Monday, August 9, 2010

We had a slow start to the day...I was frantically trying to get caught up on my travel blogs when Steve got out of bed. I knew that I would not be able to post them (no internet service up here) but I am finding that I must keep my daily journal going or I forget what happened from one day to the next...ahhh...retirement!

As we were having our morning coffee, we were joined by a mommy elk and her baby...great view from our window...they were so close...



Over a late breakfast, we decided that we would go up to the campground office and see what number was posted (remember, we were #7) but we actually didn’t mind the overflow and figured we would just stay here for the next couple of nights. We are planning on leaving Wednesday and taking 2 days to get to Reed Lake in northern Manitoba. That is where we are meeting Steve’s brother, Dave, for a week or so of fishing....Steve can hardly wait! As we were leaving, Steve turned on the windshield wipers to clear rain from the previous night’s downpour...and guess what...they didn’t work! Well, now...that’s just too much of a coincidence that both the air conditioning AND the wipers don’t work after the fellows from Whyte Communications installed the backup cameras. We quickly determined that we would only be spending one more night and heading “somewhere” tomorrow to get the truck fixed.

After a stop at the campground to pay for one more night in the overflow, we went into the Town of Waskesiu. Oh by the way, anyone on the waitlist with the number 6 or below had a site—those with 7 or over would have to come back at 2:30 for the next round...so we hadn’t made the morning “cut”.

Our plan had been to go for a good walk that day but as we started along the beach, it was evident that our thoughts were on figuring out where the nearest GM dealer would be that would service our medium duty truck...not quite as simple as getting a pickup truck serviced. So back to the truck we go to get the GM Customer Service phone number. We have no cell service or internet service up here in the great white north of Saskatchewan so we found a pay phone nearby (luckily, there seem to be a lot of those around). Steve spent an agonizing hour talking to the Customer Service Rep, Marg, before she was able to find a dealer that could service our truck....by the way, Marg was very nice, she made phone inquiries for us since we were on a payphone. Unfortunately, we could not find a dealer in Prince Albert so that meant it was going to have to be Saskatoon...which, of course, was almost 3 hours south and not the direction we were heading. Oh well, we will leave for Saskatoon first thing in the morning.

We spent what was left of the afternoon walking around Waskesiu. It really is a very pretty little place.

When we returned to the overflow campground, everyone was gone except one 5th wheel by us (and they left later that evening) plus a motorhome that was tucked up at the other end all by itself. It was a very peaceful place and we quite enjoyed it...well...except for those darned mosquitoes! They got me again! I was all covered with the bug spray so I either missed a spot or they didn’t care but at the top of my back just above my t-shirt, I was covered with these big itchy welts! Not pleasant! Our motorhome neighbours came by for a chat and noticed my obvious discomfort and suggested I take an antihistamine. Well, of course...so into the trailer I go and rummage through the medicine cabinet...success! I found a box of Reactine that had 2 tablets left. I took one and it worked wonders—don’t know why I hadn’t thought of that earlier. I must make sure I get more at our next stop!

Since we wanted to be on the road early in the morning, we packed up the living room and basically got everything done that we could so that it would just be a matter of hooking up in the morning. We showered and then headed to bed to watch another couple of episodes of ‘Sons of Anarchy’ that we had downloaded.

Sunday, August 8, 2010

I didn’t have a very restful night...it had been hot and I was conscience of people leaving the parking lot after an event that had been on in the community centre. There was actually quite a distance between us and the cars but I could still hear them. After a quick breakfast, we were on the road again, taking Highway 40 towards Prince Albert. Serena (aka our GPS) would have preferred we continue on Hwy 16 to Saskatoon and then head north, but we decided to ignore her advice.

We needed to pick up a couple of things...the most important thing being BUG REPELLANT...so we punched a Walmart location into Serena and she took us on a very roundabout way to the main drag where there were numerous strip malls with all the big chain stores. We decided on Sobeys where we picked up 2 cans of Muskol bug spray and a few other grocery items.

