Author: Graham Reddoch

How do we view people and things around us?

In the 1980’s, Howard Zehr wrote a thought-provoking paper for the Mennonite Central Committee, comparing and contrasting a retributive model of justice with biblical justice, and what he termed “restorative justice”. Zehr subsequently elaborated on these concepts in a seminal book entitled “Changing Lenses”. He challenged the reader to see justice from a number of perspectives, leading to different definitions for crime, and potentially more satisfying outcomes. The restorative justice paradigm continues to grow around the world. 

This Christmas I received an amazing gift from our son, Andrew – a new telephoto lens for my camera. As a result, I have been able to change lenses, and see what is around us from other distinct perspectives.

As with my camera, the new lens has a lot of bells and whistles, and it will take me a while to master it. But it’s a lot of fun to see and experience things differently. This post provides a few of my first shots.

Back in Nanaimo, people have talked about how unusually cold it has been on Vancouver Island this winter. But Betty & I can tell you that, having spent a month in Manitoba’s deep freeze, the weather here is definitely a matter of perspective! lol BTW, at 10.6c, today Nanaimo was recorded as the hot spot for Canada!

When we travel, Betty & I meet others from many interesting places, with divergent backgrounds, cultures, and perspectives on life. Next to campfires and through casual conversations, we are challenged to see people and things around us through different lenses.

Whether or not one has opportunities to break out of a mold and do some travelling, I hope that we can all take the time to see the beauty around us through alternate lenses.

Cheers! 

Death can occur at any time. When death takes a loved one it can be particularly painful. And when that loved one is a long-term spouse, one wonders if the grieving process can ever end. So many memories and shared life experiences! Is a new chapter ever possible? Many do not believe it is, but this weekend Betty & I were witness to the answer for Betty’s brother, Bill, and his new wife, Marie: a resounding YES. It’s so nice to see happy again for both of them!!

Long story short: Bill and Marie met as children in Sunday School in Toronto, and were great friends. As time went on, Bill met and married Heather, and Marie met and married John. When death took Heather and John, Marie contacted Bill to express condolences, and they became reacquainted. Through the marvels of social media, they were able to bridge the distance between Bill’s home in Ontario, and Marie’s in British Columbia. They discovered that they enjoyed each other’s company, and decided to start a new chapter in life – together.

Due to current COVID restrictions, the nuptials were a small affair, with Marie’s son and grandchildren joining Betty & I to witness the wedding in a New Westminster, B.C. church. The service was relatively brief, but particularly moving as Marie and Bill shared the heartfelt vows they had written for each other.

After the service, we all returned to Marie and Bill’s condo where we enjoyed a fabulous wedding feast, including some of the fine wine referenced by the minister in his remarks about Jesus’ wedding miracle – where Jesus turned water into wine for the wedding guests. An unexpected delight!

The weekend provided a great opportunity to get acquainted and reacquainted. We went for walks along New Westminster’s picturesque boardwalk, edging the Fraser River. The river and boardwalk are two short blocks away from Bill and Marie’s condo, although it is straight downhill to get there, and all uphill to get back. A much-needed workout!

It was so nice to see the love and joy in the faces of Bill and Marie, and to get a glimpse of the happiness they are experiencing as they enter this new phase of life together. When the death of a loved one occurs, we often think there can be no future. This weekend Marie and Bill proved to us that a new joyful chapter is possible. Nice to see happy again!

Cheers!

Lately Betty has been singing the praises of “forest bathing”, something she does on a daily basis at our “Living Forest” campsite. No, she’s not talking about setting up a tub in the woods. She’s referring to the Japanese practice of shinrin-yoku – absorbing the forest atmosphere. This past week provided an opportunity to share this form of regeneration with our two fabulous daughters – Valerie & Lisa. Our walks in the woods together were wonderfully restorative experiences! Here are a few highlights:

Lisa & Valerie were able to escape Manitoba’s deep snow for a few days of reconnecting with the old folks. They caught us up on what was happening with their families, and were interested in hearing stories about our early lives, our parents, and grandparents. The reminiscing was good, but just chillin’ together was the best!

