Today is the day all kinds of motorcyclists head to Dover, Ontario – this is a ritual for every Friday the 13th and we hear that thousand of them go on that date. A couple of years ago when we were heading through Eastern Ontario we saw hundreds of motorcycles heading west and realized that they were all probably heading for Dover as Friday the 13th was coming up. I understand today is supposed to be a gorgeous day in Ontario so I imagine there will be a real good turnout.
We listened to rain off and on all night but about 9 this morning the sun came out and it has been a gorgeous day.
John had to take the truck back to Mr. Dodge, he left at 12:45 and got home after 4:30 – so much for doing anything today. I guess he waited quite a while before they got around to looking at it but they couldn’t find anything wrong, so after checking it all out, oiling a few things and taking it for a drive he was presented with an invoice for $32.18, I would say that isn’t too bad to give us peace of mind.
I figured I might as well do some laundry while he was gone and did a good cleaning, then just read until he got home. The laundry here takes tokens and I needed two more so after I got the loads in the washer I walked up to the office to get a couple more tokens then went across the street and checked out the restaurant. It was busy so I presume the food is good but it is kind of pricey so doubt we will go there. On the way back I stopped and talked to Denis for a few minutes, he is the fellow with the 25’ 1993 Airstream that he is remodeling inside.
It is again time to think about diner – where do the days go! And so ends another great gift of a day and we look forward to another nice day tomorrow.
Thursday, November 12, 2009
We woke up to cloudy skies this morning but by noon the sun was shining brightly – gotta love it!
We have a chunking noise in the truck so John headed off to Mr. Dodge this morning to have them take a look at it and try to figure out what it is. The service manager took it for a drive and agreed that there was a noise, but he didn’t think it was anything serious, but made an appointment for tomorrow afternoon to put it up on the hoist and take a look.
When John got back we had lunch then decided to drive up to Sooke on the west coast. We took the scenic route and drove along Ocean Blvd. a strip of land between the Strait of Juan de Fuca and an inlet. It was a pretty drive and we stopped for a bit to take pictures and enjoy the view. We could see over to the Esquimalt Naval Base and Fort Rodd Hill Lighthouse,
and then looking across the other way we could see a couple of buildings from Royal Roads College (it used to be Royal Roads Military College).
And a Couple More Views
There were a lot of swans in the inland water but they were further up from where we stopped so I didn’t get any pictures.
It was a pretty drive to Sooke but unfortunately there was no place to stop and take pictures, hence no pictures of that drive.
On the way home we stopped at a London Drugs to check it out, they sell everything from soup to nuts but the only things we bought were a can of nuts that were on sale and freezer bags that were a good price.
On the way out of the park this afternoon we stopped at the office so I could get some tokens for doing laundry - $2/load and you have to have the tokens. While there I chatted with the girl on the desk for a bit about the park in the winter and she told me most people wanting a RV site book their spot a year in advance and the winter rate is $220.50/week) or either $472.50 or $525.00/month (taxes Included), depending on the site. There are no hydro meters here so the monthly rate includes hydro. The summer rate is a nightly rate – no weekly or monthly deals and the rate depends on the site. There is a water house for sale so I asked her about the price of one of those – they start at a mere $1M+. Did I mention that you have to have money to live in this province!!!!
When we got home I called to my sister, who has just got back from a cruise, and by the time I got off the phone it was time to start dinner.
Another quiet evening is in store. And so ends another great gift of a day and we look forward to another nice day tomorrow.
We have a chunking noise in the truck so John headed off to Mr. Dodge this morning to have them take a look at it and try to figure out what it is. The service manager took it for a drive and agreed that there was a noise, but he didn’t think it was anything serious, but made an appointment for tomorrow afternoon to put it up on the hoist and take a look.
