Concert on the Beach and the Wishing Well

We have been very fortunate with some very nice weather at the lake this past week.  Other than the odd day the heat and humidity seems to be behind us.  We have had a couple of nice cool mornings which have even required turning on the fireplace.

The entrance to the campground. 

Our hikes have increased in duration and our Fitbits’ are reflecting in excess of 15,000 steps and 14 km on most days.  On friday we had to attend a funeral in Pinawa which meant about 9 hours in the truck.  Not much time for steps that day.  

My wonky knee is starting to feel the mileage and not sure how much longer I can maintain this pace.  Based on past experience I’m not doing any damage but when the swelling gets too much its time to rest, elevate and ice it down.  I had an MRI and X-rays done about a year ago and the Dr said there was nothing wrong.  Hmmm.  He had no explanation for the swelling and pain.  The physio did give me some exercises.  Perhaps I should start doing them again.  Ya think! 

I believe all the National Parks started placing red adirondack chairs at various picturesque spots in the parks.  For the past few years there have been a few up by the Golf Course Club House but these were added recently down by our lakeshore walk.  

Each year the Park puts on a Concert on the Beach with some pretty good talent.  2 years ago we saw Glass Tiger and this year it was Trooper with Haywire as the opening act.  We got to the beach at about 6:30 with the required gear.  Lawn Chairs and plenty of blankets to protect from the chilly forecast for that evening.  Haywire was ok although not being a big music aficionado I didn’t know who they were or any of their songs.  We were really waiting for Trooper who were pretty big in the 70’s.  They took the stage and sang about 4 songs and then all left the stage leaving the drummer to do a solo for about 5 minutes.  Then he left the stage and another band member came on and did the same on the guitar.  Its getting colder and these guys are taking breaks after 15 minutes of performing!  Perhaps to warm up, perhaps, keeping in mind they aren't as young as they used to be, to have a nap.  We packed up and headed back to the campsite.  By the time we got back to the trailer they had started to play again and we listened to the rest of the concert from the comfort of our recliners, in front of the fireplace with drinks in hand.  Yea, the band isn't the only ones getting older.

Lori is all ready.  A couple of blankets in the bag to keep us warm. 

The crowd is starting to gather.  Looking to the rear of the crowd the beer garden tent is in the background.  The second picture below shows the stage through the trees.  And then off to the right is the beach for those hardy types ready for an evening swim.  

Sunday we decided to go for a hike all the way down past the golf course to the Wishing Well. It turned out to be a 7km walk one way and I was hoping my knee would hold up for the return trip.  In days gone by the wishing well was a nice spot surrounded by a lovely perennial garden with towering spruce trees at the edge of Clear Lake.  My childhood memories make for an idyllic setting however it hasn't been anywhere close to my memories in a long long time.  Budget cuts over the years have resulted in reduced maintenance and the gardens becoming overgrown with weeds.  This year was a real pleasant surprise as the pictures will attest.  A beautiful spot to rest up for the hike back to the campground.

 

My 2 girls posing for me.  Should have come earlier when the sun wasn't so high in the sky.  Sure makes it hard to get an even exposure. 

They have done a nice job of restoring the beauty.

Not sure for the reason for the miniatures but make for an interesting picture among the flowers.  

Even comes with 2 little red chairs. 

A couple more full size red chairs among the flowers with a great view of the lake in the background.

Our last day at the lake was reward day.  Our last lakeshore walk followed by breakfast and cinnamon buns at the Whitehouse Bakery.  I ordered the Mountain Breakfast which consisted of 3 eggs, 3 sausages, toast, hash browns and 2 large pancakes.  Tasted fantastic however try as I might I couldn't quite finish.  Won't be bending over to tie my shoes for a few hours, thats for sure. 

Our lap dog settled in for our last campfire of this years Clear Lake trip.  

I think we exceed the weight capacity for these chairs by about 50 lbs. One of these years we are both going to end up on the ground. 

Thursday we will be packing up for the drive back to Winnipeg and back to the Town & Country RV Park.  Another relaxing visit to Clear Lake over for another year.

Later.  

Our Little Piece of Heaven

Arrived in Clear Lake yesterday and set up in what is probably the best of the Clear Lake campsites we have had and generally the campsites at Clear Lake are among the best that we have experienced anywhere.   While we do have one of those bear proof garbage containers and a trail thru the bush to the community washrooms close by there are enough mature spruce and birch trees surrounding our site that they don’t intrude on our sense of privacy.  

The campsites here, as is the case in many of the public campgrounds, were built in the 50’s and 60’s and make for a bit of a tight squeeze for today’s, by comparison, humungous campers.  Our 37’, triple slide 5er, with dual A/C, 40” flat screen, microwave and fireplace represents our attempt at roughing it.  As I reflect back on my childhood, with 4 of us crammed into a small tent trailer, todays RVs were not even contemplated and the size of many of the campsites reflect that.  

