5C's Que Pasa

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

Saturday ( April 14th ) had us driving at 7:30AM.  Not far, just to fuel up on diesel and propane.  We always like to go home filled up, just in case!!!  From Nov 2/11 we only used $26.93 of propane.  Colin prefers to not use butane in Mexico. I know you want the details of the details and those will be coming…soon!  Good deal for diesel @ 1.359 per litre.

We are driving the Coquilhalla for the first time in 3 years as the road is reported dry and snow free!! NOT!!! Regardless I am happy to be on this route as we save 100 miles!!

As we are about to cross from West Kelowna to Kelowna over the nice new bridge we spotted this poster. It was a shot Colin had done for Woodland Hills just days before we left in October. Not a great shot by myself due to speed and rain but nice to see as we headed home. A reminder of why we 'had' to come home!

The rain stopped for a bit and we had a good 3.5 hours to unload, almost door to door before moving the RV to our beach site. Lucky us! It was a balmy 12C. We drove 196 miles today.

Caeli says....this is where I live. The girls did know where we were as soon as we turned off the HWY.....they are amazing. The snow shovel says it all, don't you think?

We started unloading about 1:15PM which was a bonus for us...this is just one of many piles.

I might not have to buy food till August!!. Both the RV and home freezer are full!! Yes we bring lots with us and always wonder how it will fit into the RV and then back into the house but the best news is, that nothing is ever wasted.

..then calamity struck! I could not get my computer to connect to the house wifi! I WASTED 90 minutes on the phone with Telus before we got cut off....honest it was not me. The worst was the waste of my time! Enough....great dinner, two hours of The Apprentice and lots of vino blanco. Anyway, yesterday, Sunday, our local computer guru, Hugh, came by and in 15 minutes or less I was fixed, well the computer was!!

Sunday was spent putting things away by myself in the house while Colin hooked up the RV and unloaded the car etc.  I also did 6 loads of laundry……20 more to go!!

This swan was paddling our lake on Sunday, it was too far out for me to get a good shot but a very tranquil vision and wonderful welcome home.

Tags: critters, Holiday Park, Kelowna, The girls, vino

…oh yes…Marysville, WA.

Colin waited till the engine cooled on Thursday night to add antifreeze and when he checked it early Friday ( remember, Friday the 13th ) it was empty.  Very very strange.

We were driving by 8AM…

...a very foggy morning! There were 15 RV's in the Walmart that night but I think some are living there full time. We were happy to be driving without snow, first in time in 2 years.

I did remember to suspend our Verizon Service before we crossed into Canada.  Someone had asked about using it in Canada.  You can but it would be expensive with roaming charges, etc.  Unfortunately it seems that we all need a Canadian connection or stick, one for the USA and another for Mexico…..the person who manages to create a system incorporating all three is likely to becoming very wealthy!!!

No Canadian flag, no Welcome to Canada sign, just construction. Less than one minute of interrogation and we were back home...so to speak!

Every year as we enter Canada we head over to Walker Heavy Duty where we have an annual appointment to have maintenance done on our RV.  This was to be more memorable than others or so we anticipated.  I will so a separate post on this in a few days.

Our first view of the Pacific Ocean since leaving the Isla.

Even though we were there at the appointed time of 10AM, nothing was happening.  Finally after 1:00PM we saw some fellows working on our RV.  Meanwhile we took turns keeping watch.  While Colin went to see a client ( we never loose a second of time or an opportunity ) I tried to get the techs working…..then it was my turn to take the car and go do some local shopping while Colin hounded the techs.  We lived in our huge home  ( 5600 sq ft ) in Tsawwassen for years and then downsized to a town home in Ladner (3600 sq ft ) for three years before moving to Kelowna ( 970 sq ft )….you don’t need more than that if you can live in an RV 6 months of the year.  The taxes in the Lower Mainland were unbearable.  So this day I went to the Ladner strip mall where after eight years the same stores with almost the same employees were still there.  I walked into the Fish Market and they still remembered me.  Amazing!!!  My friend Mary, from Alberta, Canada who lives in a home on the Isla de la Piedra for half the year, as we do in our RV, tells a sweet story on her blog.  I totally get her post ( especially as we have been home for just over 24 hours and no hellos from the neighbours ) but being in that strip mall in Ladner that day….I still felt like I lived there.  Actually I really wanted to move back…what a great community!

Back to the RV just after 3PM…two fellows working on the RV, no answers yet re the problems!!!!  We had to go…Gramma Katie, who we see every year said “no later then 4 PM” ! So we left th RV and off we headed to Tsawwassen just a few homes down from our old place.  As we neared the corner the girls started baying..they knew where we were.

Caeli says.....please remember me..cuz I love you so much.

Twas our usual grand reunion!

After our usual fresh halibut dinner Carmeh had her serious snuggle with her Gramma Katie.

...then it was Caeli's turn.....you can tell it was her by the tongue!!!

Meanwhile, Louie and I were getting down and dirty on the carpet doing some exercises from the Egoscue Clinic. Louie needs heart surgery but instead of just waiting and because we love him so much we suggested taking Strauss Heart Drops, trying Chelation Therapy and even some Egoscue exercises....anything...just keep trying rather waiting for......well you know!

We had to tear ourselves away and get back to the RV.  No info left for us so we assume we are good to go.  Hopefully Monday we will get a report and then the dreaded invoice!!  Hooked up and driving by 9:30PM.  We were heading just a few miles ( well 61 actually ) out of the city to Chilliwack.  We can’t stay in the RV at Katies & Louie’s easily because of the slopping road.   At Exit 119 we use to turn right, fuel up at the Husky and stay in the old Walmart lot as we did in October when we headed south.  No longer as new stores have opened but there is a new Walmart just two miles away.  As you exit 119 go left ( North) till the end of the freeway lights, turn left at the next light ( sorry but I don’t have the street name…I was more than half asleep ) and drive West parallel to the HWY till you come to a roundabout and turn right onto Evans Road, go down that close to a mile and on the left you will find a lovely new Walmart which closes at midnight so you can have a great deep sleep.

No wifi since leaving the US but too tired to do a blog regardless, especially after Katie’s great meal and mucho vino!!!!

We only drove 159 miles this day but it felt like much more.

Stayed tuned for the rest of the story……

Tags: Family, food, friends, health, RV repairs, The girls, USA, vino