Wednesday, May 22 to Thursday, May 30, 2019 (Oceanside RV Resort, Saanichton, BC)

Wednesday was a warm, sunny beautiful day...lots of sunshine and warm temps are forecast for the next week!

When we got up, I was greeted with "Happy Anniversary!" Today is our 37th Wedding Anniversary...Wow! How time flies when you're having fun! And look...we haven't changed a bit!
After our usual lazy start to the day, we had a big breakfast and then Steve decided to get his power walk in before carrying on with his plan for today. It was such a gorgeous morning for a walk along the beach trail.

Once back, he got to work on his project...fix his RC plane. The parts had arrived last week and he was anxious to get it back together.  He spent a long time working on it...epoxying, replacing the firewall, motor mount and cowling as well as fixing a couple of things on the wing... 
Done!
While he was doing that, I did some baking and worked on blog updates. By the time I was finished, Steve had also completed the work on his RC plane...and it was time to relax outside in the sunshine for a bit.

We headed off at about 5:30, planning on going the short distance to the Waddling Dog Bar and Grill for our anniversary dinner. Unfortunately, it was "wing night" and the parking lot was packed...no parking available for a car let alone our beast! So we carried on further into Saanichton to The Prairie Inn where we were able to find parking on the street.
We enjoyed beer and a delicious dinner...
Happy Anniversary, Honey!
Thursday (May 23) was another gorgeous day. We headed off just before 10:30...Steve has a dentist appointment but first, he is going to drop me off in Sidney so I can have a pedicure. Unfortunately, they couldn't take me for a bit, so I wandered along the main street and stopped for a coffee.

Steve texted me that he was finished at the dentist...but I wouldn't be ready for awhile. No problem, though, because Steve had to pick up a prescription and it wouldn't be ready for an hour. The reason Steve decided to make a dentist appointment is to have a sensitive tooth checked. Turns out he has a dying root that is infected...thus the prescription for antibiotics. And of course, that means a root canal and $$$. Of course, it has to be done right away...and cannot wait for Mexico. So he has an appointment next Wednesday.

While he was waiting for his prescription, he had lunch at Tim Horton's and then walked down to meet me. We walked back to the pharmacy and after a short wait, we were on our way home. By this time it was 2:00.

Steve decided to relax in his recliner and watch one of "his"shows on TV...while I thought I'd clean my Birkenstock's. Dale and Ruth had given me a "Birkenstock cleaner package" last winter...they didn't own Birkenstock's anymore and when Dale noticed I did, they gave me the cleaner. Time to give it a try and at least get rid of all the Arizona dust!

By late afternoon, we got the bikes out for a little riding around the RV park...and then sat outside in the sunshine with our water. Such a beautiful day!

Friday (May 24) was a cloudy day...a big change from yesterday! After our usual start to the day, Steve went out for his walk down to Island View Beach and back. While he was gone, I puttered around inside.

For the past week or so, I have had a tooth that is pressure sensitive...on and off. I was basically ignoring it because it wasn't all the time, but just before noon, it flared up. OMG...nothing worse than a tooth ache! So I called our dentist's office...they were booked up this afternoon, and of course, it's Friday. I made an appointment for Monday morning...hoping I could make it through the weekend. I took a couple of extra-strength Tylenol but then decided to call the dentist back to see if they could possibly fit me in today...I really didn't want to wait through the weekend. After being put on hold for a few minutes, she came back to ask if I could be there in just over an hour...yes, no problem!

After x-rays and some testing, they determined that I had an infection around the tooth. The tooth in question has a root canal but he thinks it wasn't cleaned out deep enough and may be the problem. He was just going to give me a prescription for antibiotics and "keep an eye on it"...until he found out that I am waiting for a knee replacement. Then it was get me to a Specialist right away! From the Knee Replacement Booklet..."Please note, any major dental work must be done 3 months before surgery." So, he obviously didn't want to take a chance that a course of antibiotics would do the trick.

