Top Ten Pictures of 2016

A few days after I posted my Top Ten Pictures of 2015 I went into to look at the blog and I noticed the scaling on some of the pictures looked wrong … the cherries looked oblong and my sunflower picture didn’t look as good as it should. I mention this to my tech support … aka hubby and he took a look, sure enough there was something wrong. As far as he can tell the picture gets messed up when I add a caption, so for this blog I will put a description below the picture instead of a caption on the picture and hopefully that will fix the problem.

Hubby has also added a voting box at the bottom of each of our best photo posts … yup he is very techie savvy and I am so grateful. 🙂  Please feel free to vote for your best picture.  Below are some links to get you to each of the previous posts. I have to say as soon as he added the poll on the posts below we started getting votes and it was so much fun! If you click on view results you can see how the pictures are polling.

Top Ten Pictures Of 2015

Top Ten Pictures Of 2014

Top Ten Pictures Of 2013

So onto 2016 … seriously who goes to Sedona, Grand Canyon, and Antelope Canyon in Arizona, Zion National Park in Utah, and starts a trip across Canada all in the same year and expects to pick only ten pictures!!! This was the toughest year yet but we manage to cut it down to ten pictures. Here they are …

Serpent, Borrego Springs, California. Picture taken 17 February 2016.

Chapel of the Holy Cross, Sedona, Arizona. Picture taken 27 February 2016.

Bell Tower/Courthouse Rock Hike, Sedona, Arizona. Picture taken 29 February 2016

Sunrise at the South Rim, Grand Canyon, Arizona. Picture taken 05 March 2016

Antelope Canyon #1, Page, Arizona. Picture taken 07 March 2016

Antelope Canyon #2, Page, Arizona. Picture taken 07 March 2016. Try as we might we just could not narrow Antelope Canyon down to one picture!

Entrance to tunnel, Zion National Park, Utah. Picture taken 08 March 2016.

Kakabeka Falls, near Thunder Bay, Ontario. Picture taken 24 August 2016.

Sunset, Old Sacramento, Sacramento, California. Picture taken 18 November 2016. You didn’t think I would miss having a sunset picture did you? 😀

Sunset at Font Point #1, Borrego Springs, California. Picture taken 29 November 2016. Hubby and I actually disagreed on which photo of Font’s Point to put in, but it’s my blog so I reined supreme! 🙂

So there are our 2016 choices. Please feel free to vote using hubby’s new polling station. And just because we had such a hard time choosing and I did love hubby’s choice as well, I will give it an honorable mention, and let you decide which one you like best.

Sunset at Font Point #2, Borrego Springs, California.

 

Just for fun hubby and I are adding a little side bet to this post … which Sunset at Font’s Point do you like best, my choice or hubby’s choice … and as you can see hubby reins supreme when it comes to making up the poll!  Don’t be swayed by his undue influence. 😀

Until next time …

Getting Ready :-)

We only have a few more days before we pull out of our daughter’s driveway and start on our next big adventure! We are busy getting organized and meeting up with friends and family for farewell meals. Last night was our last Sunday dinner with our daughter and her family. Since they were away camping for the weekend and wouldn’t arrive home until Sunday afternoon I made dinner and took it over to the house. When we arrived upstairs we were greeted with fiesta decorations for our farewell party. What I thought was going to be a sad dinner turned out to be a fun filled evening with lots of laughter and Mexican music in the background. Now you may wonder why a fiesta theme when our trip will be in Canada and the US. Well it turned out they were the only decorations they could find and since we usually visit Los Algodones, Mexico when we are in Yuma, and often bring the kids back some little trinket, the decorations seemed to fit. Our daughter said she tried to find a “Going Away” balloon because she wanted to cross out the “ing” and make it a “Go Away” balloon but she had no luck 🙂

I am really going through a lot of emotions this week. Although I am really looking forward to all the new places we will see, I am having a hard time leaving our family for almost nine months. And yes I know technology will help with that but it’s just not the same as warm squeezy hugs 😦

But on the up side we will no longer have to worry about what to do with our garbage! I know that sounds like a funny thing to say but it is our biggest challenge while parked in the driveway. A family of six generates a full garbage can every week, even though they are avid recyclers and composter’s, so there is no room for our garbage. Usually it works out that we are away when the garbage bag gets full so we can dump it at whatever RV Park or campground we are staying in, but occasionally that doesn’t work and we have to get more creative … so like I said the up side is soon we will have no problem getting rid of our garbage … I really need to focus on the positive sides of our upcoming adventure!

Until next time …

Serious Planning!

We began planning our trip across Canada back in April and while it has been fun, it has also been a challenge! In British Columbia most Provincial Parks are open through the Thanksgiving Day weekend in October. It turns out Canada’s maritime provinces shut most of their parks down in mid September. We will be starting our trip on August 1, but we have two weeks planned in Edmonton, Alberta and a few days with hubby’s cousin on his farm in Saskatchewan, so our trip will really begin around August 19th in mid Saskatchewan. Since we hadn’t planned to cross into the Eastern US until mid October we thought we had lot’s of time but when you factor in the lack of places to stay I was getting a little worried that we were not leaving early enough.