I’ll let the following pictures tell the story of our all-too-brief memory-making time together:

Forest bathing is said to be good for both physical and mental health. It reduces stress, increases feelings of happiness, and calls for a creative response. It lowers one’s heart rate and blood pressure, and is said to boost the immune system and accelerate healing. It’s all good!

With all the strife, sickness, and separation endemic in our world these days, may we each take Betty’s advice to go for a walk in the woods, and immerse ourselves for a while in a regenerative, deep breathing forest bath.

Cheers! 

“The woods are lovely, dark and deep,  
But I have promises to keep,  
And miles to go before I sleep,  
And miles to go before I sleep.” Robert Frost.

Like many others, Betty & my travels have been limited by the pandemic coronavirus, and all its varients. Other than flights back to Winnipeg for Christmas, we have been staying put in our ocean-view campsite at Nanaimo, British Columbia for the past six months. The site is nice, but we’ve had far too much rain, and we’re told it’s been colder than usual – although there’s no comparison with the snowy winter and spring our family has been experiencing in Manitoba!

For quite some time now, we have been itching to get back on the road. With the exception of a couple of day trips south to Duncan and Victoria, there hasn’t been much to post on a travel blog.

On our way across the Rocky Mountains last October, our motorhome struggled on a couple of occasions, and we wanted to ensure it was performing at its best as we headed out for the next leg of our overlandish odyssey.  So we took the Boy into Nanaimo’s Cullen Diesel and they changed out the transmission fluid which, according to my records, hadn’t been changed in a dozen years. They also changed the spark plugs and wires, and we seem to be cruising up and down the mountains more easily now. Yeah!

The sun was shining as we began our trip down Vancouver Island, but we experienced a little of everything weather-wise on our first couple of days.

Arriving in Victoria with plenty of time before boarding the ferry to Port Angeles, Washington, we drove past the B.C. legislature and other famous landmarks.

After clearing customs in Port Angeles – late on Good Friday evening – we received notice from Telus, our phone service provider, that I was incurring some serious roaming charges. This was notwithstanding Betty & I have active Canada-U.S. data plans. There is obviously a mix-up somewhere, but we may not be able to reach anyone at Telus until Monday or Tuesday – a real hassle when we have come to rely on electronic communications these days. Fortunately the Port Angeles Verizon store was open Saturday morning, and we were able to activate our wifi jetpack at a very reasonable pay-as-you-go rate. Yeah again!

Knowing that citrus fruit and other food items can be an issue at the U.S. border crossing, we made the Port Angeles Walmart our first stop – stocking up the fridge and pantry, and obtaining permission for an overnight stay in their parking lot.

Yesterday we headed west and south down Washington State Hwy. 101, again experiencing the full range of spring weather – from sunshine to rain and wet snow at higher elevations, and back to sun as we reached the Pacific coast.

I had researched possible overnight campsites on the Olympic Peninsula, but many were listed as closed until mid-May, and others were first come, first served, with no guarantee we would find a spot suitable for our motorhome and car.  Fortunately, when we looped through Kalaloch Beach campground yesterday afternoon, we came across a nice spot, close to a sandy beach, and are looking forward to Easter dinner here later today.

Oh, btw, yes Washington is state #40 on our overlandish odyssey – over two years since we registered state #39 – Colorado. The coronavirus has slowed us all down, but Betty & I are hoping that we can enjoy our time on the road a little longer, and that you also can experience happiness, wherever life finds you. As Willie Nelson sings, yes, it’s great to be FINALLY on the road again!

Cheers! 

Previous posts have highlighted favourite campsites where Betty & I have stayed on our overlandish odyssey, or on earlier travels. The sites have exhibited special qualities that made them memorable and desirable. While we value spontaneity, we will also go out of our way to return to a great campground that provided a lasting favourable experience. This week we returned to one of those spots that we had looked forward to for quite some time.

Having booked a seasonal site at Living Forest Oceanside Campground in Nanaimo, British Columbia until April 15/22, we anticipated heading down the U.S. west coast after that for a while. 

