The Dilley Girls

Today Taunja, Bryden and Faith Dilley came to visit with us.

Taunja is Rick's niece so Brydey and Faithy are his "Great nieces".

It is always nice when family members visit and especially nice when it is these lovely girls and their Mom!

A Little Soap, Water and Elbow Grease

In order to transport our luggage and a set of antique dishes in the car back to BC, we brought a roof top carrier with us.

When we left Mission on Sunday, it was nice and clean, as was the car.

Today with an additional 4100+ kms. on the vehicle & box, I think we managed to collect 4100+ bugs along the way.

Needless to say, they have become glued to the car and the carrier, but nothing a little soap, water and elbow grease won’t fix.

The Final Leg

On the final leg of our three-day venture to get to Ontario from BC, we have had nothing but great weather and great driving conditions.

With the exception of some minor construction delays we have made excellent time and seen a lot in the process.

Today’s drive is one of our favourites; the beauty of Northern Ontario is at it’s best around Lake Superior and were we not constrained by time, we would loved to have stopped. Instead, photographs taken through a bug splattered, reflective windshield will have to suffice.

The Trek Continues....

Today we have been driving east along the TransCanada Highway through the prairies.

The weather has been great again; sunny and warm, making for a really good drive.

We left Medicine Hat, Alberta this morning and once we emerged from the rolling hills, it has been nothing but FLAT.

This is a photograph taken as we left Winnipeg, Manitoba and as you can see, we are still seeing more flat land. Our goal is to get to Thunder Bay by the wee hours of the morning so that tomorrow we will arrive in Barrie, Ontario by early evening.

We have been doing some serious driving!

Trekking Cross Canada

We started our trek across Canada this morning under sunny skies with nothing but more of it in the forecast as we head east.

Our drive has been great, though the highways have been busy.

This is a picture of the Trans-Canada Highway as we began to approach the Canadian Glacier National Park taken from inside the car.

As I am writing this, we are driving through the Banff National Park and it is 7:00 PM BC time or 8:00 PM in Alberta. It’s been a good day!

Happy Birthday Karley

Thirty-one years ago today, I was in the throes of labour for most of the day.

At the end of it, I delivered my first child, a 6lb. 10oz. baby girl who has since become the wonderful mother to our two grandchildren.

Here she is with her baby girl Monet. Happy Birthday Karley!

The Albion Ferry

Today we came back from a two-night stay at our friend's place in Victoria.

We were up ridiculously early (5:30 AM) to catch the 8:00 ferry but pulled ourselves together faster than we expected and ended up on the 7:00 AM ferry instead.

On our way back to Mission, we took the Albion Ferry because we were on the bike and knew we wouldn't have to wait. As it turned out, at 9:30 in the morning, it wasn't busy at all.

Finally after several rides on them, I have procured a photograph of one of the two ferries that service the route. They each hold about 18 automobiles and several motorcycles and take all of a few minutes to cross the Fraser River.

Just Imagine

Could you just imagine what a great day you could have everyday if you woke up to this view.

That is exactly what our friends see when they look out any of several windows of their beautiful home.

We feel especially fortunate today to be able to share this tranquil setting with them.

Tranquility!

Today we took the ferry to Vancouver Island to visit our friends, the Todds.

Enroute to Swartz Bay we passed alongside this sailboat and I couldn't help feeling a little envious of them.

What a beautiful part of the world to be exploring!

For Sale

Having just purchased a (new) used motorcycle, we now have our other one for sale.

It is in excellent condition for it's age, 1988, and has been very well maintained.

The mileage is 143,000 km. or 88,856 miles. If you know anyone interested please email rick(at)coulsoncastle.ca for details.

Monet To The Rescue

Karley is a hairstylist and today she was playing with Makai's hair.

Thank heavens she had a girl (as in Monet) or who knows how often this would happen to her son!!

Flying

Monet, our tiny granddaughter is much calmer these days and it seems that her colicky days are in the past.

She even enjoys her swing for almost 10 minutes at a time and has been sleeping for longer periods as well.

Today she is six weeks old; gaining weight and co-ordination daily and before we know it she will be turning 16 and all of this will seem like a blur!

The time is flying by so we better soak it all in while we can!

Practicing

Though he is still a little small, Makai, our wee grandson, is already getting the hang of sitting in the driver's seat.

Now that Ian (Makai's daddy) has gotten his Alfa Romeo Spyder up and running, the appeal to be a big boy is growing.

For now though all Makai can do is practice behind the steering wheel while the car is parked and dream of the day he gets to drive it!

Motorcycle Parts Everywhere

We just purchased a "new" used, 2003 Kawasaki Voyager motorcycle to replace our 1988 Voyager.

The new one has fewer miles on it but not all the extras we had added to our old one.

Hence, Rick is dismantling them both to move parts from one to the other and now we have bike parts everywhere!!

Edmonds/Kingston Ferry

Yesterday we took the Edmonds/Kingston Ferry to and from Bremerton, Washington.

For $21 each way (the cost for us and a vehicle pulling a trailer), it was a bargain considering it eliminated the frustration of sitting in traffic and the time it would have taken to get there through Tacoma.

It takes all of a half an hour and it can be quite pretty too.

