Author: Contessa Jewall

Yes we are home safe and sound. It took three hours to get back home yesterday afternoon. I had started this post yesterday but by the time the RV was emptied and things put away I was totally worn out. Today I did the RV laundry and made sure that everything that belonged here in the house was in the house. I always forget the hot mats 🙄 Tomorrow the RV bathroom and kitchen gets cleaned along with a vacuum. No sense dusting as somehow the dust gets in while it is in storage.

Our home as well as all of Holiday Park is wonderfully fine. Lots of ash and debris to be cleaned up but that is to be expected. Some who stayed wished that they had left. Others were alright with staying. I am still glad that we left, in our minds it was the right thing to do. Friday the day we left was the worst of all we have been told. The firefighters worked so hard in the most difficult situations, 16 hour shifts breathing that toxic smoke. Monday the toxicity numbers were off the chart. Yesterday they were down 50% and today even better. The air quality has been at an 11+ for several days.

I have to say that when we opened up the house yesterday we never expected to smell so much toxic smoke. I coughed and coughed. However with all of our windows open it did not take long to clear out. There was quite a bit of ash all over which Colin cleaned up with his “leaf sucker upper “, no idea what it is called. First we fed the girls a late lunch and then we unloaded. Of course I had packed more than we need as we did not know if we would ever be back. Better to have more than less. And for those who want to know, I did not do my kinesiology exercises while away, nor last night. I should resume today but I made the decision to do this post instead. Not your fault but mine!!

For certain mañana. Thank you all for reaching out to us, it really did help ground us. The girls loved their walks and Colin enjoyed his guitar and me my vino and a book. We really went back and forth about returning yesterday ( Tuesday ) but finally made the decision to return. Once the RV was unloaded, the winds picked up and rain began to fall. Then it stopped, then it rained heavy, then another pause. It was off and of and then we had rain like we have never had rain. Straight down and heavy. That rain cleared the smoke This morning we woke up to blue in the sky and very little smoke and only a “1 low risk air quality” ( thank you Sue K for the air quality link).

However as today progressed the clouds came in as did the winds. No rain but we did start smelling smoke again. We are down to a “3 low risk” this evening. There are three separate major fires burning and they are still out of control but thanks to many boots on the ground (500 firefighters from all over ) they are mostly keeping the fires away from homes and structures.

I read yesterday that a singe firetruck from Ellison saved an entire condo complex here in Lake Country, a day or two ago, just the few firefighters and their truck. These men and woman are so very brave and never give up. There have been photos thru homeowners cameras of a single fire-fighter saving a home and another three others stopping a fire from going up a berm and saved at least 3 homes – true heroes. So many more stories like this. And then there are the restaurants and individuals and community groups coming together to feed all the firefighters plus those evacuated from their home. Many of the fire-fighters are also evacuated from their homes. One of the fire chiefs today ‘joked’ that he was running out of underwear and his family was also evacuated. These fellows have not been home since this all started 😥

Our provincial government had put a travel ban in effect for two days in all of BC. Hotels, airbnb’s and campgrounds were full. There was nowhere to house the evacuees and of course that was important. As of today the ban only remains for West Kelowna, allowing for some tourism as well as accommodation for the evacuees. Many are offering rental properties at a discount, some places are offering free accommodation for a few days. Our BC community is first rate, so many have come to together to feed those sleeping on cots in an arena, some just sitting in a community centre, the food bank is making 1000’s of boxes everyday, many are opening up an extra bedroom in their home. It is going to take us a very long time to get back to some sort of normal. Did you even think about the grapes on the vine, might be a very smokey harvest?

Sadly today is that day that those who lost their homes will find out their fate. 180 homes destroyed 😥  😥

I honestly don’t have time to reply to your various comments but I will, especially if you had a question. I need a few days to get back to normal re the business and preparing for Mexico. But thank you very much for your comments, it has bolstered us.

Wish I knew 😯  So much has been happened the past two days. In our downtime both the inside and basement of the RV have been prepped for our next trip to Mexico. I still can’t believe that we leave seven weeks today 😎

I hope that you are okay with these bits and pieces, not necessarily in order.

