I know, I know, I’m supposed to be heading South.

Instead I am taking a plane today and heading North to Edmonton ( where snow flakes actually fell out of the sky this morning ) to see my Dad.  I know I was there just over a month ago but there are still things that need to be done since my Mom passed this past July.  Plus I want to spend some time with my Dad before we do head South for almost 6 months.  My trip is going to start with a grade 12 mini class reunion later today.  We are meeting at a good friend’s home for wine, appies, food and good times.  There should be 7 or 8 of us.  I know it will be a great trip down memory lane.  I’ll let you know.

Last time I went to Edmonton Colin did the Tommie Award photos of our home interiors.  He knew he could deconstruct the house and put it together for his creative eye with no flack from me.  But I did catch one thing when I got home.

This is how our bookcase looked when I left. it was crammed full of everything that came out of boxes when we unpacked this past April.

Colin took most things out and created this look for the photos.

He actually took out 5 boxes of books.  So when I came home I had a mess to contend with.  He had hidden everything in the sauna so I didn’t catch it right away.

Decisions had to be made. Books and I had to separate. So I took a huge pile to the RV to re read over the winter and then give away and donated another very large pile to the library here at Holiday Park.

So this is how the bookcase looks today. Much less crowded and more pleasing to the eye.

I wonder what I will come home to in few days.  I just know that something will be changed.

Tags: 319, Family, Holiday Park, Tommie awards, travel

My first que pasa of the month and there certainly has been a lot going on, both in the business and the personal life.  Departure day on October 27th just can’t come fast enough.  Good thing I have a master packing list but I am having trouble keeping up with it.  If the truth be told I’m still trying to go through a huge pile on my desk that has been there since the end of April.  And that pile came from a box that used to be in the same place on my desk in the old house.  Maybe I should just file 13 it without looking at it.

I have been to my eye glass place almost daily for the past week.  The final straw came yesterday when my new lense fell out of my new frames, just two days old.  Yes they will service me but who pays for my back and forth time.  I just don’t have time to spare.  today they keep slipping down my nose, I just hate that but will have to deal with it for a while.

Then I spent the better part of a day ordering things online that we just absolutely need and which I will pick up in the USA.  I love ordering online and usually it is seamless but this time not once, not twice but three times an order was cancelled.  I was ordering our black tank product and it seems that is has been discontinued, yet people still are selling it on their online sites.  Finally I was able to track down 15 bottles so we are good to go for two years. We love this product as it is granules that don’t spill.  Yet another thing we RVer’s to Mexico have to pre buy and travel with.  This year we are picking things up at an RV Park in Ely Nevada.  Just got a call today from the company I’m buying dog toys from claiming that the zip code belongs to another city.  Dealing with all these things are time wasters.

One good buy was dog food.  Having just changed out our girls food we no longer need to get their kibble from a vet which I used to do in Lake Havasu and it was way cheaper than purchasing it here in Canada.  This year with the diet change I was able to go online and find the cheapest price for the new kibble.  I was able to buy 5.5  months worth at a savings of $4.95 per bag plus it shipped for free  😛  Yet another good deal.

Now I’m worried about my Dad yet again.  He had a tooth extracted on Tuesday which took over 2 hours and he says his face looks like a mask, all swollen and black and blue.  Plus he is in pain.  He is only taking T3’s at night so he doesn’t get dizzy or disorientated during the day and possibly fall.  My poor Dad.

Somehow we are managing to keep our stomaches full.  The girls insist on eating at 8AM and again at 5PM and if I don’t have it ready they let me know.  Colin and I eat when we can and often after 7:30PM but the girls always come first.

Even with being on a diet, Caeli is still fat. She lives a life of leisure as you can see.

We have had numerous rain and thunder storms this past week. This one just sort of happened. The sun mixed with the storm created such unusual lighting.

The winds were strong and pushed it along very quickly.

Lots of wave action but the rain didn't last too long.

Today we have sunshine and a high of 15C/59F.  People, not us, are out riding bikes and walking and just enjoying the healing powers of the sun.  I know, my time is coming.

We now have snow on the distant mountain, thanks to a recent downpour combined with cools temps. We even had heavy frost one morning but the next few days look promising.

This is excellent. We usually have smokies made by the Yves brand but these are a keeper. The protein in just one is 26g. Of course I shall be buying a number of these packages and freezing them for the trip.

Combined with a salad and a melange of left over new potatoes fried in coconut oil with bits of broccoli, carrot and a tiny amount of left over salmon made for a delicious new meal idea.

So before I get carried away I better end this que pasa as I can just ramble on and on.

I don't want you to have to shut me up. I guess this is what a male bird does when he can't stand it anymore.

Thanks to Gisele for sharing this photo with me and now you.  As she said….

A photographer will die of old age waiting to get another shot like this one.

