing what she is doing for her Mom. So with some big hugs and a couple tears we said hello and were able to take Margi outside in the sun for a nice visit. Anyone who has had to deal with this horrible illness knows that the treatment can be as hard as anything so Margie is a little weak but in great spirits and we laughed and talked for a good while. Around 1 o'clock we decided to have lunch with Terryn at a pub called the Copper Mug. It's been here forever and always had good food. Still does fortunately. We chatted with Terryn and met some of her friends that happened to be there too. After lunch I need to find my sister Donna's house so we called her to see if we could come over. Of course! Off we go to Donna and her husband Dennis's place for coffee.

Donna and me, my brother and I got the height :)

We sat and visited for long enough that it was supper time. Yeah the youngest kid knows how to time his visits. Dennis was already planning their supper and asked if we wanted to join. Sure! He felt it was nothing special with potatoes, vegetables and some really good sausages from a local butcher but it was great! Margaret put on her cutest face beside the table and she enjoyed some of the delicious sausage too. Thanks guys for supper and Margaret says thanks too. We said good night soon after and went back to the rig.

Sept 29

It's been almost a week since my run but we both want to get out for some exercise. We like to call it Funday Runday! 

Ready to go!

We took advantage of the KVR(Kettle Valley Rail) trail that runs right along Skaha Lake below our rig. It is a fantastic trail that was a rail line many many years ago. It's sand and gravel and is perfect for running, cycling or walking your dog. Super bonus so close to our rig. We both did about 4k out and back. My legs are still a little sore but it felt great to get out.

Fall colours beside the lake

Leslie on the trail. Super bonus to have this close.

By the time we got cleaned up it was mid afternoon so we drove up to see Margi for a bit. We stayed for as long as we felt we could and then just came back to the trailer. Cooking our own dinner tonight, tough times lol.

Sept 30

Real quiet start to our day today. It's raining a little and not that warm so we're just taking it easy. We get free cable with our site so we're watching a little TV and relaxing. In the afternoon we drove up to see Margi for a while and then stopped at Donna's to see what they were up to. Leslie made a big pot of Taco soup so we invited them over to see the rig and have a bowl of soup. My niece Shannon and her new husband Dan are due in tonight so we are all going to meet up with them when they arrive. Shannon texted around 6 pm that they had made it to the Sandman Inn on the other end of town so we'll drive over there. They hit rain and a little snow coming through the pass from Merritt to Peachland. Lots of fog too but they are here safe and sound. Time for a beer, yay.

Me, Shannon, Dan, Dennis & Donna

We enjoyed a beer and got caught up on newlywed life, not much different from pre-wed life lol. We said good night and made some plans for tomorrow. Donna is flying to Edmonton for the week and then driving back with her kids for Thanksgiving. Shannon and Dan are staying all week and working remotely from their hotel. We will all get in some visits with Margi this week and my nephew Bryon (Margie's son) is driving up from Vancouver. Going to be a busy week but should be a fabulous Thanksgiving. More on that later, stay tuned.