~I had purchased a large fillet of fresh wild sockeye salmon two days before we left.  Once we landed in this lovely spot and more or less set up this past Friday Colin left to pick up a few supplies for us to BBQ the salmon. No way did we want to waste that lovely salmon. The fish was perfect as was as the potatoes Colin picked up. Accompanied with  zucchini from our garden and a ceaser salad we ate very well. Last night we had a salmon burger.  Tonight we have a choice of Costco quiche, veggie burger, two types of hot pasta or tuna pies. Look like the chef has chosen tuna pies. The unsettling thing about the Friday meal was that Colin discovered that the local gas station was out of fuel. Oh wel, yet another thing to deal with on another day.

~tonight is our fourth night here. A very lovely RV park.  The girls are so very good. They seem to be alright sitting outside on a leash tied to a tree. Today Colin took them for a long walk around the park off leash. Then down to the rocky beach of the Kettle River. They listened to all his voice commands. I could see that they have changed over the past months but they certainly proved it to us.

~Colin had brought several bowls of tomatoes/zucchini and patty pan squash from our garden which he shared with everyone here. Back home someone graciously watered our veggie garden the other day ( I can’t remember ) and another friend watered the tomato  plants in our yard. Folks are being very helpful to us as well as all the evacuees. Hot food is being delivered free of charge all over the city and of course the fire stations. There have been over 50 homes destroyed but they are still counting. Several  fire-fighters have lost their homes yet keep fighting these three fires that remain out of control. I feel for them and of course their wives and children left with little emotional support. Most are working 16 hours shifts in the very very thick choking  smoke.

~I am spending hours online trying to figure it all out.

~as of this morning the fires had calmed however they all remain out of control. The University and area were taken off their evacuation order but remain on alert. However the smoke is being held down by its very thickness and not dissipating. Added to that are the associated smells of toxic fumes and burnt homes ( tires also plus ?? ) and vegetation. Air quality on a scale of 1 – 10 is literally off the charts at an 11+. Reports from those who have returned to Holiday Park are about the smell and thick toxic smoke.

~we have been debating on returning tomorrow or waiting until Wednesday. Winds are to pick up tonight, there is a 30% chance of showers  🙂 as well as thunder showers. Tomorrow ( Tuesday ) is a 70% chance of showers. We don’t mind getting wet as we unload.  Much better that breathing toxic air.  Many are worried about their A/C units being full of ash. What to do?

~today Holiday Park sent out a totally revised form on evacuation procedures as approved by the Kelowna Fire Department!  It varies quite a bit from what was in effect when we left. All to the good but why so late in the game 😯 Also the parks webcams are down, two were working up to yesterday but now we have no visual of the amount of smoke in the air 😡

~homes have been destroyed but we don’t’ have the total number nor any details. Those whose homes have been destroyed need to be contacted first.

~a day or two before we left the  temperature was 102F. The past two mornings we awoke up to 53F and 51F. Those temps have helped cool the fires but they are all still burning out of control as I type this.

~ of course we are very aware of Hurricane Hilary. For once there was no damage to the Isla. However Hilary hit the USA very hard 😥  The hope is that  she will drop some water on our fires tomorrow as she passes through

~thank you all so much for your comments on this blog via comments, via text, message or email and phone calls. They have all helped calm us and we are so very very thankful for you being there for us. It means so very much to realize how many of you care – and especially my long lost friends and our special blog reader from Australia. Tears did flow as your comments were read, we did not feel quite so alone

~we are ever so thankful that our RV park has been saved. However those who have returned to our park are still ready to leave at a moments notice. There are still winds and thunder storms in the forecast. We will make our decision to return or not in the morning.

~sadly the the fire fighting air support has been unable to fly the past few days. Worry some.

~however friends from the Isla who live in our park reported rain about 45 minutes ago 😎 Please let it rain. Fabulous news at 7:54PM Monday.

If you are ever down this way ( just  a mile or two from the US border ) The Kettle River RV Park is a wonderful place to relax in. Just a few miles east of Rock Creek.

 

 

 

 

 

I am fairly certain that most of you have read about the fires in British Columbia and now particularly in Kelowna, BC. You only have to read or listen to the news. Thursday night was hell on earth for firefighters.  At least four ( have heard up to six but can’t confirm that ) started from the Friday night fires via hot embers flying across Lake Okanagan – yes huge big lake. One of our neighbours  knocked on our door early yesterday ( Friday ) morning to tell us that they and their families were leaving Holiday Park. One of the fathers friends had just had a hot ember land on their roof and their home was on fire. The house is only 4KM away from our place. That got us thinking.

