5C's Que Pasa

Thank you all so very much for your kind comments on our 30th anniversary.  It really is quite a milestone and I appreciate you all being a part of it.

Last Saturday we stopped at Walmart to do some research on an iPhone for me.  The time has come for me to join everyone else in this century and get a smartphone.  I currently have no cell phone at all and is beyond time for me to have one re the ‘just in case ‘ scenario.  Also it will make traveling in Europe easier in terms of contacting our Airbnb hosts.  Those are the only reasons to get one.  I don’t intend to use data but just talk and text unless we are traveling when I will pay extra for a data package.  I am looking at an iPhone 6 which will be reissued this month.  Any thoughts on smartphone ownership’s re the yeas or nays?

This Ford was parked just across from us in the Walmart lot.

I am not a car person but I was glad to have my camera with me.

This old travel trunk was sitting in the back.

It is in immaculate condition.

It didn’t take much effort to find this obituary.  He was only 38.

It appears he liked to move.

How wonderful that his dad keeps showing his 1942 Ford.

I never knew Bobby but now I know something of his life and that he has left a legacy.  His gift to me was showing me the beauty of his old Ford and how special family can be.

We started going out in 1986 during Expo 86.  I like to tell everyone that I only went out with Colin as he had a press pass and that got us to the front of often long lines into all the pavilions.  Thirty years ago we got married in Vancouver on an extremely hot day.  We spent the next ten years working very hard on our business.  The long 12 – 18 hour days went all year round while now it is only a few months per year.  But we did take holidays, a one week trip to a resort in Kelowna every July, a 5 or 6 day trip to Cannon Beach, Oregon the end of each August, often a one week Caribbean cruise, trips to Singapore, Malaysia, London, Antigua, Jamaica, Cozumel, Florida, San Diego & the Channel Islands, parts of Mexico, two trips to India and several trips to our favorite, New York City as well as almost annual trips to Hawai where were went for our honeymoon.  You might say that if we weren’t working we were traveling.

Then it all changed in August of 1997 when by accident we walked through a wiener dog picnic. There were hundreds of dachshunds, all sizes and colors.  It was an annual event.  There was a pen with some puppies for sale.  That got Colin thinking that he truly wanted a doxie.  He had had one growing up.  We discussed it back and forth with my theory being that it would change our marriage.  Unbeknownst to me he had made arrangements to buy a puppy.  How could I say no to him.  That particular doxie never worked out and we finally found one in Vernon just down the road from where we live today.  I remember that it was November 11th ( we had the day off ) and that we drove all the way from Vancouver to Vernon and back to check out a puppy.  We found our little red girl and spent the entire return trip discussing names.  We were about to become parents.

Just before Christmas 1997 Cloii came to live in our home in Tsawwassen/Vancouver.   Colin is holding Cloii.   Channel came to live with us the end of May 1998.  She arrived by air from Taber, Alberta and we fell in love with her on site.  I couldn’t stand seeing the pleading in Cloii’s eyes wanting more attention. Then as now we worked out of our home but we were extremely busy so I insisted we get her a companion.

In August of 1998 we made our annual trip to Cannon Beach along with two doxie, crates, dog food, beds and toys, etc.  We loved being on the beach with them but travel was difficult.  We had only been home a few weeks when Colin told me that he had put a deposit down on an RV.  What 😯  We had never ever camped at all.  So all four of us went to see the brand new 32′ Rexhall Class A.  One of the girls promptly peed on the carpet 🙁  That particular RV was not quite right as I found the bedroom too tight.  We got our money back and the hunt was on.  By October we had a brand new 35′ Pace Arrow.  So began the next 20 years of RVing.  Yes our lives and marriage had changed.

We started traveling to Mexico and lost Cloii there one year due to poisoning. Later that summer Carmeh joined us and after losing Channel during back surgery we got Caeli.  We only had the first two for 3 and 5 years.  Carmeh who Colin is holding was with us for almost 14 years and Caeli just a few days shy of her 12th birthday.  Both Carmeh and Caeli came from the same breeder that Channel had but we picked them up in our RV on seperate occasions.  We loved those girls.

So ten years of work and travel and twenty years of RV travel with four lovely girls.  Today we start the next leg of our married life.  What will it bring?  Where will it take us?  What adventures lay ahead?