About a decade ago, Betty and I lucked out with an oceanside campsite (#5) at Pacific Beach State Park at the base of the Olympic Peninsula. Since there are only a handful of oceanside sites in this small state park, I went on-line to the Washington State Park website last July and booked site #7 for this week. Here are some pictures from the first few days of our visit:

Betty & I have a lot more to look forward to, but visiting Pacific Beach State Park again is one more item off our bucket list. Hoping you can also find much in life for which to look forward!

Cheers!

There are times in life when you see and experience things that are difficult to wrap your head around. How do you interpret what is in front of you? This week Betty & I had one of those experiences. But before I elaborate, here are a couple more pictures from our current campsite at Pacific Beach State Park in Washington State.

Ok, on to the main story.  Betty & I will often go for a drive around the area where we are camped, just to get the lay of the land and see local attractions. One of the features we like about our current spot is the proximity of the local town, Pacific Beach. It is immediately adjacent to our campground and an easy walk for basic needs.

The town appears a little run-down just now, with many shops and residences closed and seemingly abandoned. But I think it is more a seasonal issue, and we are here in the off-season.  There is still a hotel and restaurant, gas station, post office, elementary school, church, and most other facilities one would find in a small community.

But just about a kilometer south, we found something unexpected. Not listed on any of our hardcopy maps, but showing up on “Google maps” is a brand-new community. Called “Seabrook”, the town is at least as large as any I lived in growing up – if not larger. While I have a fairly innate sense of direction, there were times without our gps that I wasn’t sure where we were and where we were going! Had we entered The Twilight Zone? 

We found Seabrook to be both attractive and disconcerting. The shops, homes, streets and parks were all pristine – no garbage anywhere and not a blade of grass out of place. Yes, it was totally attractive, but spookily surreal at the same time. It could all have been part of a “Truman Show” set (with Jim Carrey) or “Pleasantville” (with Reese Witherspoon & Jeff Daniels). Let me explain more through the captions on the following pictures.

Were we witnessing a staged movie set, or an actual community? It was one of those experiences that’s difficult to get one’s head around. Maybe only time will tell how Seabrook evolves, but in the meantime, Betty & I were left with a real head-scratcher. Was it real, or was it fake?  Hope you can better interpret life as you see it on your travels! 

Cheers!

Our adult kids know that I enjoy taking modern technology back to the late 1950’s/early 60’s to impress my younger self and friends. I usually play a guessing game: What is this? A radio? a calculator? a flashlight? an encyclopedia? an atlas? a clock? a camera? a phone? etc., etc., etc., with the answer being all of the above and much more! Mind-blowing for that bygone era! 

Well this week Betty & I went back in time – but just not that far back…  In 2010 we dropped our youngest daughter, Lisa, at the University of Victoria, and headed down the U.S. coast in our CruiseMaster. The picture on the first page of our blog was taken just south of Cannon Beach, Oregon, on spectacularly scenic coastal highway #101.

One of our first posts (Dec.3, 2017) listed favourite places we hoped to revisit.

We are currently staying at Nehalem Bay State Park (site C30), just south of Cannon Beach, and have enjoyed both touring Cannon Beach again, and also just sitting on the wide sandy beach in the park, watching families flying their kites.

Tomorrow we drive just a little further south to Tillamook, for a tour of their famous cheese factory, and are spending the night at another cheese factory – the Blue Heron – a Harvest Host member.

We will be leaving the Pacific Ocean behind, and starting our travels inland toward Manitoba – hoping to return once the seasonal flooding is over. (Otherwise we might have a water-front campsite at Town & Country. lol)

Our next stop this weekend is Portland, Oregon, with upcoming visits to Idaho, Wyoming, Montana, South and North Dakota along the way. The Portland visit may include a trip to the Apple store, to see what new technology might replace my aging iPhone 6, which has been acting up lately. Besides, think of the impression I would make if I took the latest iPhone back to the ’60s! Just imagine the past and future colliding!

In the meantime, we have enjoyed our journey back to the future, and hope you also have opportunity to both reminisce and look forward to new adventures ahead!

Cheers!

