BACK TO OUR HOME BASE IN OLIVER, BC.

 I guess it was time to make an appearance back at our house.   We've only been here two months in the last eleven months!  We drove all the way home in the one day rather than stopping part way like we usually do.  We got off the ferry just before 11 and were home before 6.  We had stopped for lunch and a nap for Aileen and again to make supper plus some other stops.

We drove over to Keremeos yesterday looking for fruit to process.  We came home with twenty pounds of Bartlett pears and twenty pounds of Ambrosia apples plus two cucumbers.  My sister Becky gave us a flat of plums so yesterday we made plum jam.  Tomorrow we can pears and tonight we had an apple crisp for dessert.

I took the General for a ride today.  I used it to check some of my geocaches up on some logging roads.  I could have taken the car but what's the fun in that.

Apples alongside the highway near Keremeos.

Apples alongside the highway near Keremeos.

Apples alongside the highway near Keremeos.

One of many fruit stands in Keremeos.

One of many fruit stands in Keremeos.

The milkweed seed pods have popped.

The milkweed seed pods have popped.

We had two large tomato plants that travelled in the motorhome with us this summer.  I picked these last night.

Shaggy Manes along on my UTV ride this morning.

Shaggy Manes along on my UTV ride this morning.

The Okanagan River this evening.

TIME TO HEAD HOME.

We left home June 5th to come over to Vancouver Island so it's time we headed home for a while.  We had a good summer on the Island.   We did lots of geocaching and visited friends and family including having  a siblings reunion with only one couple being absent.  As the years go on it gets harder to schedule these get togethers.

I found it difficult to get off the Island this time.  One of the main ferries from Victoria to the Mainland broke down so that has put more pressure on the Nanaimo Duke Point ferry to the Mainland which meant I couldn't get a reservation all this week for the motorhome.  We managed to get a reservation on the other Nanaimo to Vancouver ferry which means a lot more traffic through the Vancouver area which we normally avoid.

Down at the ocean one evening.

Old arbutus bark peeling with the new bark underneath.

Old arbutus bark peeling with the new bark underneath.

Old arbutus bark peeling with the new bark underneath.

As we were leaving our friends Dan and Betty's one evening, this owl was calling.

Aileen and I sat down by the ocean last night.  While the sunset didn't materialize I got a couple of silhouettes.

Aileen and I sat down by the ocean last night.  While the sunset didn't materialize I got a couple of silhouettes.

BACK TO ERRINGTON FOR A WHILE.

 We moved back down to Charlie and Sheila's a few days ago and will be here through the coming weekend.  Shortly after that we'll probably head back home.  We've been relaxing and not doing too much so far.  We do have a siblings get together later this week and hope to have all my siblings and their spouses there.  These things seem to get more challenging to pull off.  We have some things left on our agenda that still need to be addressed before we leave the Island.

French Creek harbour.

Gumweed.

The Qualicum Market on Saturday morning was crowded.

We dropped into the Errington Market later Saturday morning and listened to some good music.  The person on the right in jeans performed at our 50th anniversary party.

On the busy Labour Day weekend,we found this deserted beach access near Saratoga where we could sit on a log and enjoy our lunch.  Looking across to mainland BC.

I thought this had a Mediterranean feel.

WARNING, SPIDER IN THE NEXT THREE PHOTOS.

On the fence beside the motorhome this morning.