Gone but not Forgotten

Well the good times are over, early this morning Lace called and said they were on their way to pick up their baby. Guess they were missing her. We thought about breaking camp and rolling on out here, what with the fog we have been having it wouldn’t be hard to hide this gray and black rig, but we couldn’t ever quite get Lacey to drop off Ella’s passport so that would have only been a short term solution.

So reluctantly we let her go back to Rocky Mountain House with her parents. Besides Meg doesn’t like sharing her bed all the time anyway.

Things are starting to feel a little like winter around here, we only get a few degrees above freezing during the day, but thankfully it is not going a long way below just yet.

The rest of the day I started trying to make sense of Picasa and the 50 odd thousand photographs I have stored on my various and sundry hard drives. Thanks to Rick from Rick and Paulette’s RV Travels I am beginning to figure out Picasa and will try to get things in a little different order than they are right now.

Weiner Roast

This mornings walk for Meg and I was again in the fog. There are some who believe I live my life in that meteorological state but this was caused by the weather not me. Just more confirmation that our old friend winter is just around the corner.

My little brother Brent and his wife Trish and their kids were out today, along with my Dad, to bring his motorhome and store it in my quonset hut. That about fills it up, maybe room for one more small car, and then the door can close until these northern ranges start to show a little life next spring.

While they were here we had ourselves a wiener roast and some hot chocolate but for some reason we got no photo’s of that event. This is not a scene out of “Vacation” and no one is rolled up in that rug that Brent took out of my Dad’s old house for his daughter, Caron, to put in her new place. But we will be watching the news tonight to see if they got it home safe and sound.

While they were here visiting their dog Sydney, and Caron’s dog Rex, were having a good run and enjoying the freedom that comes with living in the country. BUT Rex found something quite fragrant to roll in and we had to bring out the Dove to give him a little bath before he could get back in the van to travel home.

Here is a picture of the whole family, Brent, Trish and the kids, Christopher and Remi washing Rex while Meg looks on.

And of course this weekend no blog will be complete without a photo of Ella.

Fall is Here

Yesterday we were blessed with great weather, today not so much. We woke up to a thick fog and Meg and I were walking in pea soup this morning, well really, I was walking, Meg was running, she probably covers 2 to 3 times the distance I go. The temperature had dropped significantly and it was barely about freezing as we took off for our 2.5 mile daily stroll.

Judy from Travels with Emma asked why a cowboy would be out fixing fence with running shoes on rather than a pair of boots, and the Lord knows I have enough boots around. There is an old story about a city girl asking a cowboy “why are you wearing running shoes if you are a cowboy” to which the old cowboy replied “I wear the sneakers just so folks don’t confuse me with a truck drivers”. Makes a good story but mine is less exciting, I had just got home from my morning walk and got right to work so I guess I got lazy in my hurry to get that fence fixed.

Brenda was off early this morning for her last dental appointment before we leave and next week we both have a last minute check-in with our physicians.

This afternoon we are off to meet Clayton and Ella halfway to Rocky for a baby transfer. Ella is coming to stay with us and keep Grandma busy for the next couple of days.

Fixing Fence

 

Today was one of those beautiful Indian summer days that lull us into forgetting that Old Man Winter is lurking just behind the hill. Perfect weather, in the high 60’s, not a cloud in the sky, or a breath of wind. If the weather stayed like this there would be a whole lot less snowbirds crossing that Medicine Line heading down into our good neighbours southern states for the winter.

Rod from Retired Rod picked up on that term that I use for the border and did some digging to figure out why that crazy Canuck called the border between the USA and Canada the Medicine Line. In short it was a term the American Indians used to explain why when the American military was chasing them north, for no reason they just stopped at a certain point. No discernable landmarks in the Great Plains yet they just gave up the chase. The Sioux knew that as long as they kept the peace and followed the laws they would get no hassle from the North West Mounted Police.

Now that is a pretty short history lesson and those that are inclined should have a look at this history net link, a lot more detail and maybe more fact than my abridged version.

Now assuming that the cavalry is going to welcome us back across the Medicine Line we are still getting things in order so that we are ready when the time comes. Sometime last winter one of our residents critters, probably a moose, broke off a gate post at the far southern end of our pasture. Now that was a 6-7 inch gate post so I am thinking that Mr. Moose had one heck of a bruise after he hit that post. I had a good look at the old post and there was no sign of rot or damage from equipment. I replaced the post with an eight inch one so maybe it will survive a direct hit this winter. No easy job digging a 40 inch hole and tamping that post into place so I am hoping my big clumsy friend will go around it rather than through it this winter.