Then we were back on the road again, this time heading north on highway 2 towards Prince Albert National Park and Lake Waskesiu. Rather than continuing on the Hwy 2 to the main turnoff to the park, we decided to take the so called scenic route going to the south entrance. Bad move...basically scenic meant a narrow, bumpy road...

When we arrived at the Park Entrance, we decided to purchase an annual pass to all National Parks—since this was our second one, there is a good chance that we will be visiting more as we travel across Canada over the next few months. We enquired as to the availability of campsites and were told that there was a waiting list. She suggested we go to the overflow and then go register with the campground afterwards...so away we went. The “scenic” route took us right through the town of Waskiesu...it is right on the lake with a huge beach. It appears to be a very popular summer vacation spot. There are lots of small summer rental cottages...it reminded me of the little bungalows my family used to rent in the summer at a lake outside of Edmonton—brought back a few long lost memories of my childhood.

We made our way to the overflow campground which was typical—a big grassy field. There were about 5 or 6 other units there when we arrived. We pulled up beside a trailer with a family from Saskatoon—Gary Baba, his wife and 3 young daughters. What struck us very interesting was his last name...”Baba”. He said it wasn’t short for anything...had always been Baba. Of course, we told him what our last name was...very curious...

After getting all set up, we went and registered with the campground...we were #20 on the wait list. After they went through all the fellow campers in front of us, we ended up being #7 on the wait list for tomorrow...come back at 11:00 a.m. to see if you get a site.

Next on the agenda was laundry...we were running a little low on undies! One thing I don’t mind about going to Laundromats is that you can usually do all your laundry at once and get it all over with. Mind you it’s not all that much fun sitting around waiting for it as it does its thing in the washer....then dryer...and then there’s the folding...but hey...all in a days “work”! After that was done, Steve made a quick trip into the liquor store next door (gee...a government liquor store open on Sundays) and we headed back ‘home’.

As I was putting the laundry away, I started hearing some rumbling off in the distance...ah ha...I knew that a good thunder and lightning storm was starting to brew out there! We had seen the clouds forming as we headed north.

Okay...it’s happy hour now...time to sit out in the lawn chairs at our new location. I no sooner had sat down and Holy Cats! I was attacked by a swarm of mosquitoes...and get this...from under the mesh chair. Yup...right up the back of my shorts to the very top of my thighs...bordering my butt! I am most definitely allergic to these prairie varieties...I had huge swollen welts! What a pretty picture Steve had when he came in to apply some “After Bite” on my backside as I lay sprawled on the bed face down! That was so uncomfortable! The itch and the discomfort eventually subsided but I was spending the evening inside...thank you very much!

A little later in the evening, the thunder and lightning storm came into full swing bringing a major downpour. I don’t think that I have ever seen it rain so hard! At least not for a long time. It started just after Steve had gone outside to get his new generator out. Of course, it had never been run before and still needed to be primed with oil and filled with gas. Although he tried to do the majority of the work under the overhang of the 5th wheel, by the time he got it all hooked up, he was absolutely soaked! Oh the price we pay to watch programs on the big screen TV!

It was just about 10:00 p.m. when we figured we should be polite neighbours and turn the generator off and go to bed. Shortly after turning the lights out, I noticed there was some major flashes going on outside. Sure enough, the thunder and lightning storm had returned...this time with a vengeance! The lightning was absolutely spectacular as we watched it from our living room windows and the booming thunder that followed was deafening! What a great show!

Saturday, August 7, 2010

We were on the road by 8:00 a.m. this morning. It was another gorgeous day...but hazy again. We stopped at the Flying J Travel Plaza that was on the eastern edge of Edmonton. We fuelled up with diesel but we also wanted propane...they sold it there but there would not be anyone qualified to pump it until 2 p.m. that afternoon...sheesh!....so we carried on taking the Yellowhead Highway 16 east.

