Homeworks, a Sleepover and More.....

Yesterday was the perfect day for some outdoor activities; including an early morning motorcycle ride to join my 'Open Mic' buddies to discuss world affairs and bring solid solutions to the problems.  The weather was sunny....but cool.

Easton wishing me a good Sunday morning ride to Open Mic...

After solving the major problems, I headed back for home.  Our son in law, Trevor, was coming by to help me winterize our in ground sprinkler system. 

Cool morning....but no complaints with heated riding gear.

We had Easton over for a sleepover on Saturday while Ginette and Trevor were busy preparing a bedroom for their new baby, due next mid-February.  They chose to paint, move some furniture and shift things around; including setting up a new bed for Easton.  To stay focused on their home works, Easton came to our place where we kept him busy (or...I should say, he kept us busy); including a overnight stay.  It is always fun to have the little fella over.  What a treat!

We found some really good cartoons online....where Easton and I spent a few hours (on and off during the 30 hours he was with us) screening some.  Great choices on line, I might add!

Spent a lot of time outdoors too....

Nothing beats getting outdoors and Easton gravitates to that.  He loves to be outdoors and he simply takes our hand and says, "outside"....to get us to dress him and go out.  Once outdoors, it's a busy time following him wherever he wants to go.  And go he does!

Trevor and I running the compressor hose into the underground sprinkler system.

It was the time of the year to blow the water from our sprinkler system and, with Trevor's help, that was accomplished within a half hour.  We have six zones and the best approach was to open one valve and blow out one zone at a time.  Trevor also discovered one underground pipe - near the pond - that had been damaged.  It was gurgling water - underground.  Oh no!  Good thing for that discovery!  When I re-built our pond, I somehow drove a ground spike into the PVC underground pipe.  I had no idea it was breached.

Where the sprinkler underground pipe was damaged.

 A quick drive to the local hardware store had Trevor pick up a PVC sleeve while I dug down in the dirt to open an area sufficient to cut out the damaged PVC pipe and make the  fix.  Trevor was quick with the fix and, within minutes, the repair was completed, the dirt replaced and packed and the lava rock replaced.

With the sprinkler system blown out, the compressor and other tools were put away and we headed indoors for a well earned lunch that Jeanette had prepared.

Easton is helping his dad and me with the sprinkler weatherization process.

He also hung around to supervise the workers.  Someone has to supervise the work....and it might as well be Easton.

A few days before, we had been at Easton, Ginette and Trevor's home for Halloween....and the photos below reflect a bit of the fun had.

Check out the wig that Trevor donned....  Easton was not keen on wearing his costume....but he did after a bit of coaxing.

A really creative decorating job by Trevor.

Easton knocking on his very first Halloween door.

Jeanette and I have been thinking through our winter RV travel plans and I will blog about that in the days ahead.  We have set November 14th as our date of departure for the US southwest. Details to follow soon!

Although stored further back behind the locked gates on the side of our home, the fiver will soon be pulled forward for loading before heading south this November 14th.

I received a nice offer to golf with some members of the White Rock Rotary golf group, this morning.  I'm soon to leave for that outing.  I am filling in for a regular member who had to cancel out.

And that's what we've been up to!

Thanks for dropping by.

A Halloween Kind of Day...

Our golfing foursome managed to skirt the expected rains that were called for yesterday and we golfed a full 18 holes at the Pitt Meadows Golf Course.

A tight course with cleared undergrowth under some very big trees.

Our golf group's objective, this season, was to play a new golf course every week.  We managed to do that on most weeks.  Yesterday's round was a first for me.  I had never had the opportunity to play the Pitt Meadows Course.  Fun day out!

 

Jeanette and several of her nursing friends (retired and not) got together for a  games night recently.  They always have fun.....and get to laugh a lot!  It was a smaller than normal attendance.  

It seems it was also a quasi dress up party.

Today will find us running some errands.  And in between the rain drops, I hope to ride our Harley to the local dealer for some service work.  Rain or shine, it has to get there.  If the rain doesn't abate, I'll opt to empty the motorcycle trailer (housing many of my woodworking tools) and transport the Electra Glide to the Langley Harley Davidson service centre.  It seems we will be socked in these next four days or so.

Visiting, a few days back, Easton thought to try out his mom`s runners over his own.  He managed to walk in them without falling.

He also thought to wear his new winter boots in our house.  Nothing better than breaking them in while walking around in a dry environment.  He`s ready for the wet winter months here on the coast!

Jeanette`s new (to her) sewing machine.

In the high tech world of sewing, Jeanette has recent technology but...this foot powered model, above, was greatly desired for her sewing room.  This awesome relic is considered an heirloom.   It belonged to Jeanette`s mom.  Jeanette remembers learning to sew on it.  The one thing she truly desired from the farm house was this sewing machine.  It sits in our garage, for the time being, but it will be shortly moved to its rightful place in her upstairs sewing room.  It is fully functional.  I have a feeling it could be powered up (in a Flintstone way) once again.

A little wheelbarrow full of Halloween stuff....

Our home out here in the south Langley area draws few trick or treaters.  We maybe had 10 kids appear at our door last year.  So, this evening, we`ll be sharing Halloween fun at Easton`s home in Langley City.  His folks will take him out to trick and treat while we answer the door to hand out treats to the ghosts and goblins who come by.  That should be fun. 

That more or less covers happenings around here.

Thanks for dropping by.

Taking Advantage of The Great Fall Weather

Sun and and blue skies are a magnet to get outdoors

We are sure enjoying this great fall weather.  Daytime temperatures are warm and the blue skies draw us outdoors.  There is a bit of outdoor fall work to accomplish; namely gathering leaves, but that is fun too.

