5C's Que Pasa

We had so much fun yesterday, from buying a new storage shed to getting lost in Penticton and ending up at our window manufacturer by accident and that opened up a whole new world on things for the house.  We did get to the cabinet company and we now know more that we want to but so much fun!!

Our third stop of the morning was meeting this gal to get her used moving boxes and 5 bags of packing paper....we recycle the best we can!

However that left things somewhat cramped for the girls....and off we went to Penticton.

I have heard of double hung but not in windows...we will give it a try. They open from the bottom up or from the top down.

This is the latest gadget to replace the conventional round turning Lazy Susan! You open the cupboard door and it pulls forward 2 baskets from the far back as well as 2 baskets just behind the door where that steel piece is....for some reason those 2 baskets were missing. Very cool but at $1000.00!!!!!! No gracias senor.

Lovely relaxing drive back along the lake making plans as we drove.

We made a quick stop to pick up siding samples and I got to my massage with minutes to spare.

I must correct my first photo on yesterdays post, twas a goose and not a duck!  Guess I am not use to posting so early in the morning.  My apologies to the Ducks and to you folks and thanks for the correction.

This morning we awoke to 0C and a touch of frost…..furnace and fireplace both on full blast.  Still better than last April 28, 2011 when we has snow on the hills. We are off to spend more money today….such a tight timeline.

I appreciate all your votes and have decided to let the voting continue on the green or red siding colour.  One of our friends voted one colour and later in the evening her husband voted the other colour.  Hmmm do you think this is a trend…so get the rest of your family involved.  For instance, Ken…do you think Margot would vote that same colour??  I want more votes before we decide!

Here is a shot of the samples which still doesn't capture the exact colour but certainly better than yesterdays shots. You are allowed to change your vote.

Where we are living we are limited to what they call earth tone colors and most of the homes are using these colors.

This is what we have now, well for a few more weeks anyway!

Tags: Kelowna, moving stuff, The girls

Aren't they cute? Thanks to Robert for capturing the first new family of geese on Duck Lake this season. I guess they were out enjoying our blustery rainy day yesterday.

We are going for the open look in the new house and realized that we will have very little wall space for all our paintings and framed photos!!  Instead we will just be looking out at the lake and nature through many windows.

I have seen this Yellow Rumped Warbler flitting about the past few days. A first sighting for me in this area.

We went to see the showroom at our builders’ but he did not have the samples we are looking for.  Needless to say we are looking for different things.  We are off to Penticton this morning, about a 90 minute drive, to checkout the cabinet factory as our choices are needed right away re type of wood and colour, height, width, etc.  I get to end the day with my first massage in over five weeks, that should keep me motivated.

Meanwhile I need your input…..I want you to vote on the colour of our siding, I think I know what we want but your input will be fun.  If you can’t figure out how to vote via the comment box, just send me an email and I will include it into the comments for you with your vote.  Email address is at the top right of the page.  The photos are only for colour choice and are not the style of home.

Choice #1, Ivy Green with beige trim.

Choice #2, Colonial Red with beige trim....not black.

Choice #2 would look more like this with the beige trim.

Looking forward to your comments.

Tags: 319, critters, massage

…so did I mention that in order to get our home built we are on a time deadline.

~ we need to have the site surveyed…really don’t know why other than it is a park rule!!

~ we need to get our plan checked and approved by the architect…..he goes by the book, whatever book that might be!!

~ we revise and send back and he re revises, actually a lot of counters and negotiation.  Selling the place was easier!

~ sort of like a game of chess, moving pieces of furniture here and there to fit our allowed dimensions.

About 4:00PM yesterday afternoon we were heading to the builders to check on cabinet colors before we headed to Canadian Tire to go check on a new garden/ storage shed which might affect our layout.  Never got there!

Big glitch...our steps from the front door were not working for us. We did not want to give up our privacy by taking out all of our hedge. We had to decide on a solution as the concrete guy was coming this morning!! About an hour into it, our friend and neighbour Robert came by. He had some very good ideas. Think, measure, layout...over and over..lets try this idea, no good, try another.

