In the Pink!

 More sunsets for you to enjoy!  The pink sky appeared over our motorhome in Camperland.  We are in the older section where there are more very tall Douglas Firs, limiting the western sky. But this night, we are covered pink.  We had so much rain during the two weeks that we were there, that it was refreshing to see the sun again, even it was setting.  Love this

 park but we were disappointed that we were not able to camp in the Vista area, the newer section.  As the season was coming to an end, administration made a more cost effective decision to close Vista and place those campers in the older section near the office. It worked out fine...even had campground wifi, which saved my hotspot.  Has to be a positive to all the rain and the wait on headlight parts, right?

Dated December 1st but in reality it was October 30th.

Dressed in Yellow!

 Unlike Muskoka with its hardwoods whose leaves turn vibrant oranges and reds, the West has many poplars and aspens that turn a vibrant yellow or brilliant gold.  Clusters of these I spotted as we travelled the Coquihalla from Kamloops to Merritt and further to Hope.  Not a particularly bright sunny day, the Fraser River valley was a little duller than it could have been. Still, for mid October, it was so nice to see some colour, rather than bare trees.  A few flakes of snow dotted the windshield in higher elevations. Traffic was light, though.
Fortunately, the headlights were not required as we travelled the Coq.!  A quick call to our motorhome mechanic, yielded an appointment for Monday, Oct. 20th.  It will be fixed!  The cost????                                        

A

Ryan and Rea's Golden Lot

A quick side trip as we entered  Golden BC to Deer Ridge Dr, found us driving by Ryan and Rea's lot in Golden,  The lot backs on to a cliff that looks across to the ski slope and the southwest sky.  The lot has quite a few trees, some coniferous, some hardwoods, so clearing will be a large job once difficult decisions of which trees go and which stay, are made.  These pillars are part of the traffic circle which welcomes visitors to the beginning of the street to Ryan's subdivision.

The homes are moderate in size, not overly huge which is appropriate for a ski/cottage area.  Below is a sample of a home under construction which faces the direction of the ski slopes.  It would make a beautiful retirement or getaway spot!  I think R&R's intention is to hang on to it for investment purposes or for a "pad" for later in their retirement.

His street is a dead end, but there is a turnaround circle, fortunately, allowing us to return without unhooking the car from the motorhome.  Nice street!

 Not a clear picture, but it gives an idea of the terrain topography and the number of trees.

 A new house under construction at the beginning of the street which faces the same direction as anything R&R would build.

We travelled on to Revelstoke that night, where we discovered our recently repaired headlight distribution box had melted, causing a small fire, which Bill quickly extinguished.  Damage was done!  We travelled on to Camperland without headlights the next day.  A repair which is about 25 days out of a 90 day warranty!  Yikes!

Calgary to Banff/Lake Louise

 After a terrific but short visit with Fred (he tires so easily)and Doreen Oct 14 and 15th, we struck further west around the city of Calgary via  Stoney Trail (the Calgary bypass) toward Banff and Lake Louise through Canmore and Kananaskis country.  It was a pleasantly dry day with sun shining...the mountains were stunning in their early robes of white, broken by banks of low clouds, sometimes, wispy, sometimes dense.  Yes, roadside snows reminded us that in the not-too-distant-future, all would be clothed in white...the reason for our Great Escape!

Love the Rockies' ruggedness and yet at times, their gentle folds and undulating formation.  Looks cold, doesn't it?  It likely is at that elevation, but from the motorhome passenger seat, it is beautiful!   Of course, I am constantly on the outlook for animals which can often be spotted on the highway, but this day we saw none.  Stopped in Golden to check out Ryan and Rea's lot, but more about that in the next post!

More Prairie Sunsets but from Alberta

 See what I mean?  I think when we travel west, we get closer to the sun as it sets!  Hehe!  Not true, but it seems that way!  The further west, the brighter and more vast!  The photos speak for themselves so I won't bore you with dialogue.  Enjoy!

Sunsets on the Prairies

 By now, you know I have a grave weakness!   Glorious sunsets!  I don't know if it is the rich colours, my short memory, or the magical spell of the moment, but I am mesmerized by the vibrance of colours as the sun sets and as the clouds change...I  can not drink enough of it in and I am spellbound in awe at this majestic and endless sky over the Saskatchewan prairie, in Langham and the River Valley RV Park, just north of Saskatoon on the Yellowhead.  God paints a masterpiece for all of us to enjoy when clouds reflect the setting sun's vibrant rays!

We had encountered quite a windy day in our travels from Neepawa that day, along with some horizontal rains, but because this was the beginning of October, most campgrounds had already closed for the season.  We had heard about this campground from friends who had visited earlier and it did now disappoint!  30 amp, water, sewer and good wifi...what's not to like!  We were bushed, so decided to stay for two nights which allowed for laundry catch-up and a restful day, that like the snow geese in the previous post, added a little energy for the last day's travel.  We were scheduled to book into Glowing Embers the next day, until Canada's Thanksgiving weekend, to visit our daughter, son-in-law and our favourite grandson, Daniel.