While I was fixing fence Brenda was off to Cochrane to get her hair fixed up for the trip south. Looking good there Sweetpea.

And that is all that is happening here down the road from Dogpound.

Counting Down

Well we are counting the days till we head south. Two weeks from now we should be parked within throwin’ distance of the border crossing in Sweetgrass, Montana ready to cross first thing in the morning. That is the date our health insurance kicks in for travel south of the Medicine Line.

Still packing up here and getting things ready for the winter, the weather is beautiful right now but winter is coming I am sure.

The shot above is the sunset west of us tonight and those little black bumps along the bottom are about a 100 miles of the Rocky Mountains.

Today I built a fence around the hay that is stored in our hayfield as this winter I will leave the horses out there to graze. For that I used a solar electric fence as the horses really respect that kind of fencing and it is not likely that they will get themselves tangled in it either. Always a concern with horses, they have a knack of finding things to cut themselves with. Quick to put up and quick to remove once we get that hay sold and hauled out of there.

Tonight we had a great meal put together from the spoils of our summer. Both Rod, Deb and Rollie and Gina brought butter. Deb supplied the shrimp that Brenda grilled and Gina gave us the corn that she had harvested straight from the cob. The spud and the great Alberta beef were our own contribution.

Looks good but let me assure you it tasted even better.

I sure will be glad once we get the big wheels rolling but probably not near as glad as our readers who may get a little interesting stuff for a change.

But for now that’s all that is new here down the road from Dogpound.

Winterizing

We are only a couple of weeks from getting on the road here down the road from Dogpound and there is a lot of stuff to get ready for winter. Although we live fulltime in our RV we still have the farm and the buildings here to get ready for the long winter. I like to leave all the equipment ready to go to work if Matt or someone else has to use it during the winter but it is likely it will not move so things like the fuel need fuel stabilizer added so that things don’t get gummed up sitting over the next few months. We also have quite a fleet of lawnmowing equipment here from the regular small gasoline push mower up to and including a diesel powered John Deere front deck mower and they all need their oil changed. So the last few days have been taken up changing oil and prepping for winter.

A couple of weeks ago I winterized the camper and just the other day changed the oil in the truck so today Brenda unloaded all the perishables and things that might freeze and we moved it into the quonset to be stored. Another thing that needs to be looked after in this equipment menagerie is the batteries so we have rigged up a system with timers that allows them all to get a little kick every day, each in its own turn.

Camper and the Motorhome swapping stuff.

Yesterday we had our farrier over to pull the shoes off the horses we take to the mountains and get the whole band trimmed up for the winter. We are fortunate here in that we have a lot more grass than we have livestock so what with the pasture and our hay land the horses pretty much fend for themselves, although we have some hay in reserve just in case, and of course a couple of heated waterers so they always have water available.

Brenda has been busy getting things ready to travel also as well as washing windows and getting things around here ship shape for the winter. So today we kind of took it easy, Meg and I went on our morning walk, and then we got ready and headed into town to do a few errands and then off to Balzac to take in the new Secretariat movie. It was great and well worth the price, oh yah, Brenda had some free tickets, but I would have paid to see it anyway.

Catching Up

A week or ten days ago we decided that we needed a Vancouver Island trip to suppress the hitch itch we are feeling while waiting to head south across the Medicine Line for the winter. We won’t be leaving here until around the 3rd of November and that seemed a long time away. Brenda had some furniture for John and Gina, our friends out at Nanaimo, so combine that with the fact that I have a truck, it seemed like a marriage made in heaven. We loaded the entire bedroom suite in the truck, well packed to prevent damage, and headed west on the Thursday before the Canadian Thankgiving weekend. It was a beautiful day to travel through the Rockies and the Selkirks out to the coast. Blue skies and crisp clean air for most of the way, well at least until we came upon the “fragrant” air of the Lower Mainland. The population density as well as some pretty intense agricultural operations have this area smelling a little like a feed lot. But we just held our breath for a couple of hours till we jumped on the ferry and left that all behind.

The shots above and below are of Three Valley Lake, a widening of the Eagle River between Revelstoke and Sicamous, B.C.

The ferry leaves the mainland from the Horseshoe Bay terminal and we had a little time so we popped into town and picked up a sandwich for our supper.