Running in the park

Easton came by for a sleepover while his mom flew to Edmonton to present a couple of seminars.  We sure had fun with him.  He's engaging and very easy to look after.  He also keeps himself occupied with toys.  When he wants something, Easton takes our finger and leads us to someplace.  That happened a few times when he wanted to go outdoors.  So, outdoors we went.  He is amazingly communicative at 18 months of age.

The motorcycle came in handy for touring the great country roads.

Jeanette loves fall and she especially enjoys viewing the fall colours.  Well, our motorcycle rides quenched her thirst.  We saw multi-fall colours everywhere we rode.

Fraser River scene....

Mount Baker rising above the Abbotsford Airport.

We are formulating our snowbirding plans.  With the rain patter on the roof this morning, it gets my travel juices going.  We've been discussing our plans, these past several weeks, and we'll reveal those in the days ahead.

Bathed and ready for bed @ Nana and Grand Papa's house.

Easton had no issues with spending the night at our home. When bedtime called, he was quick to sleep.  And sleep he did!  He whimpered once or twice (more dreamlike whimpering) but apart from that, he slept all night long.  We had a lot of fun. 

Trevor - Easton's Dad - joined us for dinner on Friday evening before collecting Easton and his stuff and heading for their home.  To see Easton react when he saw his Dad was thrilling.  He'll be equally thrilled when his Mom gets back home.

Ginette returns from Edmonton this evening and we'll use her vehicle to pick her up at the airport.  From there, she will drop us off at home and continue the 10 minutes further west to their home.

Jeanette's friend, Ione, dropped by and, before long, they were off on a long walk through the trails of Aldergrove Park.

Photo taken yesterday while on a hike.

Jeanette and I chose a hike in the woods yesterday.  The foliage was captivating with its great fall colours.  It felt so good to get a decent workout in the quiet woods.

These ferns change colour with the seasons.

We encountered a few hikers but the trail was otherwise ours!

Our forecast calls for more great fall weather, going forward....and what's not to like about that. 

That's pretty much the story from here, for now. 

Thanks for dropping by.

At Home & Happy to Be Back

The past couple of weeks seem like a blur now....but the work involved in completing the cleanup, prior to transferring the farm title to the new owner this coming December, was a worthwhile endeavour.

Jeanette waving good bye as we prepare to leave the farm last Friday.

Before driving to Edmonton, we dropped by the Long Term Care facility that houses Jeanette's mom. Mary was busy making popcorn for the several clients who had paid a toonie ($2) for a bag of popcorn; us included.

We left with a large bag of fresh popcorn.

Jeanette also lent a hand with the popcorn production.

In Edmonton, we enjoyed a nice weekend with Courtney and Deni.  A trauma nurse, Courtney worked eight hour day shifts while Deni was busy working on their basement build up.  I lent a hand while Jeanette drove to one sister's home in Edmonton for a visit.

Deni did put me to work - happily, I might add - and it was fun to lend a bit of helping hand.

Deni looks over my handiwork......

Quincy, the electrician, came by to complete some work prior to the electrical inspection that is slated to happen this week.

Wiring an upstairs to downstairs smoke and CO2 alarm system

When the electrical inspection is completed, the gyproc (gypsum board) will be ready for install.  Their basement build will be completed within two months.

Their future baby's bedroom is looking great.  Nice wall mural!!!!  It was painted by Courtney's brother's girlfriend. 

A nice little bassinet awaits its tenant

The car seat - with its little bear - looks forward to sharing the space with Courtney and Deni's newborn

There is a lot of excitement in Deni and Courtney's home.  By January 2nd (or later/earlier) a newborn will grace their Edmonton home.  The push to complete the basement build up is in full play.  I think they will meet that deadline.

Doing some cutting outdoors....

We left back for the 12 hour drive home early this past Monday morning. The weather was clear and sunny for almost the entire drive.  There were some moments when we drove through low lying clouds in the Rocky Mountains. The roads were dry and bare.

Nearing Jasper National Park

One of many, many trains that were stopped due to a derailment near Edmonton.  The CN (Canadian National) mainline was blocked, about 85 kilometers west of Edmonton.

One example of the low lying clouds we saw on the drive.

Interesting view before driving out of the sun and into the low lying cloud.

The Monday return drive back home was completed with little traffic.  We were surprised by the negligible volume....but appreciative too.  It's a treat to have a stress free drive through the mountains.  I should add that the drive is usually stress free....but with so little traffic, it just makes driving so much more pleasant.

We arrived back home at 5:15 pm Monday, late afternoon

Early on Tuesday morning, we got busy with sorting stuff out before I washed both vehicles.  I got rid of the Alberta dust while Jeanette captured a few photos of the fall look in our yard.

Nice fall colours....but likely not for long.  The leaf vac will be put to good use soon....very soon!

Of course, Easton was as anxious as we were to visit.  Ginette brought him over for a nice afternoon of fun and, before long, they headed for the local park where he could enjoy the nice facilities there.

A bit of home play before the outdoors called....

Ginette, Easton and Jeanette were taking advantage of an awesome fall day for some play in the local park.

The smile says it all!  Let's have some fun!

....oh....and how about re-doing this Halloween display?

Our weather today is absolutely gorgeous.  Ginette dropped Easton off for a couple of hours while she meets with a client.  By this early afternoon, she will return to gather Easton and head off to complete some errands.  Jeanette and I will gear up, start the motorcycle and ride the back roads to take advantage of the great fall views this area provides at this time of the year.

That sums things up from here.....for now.

Thanks for dropping by.