When John got back we had lunch then decided to drive up to Sooke on the west coast. We took the scenic route and drove along Ocean Blvd. a strip of land between the Strait of Juan de Fuca and an inlet. It was a pretty drive and we stopped for a bit to take pictures and enjoy the view. We could see over to the Esquimalt Naval Base and Fort Rodd Hill Lighthouse,
and then looking across the other way we could see a couple of buildings from Royal Roads College (it used to be Royal Roads Military College).
And a Couple More Views
There were a lot of swans in the inland water but they were further up from where we stopped so I didn’t get any pictures.
It was a pretty drive to Sooke but unfortunately there was no place to stop and take pictures, hence no pictures of that drive.
On the way home we stopped at a London Drugs to check it out, they sell everything from soup to nuts but the only things we bought were a can of nuts that were on sale and freezer bags that were a good price.
On the way out of the park this afternoon we stopped at the office so I could get some tokens for doing laundry - $2/load and you have to have the tokens. While there I chatted with the girl on the desk for a bit about the park in the winter and she told me most people wanting a RV site book their spot a year in advance and the winter rate is $220.50/week) or either $472.50 or $525.00/month (taxes Included), depending on the site. There are no hydro meters here so the monthly rate includes hydro. The summer rate is a nightly rate – no weekly or monthly deals and the rate depends on the site. There is a water house for sale so I asked her about the price of one of those – they start at a mere $1M+. Did I mention that you have to have money to live in this province!!!!
When we got home I called to my sister, who has just got back from a cruise, and by the time I got off the phone it was time to start dinner.
Another quiet evening is in store. And so ends another great gift of a day and we look forward to another nice day tomorrow.
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Wow, today was a nice sunny day – a complete but welcome surprise. Today is John’s sister Barb’s birthday – Happy Birthday Barb and we hope it was a nice one.
We were going to go to the museum today and wander around downtown but when we got there it was a zoo with all the people who had attended the Remembrance Day service so we decided to leave that for another day. Instead we took the scenic route out along the bay – what a pretty drive.
The houses here are fantastic, we have seldom seen so many huge, beautiful homes in one area – it even smelled of money – LOL!! There are a lot of beach front parks and walks, which are really nice, so we stopped at a few and walked a bit and just enjoyed the day. The roads here are very narrow and there is lots of traffic including, vehicles, walkers and bicyclists so it is a bit of a challenge to drive through all that!
Some of Today's Views
These are for Alison, Bob & Brea!
We drove out to Butchart Gardens but when we got there it was all overcast and looked like it could rain, and at $18/person we decided to pass as we have been there before.
On the way back we drove around the University of Victoria where Janet J. works, a very pretty campus and we couldn’t believe all the rabbits running around. Janet had said they were having a real problem with rabbits and it seems she wasn’t exaggerating.
We came back along the waterfront and checked out the ferry terminal we have to go to on Monday morning. We have to be there for 9 a.m. so that should be a fun morning as we have to hook up in the morning as there isn’t room to hook up over night. Sure hope the traffic isn’t too bad at that time of day!. The only good thing is that it is only about 5 km from the park.
We came back and walked around the park a bit and then came in and just did a bit of this and a bit of that. Dinner is over and John is watching his favourite program – The Tudors.
And so ends another great gift of a day and we look forward to another nice day tomorrow.
We were going to go to the museum today and wander around downtown but when we got there it was a zoo with all the people who had attended the Remembrance Day service so we decided to leave that for another day. Instead we took the scenic route out along the bay – what a pretty drive.
The houses here are fantastic, we have seldom seen so many huge, beautiful homes in one area – it even smelled of money – LOL!! There are a lot of beach front parks and walks, which are really nice, so we stopped at a few and walked a bit and just enjoyed the day. The roads here are very narrow and there is lots of traffic including, vehicles, walkers and bicyclists so it is a bit of a challenge to drive through all that!
Some of Today's Views
These are for Alison, Bob & Brea!
We drove out to Butchart Gardens but when we got there it was all overcast and looked like it could rain, and at $18/person we decided to pass as we have been there before.