We maneuvered into a newly paved campsite (I think this is a new handicapped site as those have historically been the only ones that are paved) we managed to just fit ourselves in so the extended slides were just shy of the power pedestal on one side and a spruce tree on the other.  I had to pull forward and back a few times so the extended awning would fit between two more spruce trees.  We are wedged in for a perfect fit with the picnic table and fire pit just a few yards from our sitting position under the awning.  We could comfortably sit under our awning and enjoy a brief rain shower, complete with light and sound effects of the thunder and lightning while the trees protected us from the winds and allowed the awning to remain fully extended.

As we settled in Lori commented that whenever we arrive here all the stresses just seem to melt away and she feels truly relaxed.  I can certainly echo her feelings. 

We noticed last year that some major improvements were underway in the park. Some of the items are just long neglected maintenance but others include expanded services in the campground and newly blacktopped roads and trails. The serviced sites are always full with the unserviced sites, typically the home of tents, tent trailers or larger units unable to get into the serviced sites, having lots of empty spaces. I think this is pretty much the norm in campgrounds these days.

Its nice to see then that one of the improvements being made is converting some of the bays of largely unused unserviced campsites to sites with electric and water.    

I think the sprucing up of the park is in preparation for the nations 150th birthday party next year.  

As we were sitting and enjoying the evening we heard the sound of a winch winding up a steel cable followed by a loud crash and some screams.  I headed to the site next door and saw a woman lying half on the ground and half suspended on a metal platform with her leg twisted in the frame of the lift mechanism.  

This site is designated as a handicapped site and the woman had left her motorized scooter  and was apparently standing on the home made lift system to get her up into her trailer.  The cable had broken and the whole contraption came crashing down leaving her in a very awkward position.  We attempted to untangle her however any movement elicited more screams so the decision was made to make her as comfortable as possible until the paramedics were called.  We got some blankets to keep her warm however it was about that time the skies opened up and we were soaked in the deluge.  They found a large beach umbrella to at least partially shelter her from the rain and I fetched a dry blanket and tarp from our trailer.  

The paramedics finally showed up, stabilized her and took her away in an ambulance.  I had to wonder if the new Provincial Governments campaign promise to lower, what is amongst the highest ambulance fees in the country, has taken effect yet.  I talked to the family the next morning and she is a bit bruised however no broken bones and should be fine in a few days.  

This morning we ventured out on what is our favourite activity at Clear Lake.  A walk along the lakeshore towards the golf course.  Charli was tugging at her leash the whole way as she could smell the water and as soon as we reached her favourite spot it was time to take off the leash and start throwing sticks.      

This fetching activity could go on for sometime.  Usually our arms get tired before she tires of swimming out to fetch the sticks.  The hike and her swim should provide for a nice restful nap for all of us this afternoon.

One of the dangers.  The inevitable full body shake which sends a refreshing shower of water droplets to anyone nearby. Charli does this every time she exits the water only to jump right back in and get soaking wet.  

Lori was a little slow to get away from the spray on this one. 

We stopped at the Whitehouse Bakery before we got back to the trailer and while we avoided the Cinnamon Buns this time we did come away with 2 Mocha Cappuccinos’.  So the calorie deficit that we achieved with the 7km walk this morning is just a memory.   We plan another hike this evening to try and achieve that ever elusive deficit.  

Its been 2 weeks

We have been living in the 5er just over 2 weeks now and life, as it usually does, has settled into a bit of a routine.  The first 10 days or so were filled with hot days with oppressive humidity and warm humid nights.  Not the most comfortable when living in a trailer.  We do have 2 a\c units so keeping the place cool isn't the problem, its the noise from the damm units directly overhead.  The last few days have been much more typical of the August’s I remember.  Nice sunny days in the low to mid 20’s and cool nights in the mid teens with much lower humidity overall.  Sometimes it seems we are never happy with the weather.

The house is coming along nicely with the framing almost complete.  I expect the shingling to start this week so it should then be completely enclosed and the electricians and plumbers can get in and get to work.  

We met with a firm called Accurate Technology this week and arranged for most of the wiring and hardware for a home theatre in the l/r with in-ceiling speakers and all the components housed in the basement.  The hardware won’t go in till spring so I have the winter to pick a TV.  A bit has changed since I purchased our last Panasonic 42” plasma for $3,000.  The 42” was really much too small for the large l/r we had but at that time 42” was the largest I could afford.  Should be able to get 60” for $1,500 or less now.  So much has changed in the past 15 or so years.  Plasma is old news and now its LCD or OLED with 4K and curved screens.  From what I’ve read the curved screens are more fad than beneficial unless your up in the 70-80” range  and not sure how long it will be before we see any 4K programming so not sure I want to pay for technology I’m not going to be able to see any time soon.  Lots of time to do research and as with most technology purchases, by spring, the prices will have come down another 20%. 

Was actually pleasantly surprised with the experience.  I came away a little poorer but not broke and the guy didn't try to up sell me with bunch of tech that I don't really need.  

As we prepare for our annual trek to Clear Lake Lori reminded me that is was 2 years ago that we got the phone call telling us that her father had died of a heart attack.  Then yesterday we got another reminder that we should live in the moment as much as possible.  Another of those phone calls telling us that a friend and former co-worker of Lori’s had passed away unexpectedly on Saturday morning.  Lori had actually been out to visit her on Thursday and there was no indication that anything was amiss.  I had also received an e-mail a few weeks ago letting me know that a former co-worker of mine had passed away.  These things are getting much too close.    Reminders perhaps that our decision to downsize and hit the road is the right decision.