So yesterday it was Steve...and now me! Unfortunately our dental insurance does not cover any major work...the reason we get our dental work done in Los Algodones, MX. But we are no where near Yuma and won't be for a long time...and the work needs to be done now. Just what we need right now...LOL! Anyway, it's Friday afternoon and the Specialist's office is closed...so we wait until Monday to see when I can get an appointment.

After a stop at Waypoint Insurance to renew our ATV insurance, we were on our way over to Larry and Judi's for happy hour. You may recall that we met them through the Cowichan Valley ATV Club, and they have spent the last couple of winters in Yuma, AZ where they have come up to Q to ride with us. After battling with Friday afternoon rush hour traffic, we arrived at their place shortly after 4:00. They have a lovely home on the Gorge Inlet in Victoria.

What we hadn't expected was a full blown dinner party! They had also invited over a bunch of other friends...I think there were about 17 people all together. Now, we're not even going to try to remember everyone's name but they were a great group and we had a wonderful time!

Our hostess, Judi in the middle...

 Larry on the  left....
 Larry grilling burgers on the deck...

They had hoped to have their gathering on the patio below by the dock but it was a little cool out...
That was a great evening and we enjoyed meeting everyone!

Saturday (May 25) had a forecast of rain...and they weren't wrong! It absolutely poured all day! So, we had an uneventful inside day watching TV, reading and knitting.

At 3:30 we headed to Rob and Angie's...our last chance to spend time with them since we leave next Friday. We took our toiletries along with us so we could spend the night...that way we can both enjoy the evening without one of us having to drive Buster home.

When we pulled into the driveway, Conner and Bryce were waiting for us at the top of the driveway and since we weren't taking the truck up, they came running down to greet us and help carry some things up to the house.

We had a wonderful time visiting while Rob and Angie made dinner...and of course, playing with the boys! Bryce and I are putting veggies on skewers...
 Conner with an apron on...helping his mom, Angie...
 Rob barbecued a beef roast on the rotisserie and OMG, he did it to perfection!
We had a delicious dinner and spent the rest of the evening sitting and chatting...needless to say, a lot of wine and beer were consumed!

We were back to sunshine on Sunday (May 26). After a relaxing start to the day, Rob treated us to bacon and eggs...and then we gathered up our things. Conner and Bryce helped us carry our things down the driveway to the truck. Thanks for a wonderful time Rob and Angie!

Once home, Steve got to work on his chore for today...washing the trailer roof, slide room toppers and awning. And I did some cleaning inside. So today was a work day.
Steve always hated washing the underside of the awning using a long handled brush with a bucket of awning cleaner...he would get soaked with it dripping all over him from above. So years ago he bought a 1 gallon garden sprayer and what a difference. He can soak the awning without developing large drips so stays dry even when using the long handled brush, and the bonus is he uses far less awning cleaner solution so saves money too! Once he's done brushing he gives it a quick rinse with the hose while moving backwards as he goes to stay away from the heavy dripping...
And that started 3 days of washing for Steve. Day 1 was the roof, toppers and awning...day 2, Monday (May 27), he spent the day washing the underside of the toppers, the top of the slide rooms, then the trailer. Note to self...if planning on eventually washing the rig don't park so close to the vegetation!
Before getting started on day 3 of washing,...Tuesday (May 28)...we met friends, Bill and Sherry for breakfast at Cafe Zanzibar . We spent a lovely couple of hours catching up...after all, it had been about 4 years since we last saw them while we worked at Monck Provincial Park! They also picked up the tab for breakfast...thanks so much, guys! Great seeing you both!
Once home, Steve got right to work on today's washing project...the truck. 
And I got to work on my chore for today...laundry.

So we had a busy few days of  cleaning and washing...well, mainly Steve. But I did a bunch of smaller cleaning projects in the trailer too...and a whole bunch of supervising LOL!