On the way back we drove around the University of Victoria where Janet J. works, a very pretty campus and we couldn’t believe all the rabbits running around. Janet had said they were having a real problem with rabbits and it seems she wasn’t exaggerating.
We came back along the waterfront and checked out the ferry terminal we have to go to on Monday morning. We have to be there for 9 a.m. so that should be a fun morning as we have to hook up in the morning as there isn’t room to hook up over night. Sure hope the traffic isn’t too bad at that time of day!. The only good thing is that it is only about 5 km from the park.
We came back and walked around the park a bit and then came in and just did a bit of this and a bit of that. Dinner is over and John is watching his favourite program – The Tudors.
And so ends another great gift of a day and we look forward to another nice day tomorrow.
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Today is my brother Art’s birthday, Happy Birthday and we hope you are enjoying your birthday aboard the cruise ship!
Today was another wet, dreary day with a few breaks from the rain but not enough to make it a nice day weather wise.
Around noon we went out to do a bit of shopping, John wanted to check out a store that showed on-line that they carried the sleeves for his Airbook Mac but when we got there they were out of stock – dang!
From there we went to Langford where there was a Wal Mart and a Great Canadian Superstore, we wanted to stock up on some groceries that we can’t get in the states.
We got home about 4:30 so I scurried to get the groceries put away and things ready as we had invited Janet J. for dinner. She arrived about 5:15 and we had a great time reminiscing about the old days and catching up on what has been happening in our lives and with our kids, a lot of memories! It is always fun getting together with friends and this time in B.C. has been wonderful for that!
I just made reservations for the ferry to Port Angeles on Monday so that is one more thing done. It is almost bedtime – where does the day go!
And so ends another great gift of a day and we look forward to another nice day tomorrow.
Today was another wet, dreary day with a few breaks from the rain but not enough to make it a nice day weather wise.
Around noon we went out to do a bit of shopping, John wanted to check out a store that showed on-line that they carried the sleeves for his Airbook Mac but when we got there they were out of stock – dang!
From there we went to Langford where there was a Wal Mart and a Great Canadian Superstore, we wanted to stock up on some groceries that we can’t get in the states.
We got home about 4:30 so I scurried to get the groceries put away and things ready as we had invited Janet J. for dinner. She arrived about 5:15 and we had a great time reminiscing about the old days and catching up on what has been happening in our lives and with our kids, a lot of memories! It is always fun getting together with friends and this time in B.C. has been wonderful for that!
I just made reservations for the ferry to Port Angeles on Monday so that is one more thing done. It is almost bedtime – where does the day go!
And so ends another great gift of a day and we look forward to another nice day tomorrow.
Monday, November 9, 2009
Well, it started to rain last night shortly after we got home and it POURED all night, I kept waking up and thinking about how wet John was going to get this morning hooking up. Well, just imagine our surprise, and pleasure, when it stopped raining just as he was ready to head out. He got us hooked up without getting wet – great.
The first part of the drive to Victoria was in and out of sunshine, I had a hard time keeping up with taking my sun glasses off and on, but just after Nanaimo the rain started and it rained all the rest of the way, very disappointing as we didn’t see much when crossing the Malahat.
We arrived at West Bay Marine & RV park around 1;30 and although it was raining it wasn’t pouring, so we both got wet but not soaked while parking and hooking up. This is a nice park, right on the bay overlooking the city with lots of boats in the marina and there are water houses here – neat. The sites aren’t huge but at least they are gravel and the road is paved so it’s not as muddy as where we were. The off-season rate (Oct 1 – Apr 30) is $220.50/week, including tax, or $500/month plus tax. The site we are on is $45/night, plus tax, during the in-season so the winter rate is a good deal. The park has full hook-ups, cable TV and internet that seems to work.
