a wonderful time at Kleanza and Seeley Lake

The pink salmon were running up the creek - the adult males were quite humpback by this time and very white and scarred. There were hundreds in the creek jumping and the females were on their sides digging up the gravel with the males hovering right behind them.Hopefully you can see this humpie male with a green sleek female beside him in the picture. It was great weather so were were able to stay and watch them for a long time. Kleanza Creek Provincial Park is just wonderful - has the IT factor. No services ( not even a tap with water ) so you camp there prepared. There was 30 sites ( a few doubles and a triple as well ). Half are right on the creek/river. We left today at 11:00 am, taking our time. On the way back, we stopped at Seeley Lake Provincial Park ( 20 sites ) to see if that would be a nice place in the future. Way too close to the highway. Today though, we parked in the day use area, and I read my book on this picnic table and Donald had a snooze in the RV. A Perfect day.

kleanza creek tommorow

After work tomorrow we shall be off to Kleanza Creek Provincial Park ( if we can get a spot ) to relax, read a book or maybe do some shopping in Terrace. The trees there are lovely big dripping cedars of the rainforest. The sites run right alongside the river. The weather looks "iffy" but what does that matter??? You got to get out there as much as you can with the RV! When we mention about having an RV ( a nice RV with micro/slide etc - no roughing it ) some people always remark about how much rv's cost etc. I always reply that it's our "cottage" - and if you had a cottage you would be going every weekend during the summer and on your vacations. The taxes and upkeep on a cottage property can add up as well, so I think an RV is a great alternative. The other thing is that with the RV you are not stuck to one place ( in order to justify the cost of keeping up the one place ) and we can go where we want and see new things or partake in festivals in other towns. Always something going on! If we do not go to Kleanza tomorrow, we shall likely take in the Bulkley Valley Fall Fair. Anyone like fresh BBQ lamb kabobs from the 4-H kids??? MMMM.

sad to leave

Ah - we were very sad to leave the rv lot for another year. A neighbour will water the plants till the late fall and most should make it through the winter. Now there's a word - winter. Yuck. I will be working through another winter and reading the blogs of those lucky ones who are going to be heading south with great envy. It won't be long till we will be one of them! This weekend we are again in the RV - we just haven't decided which direction and where. So, with a good attitude we shall be making a plan tonight and the rv is just about ready to go. Most of the Hardwall gang are away taking their university students back to school so we might be on our own, and that's ok. The other thing to do is to make some plans and preparations for our trip to Victoria at the end of September for the wedding of the oldest son!

Where there is smoke, there is fire.

On Saturday, Donald and I went to the beach for a few hours as we were leaving the next day. As you looked across the lake, there was the big smoke of another forest fire. It was behind the ridge, so were not sure how far away the fire was from that particular ridge. At suppertime, it had cleared over the top of the mountain and started to burn its way down the front side. At this point we could see the flames and red, especially when it was darkening into night. We watched this till about 11 pm. Very scary for those residents below ( Sorrento BC ). On the radio news the next morning, it was mentioned the RCMP were delivering evacuation notices all night. By the time we departed from the RV lot, it was 7 km from the town of Sorrento.

adventure to a lumber mill

After the Roots and Blues festival, we have spent a relaxing week visiting neighbours at happy hour time and puttering about the RV. Donald has an idea to build some stairs and a small retaining wall at the end of where the RV is sited. Along with this wall, he also has plans to build an arbour with trellising and planters to create a little shade area. This will be a project for next year. So, we drove to Chase to see about some timbers, as the 2 building centres in Scotch Creek do not have what he wants. It turns out neither does the building centre in Chase. So, off for another adventure. Remember when we wanted rock, we went off to find the quarry?? Well, this time is was off to find a lumber mill. We found one - Last Chance Lumber = on Little Shuswap Lake. No one was around, but we drove looking at the cedar timbers and managed to get a couple of phone numbers. A beautiful drive to the mill overlooking the lake - the skies in the pictures are hazy due to the nearby forest fire - more on that tomorrow!

roots and blues

Roots and Blues in Salmon Arm - great festival. Wonderful friendly volunteers - about 900 run the festival. Great highlights: Dr. John and the Lower 911; Johnny Winter; Kries ( from Croatia ). Do not ever pay to see: Chad VanGaalen. It was not a hot day, with some cloudy cover so that really saved our skin! The festival is held on the fairgrounds and there is not much shade cover. Lots of food vendors, and homemade craft/art vendors. Six stages of music and a very big childrens area. A very long day though- 45 minute drive each way - and we left the rv lot about 8:00 am and got home after midnight. We left before the last act was finished, so we may have beat much of the traffic leaving. The festival notes that they enjoy about 25,000 people. Now the weather is turning to hot and sunny again ( 32 C ) and we look forward to maybe some boating with friends, reading some books in the shade and relaxing.