Esther and Uncle Gord had told us about a little store in Mundare called Stawnichy’s Meat Processing...apparently they have the best homemade Ukrainian sausage. Since Mundare was only 2 km off the highway, we decided to stop. The sausage business was started in 1959 by Mr. Woytko Stawnichy in Mundare, Alberta in a small grocery/confectionery store with one small sausage smoker. It has grown over the years into Mundare Sausage House with the processing plant in Mundare and Uncle Ed’s Restaurant in Edmonton. The restaurant seats 50 and also contains a deli carrying many imported Polish and Ukrainian goods to complement the traditionally delicious, award winning Stawnichy meat products. We were able to sample a lot of their product and left the store with 2 bags containing everything from Kubassa, to European Wieners to homemade Ukrainian sausage patties and even perogies....yum! They were all out of the bratwurst and buffalo burgers...but we did get some of Aunt Jane’s homemade beef patties.

I couldn't rotate this...sheesh...

After leaving the store, we decided to stop at the rest area by the main entrance to the town and have our lunch. This is where there is a giant 42’ Sausage Replica as well as a Buffalo Replica...interesting....

We managed to fill one of the propane tanks at the local station in Mundane before we headed back to the main highway.

After driving as far as North Battleford , we called it a day...Steve was beat, it had been a long drive. We were actually looking for the Walmart parking lot when we came across the North Battleford Chamber of Commerce Visitor’s Centre that had a big Rotary Club picnic area backing onto a museum and community centre parking lot. We asked the fellow in the visitor’s centre if it would be okay to overnight there and he said sure...yay...much nicer than a parking lot! We pulled in and were level so all we had to do was bring down the stabilizers...no unhooking required...bonus!

 

I think the prairies have very different mosquitoes than we do on the Island...or maybe it’s just that there are way more of them...but when they bite me, I get huge welts! They got the back of my legs good but a breeze came up a little later allowing me to sit outside at the picnic table without be bothered too much. Steve barbequed up a couple of the patties from Stawnichy’s for dinner and then we headed to bed early. We’d be on the road again early in the morning heading to Prince Albert and Prince Albert National Park.

Friday, August 6, 2010

We had a slow start to the day after being up and out so early the past 2 mornings. It was going to be another hot day...but also very hazy. It seems that the smoke from forest fires in BC has been drifting this way.

Steve called Brock and explained the situation with the air-conditioning and made arrangements to bring the truck back in later in the morning. It was about 10:00 a.m. as we were leaving and decided to stop at the office to pay for another night. We had been in the day before yesterday and talked to the girl saying that we would definitely be staying that night (Thursday) and quite likely Friday but we weren’t sure. She said no problem and that we could just pay one night at a time. Well, let me tell you...was I surprised when she said that our site was already booked for someone else that night and that we would have to move! The wrath of Dianne did not faze her in the least, so I stormed out to tell Steve. Well, he was equally mad and went in to talk to them....I remained in the truck. The wrath of Steve worked and we were paid up for another night without having to move...whew!

Once back at Whyte Communications, Al immediately checked all the wiring he did as well as the fuses and everything seemed okay. Next step was to unbolt and lower the boat loader so that the truck cab could be tilted. Al checked all wiring there and could not find anything wrong with what he had done that would affect the air-conditioning. Hmmmm....that meant that we would have to find a GM dealer that services our type of truck...and of course, it was a Friday afternoon. Well, no luck with that but I must say that Al went above and beyond in his efforts of trying to help us. He wants Steve to let him know what the problem ends up being...particularly if it was something he may have done. We have decided to carry-on with our plan to leave tomorrow—we will get the air-conditioner fixed somewhere down the road...probably Winnipeg. Travelling across Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba in August with no air-conditioning...YIKES!

On another note, it turns out that needing to take the truck back to Whyte Communications was a good thing because while driving the truck without the 5th wheel, Steve discovered that the backup camera was not working. We had a backup camera installed on both the truck and the trailer and since we did not have the trailer this morning, the monitor was “looking for” the trailer camera and of course, it wasn’t there. Al called the supplier of the cameras to discuss our setup and the end result was a toggle switch was required...to switch between when we were pulling the trailer and when we weren’t.