Our Home for the Next Week
View from Our Back Yard
Water Homes & Marina
Sandra asked if we found things more expensive on the island than on the mainland and my answer to that is that all of B.C. is far more expensive than Ontario and it doesn’t matter where in B.C. you are. I just about went into shock the first couple of times I went into a grocery store, but have found that Superstore and Super Wal Mart have the best grocery prices, but they are hard to find.
Campgrounds are comparable with Ontario – very expensive and most of the ones we have seen that are reasonably priced aren’t really nice. This park is nice, but expensive, the sites are close together, but the view is wonderful. We saw a really nice park right on the ocean at Salmon Point, not too far from Courtenay, but have no idea what the price was. The sites there were large with cement patios and the wi-fi worked really good. The park at Qualicum Beach was okay, but was very wet and had voltage problems, as well as wi-fi problems, but on the other hand it was $138.60/week, including tax. Hope this helps you Sandra.
Our daughter Nan and grandson Brent just got back this morning from Las Vegas where Brent’s hockey team played in a tournament – they won the tournament so that was great and Nan said they had a good time. The weather was hot and sunny so that was nice for them – gave them a chance to warm up before winter weather arrives in Ontario!
Tonight is left over turkey, so an easy dinner and a quiet evening is in store. And so ends another great gift of a day and we look forward to another nice day tomorrow.
The first part of the drive to Victoria was in and out of sunshine, I had a hard time keeping up with taking my sun glasses off and on, but just after Nanaimo the rain started and it rained all the rest of the way, very disappointing as we didn’t see much when crossing the Malahat.
We arrived at West Bay Marine & RV park around 1;30 and although it was raining it wasn’t pouring, so we both got wet but not soaked while parking and hooking up. This is a nice park, right on the bay overlooking the city with lots of boats in the marina and there are water houses here – neat. The sites aren’t huge but at least they are gravel and the road is paved so it’s not as muddy as where we were. The off-season rate (Oct 1 – Apr 30) is $220.50/week, including tax, or $500/month plus tax. The site we are on is $45/night, plus tax, during the in-season so the winter rate is a good deal. The park has full hook-ups, cable TV and internet that seems to work.
Our Home for the Next Week
View from Our Back Yard
Water Homes & Marina
Sandra asked if we found things more expensive on the island than on the mainland and my answer to that is that all of B.C. is far more expensive than Ontario and it doesn’t matter where in B.C. you are. I just about went into shock the first couple of times I went into a grocery store, but have found that Superstore and Super Wal Mart have the best grocery prices, but they are hard to find.
Campgrounds are comparable with Ontario – very expensive and most of the ones we have seen that are reasonably priced aren’t really nice. This park is nice, but expensive, the sites are close together, but the view is wonderful. We saw a really nice park right on the ocean at Salmon Point, not too far from Courtenay, but have no idea what the price was. The sites there were large with cement patios and the wi-fi worked really good. The park at Qualicum Beach was okay, but was very wet and had voltage problems, as well as wi-fi problems, but on the other hand it was $138.60/week, including tax. Hope this helps you Sandra.
Our daughter Nan and grandson Brent just got back this morning from Las Vegas where Brent’s hockey team played in a tournament – they won the tournament so that was great and Nan said they had a good time. The weather was hot and sunny so that was nice for them – gave them a chance to warm up before winter weather arrives in Ontario!
Tonight is left over turkey, so an easy dinner and a quiet evening is in store. And so ends another great gift of a day and we look forward to another nice day tomorrow.
Sunday, November 8, 2009
Today was a beautiful day - a very pleasant surprise from the usual forecast for rain.
I did laundry this morning and then around 4 we headed over to Janet & Dave’s for dinner. She had a delicious meal of spare ribs and sauerkraut that she did in the slow cooker and I had given her the leftover lemon pie I had for desert the other night to finish off tonight, so we had a great meal.
It was hard saying good bye to Janet & Dave, we hope we will meet up down south in the winter but they haven’t decided whether or not they will be going so we will have to wait and see.
