Musings of a wannabe blogger

Random reunion pic's

2010-08-18T09:43:00.000-07:00

I decided to post some pictures of this years family reunion.
We have more than 200 pictures and I had a hard time just picking a few.
Here's my decision.

Work Bee

2010-08-13T09:31:00.000-07:00

Grandma decided that the kids behave much better when they are busy so thought it would be fun to put them to work. They all got busy cleaning and when they were done the house looked much better and they all enjoyed working together.
Now she thinks she is Tom Sawyer!

OH OH!!!!!

2010-08-11T14:34:00.000-07:00

My Bride fell and damaged her wrist again! Same one she broke 10 years ago.
The cast has been on for 2 days and is already itchy. I think thinking about it makes it worse.

SMOKE

2010-08-02T09:22:00.001-07:00

I made a mistake last night and went to sleep with the bedroom window open. I must have thought we would get enough of a storm to clear the smoke out. It didn't happen.

Unfortunately by 1:00 a. m. I had eaten enough smoke to make me quite sick.

Not much sleep and just as much smoke as ever this morning.
Hope it clears soon.

Entertaining kids

2010-07-24T16:30:00.000-07:00

All it took to entertain the kids on the past weekend was some cousins, a pond, a creek, some unsuspecting frogs, sunshine and lots of fresh air.

It's sad that more kids in the world are not able to experience what our family has.

It occurred to me as I was sorting through the pictures of the Reunion weekend that we had an extraordinary number of children at it this year. I don't recall seeing a single D S or other electronic or computerized toy.

There wasn't anyone that attended who didn't have a good time.

We have a wonderfull family for which I am eternally gratefull.

Happy Birthday

2010-07-20T07:39:00.000-07:00

Mom has turned 90 and doesn't look a day over 70.
She seemed to enjoy having her Brothers come to the Family Reunion this year to help her celebrate.

All 8 of my siblings managed to get home as well.

With the offspring that managed to get here from near and far we had a total of 106 at the celebration and reunion.

Getting ready for company

2010-07-15T22:24:00.001-07:00

Time for family reunion and the grass is cut, the horseshoe pits are dug out, everything is as neat and tidy as it's going to get. The sun will shine for the weekend and the people will come. Life is good.

Car show

2010-07-13T07:42:00.000-07:00

The Kids came in from camping at Green Lake looking for showers and a visit to the car show. They allowed me to tag along with them so I did.
Birch ave was closed off for the show, the sun was shining Hot dogs and Hamburgers were the lunchtime fare and the local Idols were entertaining the throngs of showgoers.
The cars were really impressive, it's amazing how a sunny day and the opportunity to show off their pride and joy will bring them all out.
Dayton was surprised to see that someone named a tire after him.

Boys n Girls n Ice Cream

2010-07-12T07:04:00.000-07:00

A beautiful summer day and wouldn't you know that Dayton likes hanging out with the girls
Logan likes hanging out with his Mother.

We all like Ice Cream and the smallest Boy gets the biggest cone. Dayton's cone is almost as big as he is.

A Frog's life

2010-07-11T16:26:00.000-07:00

The thing about being a Frog in a Sheridan Lake campsite is that as soon as school is out the Kids come to the lake and the frogs become fair game to the kids.
Now the process of the frog hunt has to begin with a plan and the one with the brokenest arm should be the planner.
Obviously the plan worked because we have a number of frogs of various sizes.
The next need is to replicate the frog habitat, they must be made comfortable and given names.
At the end of the day the captured frogs are released and the process begins all over again the next day.

It's Summer yay!?!?!?!?!

2010-07-09T21:27:00.000-07:00

Tracey was brave enough to drive her and her 3 kids here with their new RV. She did very well and the kids are really happy to be camping again. Deb & Gerry and Logan and Dayton surprised them by camping with them for the first night. The five kids including Sarah with her broken arm spent hours catching bugs and frogs and snails. Life is good.

Dogs and their Humans

2010-06-30T09:17:00.000-07:00

It occurred to me as I was staying in the city and watching the hustle and bustle while having my morning coffee, that the Dogs have their humans very well trained.
Dogs of every size, shape and color attach a leash to their human and go for a walk or run every day, mostly in the morning. When the dog decides to have a poop the human, who has been given a plastic bag, cleans up after said dog. I have observed that some humans are better trained than others as once in awhile the human refuses to pick up the poop, leaving it for the homeowner where the dog pooped to do it.
Some dogs share their human's with other dogs I in fact once saw three dogs sharing one human, the poor woman was being pulled in three directions at once.
Some dogs encourage their humans to run while others feel a leisurely walk is preferable allowing them to stop and pee on every bush and hydrant they decide is appropriate.
Weather doesn't seem to deter these dogs as they are out there in the hot sunny weather as well as the days that have downpours.
I'm not advocating one way or another for or against dogs, I'm just stating my observations as they are.