Wednesday (May 29) morning Steve dropped me off at the airport to pick up a car rental. We decided to rent a car because of conflicting appointments. He has his root canal appointment and I have an appointment with at Arbutus Endodontics in Victoria. They had called first thing Monday morning with an appointment.
.
But first I had a very special appointment...at Conner's school. Today was Grandparent's Day for the Kindergarten classes! Steve was disappointed he couldn't make it...but at least one of us could. I arrived just a couple of minutes late (why do you always hit all traffic lights red when you are in a hurry?) But early enough to watch the tail-end of a performance. Conner is at the very centre of the picture...
Afterwards he showed me his classroom...and then it was snack time. A special treat...they got to have their snacks out on the grass...
And then we went to decorate a picture frame...
After an hour, it was time for the kids to resume regular schoolwork and the grandparents to carry on with the rest of their day. So much fun...and Conner was really pleased that I had gone.

I made a couple of stops and did a little shopping and then it was time for my appointment. After a 3-D scan, the doctor explained what he had found. The outcome was that the tooth should be pulled as the root is cracked...and thus the infection. So an implant will be in my future. My regular dentist would do the work.

So back in the car, I immediately called RebalanceMD and spoke to a Nurse Navigator. She suggested that I get the extraction as soon as possible because I cannot have the knee replacement surgery for 3 months after. With that confirmed, I called our dentist. As luck would have it, they managed to rearrange things and could fit me in at 8:45 tomorrow morning. We leave Friday...so glad I'm able to have it taken care of before we leave.

After picking up a few groceries, I was back home around 3:30. Steve had spent 2 hours in the chair and his mouth was still quite frozen...he had even tried to "wear" it off by going for a walk down to Island View Beach...



Lots of seaweed washing up on shore this week...

Since we had a rental car and Steve wasn't feeling too bad we decided to go to the Waddling Dog Pub for wing night. This time we were early enough to get a parking spot...and having a car rather than Buster also made it easier.

Thursday (May 30) morning I left shortly after 8:00 for my dentist appointment...and what a fun time that was! It actually went well...at least that's what the dentist said. I was finished and on my way to take the rental car back...it was due back at 10:00 but I was a little late. Within an hour seems to be the grace period...so it all worked out well. Steve picked me up and after stopping to fuel up the truck, we were back home. Time to get packed up...we leave tomorrow!

So that was the rest of our day...until it was time to sit, relax and enjoy the view...
And that concludes our time here at Oceanside RV Resort...hard to believe we've been here for 2 months! But we are ready to move and looking forward to our next destination...Campbell River, about a 4 hour drive up Vancouver Island.


Saturday to Tuesday, May 18 to 21, 2019 (Oceanside RV Resort, Saanichton, BC)

Saturday morning Ray and Steve headed out in the boat to do a little fishing...
Unfortunately all they "caught" was an aluminum boat...they were good Samaritans by towing a broken down boat back to Gordon Bay.
By the time they had done that, quite a breeze had come up on the lake making it choppy...they slowly trolled back home but the jarring of the waves caused major havoc on Ray's back. He'll need some recoup time after that ride!

In the meantime, Deb and I lazed around most of the morning on the deck...it's so relaxing and the view is amazing! And then we decided to make a quick trip into town to pick up some lettuce and tomatoes for burgers for lunch. There had been a logging truck parade this morning...they were now parked in Saywell Park for folks to view...
Saywell Park and the Kaatza Station Museum...
When the guys got home, it was time to grill the burgers....complete with bacon, fried onions and fried mushrooms! Wowza!
They were delicious! But difficult to get your mouth around!
The sun had come out, so we set up chairs on the lawn. When Kristi and Jason got home from their golf game, Kristi put together the ladder ball game while Ray opened the bean bag toss game.
And we had an afternoon of games in the sunshine! Bean bag toss...

Ray's back had enough so Deb took over...
Jason and Kristi...

