Bridges Falling Down And A Visitor For The Weekend

It sure was weird and just a little disconcerting to see all the pictures and videos on the news of the bridge collapse in Washington St. yesterday.  It felt a bit weird because we’ve crossed over that same bridge on I-5 between Burlington and Mt. Vernon dozens of times over the years.  Sure, it took a truck carrying an oversize load that struck an upper span to knock the bridge down but I’d hope most of the bridges we cross are a bit stronger than that!

A bridge on I-5 over the Skagit River collapses

That may not be the case though as I read reports indicating there are as many as 70,000 “structurally deficient bridges across the country."   Congress was asked to set aside $50 billion to repair some of these bridges starting with the most urgent ones but instead transportation repair is facing a $1.9 billion cut.  I guess all we can do is drive across sketchy looking bridges and hope for the best.  I sure hope the Coronado Bridge in San Diego is o.k. – I love that one!!

I spent all of Friday morning working on computer issues as Paulette had gone to Nanaimo with her friends Claire, Sandy and Julie for a Quilt Show.  By noon, I’d about had it wracking my brain over a simple yet frustratingly complicated problem with the Feedburner app for a fellow blogger.  Just before noon, and after several attempts to get the faulty Feedburner “burning” again, it magically woke up and began to slowly chug away.  By late afternoon, all seemed well again.  That seemed like a good time to hit the road with Molly and Rylie and go for a hike!

Another reason I wanted to go early was that I didn’t really have any idea when Paulette would be back from Nanaimo.  Maggie was coming over for the weekend so she could go to Carrie’s first Baby Shower with Paulette on Saturday.  Maggie lives in Vancouver and guess where the Ferry was taking her?  Nanaimo.  Since Paulette couldn’t hang around with friends until well after dinner, that meant we had to drive up to meet the Ferry so Paulette got 2 trips up-Island in one day!

It started to look like rain by the time I left home with Molly and Rylie so a long hike was not a good idea.  I thought I’d drive out to one of the Cowichan River Parks near Skutz Falls as it’s not too far along the trails down to the river.  That worked out great as we managed to sneak in an hour of sunshine.  We were lucky as on the way home the rain started to pound down in earnest.  I was home by 3pm and Paulette pulled up with her friends about 15 minutes later. 

Maggie caught the 7:30pm sailing from Vancouver so we left just before 8pm to pick her up in Nanaimo when she arrived at 9.  The baby shower for Carrie is in  Victoria on Saturday afternoon.  Carrie went for another 3-D type ultrasound Friday morning and the baby is doing fine.  From what the doctor’s told her the baby is due sometime in the next 2 to 3 weeks.

Have a great Saturday, and thanks again for visiting!

Shopping For A Baby Crib And Views From Mt. Tolmie

Our main task on Tuesday was to pick up Carrie in Victoria to go shopping for a  baby crib.  Our first Grandson is due around the second week of June so Paulette and I wanted to make sure he has a nice warm bed to come home to – and a quilt to keep him warm, of course!  After checking on-line for crib styles, types and consumer safety reports, we all agreed that Sears had as good a selection as anyone, along with competitive pricing, so that’s where we headed.

Stork Craft Carrara Stages 4-in-1 Crib

When I first started looking at baby cribs on-line, I was amazed to see how much these units have progressed over the years.  It didn’t take us long to realize that one of the conversion type cribs might be a good deal as they can easily be made up into different styles to make them last a few years longer than normal.  I’m not much of a shopper – I’m more of a waiter, so when we got to Sears, I left Paulette and Carrie to do the shopping while I took off for an hour with Molly and Rylie.

When I returned an hour later, I was shocked to see Paulette and Carrie already waiting at the front door of Sears.  I figured the shopping trip must have been a bust because it’s unheard of for them to actually finish up early.  I mean there’s a whole store full of stuff in there!  But, I was wrong.  They looked at all the cribs, had their Internet notes for asking questions, Carrie picked out the crib she liked and that was it.  All done in a flash.  I didn’t even have to haul any boxes as Sears will deliver the crib right to Carrie’s door!

That’s Sears in the middle of this photo and downtown Victoria at the top

When I left Paulette and Carrie at Sears, I carried on with Molly and Rylie to drive up to the top of nearby Mt. Tolmie.  The viewpoint at the top provides a 360 degree look at the city of Victoria.  It was pretty overcast yesterday morning but still clear enough for a great view of downtown Victoria and Juan de Fuca Straits in the background.  On a clear day with blue skies, one can see all the way over to Port Angeles in Washington State.