With all the pre-Thanksgiving traffic we had a little time on our hands as although we made it in time to catch the 3:10PM ferry, it was full and we were relegated to the 4:30 sailing. Oh well, after some 600 miles of racing through the mountains we were ready to stretch our legs a little and breath in some of that sea air.

Our destination for the weekend was friends of ours Bed and Breakfast, “A Riverside B&B”, and it is a beautiful peaceful spot. John and Gina have taken an old building on their place along the Nanaimo River and turned it into a luxurious peace of paradise in the woods. What with the beautiful decorating, the clawfoot tub, and the sound of the river rushing by it is a place to let the cares of the world wash off your shoulders. Not to mention the fresh baked apple pie and the fresh flowers that await all guests. Their goes my diet shot to h**l.

We spent Friday relaxing and doing some touring up around Nanaimo Lakes while John and Gina did some of that working stuff. Guess someone has to pay taxes so the rest of us can enjoy life.

Saturday we took off for Coombs to pick up a few things at the Market there. There are many small unique stores surrounding the market but we had pored through most of them back in June when we last visited so after a quick walk by we got the stuff we wanted from the market and headed off down the road.

Here is a photo of Brenda, Gina and John checking out their purchases. In this friendship I am the newcomer, just a measly 10 or 12 years, these others friendship goes back to their misspent youth. And oh the stories they have to tell.

After stocking up on some staples like Saskatoon Jam we were off to my favourite Mexican place. Gina’s Mexican Cafe, no relation to our friend Gina, is what I think is the best Mexican restaurant north of the 49th parallel and is a regular stop on our trips to the Nanaimo area. Now every year they shut down at closing on Saturday night before Thanksgiving and stay shut for the week while they touch up the decorating and give the whole place a spit and polish cleaning. So it was important for us to get there today as it was the last chance for this trip.

The food was a great as ever and only surpassed by the company at our table. Notice there is no food yet on the table, once that makes it there my camera is left to fend for itself.

Sunday we just loafed around most of the day, or should I say I just loafed around, John had to pull the pump out of his septic system and other than being the official photographer and substitute supervisor I stayed clear of that operation. I really would have liked to help but there just wasn’t room down in that culvert for two guys and Meg had the supervising pretty much figured out herself. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.

Brenda stayed busy as she was making fresh rolls for us to take to Gina’s families Thanksgiving Dinner later in the day. Wow, lots of folks and I am not sure that they even noticed a couple of Albertans in the mix, in fact there were so many folks we may not have been the only strangers to enjoy their hospitality.

Monday we ran down the coast to Chemainus to have a look around at some of the shops and much to my chagrin many of them were closed for the day, I guess so they could enjoy Thankgiving dinners with their own families. Now I am not to worried as we have been here before and will probably be back again sometime in the future.

Chemainus has many murals on the building walls and here is a photo of one that caught my eye.

After strolling up and down the street a couple of times we figured we should head on down to Cowichan Bay to see what there is to see there and maybe catch a bite to eat. We stopped at the Rock Cod Cafe for fish and chips and in keeping with my program to try to limit my intake as much as possible although I had the Captains Plate I opted for the grilled version instead of the usual breaded one. How’s that for restraint. Not the best fish and chips I have ever eaten but it filled the gap.

The docks at Cowichan Bay

All good things have to come to an end and we bid John and Gina a fond farewell till next time and headed back east. Along the way we wanted to stop at the Adams River to check in on the Sockeye Salmon run that is going on there this time of year, every year, since time began. I got a few photo’s of the fish but seeing as how I left my polarizing lenses back in the truck they are not the best.

Adams River Sockeye Run VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

I was speaking with a Department of Fisheries and Oceans fellow along the river bank and he was telling me that although the Adams River is a major contributor to the Fraser River system and usually has a run where the returning fish number around a million and half, a big year can bring up to 3 million. However this years run is the biggest in over a hundred years and the estimates are that up to ten million fish will make the arduous journey up the Fraser and Thompson Rivers to the place of their birth here in the Adams River to spawn. Now Brenda and I didn’t get an accurate count but we have been here before and this year far surpassed what we had seen other times. You can see by the fins protruding out of the water that the river is thronged with fish making their way upstream to the spawning beds. It is truly a spectacle of nature that is not to be missed.

I stole the picture above from an article from the National Post that does a superb job of describing this awesome spectacle.