So far today it has brought two dozen roses and a bottle of Limoncello.

We are off to a Greek restaurant for dinner 😀

…life moves on.  The fire continues to burn but is 75% contained.  The evacuation alerts have been rescinded and only 58 homes remain evacuated.

About a week ago at dinner time, we spotted the beaver passing by. Somehow he now has a cloak of weeds.  My poor petunias are not doing well.  At least there is some color for me to enjoy.

This was the sun about 9AM on July 10th. The smoke was likely from the Princeton fire which continues to burn.  That was a very smoky day.

This was taken late the afternoon the day the local fire began.  By the time I took this photo three others has swum/swam away.  I guess they like our beach.  As long as they stay down there they are welcome.  No more poop on the patio and the lawn por favor.  Note the two patio slabs with raised edges.  This is a result of the flooding and we now have several raised slabs on our patio. 

Yesterday afternoon the smoke returned.

The sunset over the fire area last evening.  We both woke up about 3AM this morning due to a heavy smell of burning rubber.  A crew of sixty continue to deal with the fire.  It did flare up overnight due to the winds.

Today was totally smoky but much cooler which made for a nice morning walk.

Fortunately Colin has enough photoshop work to complete after his aerial work last Friday to keep him busy for a few days.  We got a new client today and have a meeting re a job for an old client tomorrow.  We are not as busy as normal but we at least have some things happening.  It appears that from late August when the fires usually slow down until we leave for Mexico the end of October we will be dealing with 18 – 20 hour work days 🙄   Meanwhile Colin is spending time each day with his guitar while I work on a variety of projects.  We have come to realize that the girls kept us on an excellent daily routine.  Now we drift a bit here and there.  I know that I am wasting a few hours just bumbling along.  Oh well, we are enjoying life on a day by day basis.  That is what counts.  No I am not counting the empty wine bottles 😆

The photo data says 16/12/04.  So does this mean it was taken Dec.4/16?  It was taken in the RV and they must have been cold.  They do look younger to me, less white in their noses.  Loved those girls….

330 homes evacuated, 657 on evacuation alert and at least 10 homes gone.

11:20PM update. By this time we had been in contact with our vet by text who is on evacuation alert.  We offered any help that they required although we don’t know anything about horses.  We could help with the dogs at the very least or loading of things into our vehicles.  Sadly her son’s home is in the middle of the flames.  They are hoping for the best.

The fire us not that far from us.  The red outline is for the evacuees and the orange outline it for those on evacuation alert.  We are located on the right at the top of Ellison Lake.

Great news, 80% contained at 12:35AM.  Thanks to all those fighting the fires through the night.

I wrote the previous last night.  It took awhile for me to settle down and go to bed.  The good news is that the winds did die down during the night.  This morning the size of the fire was upgraded to 55 hectares and was still ranked a 2 – 3.  We have had strong winds non stop all day which means we have no smoke but it has made things very difficult for the crews actively fighting the fire.  The fire is 50 per cent contained by hand guard and surrounded 80 per cent by retardant.

Ninety minutes ago the fire picked up again due to the strong winds.  You can see our lake in the top right corner.

Fires have been raging across our province for several days now and have intensified in the last 24 hours.  I can’t believe that over 37,000 people have been evacuated.  I just learned today that one of my blogs readers has been evacuated.  We met Janet and her husband a few times in Mexico.  They and their dachshund even came to visit us and the girls on the Isla one afternoon.

Emergency Services have just now announced that eight homes were lost in the fire last night.

Truly devastating.  Even worse is that the fire was human caused.  BC Wildfire Services and the RCMP have an investigation underway. In the news conference where the losses were confirmed our Lake Country fire chief said “We did everything possible to save people’s homes and property,” he said. “We did our best.”

Meanwhile 331 properties remain evacuated while 657 properties remain on evacuation alert.  We personally know people in both categories.

Today Colin took photos of all that we own and together we made lists of what we need to take in the event that we are ever evacuated.  We then redid the list in the priority of what we would take based on time.  If we had more time that we would move on to the next part of the list, etc.  Click here for an idea of what you might want to take with you should you need to evacuate.  I used to be a Girl Guide and our motto was “Be Prepared“.

The wind continues to blow and the fire continues to burn.