We will look forward to more glorious sunsets in Spruce Grove and Edmonton area, before we depart for Strathmore and BC later in October.

Snow Geese

It has been awhile!  I'll try to get back into it and stay with it!  I had given up in frustration as I have an errant cursor that likes to jump willy-nilly anywhere and jumbles the passage.  Not sure I have fixed the issue, but I am watching carefully, what I am doing with my left hand.
On with the post!
This was an absolutely wonderful surprise as we travelled through Saskatchewan in late Sept., early Oct.  Amazing to see this flock of snow white geese, swimming in this shallow pool, ready to take flight yet again in search of another pool and some needed rest.  We can only assume that recently harvested wheat fields would provide necessary sustenance for the next leg of their journey in this flyway south.  Beautiful!

Kenzie Raechel Southwood

s

 August 11th, 2015 Kenzie Raechel Southwood made her appearance.  She is the daughter of our son, Ryan and his wife, our daughter in law Rea.   She is the sweetest, most precious baby with the tiniest, most perfect features.  She weighed 7 lbs 15 oz and was 21 cm in length, born in Guelph General where Ryan was born 35 years ago, delivered by midwives.  Ryan took Rea to the hospital at 10:00, Kenzie was born at 12:30 and all were home by 3:45, not even having seen a doctor.  Amazing!

Kenzie has the longest toes and fingers...the makings of a runner!

Of course, Granddad and Grandma had to have cuddles.  We spent 6 weeks minus our cruise time getting to know this little one, cuddling and holding her and just soaking her up. We shall miss her!

ta

Daniel's 4th Birthday

 Superheroes was the theme!  Michael and Nadine had made capes of Batman, Spiderman and Superman using large T-shirts.  Really cute!  A lot of work.
Daniel's two friends joined in on the fun in the backyard,  Nadine created a maze with chairs that challenged the boys to go through, under, over, to get to the other side.  The rain held off long enough to BBQ lunch but we ate the superhero cake indoors.  Daniel opened his gifts, most of which were lego, everyone was different.  The rest of the afternoon was spent putting Lego together.  Great fun!  Watermelon....Daniel's favourite!

Catherine's Wedding

 In mid July, after a visit with Fred and  Doreen in Strathmore, we headed to Milton On and the Mississauga wedding of Jim and Judy"s youngest daughter at Lorne Park Baptist Church.  It became a very wet day, so outside pictures were limited but here are a few.  Everyone looked wonderful in their wedding garb and the wedding went off without a hitch, excluding the rain. 

  Judy and Jim look great!  Austin and Jordan looked cute in their outfits and did a great job as ringbearer and flower girl.  Blue and white were the featured colours.  Flowers were beautiful and tied it all together.

The Children's Festival in St Albert

Daniel and I walked into St Albert from our campground to take part in the children's festival and to watch the children's play The Year with Toad and Frog.  It is an approximately 2 mile walk and while we did take a few stops along the way, we made it in time to participate in a Make Music class with percussion instruments.  he loved it.  His little body pitched and swayed with the rhythm of the tambourine in his hand and the other instruments within the tent.  He is very expressive in his musical movements and dance.  A Year with Frog and Toad captivated his attention.  He love it!
For some refreshment, he and I shared a lemonade wth fresh lemons.  It was delicious and very thirst satisfying!  A great afternoon finished off with a CNN train ride in the park...the last one of the festival!  Picture to  follow!

Rainmaker Rodeo

Saturday, May 24th, we walked with Daniel to the St Albert Rainmaker Rodeo and Music festival which was set up adjacent to our campground.  The rodeo with bucking broncs and cattle roping, a petting zoo, a pony ride, a family circus and the midway were such fun,  Daniel fell in love with the miniature goats that he is petting and this little banty rooster that he had in his lap.  He enjoyed his pony ride and then Grandma and Daniel had a ride on a helicopter ride in the midway.  A highlight was the family circus where several acts of contortion and  gymnastics were enjoyed along with a man-shooting cannon and a man swallowing fire along with other stunts with fire enthralled him.  Of course there was a disclaimer that these tricks should not be tried at home.  A fun day!

Daniel at Soccer

Saturday morning is soccer.  Ever seen ten or so little munchkins all running after the same ball, no matter what team?  So cute.  The coaches are so good with the kids.  They get to play different obstacle courses and have water breaks often, then they split the team and play a short game against another team .  At the end there is a snack time where each parent is scheduled to bring treats for the kids.  Well this particular Saturday, watermelon was the snack, Daniel's favourite and he made sure he had a front row seat.  We had to watch that he didn't put his rind back on the tray of slices.  At one point he had a piece of watermelon in each hand and was eating from both.  What a hoot! A great way to spend an early Saturday morning!
He is fully dressed in soccer attire, complete with shin pads and socks; their tem is the grey team and so all the kids on his team wear a grey shirt, large enough that it can be worn over a coat or sweater.  Dapper!