Note To Self...

...Get your butt out of bed early and you'll get much better pictures!

This morning we were up at 5:00 and on the road south to Washington by 6:15 AM.

This is a blurry picture of the Cascade Mountains as seen from just north of Huntingdon, the border crossing south of Abbotsford.

If we weren't on a time schedule, we could have stopped and gotten some spectacular shots that were probably even better earlier.

Whatever It Takes

As most folks who follow this or our webpage know by now, our little granddaughter is colicky though for the past couple of days we have seen some improvement.

We do whatever it takes to keep her calm, including this; her grandpa balancing her on one hand above his head.

Believe it or not, she seems to like it because she will remain peaceful and quiet for as long as he can hold her there.

The Grace of God

Today, driving into downtown Vancouver, we drove along the "famed" Hastings Street.

Famed for it's population of cheap hookers, crack addicts and homelessness but also the original downtown (Hastings & Main) of yesteryear.

Though the picture doesn't reveal it, along East Hastings you will find the poorest of the poor, the saddest of the sad and the lowliest of the low; not a recommended tourist destination.

Hopefully soon Vancouver will figure out what is needed to be done to help these poor souls. And as my mother used to say, "There, but for the grace of God, go I."

"Cheese"

When I have my camera nearby I just can't help pulling it out and using it frequently especially when this little face is saying "cheese".

It is a word Makai, our wee grandson, has learned very well.

Is She Breathing?

As Sam, our cat, ages (she'll be 11 next month) I presume she is becoming hard-of-hearing.

She sleeps sounder than ever before and just about anywhere.

Here she is sleeping on the front seat of the motorhome.

She has her face buried in a sheepskin and even the click of the camera is not disturbing her sleep. Oh to be a cat!

A Pacifier?

Monet, our not-quite-five-week-old grandaughter is a little colicky.

It occurs around the same time everyday and we are always inventing new ways to keep her pacified.

Today, Karley tried bouncing on our exercise ball with Monet on her lap and "presto"... she liked it and fell asleep.

Oh well, this way both Mom and baby are getting some exercise!

The Drive

Yesterday while visiting Vancouver, one of our first stops was at The Drive, the area where Karley and Ian once lived.

We noticed some changes; new restaurants replacing old ones and some new stores recently opened.

We enjoyed walking along the street and found it to be quieter than we are used to; no doubt due to the recent change in the weather.

Always an interesting area to visit while in Vancouver, The Drive is also a fantastic place for bargains and great food.

Visiting Vancouver

Today we drove into Vancouver with our RVing friends, Rich and Laura from the US.

They are only in the area for a short time and we wanted to show them as much of the city as we could.

The forecast was for rain but it cleared up nicely and we ventured to Granville Island where I took this picture of the skyline at False Creek.

Growth

We were away for only three and a half days and while we were away, Monet turned four weeks old.

In those few days we have noticed a distinct difference in her alertness and her size.

Babies grow so incredibly fast at this age and we know that it won't be long before she is as big as her brother Makai!

"Home" Again

Because we live in a motorhome, home is where the wheels stop turning and that place is in Mission, BC right now.

After a weekend away on a motorcycle staying in a motel, it sure is nice to return home again.

Tonight we get to sleep in our own bed with our own pillows.

Yay! It's going to be a good night!

McMinnville, Oregon

We are visiting the Willamette Valley region of Oregon; an area we have visited several times before.

Today we drove to Lincoln City with our friends and this evening we explored downtown McMinnville.

McMinnville is in the heart of Oregon's wine country and though we no longer indulge in the fermented grape juice, we certainly appreciate the food that is served with it.

Here is a photo of McMinnville's historic main street.

Bloodshot

Yesterday we rode our motorcycle from Mission, BC to Salem, OR.....a long ride.

When we arrived, my right eye was blood red. Today, with the help of some Visine, it is looking a lot better but we are off to buy some liquid tears to prevent a reoccurence.

Gads!! Aging is a "wonderful" thing???

And I might add ..... I was wearing a full face mask and sunglasses so my eyes weren't exposed to the elements.

Motorcycling

This morning we left Mission, BC on our motorcycle to head south for the weekend.

We are visiting with friends in McMinnville, south of Portland, Oregan.

It was hard to leave Makai, who was equally sad to see us go.

We did manage to get a hug and a smile for the camera!

Two Babies

I am minding baby Monet while Karley does some shopping.

She fell asleep in my arms so I placed her on our bed to sleep and soon Sam, the cat, joined her.

Though she is a cat, Sam is "our" baby while Monet is our grandbaby.

This little munchkin was awake and fussy for most of the day. Between me (her Granni) and her mom, try as we might, we couldn't settle her.

Finally, after 8 hours of awake time with only a maximum of an hour and a half of sleep in between, this little not-quite-four-week-old went to sleep!

Her mom was tending to clients (she is a hair stylist) and the day is almost gone but now I can finally get something done too!

Miniscule

What you are seeing in this photograph is a teeny tiny example of the blackberry bushes around here, loaded with fruit.

There is an abundance of berries so is it any wonder we are picking so many?

Blackberries grow like weeds here in BC and are often unwelcome by gardeners and farmers.

However for fruit lovers like us, they are a delight!