Panoramic view of Victoria, B.C.

The very top of Mt. Tolmie is dedicated as a park with trails winding down the back of the mountain.  Molly and Rylie had been stuck in the car for a while so they really appreciated the chance to get out and stretch their legs a bit and do some exploring in a new to them park.

Looking north from Mt. Tolmie to another Victoria landmark – Mt. Douglas

Mt. Tolmie has always been a very special place for our family as my Mother and Father lived on the west slopes, overlooking the city, for over 30 years.  We spent countless visits at my parents’ celebrating birthdays, holidays, weddings, parties and all kinds of special and ordinary events and all the time being able to enjoy the spectacular view of the city below us.  It is a wonderful spot.

An intriguing pathway in Mt. Tolmie Park – down into the rabbit-hole!

After I picked up Paulette and Carrie we found a Starbucks and had a coffee outside before dropping Carrie off at her condo.  Our route home took us right by Thetis Lake Park which is one of our very favourite hiking trails.  This was a perfect opportunity to get our daily hike in so we stopped and did the 1 hour loop trail around the lake before heading home.  It’s kind of late this evening as I’m writing this (I watched a couple of hockey games on TV) so I’ll save the Thetis Lake hike for tomorrow’s post.

Big sister Lola sharing her bone with little sister Scout

Erin reports from Calgary that little Scout is, so far, a perfect little pup.  That’s great news but if I remember correctly, Rylie was a perfect little pup too but grew up to be a holy terror!  I’m sure those two will have a great chat this summer!!

Have a great Wednesday, and thanks again for visiting!

Just ‘Hangin-Out’ With A Few Blogger Friends

The Google+ Hangout yesterday with a group of fellow bloggers was a lot of fun and worked extremely well.  It was a learning experience for everyone I’m sure as we had 8 people simultaneously on the video call.  Technically, everything worked well except for a couple of microphone ‘muting’ problems and George’s poor WiFi in his park.  Also, Janna got bounced out before we even started as her Internet service crashed a few hours before our scheduled hangout session. 

From bottom left: Allen D, John H, Nan T, Paul G, Me, Rick M(x2), Sue M

One of the problems with videoconferencing has always been situations where you need the person on the other end to see what’s on your computer screen.  In G+ Hangouts, there’s a perfect tool for that!  It’s called Screenshare.  With just a few clicks, I was able to show exactly what was on my computer screen just as if everyone was in the room looking over my shoulder.  An added bonus, of course, was the fact that my face disappeared to be replaced by my Google+ homepage!

Using Screenshare, everyone could see how to create a new G+ Circle

Screenshare was an ideal and simple way for me to show a few of the techniques for creating and managing Circles live on my computer screen.  I created a new Circle called the Hangout Group and showed how to send a message in G+ just to that group of 7 people while nobody in any of my other Circles ever gets to see it.

Fictitious Education:  Choosing to share only with RV Bloggers Circle

We also spent some time discussing our Google+ Profiles.  A lot of folks are rightly concerned about privacy and here is where Google+ really shines.  While a Google+ Profile is Public your full name is the only required information that will be displayed on your profile; you are able to edit or remove any other information that you don’t want to share.  That includes work history, contact information, personal history, location, education, gender, birthdate or marital status etc.

Thanks to all who participated in yesterday’s Hangout!

In my blog yesterday, I mentioned that I might record the Hangout Session so that others could watch it either on YouTube or in Google+.  After giving that some additional thought, I decided against it as I hadn’t consulted in advance with the other Hangout participants.  Since this would be a “live-streaming event” it simply came down to a question of privacy as well as courtesy.  To record an event for a live, or even later, broadcast would have to be approved, in advance, by all folks involved in the hangout!  That’s my policy and I’m stickin’ to it! 

We celebrated Victoria Day by grilling a couple of steaks for dinner

As for future Hangout sessions – I’m all for it, and it doesn’t necessarily have to be about computer topics either.  After all, we’re all RV’ers so there must be something we could find to talk about.  All we need is a volunteer to light a campfire in front of a computer screen and we’re all set!  If anyone has a topic of any kind they’d like to see discussed, let’s hear it and I’m sure we’ll be able to get a crowd of folks to sit around and chat – daytime or an evening!

How about this Weber Q dinner, George (aka Weber Q Man of Blogland?

