A Fun Week In Edmonton

We left Abbotsford on a nice sunny day on our flight to Edmonton.

Normally we would have gone for a visit Thanksgiving weekend and flown from Kelowna but that weekend didn’t work out for our son’s. Plan B was to get Maxx over the Coquihalla before the snow hit and fly from Abbotsford, which worked out well since we got an awesome deal on the flights … $116.00 return for the two of us on Flair Air! Yes that’s not a typo, the flight to Edmonton was $39.00 each and the return flight was only $9.00 each 🙂

It wasn’t long after we departed Abbotsford before we were flying in bright blue sky above the clouds.

As we approached Edmonton we had to drop back below the clouds and were greeted with snow 😦 It was cold and the white stuff was falling as we headed to our son’s house.

We had a great week which involved lot’s of snuggles; pedicures, lunch, and shopping with my daughter-in-laws; and shared meals and walks with our son’s and their families. All to soon it was time to fly back to Maxx so with our last cheery “Good Morning Grandma & Grandpa, how are you today?” wake-up greeting from our two year old grandson, we loaded the car and head to the airport. The weather went from snow and 0C to bright sunny skies and 22C the day we left!

Soon we had flown past the snowy Rocky Mountains and were treated to beautiful aerial views of forests changing color.

What I think is Harrison Lake in British Columbia.

And the sunny Fraser Valley!

We had a beautiful warm sunny day yesterday, 24C, and more of those days to follow for the rest of the week. This morning we woke up to a gorgeous sunrise that pictures just don’t do justice.

Until next time …

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Oh Wow!

Did we ever make the right choice by coming down to the coast yesterday! After I posted my blog yesterday the darkness lifted and we were left in a shroud of fog.

And then we watched the news and saw that the Connector did get a snowfall yesterday and the roads were not expected to get any better during the day!

Fortunately for us we were all settled on the coast and it didn’t take long for the fog to lift and the sun to come out in full force 🙂

Maxx tucked up beside my brother-in-law’s shop, their house is off to the left of this picture. We are so fortunate to have such a beautiful place to stay when we are down on the coast ☺

Until next time …

Snowfall Warning For The Coquihalla :-)

We woke up to a very warm morning yesterday, although I could tell we had some really low cloud the minute I walked out the door for my walk and it was still dark. It was sad doing my final walk around the park 😦 but we plan on being back next year!

My last view of Kelowna from this side of the lake … hopefully the next time we see Kelowna it is covered in a blanket of fluffy white snow when we fly home for Christmas 🙂

After my walk I sat down with my laptop and coffee and opened up our local on-line news site only to be greeted with “Snowfall Warning For The Coquihalla” … that’s not what we wanted to see! Fortunately it wasn’t expected to start until the afternoon so we packed up quickly and hit the road a little earlier than planned.

Before hitting the Coquihalla we had to make it over the Connector and that stretch of highway is 400 metres, 1320 feet, higher than the Coquihalla.

We did hit thick fog and temperatures hovering on the freezing mark at the summit but other than that the roads were in good shape with just a skiff of snow along the sides.

This was the start of the fog, it got much thicker … so thick that I wasn’t able to get a picture because I had nothing to focus on!

Coming down off the Connector into Merritt, B.C. the fog cleared but the rain became heavier.

Heavy cloud as we entered the Coquihalla but at least we didn’t get the heavy fog.

The snow shed was clear and from here on in we knew the roads would be good!

Traffic was very heavy and the roads were wet but other than that it was a really good trip and we made it safely to Abbotsford, B.C. PHEW, that was the hard part of the trip!

The colors are always so vibrant this time of year.

Nearing Hope, B.C. and the end of the Coquihalla … or Highway Thru Hell as it is better know to the rest of the world ☺

Now that Maxx is on the coast we should have an easy drive south as there are no higher mountain passes to cross. Tomorrow we will fly to Edmonton for a week of visiting and warm squeezy hugs 🙂

Until next time …

Maxx’s Wheels Are A Turnin

Well our almost seven months at Bear Creek Provincial Park have come to an end and now Maxx has his nose into the wind heading to Abbotsford, British Columbia. In theory that sounds easy but he has to get over the “Highway Thru Hell” first!

I will end our time at the park with the last of my pictures from my many walks.

Our last few days at the park were busy. We are so fortunate to have good friends and family that want to squeeze visits into every last minute 🙂 On Saturday we had a visit from my cousin, and her husband and daughter. She was dropping off our Christmas present and for the life of me I couldn’t find theirs to give them. You would think that living in a small space would make it easy to find it but nope, and I looked high and low, but I just don’t know where I put it! That visit was followed by a visit from old friends and was enjoyed around the fire. They had no sooner left and my sister and brother-in-law arrived for Thanksgiving dinner. We had a great time sitting around the fire, enjoying turkey dinner followed by a few hours of Ramoli … a family tradition during holiday dinners 🙂 And for those of you who have wondered … yes you can make a full turkey dinner in an RV … tonight’s turkey was sixteen pounds, accompanied by all the trimmings, and was absolutely delicious.