 

So we began to slowly pack and make piles of things to go to the RV. I was constantly checking the computer for updates. We could see the highway from our home and it was bumper to bumper heading east ( had been all of Thursday night as the evacuation orders were put in force ) and ever so slow. Where could we go? Spoke with another neighbour who suggested heading west out of the park to Highway 33 heading south and then turn east on Highway 3 ( Crowsnest Hwy) where the communities of Rock Creek, Kettle River and Midway were. Turns out that this area had become a haven for fire evacuees. Was a 75 mile drive for us but due to the extremely curvy roads it took about 2.5 hours.

Before I continue I want to let you know how difficult this is to write. How difficult to leave our home and all our beautiful possessions, etc. I had to work very hard at not breaking down. Such difficult decisions to make as to what to take and what not to take. Everything I left behind, I knew that I may never see it again ( and still might not ). As it was we forgot a few things like dog ramps and dog fencing and certain food items. Lots of pasta but no sauce. The fresh wild sockeye salmon that I just had purchased but no marinade ingredients, nor rice nor potatoes. We do have tons of tomatoes and way too many zucchini. We won’t starve. I packed all the chocolate and as much white wine as I could. What I am trying to tell you is that this post is likely going to be all over the place. Much to difficult to keep things in chronological order but I will do my best. Many of you have been asking the Que Pasa of what is happening do I finally force myself sit down to write this post. Thank you to all of you who called, emailed, texted, etc. Special thanks to a few of you who helped by looking up locations, maps and finding us a palace to stay in an RV Park. Special thanks to Al of the Bayfield Bunch back in Ontario who reached out to someone, Barb M. in the Vernon area ( I am so sorry that I have not got back to you yet – but I will ) to help us find a place to stay. Friends all over BC, Alberta ( and other parts of Canada ) and the USA and many from Mexico. Your messages truly helped get us through the difficult hours.

I feel for a friend who has been evacuated two days in a row. Even worse, it was twenty years ago yesterday to the day that she lost her home to the 2003 fire and was now in the same shopping mall (as 20 years ago) camping out. Sorry I have not reached out but please know that we care. Special thanks to a dear friend who is sending me any mention of our home area in the news. She urged us to leave ( her fiancé is a firefighter captain ). She is alone with her son and worried not just for herself, but for him. So many of you reaching out.

I already getting ahead of myself. Hope you can figure it all out..

We left Holiday Park at 2:45 PM Friday the18th afternoon. We loaded the golf cart which Colin took and unload into the RV and then came back to the house. We loaded the Jeep  which I thought I was going to drive behind the RV but Colin wanted us to be together so we hooked it up. However Colin could not find the tow bars and had to go back to the house. By the way we left the power on but shut off the water and the propane. I also tied a red ribbon to the door and taped a note to the door window saying that we had left and about the propane and water. I didn’t want to ruin two freezers full of things that I had already begun to purchase for trip to Mexico. Hard to believe that we are leaving in seven weeks. We had also loaded my car and we put all of that into the RV and unloaded stuff from the RV that we did not need into the Lexus which now sits in the RV storage site. It was cold here this morning so I wish we had kept our Mr. Buddy,  We went from sweltering temps (to us), to a cool 69F.

See I how I get distracted. Finally on the road. Good thing we were going west. Traffic not so bad. Lots of vehicles lined up around the block trying to get fuel. Drove south on HWY 33, and then east on Hwy 3. My good friend Joanne found us the last RV site here at the Kettle River RV Park on Hwy 3. We only got this RV site because someone had to cancel. They cancelled because they lost their home to fire Thursday night, so very very sad. It truly is a lovely place but I really wish that the original folks had been able to come. Much smokier today that when we arrived 24 hours ago. Colin spent well and I tossed and turned. However it was black dark and as quiet as possible and so cool that it was lovely.