Grandma's here

2010-06-29T07:26:00.000-07:00

Grandma arrived on Thursday and we were all happy to see her. She wouldn't let me post the picture of her sliding down the slide.

The Boys got some play time in with her, Logan just loves to be tickled so tickletime was a must.

Deborah and the Boys took us to Boston Pizza for a lovely dinner.

Life is good.

Grandkids

2010-06-28T07:33:00.000-07:00

I had the opportunity to spend a week with Deborah and the boys.

We started sunday morning with a wonderfull Father's day breakfast.

The week flew by with the school year winding down and a couple of high energy boys keeping me busy and completely entertained for the week.

Greenhouse update

2010-06-19T10:58:00.000-07:00

After all the work that went into the greenhouse I thought I better post a picture of it in production. It works really well.

Another finished project

2010-06-17T21:13:00.000-07:00

Allen seems to be relentless in his need to keep building so we added a storage roof onto the side of the shop. We managed to get it done through the rain storms and now it is finished so the weather will likely stay dry for awhile.
The landscaper has a little more work to do but we were cursing him so bad during the building he might be reluctant to come back and fix it up.

Tracey's R.V.

2010-06-10T18:18:00.000-07:00

Jeanette; Here are some pictures as promised. There is a bike rack on the back to take their bikes
It's in good condition and we think they will enjoy camping in it.

Busy Weekend

2010-06-07T07:50:00.000-07:00

Louise hadn't seen Tracey for half a year so when she got three days off we wen't to the coast. As always it was busy there all the time.
First there was a Hip Hop dance at the school.

That was followed by Sarah's dance recital, which was three performances, One on friday evening, Saturday afternoon and Sunday afternoon.

Grandma had to learn to apply the makeup Friday as Tracey was working Saturday and it fell to her to do it for that performance.

Through all the fast paced, busy confusion in that house it fell to Daniel and I to hunt down and scare off the Aliens that were trying to take over the place.

By the end of that busy weekend we managed to get back home to a slower pace of life and more memories.

Car shopping

2010-05-26T20:45:00.000-07:00

The love of my life has decided that with car company incentives and 0% interest rates we should probably be shopping for a car that we will be happy with for the next 20 years, so shopping we went.

First and foremost was the need for phenomenal gas mileage. Second was the need to be comfortable with the car and the way it handled.

The chev dealer had an Aveo as it's best in mileage for the price. Not comfortable enough and not something Louise could fall in love with.

Toyota had a Yaris that she liked but the Corolla was much more car and got near the same mileage for a little more money so that is what we came home with. It is a fine looking car and we can drive around in comfort. Now how long before I am allowed to drive it?

Fearless Deer

2010-05-15T10:55:00.000-07:00

The Deer this year are becoming so aggressive they seem to want to come right into the house. I was at the kitchen table when this one came right up to the window and looked in. I told him to go but he just looked at me as if to say 'don't bother me you fool'. So I took his picture instead.

Fence repair

2010-05-14T19:58:00.000-07:00

The pine beetle has devastated the forests in this area. To try and salvage the dead trees is a massive undertaking.

I fear that most will fall down and rot before they can be salvaged.

The abundance of dead pine trees in this area is causing a problem with the fence lines as they are falling over and landing on them.

The Ranchers will be putting their cows out on the range tomorrow so we finished the fence repairs today, just in time.

Every time there is a wind there will probably need to be some more trees cut off the fence and rerepaired.

Landscaping

2010-05-09T20:12:00.000-07:00

I have been losing sleep worrying about the big poplar trees beside our house, so our neighbour came with his loader and his son-in-law and three hours later we had all the worrisome trees laying on the ground.

Now he says the hard work really begins. That's O.K. they won't blow onto the house now.

End of project greenhouse

2010-05-03T16:55:00.000-07:00

Heather thinks she might be using it as her teahouse, as long as she grows a plant in it I guess that would be o k.

We are finally getting to the final stages of the greenhouse project. To keep the rustic look we decided to pull some old shiplap off the side of the sheep shed, which is in need of pulling down anyway, and using it as siding. I'm hoping the next picture of this project will be all the greenery inside of it.

