(Update...masks are now mandatory.) The one thing we hate about remaining on the car deck is the constant car alarms going off!
Wednesday (August 19) was the last of our nice stretch of weather. We had a mix of sun and cloud today with rain to start tonight continuing through Thursday and Friday before the sun re-appears for the weekend.
We returned to Sunnyside Acres Urban Forest for our walk this morning...it is turning into one of our favourite nearby parks to walk. On our way home, we went to Edmond's Batteries to pick up the new quad batteries.
Once home, Steve got right to work installing the new batteries...while I worked on a blog update. A little tight in there, but he managed to do it without having to offload them...
We had a surprise visit in the afternoon from a colleague of Steve's from his work days. Tracy and her husband, Colin, popped by to say hi. Tracy used to work at Pacific Controls Ltd head office here in Vancouver but is also now retired. Great seeing you both...we will definitely try to get a visit in with you before we head over to the island!
I headed out just after 1:00. After a quick shop at Costco, I went to my appointment at PariseveryBODY + SportMed in Langley to have my foot orthotics checked. They are 3 years old and my right foot has been bothering me off and on...hopefully just an adjustment is all that is needed. He added a felt pad to the orthotic to raise the right side of my foot...hopefully it will do the trick. We'll see over the next week...I made an appointment for next Thursday and was on my way home.
Friday (August 21) we had the rain that was predicted. Unfortunately, we didn't get out for our morning walk. The rain would stop and we'd get our shoes on to head out and it would start back up...this happened 3 times! So it ended up pretty much being an inside day for Steve...while I went out grocery shopping.
Tonight our Vancouver Canucks played another hockey game against the St. Louis Blues...winning and knocking the Blues out of the playoffs. Yay! Now we wait to see who they will be playing next.
Saturday (August 22) we were back to blue sky...with a few fluffy clouds here and there. As is usual on a weekend, we went for our daily walk here at the campground. It's just too busy at the parks on the weekends, especially on sunny days. Unfortunately, BC has had an uptick in Covid-19 cases recently. The hot spot seems to be here in the lower mainland (Greater Vancouver Region), so we continue to be careful. We are looking forward to moving over to Vancouver Island next month where the case numbers are much lower.
Steve washed the car and then we headed into Vancouver. His binoculars have a broken focusing adjustment wheel so after some research, Steve found a shop in Vancouver than does repairs...Markarian Fine Optics. When we got there, though, the fellow suggested contacting Bushnell before he does any work on them...apparently they have a great warranty and may fix or replace them. So he left them there in case he didn't have a favourable response from Bushnell.
We got home just after 8:00, so Steve missed a bit of the hockey game. The Vancouver Canucks are playing the first game in the next series against the Vegas Golden Knights...unfortunately they lost horribly (5-0)!
Monday (August 24)...and today is Steve's official 65th birthday! Another celebration...this time we are going to the Boathouse Restaurant located on the waterfront in White Rock. They have a rooftop patio that looks perfect for enjoying lunch with a view. The main restaurant is on the second floor with all of the glass windows. We were on the rooftop at the table right by that power pole...
While I had Seafood Chowder and Caesar Salad...The rooftop patio is very popular!
Tuesday (August 25) morning we drove to Blackie's Spit for our walk...it was another beautiful day. Steve just missed capturing huge flocks of ducks that flew over...just a few here...
Hockey game again tonight! This time the Vancouver Canucks redeemed themselves, winning 5-2 over the Vegas Golden Knights. That's one game each in the series!
Wednesday (August 26) morning we decided to go to Elgin Heritage Park for our walk. We haven't been there for quite awhile. In addition to walking the main trail, this time we also took a side trail across the bridge to what we thought would be a lookout tower...
(Click to enlarge photo)
Nothing very exciting Thursday (August 27)...we went for our morning walk at Sunnyside Acres Urban Forest again and then I went to another foot orthotics appointment. The adjustment seemed to help my right foot but now my left foot was starting to bug me...sheesh! So I left the pair of orthotics to be refurbished. At $100 to have that done, it's a lot cheaper than getting new ones...besides he said the main components should last 5 to 7 years. The soft components that are being refurnished usually last 2 to 3 years...I've had them for over 3 years now. They will be ready tomorrow.
Friday (August 28) morning we drove back into Vancouver to pick up Steve's binoculars at Markarian Fine Optics. Steve had received an email response from Bushnell..."We can't tell what model you have but it looks to be an older discontinued pair of either Sportsman or Trophy. We would honour warranty but if it is discontinued, we would have to replace them with a current comparable model as parts would no longer be available. You can send your binoculars in to us for warranty assessment." Sweet...should have them back in plenty of time for hunting season (Steve)!
On our way home, we stopped to have coffee with Chris at his new Phoenix Labs office, an independent video game studio in Burnaby. He had been working from home since last March until the beginning of August when employees returned to a brand new office on the 5th floor...much more space for spreading everyone out. The main floor has a coffee shop with lots of tables spread out...a very nice open environment.
Saturday (August 29) morning we found out that Rob, Conner and Bryce had gone up for a ride in a Cessna 172, a 4-seater airplane. Rob and Angie had given Conner a promise for the airplane ride back in January for his 7th birthday but then Covid hit and they had been putting it off until they felt it was safe. Well, today was the day! Thanks for the pictures, Angie!
Look at this very excited Conner!
Chris, Angela and Isaac arrived just after 3:30. We managed to sit out for awhile. Too funny that Isaac did not realize that mom had tucked a "flower" behind his ear...
Sunday (August 30) started off nice and sunny but by mid afternoon, it had clouded over. It also wasn't overly warm. Steve did some more maintenance chores on the trailer...fixing the wiring on an exterior light under the overhang and caulking around the antenna on the roof.
I pretty well worked on this blog update most of the afternoon.
Monday (August 31) was basically the opposite of yesterday...it started off cloudy and we even had a little rain. More like a mist. But later on in the day, some blue sky broke through.
We were on the road just after 8:00 a.m....on our way out to Abbotsford for our appointment at Honda Way to have the rain sensor on the windshield replaced. We were told it shouldn't take too long so we waited for it to be done. After waiting for about an hour, we were told they only ordered the "gel pack" and discovered that the whole rain sensor needed to be replaced...um...we thought that's what they were doing?! They have to order in the sensor, which will take a couple of days, so we'll have to come back...again! Sheesh!
We had picked out a park in Abbotsford to go for our walk today, so we went to Clearbrook Park to hike Downes Bowl Trail....Downes Bowl is a scenic area with a network of hiking trails located in Clearbrook Park in Abbotsford. The bowl shaped terrain is unique in that the area has a large marsh with wooden boardwalks and small bridges that cross several streams. Dropping down into the bowl also makes for a quieter hiking experience even though the park is located near busy roads and sports fields.
We spent the rest of the day working on this blog update and doing a few chores (like emptying and flushing the tanks).
And that brings us up-to-date...September 1st tomorrow! Wow...where did the summer go?