We ended up spending the better part of another day getting the truck fixed up. It was about 2 p.m. when we were heading home. Since we were leaving the next morning, Uncle Gord and Esther were going to pop out later in the afternoon for a drink and to see us one last time. I had called him earlier to let him know of our situation and now to let him know we were finished and on our way home. They would be out around 3:30...perfect!

Uncle Gord and Esther arrived just before 4 p.m. and although it was a beautiful day outside, we sat inside with the air-conditioning on (at least the 5th wheel still has air-conditioning) because the mosquitoes are really bad, particularly since we are in a huge grassy area. We visited with them until about 5:30 when they left to pick up the boys (Yolanda’s kids) as they were off to a football game tonight. It was wonderful seeing Uncle Gord and Esther and the family...we had such a great visit with them! Thanks so much for your hospitality!

We’ll be on the road again tomorrow...we’re looking forward to it.

Thursday, August 5, 2010

Today it was the 5th wheel’s turn to have 2 cameras installed so we were up and on our way by 7:15. We were a little anxious about towing through all the traffic, but we managed fine and had all 63 feet of us parked along the road beside Whyte Communications before 8:00. We ended up being quite a spectacle parked there with the slides out and hazard markers on the road...forgot to take a picture of that. Steve discussed placement of the cameras with Brock and then went next door to Innovative Satellite & Home Theatre. A couple of techs came out and had a look inside the trailer and determined that getting the extra line of cable in that was required for the HDPVR was not going to be easy. They were going to talk to the fellows at Whyte Communications to see if they would be removing any panels inside for the work they were doing and if so, perhaps they would be able to pull an extra cable through. We left it with them to figure out and gave them our cell number to reach us. We were going out for breakfast then back to the mall. Steve wasn’t too thrilled about going back to the mall, but I wanted to get my hair done and he just needed something to do while the work was being done on the trailer and truck.

Brock was good enough to drive us to Dennys , saying that it was just a hop, skip and a jump over to the mall. After breakfast, we determined that the ‘hop, skip and a jump’ was more reflective of a car ride rather than walking (especially since there were no sidewalks in some places), but that was okay, we needed the exercise. On our walk, Steve received a couple of calls from the Tech, Jan, about the cables and they finally figured out how it could be done. Unfortunately, it required access to the garage and Steve had the keys with him so someone would come pick him up.

I think the prospect of going back to watch the work being done on the trailer (both the install of the cameras as well as the satellite system) was much more appealing to Steve than going to the mall. So I continued to the mall, leaving Steve waiting on the sidewalk for his ride. What I found out later is that he waited for over 45 minutes. I guess our directions as to where he was waiting were not very good...the fellow was at a different spot and when Steve got tired of waiting, he headed in to find me to use the cell and found him at a different entrance.... hmmmm....that was annoying...

I found a salon that was able to take me immediately, with no appointment. I am always leery of going to a new stylist and being a ‘walk in’ as well didn’t give me a lot of confidence but I was desperate. As it turned out, Hanna did a good job and I am quite happy with the results. After some ‘alone time’ in the salon, I raced around the mall shopping for a pair of shorts. The ‘end of summer’ sales are on with some great deals and I was successful. They hadn’t expected the work today to take too long so I thought I had better get back. A very nice lady working at one of the mall entrances stores called me a cab...I didn’t really want to walk all the way back by myself. Besides, I had just had my hair done...I didn’t want to get all hot and sweaty!

As it turned out, work was not progressing as quickly as expected...I could have stayed at the mall longer...darn! Installation of the satellite system was much more involved than we had expected but soon Steve was in the store selecting the package of networks he wanted to receive and of course, paying for the whole thing. By the way, we went with ShawDirect. Next thing, he was out with Jan getting directions on how to locate the satellite. It would have been much easier to have gotten the dish that is mounted on the trailer roof and automatically locates and locks into the satellite. But that type of installation requires a clear view to the southern sky wherever you are meaning we would have to find campsites that would accommodate this. We chose the dish on a tripod that has to be manually set up but this way we are able to move it around for the best exposure to the sky without worrying about the campsite we choose. Unfortunately, it also meant we would need to find room inside the trailer for it when we were on the road.