Apparently seven water bombers worked for hours today on “our” fire ( the one closet to us ). That was wonderful news. But care homes are being evacuated. So many people/organizitons and restaurants are offering to help and are donating. The community is striving to work together. But what is happening in this world of ours? Hawaiian fires, next flooding in California and Arizona and BC on fire and the entire city of Whitehorse, NWT being evacuate, the entire city 😮

So many heart warming posts on the media.

35,000 homes evacuated. Meanwhile new fires continue in Oliver, Penticton and the Shuswap and I don’t where else. many RCMP ( police ) have been flown from other parts of BC to assist. Various communities have sent not only firefighters but also fire trucks to assist.

Thanks for reading thus far, if you have. It took over four hours to get this post written. I really hope in my heart of hearts that I wake up to a better day.

 

 

 

 

 

Because of the heat we are enduring and a cold front coming in tomorrow,  we are in a perfect storm for fires, so say the officials.

“The BC Wildfire Service’s top official did not mince words during Thursday’s press conference: “This weather event has the potential to be most challenging 24 to 48 hours of the summer from a fire perspective. We are expecting significant growth and we are expecting our resources to be challenged from north to south.”

The forecast in B.C. is calling for a potential “perfect storm” for wildfires over the next couple of days, with expected dry lightning and strong, erratic winds, on top of the already bone-dry conditions across much of the province.

BC Wildfire Service director Cliff Chapman said this weather event is unique in that it will have a provincewide impact. But he noted the southern half of the province, including the Cariboo, Kamloops and Southeast fire centres, will be most susceptible.

“The conditions out in the forests are very primed to see significant fire growth and to see new fires challenge our suppression efforts,” Chapman said.

After a high pressure system has sat over much of the province for the past several days, driving temperatures up to the high 30s, a cold front will make its way down through B.C. from the northwest throughout the day Thursday. While the cold front will cool down temperatures to the high 20s, the transition is expected to bring strong, erratic winds, gusting to speeds of 70 km/h, along with dry lightning.”

I can’t even keep track where all the fires are right now. Enough to say that three of them began issuing evacuation orders a few hours ago, over 2500 people have been evacuated and another 4,500 homes are on evacuation alert. There is one very active fire south of us, two to the east and a huge one directly behind us.  Some of the other fires have evacuation orders and alerts. We are in no danger whatsoever but that can change in an instant. The fire behind us is sending out much ash including blackened leaves, pinecone needles and small pieces of wood. Over the past few hours the winds have increased as promised. Going outside feels like walking into a hot oven. Hopefully no hot embers will find their way here.

Today we are seeing things we never have before, different colours on the lake as well as different shaped clouds and formations. The sun has reflected into the lake the past few hours over and over with some sparkly but various colours. They sky has changed over and over. We have seen many fires in our 20 years here, but this is a big one and perhaps because of the ‘perfect storm’ we are seeing new things. Already we have seen the winds shift. I just went out to take a photo of a strange cloud formation and I could actually smell trees burning 😥

What we are seeing is upsetting but they say that tomorrow will be worse as the winds will shift and move towards West Kelowna. This is week is the 20th anniversary of the huge 2003 fire, many homes were lost. The day we took possession of our second site  here in the park ( we were in the RV ) we were aware of fires to the west and south of us. By dusk they were not too far from us, in the south. Many were gettting their RV’s ready to evacuate. A fireman friend had his 5th wheel permanently skirted. He took it all off and hooked up. That was our signal to prepare to leave. We were never officially evacuated but many of us left the park. I drove the car behind our RV, we did not want take the time to hook up but we had walkie talkies. We ended up at the Walmart in Vernon. We know for certain that a miracle took place. There was little to no rain in the forecast but just where the fire had begun to get close to our area there was a cloud burst and the fire slowed right down 😮

Today the fire was in the hills above Bear Creek Provincial Park. The park was on evacuation alert. Our friends S & B are park managers there. This was not their first brush with fires in the area. The RVers all left and they brought up the rear and closed the gate so to speak. They are rather unsettled tonight, as this week is the 20th anniversary almost to the day that they lost their home to the 2003 fire. And now today they had to evacuate with their only home which happens to be on wheels. S also writes a blog and you can follow her thoughts by clicking here.

