OMG...it's been over 2 weeks since our last update! Amazing how fast time is flying by. The first week started off pretty cloudy, gloomy and rainy, but we still managed our morning walks (for the most part)...other than than nothing particularly exciting.
Since it wasn't raining Friday (June 28) afternoon, we decided to take a walk around the campground and check out the new Mobile Sauna that has gone in on a side arm of the Puntledge River. Unfortunately nobody was there...but it's advertised as "Come on down and have a nice hot sauna with a river plunge afterwards." Steve took a 33 second video...it's really quite nice but I don't know how much of a "plunge" it would be in the river since it's pretty shallow there.
Saturday (June 29) morning we met Earl and Allison for breakfast at the Early Bird Cafe. It was a rainy morning and it continued to rain all day. They rode their electric bikes, brave soles!
Sunday (June 30) the rain had stopped and it was quite a pleasant day. We invited Earl and Allison over for dinner...relaxing with a beverage...
Monday (July 1)...Happy Canada Day!
We had a great day...and the weather was perfect! We even managed to get our steps in! We started by walking down to fifth street and watching the Canada Day Parade...a typical small town event attended by the folks in the Comox Valley. Steve took lots of pictures!
A clown of course, leading the parade...
here!
Batman was a hit with the kids...
Comox Valley Search and Rescue...
Marine Rescue...
Some nice rides...
Comox Rotary Ducky 500 Race on the Puntledge River is held today too. More on that later...
Raiders Cheerleaders...
At the end of the parade, all of the people who had been watching followed the parade, across the bridge to Lewis Park where all of the festivities are being held. Yikes...we have to cross the street!
We managed to make our way through the crowd, crossing the street and walking back home. We had lunch and then walked back to Lewis Park...
Lots of fun stuff for the kids...
Along with a bunch of vendors set up...
And a Beer Garden...food trucks line the other side of the park...
We managed to find seats on some bleachers set up near the beer garden...so we could watch the entertainment. A Chicago tribute band was playing...
We sat in the bleachers for awhile listening to the band and then headed to the beer garden for a beer. After that we wandered around checking out some of the vendors and then started walking back across the bridge.
The Rotary Club of Comox has a fundraiser called the 'Ducky 500' Race. Tickets are sold before the big race and then they set 4000 little yellow rubber ducks loose on the river at Condensory Bridge (the bridge by Puntledge RV Park). They then "race" down the river towards the finish line at the 5th Street Bridge, where "duck wranglers (in the boats) fish them out of the river. The first eight ducks to make it past the finish line are the prize winners. The grand prizes include a $5,000 Tofino holiday package, a $2,175 staycation, and a $1,000 Canadian Tire gift card.
We continued onto the Gladstone Brewery...our favourite local spot...
Leaving Nanaimo...
Nearing the muddy waters from the Fraser River...
Angela's family is joining in Chris's birthday celebration. Chris grilling burgers...
Angela's family, left to right around the table...Joe, Amanda, Marc, Dorothy, Lucy, Luigi, me, Angela, Chris, and Isaac. The little one beside Isaac is Olivia, Joe and Amanda's daughter...
Olivia and Isaac bouncing...
Happy Birthday Chris!
Most of this nurse stump has decayed over time leaving some of the roots of the young tree high in the air...
They have a couple of nice picnic areas on either side of the bridge...
Just over an hour later we were back at the car...a great hike in the shade of the trees! Now it's time for lunch at the Gillnetter Pub. It is located on the Pitt River, just before it meets the Fraser River. They have a lovely deck but unfortunately it was full, so we settled for a table inside...
Afterwards,we went for a little walk down to the river...
The day ended with Isaac reading a book to Gramma and Grampa...
Then Dad won the next one...
We took the ferry from the Tsawwassen Ferry Terminal back to Duke Point (just south of Nanaimo)...on one of the oldest ferries. Very different from the newer ones!
We also went to Earl's and picked up the batteries for our little trailer. So nice of him to charge and store them for the winter until we needed them. We then went to the trailer to install them and check out the solar system that we were unfamiliar with. All was good!
On our way home, we stopped on the Condensory Bridge for a picture. It's warm enough now to get all the tubers floating down the river, along with swimmers cooling off. I'm sure it's going to continue to be very busy this week as we are heading into the first major heat wave of the summer.
What a wonderful day! And the best thing...we were able to walk everywhere! We love our location here in Courtenay!
Wednesday (July 3) morning we had the car packed and were on the road by 8:15...we are heading down island to the Duke Point Ferry Terminal in Nanaimo to take the ferry over to Greater Vancouver. It is our son, Chris's 39th birthday today so we thought we'd go over for a few days to visit with them. We were also due for our annual check up with our doctor, so we also tied that in with our visit.
Boarding the ferry...
Chris, along with about 100 other employees had recently been laid off with the closure of the company. Not to fret, though, he had a number of companies reaching out to him and already has a new job. He (like so many others in the video game industry) will now be working from home and is transforming the spare bedroom (our room) into his office. The desk he purchased moves up and down and actually goes up quite high, so he was able to fit a double-high airbed in for us...phew! He doesn't start his new job until the beginning of August, so he is enjoying some RnR...especially since both Angela and Isaac are off for the summer.
Thursday (July 4) morning Angela took Isaac to a summer camp he is attending at school this week...and then had errands and appointments. So Chris, Steve and I decided to go to Tynehead Regional Park in Surrey. The park is 260 hectares of meadow and forest on the banks of the Serpentine River...This park has a lot of wildlife, and is a habitat for owls, hawks and coyotes. The headwaters of the Serpentine River are spawning and rearing habitats for trout and salmon.
Some very old trees and a lot of "nurse stumps" on the Nurse Stump Trail...
Looking back at the restaurant (on the left)...
We had a quiet morning Friday (July 5) and then headed into Vancouver for our doctor's appointments. What was supposed to only be a 30 minute appointment (2 x 15 each) ended up being an hour and a quarter. He hadn't seen us for a year (other than virtual appointments) so really took his time with us (we both go in together). So nice to have a doctor who is so thorough...actually it's nice to just have a family doctor as so many don't!
Chris and Angela had gone to pick up Isaac from camp and they were all home when we got there. Grampa wanted to play Jenga with Isaac...he is so good at it! Grampa won this one...
And then it was my turn...Steve took a 1:06 minute video... Isaac won!
Saturday (July 6) morning we had the car packed and with big hugs, said goodbye to Chris, Angela and Isaac at 9:30. Thanks so much for your hospitality! We wanted to "get out of their hair" early to allow them the day to get packed and prepare to leave tomorrow morning. They are heading to Osoyoos for a week...good thing their hotel has a pool and A/C since the forecasted temperatures are to be in the high 30C's/low 40's...that's around 100F!
We were home around 3:30...to a very hot, stuffy trailer. The first thing we did was turn on the A/C and then unload the car. We like to get totally unpacked and everything put away before we do anything else...amazing how quickly we can get that done!
The rest of the week was so hot...our A/C was working overtime! We really didn't do much other than get out for our morning walks...we decided on Nymph Falls Regional Park because the trails are in the trees. The afternoons were mainly spent hunkered down inside.
Wednesday (July 10) morning we had visitors on the bank behind our trailer...
We'll end this update today, Friday (July 12) with a picture taken on our walk this morning...a Great Blue Heron...
And that brings us up-to-date once again.