Well, it was another long day for Al and Brock working on the cameras. Once the trailer ones were installed, they had to connect all the wires to the monitor inside the cab of the truck which meant removing the boat loader and tilting the cab. Then they had to ensure all were working correctly. It was well after 6 p.m. by the time they were done...and with handshakes and thank yous, we were on our way back to the campground. That is when Steve decided to turn on the air-conditioning...and guess what?...no cold air...not even cool! Oh great...did the fellows mess up the wiring to the air-conditioning unit when they were doing the cameras?? It seemed too much of a coincidence not to assume so. Well, I guess we’ll be making yet another trip back to Whyte Communications tomorrow.

By the time we got back home, it was late and we still had to get hooked back up to the sewer, power and water...and get the inside rearranged, so we ended up just having a sandwich for dinner.  And as with any kid with a new toy, Steve decided to give hooking up the satellite dish a try. Getting locked onto a satellite was going to be a challenge but they say that once you get the hang of it, it does get easier. Would you believe that Steve got it the very first try?!! Well, that’s a good start...beginners luck, I would say.  We watched a little TV (well, more like surfed the channel guide to find what was on the over 200 stations we now have) then heading to bed. We had planned on cleaning everything up tomorrow...Steve the outside, me the inside plus laundry but it didn’t look like that was going to happen.

Wednesday, August 4, 2010

We had an appointment at WCI Whyte Communications at 8:00 a.m. to have 2 back-up cameras installed on the truck. That meant we had to be up and out by 7:15. The GPS said it would take 23 minutes but we wanted to give ourselves a little extra time. We were there at 7:45 and met Brock, the fellow Steve had been dealing with. After discussing the placement of the cameras, the truck went into the shop and work began. It was going to take most of the day so Uncle Gord had offered to pick us up and take us to a Shopping Mall not too far away...that offer led to Steve suggesting that we all go out for breakfast, so Gordon and Esther picked us up just after 9 a.m. While waiting, I happened to notice that right next door there was a company who sold and installed satellite dishes. Wow, how lucky is that? Just what we needed...we’ll pop in there later this afternoon for a chat.

Gordon and Esther took us to a popular restaurant called Barb and Ernie’s, where we all ate a humongous breakfast....ok...that was breakfast, lunch and quite possibly dinner! There is quite a story about the couple and their lives after emigrating from Germany.

Gordon and Esther were going on a canoe trip down the Saskatchewan River that afternoon. They had to be at the meeting location at 11:30, so they dropped us off at Southgate Mall and were off on their adventure. We had our own adventure wandering around the mall. It was a huge mall but wandering around a mall isn’t exactly Steve’s most favourite thing, so after exploring the Dollar Giant, we found a Rogers Store and we got a new smartphone. I had intended on just getting a basic cell phone but with the plan options available, it was only going to be $5 more for the smartphone, so that’s what we went with. I now have access to my gmail, facebook, internet searches, a camera, tons of apps....and we can actually talk to people as well! Our phone number remains unchanged...yay!

After all of the inactivity of late, we decided to walk back to Whyte Communications. It took us about 35 minutes and it felt great having a good walk! Steve immediately went to the company next door, Innovative Satellite & Home Theatre, to discuss satellite systems. We would be bringing the 5th wheel in tomorrow to have the backup cameras installed, so they would be able to have a look at what they could do as far as installation. It looked like we will soon have Shaw Direct with an HDPVR as well.

Back at Whyte Communications, installation of the cameras on the truck was taking longer than expected. It was after 6 p.m. by the time we were on our way home. We would be back tomorrow with the 5th wheel...that should be interesting!

