While he was gone, I received an email from ReBalanceMD...a notification I had been waiting and waiting for! It said they had a surgical date for my knee replacement and to call their office within the next 3 days to confirm it. Of course, I immediately called! My surgery date is October 8...I was hoping for a date in September, but it is what it is. It just means we won't be able to head south until the end of November since I will have six weeks of rehab to go through. Mind you, I let them know that we are retired so should they have a cancellation, I am ready and willing any time!
When Steve got home, I shared the news with him...like me, he was disappointed the date wasn't in September, but was happy to finally have a date. (Steve here. When I walked in all I heard was I have a date, I have a a date! Thought her boyfriend called...LOL!) While I printed off the information package ReBalance had emailed me, Steve went for his daily power walk down to Island View Beach. Even though we posted this photo before I knew he needed a hat this time :)
Late afternoon, I made a run out to Rob and Angie's house. A parcel had been delivered for me and I didn't want it sitting out on the doorstep. While there I gave the deck plants a little more water and refilled the hummingbird feeder. Hard to believe that Rob, Angie and the boys will be home in just a few days...wow, how time is flying!
Thursday (August 15) morning Steve wanted to get out for his walk before it got too hot, so he headed off around 9:15 while I had a shower. He was back about 45 minutes later and after a bit of a rest, we both headed out on a bike ride. We rode out of the park, taking the route I took yesterday to avoid some of the steeper hills. For the first time, we rode out to Lochside Drive and then north, making it as far as Cy Hampson Park, a popular off-leash dog park, and then turned around. We were back home about 45 minutes later, having ridden about 10 km. It feels so good to get out and get some exercise! I'm so glad that I can at least ride my bike!
After a bite to eat, we headed off into Victoria.. On the way we stopped at Sherwood Marine to take a look at the marine flag they had ordered in for Steve. It was way too big, so we decided to check out The Flag Shop in Victoria. Luckily there was a parking spot in front of the store, which is on one of the busiest streets in Victoria...Fort Street. I seemed to be waiting forever in a hot car...Steve found what he was after but the owner was very interested in our lifestyle so had lots of questions. When he finally returned we headed over to Hillside Mall to the grand opening of BC Shaver and Hobbies.
Steve left me in the food court where I enjoyed an iced Americano from Starbucks....while he checked out the hobby shop and then the huge Canadian Tire Store (we believe it is the second largest Canadian Tire store in western Canada).
After we were finished at the mall, instead of driving straight home, we took a scenic drive heading to the waterfront. I snapped a couple of pictures as we drove past Craigdarroch Castle...
Craigdarroch Castle is a definitively Victorian experience. It is a shining example of a “bonanza castle” — massive houses built for entrepreneurs who became wealthy during the industrial age. In this case, the industrialist was Robert Dunsmuir, a Scottish immigrant who made his fortune from Vancouver Island coal.
This legendary Victorian mansion, built between 1887 and 1890 on a hill overlooking the City of Victoria, announced to the world that Robert Dunsmuir was the richest and most important man in Western Canada.
He died in 1889, leaving his entire estate to his wife Joan, who lived in the Castle until her death in 1908.
The immense fortune of the Dunsmuir family is reflected in the four floors of exquisite stained glass windows, intricate woodwork and fabulous Victorian-era furnishings.
Deer...5 bucks...lounging in Ross Bay Cemetery...amazing...you couldn't get any further away from the wilderness here!
Ross Bay Cemetery, named for its unique oceanside location at Ross Bay, has been in continuous use since 1872 and is maintained and managed by the City of Victoria.
There is a lot of sewer construction along the waterfront on Dallas Road. Unfortunate because this is the busy season in Victoria and the city is jammed-packed full of tourists.
Including a huge cruise ship...the Ovation of the Seas, maximum capacity 4,905 passengers. Wow!
Friday (August 16) morning I wanted to get one last shopping trip in while we still have the use of Angie's car...they get home tomorrow night and we'll be returning the car to them. So I headed out to run a few errands before going to Costco and then finishing up at Save-on-Foods.