Tags: critters, Duck Lake, Family, Funny, health, travel, USA

I received an email from a reader who was in the midst of  a ‘discussion with Shaw’  while in Mazatlan just last week.   Mr. M. was just about to tell Shaw that he was in Mazatlan when the power to the TV went out so he never completed his call.  Later he read my post about Shaw Direct.  So the next day when he called Shaw once again, he made a point of not saying where he was.  This was not a simple restarting of the receiver but an activation of a receiver with an old LNB.  It took over 15 minutes with an open line between Mr. M. and the technician yet he only asked questions about the receiver and what Mr. M. was seeing on his TV screen.  Mr. M is now enjoying Shaw Direct in Mexico.  This should not be possible according to the “new” Shaw rules.

Then just a few days ago over on Larry’s blog under his ongoing comments on his Shaw post he received a comment from a reader stating…….

I just had my account re-activated on Sept. 27. I phoned Shaw to check on this and they told me that it was good to go. I also asked if I might need to reboot or get help when I get back to Arizona. I was told that I should never tell them I am not in Canada as they are not allowed to help anyone outside of Canada. I will be in ARizona in a few days and will let you know if things are working.

So that tells me that now, since some time has passed since this all started, the Shaw Direct technicians are going to be of help.  Well some of the techs will be of help but the most important thing is to not tell them where you are when you call.  If they don’t ask don’t tell them.  If they do ask, I would suggest not answering, be stealth, pretend that a pot on the stove just boiled over and you have to call back later.  Try again with another tech  😆

Tags: communication, satellite TV, Shaw, travel

Thanks to a reader for leading me to this link.  This is what I was sent which lead me to finding this site.

Amazing statistics!

The follow excerpt explains how these figures came to be.

This educational site exists to present facts.

Like most countries, Mexico has violent crime. Our concern is that the portrayal of this violence is sensationalized and inconsistent with the portrayals of other countries and travel destinations. We do not suggest that Mexico is completely safe, nor is it as dangerous as it is represented. We offer specific factual comparisons so that travelers can make enlightened choices without the haze of politics and media hype.

“How Safe Is Mexico?” is an independent site.

This site is a project of Black Label Interactive, a firm which has represented travel and luxury brands on every continent. In the interest of remaining impartial, we have not received and will not accept any compensation for creating this site. In 2010, we noticed that some the finest companies in the travel industry were being victimized by inaccurate data and we decided to set the record straight with the most accurate data we could find. This is not intended as a pro-Mexico or anti-anything resource. We hope it neutralizes some misrepresentations and fosters a spirit of excellence within the hospitality industry.  About Black Label 

Different cities, states, regions and countries report information in different ways. We believe U.N. World Health Organization statistics are a good guide, but do not include some under-reported crime. We supplement WHO data with figures from a private research and consulting firm, RRS y Associados-Prominix, in Mexico which estimates unreported crime to calculate more accurate figures. We compare those numbers to U.S. figures reported by the FBI. Global figures (outside of the U.S. and Mexico) are based on WHO reports. Some of our charts report slightly different data. U.S. city comparisons use FBI data with 2010 statistics. International data from U.N. and Prominix is from 2010-2012. NationMaster.com uses data from various years to draw different comparisons.

We want you choose your travel responsibly.

We hope that by comparing facts from various sources, you will see that Mexico is  statistically safer than many popular tourism destinations. The endless barrage of negative media has a harmful effect on the resorts, destinations and people who want nothing more than to showcase what they have to offer. Whether you choose to visit this beautiful and diverse nation or some other exotic place, you should do so based on facts. We wish you safe and memorable journeys wherever your travels take you.

Sources:

• U.N. World Health Organization
• RRS y Associados-Prominix
• U.S. FBI
• U.S. State Department
• NationMaster.com
• USA Today

Facts collected April-June 2012. Fact analysis: June 2012.

There are several pages to navigate through the site with but this graphic really stands out.

I already believe that Mexico is safe but now you might also.

Tags: Mazatlan, Mexico, travel, USA

Magic Jack is simply another form of Skype, a way to make phone calls at almost no expense to family and friends while on the road in your RV.  We have used both and find that Magic Jack seems to provide the best sound connection.  I used to call my Mom and Dad weekly from Acapulco, Puerto Vallarta, Patzcuaro and now Mazatlan or where ever we happened to be and Colin would call his elderly mother ( now 99 years young ) every few weeks.  We found we preferred Magic Jack as we could hear everyone much clearer.

Recently, Magic Jack came out with new and improved product called Magic Jack Plus 2014.  Here is what they say….

The NEW 2014 magicJack PLUS service has received rave reviews and many people think it is the best Call Quality they have ever heard. The magicJack PLUS has added even better High Definition Voice. The NEW 2014 magicJack PLUS has the Best Call Quality we ever heard from any service and it’s FREE.

Besides it seems they have added some technology to the new device that will allow for internet connections down the road as they become available, plus, plus, plus.  So we bought it mostly based on having an even better sound connection.

That's the old Magic Jack on the top right, a bit smaller in size.

Last year at our local Apple store we picked up this phone that plugged into our iMac and coupled with Magic Jack gave us great sound.

So between the phone and the new Magic Jack Plus we expect to be able to hear everyone we call just fine.

Tags: communication, Family, Mexico, travel