On The Road

I need an attitude adjustment. Betty & I arrived at our winter campsite two weeks ago, and it’s a great spot! More like a provincial or state park than a private campground, our site (#191) is large, quiet and private. Tall trees and shrubs border our angled site, with neighbouring RVs on staggered lots, rather than on top of each other in a grid pattern. So what’s my problem?

Before I share my problem(s), let me relate how we got here.

So what’s the problem? This is where Betty says I need an attitude adjustment…

The title of this post could have been:

RELENTLESS RAIN

or

ACHING ARTHRITIS

or

CORONAVIRUS CONTINUES

or

DEPRESSING DARKNESS.

Our overlandish odyssey has taken us to 39 states and 9 provinces so far, with all having advantages and disadvantages. On Vancouver Island, Betty & I love that the temperature rarely drops below freezing, and snow is not a common sight. But the rain…

I was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis last summer, and a rheumatologist in Winnipeg has been testing which medications are effective for me. Unfortunately, the meds I am currently taking are not working, and the damp climate is making any movement much worse. I will be unable to attend my next appointment with her in early January, due to the Coronavirus.

Ah yes, the Coronavirus. While we are sufficiently sheltered in our campsite, Betty & I have watched with consternation the continued growth of this pandemic. Months ago we booked flights back to Winnipeg for Christmas, but have now just informed our kids and grandkids that we will not be joining them this year. Likewise, we have not been getting together with friends and acquaintances on Vancouver Island, and it feels sad to have to maintain this level of isolation. But we know it’s short-term pain for long-term gain.

Finally – although I’m sure I could go on and on, but who would want to listen when there are far worse troubles in the world – the depressing darkness. As with the rest of Canada, we are approaching the shortest day of the year. The sun rises late and sets early, but because of the majestic tall trees around us, it rarely reaches our site. The lights are on in our motorhome for most of the day, but it’s not the same as experiencing the consistent sunlight we had in Arizona last winter!

OK, that’s enough belly aching. I’m sure I’ll get used to the rain; find a better treatment for my sore joints; celebrate a COVID-19 vaccine; and enjoy the lengthening days after December 21.

In the meantime, Betty will still be encouraging my attitude adjustment. Wish her well as she practices patience in putting up with her curmudgeon husband!

Cheers!

This post can be seen as an addendum to the last whine with its list of alternative alliterative titles. If you don’t like whine, please feel free to stop reading now. LOL

We all have good days & bad days. Sometimes it’s good weeks/ months/ years and bad weeks/ months/ years. It’s all relative, but it seems like 2020 has been a uniquely bad year as a result of the ongoing coronavirus. And for us, it sure seems the past few weeks have brought more than their fair share of frustrating little fixes.  Here are a few of the almost daily repairs:

• When we attempted to leave Rathtrevor Beach Provincial Park, one of our rear automatic levelers wouldn’t retract. A mobile RV repair tech got us back on the road three days later, and we now have four new solenoids to install the next time this issue arises.  ($175. for service call, $260. for 4 solenoids (incl. shipping, taxes & duties) and $120. for an additional 3 nights in the campground.)
• One of our Smart headlights burned out & needed replacing. ($40.)
• One of our Smart TireMinder tpms sensors broke off – somewhere on the road. It is surprising that the remaining broken tire valve held air until I could get to a tire store for repairs. (The valve stem replacement was $50., and the tpms replacement was another $50.)
• Our heated winter water hose sprung a leak, as a result of high water pressure in our campground. I have since installed a water regulator, & hope to have repaired the hose. ($20. for new hose end & adaptor. If I had to replace the hose, it would be another $150.)
• While not technically a “repair”, Telus informed us that we had each used up our 15G of data, at least a week prior to the end of our billing cycle. While we are not usually high data users, we had been researching local outlets needed on our travels. I added another 3G, but somehow it disappeared in two days. As a result, I was unable to update our blog until yesterday, when our new monthly cycle began.
• Living Forest ran out of rental propane tanks (there is no mobile propane fill-up for motorhomes in the park), so we had to order a 100 lb. tank from Rona, and are still waiting for it to be delivered. ($200. for new tank) 
• Our repaired windshield wiper still needs an adjustment to prevent it from running off the window and then slapping back on. If this continues, I’m sure something is going to break!
• Since we got new front brakes installed in Penticton, we have had a vibration from our front left tire. I now have an appointment at a Nanaimo tire store for March 31/21 to have it diagnosed and repaired.

