Monday, August 17 to Monday, August 31, 2020 (Peace Arch RV Park, Surrey, BC)

Monday (August 17) we said goodbye to Rob as he headed off to work at 6:20 and we were all packed and ready to head to the ferry just before 9:00. After big hugs to Angie and the boys, we were off to the ferry terminal...a short 10 minute drive. We were in plenty of time to catch the 10:00 a.m. sailing but it was a busy Monday morning...we managed to make it on the 11:00 a.m. sailing. We were on the bottom deck where all the semi's, RV's and buses go. This morning the surplus vehicles that could not make the upper car deck made it on the lower deck....no windows down here though. Since COVID-19 Transport Canada is allowing BC Ferry passenger to remain on the car decks and it's recommended by BC Ferries to do so. Masks are recommended if social distancing isn't possible.
(Update...masks are now mandatory.) The one thing we hate about remaining on the car deck is the constant car alarms going off!

Tuesday (August 18) was another beautiful day. We did our daily walk here around the campground and then Steve removed the 10+ year old batteries out of both quads. Not easy access...he had to remove 6 bolts to get the front cargo racks off, then another 2 bolts to remove a flat plate above the batteries. He has ordered new ones and we will pick them up tomorrow. Other than that, not much today.

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...

The new battery in Steve's quad did the trick...it fired right up! Yay! Good decision to replace the batteries in both quads...they are identical, purchased at the same time.

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!

Thursday (August 20) morning we woke to the sound of rain on the roof...as predicted. It ended up not raining all that much throughout the day but was cloudy. It was still warm, though, so that was a bonus! However, it looks like the major rain is coming tomorrow...it is needed to help with the wildfires burning in the province.

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.

Back home, we spent the rest of the afternoon outside. Our neighbours, Roland and Carol (and Cody) joined us for happy hour. Oops..I caught Roland between smiles...LOL!

We had a relaxing day Sunday (August 23)...and then headed to Chris and Angela's shortly before 2:30. We had a wonderful time sitting out on their deck watching and playing with Isaac...

A rare moment...Isaac playing with Gramma...

Tonight we're celebrating Steve's birthday again...last week at Rob and Angie's and now at Chris and Angela's! Chris ordered in Chinese food...nothing like a good feast of Chinese food! And Angela made authentic Italian Tiramisu as his birthday cake! A few weeks ago, she had taken a course virtually on making it...straight from a pastry chef in Italy! Absolutely awesome, Angela!

Chris even made us both a cappuccino...

After dinner, Isaac showed us his block tower building abilities...

After a great visit and a wonderful meal, we said goodnight and headed home. Thanks for the birthday dinner!

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...

We thought they opened at 11:30 so ended up being the first in line at noon when they actually opened the doors. We got our pick of tables, taking a corner table next to the rail (as noted above). It was perfect, view wise, but was a little hot because there was no shade. The non rail tables with umbrellas would have been a smarter choice but didn't offer the same view. I was fine because the sun was on my back, but Steve should have gotten his hat from our car (that was parked right below us)...

Steve with fish and chips...

While I had Seafood Chowder and Caesar Salad...









The rooftop patio is very popular!

The view...too bad there are power lines in the way...

Free dessert for Steve's birthday...chocolate mocha ice cream cake!

After a delicious lunch "with a view" we decided to take a walk along the White Rock pier (we walked it and the waterfront promenade a few weeks back)...

There were too many people at the end of the pier so we turned around...

The rain sensor on our car windshield came off again today. So after lunch and our walk, we drove out to The Honda Way in Abbotsford where we bought the car. We are still covered under warranty (3 months/3000 kms), so let's get it taken care of! The technician put the sensor back on but said we needed a new one. So we have an appointment to drop the car off next Monday.

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...

Still lots of ducks resting in the creek...

I spent a couple of hours in the afternoon doing laundry...and that was pretty much our day. I haven't been mentioning it, but pretty well everyday we go for a bike ride late afternoon.

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)

Turns out its a miniature barn for Barn Owls...

Bulrushes...

Nicomekl River at low tide...

Wards Marina ...

Historic Stewart Farm...the farmhouse was being renovated last time we walked by and is still closed for tours....

The orchard...

Steve tackled some maintenance on the trailer once we got home...re-sealing a window. For some reason the Butyl Sealant on this window only, keeps squeezing out from under the window frame requiring a frequent cleanup and reapplication in the last few years (of Proflex Sealant). Unfortunately once he got the old stuff off and got it all masked, he discovered his tube of Proflex had dried out, so he had to make a quick trip out to Traveland in Langley to buy another tube.

I kept myself busy by doing some research on the laptop...I want to make yogurt in my Instant Pot but it doesn't have a "yogurt" setting. Don't know if I'm going to be successful or not...some experimenting using water found that it was too hot and hard to control the temperature. Drats!

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.

We sat outside in the courtyard behind the building...

We were back home by early afternoon. Steve packaged up the binoculars (luckily Markarian had a box) and then I headed off to the post office.

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!

And his little brother, Bryce (5)...

Bryce, Conner and with Dad (Rob). They had their masks for the flight...

So we had a video call with them right after lunch...and heard all about it from Conner. I think the thing that impressed him most was wearing the headphones and talking! According to Rob, Bryce was excited for about 10 minutes and then lost interest LOL. Conner absolutely loves airplanes and knows everything about them! I believe we are going to have a pilot in the family!

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...

Although it was fairly sunny out, it wasn't all that warm and the breeze made it cooler, so we decided to head inside. Angela, Isaac and Chris...it's really hard to get Isaac to look at the camera!

After dinner, we visited a little longer and then I helped put Isaac's pyjamas on him and Chris gathered all of their things. They headed off just after 8:00...another great visit! Our weekends here are starting to get numbered now...only a few left.

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.

 A small pond...

 Ducks and a Great Blue Heron...

 That's cool!

 Lots of water running through this whole area...

About an hour or so later, we were back at our car...just shy of 5 km/3 miles of up and down! But a great hike in a very scenic area.

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?