In other news Hurricane Hilary will be passing by Mazatlan on its way south to Cabo San Lucas and sending some weather towards the Isla. I am not going to worry about that until later tomorrow. Just learned that the rains have already begun.

We called some friends in Guadalajara this evening who were also living in smoke. Apparently some developers in the city were setting fire to trees and vegetation so that they had clear ground to build on. Against the law, but it is Mexico 😯

I had another update but I will deal with that in the next post. I had no idea that this post would grow as it has.

I have more photos but it is almost 10PM and we need to have dinner. Hopefully the rest of the story tomorrow.

I have not proofed this, just wrote it, so please excuse spelling and gramma errors.

 

 

 

Breaking heat records today. Yesterday it was scorching but today it is searing hot, we got up to 102F. Finally down to 86F at 9PM tonight as I type this. The A/C is still on. I had to drive into town for my kinesiology appointment early this afternoon and then I made seven stops on the way home 😯  About six too many. Some short and some much longer. It was wonderful to walk into the cool air at home. The A/C is working just fine in my car but with all the stops it barely cools down. Sadly the heat is generating many new fires 😥

We leave in seven weeks and six days for Mexico. I have to start doing all the to do’s. I don’t even have a list, I am doing things as they pop into my mind.  Colin spent the last two ( very very long and hot ) days doing photography ( interiors and exteriors of a multi million dollar home ) for one of our clients. He will be home now for at least a week sitting at his desk doing editing and photoshop. The girls missed him so much, it was sad to see. Each time a car drove past they jumped up to see if it was him. Last night when he finally got home after 10PM ( he left at 8:30AM and never had a break all day ) the girls very firmly expressed to us that they would be sleeping in our bed. In fact they were asleep on top of the bed covers with 15 minutes of Colin getting home. They could finally relax and rest. The last few days had been difficult for them.

The lovely couple who are extremely interested in purchasing our home came by this past Saturday. They were measuring a variety of areas inside and outside of our home. Once done we sat down to have ‘the’ discussion. The numbers seemed to work, however there was no way that I could sell, pack up my home and find a place to store everything in just eight weeks. I kindly explained that we were interested but the time was not right for us. I refuse to be homeless. So we agreed to speak again May/June. Such a relief, decision made. We will look at the Isla and other areas in Mexico through different eyes this coming winter. Depending on what we find and where, then we will rethink the house sale or just keep it 😎

 

 

We have been living in a whirlwind this past week. Just under nine weeks from today we will heading south once again. We can hardly wait. If I say the word beach the girls get excited. So many things happening and to be decided.

A lovely couple has approached us and asked to see our home as they want to buy it 😥  The price is right. However there is no way that I could get my house emptied for someone else in just nine weeks. Colin and I have been thinking long and hard, twisting things over and over, asking so many what ifs that my head is spinning. Bottom line we are not selling right now. The buyers are okay with waiting until May ( June I hope ) to make the final decision. Obviously we will be looking at Mexico with a different perspective the next 5 – 6 months. We can move anywhere we want in Mexico but where? I see a few road trips within Mexico coming up. Apparently many new condos are being built on the Isla right now.

One thing we have decided is that we will only rent and not buy in Mexico. We are free to start closing down the company next year and to stay as long as we want anywhere in Mexico. We will need to explore different locations. I think that I need the ocean and the beach otherwise I would be unsettled. Nothing stopping us from renting eight months on the Isla and then moving inland to enjoy cooler weather during the summer, or traveling in the RV to visit places in the US or even back here for two months or so. However if we find something just perfect for us then we will sell this house in the spring. On the other hand what if my body gives out in 2 -3 years and I become housebound, I can’t imagine myself anywhere else but here on the lake. Money is not everything. If we are careful then we can keep this house and rent somewhere. As you can see there are so very very many decisions to make. We did build this home as our final forever home which is why we put so many extras into it. We have also considered renting out our home for a few years but certainly don’t want it to get trashed.

I refuse to be stressed. Yesterday I turned my loaner hearing aides back in. I had to either return the loaners or order my personal set. I just don’t have the time nor the patience to figure out why such and such is squealing or snapping and creating noise in my ears. I will try again in May or June when I have time to go get things checked out weekly to create the optimum use of hearing aids. $8,000.00 is a good deal of money to spend for something you won’t use.