While I was gone, Steve got out for his daily power walk and also fixed his kite. He was down at the beach flying it when I got home mid-afternoon.
After putting the groceries away, I got out for a bike ride...staying in the park this time, doing 4 loops of all the roads. That was good for a 20 minute ride.
Although fairly sunny for the most part today, clouds were moving in and it was quite breezy making it a little too chilly to sit outside. So we sat inside for the rest of the afternoon and evening.
Saturday (August 17) morning Steve went out to vacuum the inside of the car while I prepared muffins and keto bread to take over to Rob and Angie's house to bake in their oven. Seems the pilot light doesn't want to stay on in ours...so we have Rogers Mobile RV coming out Monday to take a look. With our rig being 9 years old Steve wanted a pressure and leak test done on our propane system as we can smell a faint smell of propane occasionally.
With the car packed with bags of laundry and the baking to do, I headed off in the car and got gas while Steve followed in the truck. Yes...we'll be leaving the car at the house since Rob, Angie and the boys get home late tonight. I got the laundry started and the muffins in the oven while Steve washed the car and then watered the gardens. So that's where we spent the afternoon.
On the way home, we stopped and fuelled up the truck...$1.27/litre, at least it's a little cheaper than the cost of gas, for a change! Once home, and with the laundry put away, we sat inside...although sunny out, the breeze here near the ocean is chilly.
Sunday (August 18) was a sunny day but it was quite breezy. I sat outside in the sunshine knitting while Steve went for his power walk to Island View Beach.
Dave, Leslie and Dave's brother, John, arrived shortly after 12:30. We haven't seen Dave and Leslie since they left Quartzsite in early March. After big hugs, we all got into their car and headed off into Sidney for lunch at the waterfront restaurant, Rumrunner Pub and Restaurant.
We spent the next couple of hours catching up over drinks and lunch....left to right, John, Steve, me, Leslie and Dave...
After lunch we went back to our place and continued our visit for another hour. It was about 4:00 when they had to say goodbye and head back to John's place. A great afternoon...looking forward to seeing you Wednesday when we meet up at Lake Cowichan!
Late Monday (August 19) morning Tim from Rogers Mobile RV Repair came to fix the pilot in our oven and check the gas lines. With some difficulty removing the oven shelf he cleaned the pilot burner orifice, checked for system leaks and did a pressure test on our regulators finding one of them at 8"W.C. instead of 11"W.C., so adjusted it up and was done in about 45 minutes.
Just before 1:00 Deb called to see if we wanted to come up to their place at Lake Cowichan this afternoon, rather than wait until tomorrow. The weather is good and we could get a ride on the boat before they take it out tomorrow. So after a bite to eat, we were packed and on our way by 2:30...arriving at their place just after 4:00.
Steve unloaded our stuff from the truck...and before we knew it, we were relaxing on the deck with one of Ray's delicious Margaritas!...
We finished that drink and headed down to the boat for a ride. We followed the shore checking out some of the homes/cottages and house boats. It's amazing how many there are...
This is where Cowichan Lake empties into the Cowichan River. On the left is the lock for boats to get in and out of the river. in the middle is the small dam, and on the right is the weir to raise and lower the lake level...
Approaching the dock...that's Ray and Deb's place in the middle...
We enjoyed more deck time, a delicious dinner, followed by more deck time with the fire table on...Ray captured a beautiful sky this evening...
Dave and Leslie join us here tomorrow...should be a fabulous couple of days! Thanks Deb and Ray for sharing your piece of paradise with us...love this place!
After a bite to eat, we headed off into Victoria.. On the way we stopped at Sherwood Marine to take a look at the marine flag they had ordered in for Steve. It was way too big, so we decided to check out The Flag Shop in Victoria. Luckily there was a parking spot in front of the store, which is on one of the busiest streets in Victoria...Fort Street. I seemed to be waiting forever in a hot car...Steve found what he was after but the owner was very interested in our lifestyle so had lots of questions. When he finally returned we headed over to Hillside Mall to the grand opening of BC Shaver and Hobbies.