Many of us have had the experience of a teenager cutting the apron strings and heading out on their own. Up to a certain point they dutifully followed you, but suddenly they have decided to head out on their own and do their own thing. It can be a harrowing experience, and Betty & I have lived through it before – just never quite like what happened to us this week!

Like a good little guy, our Smart car has dutifully followed behind our motorhome – all over North America. But yesterday in Boise, Idaho, it decided to keep going straight after we had turned onto an Interstate on-ramp. We watched in disbelief as our teenage vehicle decided to act out like an early prototype driverless car. Oh, oh!!! This post is about that most harrowing experience. But before I get there, permit me to catch you up on how we got here.

After another day of driving, we spent the night just across the Idaho State border, in their first rest area. Our plan was to continue to a Harvest Host winery east of Boise, but as we approached the city, our motorhome continued to lose power. We decided to not try to maneuver the upcoming Rockies, but to make a pit stop in Boise, clear the “check engine” light and rectify our power problem.

In the past when the “check engine” light came on, a mechanic would come out and plug in his diagnostic tool. We would know the resulting fault codes within minutes. But do you think we could find ANYONE in Boise who could check a “check engine” light on a motorhome? We called and visited eight garages in the city, with all telling us they didn’t have the necessary equipment (which I believe can be purchased at Walmart for about $100.) I guess they are not equipped to deal with the problem once it is diagnosed.

Our motor is a GM Vortec 8100, and in the end we found a large GM dealership that was willing to make an appointment for us this Friday morning to let us know why our check engine light is on. Whether they can fix the problem is another issue. Fingers crossed, but we may be staying in Boise for awhile longer…

Ok, by now you may be waiting with bated breath to find out what happened to our car.

As we were driving back and forth around Boise looking for a garage that could help us, we crossed an Interstate overpass and had a green light to make a left turn onto I84.

As I was making the turn onto the on-ramp, I heard scraping behind and car horns honking. Checking our back camera, I found that the Smart car was no longer following us. I immediately pulled over to the side, and watched out the window while our car continued on down the slope from the overpass, with lots of traffic heading in the same direction, and oncoming traffic beside it. When it reached the bottom of the slope it approached and proceeded through another intersection – after the light had turned red and cross traffic began to flow. Fortunately the cross traffic saw the driverless car and let it pass, with the car continuing onto the sidewalk on the other side. Now usually the tires might have blown when they hit the curb, but being a SMART car, it decided to take the curb cut designed for handicapped pedestrians. It also chose to miss a light standard before coming to rest fully on the sidewalk.

The car was still rolling as I put the motorhome in park and dashed out the door, heading down the block toward it. Charlie wanted to follow the little guy, but Betty held him back. Needless to say, Betty & I were a little stressed, but I was able to turn the wayward car around to drive it back to our motorhome.

We drove both vehicles to Boise Riverside RV Park, where we decided to decompress for the rest of this week. On the way we stopped at a hitch specialist to get their assessment. Without looking too closely at the car or disconnected baseplate (it was near closing time and he invited me to come back the next day) the store manager looked up a Smart base plate on his computer, and told me he might be able to get one in another week or so. I checked the bill from when the base plate was purchased and attached 13 years ago, and it was over $2000. at that time – largely because much of the Smart is plastic, which had to be removed to reach something solid for the attachment. I was visualizing a high price tag for this repair, including an unintended extended stay in Boise.

But overnight I began to consider alternatives, and Googled welding shops nearby. I found good reviews for Kiwi’s Welding & Repair, and decided to take a chance going there before returning to the hitch store. Turned out Kiwi and his sister Karen were amazing! They looked at the baseplate, noting that it had torn away the attachment points under the car. (If I had ordered a new baseplate, the hitch store wouldn’t have been able to attach it, since the attachment points were badly damaged.

Kiwi (originally from New Zealand, btw) said: “Leave it with me, and I’ll give you a call when it’s fixed” that very day. I said: “But I don’t have a way to get back to our campground”. To which Karen replied: “No worries. I’ll drive you.” Talk about going above and beyond!!!