To celebrate the Victoria Day holiday yesterday, I grilled up a couple of steaks, Paulette wrapped up some new, small potatoes in tin foil and put them on the grill so we enjoyed a great dinner last night.  Tomorrow, we’re off to Victoria to pick up Carrie then I’m dropping her and Paulette off at Sears to pick out a baby crib.  I'll find some place to walk with Molly and Rylie while the baby crib shopping is on.

Have a great Tuesday, and thanks again for visiting!

Family For Lunch And We Have A New Grand-Dog!

Maggie and her fiancé, Toby, were in Victoria for the weekend so they drove up to have lunch with us yesterday.  It was great to get together with Toby again as this was the first time we’ve seen him since last Christmas as well as the first time since he asked Maggie to marry him in March.  Paulette made a special lunch and made sure to send “the boy” home with a big bag of Chocolate Chip cookies and another bag of freshly made Scones! 

Paulette made sure Toby didn’t go back to Vancouver empty-handed

Maggie and Toby were over to check out venues for their wedding which will take place during the summer of 2014.  While it seems a long time away to me, it’s surprising to hear how fast many of the nicer wedding venues are booking up.  In fact, a few places are already booked solid for 2014.  It looks like Maggie and Toby were able to snag the exact place they wanted for their wedding so Paulette and I are both happy about that.  I’m sworn to secrecy for now – or else!!

Panini's for lunch, Scones/Blackberry Jam, strawberry’s/whipped cream

For lunch, Paulette made Panini’s and just to make sure that neither Toby nor Maggie left hungry she baked Scones and added fresh strawberries and whipped cream.  It was good and since we had a late lunch that served nicely as our dinner as well.  Maggie brought us right up-to-date with all of her wedding plans.  I was exhausted just from listening to everything that needs to be done between now and next summer. 

Meet ‘Scout’ – our new Grand-Dog

Erin called us on Face-Time early Sunday morning to introduce us to our new Grand-Dog - her name is Scout and she is a Golden Doodle just 8 weeks old.  Scout will be a little sister to Lola – also a beautiful, gentle and very friendly Golden Doodle.  We’re sure that Lola will be more than happy to have a little playmate to keep her company during the day. 

Looks like Scout is not the least bit intimidated by big sister Lola

We’ll get to meet Scout this summer when Erin and Greg drive out from Calgary for a summer vacation here on Vancouver Island.  It should be interesting to have a little pup around with enough energy to keep Rylie busy all day.  Thankfully, we’ve got a big fenced backyard for all the dogs to run in and we’ll make sure to take “the pack” on our daily hikes. 

I’m really looking forward to the Monday morning Google+ Hangout session with 8 fellow bloggers.  It promises to be a lot of fun.  So far, I’ve had test video chats with George, Allen and Nan and everything worked just fine.  If any of you who are included in this Hangout have any problems connecting just email me right away and I’ll make sure you get on, o.k.  I’m hoping to be able to record this session for others who may wish to view it later.

Have a great Monday, and thanks again for visiting!

A 50-50 Weather Day But I Still Got To BBQ A Pizza

It was mostly an inside day for both Paulette and I on Friday as it was raining off and on most of the time.  The rain stopped a bit after 2pm so we were able to get out for our walk without getting soaked.  We didn’t go far, just down to Manley Creek Park by Cowichan Bay, as it was still overcast and looking like it could start raining again any minute.  We lucked out though.

This photo pretty much sums up what Friday was like around here

It’s a holiday long weekend here in Canada for Victoria Day and this weekend typically kicks off the summer camping season.  Before driving over to the park, we had to stop at the grocery store down by the hi-way to pick up a few items and while parked there I saw dozens of RV’s heading north for the campgrounds and Provincial Parks of Parksville, Qualicum Beach and more points north.  The first campers of the season are always an eager bunch and they go rain or shine!

Bridge over Manley Creek

It looks like the weekend might turn out o.k. as the sun came out here just before dinner time and it turned out to be a beautiful evening.  I sure hope it’s nice on Saturday because both our front and back lawns need cutting.  The recent rain combined with warm temps has caused the grass to grow like crazy!

Looking down at Manley Creek from the bridge

Manley Park is a small but nice park to go for a hike in the afternoon.  It has a very steep downhill grade to the beach and the walk back up sure gets the old heart rate up.  It was very quiet there yesterday afternoon as I think we were the only ones in the park or on the beach itself. 