Those are just a few of the grinding little daily issues from the past few weeks. I know all of these pale in comparison to what others are going through, so that’s enough whining for now. Time to switch over to the other kind of wine! Hope you have the patience and stamina to put up with whatever comes your way, and that your days see more sweetness and light, rather than darkness and gloom…  (Betty says for me to keep working on that attitude adjustment. Lol)

Cheers!

If you have read the last couple of entries, you will have noticed my curmudgeon mood for the past month. The incessant rain has for now apparently ceased for a while, but the dark days are still with us for a few more weeks. (I haven’t felt the sun on my face for over a month now.) I have a telephone consultation booked with my rheumatologist in hopes of adjusting my meds. But in the meantime I am not used to this painful limited range of motion. With the coronavirus continuing to spread around the world, we are all having to get used to a more limited range of motion, so I shouldn’t complain…

Betty & I will miss getting together with our family in Winnipeg for Christmas. There are so many traditions we have taken for granted that will not occur this year – from many small and large family gatherings, to joining with the rest of an audience to stand as Handel’s “Hallelujah Chorus” is performed.

As is her nature, Betty has worked hard to bring some Christmas cheer into our little home on wheels. Following are a few of her handicrafts:

So we just have a few more weeks until the dark days are over (or should that be as Florence + the Machine sang – The Dog Days Are Over. lol).  Lighter days are to come, and vaccines for COVID-19 are on the horizon. My arthritis meds will be adjusted, and Betty & I will dance with Joy To The World! In the meantime, she is forcing me to watch every sappy Christmas movie on TV. Guess I can’t stay a curmudgeon forever!

Hope you can recognize the true gifts of peace and joy in this world, whatever your circumstances. For now, keep social distancing, wear your masks, but still have some wonderful Christmas cheer.

Cheers!

Have yourself a very little Christmas
Let your bubble be tight
From now on
Our COVID will be out of sight.

Have yourself a very little Christmas
Keep the virus at bay
From now on
Our families will be miles away.

Wish we were as in olden days
Happy golden days of yore
Faithful friends who were dear to us
Could gather near to us once more.

Through the years we hope to be together
If the rules allow
Wear a mask and never let your guard go down
And have yourself a very little Christmas now…

Six feet apart, of course!

Those of you who have read previous posts will know that I often have a song rattling around in my head while contemplating the theme.  We have all experienced a lot of holiday music for the last few weeks, and when I went to bed last night, it was Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas going through my noggin. 

But when I got up at 2:00 am to begin writing, I couldn’t help but think that the words and sentiments were off, just a little… With apologies to the original songwriter, I re-wrote some of the verses to reflect the fact that we are more likely to have a very little Christmas, instead of a merry little Christmas this year. Hope you can still find some humour somewhere though.

Following is a pictorial update:

Anyway, I hope everyone can have yourselves a very little Christmas this year! Wear your masks & keep safe!

“Wish we were as in olden days
Happy golden days of yore
Faithful friends who were dear to us
Could gather near to us once more.“

Cheers!

As the case with most reasonable people around the world, Betty & I have not gone anywhere this year. But it’s been a wild ride nevertheless!

We passed up Christmas hugs with our kids and grandkids – zooming on the 25^th as we shared the opening of presents on-line. It wasn’t the same. Our Westjet tickets have now been put on hold for a year, and we’re hoping that the airline will still be in business for an in-person visit next December.

In the meantime, we settled in for a quiet winter on Vancouver Island. Or so we thought… January 6/21 will be a day that goes down in infamy, as a violent mob attacked the U.S. Capitol. The upheaval sent shock waves around the world, and the healing process will take some time. Our prayers go out to our American neighbours, that they can soon become the United States.

At the same time, the world has been experiencing a pandemic that just doesn’t seem to want to quit. Despite efforts to introduce vaccines, the infection, hospitalization and death rates continue to climb provincially, nationally, and internationally. Hopefully we are nearing the top of the roller coaster, and we’ll all come plunging down soon. But as with most roller coasters, just when you think the ride is over, we are thrown into more unexpected twists and turns with new variants. This is one wild ride I would be happy to get off!

