And The Beat Goes On....

With a sunny break in the weather, a few days back, I managed to get outdoors to complete the annual 'pick up leaves' task.  We purchased a Toro leaf vac last year and this was my first opportunity to try it out.

Rain, rain, go away....

The day after an incredible downpour, the skies opened up, the sun came out in force and that signaled my cue to get out and finally gather up the leaves in our yard.

Vacuum system works great.

Our previous home had a good sized - heavily treed - yard.  I could collect the leaves with my Honda mulching mower.  This new home, with a no lawn, called for a different strategy to gather leaves.

Mulching leaf vac.

This was my first attempt with the leaf vac and I was quickly sold on its merits.  The task of walking around the yard and gathering leaves was really easy. It's a great tool!

Within three hours, I had picked up all leaves in the back and front yard.  The bag collection system works great.  Alright!....another job done.

...and the beat does go on....

With the rain back in full force, I moved indoors to continue working on a project I have busied myself with these past few winters, before we head south.

We have a rather large collection of LP's.  These records contain a large selection of music tracks we quite like.

USB Turntable connected to our desktop computer allows us to create MP3 music files.

I'm quite enjoy converting the preferred music tracks to MP3 files.  About one year ago, I managed to transfer one large box of LP's over to iTunes.  Now, I'm focused on another box.

It is as simple as plugging the USB connection from the turntable to the computer.

My goal is to transfer the music of choice from this box to iTunes by mid-December.

I save projects such as these for rainy days when getting outdoors is less appealing.

I was surprised by the number of jazz records in our collection.  These LP's have been stored in boxes, in our basement for many years.

Let the music play....

The upside (or downside for some) is that the tracks can only be uploaded in real time.  Some could find that far too time consuming but I, on the other hand, quite enjoy listening to the entire cut while the computer does its work.

With one of our two laptop computers beginning to fade, I ordered a new Dell laptop last week.  It arrived a few days ago.  I have not had a lot of time to play with Windows 8 but I'm sure it will become old hat within a few hours of tickling the keys.

I made quick work of getting the camera out to steal this shot of Easton with his cat, Kuma.

Easton was over for a visit....and his cat came along too.  I'm baby sitting Kuma the cat while Easton, his mom and Nana Jeanette are off to Edmonton for a week of visiting family.  More on that later.

Tuesday had me visit our optometrist for my regular eye exam.  All was good on that front.  There is no need to change my prescription.  Wednesday was set aside for lunch with a couple of my golfing friends and, as soon as I complete writing this blog, I'm off to our dentist for a regular exam and cleaning.

Once back home, I have the option to either prep and paint  our master bath or continue digitizing LP tracks to MP3 files.  Hmmmmmm, what to do....what to do!

Thanks for dropping by.

Active Life - Live long!

With not a lot of exciting news happening around RV Voyageur land these days, I thought I would share the following video. The 71 year old fella, who is featured, has more energy than the EverReady Bunny!

 Video of Never Leave the Playground at growingbolder.com

We're moving forward with home based projects.  Albeit small ones, the projects have been waiting for rainy days to get done.  Those rainy days are here in full force.  The weather prognosticators are calling for a long stretch of grey skies and rain.  Hmmm, why we are not in the sunnier southwest US climes begs reconsideration.

I will be curious to read blogger comments with respect to the video.

Wishing you a productive week.

Thanks for dropping by.

Easton Takes A Hike

You read right!  Easton took his Nana and Grand Papa for a hike recently.  While spending some time looking after him, Jeanette and I looked forward to taking him out on one of our favourite trails nearby.

Easton is hanging out with me at my computer

After some WEB/Blogging time, Easton kind of signaled that he had had enough play time on the floor behind my computer chair. It was time for some lunch before heading out on  a hike.

We loaded him up and headed for a well groomed trail nearby.

Easton's parents had brought their running and trail style stroller.  What a treat that thing is.  It's easy to push over rough ground.

"Come on you two.....let's get rolling!  There are things to see.....and time is a wasting!"

Easton was anxious to get going.  The weather was great.  That basically means there was no rain in the forecast.

His Nana had to teach him a few things about fall time and leaves.

Easton was quite taken by his natural surroundings and did not lack for new things to see, touch and smell.

Other than three other couples, we had the trail almost entirely to ourselves.  What a treat that was! 

"Come on Nana....push hard.....!  I want to see what's on the other side of the hill!"

Jeanette took the lead with pushing the stroller on the first part of our hike.  The park attendants had obviously been ahead of us to blow the leaves from the pathways.