Our boxwood hedge has already been dug up for a new home; the red mattress you see on the left is the edge of the new house, so concrete will have to be added here and there and there, looks like all that hedge has to go....

3 hours later I gave up, took the girls home to feed them, they never did get a walk on Wednesday. Colin kept at it for another hour. The Blue Spruce tree on the left as well as these cedars have to go. Fortunately we were able to save two Alberta Spruce trees....well at least we hope so!

It sure would be nice if we were not rushed to make these huge decisions!  About 7 PM Colin realized he had to go to the architects’ to pick up his original plans in order to be able to plan the change to the location of the front steps.  On the way back he picked up Papa Murphy’s Pizza….our 3rd order since got back April 14th!!!   We don’t eat during the day…too busy….hey guys, I’m still in my nightie till  mid afternoon.  Patti came by yesterday afternoon and wasn’t quite sure what was happening…I get up at 6AM and start from there….computer, phones, etc.

..the girls are not happy campers at all......no walk but finally dinner at 7PM!!!! Interestingly they are trying to give each other comfort, they do know something is up. Hopefully in 3 weeks everything will settle down.

On the plus side, instead of doing so much concrete ( $$$$ ) we are leaving a portion gravel ( to be turned into lava rock or Oyama shale and that allows me to keep for certain one Alberta Spruce and to plant a few rose bushes!!!  Bonus!

I went to bed at 11:00PM…Colin still working on the plans….I know we have several meetings today….concrete guy, irrigation mover guy, landscape guy, back hoe guy, etc. etc……and it is pouring rain!!  I really did take a moment yesterday while drawing on the master plan and looked up and out over the lake...it really will be worth it!

Who thinks that Colin has been playing his guitar?  If not, when was the last time he touched it?

Tags: 319, Holiday Park, music, The girls

…where to start!

How I feel......

Home less than a week and we have had a showing on our home and a sale.

We have SOLD our home!

We did get close to asking price:)

First thing that comes to mind is that all that stuff we hauled in from the RV has to be carried back…….yikes!!!

So fast, so quick, so overwhelming!!!  We are happy to have sold and be able to proceed with the changes in our life but due to a May 31st completion date we have so little time to get it all together.

Looks like we will become full timers in our RV for at least a year!!!    I really really wish we hadn’t had to unload it all….oh well, you just can’t expect everything in life to be perfect.  We really can’t manage to keep up both properties so when the opportunity presented we reacted but at a great loss of energy to me especially.  One hour at a time is my new motto.  I have no idea how we got thru the past 48 hours nor any idea how the next 3 weeks will get done…..

I do feel bad for the girls, they may have only have one walk in 2.5 days…..things will settle down and we will get into a routine soon…I hope!

Remember a few months ago when Colin was building our bathroom in Mazatlan.  Good thing he started the plans then.  In order to get our house on the assembly line we have to have the majority of the details completed in the next few days.  Suddenly yesterday we almost lost 2 feet of our home….we are working 6AM to 10PM every day…not on our business but on our home…..so very many details, again overwhelming.  Not sure how we will get through it all but right now just focused on hour by hour, one day at a time.  I will keep you up to date….

Monday was a perfect 27C, Tuesday a mix of cloud and showers….typical Okanagan spring weather.

Already today I am having some of my landscaping on the beach site stripped and donated to Holiday Park Resort.  We need to have more cement poured…..by donating we don’t have to pay for the removal and disposal!!!!  It just kills me to deconstruct one of my yards but I try to envision us coming home from Mazatlan 12 months from now and having nothing to do but unload the RV, deal with only the one property and relax….!!!!!!

Now if I could get the geese to stop pooping on the beach site….

...at least I am not at this stage yet!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Tags: 319, Funny, Holiday Park, Mazatlan

…….probably you don’t, but I don’t have much else to say today!

~ it was a great weekend weatherwise and I was out of the house less than an hour total!   You got it, we are back to our normal routine!

~I was able to bring my initial 6 loads of laundry from last weekend up to 13 loads to date.  I know there are at least 2-3 more loads in the RV.  Did you want a photo of the laundry….no, I didn’t think you did!  Actually I haven’t been inside the RV since we got back here last Saturday.