Speaking of unexpected twists, my family doctor and rheumatologist in Winnipeg were unable to adjust my medications without another in-person assessment. So this week I ended up at the Nanaimo hospital with severe pain down my right leg. After blood tests, x rays and other tests, it was determined that I have bone spurs on my lumbar spine which are causing sciatica. I am now on a number of new meds, in hopes that this pain can be overcome. The care at the hospital was exceptional, and I am most thankful for the compassion and professionalism of all staff there. Of course, it makes all the difference that I have my own private nurse with me now. Thanks Bet for continuing to put up and care for me!

The days are getting longer, and we’ve actually had a couple with sunshine, although it’s raining just now as I write this. We have experienced no leaks in our motorhome, and the dehumidifier has worked well to keep the interior moisture level down. But our outside sign hasn’t faired so well. Despite many coats of exterior Varathane, moisture appears to have gotten behind the finish, damaging the wood. I guess I’ll have to wait until we’re back in Winnipeg to see if it can be repaired.

Betty has continued her quilting, knitting and sewing, so this down-time has actually been very productive for her. 

I have been taking the time to write my memoirs, despite having no available reference material. While I have day-timers in storage at Andrew’s, covering 1972 – 1987, and 2005 – present, I am missing notes from the critical years 1987 – 2005. Without those, I thought autobiographical writings would be inaccurate. I do have Annual Reports and Meeting Minutes, but Bet’s position is a story based solely on who, what, why, when, and how would be the height of BORING!

So instead, I have been writing off-the-top-of-my-head tales that I’m calling “Campfire Stories” about different life experiences. With 23 written so far, I have a goal to cap the collection at 30 stories. Each is 1,500 – 2,500 words long, or 4 – 6 pages, about the length of a tale around an evening campfire. Betty & Lisa are serving as proof-readers, hoping that I’m not putting them to sleep with my musings.

Ok, maybe sleeping though 2021 wouldn’t be such a bad thing, if it’s going to continue the way it has started. Hope we all can survive and thrive, regardless of the twists and turns on this year’s wild ride!

Cheers!

For the past few months, Betty and I have been staying put in our home on wheels. Due to the ongoing world-wide spread of the coronavirus, we have hunkered down in our campsite on Vancouver Island. Unable to travel to warmer climes, it is the only place in Canada that sees little or no snow, with the campgrounds open year-round. We are happy to be here!

At the same time – as mentioned in our last blog post – I have been immobilized by sciatica. The nerves running all the way down my right leg constantly throb in pain, shooting sharp jabs down its length with any unexpected movement. Diagnosed with bone spurs on my lumbar spine last month in Nanaimo hospital, I have since attended the Urgent Care clinic in Ladysmith for a medication top up. Needless to say, I am not operating at 100%, and am looking forward to a return to normal – hopefully sooner, rather than later. In the meantime, I’m not going anywhere fast.

All this to say that I’ve had quite a bit of downtime lately, and as mentioned in my last post, have been using that time to write my memoirs. Rather than a single chronological narrative, I have described thirty memories of life adventures that could be told as campfire stories. 

There might be some irony here. Often when Betty & I have sat by the fire with fellow campers, they will ask: “So Graham, what do you do for a living?”. My elusive answer: “I am retired”. Their follow up: “But what did you do before retirement?” Usually at that point I will try to change the subject, because I have always found it difficult to answer in one or two words, like Nurse, Mechanic, Lawyer, etc. How do I describe the unique journey I’ve taken through life, in a concise, understandable way?

Not all of my campfire stories are alike. Do I just tell one anecdote, or a series of disparate memories. All are tales of my unique encounters with Canadian criminal justice, and for the sake of this travel blog, they could be described as my roadmap of a journey to justice. They’re going to have to read the map!

On the crime victims’ side, this journey led to the development of a plan for an oasis along their route to healing. On the offenders’ side, the map describes a path to redemption, making amends to the greatest extent possible for harms caused. Neither path can turn back the clock to a better life – there is no time travel here. But the paths do describe both small and large ways that roadblocks preventing a future, more abundant life can be overcome.