Once home, we had a quick dinner. The mosquitoes make it very uncomfortable to sit outside, so we stayed in—Steve watching TV and me on the laptop (as usual). We had another early morning tomorrow so it was as early night.

Tuesday, August 3, 2010

We had a slow start to the day today. I actually slept in until 7:30 this morning...well, I was up way past my bedtime last night! It was late morning by the time we ventured out to find a Walmart to do some shopping. I needed to stock up on soap, shampoo, vitamins, etc...and find Walmart has pretty good prices on these types of things. We found a Super Walmart fairly close and were able to do all our grocery shopping as well. I must say that I wasn’t all that impressed with this particular store, though. A lot of the shelves needed to be restocked and the isles were generally messy. But we managed to stock up well anyway.
While I was putting all the groceries away, Steve was on the laptop researching local satellite companies. It was 3:30 and we were planning on being at Gordon and Esther’s around 5 p.m., so we thought that we would see if we could find Orbit Satellite & Electronics. I punched the address into the GPS and away we went. “Serena”, the lovely GPS voice directed us on the journey to northwest Edmonton but there was no company by that name at the location. Actually, this decision to head out late in the afternoon proved to be one of frustration and stress...for Steve, as the driver and me, as the navigator (aka interpreting Serena’s directions)...not a good idea heading out during rush hour! After going around the block a couple of times, we decided to give up that pursuit and I put Gordon and Esther’s address into the GPS. We were certainly ready for that drink once we arrived there!

We had an absolutely wonderful visit and dinner with Gord and Esther. We had to be up early the next morning to take the truck in for the installation of backup cameras so we said goodnight and headed home just after 9 p.m.

Monday, August 2, 2010

We were packed up and on the road by 8:30 this morning. We zigzagged our way over to Hwy 2 via some secondary roads. It was cloudy again this morning with light sprinkles of rain here and there as we headed north to Edmonton. We stopped in Red Deer at a Flying J to fuel up...diesel was the cheapest we had seen it in Canada...80.9 cents per litre. I picked up a couple of sandwiches in the store and we had a quick lunch before continuing on the road.

We arrived at our destination in southwest Edmonton around 1:30. We had reservations for a couple of nights at Whitemud Creek Golf & RV Park. The roads leading into this rural spot are very bumpy and there was fresh oil on the road...this did not impress Steve. The RV Park is basically a large field with RV spots but it is close to Steve’s Uncle and Aunt’s place and we were going there this afternoon for a family gathering to celebrate Uncle Gord’s 69th birthday. It has full hook-ups but without cable...sheesh! At least the roof top antenna gets us a few local channels.

We took Uncle Gord up on his offer to come pick us up and he arrived just after 3 p.m. It was really a fairly short, direct drive back to their place, taking about 20 minutes. Esther had been working hard in the kitchen all afternoon...yum....but she said Doug (her son visiting from Vancouver) had helped. Soon the rest of the clan arrived including Shirley as well as another couple who are close friends with Gord and Esther.

We had a great time visiting with everyone and playing ‘Red Neck Golf’ and Croquet.

Before we knew it, Uncle Gord was cooking up chicken on the barbeque and it was time for dinner. What a lovely spread of great food!

And then birthday cake to finish off.

After a great evening, we were chauffeured home by Gord and Esther and after big hugs, we said good-night. We will see them again tomorrow night for a quiet dinner together.

Sunday, August 1, 2010

We woke up to rain this morning...actually the rain woke us up at about 2 a.m. and with the thunder rumbling in the distance, Steve thought he had better put the TV antenna down.
We walked up to Ken and Charlene’s just after 9 a.m. and Ken had breakfast ready...mmmm....it sure smelled good! Gee, I could get used to this pretty easily...Ken has been feeding us well this weekend! On second thought, maybe not...I have enough problems with my waistline as it is!