Steve left me in the food court where I enjoyed an iced Americano from Starbucks....while he checked out the hobby shop and then the huge Canadian Tire Store (we believe it is the second largest Canadian Tire store in western Canada).
After we were finished at the mall, instead of driving straight home, we took a scenic drive heading to the waterfront. I snapped a couple of pictures as we drove past Craigdarroch Castle...
Craigdarroch Castle is a definitively Victorian experience. It is a shining example of a “bonanza castle” — massive houses built for entrepreneurs who became wealthy during the industrial age. In this case, the industrialist was Robert Dunsmuir, a Scottish immigrant who made his fortune from Vancouver Island coal.This legendary Victorian mansion, built between 1887 and 1890 on a hill overlooking the City of Victoria, announced to the world that Robert Dunsmuir was the richest and most important man in Western Canada.
He died in 1889, leaving his entire estate to his wife Joan, who lived in the Castle until her death in 1908.
The immense fortune of the Dunsmuir family is reflected in the four floors of exquisite stained glass windows, intricate woodwork and fabulous Victorian-era furnishings.
Ross Bay Cemetery, named for its unique oceanside location at Ross Bay, has been in continuous use since 1872 and is maintained and managed by the City of Victoria.
While I was gone, Steve got out for his daily power walk and also fixed his kite. He was down at the beach flying it when I got home mid-afternoon.
After putting the groceries away, I got out for a bike ride...staying in the park this time, doing 4 loops of all the roads. That was good for a 20 minute ride.
Although fairly sunny for the most part today, clouds were moving in and it was quite breezy making it a little too chilly to sit outside. So we sat inside for the rest of the afternoon and evening.
Saturday (August 17) morning Steve went out to vacuum the inside of the car while I prepared muffins and keto bread to take over to Rob and Angie's house to bake in their oven. Seems the pilot light doesn't want to stay on in ours...so we have Rogers Mobile RV coming out Monday to take a look. With our rig being 9 years old Steve wanted a pressure and leak test done on our propane system as we can smell a faint smell of propane occasionally.
With the car packed with bags of laundry and the baking to do, I headed off in the car and got gas while Steve followed in the truck. Yes...we'll be leaving the car at the house since Rob, Angie and the boys get home late tonight. I got the laundry started and the muffins in the oven while Steve washed the car and then watered the gardens. So that's where we spent the afternoon.
On the way home, we stopped and fuelled up the truck...$1.27/litre, at least it's a little cheaper than the cost of gas, for a change! Once home, and with the laundry put away, we sat inside...although sunny out, the breeze here near the ocean is chilly.
Sunday (August 18) was a sunny day but it was quite breezy. I sat outside in the sunshine knitting while Steve went for his power walk to Island View Beach.
Dave, Leslie and Dave's brother, John, arrived shortly after 12:30. We haven't seen Dave and Leslie since they left Quartzsite in early March. After big hugs, we all got into their car and headed off into Sidney for lunch at the waterfront restaurant, Rumrunner Pub and Restaurant.
We spent the next couple of hours catching up over drinks and lunch....left to right, John, Steve, me, Leslie and Dave...
Late Monday (August 19) morning Tim from Rogers Mobile RV Repair came to fix the pilot in our oven and check the gas lines. With some difficulty removing the oven shelf he cleaned the pilot burner orifice, checked for system leaks and did a pressure test on our regulators finding one of them at 8"W.C. instead of 11"W.C., so adjusted it up and was done in about 45 minutes.
Just before 1:00 Deb called to see if we wanted to come up to their place at Lake Cowichan this afternoon, rather than wait until tomorrow. The weather is good and we could get a ride on the boat before they take it out tomorrow. So after a bite to eat, we were packed and on our way by 2:30...arriving at their place just after 4:00.
Steve unloaded our stuff from the truck...and before we knew it, we were relaxing on the deck with one of Ray's delicious Margaritas!...
So glad you got your surgical date! Know you've been waiting for it for some time. Love the photo of the deer at the graveyard--never seen that before!
ReplyDeleteThanks...at least we can plan our travels better! We were so surprised to see that many deer there!
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