Yellow things - like yellow birds/hate yellowjacket wasps

every time I have vacation, it seems to rain - hence we are sitting in Scotch Creek having coffee under cover and I am able to access the WIFI here. THe drive down to the lot was without any problems and we have been puttering bringing flowers back to life after a very dry month. Our sprinkler system did not catch all the plants, so some were rather sickly. We had a wonderful visit from friends in the north, with their RV, as they were on their way to Kelowna and UBC
( Okanagan). Their daughter is trying out for the soccer team and going to attend first year there. We spent one day at the beach and they enjoyed their brand new kayaks - a 50th Birthday present! The wasps are numerous and most of the time, you cannot eat outside. I was stung on Thursday and it appears I may be allergic to some degree, as my leg is all swollen and hard at the sting site. So, we may or may not go to the Roots and Blues Festival tomorrow in Salmon Arm. We have been enjoying our bird feeder area and the "wilson's warblers" - yellow birds. I hope that is what they are.

and we're off

On Thursday, Donald drove from the Manitoba border where the cottage is to ??. He called when he crossed the Alberta border, hoping to stay at a nephew's in Calgary, and then onto the Shuswaps today. After I finish work today I will finish my packing tonight and then be off early in the morning to meet up with him. While cutting the front lawn last evening, at least 6 DC 10's came in and out - fire bombers. When they are loaded and heading back out, they fly really low and the windows in the house rattle. Our province needs rain. So, the internet is sporadic for us down in the Shuswaps - we will try to post regularly, but it might be every couple of days. On another note, your kids keep you on your toes - the youngest lives now for the fish and the oldest
( 23) called to say he bought a new bike ( Suzuki TLR 1000 ). Says he is going to give me a ride when we get to Victoria and his wedding in September. Not likely. :)

our youngest son abducted by fish

I suppose that living here in the land of huge Steelhead ( called Kings in the U.S.) and Salmon, it would only be expected that one of our two sons would get the fishing bug. Our twenty year old
( and still at home ) has really been hit, including spending a good portion of his paycheque on fish gear. He was fishing yesterday ( he can walk to a preferred fishing hole ) and then reading fishing books till late at night. He will be home tonight for supper ( " as long as its' a fast supper") and then back out to the spot after supper. He is learning about tags, what to catch and release ( Steelhead ) and what the rules are for each river and time of year - The Skeena River, the Morice River, the Babine, and the Bulkley River. When I came home from work yesterday, I wondered where supper was.... he said he saw a huge salmon swimming 2 feet away from him and he received " tons!" of hits, but alas, no supper. He is yet to clean a fish ( or bonk it on the head?) so who knows - all his fish may be catch and release very gently. He tells me things like " Coho next week, Mom! " and I am supposed to know what he is talking about.
We have fisherpersons come to our town and area from all over the world to do exactly what he is doing, and they pay thousands. What a wonderful hobby for a young person. Just leave me a " out fishin' " note, buddy - when you're going to be late for supper. I wonder if his mum can sneak up to him down at the river to take his picture??

Digital water

If you spend some of your hard earned pocket money on annuals and perennials every year, you hate to lose them when the weather turns warm. We have lost a number of annuals in our backyard of the house here in the north, and managed to save the ones in the front yard from the relentless heat and lack of rain. However, we were in a dilemma as to how we were going to manage not losing the new perennials on the RV lot in the Shuswaps. There was a nifty digital timer set up we found in the RONA store in Scotch Creek just before we left in July. It can manage four hoses/spigots and for all different times. Donald was very studious at reading the instructions, and hooray, it seems to have worked while we were away. When Donald dropped off the RV last week, all the plants were doing ok, and our neighbour Hal told us the sprinkler came on just fine over the septic field grass. Phew! That is grand. Now, I just have to drench the Smithers plants before I leave this weekend and leave instructions for the 20 year old to water for the next couple of weeks. I know what you're thinking - he'll forget. Normally I don't worry - he is fairly responsible about that - however - stay tuned for tomorrow's post as a story is coming about why he may be distracted this year!

Forest Fires are closer

Well, the water bombers have been going steady since last Thursday at the birthday BBQ. The fire is in the Houston area ( about 45 minutes drive from here ). The bombers come back and forth to our airport to pick up their water/fire retardant. They fly so low its like they are going to land on our rooftops. When I took this picture, the bomber was returning to the airport and was light in weight and flying higher ( and I didn't get my camera organized very fast either ). This fire is not anywhere close that we have to have any concern for our own town. Some friends who retired from the Forest Service last year have been recalled out of retirement to be back in the offices working. We still have not had any rain, but there is more cloud cover and less heat and it seems from the news that most of the fires are contained, or the forest service feels that they will be soon. Tonight I will organize some more for the trip this weekend.

a holiday for chores - what's with that???

Today is a provincial statutory holiday, and I will celebrate with laundry, cleaning the house, maybe cutting the front lawn and making my big list for the next RV trip on Friday. The weather network noted last evening that the rest of the week temperatures are to "dip" into the 28 - 30 celsius range. Relief! We sure don't like 42.5 C of last Thursday.That translates to 108.5 F, and does not take into consideration the humidity that was also present. We are usually fairly dry with no humidity. In Retired Rod's blog, he mentioned going north to escape some heat - we are near the Alaska border and we're melting, melting!!! I will stop whining now about the heat - it's great for those thousands of RV's travelling though our area. The picture is the view from the sewer dump station at the Information Centre in Hazelton BC( on our way back from the Kispiox last weekend ).

more festival time and trying to keep cool

Long weekend here. I had to get away from town and Don is enjoying the cottage in Saskatchewan. I decided to go to Terrace BC for Riverboat Days - an annual 10 day festival of food, music, sports, you name it. Since the RV is down in the Shuswaps - I did something I have not done since I was 18 years old - I tented! Well, when it is 40 degrees celsius, and you haven't had much sleep in 15 days because of the heat in the house ( who would have an air conditioned house in Northern BC? ) sleeping in the rainforest at a Provincial Park in a tent was heaven! I had 2 nights of nice cool slumbers. Last night was a "Concert in the Park" in Terrace - a Lee Aaron concert - very rockin'. During the day we took in the excellent Farmers Market, a big parade and music. Some of the Hardwall Gang play with the Dixieland Band, so as the groupies we went to watch them in the parade and playing on the street afterwards. Play those blues and Dixie tunes guys! Now this week is more packing and off to the Shuswaps on Friday - Donald will leave on Thursday to meet me there!