Jackass Summit

2010-04-30T08:29:00.000-07:00

I had the opportunity to do another roadtrip and so went to the coast on Wednesday. Construction along the way was in full swing so making time was not possible.
Traffic was light, I think because of the many delays.
I decided to make it a leisurely trip and so stopped along the way and enjoy some of the scenery of the Fraser Canyon.

I decided to post some pictures taken from the summit of Jackass Mountain.
I also got to go over the new Golden Ears bridge, Tracey was driving.

BBQ

2010-04-26T16:42:00.001-07:00

We had an opportunity on Sunday to have some people in to help us christen our new BBQ. Unfortunately the weather while nice and sunny had a chill wind with it. Louise insisted we eat inside.

I have to post the obligatory eating picture. All our guests brought the most wonderful of dishes and as usual we feasted heartily.

Allen & Heather's Daughter Laurie and Granddaughter Arianne were visiting them and so we had the opportunity to get a visit in with them. We haven't seen them in some time so it was great to visit.

more greenhouse

2010-04-24T18:24:00.000-07:00

The rockwork around Heather's greenhouse became such that I had to start calling Allen "Sven" which is his middle name anyway and our Dad's name who was well known for utilizing rocks whenever possible. Allen must have inherited the trait. He calls it going green, using whatever is around the place for no cost.

Anyway it is good to be into the framing part of the job which seems to be much easier on the body.

Of course the wind came up when we started to put the fibreglass on so we quit for the day.

Right on time Roy and Audrey showed up with their new quad, a deluxe model with heated handles, a winch and even a windshield.

ROCKS

2010-04-20T20:14:00.000-07:00

Our Father always tried to do his construction projects for little or no cost, hence his penchant for building with salvaged material and rocks which are abundant in this part of the Cariboo

I have been giving Allen a hand doing projects around the old farm and know I see why they named him Sven (after our Dad) as he got a good idea to add a greenhouse onto the old cabin we just salvaged, and of course we had to make the base of it out of rocks. I'm sure Dad would have just fit the rocks together on themselves but we mixed concrete to mortar them together but the outcome looks similar.

By the time we were done building the rock walls we had considerably more respect for Dad's ingenuity and totally understand why he treasured flat rocks so much.

Desert in bloom

2010-04-11T18:00:00.000-07:00

As we left Arizona the desert was about to come into bloom but sadly we missed it. My Brother-in-law sent pictures to make sure we were able to see what we missed.

To move a cabin

2010-04-02T20:26:00.000-07:00

The latest project at Allen & Heather's farm was to save the old cabin and move it to a more usable place. The old cabin has a lot of history and so it is good to see it still made usefull. It was on the property when our Dad bought it over 45 years ago. He moved it after he got there to where it has sat and fallen into disrepair until now. After raising it up and putting new floor joists under it and moving it we have more respect for our Father's ingenuity in the moving of the old cabin.

Arizona Rain

2010-03-07T15:41:00.000-08:00

We had some rain today. We don't have to water the cactus this week. It's good to know the roof doesn't leak. At least we don't have to shovel it. It should help the desert decide to bloom, hopefully before we go home.

Yuma car show

2010-03-07T07:48:00.000-08:00

Craig and I went to the car show yesterday ( mar 6). The traffic jam getting there was horrendous but once there we were treated to a collection of more than a thousand beautiful old cars. Trying to take pictures of them all is futile but we got a few.The lineup to get in was long but gives an opportunity to visit with others wanting to see old cars.
I had to drag Craig away from the Volkswagen's as he wants one so bad but has been informed that he has to make do with his Yaris.
It's pouring rain this morning, which is unusual for here, so sorting through pictures is an o.k. pastime.

Old cars

2010-03-06T07:27:00.000-08:00

We went to watch the Midnight at the Oasis car parade so I am trying to upload a video clip of it, hope it works.

Houswarming

2010-03-05T19:52:00.000-08:00

I haven't posted any food pictures to speak of since getting to Yuma so I am taking advantage of the Friedenthal housewarming to do so now. We enjoyed seeing all our old snowbird friends and neighbours again. As always we had a good time. Oh Ya I ate too much again. I can't figure out how that always seems to happen.

Random Arizona pictures

2010-03-02T08:09:00.000-08:00

First picture is an Arizona sunrise and the second is a Sunset.

Bouganvilla in Laurette's yard. Ocotillo cactus and Elephant ear cactus, also in Laurette's yard.

2010-03-01T10:48:00.000-08:00

We celebrated Hal's birthday for him at the Olive garden. The food was good, the company was good and Hal hardly looks older at all.