In my heart of hearts, I want to take this coming winter off to just sit, relax and regroup ( and read and read ) in our new location and of course walk the beach. With our temporal visa we have four full years to decide what we want to do. I am always so organized and structured but at this point we have an idea but no firm date of when we will come back to Canada. I have even let our accountant know. I have to have the company year completed by the end of April but who knows when that will happen in 2024. Our accountant said that he can handle it and make it work for us 😎 New location information still coming in a post.

Two nights ago I made a tasty stir fry with our garden veggies plus baked our main in the oven. The oven would not shut off. It just kept running. In the end we had to shut down all the electricity in the house. We called Coast Appliances where we purchased all of our kitchen appliances back in 2012. Basically all they could advise was to call a repair company. Just before the power went out, I saw error code F11. That gave us something to research yesterday. We also called Frigidaire Professional directly but they were of little help. In the end we went from what we learned on Google and reset the oven. We made pizza last night and heated the oven to 500F and it shut down perfectly as it was supposed to. Domtech told us they we needed a new code board and that you couldn’t get then anymore but they happened to just have the one. No thank you, for the cost of the board and their hourly rate we will wait and see if this happens again. Besides we are still able to get parts of our ancient 2001 RV.  A 2012 oven should not be so difficult.

Getting into our dentist for a cleaning has been difficult this year. We go once a year and I usually just book a few months in advance. However this year we have been on a waiting list for two months. Yesterday we both received a call to come in, me in the morning and Colin in the afternoon, two separate hygienists. When I paid they asked if I wanted to book for next year 😯 I have no idea where I will be next year so no. Glad to cross that off the to do list. Yes I know we can easily get our teeth cleaned in Mazatlan and in time we will.

Just now I got a phone call from Rogers, they are taking over cell phone coverage from Shaw. I have no choice in that decision but they are giving me a pretty good deal to transport my phone keeping the plan I have, but are also willing to change it to a three country plan ( Canada, USA and Mexico ) for $55.00 per month which is the Shaw rate and guarantee me that price till April 2028. The Rogers price for that three country plan service is $105.00 per month. Off I go to research which is best and of course checkout the current Telcel pricing. If anyone has some great suggestions re cell phone plans this is the time to share.

It is not much better to shake up your life sometimes? Who wants to get stuck in a rut doing the same thing over and over, year after year?  Not us 😎 Life is short and we want to make our final years the best that we possibly can.

Our very recent road trip took us to the Mexican Consulate in Vancouver.

We have been Rving to Mexico in our RV since 2002. After having traveled around most of Mexico ( no further south than Veracruz ) including to parts of the interior, as well as both coasts, we stopped at Tres Amigos RV Park in 2009, on Isla de la Piedra for a few days and stayed for 14 years. We will still be returning to the Isla but to a different location. That is a post for another day.

Never in all of our years in Mexico did we even consider becoming a resident. Many friends did but it just didn’t appeal to us. We were happy just going down to visit for 4 -5 months each winter. However with all the changes in our world it seems to be the right time to make a change. Just to mention a few reasons, the economy, the huge climate changes, prices of food and lack of food choices not to mention politics and peoples behaviour in general made us realize that we could move. We only decided in May to make this huge change in our lives

To become a resident to Mexico you must apply for a Temporal Visa for four years and then are able to get a Permanente Visa. If you wish, after another year you can apply for citizenship. But the first step is to start the Visa process at the consulate. Much paperwork and requirements but we aced it. We have our Mexican Visa and have 30 days once we cross into Mexico to complete the process ( more forms and paperwork ) and then we get our Temporal Visa Card. Of course the transfer of money is also involved.

Colin and I are no longer restricted to a six month stay. We can now stay as long as we want in Mexico, for up to four years. We can come and go as we wish. Freedom to make a choice to live in a better place than Canada or the USA. Our departure date is October 16th.

We honestly have no focused plan other than getting set up in our new location starting October 31st. We then will look at the Isla with a different perspective. Would we want to live there or move elsewhere within Mexico? We have four years to figure it all out. To stay on the Isla, to rent or to buy somewhere else, to open a Mexican bank account and so on. Then we have to sort out closing down Colin Jewall Photos Studios Inc. And what will become of our very special home here on the lake? I never thought that we would sell it, but for the right price we just might do that.

