HOUSE SITTING FOR A FEW DAYS

We had Georgia with us from Wednesday after school until Sunday afternoon.  We've been taking it kind of easy since then.  We took Georgia to the Mill Bay library one day and to the Farmer's Market in Duncan on Saturday morning.  We took Mitzy for lots of walks around the campground at Bamberton Provincial Park.  I had a few visits with my sister Becky's brother in law, Joe who was also camped there. 
I got chatting with a lady who was interested in our lifestyle and she mentioned her husband retiring from the pulp mill in Prince George three years ago.  I mentioned our old friend, Bill Haviland who had helped build the mill years ago as an engineer and she knew him and Del.  They had been good friends with her parents before moving to Salmon Arm where they moved in two doors down from us.  We were great friends with them and played cards often.  Bill and I walked together, skied some and he also did some mountain hiking and back packing with me. 
On Sunday morning, we moved the motor home up to my cousin Neil and Carol's at Duncan.  They are off on a road trip visiting family and we are parked in their yard keeping an eye on things.  Not as much to do here this time as they have put most of the gardens on a timed watering system.  We are enjoying having lots of space to ourselves.
Aileen will be having her left eye cataract repaired on Tuesday so we are moving back down to Richard and Robin's on Monday to be closer.  After a week or so there we will be moving but not sure where yet.   Since I have volunteered to be a rally activities host for our next spring rally, I must spend some time in the Courtenay/Campbell River area coming up with a plan.  I need to have this in hand before September as we will be off the Island until next May or so.  Since we are only utilizing just the one campground now for our rallies, it is becoming more difficult to come up with new attractions and activities.

Driftwood on the beach near Sidney

This is out the motor home windshield.  This guy had just driven in with his super smelly and smokey Ford diesel.  That smoke is coming from his idling truck.  When he was driving, there was way more smoke polluting everything.   Just plain disgusting.  I would think he will have a pretty expensive repair bill shortly.

A squirrel in Bamberton Park

At the Duncan Farmer's Market

One section of the Duncan Farmer's Market

Forty feet from the motor home where we are house sitting

Adult Dark-eyed Junco

Four baby Dark-eyed Juncos in a lavender plant in a pot on a plastic table  where we are house sitting

Butterfly in lavender right alongside the motor home

THE WEATHER IS WARMING UP AND A BAD DAY FOR ONE GUY

Aileen's right eye continues to improve and we are still putting drops in it four times a day.  Tomorrow is moving day.  We hope to move up to Bamberton Provincial Park for five nights.  We will have Georgia with us Wednesday to Sunday while Richard is hosting a conference at the university.  From there we will be house sitting for Cousin Neil and Carol until about July 2 at which time we will move back to Richard and Robin's in preparation for Aileen's left eye surgery on July 4.  That's as far as the plans go at this time.

All photos taken with the Canon SX60

Out for a walk with Richard and his dog Winnie in a local park when I spotted this Tiger Lily

The next several flowers were taken at Butchart Gardens one morning

This is not just a young persons phenomenon

Pansies

Marigolds in front of pansies

Did you guess there were a lot of pansies?

As I was heading back to the car, I saw this butterfly that let me have two shots

Friday afternoon after we picked up Georgia from school, we were walking by the boat ramp in Sidney when we noticed a tow truck hooked to what looked like a wooden float.  When he started winching it in, a truck appeared below it.  

Apparently, the guy parked his truck up on the flat but seems to have left it in neutral.  After a while when he was down picking up driftwood, the truck rolled down the ramp.  Luckily, it didn't hit anyone or anything.  The police attended and gave him a ticket for something, probably leaving a vehicle unattended.  He makes bird houses out of driftwood that he sells at local markets and the back of the truck was full of them.  Some of them floated loose while the truck was being retrieved.  He also mentioned he had a $2,000 camera in the cab.  I think that will be useless after the salt water dunking.

Tow truck drivers have to be flexible

Here's a hot little dog trying to cool off

Two of several boat harbors in the Sidney area 

I watched this Great Blue Heron catch a little fish for lunch.  I think it would take quite a few of these to make a meal.

FIRST EYE DONE

One down and one to go.  Aileen had her right eye cataract surgery this morning and it seems to have gone well.  She arrived back in the waiting area where I was, with an older lady in tow.  She was helping her get to the main entrance.   Now to take it easy for a few days and keep her head up.

We had a good rally at Seal Bay RV Park.  I delivered my annual treasurer's report and am still in the job for another year.   Aileen has volunteered to be the social host for the September rally and I have taken on the rally host position for next spring's rally.  Since we hope to be away all winter, I will have to do most of my planning before we leave this fall.  Our group is experiencing a common phenomenon with such groups in that we have an aging membership with few younger people joining us.

After the rally, we moved down to my Cousin Neil and Carol's for a couple of nights and we are now parked in Richard and Robin's bottom driveway again.  Yesterday was a drab and dull day so I thought, perfect to visit a forested creek area.  I spent about three hours wandering alongside Goldstream Creek in the park of the same name on the outskirts of Victoria.  It was a good choice.  We had showers overnight and this morning but the weather is forecast to do a rapid change and the outlook is for sunshine and much warmer temperatures for the next week at least.

Click on the image to enlarge

These baby ducks were in the pond at the RV park

Since this female Hood Merganser was the only adult duck on the pond, I have to guess she is the mother of the two babies.  This image is looking into the light.

And this one has the light on my side, makes a difference, doesn't it

A Spotted Sandpiper down on the beach in North Saanich

This cute little guy is a Chestnut-backed Chickadee

There are scores of Canada Geese down at the beach here in North Saanich

Also on the beach was this American Goldfinch male

And here he is with the female

The above images were taken with my Canon SX60 super zoom point and shoot.

The images below, taken at Goldstream Creek, were shot with my Canon 6D with a 24-105 lens mounted on a tripod.

Goldstream Falls.  It was 198 steps down to the bottom and 198 back up again afterward.  I thought it was worth the effort though.

RALLY TIME AGAIN

We're off to Seal Bay RV Park this morning to attend the Spring SKP Chapter RV Rally near Comox, BC.   We will be there until Friday morning then we will head toward Victoria to get prepared for Aileen's eye surgery next Wednesday.  I have filled Charlie and Sheila's woodshed so that project is completed early this year.  Not too much happening here this past week but we did get together with friend Bev D for lunch one day.  

Today's photos were all taken on my walks with Mitzy before breakfast the past few days.  

Yellow Monkey Flowers in a ditch

Wild Rabbit along the trail

Its Daisy time

Red Clover along the roadside

Its peak Wild Rose season here