So hubby and I spent the morning looking over our map and double-checking closing dates on places we planned to stay. After a few hours hubby decided it would be more fun to go out and flush the hot water tank and replace the anode! I, on the other hand, perservered and I think we finally have a workable plan.

Hopewell Rock in the Bay of Fundy. Just one of the many places we plan on visiting!

Just a few stops along the way It looks like our trip ends in the Florida Keys but we will start heading toward the West Coast in January 2017.

Of course like all our planning these are “jello solid” plans but at least it is a start. We still need to spend more time on our route through the Eastern US but as our youngest son would say “that sounds like a future me problem” 🙂

Until next time …

Happy Canada Day!

Happy Canada Day!

Today Canadians are celebrating the anniversary of the July 1, 1867 enactment of the Constitution Act that united three colonies into a single country called Canada within the British Empire. Originally this day was called Dominion Day but was renamed to Canada Day in 1982 when the Canada Act was passed.

Here are a few fun facts about Canada 🙂

• Canada has coins, rather than bills, for $1.00 and $2.00, these coins are affectionately called the loonie and twoonie. But did you know that the Canadian Mint also created a one million dollar coin? The coin is made of 99.99% gold and weighs over 220 pounds! I guess that’s why I don’t carry my millions of dollars around with me 🙂

• The Canada/US border is the longest border in the world and it lacks military defence.

• Canada holds the record for the most gold medals won by a country in the winter Olympics, along with the most gold medals won by a host country in the winter Olympics. Both records where during the Olympics held in Vancouver, British Columbia in 2010.

• Basketball was created by a Canadian, James Naismith in 1891. The modern game of hockey was invested in the mid 1850’s in Canada.

• Canada has a 99% literacy rate and over half of Canadians have college degrees.

• Canada has more lakes than the rest of the world combined!

• Author A.A. Milne named Winnie the Pooh after a real bear in Winnipeg, Manitoba.

• Canada is the second largest country in the world, behind Russia.

• The Mall of America is owned by Canadians.

• Canada has the third largest oil reserves after Saudi Arabia and Venezuela.

• And for those of you who think it is always cold in Canada, where we live the average temperatures during the past week have been in the mid 30’sC, 95F, and it’s only the beginning of summer!

Happy Canada Day everyone, and to our friends from the US, Happy early Fourth of July. We hope everyone has a fun … and safe … long weekend!

Until next time …

Nummy Lunch :-)

We left Chelan this morning with a little sadness. The weather was so perfect and we really enjoyed our time sitting on the beach with good friends and whiling away the hours, but like all good things it had to end sometime.

On our way home we stopped for lunch in Tonasket, WA at a small restaurant we have passed many times and always thought it must be good because the parking lot is always full. So today when we drove by and hubby found a great parking spot right along the highway across from the restaurant we decided it was meant to be and we stopped for lunch. Shannon’s has a really nice patio and a small eating area inside. You order your lunch at the counter and then choose a seat and they bring your food and drinks to you. The menu is extensive and the meal we had was very good and very reasonably priced! This may be an ongoing stopping place for us.After lunch we headed off to the border and had our easiest crossing yet. There was no line, we drove right up, were asked where we were from, how long we were away, did the truck and trailer belong to us, and then we were sent on our way … we barely had to slow down 🙂

We are now tucked back in our daughter’s driveway for a week until we head out on our next adventure.

Until next time …

Lakeshore RV Park, Chelan WA

We are enjoying our time here in Chelan, the weather has finally turned for the better, sunny skies and highs in the mid 30C (high 90’sF). Once the weekend campers left, the park settled down a little, although it is still pretty full. Our days have been spent sitting on the beach and floating in the lake, not a bad way to spend a day!

This was early in the morning, the beach did fill up around noon but there was still lot’s of room🙂

I forgot to mention, for those that were wondering, the jack that stopped working during our last trip was replaced under warranty the day before we left on this trip 🙂

Until next time …

Mill Bay Casino, Manson, WA

We spent last night in the field behind the Mill Bay Casino. We often stayed at the casino in the past when we would come to Chelan for the weekend. When we used to come we could stay for as long as we wanted but now the casino only allows RVers to stay for one night without spending anything. You still need to apply for the Players Card and if you gamble $20.00 in the casino you can stay another night and so on up to a maximum of five nights. The casino has about ten spaces along the road at the front of the lot that have power, which is nice, but the downfall to these sites is the road noise and major noise if there is an event going on at their amphitheater. There were a few spaces left when we arrived but there was a major event going on and it was very loud so we opted to park in the back field.

