A Friendly Visit

27 Aug 23

17:15 hrs

     We've had guests at the Wayward Inn for the past few days. ChrisTeen and her Lobster, Dewey. She's an ex-service nurse with surgical theatre and medical evac/flight nurse experience. He was not in the military but has had a disjointed career renovating things mechanically and asthetically. We've known them for quite some time. They were actually in the Peg the same time as us but we didn't really know them until both our families ended up here on the Left Coast. A number of years later their family was posted to The Black Hole. A few years later she pulled the pin and retired to the Big Perogie.  We're all of the same age, tastes and similar experiences. Needless to say it's great to see them. 

     The main purpose was to retrieve their travel trailer that my Better Half and myself had hauled it some 30km through a snowstorm to a storage facility. On Thursday  Dewey and I, using his 1 ton truck, picked up the trailer and brought it back to the Wayward Inn. He wanted to go over it with a fine toothed comb before hauling home. Over the next few days he repaired a broken skylight, built a cover to seal a broken window, grease the bearings and clean the slide out. Busy boy. ChisTeen and my Better Half took a cruise up to River City for a look around and get a bubble tea. ChrisTeen learned that she does not like bubble tea. In the evenings we imbibed and played cards. All in all it was a really good visit.

     I figured out that I may have worked close to 100 hours over the last two weeks. Cha ching.

30 Aug 23

18:00 hrs

     Have you seen this commercial? The one where the lady says "I had 8 UTI's this year. That's why my partner and I invented..." Am I missing something? You would think that after one UTI she would learn how not to get one? Are some people prone to getting a UTI? My dad died because of a UTI but he had a urine bag because his bladder was removed due to cancer. I just think it's a weird commercial. 

     Time is ticking down for everyone. My buddy Gordo is heading to Northern Ontari-ari-ari-oh for six weeks and we're leaving two weeks later for the Nation's Capital. The Sr. Couch Monkey will be heading back to college for his 2nd year electricians course in a couple of months.

     I just saw another potential scam ad. This company buys out a Senior's life insurance policy. Not at full value of course. This leaves the Senior Citizen with cash in hand while still with the living but once gone the company gets the Insurance policy payout. Nothing would go to the heirs. Legalized Robber Barons. And, the ads are so slick that if you were a Sage and you were in desperate need of a major cash injection you would probably wouldn't hesitate. This company is in the Hugh-ess and I don't think it operates here in the Great White North. 

01 Sep 23

07:45 hrs

     I swapped books with a guy South of the 49th Parallel. I saw the cover of his book on a social media page, it's called Maintainer Nation and its invited membership is comprised of grumpy old military aircraft mechanics,  Flightline - The Adventures of a Vietnam Veteran AC-130 Crew Chief. 

     I contacted him saying that I was interested in his book and that the title was similar to mine, So There I was...Tales from the Flight Line. I included a picture of my front cover. He suggested that we swap books. Now, my one of my Brothers in Arms, the Great Ghiz, was a fitter on C-130s and a Flight Engineer on them as well so I paid for an extra copy and shipped to him. I explained to the author who the second copy was for and he autographed the book for Ghiz. He was extremely happy when he received it. I may purchase another and give it to another Brother in Arms. If you're interested, the book is available on Amazon. 

     Speaking of books, I'm still editing my way through the cook book and I still have a couple more recipes to add in. I'm now looking at Christmas to release it. If I had nothing better to do it would be done. I stopped in at the local Doggy Jail and talked to some people used to deal with in a previous job. I was reminded of a book I was writing about those exploits but had to stop. It had been passed on to me that the client I worked for had gotten wind of the book project and they wanted to review it before it was published. Probably because they were afraid that if any of the incidents could be identified to a location or individual that they would be liable for legal action. I reviewed what I had written thus far and figured that if I rewrote it in the third person, changed somethings and promoted some false tales to lead the reader astray there would be no clear indication as to who or where or when any of the incidents really took place. But, deep down, a long way inside there would be the facts of a real incident. It still may be finished someday.