Kristi and Jason went out for a boat ride...while the dogs watched them leave...
I joined Ray for a hot tub...
After a fun afternoon in the yard, we headed back up to the deck, where we sat while Kristi and Jason cooked dinner...Tomato and Sausage Risotto. It was delicious!
Jason headed back home to Nanaimo after dinner...he is driving down to Victoria early tomorrow morning to golf with this step-dad.

Sunday (May 19) Steve decided to throw a fishing line in the water off the dock while breakfast was cooking. (Deb's photo)
Shortly after 9:00 Steve and Kristi headed off to do a hike at Bald Mountain Park on the other side of the lake. Of course, I can't go and am totally jealous...oh well, I look forward to getting back into it once I have new knees!
Over to Steve...
There was a sign posted that a Cougar had been spotted in the area...glad we're with two dogs! There was lots of Scotch Broom but don't recall ever seeing any this colour before...normally they're just yellow...
It was a beautiful day for a hike...it was a steady climb...
One arm of Cowichan Lake...
The other arm of Cowichan Lake, Ray and Deb's place is at the far end...
Here you can see both arms of the lake, we are actually on a peninsula...
Zeus,  Kristi and Athena...
The dogs have run ahead...
Woodland Shores development below...




We made it...what a view!


While they were gone, Deb, Ray and I popped into town to run a couple of errands...most importantly to pick up some buns for the smokies we decided we're going to roast over a campfire. Once back, Deb got the fire going and we sat enjoying the fire...with a view!
 Perfect way to roast the smokies!
Steve and Kristi got back just in time to roast their's. Sounds like they had a fabulous hike...just over 8 km/5 miles with an elevation of 358 metres/1174 feet...a good workout!
Then it was time for the girls to enjoy Margarita's in the hot tub!
There was an ominous looking cloud hanging over the mountains and we thought we were going to be in for a big downpour...but it didn't happen. Another great afternoon! A houseboat passes by in the distance...
At 3:00 it was time to head up to the deck so Deb could put a pork roast on the barbecue...dinner would be a little earlier than usual so that Kristi can get home early this evening...
Just lazing on the deck...
After another delicious dinner (lots of good food and drink this weekend! So much for the diet LOL!), Kristi headed home, Steve and I cleaned up the dishes and then "resumed position" on the deck until the sun went down behind the trees.

We watched a movie...'Going In Style'...it was good and we even managed to stay awake!
One final look at the lake as the sun goes down...and we all head to bed...
We woke to a totally socked-in, cloudy, rainy day Monday (May 20) morning. I felt sorry for all of the long weekend campers having to pack up in the rain...we did it many times over the years!

Deb and I took our second cups of coffee outside and sat under the gazebo with the radiant heaters and fire on and a warm blanket over our legs...awesome!
But alas, all good things must come to an end and we went inside...I went up to shower and pack while Deb made Steve's favourite, "Monkey Bread". She had made it last time we were here and he requested it again. It is delicious!

It was going on 11:30 by the time we had the truck all packed up and ready to go. Thanks for all your hospitality, Deb and Ray...we had another fabulous time!

Our drive home was uneventful...busy on the road, though, with the holiday weekender's also heading home. But we experienced no accidents along the way and  traffic moved smoothly, only slowing down through the Goldstream area of the Malahat drive.

We did make one stop...in Mill Bay to fuel up the truck. The cost is cheaper up there than it is in the greater Victoria area. We paid $1.37/litre for diesel (that's about $5.19 Cdn or $3.86 US per gallon for all of our US friends).

Once home, we unpacked our suitcases and with everything put away, we chilled in our chairs for the rest of the rainy afternoon.

Tuesday (May 21) was not very exciting. We both puttered the morning away and then went into Sidney. Steve took care of a couple of errands while I did some grocery shopping.

The sun had come out by late afternoon, so Steve decided to do his power walk down to Island View Beach and back. I finished watching the final PVR'd episode of Outlander and then walked down to the beach to meet him.

We sat out in the sunshine for a bit and then headed inside for dinner and our usual evening of TV.