Sunday was the start of a whole new work schedule for everyone. The Contractor managing our park has decided to cutback employee hours...from 40 hours each per week to 32...a bit of a blow for everyone working here. So a whole new schedule had to be worked out...meaning the gatehouse hours have been cutback significantly. It also means that there will be no overlapping shifts for the outside guys...so the morning fellows have a pretty hectic time cleaning all of the campsites, as well as cleaning twelve bathrooms and emptying all the garbage and recycling bins. Unfortunately, we are finding it much more like work...and not as much fun as it used to be. Oh well...it is what it is. So far it seems most of the parks are slower than normal with the exception of weekends and we don't know why. With the Canadian dollar hovering around $0.76 U.S. you would think fewer Canadians would be heading south to the U.S. Is it the early campfire ban and all the forest fires we are experiencing keeping people away? Maybe things will pick up in August before school starts in September...
With the new schedule, Steve had an extra day off this week and it was Sunday...so he decided to finally get out in the boat and do a little fishing....Fishing was slow with only one small trout landed...
I opened the gatehouse at 9:00...and it wasn't a very good start to the day. There was no water in the park and I was confronted with a number of very unhappy campers. Doug L, the manager, was busy figuring out why...and discovered some critters had gnawed through the wires of the control box for the sprinkler system in the day-use area. That meant the sprinklers had been on all night draining the water tank! He soon had the sprinklers off...and the tank filling up again but it was late morning by the time the water was flowing down to the washrooms and taps in the campground.
I had a very busy day in the gatehouse and was happy when my shift was over at 4:00. Mind you, leaving the air-conditioned gatehouse was a bit of a shock...it was a hot one out there with the temp on our thermometer showing 35C/94F. Thank goodness we managed to figure out our electrical problem awhile back so we can run our air conditioner.
We captured this picture of "Notcho" and her babies just above the compound...so cute!Monday (like the rest of the week) was very busy for Steve...his shift was 7:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. He was the only outside fellow on, and as I mentioned earlier, it's a lot for one fellow to do by themselves. Thank goodness Doug L came out and helped out with the site cleaning in the mornings!
Just before 12:30, Sue and Doug came on to relieve Steve and I for a couple of hours so we could visit with Rob, Angie, Conner, Bryce and Angie's mom, Linda. After a great weekend in Kelowna attending a family wedding, they were now on their way back to Victoria and stopped in for a quick visit. We had lunch, a great visit...and then they were on their way...and Steve and I headed back to work. Thanks so much Sue and Doug! We appreciated you covering us so we could visit with the kids!
As Steve went back to work, he 'spotted' for Doug B as he went up the ladder to add chlorine to the water tank. The pump house has a water and chlorine pump system that's not working properly and the guys are fed up with having to continually babysit a system that should have been fixed months ago!
Tuesday afternoon, we had our American friends arrive at the park for a visit...Alan and Cec, the couple we originally met on our trip to Alaska (and have kept in touch with ever since) were stopping in for a few days. They had been at an FMCA rally in Cochrane, Alberta (attending the Calgary Stampede) and had made us a part of their travel plans...so glad you did! We visited them for a week last winter down in Yuma, AZ, so it was nice of them to stop in while in Canada and see us! We had them over for drinks and dinner that evening but we never brought out the camera! Sheesh!
Wednesday night after dinner, we walked down to Cec and Alan's site for drinks and dessert. Cec had made a peach cobbler with whipped cream...YUM! Thanks Cec.
We chatted for awhile and then headed home...we were both tired after the last few busy days! When we got back to the compound, Doug and Sue were back from their day trip to Keremeos...and they brought us treats! Fresh off the tree peaches from Doug's brothers orchard...as well as some cherries, apple and some pepperoni from a roadside stand that sounds like a "must stop" spot next time we go through that way. Thanks guys!
Thursday...and our last day of work before our weekend...yay! In other words, it's our "Friday night" and time for a relaxing happy hour after work...made even better since we don't have to get up at 5:30 in the morning to go to work!
Doug and Sue and Alan and Cec joined us. Here's my buddy, Tucker and his dad, Doug...
Steve grilled burgers, supplied by Alan and Cec for dinner...and Sue and Doug provided buns and the fixin's...thanks guys! Barbecued burgers...complete with all the trimmings, along with potato salad (also supplied by Cec and Alan)...YUM!
Time to refill the wine glass...
...as we sat around the Campfire-In-A-Can...Cheers! It has cooled down quite a bit the last few days, so was really nice being able to get the campfire out...
"Notcho" also came by for a visit...don't know where her kids were though...
We woke to cloudy skies Friday morning...and just before we were about to walk down to the gatehouse, it started to rain. We were going down to meet Alan and Cec and say goodbye....they are on their way today, heading through Osoyoos and crossing the border back down into the States. So very good seeing you again, Cec and Alan...looking forward to seeing you in Arizona this winter!
Just before we headed down to the gatehouse this morning, we had a phone call from Ray and Deb. They are at Lodgepole Lake, south of Kamloops and wanted to see if we wanted to meet for lunch in Merritt. As it turned out, we ended up meeting for a late lunch/early dinner (after our haircut appointments and shopping)...at the Grand Pub and Grill. We had a great visit catching up...see you again in September when we all end up back in Fort Langley!
Saturday morning we woke to rain...it was cloudy, cool...and raining! We really need the rain, so that's good but it just seems so odd! And being a busy weekend here at the park, it wasn't exactly what the campers were wanting. But it didn't last long...soon the wind came in and started blowing the clouds away. We ended up having a windy day with broken skies...this was good because I had lots of laundry to do and it needed to hang on the clothesline to dry!
We had a busy day doing odds and ends around here...laundry, as I mentioned, plus some cleaning and baking. Steve also did a few maintenance things around the trailer and emptied the holding tanks. It was after 1:00 when I decided to grab Tucker and get out for a walk around the park...I needed a break from writing this blog. After relaxing in the sun for a bit, Steve was inside...and after giving his dad a phone call, he settled in front of the TV to watch some of "his programs".
Shortly after 4:30, we decided to head outside with our cocktails. It was very windy out so we set our chairs up between our trailers...and called Doug out to join us. It wasn't long before Sue came wandering up from the gatehouse...her shift was over. We all sat outside enjoying our last happy hour together for a couple of weeks...that's just the way our schedules work out.
So that's it for another week...stay tuned to see what this week brings...