Parade

2010-02-20T19:48:00.001-08:00

We seem to be suckers for a parade and this one came within a block of Laurette & Craig's house . The occasion was a fundraising car show and BBQ to raise funds for Haiti.

Birthday girl

2010-02-17T19:08:00.000-08:00

As usual my lovely bride got older on her birthday. This year she decided to go on a cabbage soup diet to start her on a weight loss program and her birthday landed right in the middle of it. Being unable to present her with a cake, her sister decided to put a candle that wouldn't blow out into a section of boiled cabbage. We sang happy birthday and otherwise celebrated as appropriately as ever.

settled in

2010-02-15T17:40:00.001-08:00

We got settled in at Laurette & Craig's . Then I managed to get a picture of Craig pruning their mesquite tree with Laurette supervising then they were wore out and needed a rest. We went for an evening walk and got a picture of their street and the house just before sundown.

The road to Yuma

2010-02-12T07:42:00.000-08:00

Louise was in such a hurry to get here the trip was just a blur

Well we made it down to Yuma to Laurette & Craig's in record time. Had a bit of snow in Jackpot, but other than that was a great trip. Nice to be here in the sunshine. They have a really nice place here in the foothills of Yuma. Looking forward to our month here. Will post more in a couple of weeks.

More house pictures

2010-02-12T07:31:00.000-08:00

Mom had to check how her bedroom was remodelled and Allen was happy to be a Fireman.

The house pictures

2010-02-12T07:00:00.000-08:00

Allen has been busy preparing the old house for demolition for some time now and it finally happened.

The old house

2010-02-12T06:41:00.000-08:00

The old house came down just before we left for Yuma so I quickly went there with my camera.

2009-11-29T10:18:00.000-08:00

Hi Everyone who still checks Ron's Blog: He hasn't put anything on since last Easter. You would think we haven't done anything in all that time. But we have!! We put a new roof on half the house. Sunny side was curling up. We called it senior roofing, as all who helped were over or near 6O. Did this in July when it was very warm. Did a little camping with the girls & grand kids at different times. I worked lots over the summer, its slowed down now. Had family reunion in July also, we had Cheyenne, Clayton & Dani with us and had such a good time with them. Sidney took her first road trip with her car to come and see us. She is doing so well. Has her own apartment with a girl friend and is working steady at First Choice Hair Cutters. We got together with Jeanette, Hal, Laurette, Craig and us at Roger Val's on Salt Spring at the beginning of Oct. Had a real nice time. Shane, Susan, Erin & Brett came over to see us for the day while we were there. Very nice to see them as it had been a long time since we had seen the grandkids. At the beginning of Nov we went to Kelowna to see Grandkids, Clay & Shannon & Corinna. Very nice to see them all. My sister Laurette broke her hip Nov 10th and had to be medi-vac to Penticton. She had her hip operated on Nov 11th. We took a trip back to Kelowna to see Laurette in the hospital. Had to make sure she was OK. She is recovering at home and doing well. We love having Skype to keep in touch. Well that pretty much catching you up on our life this past 9 months or so.

EASTER

2009-04-19T10:52:00.000-07:00

Easter Weekend was celebrated with Roger & Val, Hal & Jeanette, Craig & Laurette. Was a very good weekend. We are so lucky that Hal & Jeanette could join us. We call Hal our mircle guy, because he is off dialysis. He went from 3 days a week down to 2 days a week then 1 and now none. His kidney has started working and all seems to be going well for him. Roger & Val left us on Monday but the rest stayed until Friday. We played some Joker (card gamne) , had Al & Heather over for dinner one night. Also had Jim & Karen & Bill over for dinner another night. Got lots of visiting in and really enjoyed our time together. We are hoping to all get together this fall at Roger & Val's before Laurette & Craig leave for Yuma.

SNOWSTORM

2009-03-25T21:07:00.000-07:00

A snowstorm came through tuesday afternoon we couldn't see the road at the end of the driveway. So much for spring!!!!!!!!

AVISIT FROM SIDNEY

2009-03-24T20:50:00.000-07:00

Sidney came home for the weekend. It was her first major roadtrip since getting her car insured and roadworthy. She did well and it was good experience for her. She wanted to go and have tea with Great Grandma and Mom was happy to oblige.

HOCKEY

2009-03-21T20:22:00.000-07:00

While watching the Kids so their Parents could have a little holiday, I had the opportunity to take in a hockey game. It brings back memories of the days when Clay played. I thought Clayton looked good in goal and they played good enough to win.