By 2:30 pm yesterday, Kiwi called to say the car was ready, and they would rotate the front tires because of uneven tire wear, and replace the plastic panel that had been torn off again. (See a post from last fall when it succumbed to a ferry ramp on Vancouver Island. At that time Nanaimo Mercedes Benz installed a new plastic underbelly for $400.) We drove the motorhome down to the welding shop, and Kiwi’s charge for getting us back together on the road was about $440. – amazing considering what it might have cost elsewhere! 5 star plus reviews for sure!

We don’t know yet what the outcome will be with our motorhome power issues, but hope to provide a report in an upcoming post.

Betty and I are still recovering from the shock of what happened. In retrospect we realize that it could have been much worse. If the Smart had disconnected going up one of the many steep mountain grades, it would likely have disappeared for good (or bad in this case) over a deep embankment. It could have run into another vehicle, causing damage and bodily harm. We have visualized many scenarios, and realize we were extremely fortunate in how this horrendous event occurred, and how it was resolved. PTL!

Looking back over our experiences with former teenagers, we realize it turned out pretty good in the end. At times we thought things couldn’t be worse, but in perspective we know it could well have been, and we are tremendously thankful for our grown children and the blessings they bring to our lives and to those close that they love.

The Smart is still rolling, but we hope it continues to stick close and not head out on its own again. Here’s trusting that your relationships with inanimate objects and humans near remain positive and productive.

Cheers!

In case anyone is wondering where The Ramblin’ Reddochs are, Betty & I are wondering the same thing too just now. lol. Permit me to catch you up on the latest phase of our overlandish odyssey, which can best be characterized as including bad, good, and ugly elements, to paraphrase an old movie title.

Our last post left off in Boise, Idaho, waiting for a GM dealership to interpret our “check engine” light. 

While we toured downtown Boise and the nearby Hulls Gulch, a mechanic read the presenting engine codes, cleared them, and by noon told us we were ready to go. We were pleasently surprised at the minimal bill – as we were afraid the engine might need replacement – until we got back on the Interstate again…

Within an hour the old boy started labouring up not-so-steep grades, with the “check engine” light returning. This was The Bad, as we crept along to our next stop – the Y-Knot winery in Glenns Ferry, Idaho. Needing a drink at that point, Betty & I said “Y – Knot!”

After a nice Mother’s Day of wine tasting, we had a quiet night at this delightful Harvest Host location.

With trepidation we headed east on Interstate 84 again, with nearby Twin Falls as our destination. Recognizing that we would be unable to navigate the upcoming Rocky Mountains in our current condition, we searched out a rescuer. Our first stop appeared promising – at Twin Falls Truck – until manager Mike informed us they only work on diesel engines. But he highly recommended Craig’s Automotive, and we haven’t been disappointed.

So far this is definitely “the good”. Even though Craig and his staff are very busy with other customers, they took the time to check the codes again and take the old boy for a test drive. Of course, as luck would have it, with Craig at the wheel our motorhome performed quite well, not showing any of the previous lethargy. It reminded me of the TV repair man we called back in the day. The old tube-type TV screen would be rolling, shrinking, or fuzzy until he arrived, then the picture would look just fine. Go figure…

As a start, Craig recommended changing out the fuel filter, which hadn’t been changed in a number of years. He noted that one of the exhaust manifold gasket bolts was missing AGAIN, and that a leak in this system would contribute to our loss of power. Craig indicated that the manifolds could be machined, but that would result in thinner metal that could warp in the not distant future.

I had explored the possibility of switching to a high-performance Banks Power System when our exhaust manifold gaskets were first replaced over a decade ago in San Antonio, Texas. But Betty & I were on holidays from work at that time, and couldn’t afford to wait until the Banks parts were ordered and installed. Fortunately, when Craig contacted the Banks factory in California, they had the system we needed in stock. It arrived today – a 2 ½ day delivery time – and is being installed as I write this. (Added note: Turns out half the system arrived, and the other half is still to come- hopefully next week.)

