THE NEW ROAD TAKEN

Nov.29/09

We moved out of the trailer on Tuesday and packed all our clothing, food, non-freezables and personal items into bags and boxes to bring to the furnished condo. We winterized the trailer next and left it all alone at the RV site while we headed for the big city and high tower living.

The check-in to the condo was fairly quick and we were asked to do an assessment of the condition of everything before we moved in. We found a few scrapes, scratches and marks and had a week to report any others. As expected, we found a few more things like a cracked sink, broken blind string and a leaky toilet that Stuart fixed. All the rest was okay but needed a thorough cleaning which we did over the next 2 days.

By Thursday we were fully settled in and had also re-arranged the living room furniture, closet linens and all the kitchen items to suit our preference. You wouldn’t believe how many dinner plates and towels are in this condo.

We’ve walked to the downtown area a couple of times and it is very convenient to the library, post office, grocery stores and a plethora of restaurants. We walked past more than one East Indian restaurant and they smelled incredibly good. Another convenience was a H1N1 vaccine clinic at Prospera Place (arena) which is only a block away, so we went for our shots. The line-up was small as there were about 20 nurses ready to poke your arm and make it hurt (or make you cry if you were a kid).

On Saturday we went back to the Holiday Park Resort and towed the trailer to the storage yard in Winfield. We wanted to do it before the end of the month in case the weather deteriorated, but it had already turned as we had rain and snowflakes while we were moving. A good sign that it’s time to be in a warm, comfortable location before winter truly arrives.

DETOUR

Nov 22/09

What a busy week!! It started as usual and built up to lots of activity and decision making. My birthday (don’t ask about the number!!) was on Tuesday so we went into Kelowna for shopping, lunch, hanging out and a gourmet supper by chef Stuart at home. It was a wonderful and relaxing day.

On Wednesday, we packed up the trailer and towed it into Kelowna where Stuart had to take a towing road test. Anyone who tows a trailer over 10,000 lbs. needs an endorsement to their licence which includes passing a learners’ knowledge test and also a road test. He aced the pre-trip inspection part, which is very detailed and then had the challenge of towing the 38 ft. trailer through the busy streets of Kelowna. He did extremely well and passed with only one comment about making right hand turns. Good work, Stuart!

On Thursday I met with a radiation oncologist and he has recommended that I have radiation treatments to follow-up on my surgery. The treatments should not be difficult, or have many side effects, but it will take time. The planning session is in two weeks, and then treatments start about Dec. 14 and take 3.5 weeks. So, I should be finished in early January.

We were hoping that all this would happen more quickly and that we’d be able to head south in December but that is not going to work out. We decided that we don’t want to spend the winter months in the 5th wheel here in Winfield, so we have signed a 3 month lease on a furnished condo in Kelowna until the end of February.

It’s been 3 months “on the road” for us with many days and weeks of uncertainty and now we have some definite timelines and expectations. We’ve been stretched in faith and patience and believe that we are stronger now and much more adaptable to changes. God never gives you more than you can handle.

IT HAPPENS

Nov 14/09

Another week has flown by and it included some bizarre things happening to people around us.  We had neighbours from Alberta next to us for a few days who had travelled across the Rogers Pass in snow and slush and arrived here just as it was getting dark.  It is not easy to back up a big trailer when you can’t see much around you, but they did okay.  They stayed for a few days and told us that they were heading out for Tijuana, Mexico on Thursday.

So they hooked up and pulled out that morning and we expected them to turn the rig around and come back out past us which is the normal exit.  We never did see them again so I figured that we just missed them.  We went into Kelowna for a couple of hours and when we got back, we went over to the activity centre to log on to the internet.  We saw that one of the condo carports had collapsed on top of the vehicle parked under it.

We were told that our neighbour was driving out that way and clipped the carport with the corner of his trailer.  Apparently, he damaged his trailer and it looked like the car in the carport was wrecked.  As it turned out however, when they cleared the rubble away, the car had very little damage.

But what a horrible experience for those poor people towing the fifth wheel.  We don’t know what they had to do to get it fixed, or if they will make it to Tijuana as planned.

Stuart talked to some other people who said they were stopped at a red light in Kelowna and a semi truck rear-ended their trailer.  They were planning to take it to the manufacturer in La Grande, Oregon to get it fixed.  It snowed here yesterday morning so they had to postpone the trip until today.  It is so sad when bad things happen to people.

The snow we got was predicted, but there were still accidents on the road in this area.  We were glad we were able to just stay home.  Here is what it looked like for us—sure glad that it melted by the end of the day.

FRIENDSHIP

Nov 8/09

It’s been an amazingly warm start to November and we are finding it quite comfortable at these temperatures. We have the heat tape and insulation on the water hose and we keep the inside of the RV warm with the fireplace and an additional electric heater.

We’ve been enjoying the facilities here at the resort and have established a regular workout routine with the weight machine, treadmill and stationary bike. We’ve also walked into Winfield a few times on the back roads to go to the library and purchased a few groceries. Exercise with a purpose is very enjoyable.

Yesterday, we went on an outing up into the hills to Beaver Lake, which is to the east of Winfield. It is about 16 km on a rough road that is paved part of the way but the gravel portion was smoother than the pavement most of the time. We had thoughts about driving to the Forest Service Recreation site on the lake and tossing a fishing line in the water. Not!! The lake’s elevation is obviously higher than that at home and the road to the site was covered in snow and ice. Time to give up on open water fishing for us.

We had friends from Armstrong visit us for a few hours this afternoon and it was so nice to see familiar faces and talk about things in common. We’ve visited with other friends in the past few weeks and we realize how much those relationships are missed when you are on the road. Sure, we talk to people we meet every day but it is nothing like sharing your life events with those who know you well.

Cherish your friends while you have them close to you.

ALL CREATURES GREAT AND SMALL

 Nov 1/09
We were on the road again this past week and drove all of 44 km from Vernon to Winfield as planned. Our site at the Holiday Park Resort is nice and very private although there is quite a bit of traffic on the roadway past our home at certain times of the day. There are probably 300 long term residents in park models, RV’s and condos here at this time of year.

It takes us about 2 days to get used to a new location. The inside of the house is the same as always, but the view and the facilities are all different. We’ve used the fitness room, games room, internet centre and laundry room and will be getting to the pool and hot tub one of these days. Our social calendar is quite full. Like many of the “older folk” out there, it is full of appointments with all types of health care professionals including optometrists and doctors which keeps us very busy.

The most wonderful thing about our location is that there are California quail everywhere and a few rabbits as well.


The quail are so fascinating in their travel habits and overnight routines. They hang out in coveys of 10 to 20 birds. 

When it’s time to cross a road, they usually dash across one at a time. It reminds me of old war movies where the good guys are trying to cross an open area that is under sniper fire. They shout “Cover me!” and run like crazy across to the other side.

When it starts to get dark, a small covey comes to our site, hops up into the cedar bushes and crawls inside for the night. We can hear them getting settled and after that, no one would know they are roosting in there. I’m convinced that when they hear loud noises during the night, their little eyes pop open wide and they clench the branches tighter with their little feet. In the morning, they pop out to see what’s going on before flying out for the day. We were able to get this picture from our dining room window.

We continue to focus on enjoying the present with the hope that we will be going south before Christmas.