SPRING BREAK

2009-03-19T17:55:00.000-07:00

Spring break brings a visit from grandkids. The girls felt the pictures would be better if they were posed separately from the boys.

The snow was a little more than they thought it would be when they left home to come here.

THE DAY STARTS

2009-03-05T06:32:00.000-08:00

six a.m. Clayton & I are the only ones up. The day is starting. I made a mistake in asking Clayton how he slept. Instead of the traditional good or fine I get a not so good. Of course I worriedly ask why?
It seems a dinosaur was chasing him and he was calling for his Mom & Dad but they weren't there so they didn't come. Poor Clayton ran and ran until he ran into a wall and the dinosaur ate him and he woke up.
I suggested that dinosaurs are leaf eaters but he informed me it was a Tyranisaurus Rex and they eat meat.
More info to come as the weekend unfolds I'm sure.

WINTER FEEDING GROUNDS

2009-02-27T17:48:00.001-08:00

Some random pictures of cattle feeding grounds In the Cariboo.

WINTER'S BACK!!!!

2009-02-25T09:49:00.000-08:00

Winter is back with a vengeance

My previous post was obvoiusly premature as winter came back with minus 20 and snow with some wind just us let us know how uncomfortable winter can be.

So much for a few flurries as called for by the weather prognosticators. We have accumulations of more than a foot in 2 days.

WINTER STARTING TO LET GO

2009-02-22T13:01:00.000-08:00

Winter seems like it has been long this year but maybe it’s just my imagination. When the sun comes out you can feel the heat in it and it feels good. The horses are loving it.

Snow has been clinging to the metal roof for months now but is being forced to let go however reluctantly. This is probably the best time as there is warmth in the sun, it feels good and looks beautifull but is not yet enough to turn the driveways and barnyards into mud.

COWBOY CONCERT AND CHINESE FOOD

2009-02-15T09:07:00.000-08:00

My bride and I and our friends went to the local Chinese food café for dinner on Valentines day after which we took in the Cowboy Concert. Now being the Romantic that I am I was happy and proud to go on a date with the love of my life. I was a little unsure if this was the best choice as she finds cowboy music is not her favorite music.

As is usually the case when we go to this restaurant for dinner it was full to capacity with mostly people of our generation and who had just come from the first concert show or were on their way to the second show. Those that had already seen the first show assured us that it was excellent.

As always we had the Buffet dinner and after loading up with all my favorite Chinese food dishes and coffee we carried on to the concert where we were well entertained.

The concert hall was full to capacity and again we were struck by the number of people of our generation and not so many young people in attendance. Oh well their loss, we were well entertained.

All cowboy story tellers try to outdo each other with a bigger and better lie.

The concert was MC’d by Hugh McLennan of the radio show, spirit of the west. Now these entertainers, being old cowboys or wannabe cowboys and having spent way too much time with their horses and cows, have somewhat of a problem with Valentines day stories and love songs.

As all of us are wont to do from time to time these people use up a lot of their time philosophizing about life. Our first philosopher explained how love is kinda like watching moths flying around the chimney of a coal oil lamp. They are so attracted by the light that they eventually fly into the fire where are consumed by it, as with love it usually doesn‘t end well. Eventually one or the other leaves or dies and the one left behind is heartbroken.

The next entertainer’s recollections on Valentines love brought to mind a friend who’s love wanted a fur coat. Fur being expensive at the time he was pondering as to how he could possibly get his wife a fur when fate intervened and the problem was solved when a big old dog ran right out in front of him and he ran over it. He took the pelt to the barn and spent hours curing and cleaning it and turning it into a fur coat for his wife. She was thrilled and he was off the hook. Of course she couldn’t figure out why all the fleas were in her closet a few months later.

Fast forward to the cowboy crooner who chastised all the previous entertainers on their lack of romance in their stories, leaving it to him to come up with a love song and entertained us with a song he had written about Crude Oil Katie the Pipeline Lady.

The evening was a great date, my Valentine and I had some good laughs with good friends and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.

HAPPY VALENTINES DAY TO ALL

2009-02-14T07:48:00.000-08:00

Women in India are planning on sending pink panties to Sri Ram Sena, a militant Hindu group, to protest their insistence that they should stay home and cook for their husbands and are not to celebrate Valentines day.

Sri Ram Sena insists that Indian women should return to traditional behavior and curtail the increasing westernization of the Indian population.

Four Indian women started a Facebook page on the subject and attracted over 25,000 members in a matter of a few days.