Now that I’m on a roll with my little Weber Q120 having successfully cooked a Beef Roast on it a few days ago, I thought I’d venture a little further into BBQ Chefville and try a pizza.  To test this out, I just bought an uncooked fresh Hawaiian Pizza at our local supermarket.  BBQ’ing a pizza couldn’t be simpler.  I just put a pizza stone (12” fits on the Q120), heated the Q to 450F and then slipped the pizza on the hot Pizza Stone and closed the lid.

I opened it 20 minutes later and the pizza was cooked.  The crust was just a teeny bit crispy so next time I’ll cut the time down by a few minutes.  This just adds one more meal that we can make while RVing where we don’t have to bother with the gas oven.  That’s especially important to us while we’re in Palm Springs as the last thing we need there is an oven heating up the whole rig. 

Paulette was busy in the kitchen too!

While I was slaving away over a hot BBQ making pizza, Paulette was busy in the kitchen whipping up a batch of Chocolate Chip cookies – my favorite.  I’d like to think she made them just for me but I happen to know that Maggie and her fiancé, Toby, are dropping in for a visit sometime this weekend so I’m pretty sure that’s what the baking was about.  Doesn’t matter to me though!

It was fun yesterday morning to actually have a live video ‘Hangout’ with George (Our Awesome Travels) – aka the ‘Weber Q Man of Blogland’!

We had a great face to face chat just like we were sitting together in one of our RV’s.  I had sent out an email to the participants of the Hangout we have scheduled for this Monday to see if anyone wanted to test their connection. 

Just a few minutes later, there was George’s smiling face right on my big 22” computer screen. Thanks for calling, George, I enjoyed our conversation and I’m looking forward to seeing you again this Monday.

Have a great Saturday, and thanks again for visiting!

Thursday Was Time For A More Strenuous Hike

A rather dreary morning here suddenly turned into a beautiful afternoon and that was all Paulette, me and the mutzzo’s needed to head out and find a spot for a good long hike.  We hadn’t been on any real difficult hikes for a week or so and we thought yesterday would be just as good a time as any.  The toughest part was trying to figure out where we wanted to go but we eventually settled on the Glenora section of the Cowichan River Park, about a 20 minute drive for us.

Holt Creek flowing into the Cowichan River – my favourite spot of all

This is a beautiful, quiet place and that’s why we’ve chosen it for afternoon walks several times over the past few years.  It has long, winding trails that take us right through the Pacific rainforest with tall cedars and firs climbing up to the skies.

Hidden amongst the trees and vines is a long, steep set of stairs – ugh!

For a good workout there are a few steep grades as well as lung busting climbs up wooden stairways leading from the Cowichan River to the trails above.  Of all the hikes we do, I think stair climbing is the hardest. 

A long, rising trail ahead

Even in the forest amongst the tall trees it was still pretty warm as it was about 65F which is pretty nice for hiking.  Molly and Rylie were able to run off-leash but we had to keep a close eye on Rylie as she seemed intent on running off the path and into the woods at several spots.

We were in Bear Family territory – Rylie’s a whirling dervish in the corner

After about 20 minutes of following the trail we came to a long set of switchback stairs that led us down to Holt Creek.  About 200 yards from the bottom of the wooden stairs there was a bridge to take us across the creek and just 75 yards from the crossing, Holt Creek flows into the Cowichan River.  Of all the places in the park, this has always been my favourite spot.  The total hike took us about 90 minutes and we were both tired and glad to be back in our Honda with A/C.

Multi-coloured rocks lining the bottom of crystal clear Holt Creek

Yesterday morning, and again later in the afternoon, I spent some time getting familiar with the new look of Google+.  Just my luck to schedule my first Hangout session with fellow bloggers for this coming Monday to show Google+ and some of its different features only to find out that Google had introduced a complete new look and format.  Thanks, guys!  So, I spent a few hours familiarizing myself with where everything I used to know was now hiding. 

The new look is quite different but after working with it I have to say I really like it.  Things are better organized and easier to follow now.  Even the new Stream Layout with the option of a single or multiple column display has got me to change to the multi-column look I didn’t much care for at first.  Using the CTRL + and – keys can switch the display from 2 to 3 columns and back or you can simply select the standard 1 column look.

WARNING:  The video clip shown below is a fake – but a very good and very interesting fake depicting what the author feels would make a real, cool new Apple iWatch.  Even though it’s not true, the video is extremely well done and even experts reviewing this commercial all agree that nothing shown in it is actually impossible.  It’s kind of mind-blowing and takes Dick Tracy type watches to a whole new level.  It’s worth a look.