On Sunday we headed over to our daughter’s place to drop off Christmas presents, drop off things that don’t go south with us, and pick up things that do go south with us. We had said goodbye to them last Sunday, and our daughter at lunch last Wednesday because they were in Edmonton this weekend visiting her brothers. The rest of Sunday was spent cleaning up our campsite, closing down the pamphlet rack, cleaning out planters, and putting everything away for the winter. Sunday night we enjoyed one last visit with the park manager and his wife and just like last year a we had lot of laughs!

Today we are all packed up and hoping that the Coquihalla Highway, know as the Highway Thru Hell, holds up and the snow stays on the sides of the roads so that we can get to hubby’s sisters place in Abbotsford.

I will end our time at the park with the last of my pictures from my many walks.

If we are successful we will spend two nights there and then Maxx will hold down the fort while we fly to Edmonton for a week long visit with our two son’s and their families.

And it just wouldn’t be right to end 2018 at the park without a picture of Furb and Phineas!

Until next time …

Kasugia Garden, Kelowna, B.C.

I thought I had posted this blog but I guess I forgot 😦 Kasugai Garden’s holds a soft spot in my heart from my working years. A friend/co-worker, I affectionately call Blondie, and I would often wander over to the gardens on our coffee breaks to enjoy the peace and tranquility.

In 1977 the BC Minister of Tourism suggested that Kelowna be considered a potential Sister City to Kasugai, Japan. Over the next few years, gifts and visits were exchanged and in 1981 a Sister City Agreement was signed to promote and enhance the relationship between Kelowna, British Columbia and Kasugai, Aichi, Japan.

This is what the gardens look like today … the large structure in the background is a parking garage.

But through the miracle of photo editing I am able to show you what it looked like when I spent time in the park. I like this photo much better than the first but my daughter prefers the first picture because it shows the big town Kelowna has become ☺

In 1983, in Kasugai, Japan, Kelowna Boulevard was dedicated to the growing friendship. It was complete with a replica of the Kelowna Sails, the most icon landmark in Kelowna. Hubby and I were fortunate to visit Kelowna Boulevard in Kasugai, Japan almost fourteen years ago and it really was cool to be so far from home and see the Sails. Unfortunately that trip was before I took digital pictures and all our photo albums are in storage so I can’t share my picture of Kelowna Boulevard.

In 1994 a site behind Kelowna City Hall, and across the street from the Federal Building where I worked, was dedicated as Kasugai Gardens. The Gardens, completed in 1987, symbolize the friendship between the cities, providing residents and visitors with a pleasant and relaxing place to enjoy their time. I am going to leave you with no more words but hopefully you will have a feeling of tranquility after viewing the rest of my garden photo’s 🙂

Until next time …

Another Blogger Meeting :-)

Last Wednesday we came home, after looking after our grandchildren for the evening, to find a pleasant surprise sitting on the table outside Maxx.

A selection of beer all the way from Ontario ☺

We were puzzled as to who had left us this nice little surprise but fortunately the beer did come with a note … a rather wet note since it had rained all evening. It turns out the beer was left for us by Adventure Dawgs a blogger from Ontario. I have followed her blog, which is all about her travels with her three dogs, for many years now and really enjoy it. She was in BC for a visit and decided to stop at our park for the night. We were able to have a quick visit the next morning and I really hope our paths cross again.

Hubby is in full prep mode for our trip south this winter and spent a day last week waxing the rear of Maxx, and it looks awesome!

I forgot to take a before picture but you can see how bad it was in the section he hasn’t completed yet.

All done, and the ladder even got a coat of paint!

Until next time …

Fall Is In The Air

The arrival of fall is bittersweet. On the one hand I love how quiet the campsite gets, watching the leaves change color, and looking forward to our winter adventures, but on the other hand we will soon be packing up and leaving our family and friends … yes very bittersweet.

Nice sunrise this morning and no smoke in the air … that is suppose to change today ☹

Yesterday there was a mass exodus from the park, families heading home and getting ready for school today. As much as I love summer I do look forward to less people around 🙂 This morning less than half the sites where full, although this will change over the weekends … especially if the weather is nice.

And a few weeks ago Furb arrived back in the park … okay I don’t know for sure that it is Furb but that’s my story and I’m sticking to it!

He is all grown up now … I think he missed us so he came back for a visit 🙂

Until next time …