Trivia - It is against the law in Connecticut for a man to write love letters to a girl whos mother or father has forbidden the relationship.

MORE SCENES WE'VE SEEN

2009-02-08T11:28:00.000-08:00

I feel like sharing some of the pictures we took when we were in Switzerland some years back. It is a beautiful, mountainous country and one of the most picturesque places in the world. Opportunities for the amateur photographer abound, making it hard to pick out just a few favorites. We were there in the spring of the year.

MOOSE IN THE YARD

2009-02-04T15:59:00.000-08:00

The Moose are getting pretty nonchalent about hanging around the house. I guess the ploughed areas are easier travelling. The apple trees next door are better eating than swamp willows.

Trivia - The average lifespan of a major league baseball is 5-7 pitches.

2009-02-03T08:51:00.000-08:00

Useless information- It's illegal to drink beer from a bucket while sitting on a curb in St Louis.

We got a grandkid fix this past weekend and it was realllly good to see them. I guess we forget how active a house is when kids are around. It's good for us to have them here and see how busy life really is.

A FEW 2008 PICTURE FAVORITES

2009-01-26T19:59:00.000-08:00

Make a Smilebox slideshow

CHRISTMAS SLIDESHOW

2009-01-23T12:05:00.000-08:00

Make a Smilebox slideshow

2009-01-22T14:43:00.000-08:00

Christmas is and was a special time for Kids. Baking cookies for Santa and his Reindeer to having sleepovers with the cousins all add up to memories not to be soon forgotten. Not to mention making sure the stockings are hung up properly.

SCENES WE'VE SEEN SUNDAYS

2009-01-18T10:42:00.000-08:00

Make a Smilebox slideshow

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SHANE

2009-01-16T18:50:00.000-08:00

Make a Smilebox slideshow

CRUISIN CABO

2009-01-16T16:44:00.000-08:00

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Some of my favorite kids

2009-01-14T16:43:00.000-08:00

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Wintery Christmas

2009-01-14T10:01:00.000-08:00

Mother nature gave us some real christmas, picture postcard type of weather to enjoy with our christmas this year. Fun to play in and look at from the warmth of our homes but not a lot of fun to travel in.

Home Sweet Home

2009-01-12T10:17:00.001-08:00

We got home in bright sunshine but it soon turned to cold and snow. Welcome Home.

2009-01-12T10:07:00.000-08:00

We stopped for the night with Tracey, Rudy and Kids. The Kids as always were happy to see us, especially Grandma.

2009-01-11T09:42:00.000-08:00

Time to quit procrastinating and do more posting to this blog.

The Boulder Dam is going through a massive rebuild. I thought the water level was so low because there just was not enough water to fill it. Someone at the dam site said they have to keep the water level low while reconstructing the dam to accomodate the reconstruction. It is impressive!

2008-10-27T11:46:00.000-07:00

We've been here over a week now and I haven't posted so I better stop procrastinating and get at it. We are slowly getting acclimatized and the temp. hasn't gone over 100 F. in a week now, it gets into the low 60's at night so we are able to sleep at night. More and more of our neighbours are arriving every day now. I finally stopped and got a picture at Earp California on our way here. First day was a long day on the road. Louise was pretty sick with her cold and managed to pass it along to me. Second day we stayed at the Avi casino resort, only had a 4 hour drive the final day.

Gas prices are coming down, the most expensive was at Fruitland Idaho ($3.41 / gal. ) and the cheapest was Bullhead city ( $2.97 / gal ). I almost put the wrong fuel in at Parker as they have an ethanol pump for Hybrid cars which is 3 cents cheaper but doesn't work so well as a replacement fuel for regular cars.

2008-10-18T11:37:00.000-07:00

We spent 5 nights in Westbank and were able to spend some time with Clay and Shannon and the kids. They took us pumpkin shopping with them, it's a good fun halloween tradition to have. Now they have to carve the pumpkin's.

Sunday I went to Clayton's hockey practice. He is getting better each year but it seems I'm gone so long that I see his first practice in the fall and his last one in the spring.

2008-10-18T11:33:00.000-07:00

We were 2 sleeps in Kamloops and said our goodbye's to Deborah, Gerry and the Boys.

2008-10-10T09:18:00.000-07:00

We are on the road again. We will stay in Kelowna until Thanksgiving and then cross the border enroute to Yuma. We should be set up in Yuma on thursday the 16th. Will post about our trip after we are settled.

2008-10-03T16:06:00.000-07:00

We boarded the ferry and went to Naniamo to see Shane and Susan and the Kids. Erin is in Collage and Brett is in grade 11 this year.

