5C's Que Pasa

I believe that it was last summer or the one previous that we were invited to a party for a few local bloggers.  Colin was working and I did not feel comfortable going all that way on my own as it would be a long drive back in the dark so I missed out. There are many bloggers in the area but the one thing we all have in common is RVing and we are all snowbirds.

Yesterday I hosted three local bloggers and their spouses including us of course.  There was never a quiet moment.  Interestingly enough, travel was the main topic of discussion which centered around visiting places on our bucket lists so to speak.  We were supposed to sit outside on the patio but the wind was too strong so we stayed inside.

Colin, Rod and his wife Sylvia, myself, Stacie and her husband Bob.

Stacie writes the blog Maxx Trails.  Rod who has been rather busy lately writes Six Saturdays and a Sunday.  We all write a different type of blog and I think that they are all interesting.  For instance Stacie & her hubby just got E -bikes and are bicycling  everywhere, they winter in Yuma and are full-time RVers.  Rod and Sylvia are always renovating something either at their home here in West Kelowna or at their new place in Phoenix  and are do it yourselfers.  So much to learn on his blog.

The bloggers, Rod, myself and Stacie.

Tuesday is pasta night here at the RV Park restaurant and we had reservations for 7PM. We sat outside on the patio and the conditions were perfect.

I don’t need to wine a little, I just enjoy the wine and life is good.  Even better with friends.  Colin and I have been out with Stacie & Bob  before but despite reading Rod’s blog for years and years, this is the first time we have met in person.  A few years ago when we were possibly having to be evacuated re flooding ( we were evacuated but found a place to live in our RV ) Rod offered to put us up and a year or so later when they were in the line of a forest fire we offered to put them up.  That is just what fellow bloggers do for each other.

So it was very special for us to all get together.

In fact we had such great time that we closed the restaurant down. We just kept chatting until I looked around and realized that everyone had left except us. Five plus hours had passed in a flash and we were just getting started.  Definitely the beginning of an annual event.  Croft, we would love for you to join us next summer.  Tell us when you will be in the the area and we will plan our next blogger reunion around your visit.

I have never been there but Colin has, long ago.  So we are planning to take the RV there next June for a few weeks.  Before I start doing any research I thought that I should start with you my readers.  I would appreciate some input from you such as how long we should stay?  Where should we stay in the RV, how far in advance should I book?  What were your favourite experiences?  Actually anything you care to share would be of great value to me and likely to others as well.  Those of you who have been there are the pros and I would truly appreciate any input on any aspect of Yellowstone.

Looking forward to reading your comments.

Photos from online Yellowstone.

Always something happening around here.  Yesterday morning Colin noticed a small black creature walking/ hopping along the patio.  It took a while to figure out that it was a bat as it was sort of hunched into itself. But something was wrong, it could barely move and certain wasn’t able to fly.  It was sick. There was no way we were going to get close and check it out in case it had rabies.  I got on the computer and found a local bat website that had some recorded information.  Meanwhile the bat kept moving.  We were too involved in the situation to take photos.

It eventually crawled up the fence and wedged itself between the fence and the salmon coloured board.

That bit of black in the middle is the bat.  I guess that is the best that it could do to find a dark area.

I also called security to come and check out the situation, thinking that he might have a suggestion.  None at all.  As of this writing the bat is gone.  I can only hope that he didn’t come back into our yard.  This is the one time that I am glad we no longer have our girls wandering around the yard.

Then the rain started and it ended up raining steady until midnight give or take.  So mid afternoon  Colin went out to wash the roof of the cars off and I guess the sides as well with a brush, no soap.  He had just washed them a few days ago and the spits of rain the other day along with the dust made the vehicles look dirty so this made them look presentable again.  For some reason he went into the shed and that reminded him to check the small freezer we have in there for muffins.  Colin discovered that the freezer was not working and everything was slowly thawing 😯  Thank goodness he went into the shed.  For some reason the dedicated plug we have for the freezer had tripped. We still don’t know why.  Right now we are checking it several times per day but once Colin has some free time he will change the entire extension cord.  Fortunately we had a thermometer in the freezer and it was still below the throw everything away point with about 10 degrees F to spare.

Next Colin came across this wee bird laid flat out on the lawn.

I haven’t seen too many cedar waxwings this summer.

Colin gently moved it to safety and out of the wind and rain into the rock area under the big tree.  It slowly recovered from the shock of having hit our window and eventually flew off.

Other than two emails, one from the husband of a dear friend who had an ATV accident a few days ago and has three broken ribs and a partially collapsed lung and the wife of another friend who had emergency heart bypass surgery a few weeks ago, it was a quiet Sunday 🙁

Like I said at the beginning of this post, you never know what is going to happen around here.  Our good friends Margot & Ken, now living in Victoria, used to say that we were surrounded by drama. You think so 😉

OMG, just as I was about to publish, a black cat ran across our lawn.  What does that mean?

Yesterday as the sun was setting we were getting more and more smoked in.

We did get a bit of a sunset.

Got this of Colin while I was out on the patio getting photos.

I think that Monday’s job is going to be cancelled.

I spent a few hours at the parks’ annual general meeting this afternoon.

When I got home we made a spur of the moment decision.  A second movie within a week!  Unheard of for us.  This makes our third movie in the last ten years.

However when you add the popcorn in, the price is off the charts.  Did you notice the difference of .52 cents between the large and medium popcorn? Totally crazy.  We can’t be affording this on a regular basis.

However it was a good movie and we enjoyed being out.  I just have to control my urge for popcorn.