~ I am almost caught up with my desk to do’s.  The accountant called Saturday morning to say he would be working on our sutff all weekend but he never called so I assume all is well.

~ if you want to know how much vino I have consumed since getting home……”none of your business my friend”!!!

~ I really am trying to get my Egsoscue exercises done daily….have to say that Colin is much better than I!!!!

~ Mom has just been diagnosed with a bone on bone shoulder…she thought she had been injured during her heart surgery…but it turns out that with her increased strength she was able to use her walker to walk further and the pressure of her leaning on her walker caused great pain.  She can’t lift her arm up to even just the walker handle now.  Many appts and tests later, she got the diagnosis.  Probably she has had this for a long while but it never was an issue when she couldn’t move at all.  Now her heart is letting her walk but not her shoulder….so very sad.  The plan is to try cortisone injections the first week of May.  Hmmmm, I know that won’t work and also that she can’t manage the surgery so……..not so good.

~ the girls had their first bath since Mazatlan….I know, you don’t want a photo.  I’m easy!

We never got around to getting the golf cart back home, so Colin used the car to transport stuff between sites.

~ oh yeah and those Canucks…well they lost!!!!!!

This is from one of the Egoscue books.....it just doesn't apply to the Canucks but to everything in life. We choose the path we travel!!!!

Tags: Family, Funny, Holiday Park

I never got out to Vernon yesterday, my hairdresser had hurt her arm so she could not work.  Meanwhile something else had come up that kept us very busy here at home.  Despite the beautiful day I never ventured outside till 4:00PM….sigh!!  The best laid plans, etc.

Today and the rest of the week seem to be shaping up nicely....

Happy Sunday and Earth Day from my tiny spring garden.

Tags: garden

It was a sunny day yesterday but the wind was horrid, we even had whitecaps on the lake.

The geese are really organized this spring. They even have a designated 'watch goose' keeping an eye on his buddies who eat our grass and fertalize it all in one. When the honking gets loud enough one of us goes over and chases them away.

Colin did another job on Thursday and yesterday we both did desk work.  We still have to finish unloading the RV, clean it, reorganize etc., etc. but the reality of the work world has taken over.

My thoughts are often on the Isla, I check the weather forecast daily, read all the Mexican news and try to remember the feel of the sand under my toes.  RV 1 is empty now but there are still 2 or 3 RV’s left at Tres Amigos RV Park #2.  Lucky lucky folks.  Enjoy!!

Some great news for Mazatlan.  Princess Cruise Line just announced that they will  make a total of 8 stops at the Mazatlan port beginning October 2012.  This along with the previous announcement of Holland America Cruises docking 10 times beginning in November 2012 will be a huge help to the local economy.  Colin had commented that once Holland America started, others would follow.  Let’s hope this trend will continue.

News from the parents not so great….someone came in to ‘fix’ ( it wasn’t broken ) their computer and now they can’t even read my blog!  I have mentioned before that all they do is read my blog, don’t know how to do emails, search the internet, etc but at least they have communication from us while we are away all winter.  Now that all their medical issues are very slowly resolving they were ready to try email.  I’m sure they will find someone with Apple knowledge nearby, soon I hope!!

We went and got my car out of storage after work yesterday. Started like a dream. Not so our golf cart, small problem with corrosion on the battery cables, Colin had to go back and do a small repair and leave it charging all night.

Today I am off to Vernon for errands & a hair cut and hopefully Colin will get the golf cart home and do the usual Saturday stuff that needs doing!

Have a great day everyone!

Tags: cruise ships, Mazatlan, repairs, The girls, Tres Amigos RV Park

I am done!!!  Yahoo!

Our company year end is the end of February and not due till the end of May.  However our accountant likes to see the completed Colin Jewall Photo Studios Inc. year end before he does our personal taxes which are due the end of April.  So I hurry home and sit at my desk for several days.  I really made a point to have everything I could do, done, before we left Oct. 24th.

This is what we come home to. Fortunately all the incoming mail was here and there were only a few surprises for me this year. Over the past few years we have decreased our paper mail immensely. This entire table use to be full and three feet high.