Everyone is so busy we are lucky we got a visit in before we left for the winter. We hadn't seen them since this time last year and had a lot of catching up to do. One quick visit a year is not enough. Shane is so busy on his few days out of the bush that it is hard to co-ordinate an extended visit. We have to try and do better next year.

Shane took us to the ferry monday afternoon and Tracey picked us up on the mainland side. We spent the evening with them, said our goodbye's on tuesday and came home to pack for Yuma. It's getting close to the time to leave.

2008-10-03T12:42:00.000-07:00

Sept 26 we drove to the coast to say goodbye to family and friends before we leave for the winter. We went to Ferndale and had lunch with Alan and Marie. Alan retired and is now cutting lumber with his new sawmill.

2008-10-03T12:34:00.000-07:00

Teresa came home to visit her Dad and they came for a little visit. Anson and Amelia make a nice family for her.

2008-09-20T08:29:00.000-07:00

While we were in Westbank we had the opportunity to see Clay and his family. School is in now and we were able to pick Dani up after her first day of Kindergarten. We finally got to meet Sidney's boyfriend, Stephan. The Kids are all in school now and Sidney started her new job at first choice haircutters. Best of luck to them all and have fun.

2008-09-20T08:09:00.000-07:00

We dropped Louise in Kamloops so she could be with Deb and the boys for the start of school and I picked her up there on the way back to Westbank to have a few days with her siblings.This was the first time we had seen Roger and Val since we got home from Yuma and it's almost time to go again. Bonnie and Kevin came for the weekend as well for a visit with her Mom and Hal. Laurette's house was full and it was a fun visit.

2008-09-16T16:43:00.000-07:00

While we were in Kelowna we also had the opportunity to visit with Corinna. Mom hadn't seen her for three years and was happy for the visit.

2008-09-16T16:23:00.000-07:00

While we were at the wedding in Kelowna we had the opportunity to visit with my Aunts and Uncles and some Cousins. It was good to see them and catch up with our visiting.

2008-09-16T16:10:00.000-07:00

At the end of august we went with Mom to my cousin's daughter's wedding at the Grand Hotel in Kelowna. The hotel is just as elegant as it was when we were there in 1996. The wedding was also very elegant and a really classy affair and if I was better at describing wedding attire I would give a description of the wedding party. The entire wedding party were stunning.

2008-09-16T16:05:00.000-07:00

Louise, Tracey and Deborah di Mother & Daughters weekend in Vernon on the first week of august, taking in the wine festival. They enjoyed their time together.

2008-08-18T20:19:00.000-07:00

We Just got back from a week at Green Lake. It was a tough assignment laying around the campsite, soaking up the sun and contemplating life for a whole week. We get so busy with our lives, it's important to have some downtime, which we did. Back to reality now.

2008-08-02T17:23:00.000-07:00

Tracey & Louise camped out at Loon Bay Resort on Sheridan Lake. They had Cheyenne, Clayton, & Dani-Lynn for the first afternoon & Dinner. They went back to 100 Mile to go camping with their other Grandparents, Ken & Maureen Puffer. Karen & Rae joined us for the day also while we were there. Beautiful day enjoyed by all. The weather and kids were great. We took the 5th wheel out to Green Lake for Deborah and the boys, but the weather wasn't very good and the art camp wasn't geared for little ones. So she and the boys spent the week with us at home. Boys were very good and we enjoyed their company. They just went home to-day.

2008-08-02T17:06:00.000-07:00

Deborah & Gerry were camped at Eagle Island Resort, on Lac Des Roche with Logan and Dayton so Louise and Tracey took Sarah Nick and Daniel out to visit for the day.

2008-08-02T16:36:00.000-07:00

Well its certainly has been a busy summer, seeing our grandkids. Sidney is so beutifull in her grad dress we just have to post a picture of her. We took Cheyenne, Clayton & Dani-lynn over to Laurette & Graig's to play and swim with Sarah. We haven't seen Erin & Brett yet and are trying to set up a time for that. Family reunion was a little smaller this year but very enjoyable. Grandma turned 88 this year and is going to Florida to check out Janice & Blaine' new house in November. Louise is going to have a weekend with Tracey & Deborah at Silver Star, out of Vernon. There is a Wine Festival going on Aug 9. Should be fun. We were over in Kelowna and saw Cheyenne dance. She is very good, even if we do say so ourselves. All our grandkids are doing great and as cute as ever.