A number of times the victim and offender paths crossed, and campfire tales describe the nature of those interactions. Through Safe Justice Encounters, for instance, crime victims sought and received answers from the crime perpetrators that were not addressed in court. The Paying Forward Project provided opportunities for victims and community members to safely meet those serving long prison sentences, challenging them to develop a clearer sense of victim empathy. The inmates were encouraged to use their time for the betterment of others. The result was the creation of time-consuming, intricate jewellery by the prisoners, which was then sold to the public. All proceeds went to support crime victims.

These are just a couple of the 30 stories written off-the-top-of-my-head in the past two months. When Betty and I return to Winnipeg in May, I hope to access the stored materials in our son Andrew’s basement. Among the memorabilia are pictures that help to highlight some of these tales.  Don’t know yet whether the finished book will be for our children and grandchildren only, or whether it will be more broadly circulated, around future campfires, for instance. 

Given the travel restrictions over the past period, I have found the reminiscing and writing to be a worthwhile use of my time. This journey to justice wasn’t without its detours and bumps in the road. But I hope my campfire stories can help our kids and grandkids understand where I’ve been all this time, and how we can all better travel the road of life. As Roy Rogers would sing: “Happy trails to you, until we meet again!”

Cheers!

For the past few months, our motorhome has turned into a factory of sorts. New products are being created on a daily basis. And one never knows what to expect!

Fortunately, this factory isn’t one of those dirty, smelly types – no pollution here. Unfortunately, while other factories are intended to make money, this one costs!

All of our bills are relatively low as we shelter in place in beautiful Nanaimo, British Columbia for winter. Except for the fabric, wool, yarn, thread, and all related items Betty can find at a local store or on-line. It’s a high price to pay for this creative genius, but I guess it’s worth it in the end.  All of the “products” are give-aways to family and friends, and their appreciation puts smiles on our faces – payment enough!

The day after my last post, North America got hit with a major winter storm, knocking out power in Texas, and stopping or slowing travel across the continent. In one of our favourite destinations – South Padre Island – the sea turtles needed to be rescued and warmed at the convention center, before being released back into the Gulf of Mexico. What an experience for them and their rescuers. We’ve visited the SPI convention center, but have never seen a slower moving crowd of delegates! lol

Nanaimo wasn’t left out of this winterland fun, as the attached pictures show. 

For us, the snow lasted almost a week, and now those spring flowers are up and blooming. What a gorgeous sight!

In addition to her quilting, knitting, and sewing creations, Betty didn’t let us down on Shrove Tuesday/Fat Tuesday/Mardi Gras, or as our family tradition calls it “Pancake Tuesday”. Betty battered up for a delicious feast of “English pancakes” – the skinny, flat kind of crepes that we sprinkle in lemon and sugar, before rolling up and filling our pie holes. Lol  

Living in a factory might be considered an unpleasant experience. But our feet are warmed by hand-made bamboo and wool socks. If an evening chill arrives, we can wrap in any number of colourful, comfy quilts. And if and when we venture out, there are wide varieties of colourful masks to wear. What could be better!

Keep comfy and warm and stay safe. The winter’s almost over and Betty’s Colourful, Crafty, Coach Creations continue!

Cheers!

When the coronavirus hit just over a year ago, Betty and I were sheltered in place in the Arizona desert. Should we stay in our relatively isolated location, or should we head back to Manitoba? Travel was not recommended, and borders were closing. Since we were unsure of continued health coverage, we decided to cut our travels short and head back. 

Now we are in beautiful Nanaimo, British Columbia, having spent the last six months on picturesque Vancouver Island. While COVID-19 has been relatively rare on the island, another variant of the virus has been spreading through the province, across the country, and around the world. Should we stay in our comparatively safe home in Living Forest Oceanfront campground, or head back to Manitoba? Again, travel is not recommended, and while interprovincial borders are not closing, nearly every province is introducing new rules on what can stay open, and what needs to close. It’s déjà vu all over again!

Vaccination schedules also vary between provinces, and we may not be eligible for injections here, as we are not B.C. residents. Manitoba Health allows us to be out of province for seven months of the year, but we must soon return to maintain coverage.

Besides, we really, really miss our kids and grandkids! So we’re headed back.