WARNING:  This commercial is not real – it is just a hypothetical for Apple

Have a great Friday, and thanks again for visiting!

An Invitation To A Google+ Hangout Next Monday

Those of us who use Google’s Blogger Platform to create and write our blogs must surely be aware by now of Google’s intention to integrate Blogger with Google+.  Over the past year or so we have seen this happen with Blogger:

1. Picasa Web Albums changed to Google+ Photos
2. Blogger Profiles can now be associated and thus changed to Google+
3. Google Reader abandoned
4. Blogger Comment Integration with Google+ (voluntary for now)
5. It’s only a question of when, not if, until Blogger Followers are abolished
6. Google+ Followers Widget has already been added to Blogger
7. Google+ Share Buttons added
8. Blogger’s Editor can now publish directly to Google+
9. Several new Google+ Sidebar Badges and Widgets added to Blogger

The Google+ Train is picking up steam and heading our way

Google+, whether most bloggers like it or not, is where the future of our Blogger Platform is headed.  Based on the amount of effort Google is throwing into their flagship social networking application, anything else makes no sense.  Other options, like WordPress have many, many issues including the cost of setting up a WordPress blog on a dedicated, paid for server.  It’s not worth the cost to me.

Here are some of the reasons why I think Google+ is great for me as a blogger:

1. I already use Gmail, Picasa, Drive etc. so Google+ is a no-brainer
2. Circles are awesome – a simple, secure way to manage contacts
3. Control over my stuff – I can leave, with my data, anytime
4. Hangouts – terrific for video chats as it allows 10 simultaneous chats
5. Setting up a secure Profile is a breeze
6. Google+ is integrated with my favourite browser – Google Chrome
7. Unlike Facebook – there are NO Friend Requests
8. G+ lets me assign a privacy level to all content I choose to share
9. I get unlimited photo storage on Google+ for all my blog photos

Am I recommending you should all go out and join Google+ today if you haven’t already?  Nope!  That’s up to everyone to decide on their own – for now anyway.  Remember when Google introduced the new Blogger Dashboard GUI?  It was voluntary for a while but not for long.  It makes me wonder just how long it will be before a Google+ ID is a requirement for Blogger.

Google+ allows you to chat with up to 9 friends or family simultaneously

There seems to be a natural hesitation among many bloggers about Google+.  That’s understandable because it’s new and therefore ‘scary’!  it’s actually pretty simple though so I’m looking for 9 volunteers to either join G+, or if you’re already a member and have questions, then join me in a Google+ Hangout next Monday.  During the Hangout session, I’ll try and answer any questions you might have and hopefully be able to actually show on screen what Google+ is all about!

A Google+ Hangout Next Monday, May 20th at 10am PT (1pm ET)

If you’d like to be one of the 9 to get in on this G+ Hangout session, then just send me an email or leave a comment and I’ll be happy to add the first 9 responders and send you an invitation.  Remember, you must be a Google+ member to take part in the Hangout but I’ll sign you up if you say you intend to join Google+ before Monday.  It’s easy to remove a G+ membership later if you decide to change your mind.

Have a great Wednesday, and thanks again for visiting!

Our Old Backyard Apple Tree Had To Be Removed

The decades old Apple tree in our backyard had to be cut down and removed due to some kind of disease; we noticed that the trunk was beginning to show signs of rot.  I called an Arborist to have a look at the Apple tree last week to see if we could perhaps save it with some pruning or any other kind of treatment but he recommended its removal and the planting of a new one.  This big old Apple tree had grown a bit wild over the years but still produced great apples each fall.

Reluctantly, we agreed with the assessment of the professional arborist and arranged for him to remove the Apple tree on Monday morning.  Luckily, even though the weather guessers were predicting rain, it turned out to be a nice, warm morning with a high overcast sky.  The arborist showed up at our house right on schedule at 9am with one helper.  Incredibly, they removed the tree, put all the limbs, trunk and branches through the chipper, cleaned up and were finished by 10am.  I was thankful I had abandoned my thoughts of doing this job myself!

There’s a huge gap behind the trellis where the Apple tree once stood

Upon arrival, one guy backed their huge 3 ton Duramax truck towing a big, heavy-duty wood chipper alongside our fifth-wheel and the side of our house to get as close to our backyard as possible.  I watched that very carefully!

The big 3-ton truck with the wood chipper towed in back

One guy climbed a ladder and used a chainsaw to top the tree and fall it and within just a few minutes the entire tree was down.  That was it!  Just minutes.  I would have made a career out of cutting this tree down and been lucky to escape with my legs and arms intact.