2008-06-01T09:07:00.000-07:00

It's been pretty quiet here in the Cariboo for the last month so I haven't posted any blogs this past month. House chores and yard work are not things I care to blog about. Now that June is here I will attempt to do better.

2008-05-06T18:25:00.000-07:00

I am posting this picture of the sunset of saturday evening just because I haven't seen one like it in awhile.

2008-05-06T18:06:00.000-07:00

Saturday was a party for Jim's 60th birthday. Congratulations Jim. A good time was had by all. Visited with people we hadn't seen all winter, it was good to catch up.

The food was of a Mexican theme and as always was excellent, also I managed to overeat again.

2008-05-06T17:49:00.000-07:00

It's been a quiet week. Louise got home from the coast on tuesday and brought a cold with her. Laurette and Craig arrived on thursday. We had Allen and Heather for dinner on friday.

More food pictures.

2008-04-28T19:38:00.000-07:00

I was able to catch a ride to Kamloops with Allen & Heather to celebrate Dennis's 60th birthday, He definitely turned 60 in style.

The food was good, the company was good and we had time after to catch up on our winter after being away for the winter.

2008-04-28T19:26:00.000-07:00

the mountain of mail is now opened and the income tax is done so I am a little more free to do the important things in life. I checked out the progress on Allen & Heather's house, It looks a lot bigger with the drywall on.

Dennis is doing his usual superb job on the drywall, I don't often get a picture of him hard at work.

2008-04-19T14:13:00.000-07:00

Deb and the boys brought me home on friday the 18th. 6 1/2 months since I've been home and it is nice to be here. Woke up to this snow Saturday morning and its cold. We went south to get away from this but, I guess not. It's lots nicer this afternoon though so I quess it'll go away soon. Travelling days aren't over yet for me though. I'm off to Tracey & Rudy's to see them all Thrusday. I am looking forward to seeing them.

2008-04-19T14:02:00.000-07:00

Arrived in Kamloops friday night just before kids were off to bed, needless to say that didn't happen . Boys were very excited to see us. We were too. Louise spent the week with all of them and I went home sunday to do mail and income tax stuff. Grandma had fun with the boys and enjoyed spending time with Deb & Gerry. Logan is doing extremely good at reading and math. Dayton is still his fun loving self and enjoys going to pre school. Boys were very good all week.

2008-04-19T13:38:00.000-07:00

Clay and Shannon have a very busy household. I am posting Pictures of Clayton at a hockey tournament, Cheyenne at a Dance competition, Dani-Lynn being Dani and Sydney doing homework.

2008-04-19T13:19:00.000-07:00

We stayed in Creston for a few days with Jeanette & Hal. Craig got his apple pie to the delight of all. We worked on the 5th to get it cleaned and organized for Jeanette & Hal. Left for Kelowna, stayed with Laurette & Craig and visited Clay & Shannon and grandkids. Got to see Clayton play Hockey, he has imporved so much in 6 months. Was fun to watch him play. Cheyenne is busy with her dance and Dani is as cute as ever. Sidney is busy with school, she is gratuating this year. So proud of her! Had a quick visit with Corinna & John. They are doing good , very nice to see them.

2008-04-14T21:45:00.000-07:00

The fourth day we drove on to Creston. Got pulled over for speeding between Spokane and Coeur d'Alene but no ticket this time.

We crossed the border at Creston. Louise had spent hours organizing who claims what at the border but they must have known we weren't over our limit because we were through in 30 seconds.

2008-04-14T21:31:00.000-07:00

The third day we drove through much more springlike country to Pendleton Ore. where we stayed at the Wildhorse casino. Not very lucky there either.

2008-04-14T21:17:00.000-07:00

The second day was mile after mile of high desert. We ended the day at Cactus Pete's in Jackpot Nevada. We showered and went to the casino where we had a great dinner at the buffet. We had to pay this year as they said they no longer give complementary buffet tickets for birthdays. After dinner I played texas holdem for a few hours, not very lucky this time.

2008-04-14T20:58:00.000-07:00

The road home was relatively good but I was not happy to see the snow in the trees the first day out. The temperature in yuma was in the 80's and we weren't ready for cooler temperatures.

The first night was at Ash springs, we didn't visit the hot spring as we stayed in to stay warm.

2008-03-30T14:07:00.000-07:00

Packing for the trip home seems to be a busy time. If we didn't have a trailer to go home with I don't think we could fit it all in. Maybe we will bring less next year ( or get a roof rack ).

This will be my last post until we are home. The computer will soon be disconnected!