Back in BC after more than a year

Well, it’s been awhile this time and what an awesome while it has been. To avoid any possible perception that I might be bragging about our year long quest for rest, let me just get right to the job at hand and tell you about some of the stuff we have had the pleasure to be part of in the last seven weeks.

At this moment, having just pulled in and set up camp at The Okanagan Gleaners in Oliver BC, I thought I would tell you how we thought it would be appropriate to finish our quest for rest just as we started it on June 29^th over a year ago. But then it dawned on me that that could be perceived as bragging so I won’t tell you that. But I will tell you that I am now sitting here in our air-conditioned camper avoiding the 30+ degree heat as it pours down on this place bored out of my mind just so I can blog, that’s blog not brag, about the awesome time we haven’t been having on this the last leg of our journey.

So while I try to avoid showing to much excitement let’s go back to where we left off in the last blog post May 11^th. When we left you standing at the Calgary Airport while we flew off to Hamilton to what could now only be described (trying hard not to show excitement) as one of the most awesome 6 week periods we have ever had. It all started when we landed in Hamilton and John from the HQ picked us up and introduced us to our apartment at 48 Homewood Ave. where we would reside for our time there. We quickly got into the rest mode as we finished a kitchen renovation that was underway then started a couple of room renovations that we would inevitably leave unfinished for some other unsuspecting person seeking a moments rest. While there we reacquainted ourselves with the good folk at Hill Park Bible Church who welcomed us back like we had been gone forever. I had the occasion to speak with them on one Sunday morning and on two occasions had pot luck with them as well. Now, not showing any excitement while I tell this next part is going to be tough so get your forgiving hearts in gear because here it comes. On June 3^rd at 1:08 PM our 4^th Granddaughter and our 7^th grandchild made her grand entrance into our family. Yes, our baby (Ward) had a baby. Well, I mean his wife had a baby, just trying to get into the new world language. So let me tell you, without bragging of course, she, Abigail Elizabeth,  is  absolutely the most gorgeous baby ever created, she weighed in at 8lbs 13oz with feet and hands large enough to make a kick boxer sit-up and take notice, she stands 21 inches tall and if she didn’t have so much turned under she’d be way taller. So, having got that said, without bragging, the rest should be real easy. We spent some time in Ottawa with our son Trevor and his wife Leah and toured the capital area on a river cruise seeing it all from the backside, kind of a general view of politics. While we were there we stepped across the river into France (Quebec) just to say we did. We spent a week attending one of the most exciting WEC Canada conferences I have ever had the pleasure of taking part in. Following conference we flew back to Saskatoon to attend the grade 12 graduation ceremony of our 2nd granddaughter and our 3^rd grandchild. So, and I don’t have to brag this time, let me tell you about that awesome young lady. She, Angelica, is beauty without comparison; she was the bell of the ball, among all the stars she was the brightest, shining in the night for all to see. See, I said I didn’t have to brag. From there we went to the Family Camp of Compass Immanuel Church (our home church) where we enjoyed a great time with great friends and had the occasion to share with them on Sunday morning. We remained at the camp for the next couple of days for the annual DIY Camp where we were able to get some well-deserved rest while Gail helped in the kitchen and I fixed as much stuff as I could find. We spent a day with our daughter Jackie and from there we started our return trip to BC and here we are at the Gleaners.    

 My part of this blog is almost finished and once Gail has had her go at the spelling and whatnot, I’ll post some pics and get it out to you.

God Bless.  With love.

Erwin & Gail

Here I am Abigail Elizabeth 2 days old.

Gramma's a keeper

I Think I Like my Daddy

But Grampa is worth a good look

I had a baby girl?

Now where'd that kid go?

Gramma, it's on my table. Where you going to put my food?

Parliment from the backside

Look what I found in France

Pretty and smart too????

Now we can see why.

Gramma's a keeper

Look what the cat dragged home.

From Calgary Alberta

OK, here we are again, up and moving again, to the next step in this quest for rest. At this moment we are sitting at the Saskatoon airport, having followed all the rules for early arrival we find ourselves sitting in Tim Hortons or at least something that has a sign on it saying it is, but could not even be considered a reasonable facsimile thereof, although they do have muffins in a Tim Horton’s bag and something like coffee in a Tim Horton’s cup so it might just be. Anyway, we were two hours and ten minutes early for our flight and here we sit with two hours to spare before we can board our plane. That may sound like I might be complaining but I’m really not, as it does provide me with the time I need to touch base with you. I do hope with the two hours here and the two hour layover in Calgary that I will have enough time to get this published and out there for your reading pleasure, LOL. OH, by the way we are headed to Hamilton, Ontario where we hope to be of some help to the WEC staff there as they ready the place for our Annual National Conference, starting June 16^th. We will also be there when our newest Granddaughter makes her grand entrance into our family and into this world.