Another part of “the good”: Craig has a motorhome and recommended his RV tech to come and look at our living-room slide, which hasn’t been working since last November. Notwithstanding the “RV tech” in Nanaimo playing with it at least 6 – 7 times and not being able to figure out the problem (turns out he wasn’t qualified to do the work), Dale, of Tucks RV Repair, successfully diagnosed our need for a new slide controller within an hour. That’s also good news, although we will still need to find a suitable controller before it’s fixed. In the meantime, Dale showed me how someone could send the slide out, and bring it back, by reversing two wires on the motor.

Yet another part of “the good”: Craig recently set up an RV pad right next to his office. It has a level cement base, 50, 30, and 15 amp power outlets, and a tap for fresh water. We have been plugged in and parked at his garage all week, and it is definitely not inconvenient as we await service on our coach.

Ok, finally “the ugly“: The new RV pad has a sewer outlet, and Betty & I decided to use it yesterday. Our holding tanks were only half full, but we thought it would be better (less smelly for the workers) if we emptied them. Unfortunately, there was a blockage somewhere in the new sewer line, and our discharge ended up all over Craig’s new bathroom, closet with water softener, and waiting room. Yuck, what a smell! Super ugly!  Fortunately, Craig was able to get a professional cleaning crew in to restore the space in short order. It was an ugly experience that no-one would ever want to smell or see happen…

So that’s where Betty & I are just now. We’re somewhere in Twin Falls, Idaho having just lived through the bad, the good, and the ugly. Here’s hoping that your (and our) future travels come out more on the side of “the good”!

Cheers!

It seems the last couple of posts have been about problems we recently encountered with either our motorhome or Smart car. In the past few years the old Boy has been losing more and more power at higher elevations. Betty & I have always enjoyed the dramatic scenery driving through mountains or into canyons. But I must admit that I have done a fair bit of cringing recently when contemplating steep grades. Our last three trips through the Rocky Mountains saw us labouring badly as we attempted to make it up and over. There was a lot of “I think I can. I think I can”, but there was a nagging fear that our motorhome would be found dead on the side of the road at any time now. Yikes!

Twelve years ago we had all the exhaust manifold gaskets replaced in San Antonio, Texas. At the time someone there told us about Banks Complete Power Systems, but as mentioned in an earlier post, we were on holidays and didn’t have time to consider that option. We were more than happy with the improved performance, and went on our merry way.

Then about four years ago we had the passenger-side manifold gaskets replaced in Winnipeg, and saw another temporary improvement in power. Unfortunately, two years ago, on our way out to Vancouver Island, we lost power again near Kelowna, B.C. and had the passenger-side gaskets replaced again. Some of the bolts installed in Winnipeg were not fitted properly and had worked themselves loose. BTW, bolts holding the driver’s side manifold were also stuck or missing, but that side is more difficult to access, so were never addressed.

We appreciated the work Cullen Diesel in Nanaimo did in replacing transmission fluid, spark plugs and wires, and crossed our fingers that our troubles were over. But as mentioned in a recent post, we lost power again just east of Portland, Oregon, and wasted a week in Boise, Idaho waiting for a GM dealership to diagnose and repair the problem. They turned off the “check engine” light, but that was about the extent of their help, and we waited a week for that…

Our last post saw us getting exceptional service at Craig’s Automotive in Twin Falls, Idaho, and we are more than happy with the results.

This is not an ad for Banks Power, and Gale Banks has not paid us for this post (although we would be happy to receive compensation from him. Lol). In fact, the installation of a Banks PowerPack Bundle cost us thousands of dollars, but so far we are more than satisfied with the results. 

In hindsight I wished we had it installed twelve years ago. But right now feel that this system has added years to the life of our home on wheels. We have literally traversed dozens of steep grades since leaving Twin Falls a couple of days ago, and at every one our motorhome has had power to spare! What an incredible difference in performance – from creeping up grades at 35 mph, to floating up the same or steeper grades at 60 mph.

Only time will tell if the resulting performance will continue, but Betty & I are most encouraged by the new lease on life that the Banks system has given to our motorhome. Here’s hoping that you can experience renewed vitality in your years to come!

Cheers!