There isn’t much to write about so this will be a short post. The forecast is for rain again tomorrow so John isn’t looking forward to having to hook up in the rain.
And so ends another great gift of a day and we look forward to another nice day tomorrow.
I did laundry this morning and then around 4 we headed over to Janet & Dave’s for dinner. She had a delicious meal of spare ribs and sauerkraut that she did in the slow cooker and I had given her the leftover lemon pie I had for desert the other night to finish off tonight, so we had a great meal.
It was hard saying good bye to Janet & Dave, we hope we will meet up down south in the winter but they haven’t decided whether or not they will be going so we will have to wait and see.
There isn’t much to write about so this will be a short post. The forecast is for rain again tomorrow so John isn’t looking forward to having to hook up in the rain.
And so ends another great gift of a day and we look forward to another nice day tomorrow.
Saturday, November 7, 2009
Today was another wet, dreary day with an occasional ray of sunshine.
Janet picked me up about 10:30 as there was a Saturday market in town that she thought we might enjoy, alas, we got there and found it was cancelled because of a curling bonspiel. Oh well, another time maybe.
She drove me around town a bit showing me the highlights of Qualicum Beach and then we went to the local grocery store, Qualicum Foods for a coffee. They have a second floor with a coffee place and nice comfy seats so we had a coffee and split a to die for raspberry scone and did the usual - chatting. We wandered around the upstairs for a bit checking out their goods, they had all kinds of neat stuff from kitchen to bath and everything in between, but the prices were astronomical, certainly not in my price range! We then went across the street to a store with lots of different artisans and again some neat stuff but I didn’t see anything that made me want to part with my money. Janet had to go home and walk the dogs so dropped me off about 2:30.
Meanwhile, John & Dave had gone out, we needed propane and I wanted some fish from the local fish market so they had gone off to do that. I was surprised that John wasn’t home when I got back and even more surprised that he didn’t get back until about 4:30. Turns out they were all over the place, including Nanaimo so they also had a good day.
We met Janet & Dave at a restaurant down the road for dinner and Dave’s brother and sister-in-law also joined us. They live in Vancouver, but have a place on Galiano Island as well as a cottage between here and Nanaimo and were at the cottage for the weekend, John and Dave had stopped to see them at the cottage but they weren’t home.
I have started a good book so I will be spending the rest of the evening reading. And so ends another great gift of a day and we look forward to another nice day tomorrow.
Janet picked me up about 10:30 as there was a Saturday market in town that she thought we might enjoy, alas, we got there and found it was cancelled because of a curling bonspiel. Oh well, another time maybe.
She drove me around town a bit showing me the highlights of Qualicum Beach and then we went to the local grocery store, Qualicum Foods for a coffee. They have a second floor with a coffee place and nice comfy seats so we had a coffee and split a to die for raspberry scone and did the usual - chatting. We wandered around the upstairs for a bit checking out their goods, they had all kinds of neat stuff from kitchen to bath and everything in between, but the prices were astronomical, certainly not in my price range! We then went across the street to a store with lots of different artisans and again some neat stuff but I didn’t see anything that made me want to part with my money. Janet had to go home and walk the dogs so dropped me off about 2:30.
Meanwhile, John & Dave had gone out, we needed propane and I wanted some fish from the local fish market so they had gone off to do that. I was surprised that John wasn’t home when I got back and even more surprised that he didn’t get back until about 4:30. Turns out they were all over the place, including Nanaimo so they also had a good day.
We met Janet & Dave at a restaurant down the road for dinner and Dave’s brother and sister-in-law also joined us. They live in Vancouver, but have a place on Galiano Island as well as a cottage between here and Nanaimo and were at the cottage for the weekend, John and Dave had stopped to see them at the cottage but they weren’t home.
I have started a good book so I will be spending the rest of the evening reading. And so ends another great gift of a day and we look forward to another nice day tomorrow.
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