     We had some precipitation earlier this past week including a thunderstorm. Lightening caused 14 more wildfires but they are all in remore areas so they will be left to burn out by themselves. There is a wildfire that I am concerned about and that is one near our Base Camp on the mainland. From the map on the BC WILDFIRE APP it is on the East side of the valley and has not crossed the river to our side but it is progressing up the yalley where it may cross over. I think the Big Swede may have to relocate his wilderness vacation spot and time for me to get out and establish my own base camp. It would be a sweet thing to not have to cross over to the Mainland for some interesting interactions of the Big Hairy Kind.

     Well Kidlettes, it's time to draw this to a close. Take care. Have fun and be kind to others.

Third Time's a Charm

04 Aug 23

07:15 hrs.

     I have no idea Dear Readers if you are following the Tangerine Tyrant's latest legal Circus Maximus. It's kinda hard to escape it, isn't it. Since I was bit by the legal bug many years ago court room battles over right or wrong, guilt or innocence have always fascinated me. With this latest Hugh-ess federal indictment I decided to print off the indictment and give it a read. If you think you have an idea on the extent of the  Orange Shit Gibbon's crimes I would submit to you to go to your computer, download the document and give it a read. Anyone who reads this indictment and still believes that he did no wrong is an absolute idiot.

07 Aug 23

19:30 hrs

     My Lobster and I are lounging in the Catio. Mr. Wilson is wandering tbe back 40 with a leash trailing behind him. It kinda slows him down. Miss Maggy and Sir Jack are watching Wison hunt bugs. 

     It's Cricket season!

     We went up to Paradise Meadows for a wander in the woods. Since today in a holiday on the Left Coast there were plenty of other nature enthusiasts parked at 3,200 feet ASL. The walk was about 3k with excellent views all around. You may think that 3k is not all that far but I don't think either one of us could have done it two years ago. Both of us have lost enough weight that some things don't hurt so much. Knees, feet, hips, back, etc. 

     I tried out my curry pickles with supper. I put them up a month ago and I've been dying to try them. They're pretty damn good. My Better Half didn't try them...yet. I'm waiting for the local hot peppers to ripen so I can start making hot sauces and picked peppers. 

     Our new neighbors are moved in. We haven't met them yet. My Better Half said she spotted a couple of Jr. Yard Apes playing on a trampoline. Kids are good. Keeps the neighborhood young and active.

08 Aug 23

05:45 hrs

     I'm up and getting ready for work. I was listening to a podcast and the speaker was commenting on how the Tangerine Tyrant's legal mouthpiece had spent an entire day spinning more webs of deciept and confusion on five different talk shows. The speaker referred to this as "doing the full Ginsberg". It won't do any good. Donnie Boy will be going to jail.

14 Aug 23

05:15 hrs.

     I'm awake. It's the start of a new shift at CFB LOMPOC. Ten hour plus days, which are great for the pocket book but not for the karma at the Wayward Inn. This new job, it started last week and will go on until we return from the Nation's Capital, is pretty big with a lot of moving parts. With my qualifications I know that I am in much demand but I'm not 20 years old anymore and by the end of the week I was truly hooped. I have been urged by my Better Half to scale back the amount of work I'm doing because it would be beneficial for my health. Sounds like a plan.

     In the Hugh-ess the eyes are on the Peach State were the DA is about to drop a fourth indictment on Poor Donny. Now these charges are quite similar to the latest charges in DC but the difference is this - If Donny wins the election he will likely have the DOJ expunge the charges against him but he has no control over state charges. He's screwed. 

     I was going to the library to pick up a DVD that I had requested - Malcolm X - when this Outer Island Hippy Lady left the crosswalk and slapped mirror on the Ram as I was waiting for her to cross the road. "Watch where you're driving young man!"

     I was on the road parallel to the crosswalk.  She was on my left. She had to walk into the oncoming lane to assault hit the truck. After the act she walked ba k across the oncoming lane eliciting a honked horn from and approaching car which received the bird as she mounted the sidewalk. Welcome to the Island.

    

Some Random Thoughts

12 Jul 23

22:22 hrs

     Hello Campers,

     My Lobster and I went to see the new Mission Impossible movie. Two thumbs up!

     I've been picking Saskatoon berries for about a month now and I have a large ziploc freezer bag full of berries. We have also picked another four cups of berries which went into muffins, pancakes and my belly. Maybe I'll try making a pie.