Now, let’s get back to what has happened since our last post on April 20^th. We spent one week camping at Campland RV Resort, just north of the City, from where we spent many wonderful hours with all our family and some of our friends here in Saskatoon. From there we traveled north to Turtleford, where we abandoned our camper for the next 6 weeks or so. After visiting some awesome family there and lending a hand stopping a fire from take it’s revenge on the neighborhood, we headed up to Meadow Lake, where we spent some wonderful time with more of our family and yet more of our good friends up there. This morning at 8:20 AM we left Meadow Lake and headed towards where we are now, making a quick stop in North Battleford at A&W, where we met with a very dear and long-time friend, a friend from my very early childhood and whom I haven’t seen for nearly 2 decades. We only had about an hour for quick flashbacks but it was awesome to run through those memories. When we reached Saskatoon our son Skip met us, dropped us of at the airport and disappeared with our truck and here we are.

This blog is almost finished and we are still in Saskatoon so once Gail has had her go at the spelling and whatnot, I’ll post some pics and get it out to you. So, about an hour and a half later, we are sitting at A&W in the Calgary Airport, which by the way serves product similar to most other A&Ws, yeah.  I’ll let Gail do her thing then get this off to you.

Some of you have said that you have not received all the blogs so try scrolling down past this page and the pics that follow you will come to the last previous blog. Keep repeating this process and you should come to each of the twenty blogs. If that doesn’t happen please leave a comment and I will attempt to figure out why.

God Bless.  With love.

Erwin & Gail

Saskatchewan "The Land of the Living Skies"

And other living things

Beginning to end.

It has been drawn to my attention that some of you really read this stuff and that some of you even look forward to reading it, a concept that seems, to me, to be absolutely inconceivable. But, alas, it is true and I am drawn to continue to pour it all out at you.

Well, OH my, it now seems, officially, to be the beginning of the end. We re-entered Canada on the 25^th of April. That is 6 days before we were required, by U.S. law to do so, a total of 176 days in the land below. We crossed the border into Canada at Emerson, Manitoba and made our way to Winnipeg where we camped in the front yard of our dear friends Dave & Delight for the next two days.

Let’s take a step back now and let me tell you about our last few days down south. When I left off last time we had just arrived in St Joseph, Missouri and had just veg’d out for a day and took the time to tell you about all that had passed before. We stayed in St. Joseph for 3 days and took in the history of the place. We visited the Pony Express Stables Museum and learned how young boys and men, of small stature, were hired to ride horses at full speed for many miles, through all kinds of terrain, all kinds of weather and through hostile neighborhoods,  only stopping long enough to change horses. So that for a mere $5.00 you could send a letter clear across the country in 10 days or less. $5.00 you say! And a hundred and fifty years later we complain about a dollar, but of course it does take way more than 10 days now. We also learned that, as famous as the Pony Express was, it really only operated for 18 months, lost only one pouch of mail and one rider, so some of the stories you hear might be somewhat exaggerated. We also visited the Patee House Western Museum where we learned a lot about life in the West in a time that, I guess could only be described as the “Good Ole Days”. We learned about the early trains and telegraphs, we learned about the first cars and highways. We learned about outlaws and Indians, about Jesse James (shot at his home in St Joseph) and Buffalo Bill Cody (who started his career as a Pony Express rider). We learned about the Civil War, or at least the effects of the Civil War on the West, and about the first incident of American flag burning right there in St Joseph.  The following day we took a road trip across the Missouri River into Kansas, along the Pony Express Highway then along the Missouri River up into Nebraska, if for no other reason than to add two more states to our journey.

From St Joseph we headed north to Fargo, North Dakota where we spent two more days just waiting for the weather to change to bearable in Canada before we ventured in. We left Winnipeg on Monday spent one night camping in Yorkton SK. then on to Saskatoon, where we have been since, having decided to spend one week hunkered down and visiting friends and family before we head even further north.