Fortunately the severe thunderstorm warning has not happened as of 10:30 tonight.  We really need a break from lightening.  So another great day in our slide into retirement. Although to be honest, Colin spent the afternoon while I was at the meeting doing photoshop for the last job he did. I did not mind, someone has to pay for the popcorn 😳

It was time to book Colin’s fall visit to see Mommio. At 105 years of age ( in October ), the only major problem she has is that she can’t hear very well and she won’t wear her hearing aides. She finds them too difficult to put in and they won’t stay in.  I tried to get the nursing staff to put them in but she refuses to let them do it.  Colin used to be able to have several conversations with her per week over the phone but now she pretty much can’t hear what he is saying, maybe three words in a 20 minute conversation so Colin just lets her talk. Very frustrating on both their parts. There is a new airline that flies from Kelowna to Winnipeg and it is one of those discount types.  Rock bottom prices but any extra is at a cost, even carry on bags have a $35.00 fee.  Checking a bag is only $30.00.  I think water is something  like $2.00 on the flight.  Of course seat selection is extra.  Swoop airlines is scooping the other airlines.  We got a great deal for only $209.52 CAD.

The heat has kept the geese floating in the cooler water of the lake.

This last Tuesday I spent the better part of the day researching and finding the best price for Colin’s visit to Winnipeg in October.  I also ended booking my annual chiropractor appointment to Edmonton but more on that another day.  So I booked a car rental for Winnipeg and hotel for both Winnipeg and Edmonton.  It is amazing how much time these things take.  By trying various different sites I felt that I got the best prices that I could.

So the next morning, last Wednesday, I went back to my business to do list and discovered a cheque ( written on our business account ) on the previous Friday had actually been deposited directly back into our business account instead of our personal account 🙄  Well that totally screwed things up and I was short of funds.  It took a few hours to figure that out and for me to do the necessary paperwork and back tracking to make it correct, accounting wise.  Of course I had to go back to the bank with another cheque and redeposit it into the correct account. Colin had been out and about and once he got home we went in together and managed to get a few other errands done.

Once we got home and I had put things away  I checked my emails.  What the heck?  Swoop had a schedule change.  I had just booked it the day prior.

They were advising that the new schedule change had Colin leaving Winnipeg at 11:45 AM on October 7th, arriving here in Kelowna at 12:24PM and then leaving 45 minutes later back to Winnipeg!  Totally wrong as the journey was beginning here in Kelowna, not Winnipeg not to mention that he was leaving on the 7th and returning on the 9th.

Colin was actually booked to leave Kelowna at 1:10PM on the 7th of October and to return back here to Kelowna leaving at 11:45AM on October 9th.  They literally had put the cart before the horse.  There was a link to click if you agreed with the change of flights or a phone number to call if you did not.  Fortunately I was able to make the call about forty minutes after the email had been received.  I have been able to figure out the the entire issue was because of the problem with the 737 Max 8 aircraft.  Still unresolved  8-O. Swoop, an economy carrier is owned by Westjet.

This is what we picked out of the garden Wednesday.  Our first Swiss chard of the season. I steamed it and it was melt in your mouth, smooth as butter.  We simply steam it and add nothing. The cucumber & tomato sandwich we had for lunch yesterday was to die for.

Eventually my call was answered by a Westjet agent :-|. For some reason Westjet was dealing with the Swoop schedule change.  It was awkward as Westjet did not have full access to the flights details, only a spread sheet.  I had a very patient Westjet agent and I with my travel background with Air Canada managed to get Colin a wonderful deal.  I had three screens open and between the WJ agent and myself we  ( I ) got it figured out.  It turns out that Westjet was taking over the entire booking.  Again I later surmised that this was all because of the 737 Max 8 issue.  Turns out that my good friend Libby was also  having to deal with Westjet  schedule changes.

The light winds blew off the haze yesterday afternoon.

Long story short we paid $209.52CAD for Colin to fly from here to see his Mom and back with Swoop. Great price but Colin had little time on the ground ( as opposed to past flights ) to see his Mom.  We decided that quality time was better than no time and booked the flight.  With the change in flights and Westjet taking over, Colin got a fantastic new schedule to go see his Mom, all at no extra charge to us.  In fact the actual cost to book what the Westjet agent changed for Colin would have cost us $650.21CAD!! He got free seat selection on all four flights.  Swoop was a direct non stop in both directions but a change of flight is required with Westjet, so now there were four different flights.  They also allowed him a free checked bag at no charge which would make the total $710.21.  We only paid the original Swoop price of $209.52.  It also means that Colin gets juice or water or coffee and cookies at no charge on the flights.  A wonderful deal.  Most importantly he was booked on the flights I used to book him on when I booked Westjet and that gives him maximum time with Mommio 😀

Today we have heavier winds and the air is thick with smoke.  The winds are also bringing in clouds and a risk of thunder showers for tonight. Just before I am about to publish this post, I can no longer see the mountains and the smell of smoke is prevalent.  No updates in the news. I pray that the 200 plus properties on evacuation alert are safe.

So Swoop dropped the ball but Westjet picked it up and it is all good for Colin’s visit to see his Mom.  You might say that we got what we wanted to have in the first place and saved $500.69 in the process.  I think that we got lucky as well, as I was able to reply to the schedule change email within 40 minutes.  It turned out alright but I was on the phone for over an hour working on it and then had to redo the car rental and a few other details.

The sun sets to the west, left of the photo. But last evening the colour was in the south.  I have to say that I was amazed at the colours my camera picked up. Those ducks are just taking off.  The green on the mid bottom is a tarp that Colin has put over the canoe to protect it from the sun.

So that was how I spent Tuesday and Wednesday.  It has taken yesterday and today to catch up with my to do list.

The colours are a gift from Mother Nature.  That white dot in the middle at the top is the moon. Taken yesterday.