I live to serve Punk!

Entrance to Park

Geraniums outside office

Dad - Carvings  here in the park

Behind the fog, at Duke Point, is a foghorn that blows every 45 seconds - day and night.

 Last Saturday, we went on a field trip to Salt Spring Island.  We went to visit wineries and to ride on a ferry.

Old fire truck on display at Ganges, Salt Spring Island

Market with lots of unique items - mushrooms,  organic foods and natural hippy things.  Even overheard residents using groovy  in their converstations.

 It was supposed to be a rainy miserable day.  But we had great weather.  It just started to spit and rain as we headed home.  We took the ferry over to the island.  It took about 20 minutes.  You just stay in your vehicle on this trip.  There was a small indoor area for walk ons.  We went to the market and had a great lunch at a bisto called Auntie Pesto's.  After lunch we visited two wineries - Salt Spring Winery and Mistaken Identity.  I bought a bottle of white - Aromata 2009 at Salt Spring Island and a bottle of Merlot at Mistaken Identity.

Salt Spring Island Winery

Mistaken Identity Winery

Bringing in the grapes

Waiting for the ferry at Vesuvius, Salt Spring Island

The ferry called Howe Sound.  We were the first vehicle loaded onto the ferry.

Seagull watching the ferry load.

Crofton ferry terminal on Vancouver Island

Pulp mill at Crofton - very stinky.

 Check out this weather.  Beautiful blue skies with sunny crisp days and cool nights.

 Wayne getting ready for winter.  He's insulating our water hose and also installing a heating tape along the length of the hose.  Note he's still wearing shorts in this picture.

 Wayne's tried and true method of fire starting.

Great fire though.

.

I'm not sure what kind of bird this is.  Our feeder is very popular with the local birds. 

This is a nut hatch.  They eat from the feeder and drop lots of seed.  The other birds eat the seed from the ground.

 These are Stellar Jays.  They live west of the Rockies.  They can't balance on the feeder but eat seeds off of the ground.  Stellar Jays can mimic the sound of hawks scaring off the other birds.  All of these birds visit our feeder and keep Punk amused.  She stays awake much more to watch out the window.

Other activities this week include swapping our summer clothes for warmer ones.

I've been doing some baking.  A chocolate cake today.  The oven takes the chill off the trailer.

Wayne has also been installing plastic film on the windows to decrease drafts and condensation.

Very early this morning, we ran out of propane.  It was 58 degrees in the trailer when we woke up.  I had such a good sleep.  Must have been the cool air.  We are trying to find a happy medium between being too cool and too hot.  We also are trying to conserve propane as much as possible.  Such a learning curve.

Happy Belated Thanksgiving

 Bright and early Sat. morning we picked Amy and Ian up at the ferry terminal.  It rained most of Sat so we just spent time together.  Ian has just started a new job almost exactly 1 year since his accident.  He is super glad to be back on track.   But he was stiff and sore.  Amy was also a little tired. Didn't get much sleep Fri night.  They had to get up at 4 am to catch the ferry.

Sunday was warm and sunny.  We went to Costco in the morning and then relaxed with a campfire while the turkey was cooking.  Wayne is still wearing shorts.  I wonder if this will continue throughout the winter.  We are looking for a source of firewood as it is a bit expensive here at the park.  Lots of wood around but nobody wants to sell less than 1 cord.  Way too much wood for us.

Here's Punk checking out something Wayne has.  Punk is about the same size as the little turkey I cooked in my little oven.  We have found a vet for Punk as she needs meds everyday for her thyroid condition.  Wish it was as easy to find a clinic for humans.

We hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving.  We sure did.

Nanaimo

 Our first guests in Nanaimo were Marilyn and Tom.  We were posted with them in Lowther and North Bay.   Longtime friends.  Tom has just recently retired.  Wayne beat him by two days.  As a retirement celebration, Tom bought a bright red 2010 Goldwing motorcycle.  This is now the preferred method of leisure transport.  They both love bombing around the island.  Tom has even joined a gang.  Ha Ha.

We went out for dinner at the Nanaimo Keg restaurant.  It was Marilyn's idea, quickly seconded by me.  We had a lovely time catching up on the past eight years. 

Our campsite at Living Forest Campground.  We have a view of the Nanaimo River Estuary out our picture window.  I never tire of watching the tide go in and out.  We can also see a ferry pass by.  So cool.

I have more pictures to post but the internet connection is very slow today.  The park is filling up for Thanksgiving weekend.

Ian and Amy are coming  for the weekend.  We are picking them up at the ferry on Sat. morning.  I think we are going to do a road trip as the weather is not forecasted to be very good.  We might go to some wineries or crafty places.

This past week, we have been getting organized and finding our way around.  We joined the library and picked up info on aquacize classes.  We took some in North Bay and thoroughly enjoyed the exercise. 
We have figured out the best routes to shopping etc.

The best thing to happen this week.  -  Wayne fixed the toilet.  Yeah! Water would not stay in the bowl.  It was leaking into the tank.  Therefore we had no barrier between the holding tank and the bathroom.  So there was a lingering odour.  We found an RV repair place that had the seals in stock.  Wayne took the toilet apart and fixed the problem.  Who knew this would be the highlight of our week.  It all comes down to bodily functions.

We also found another local RV dealer with lots of parts.  They were having a sale and we bought an RV outdoor carpet for under the awning.  This cuts down on the mess tracked into the trailer.  We have been looking at them for a long time.

This is another shot of our site.  We can see the water when enjoying an afternoon fire.

This view is the Nanaimo skyline as seen from a viewing platform at our campground.  The tide is coming in.  I think.

The Last Days In Burnaby

Dad, I thought you would like these ducks. There are hundreds at Burnaby Lake Park.

Yes, we ventured back to the trails.  This time with map, water and snacks.  We walked about 5 kms and took lots of pictures.

 This is a shot of the city skyline from the shores of Burnaby Lake.  Most of the trails are in the forest and you would swear you are way out in the boonies.  But no - we were in the city.  The lake looks very shallow and has lots of water lilies.  Part of the park is a wildlife reserve.  Rangers are constantly monitoring and checking the animals, birds and environment.

 We are checking out the holly bushes.  Holly bushes aren't something that I've seen in Ontario.  The leaves are so glossy and very pointy.

 Heading back to Burnaby Cariboo RV Park.

 This is the front office and store.  The indoor pool and hot tub, lounge, games room, washrooms, laundry and rooftop sundeck are all in this building.  This park has great facilities.  Even though the actual sites are small, they are very private.

 We spent lots of time in the pool and hot tub.  Our last week on the mainland was all about physical activity and visits with family.  We went to Ethel and Keith's for a fabulous barbecue supper.  Ian and Amy came to see us for a rib and lasagna supper.  Ian got motion sick in the trailer as Wayne had taken off the stabilizers getting ready to head for the ferry.

Next stop - Nanaimo.