Taking a little break.

Thinking Easton would quickly fall asleep, he proved us wrong. We were pleasantly surprised by his alertness.  He took in all the sights and sounds.  

Rounding one of the curves on the trail

When my time came to push the stroller, I too was pleasantly surprised at how easy the task was with those big 'air filled' wheels.  What a treat when compared to the small wheeled stroller we had when our kids were little. I sure remember how often we had to pick up the stroller because of soft ground, such as sand or mud.

Even plowing through this heavily leafed area, the stroller push was a breeze.

Nana is teaching Easton a thing or two about plant life and the four seasons.  He's taking it all in....but maybe that is because those leaves are so big.

He's nice and toasty in his stroller.  Life is good!

We stopped by a brook to watch the fish spawning.  Maybe it is late in the spawning season but the activity level was not what we normally expect in this stream.  There was some activity and that was fun for Easton to see.  He must have wondered what those things splashing in the water were all about.

It's fun exposing Easton to all of this newness.  Everything he saw on this hike was brand new to him.

When we put ourselves in his place, we wonder with amazement at just how much this little fella (7 months old now) has learned and will continue to learn.  It's all brand new!

"Fresh air and all of the activities just plum wore me down.....Nap time OK?"

Near the end of our two hour hike in the woods, Easton had had enough. He fell asleep as we neared the parking area.  That was a lot for him to take in on a cool and frosty day out on the trails.  

Nearing the end of our hike.

What a trooper Easton was.  He did not complain once.  Maybe the eye candy (stimulation of seeing so many new things) so captivated him and kept him engaged.  What a fun afternoon on a trail with our little grandson. 

Back at our home, Easton relaxes before dinner.

A fun day was had by all.

On the RV front......

I completed the winterizing of our 5th wheel, checked out our electrical systems and, after blowing out the water lines - including the on board washer and dryer, I emptied some RV antifreeze into the sink and shower traps, the galley sink traps, and the black and grey tanks.

We are looking forward to hitching up six weeks or so from now and heading away from this land of rain and clouds!

Thanks for dropping by.

Deer In The Headlights!!!

All these years of driving through the mountains - in all seasons - and all the near wildlife misses  ended on Tuesday evening @ 5:45 pm.  Only two minutes from home, an adult female deer appeared in my headlights.  I swerved to the other lane to avoid a head on impact but she jumped towards my truck and crunched the passenger side rear dually fender.

I was about 300 yards from a stop sign and my speed was at, or about, 30-35 kilometres/hour (about 20 - 22 mph) when the deer 'hit and run'.  As one fella stated, I did not even benefit from a freezer full of deer meat.  LOL  That poor deer ran off with a major headache though!

Her head hit the fender where the hole is.

I engaged my four way flashers, got out of the truck to examine the damage in the dark of night, walked around looking for a dead deer but that was not to be.  She ran off.  Dogs were barking madly in neighbouring acreages.  After a good walk around, I drove the few minutes to our house then got the camera to capture a few photos.

The fiberglass fender will be replaced.

After filing a claim with our insurance company, I went online to check out a few auto body shops near us.  Yesterday, I drove to a couple of these auto body repair facilities and settled on a second generation, family run, facility with a solid Better Business Bureau reputation.

Our insurance company was quick to provide a claim number and, within minutes, the shop had ordered a new dually fender, new 4X4 sticker and other accessories it needs to complete the job.  Late yesterday afternoon, the manager called to say the parts would all arrive within 10 business days.  I was OK with that.  The parts would be shipped via ground transportation v. air freight.  I surmise that the insurance company was looking for the cheapest shipping costs.  The fact that our truck is drivable - and that we aren't RVing south within the next couple of weeks - negates the urge to rush.

I came so close to missing the deer.  Had she not jumped at my truck, all would have been fine.   I was on my way back from Ginette, Trevor and Easton's home; only about 12 minutes from our home.

I have to echo the sentiment of our neighbours on the fact that there are large numbers of deer in the area this year.  We see them everywhere. 

Easton just arrived for the day and for an overnight with Jeanette and I.

It is Ginette and Trevor's wedding anniversary this weekend.  They have plans to do some Christmas shopping, take in a theatrical play in Vancouver, enjoy dinner out and simply enjoy some time together - sans enfant (French for 'without child').  So, we're looking after Easton. Yea!

Here he is in his favourite jumping chair....and with some fun toys to throw on the floor.

He is at the age where it is a lot of fun to play with toys....drop them on the floor for us to pick up....then repeat the process over and over again.  That's fun for him!  OK, it's fun for us too......!