15 Jul 23

07:35 hrs

     Good Morning Dear Readers, 

     The sun is up and the coffee is ready. I've started a new book - The Godmothers.

I was at work a while ago listening to a CBC programmer. The host was talking to this author who had reported and written extensively about the Mafia in Italy - and was still alive to talk about it. Her latest book was about women who were also Mafia bosses and how ruthless they were in maintaining their position. Something about having barrels of sulphuric acid in their basement to dispose of bodies caught my attention. I haven't gotten to that part yet but I can't wait.

     We haven't had rain in tbe Valley for six weeks or more. The forests are so dry that I wouldn't want to venture out for fear of being caught in a forest fire. There are a few on the Rock but for the most part the large fires have been on the mainland. Some of them have consumed hundreds of thousands of hectares. We did have one small forest fire of note. It was located high above the highway that goes Over the Hump to the West side of the Rock. If you have ever been to The Rock you know that there is only one way to go from this side to that and when the fire started it caused debris - logs, trees, rocks and soil to rain down on to the single lane highway. To fight the fire and protect traveller's the road was closed for a couple of weeks. There is no alternate highway. There are logging roads and the suggested route to get supplies trucked in takes an extra four hours. In essence, the towns on the West side of the Hump were cut off. This has been a bone of contention for years. The previous provincial government did look at building an alternate route - basically stabilizing and paving an existing logging road - but, it was deemed non-essential. I believe after this last incident the current government will be looking at the issue more closely. Maybe, I should start hounding my elected official. I'm over 60 and I have nothing to lose and nothing but time.

     Li'l Sis is home at the Sage's for the weekend. It's her 40th highschool reunion. I never made it to mine due to the pandemic and when it was finally held a year later I missed it due to the road trip to the Prairies. Oh well, maybe there will be a 50th reunion where any surviving graduates who are still upright can compare liver spots. 

     When I wast at the conference in May my frien, the Big Swede, gave me a pair of wildlife audio recorders. The only issue is they operate on three double A batteries and depending on the duty time you set for recording the unit will only last about a week. I want them to last much more than that. The manufacturer does have a model using three C cells but I'm pretty sure I can modify these ones to use a three C cell battery pack. The voltage is the same and the current is the same but the amperage is much larger. I'm hoping it will last for over a month. If successful, I'll put these two recorders in some high probability areas, someplace where I would like to set up a semi-permament base camp. I'm getting to the point where I can forsee my ability to get out to the bush will be drawing to a close so I want to make the most of it.

16 Jul 23

14:05 hrs

     We are in Hub City to see the Onion. It had been a while and we thought a road trip with games and snacks would be nice. She's doing well. A three dollar an hour pay raise is sure helping. And her grades are up. Next semester she has four courses an then she will have her BA then she'll shoot for her Masters.  

     On the way home to the Wayward Inn my Lobster wanted to take a quick look in The Bais and since the places to shop in the Valley are limited I figured what the hell. I do have a couple of questions though. Why is it, when entering a major department store from a mall entrance, the first thing you run into is that overpowering stench pit placed smack dab in the middle of the aisle? IMO, there is nothing pleasant about being assaulted by the competing odors of the world's worst cologne collection.

     And another thing... have you seen the design of the clothes in this store. I saw and entire clothing line that i am sure was inspired by Marie Barone and possibly Maude Findlay with a touch of Cass. All over-priced garish recycled drop cloths from the local art school. Then there are the $75 pre-ripped jeans. I thought of taking out my EDC and raising the price by adding a couple more slashes. Cut one pant leg off above the knee and it'll probably be a new sensation - pant shorts.

17 Jul 23

20:00 hrs

     Today is the 2nd anniversary of the Sr. Sage passing. I don't think they even noticed. I'll straighten that shit out when the "meds" kick in so I don't tear them a new a$$hole. I have it as an annual permanent reminder on my phone.