A couple of chainsaws made short work of this job

Paulette’s big worry was that her precious Rose Garden would be destroyed during the tree removal but these guys were real pros and it escaped completely untouched.  Again, I shudder to think about what would have happened if I had taken my chain saw to the Apple tree.  Anyway, all is well.

One of the biggest problems with cutting down trees and shrubs is the incredible amount of stuff that has to be hauled away.  Why is it that a tree or shrub is always looks smaller than the ‘sum of its parts’.  The limbs and branches alone would have made for many, many trips to the recycle station.  That would be after lots of work cutting them up and hauling them to the trailer.

Video clip of the wood chipper in action

Still version of the wood chipper

That’s where the heavy-duty wood chipper came in.  The guys just dragged limbs, branches and even parts of the tree trunk itself and fed them into the jaws of the wood chipper.  The blades ate these pieces up and spit them out the top and into the back of the truck as sawdust.  Seeing this machine at work reminded me of the movie “Fargo” – if you’ve seen this movie yourself then you’ll know what I’m referring to.  If not, then you don’t want to know!

With our old Apple tree gone, there is a significant gap above the fence where the tree once stood.  What that means is Paulette’s Rose Garden is going to be getting a lot more afternoon sun.  We plan to plant another Apple tree, maybe even two, and in a few years we should be “eating them apples” again.

Have a great Tuesday, and thanks again for visiting!

A Few Small Jobs And A Visit To Fisherman’s Wharf

In my blog yesterday, I noted that when I was writing it at 9pm Saturday night it was raining.  I said that “I hope it pours all night”!  Well, I got my wish as it was still drizzling a bit on Sunday morning just enough to put the kibosh on any work out in the yard.  Just as well because since it was Mother’s Day it was only appropriate that Paulette took a day off from any weed pulling and gardening.  The lawns were in good shape so I didn’t have to worry about mowing them either.

I asked for some rain, so what do we get?  Lots of it!

Since, it was going to be an inside morning, I set about doing a couple of very small maintenance jobs I’ve been putting off for unknown reasons.  The first was installing new ink cartridges in my Epson Stylus NX530 printer.  As usual, I got the ink cartridges direct from 123 InkCartidges saving a total of $54 in the process.  The extra high capacity ink cartridges from Epson were $96 but I only paid $42 from 123 InkCartidges.  The print quality is identical to what I got from Epson!

To prevent clogging inkjets, it’s a good idea to turn them off at night

Here’s a little tip to avoid print head clogging for those of you who own Epson InkJet printers – turn your printer off at night!  Epson printers do a "mini-cleaning cycle" when the printer is first turned on. This is to get the ink flowing through the print head. If you never turn the printer off, then these mini-cleaning cycles do not take place.  This might apply to other printers like HP, Lexmark and Canon as well but I’m not sure.  Printing a color page at least once a week is also a good idea.

After I finished up with the ink cartridges, I moved into our family room to get the pilot light lit on our natural gas fireplace.  I always turn the pilot life off before we head south.  The control knobs are not labeled all that well on the control panel so I always need to get the manual out to make sure I’m turning things clockwise or counterclockwise as required.  The pilot light lit up right away and I tested the fireplace with our remote and we had an “instant fireplace” burning away!

After lunch the skies lightened up a little bit so Paulette and I thought we’d better take advantage of it before the next showers moved in.  It was quite cool as well so for the first time this month I brought a light jacket with me as we were going down to the Cowichan River Estuary.  With a wind whipping in off the water, it can get downright cold there even on a warm day.

We did our usual walk out to the end of the Estuary Trail and back.  I was sure glad I brought my jacket because the wind was biting cold even though away from the water it was a very pleasant 65F.  On the way back home, we stopped off to take a walk along the piers at the Cowichan Bay Fisherman’s Wharf. 

There’s always a huge variety of boats tied up on the wharves.  Everything from commercial fishing trawlers to sailboats and big cruisers.  I’ve never owned any kind of boat but from what I’ve heard owning a boat is a lot more expensive than an RV.  Maybe someone who has owned both can chip in on that because I have no real idea – just repeating what I’ve told by a few boat owners.

Sitting in our family room last night watching a couple of TV shows, we were glad we had the fireplace working.  It was a cool night but the fireplace did a great job of keeping us toasty warm!

Have a great Monday, and thanks again for visiting!