Usually we get home, unload as much as we can out of the RV before moving it, then Colin keeps unloading while I start the year end. The big difference this year was that I had mere days to get this done rather than over a week as we left a bit later and returned a full week later. It takes half a day to just sort this mess.

Colin normally has weeks to unload, sort & clean the RV, set up both yards and keep the girls happy while I wear my fingers to the bone. However, this year our clients were ready and waiting. Three meetings and 2 jobs so far.....as you can see the girls are not very pleased....FYI...this is the green Canadian ball as opposed to the pink Mexico one that went for a roll down the beach.

-1C this morning....suppose to be 24C on Sunday...I will let you know but don't hold your breath.

...so this is it, the final hours of the end....I was so stoked and so far ahead that I never did a photo of the outgoing UPS parcel. I got just a bit ahead of myself ( yesterday, Wednesday ) in all the excitement and forgot to enclose about 10 documents. I just took a photo of those, emailed them to Vancouver and then mailed them via Canada Post today ( Thursday ). I do promise to get back to regular posting times but not just sure when......sorry.............!

We were surprised at the amount of goose poop on our lawn and patio on the beach site.....BUT now they are moving inland to our house site!

...so I just had to send Caeli out to do her job!! This photo was taken from inside which explains the whiteish ghost shadows...

Well a little poop here and a little poop there….not really earth shattering..but having the year end completed for yet another year…...absolutely earth shattering…..well at least for me……

DING DONG, DING DONG….. Avon calling….yes life is slowly resuming it’s normal routine….oh yes….Walter came by today, our grass is back on the ‘to be cut’ list….and so it goes……..year after year….I just love it.

Tags: CJPS, critters, The girls

So here we sat for most of a day...

We are at Walker Heavy Duty  in Delta, B.C. right next to the Tsawwassen/Ladner area of Vancouver where we lived for many years before moving to Kelowna.  We have been bringing our DP here since it was born and the mechanics are very familiar with our RV.  After moving to Kelowna about 8 or 9 years ago ( who is actually counting and do you really care???) we developed a routine where we would cross into Canada on a Friday morning, brign the RV in for ita annual service and see Katie and Louie, a good break from the driving.  The next day we drove home giving us the rest of the weekend to unload and get to work on the Monday.  Well it works for us.

So when we had our breakdown we were not too concerned as we knew it would be checked at Walker Heavy Duty.  The usual visit includes regular maintenance of the oil, fuel and water filters, engine oil lubrication, general check of belts, belt pulleys, idlers and hoses, air bleed tanks etc.  Our brakes are still good at 75% at 97,474 miles.  The big thing was to find the leak and they did!!  Great bunch of guys.

A big leak was found at the front of the RV where at the heater hose.  This is why we would not have seen any liquid at the back where the engine is.  Plus when you think about it, it is 40′ to the front heater hose and 40′ back to the engine area.  80 feet for all that coolant to travel and become stuck in an air pocket or loose fluid.  So for all of you who offered suggestions and ideas as to our problems, I say that you were all very correct.  There was also a very small leak located at the top of the engine in a hose.

So another 4 litres of anti freeze was added, 20 litres of new oil p;us about 7.5 hours of labour at 90.00/hour we got the final invoice.  Only $1002.16 before tax.  Extremely reasonable.  Last year we paid $750.00 before tax.  Other than this main service we might spend about $200.00 to $300.00 on a generator oil change and an air filter change, all done on site in Holiday Park by our local RV technician.  Overall, very reasonable amount to spend over twelve months.

Tags: RV repairs

It is good with wine, it is good with tea and it is good with coffee.  The perfect recipe.

The cake makes you really happy..as you can see:)

Even the guys are sort of happy.....even though their glasses are on empty.

You need a pan like this.

Then this recipe...

...and you get a happy cake and a very happy Gramma Katie!

Katie wanted to share this recipe with you also as she says it is VERY good. Let me know if you try either recipe and what you think!

I am working very hard on mail, company year end, taxes, etc….too much in just a few days but I keep thinking back to the Isla and my mind relaxes.

Caught these two getting up to no good running down the street......

Tags: critters, friends, recipes, Wine