So, as always, all good things must come to an end. I’ll post this and a few pictures after Gail has had a chance to work her miracles with the words I have so diligently misspelled and turn them into real words.         

God Bless.  With love.

Erwin & Gail

Where it all started

The things one would say to ride a horse

Just so you know

A place to rest before going back

The Patee House an up scale hotel, Part of the first floor, house the
Pony Express office.

Mark Train Stayed here on his way west to avoid the draft

Aunt Jemima started here

Jesse James shot dead here april 3rd 1882

Yet another state

There he goes!!!

And another

The missing sign from last blog

On the road again

Haven't run out of states yet

This is the last state

Welcome home

A litle piece of heaven

On the road again.

It’s time to blog again, although it has been a while since the last post I really don’t have a lot to add to what you already know.

I told you last time we had arrived in Suffolk, VA and had abandoned the camper for a bed in a real room, in a real house with Kym, Brian and the boys. This is where we remained, in complete comfort and being catered to almost continuously, for the next four weeks. While there, we went to places like Jamestown, Williamsburg, and the aquarium at Virginia Beach. We even went to the theatre where we watched a performance of “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof” which by the way has absolutely nothing to do with cats of any kind. We attended church with the family at a satellite campus of Liberty Baptist Church called Harborview. It is quite a large setting with its own campus pastor but the message comes by live feed from the main campus. It is so well done that it even appears that Pastor Grant is right there in the room. It is so great to hear salvation preached with such passion and absolute truth with no holds barred. Easter weekend we volunteered at the church where they held a massive grocery hand out to the people of less means in the community, this happened for two services on Sat. and three on Sun. During the time there, with Brian’s help, we did some necessary maintenance on the truck and camper as at this point we have pulled the trailer more than 8000 miles, OH I’m sorry,  I mean over 12,800 kilometres and have put more than 20,000  kilometers on the truck.

Now, let me tell you about making plans and then having to change those plans time and time again. It was our plan to leave Suffolk and head north to Eastern Canada, stopping at Camp Hill, the WEC US headquarters, in Pennsylvania, on our way, it was our intent to visit with family and friends and attend WEC Canada conference there before we headed to Saskatoon for our granddaughter’s graduation at the end of June.  Well, we found ourselves having to change those plans as we realized that the time between the end of conference on the 23^rd and graduation on the 25^th was really not enough time to pull the camper almost 3000 kilometres. Not wanting to miss either the conference or the graduation we decided to head directly to Sask. where we will leave the dog, truck and camper and fly down east. We planned a trip to Camp hill and were really looking forward to that when Kelsey (our very spoiled dog) got sick and had to be hospitalized for 2 days so those plans changed as well and once again we have not seen The Hill.

So, that now brings us to where we are now. We left Suffolk on Wednesday the 15^th and headed west. We took our first campsite, in a month, at a campground on top of the Blue Ridge Mountains. We stayed two nights and drove the Blue Ridge parkway in both directions, during a day almost completely filled with rain, but even then it is a site to see and should be made part of any trip to Virginia. We moved on and camped one night in Frankfort, Kentucky at a nice old campground but there was very limited Wi-Fi, which has become almost a must for us seasoned campers. We stayed the following night in a real rustic campground near Kingdom City, Missouri, which was nice and friendly, but alas, there was no Wi-Fi at all. We arrived here, in St Joseph, Missouri, yesterday after noon and did some grocery shopping and settled down for a good night with excellent Wi-Fi. We decided we would just veg out today and do some blogging and enjoy some down time together and that is where we are right now. Tomorrow we will see some sites here in this really historic town and will tell you about it next time.

 And as always, I’ll post this and a few pictures after Gail has had a chance to make most of the words into real words because spelling really does still count.          

God Bless. With love

I Had a rough day. I think I don't feel to well

A day at the aquarium

Life in the tidel marsh behind the house

More

Hey its a turtle

Tall ships harbored in Jamestown

Making glass the old way

Canons at the ready Yorktown 

It really is just a river

War ship ready for war

Supply ships ready to supply

Typical Colonial architecture

Almost there

Hunting for bear

The lowest point on the ridge

Look out I might have found one

From the top looking down

Not the highest spot on the ridge but only 10 miles from the lowest

Still at the top

Soon to be an oak tree

Next state

And another

Still another

Not the last one

Couldn't find a welcome in Missouri

The canp in St. Joseph