Generally we tend to camp at the back because it is quieter and there is more space, the only time we try to get up front is when it is really hot and we need the power to run the air conditioner. Hubby has Maxx set up so that we can use it exactly the same with or without being hooked up to power unless we need to run the air conditioner. The air conditioner just uses too much power to start it and our solar panels and inverter can’t handle it, but while it was warm yesterday it cooled down enough at night to sleep.

Today we are back at the Lakeshore RV Park for two nights and are looking forward to sitting on the beach, soaking up the sun, and enjoying time with good friends 🙂

Until next time …

Pedestrian Safety

The one thing that has really stuck out about Chelan, WA during the years we have visited is the concern the city shows for pedestrian safety. At every cross walk, other than those with traffic lights, there is a set of green flags which pedestrians use to cross the street. I have never seen this before and I think it is a great idea; it definitely makes pedestrians stand out when they are crossing the street.

Recently the city has begun replacing some of the crossing flag stations with pushbutton-activated flashing beacons. While these may be even safer for pedestrians I will be kinda of sad so see the green flags go 🙂

We have spent the last two nights at Lakeshore RV Park on the shores of Lake Chelan. The nice thing about this park is the location, easy walking distance to Chelan’s main street, the not so nice part is the crowds! All of our past visits to here have been in Spring and Fall when the park is less than 50% full, last night the park was 100% full and we realized just how crowded it can get. I think future visits will once again be in the off-season.

When we booked last month we were only able to get a reservation for two nights so today we are heading up to the Mill Bay Casino in Manson, WA, about fifteen minutes from Chelan. This park is full tonight and although we were hoping for a cancellation that didn’t come through but there are sites available again starting Sunday. Since the main reason for this trip was to meet up with friends who are staying here until Wednesday we decided to move up to the casino tonight and then return here for Sunday and Monday night. And the weather is definitely improving so it will be nice to be here and enjoy some lazy days sitting by the lake and visiting with good friends.

Until next time …

Omak, Washington

Omak is a small town about one hour south of the Canadian border. The city was incorporated 11 February 1911 and currently has a population of 4,835. I think Omak really hit it’s stride back in 1993 when they opened up a Walmart Supercentre and Canadian’s made it their first stop after crossing the border to stock their RV’s.

The first time we spent any time in Omak was in the late 1980’s to late 1990’s when hubby and I would take our city’s parade float to Omak for the Omak Stampede parade.

In 1987-1988 our daughter was Lady of the Lake and travelled around Western Canada and northern Washington promoting our city. Many of these trips included attending festivals and riding on the float. She enjoyed her time doing this and talking to people about what our city had to offer. When she was done her year hubby and I decided we should volunteer to take over the parade float and provide fun for future Lady of the Lake’s. That volunteer position allowed us to spend time in many different cities, including Omak.

One of my fondest memories of the Omak parade was a year when our daughter and son-in-law joined us with our granddaughter who was three at the time. We arrived at the set-up area early in the morning, before breakfast, and while we were setting up our daughter gave our granddaughter a bowl of cereal for breakfast. Our granddaughter took her cereal, walked into the middle of the street and sat down to eat her breakfast. Fortunately the street was closed so she was safe but we did get a good laugh!

In later years, like last night, Omak is where we spend our first night after crossing the border so that we can restock the fridge. Sometimes we stay in the Walmart parking lot, which is what we did last night, and other times we stay at the RV Park on the Stampede Grounds. While the Walmart parking lot is free, and now has free WiFi, it can be noisy. The Stampede Grounds also have free WiFi, sites set along the river, and we noticed this year they have a Good Sam rate ($25.00 a night for full hook-up, $22.50 a night if you are a Good Sam member).

Last night we had dinner at a new to us restaurant in Omak, the Breadline Café.

This eclectic café is housed in a historic bottling plant; from 1908 to 1970 the building was home to Omak Beverages who manufactured pop and beer. The walls are decorated with vintage signs and interesting antiques surround each table. One of the more popular items in the café is the Bread Bar. Similar to a salad bar, the bread bar contains different varieties of home made bread, regular butter, garlic butter, and oil and vinegar. This café is definitely worth a visit!

Until next time …

We’re In The Money :-)

I love it when our trips starts, or ends, this way! On our first night back in Canada after our first winter south we went to the Fort Langley Pub, in Fort Langley BC, for dinner and hubby won $343.00 on Pacific Hold’em Poker. Today we stopped at the Okanagan Falls Hotel in Okanagan Falls BC for lunch on our way down to Chelan, Washington and I won $318.00 and hubby won $2.00 on Pacific Hold’em … not a bad way to start a trip 🙂We had no problems crossing the border, since I emptied the fridge and the liquor cabinet before we left, and we are now settled in the Walmart parking lot in Omak, Washington. This is generally were we spent our first night when we come down to the US since it gives us the opportunity to restock the fridge and liquor cabinet. There is an added bonus to Walmart this year, the Omak store now has free WiFi and we can get it at the back of the parking lot!

Tomorrow we will head down to Chelan for at least two nights.

Until next time …