Ken is going to take us into Calgary today to the Pro Bass Shop...Steve really liked that idea...and then to Science World to see the Body World and Brain Display (I wasn`t too sure about that one...but...okay, I`ll go). Andrew, Ken`s son, was going to stay home with Charlene.

The drive into Calgary was beautiful, even if it was cloudy out. The countryside is so pretty—rolling green hills with trees in the gullies... quite lovely. The new Cross Iron Mall is in the northeast part of Calgary and when we arrived at the Pro Bass Shop, we couldn`t believe the size of it! The store is enormous and is more like a museum inside than a store. It is a showcase of local antiques and trophy mounts of fish and wildlife. There are hundreds of animals...from moose to deer to fox, even a polar bear...incredible. It is all displayed with the animals in their environment...a lot of time and effort went into it—very well done! There is even a huge aquarium with salmon swimming in it as well as a waterfall into a pond with more fish.

After Steve made a couple purchases, we strolled through the new mall then it was time to head downtown to Science World. The display was really quite interesting...I just had to try to ignore the fact that they were all real bodies that had been sliced and diced...

We were back home by 4 p.m. The sun had decided to make an appearance, so we sat out on the deck enjoying our visit with Ken and Charlene. After a feast of Chinese food...thanks, Andrew for picking it up...we watched a movie highly recommended by Ken... Orgazmo. For those of you that have met Ken you know his sense of humour! It was a spoof on the making of porn movies...too funny...and very cheezie like Batman or Gilligans Island! Well okay, then...let’s call it a night, shall we?!

Thanks for a great visit Ken and Charlene. Never a dull moment!

Saturday, July 31, 2010

We woke to clear blue sky this morning. It’s a lovely area out here...very quiet and peaceful. Steve was wide awake when I got up saying he’d been awake since 4:15...hmmm...what’s up with that? After turning on the coffee maker and TV, I decided to plug in the little space heater because it was a bit chilly. Unfortunately, I didn’t hear Steve say not to plug it in...pop....oops...no power. After a few minutes of trying to figure out exactly what had happened, Steve realized that we had blown a breaker in the house. Okay, all fixed....whew! But then a couple of minutes later, it happened again...the space heater wasn’t plugged in...oh...the hot water heater was on. Okay, unplug the coffee maker...no space heater on...and reset the breaker. All is good.
After showering, we walked up to Ken and Charlene’s. Ken had breakfast cooking and poured us each a cup of coffee as we arrived. We also received a warm welcoming from Little Bear, Rocky and Katie. Charlene was a little slower today—she had been feeling so much better yesterday that she over-did it a bit and was feeling the affects today.

Ken and Charlene’s house is very unique. As I mentioned in an earlier post, Ken is a very good carpenter with a great imagination.  This is a picture of the bathroom basin--I love the faucet.  The vanity is actually an antique chest of drawers with mirror...very cool...

The kitchen...

The "good room" (aka...the room not used very much)...

Later in the morning, Ken drove us into Cochrane to do laundry and a little shopping. They had offered their laundry facilities to us but I decided it was easier to go to a Laundromat and do all the loads at once and just get it over with. We had planned on going into Calgary in the afternoon but decided that we might put that off until tomorrow. We spent the rest of the day visiting—Charlene’s nephew and kids from Winnipeg had dropped in for a visit as well.

Ken took us for a drive around the lakes (there are 2...thus Cochrane Lakes) to show us the new development that is being built. It is a rather exclusive development with huge houses on beautifully manicured lots. When finished, the development will completely encircle the lakes...what a change for the original single road with homes that currently goes along one side of the relatively small lake. Cochrane and the surrounding area is growing like crazy with new subdivisions going up. A lot of people are moving out this way from Calgary...the commute to work is reasonable. It takes Ken and Charlene about 40 minutes to get to work in the city.

We called it a night at about 9 p.m. and headed back to the trailer. Oh my goodness, we are getting old! What happened to the late night partying we used to do? Last time we were out here visiting, Steve and Ken stayed up drinking until 4 a.m.! Well...there’s still one more night left before we leave....