In preparation for our return to Manitoba, we have been getting the motorhome serviced, and it is now ready to head out on the road again.

Our original plan included extended visits with friends across the western provinces, and tours around B.C., particularly Vancouver Island. But we haven’t even been to Butchart Gardens or downtown Victoria on this trip! Visits with friends didn’t happen on the way here, so we said we’d catch up on the way back.

Now with the more virulent variants, those visits won’t occur on the way back to Manitoba either.

Under the circumstances, it is our hope that we and others will be immunized by the fall of this year, so that Betty and I can try this trip all over again. I have saved our original travel schedule, and we have a campsite in Living Forest booked for next fall and winter. If everything is green-lighted, we can then head down the west coast in 2022, visiting national parks in Washington, Oregon, California, and Utah, before heading back to Manitoba. This year and next, we’re hoping for déjà vu all over again, just without the virus!

Hope you’re keeping healthy and safe!

Cheers!

When I entered the name for this blog post, my computer told me I had already used the title “Here We Go Again!”. Did I want to replace that file with this new one? No, each time we set out on a leg of our overlandish odyssey, there are similarities, but it is a uniquely new adventure. Here’s the latest update.

As previously noted, this is the longest stretch Betty & I have spent in one place in the past three years. Vancouver Island has a moderate climate and is such a beautiful place to live, or just visit. There is so much to see and do here, and yet in these past six months we have seen and done relatively nothing!

Now that we are packing up in preparation for our travels back to Winnipeg, we couldn’t help but venture out just a little before we go.

Betty’s family was originally from Cumberland, England. Her dad was born in Egremont. So when we saw the Vancouver Island community with the same name, and his birthplace in a street name, we just had to go exploring.

It’s sunny and warm on the island just now. Everyone is eager to get out and enjoy some fresh sea air. Yes, we have heeded the advice against unnecessary travel. But after being cooped up all winter, this fresh air and sunshine is necessary! Besides, we could and did travel without personal contact with others. 

Despite the unexpected health issues, it’s been a wonderful place to winter, and Betty & I are looking forward to a return visit this fall. 

In the meantime, here we go again, heading back to our family in Winnipeg that we’ve missed so much over this past six months. Almost time to cue Willy Nelson’s On The Road Again!

Cheers!

Life can be full of ups and downs. In the past few days, Betty & I have seen our fair share. This post captures a little of what we saw and experienced as we headed east from our winter home on Vancouver Island.

British Columbia introduced new COVID-19 travel restrictions this week, indicating that those outside of their health zone could be fined, and that BC ferries might no longer take recreational vehicles on board. Just in case this affected us, we bailed early.

The motorhome had been running a little rough on our first day, but I thought it was because our gas was six months old. I had filled up last October before we parked for the season on Vancouver Island. I considered adding some gas-line additive, but didn’t want to go into the store. I also thought about using a higher octane, but it was too expensive…

From then on, Betty & I really experienced our ups and downs. While the scenery was majestic, after we passed Revelstoke, the battery light appeared on our dash for the first time ever, and flickered on and off through the Rogers Pass. From time to time, we would lose most of our power, dropping down to 30 mph, even when there was no margin to pull off the road. While I drove much of the time with my hazard lights on, I was never sure the motor wouldn’t finally die in the middle of the Trans-Canada Highway.

Limping into Golden BC around 5:30 pm, we contacted Columbia Diesel, and staff said they would take a look at our motorhome first thing in the morning. In the meantime, we were welcome to stay the night in their large parking lot.

I met up with service manager Derek Phillips at 7:30 am the next morning, and he assigned Guy, a very able mechanic, to diagnose our problem right way.

We pulled right into a bay in their heated shop, and were able to stay in our coach for the duration. Even though we had replaced our alternator before leaving Manitoba, it and our chassis battery had both died. By noon, Guy had replaced them both, and we were on the road again. BTW, the replaced alternator is still under warranty, so hope to be reimbursed when we get back to Manitoba.

Continuing our ups and downs, the TransCanada Highway (#1) was closed from Golden to Banff, so we had to detour south through Radium Hot Springs.

Now that the clouds have lifted, Betty & I hope that the road east won’t visit us with so many ups and downs. Just as we hope for straight, smooth sailing, we wish the same for you!

Cheers!