     My Lobster is taking Mr. Wilson out for a walk. He wears a collar with a leash. For the most part you just follow along behind hom and keep him from hunting bees. I'm pretty sure he was stung once. Jack would probably want to go outside the confines of þhe Catio but he won't accept a harness. No harness no outing! We have noticed that Jack has three very distinct personalities. There is hallway monitor Jack. This is the daily personna who watches where everyone goes and guards the doorways. There is Dalai Lama Jack. This one rests on a window ledge or on a table like the Sphinx with only an ear cocked for data intake. And finally, there is Asshole Jack. This is Mr Jealous Pants who h0ates it when someone is higher on the cat stand than him or who enters a room without his permission and is therefore subject to furry harassment.

23:23 hrs

     Well Kidlettes it's time say Goodnight. I hope you all had a great day.

     

Time Flies

13 June 23

06:30 hrs

     Yes,  it has been a month since I have last written anything in the blog. And, it is not because nothing has happened at the Wayward Inn. Nor, has it been because I have been to busy to write. It's because I have been too lazy to write anything. For that, I am apologizing, yet again, to those of you who actually follow this diatribe.

     So, where are we?

     

     Well, my trip to the Interior was a success. The 1st Annual Nicola Valley Bigfoot Conference was great with old and new friends alike in attendance. I had a vendor's table and sold a bunch of books and crests. Next year I'll have more of a display. My next stop was at the Sage's place. I was there for Mother's Day and through the following week repairing stuff that needed some attention. I departed on the Saturday with a reservation for the BC Navy. This was the long weekend in May and if you didn't have a reservation to board the boat then too bad for you. Common Dog only goes so far.

14 Jun 24

10:10 hrs

     I'm in the Access Centre. It's mostly DMV so line ups are the norm. I have to drop of a form from my doctor saying it's okay for me to drive at night. When I had renewed my DL the clerk spotted my diabetes button so I had to get this form signed and then return it. Medical exam lasting 10 mikes - $225. Over a barrel.

     We had a water fountain that crapped put and I replaced the pump with a solar pump. I had removed the pump for the winter but the fountain itself had remained outside. Over the winter, minute cracks had developed and as hard as u tried I could not get it to stop leaking. So, Plan B. My Lobster and I found an interesting piece of driftwood and I am building a new water fountain. It'll be about four feet tall with water cascading through several small pails attached to the upright driftwood piece. There are some really interesting voids where roots had once been attached.  Those I am filling with epoxy. There is also an interesting twist, in what used to be the roots, that looks like an animal's head. I'm going to inset a coloured bead where the eye would have been. All of the wood will be coated in several coats of varathane. It's another project. 

     Last week my Better Half decided she wanted a storage shed for keeping the lawn mower and other stuff where she could access it. She was tired of digging it out of my shop. Or, The Death Trap, as she calls it. It was one of those pre-fab molded plastic units that is supposed to just snap together. Not. Three days of cursing and it was finished. Piece of Cake! Not!

     The family will be travelling to the Nation's Capital to intern the Oma-nator's ashes. There will be a mass followed by the placing of the urn. We'll be there for a week visiting relatives and seeing the sights. Both Couch Monkeys are coming. After the first week the Sr. Loin Fruit will fly home and the rest of us will travel via Via Rail to Q City to visit an old friend the we will double back to the Big Poutine for a few days before winging our way back to the Left Coast. Big adventures for all. And I believe that this will he the first time one of the boys will be travelling by themselves, at least for part of the journey. It's about bloody time.

     Have you heard of these idiots who call themselves Sovereign Citizens ?  These are almost always You-Alls but there are some clowns here in from Canuckistan that cotton to the notion as well. Plainly, these people have been drinking deep from the purple Kool-aid jug because they believe, strongly believe, that just because they divorce themselves from ALL government legislation and regulations they do not have to pay taxes, obtain licenses or insurance or obey the law. The problems usually start when Freeman Bubba Jim gets pulled over for making an illegal turn and when the the officer asks for ID the SovCit refuses to comply and starts spouting allow the conspiracy laden misinformation that he has consumed over the past twenty plus years of Fox New indoctrination. Non-compliance often leads to violence which leads to non-lethal electric immobilization and eventually incarceration. So, look these numpties up on  YouTube, grab yourself a bowl of popcorn and have a laugh.