That sums up the past few days here in RV Voyageur land.

(It occurred to me that some blog readers may wonder why 'voyageur' is spelled the way it is on our blog address.  It has the 'u' after the 'e'. That is the French spelling for voyager.....but better defines our love for travel).

Thanks for dropping by.

YESSIREE....ANOTHER SET OF PARTIES!

Phew!  Will this house now cease and desist?  It has been a week that included two parties.  SAY WHAT?  Yes....you read right!  There were two parties at the RV Voyageur household this week.

PARTY NO. 1    Nurses Get Together for A Halloween Games Night!

'Twas time for the ghosts and goblins to come out of hiding.  Jeanette prepared the scene.

Every couple of months or so,Jeanette's nursing friends find a good reason to get together to share some banter, laughter, good food and games, games, games.

They arrived - dressed in costumes and then the fun began.

Following a couple of photos for the blog, I headed off to my loft office and my trusty computer.  The girls laughter started in earnest and when the food was ready, I headed back down for grub before returning to my abode - letting the costumed nurses banter and laugh.  They did a lot of that.

Hmmm, food!  Yeah....here I come!

These girls do know how to have fun!

Nice Halloween costume!!!!

The Halloween afternoon, Easton appeared at our doorstep with his mom to be first in line with the tricks and treats!  He was well treated - let me tell you!

Easton spent some time outside, playing in the leaves.

Hmmm, what are those red things?

PARTY NO. 2   JEANETTE'S BIG 60TH SURPRISE BIRTHDAY PARTY - SATURDAY

And a surprise it was. Daughter Ginette had wanted to coordinate a surprise party for her mom.  I was in for that!  We worked together to keep Jeanette in the dark (so to speak) while friends and family were secretly invited to attend the Saturday afternoon party at our home.

The surprise guests shout out cheers of Happy Birthday....and Jeanette is truly surprised.

Taking one step back, my early morning job was to get Jeanette out of the house to give Ginette, Trevor, Deni and Easton the time to set up the decorations, food stuff, libations and more.

I had to fib my way through several hours of Christmas shopping, brunch at a quaint little restaurant, more shopping and other errands I could conjure to keep us from being anywhere near our home.

At precisely 2:30 pm we drove into our driveway and Jeanette noticed over a dozen  vehicles in the driveway and the street in front of our home.  She then realized that something was up.  And that something was a delight.

Between 35 and 40 party folks were there to help celebrate.

Although Jeanette does not reach the official age of 60 till the end of the month, she'll be away in Alberta tending to some family business and checking up on her mom.  The timing  worked to our advantage in planning the surprise.

Our son Deni flew in from Edmonton, Alberta. 

Jeanette was clearly surprised by everyone who attended but a special gift was our son, Deni's surprise show.

Our little family - taken while Easton was having a rest.

With some great RV friends:  Me, Jeanette, Trena, Hector, Diane and Lucky.      Hector and Diane made the trip over from Nanaimo, BC - on Vancouver Island - while Trena and Lucky drove in from the Chilliwack countryside.

 Easton gets to meet Lucky and Hector.

With long time friends, Odette and Denis.

Easton helps his Nana to blow out the candles.

Yumm....that tastes pretty good!

Gwen, Jeanette, Ione and Mariette.

Another huge surprise was our long time friends who drove several hours from Peachland, in the Okanagan, to 'fête' along with us.  Garry and Aline were overnight guests too!  

Deni, with mom Jeanette, new mom in law, Barb, and her friend Doug.

My side of the family:  Carmen (in white in the forefront), her sister Diane, Jeanette, Auntie Kay, Elaine and Scott.  Jeanette considers Auntie Kay her west coast mom.  It was a thrill to have them all drive out to south Langley country from the Port Moody/Coquitlam/Port Coquitlam area of Greater Vancouver.

The nursing gang was along for the fun too.....and for most of them, that was two parties on one week!  L-R (Back Row) Loraine, Brenda, Susan (Front Row) Marg, Jeanette and Cynthia.

Lots of fun, food and libation carried us through Saturday afternoon before most folks headed back for home.

Opening gifts......

....and reading cards!  Ah, a good bottle of wine for a future dinner?

Oh what fun this day was.  Everyone had a great time.  Jeanette's surprise was just that,....a Huge Surprise!  A special thanks to Ginette for spearheading the event.

What a year for parties!  It seems the parties are over for the time being - at least till Christmas kicks in.

Thanks for dropping by.