This past week we managed to get to another 2 pavilions at Folklarama.  For those readers from afar who may not be familiar with this event it is a celebration of many of the cultures that create the multicultural fabric that can be found in Manitoba.  It was created in 1970 to be a one-time event to help celebrate Manitoba’s centennial.   It started with 21 pavilions located at various cultural centres, halls, curling and hockey rinks throughout the city of Winnipeg. Running for 1 week in August the first year saw over 75,000 pavilion visits.  Now in its 46th year it has expanded to 45 pavilions over a 2 week period with almost 500,000 visits.  It has become quite the tourist draw with bus tours from Saskatchewan and Ontario as well as Minnesota and North Dakota.  You can basically get exposed to the cultures of countries around the world without leaving Winnipeg including sampling some great food and drinks, including some really great beer.  The pavilions are largely run by volunteers from the various cultural clubs including some great local dance and musical groups.  Some import some pretty good talent from their home countries.  

Monday morning we pack up and head to Clear Lake for 10 days and then its back to our spot at Town & Country RV park.  Looking forward to visiting with friends at Clear Lake, some great hikes along the lake shore and of course the Cinnamon Buns at the Whitehouse Bakery.  

Ain’t life grand.  

Our campsite at Town&Country.

This place is much busier than I expected.  Lots of work crews staying here long term with plenty of Alberta license plates.

One of the local dance troops at the UK pavilion.

The entertainment, food and beer were all top shelf.  The dancers were local but they had imported a couple singers and Harpists from Wales.  All very talented. 

Lori with our translators for the evenings cultural exchange.  Richard and Karen, our former neighbours, born and bred in England however now proud Canadian citizens.  

Richard said they would be our interpreters and would show up Ship Shape in Bristol Fashion.  

I had to google it to understand the Bristol Fashion part.  

It wasn't bigger on the inside.  Sooooo disappointed.  

Always been a big Dr Who fan, well till this last Dr.   The last season has been a bit disappointing. 

Look its the Queen

   

A Harry Potter fan?  Just a bit.  Lori has actually read the most recently released book. 

Big Ben not so big. 

We actually managed to get pictures of us on the actual London Bridge 2 winters ago.  Some rich Yank bought the bridge, disassembled it brick by brick, shipped it to Lake Havasu, Az and reassembled it.  They even had to dredge a channel from the colorado river so that there would be water flowing under the bridge.  

We also visited the Celtic Irish pavilion but for some reason my iPhone never made it out of my pocket so no pictures.  Friends, Debbie and Don attended with us and had another great sampling of food and, need I say it, BEER.  The dancing was again, superb with local dance troupes supplemented by an import from the Emerald Isle who is one of the professional dancers of River Dance fame.   He was of course fantastic but the one that stole the show was the local little tykes, one of whom was no more than 6 or 7 with fiery red hair who could step dance with the best of them.  His feet were just a blur. 

First few days, A transition

After living in our house for so many years there was always a list of things to do.  The never ending Todo list was one of the incentives for selling.  Now its more like; lets not do to many things today cause then we have nothing to do tomorrow.  I am sure the Todo list, even when living in the trailer, will start to accumulate but for the time being its more like looking for activities to keep us busy.  Once this heat and humidity breaks and we get to more normal August weather (whatever normal is) we can spend a little more time outside.  I did manage an 8 km walk with Charli on Tuesday morning while Lori was off to Yoga but really need to start a little earlier before the humidity starts to build.  

On Sunday I discovered that I packed the barbecue hose with the house stuff so the barbecued chicken for supper wasn't going to happen.  Dropped in to Wicker World on Tuesday to pick up a new hose but spotted a nice new red Napoleon Travel Q and ended up going home with it.  Got it unpacked at home and no hose.  They are built for those little screw-on canisters and the hose is an option.  Shit!  Back to Wicker World and now I have a functional bbq and a larger credit card bill to look forward to next month.  

We went out to the Belgian Pavilion on Tuesday.  Haven't been out to Folklarama for at least 15 years.  The food and entertainment was just ok.  The stage show consisted of some traditional songs and dances and a lengthy history of what seems to be the centre of Belgian culture, Beer.  I did sample one of the 27 varieties they had available and have to say that that was the highlight.  We plan on visiting a few more pavilions in the next 2 weeks. 

Wednesday night the trailer was just a rockin’. The wind, rain, thunder and lightning plus a loss of power made for an interesting evening.  

Thursday I have a massage and haircut scheduled in the morning and then its…….wait for it………laundry day.  Friends have offered us the use of their washer and dryer so we are off to their place with our laundry basket.  Side benefit, they have fast Wifi.  Life in the fast lane, eh!

Friday I have my monthly Lunch at the Legion with some fellow CIBC Retirees and then off to take in the latest Bourne flick.  

Off in the distance, through a maze of people, the floor show at the Belgian Pavillion.