The only negative thing we can see at the moment, is that after our four year temporal we are not allowed to keep using our vehicles in Mexico. There is an approximate 40% import tax. Much more economical to buy a vehicle in Mexico, prices are much cheaper than north of the border. The motorhome is a different situation. RV’s are imported once every ten years and our expires in 2026. So that gives us until 2036 of being able to come and go in the RV. I am 98% certain of that, but things are always changing.

We are just happy that our appointments at the consulate went well and we came home with our visas. The rest will fall into place poco a poco ( bit by bit ). The most difficult part is done.  Well not quite true, as we have to create a new RV site for the next few years. We are already ahead of the game by only paying 50% of what we have paid monthly at Tres Amigos.

Stay tuned for the next post in our exciting lives regarding the new RV location.  I might sneak in a few smaller posts before that post – it will be difficult to write 😥

We left Monday about 9:30AM and returned last evening ( Tuesday ) at 6:30PM. 840kms driven / 522miles. Vancouver is one of Canada’s prettiest cities but the roads have not kept up with the increased population and heightened traffic. Per Google maps from here to where we stayed could be driven in 4hrs and 23minutes. It took us 6 hours and 30 minutes and the traffic was constantly moving. In the past it has taken 8 hours or more.  Much construction due to the floods from a few years ago. Plus the new pipeline construction. However we lucked out leaving Vancouver as we just beat rush hour traffic. Very few slow downs coming home. It was only a 5 hour drive 😀

Needless to say we missed the girls but Jordan our sitter kept sending texts and photos which comforted me. I could not have asked for a better sitter. The girls were happy, greeted us with much enthusiasm and then moved on to look for snakes Today they were perfectly normal. For some reason we had many phone calls to return today and a few deadline matters to handle.

I had spent several hours a few weeks back to find a place to stay for our one night in Vancouver. We stayed at the Sandman Suites on Davie. For $360.00 It was okay but not perfect. Friends kept telling me to go with Airbnb. Yes the prices were lower but they had close to $200.00 in added costs including over $100.00 for cleaning 😥 The expensive hotels were cheaper.

We did have the best Thai curry dinner in this tiny restaurant on Davie Street. Two huge meals, coconut rice and one liter of Hungarian Pino Gris was only $70.00 cad. I can still recall all the various fragrant tastes.

Colin and I have lived in Vancouver separately and as a married couple for at least 20 -25 years. We have been to the Vancouver area over the years but not exactly downtown where I used to work. So very very many changes. New lovely buildings, bike lanes, efficient transit but as everywhere else there is a horrific homeless problem. We loved living in Vancouver, first in the False Creek area and then Tsawwassen before moving to Ladner. The city became larger and larger and more congested. We made the big move to Kelowna in 2003. What we saw the past few days confirmed that we had made the correct decision to move here to Kelowna.

We left on a road trip to Vancouver this morning. Hope to be back late Tuesday ( August 1st ). This is a big step for us in more ways than one.

We are leaving the twins at home with a puppy sitter. She is a fully qualified sitter as she owns two dachshund but has to keep them at her parents as she is unable to keep them at her apartment. She loves all dogs but has extra love for doxies. I am sure that you all know how difficult it is for me to leave the girls. We have never left these two alone for more than ten hours. Our sitter just happens to be an RN who works in our only hospital in the operating room. I do  have confidence in her.

However I will be missing my girls so very very much.

Yes, this  is a task that we have to do in Vancouver.  Fingers crossed that it all goes well.

Not long after my birthday, the end of May we began to have trouble in that the house breaker kept tripping. We suspected a transformer but in the end that was fine. It took about 6 weeks for Jordan, our electrician, to have time and check out our problem. It took hours of trying this or that, much trouble shooting. Colin spent hours trying to find a replacement transformer. It also took many many phone calls. Our 2012 transformer cost $350.00 but a replacement ( if it worked ) cost $1000,00. Being a special order it had to be prepaid and there was no refund.

Jordan came back June 21st  ( he is regularly employed and often works 12 hours days ) as he had been thinking about our situation. He wanted to re test the transfer yet again and discovered that the transformer will not show voltage unless there is a load attached. So there was yet another problem.