19 Jun 23

08:15 hrs

     Yesterday was Father's Day.  My Lobster and the Loin Fruits took me out for brunch at a local spot. We've been there before and it's usually pretty good but yesterday the place was packed. As a result the kitchen staff was slammed and the quality of the food dropped immeasurably. Both myself and my Better Half ordered a Benny with mediun poached eggs. That's what a Benny is all about, to have that rich warm egg yolk run and mix with the sauce only to be sopped up by the English muffin. Both of us received hard poached eggs. Who in the hell orders a hard poached egg? No one, that's who. I couldn't finish mine and when we pointed out the issue and the server took my plate off the bill. Will go back? Sure, but not when it's is so busy. Some kitchen brigades just can't handle being crushed.

     Today, our Jr. Loin Fruit is having his grad ceremony. We already knew that he had great marks but just last week we also learned that he has made the Dean's List for the college. Outstanding! This afternoon we will assemble at a local civic theater and watch as he crosses the stage to receive his award.

     The Saskatoon berry's at the Wayward Inn have produced a huge crop. As they ripen I'm harvesting them and dropping them into the freezer. I'm pretty sure I'll have enough for a pie this year. I may have to share. And I guess that I should share as my doctor would not want me to eat all of that sugar. 

     The water fountain has been rebuilt but the pump, which had failed a few years back and that I had replace with a solar pump is not working. I'll try to de-snag it but if I can't then I'll buy a new one. They're pretty cheap on Amazon. 

     Well Kidlettes,  that's about it. Take care and if I'm dragging my heels again just give me a nudge.

Another Minor Road Trip

11 May 23

12:55 hrs

     I'm down in Capital City having driven the Jr. Loin Fruit to an appointment with the Recruiters. We departed the Wayward Inn at 07:00 and arrived at 09:30. That's just crazy timing and The Ram only used 1/4 of a tank. Jr. has gone to his appointment and I'm reading a novel. Therefore sense in driving to another location where thermal not be parking. It's better to stay put and feed the meter. Besides, he's young and can walk. 

     Have you seen the new colour of some of the vehicles on the road. My Lobster calls it putty and she's right. An awful sandy muddy brownish colour. Looks like something that fell out of the North end of a Dalmatian heading South. 

     Tomorrow I'm heading out on my other trip. Grabbing the boat to mainland and then a three hour drive to the Nicola Valley Bigfoot Conference. Then, on Mother's Day, I'll drive to the Sage's place for a week, or there abouts. 

     The cookbook is nearly done. Only a couple of recipes to input. My Better Half's Travelling Cuz'n gave up a classic puntenesca sauce which I'll include.

     Well Kidlettes,  this is just a short note.

Take care. More later.

A Minor Roadtrip

26 Apr 23

11:15 hrs

     With the Better Half not working due to the current federal job action it was decided that we would take a road trip to Hub City to see the Onion. We packed a lunch for the three of us. The trip down was good except the twenty plus minutes spent getting past the Nanoose choke point where construction had the traffic backed up. Construction that could have easily been done at night. Some companies will do such work at night but charge extra to do so. The question is do you pay the extra cash or piss off tens of thousands of drivers? 

27 Apr 23

10:15 hrs

     The trip back yesterday was uneventful. I noticed the traffic line up to get past the choke point on the other side of the freeway was even bigger when we had been in it. I would guesstimate it to be three or more kilometers long. And it wasn't moving. Heading North there's another section of road work that we had to detour around but we were nearly home by that point.

     Today, if I can get to it, I'll work on tbe Catio some more. I have one more platform and the sky walk to build. I need to get it done as I'll be tackling the Mobile Wayward Inn. It has to be cleaned, scrubbed and inspected. The last time it was used was when I hosted the 2020 BFRO Expedition.

01 May 23

08:00 hrs

     The PSAC strike is over. Now I have to wait until the contractors are scheduled to get back to work so I can get back to work. In the meantime the Catio is getting closer to being done and then my attention will move to the Mobile Wayward Inn as we are booked to head North for the beginning of June. Our Friends from Over the Hump will be joining us. The Loin Fruits will be staying home to look after the Beasts. 

     I have sixty copies of my book to take to Merritt. Hopefully, I sell them all. And maybe get some online sales as well. Wish me luck. 

     Well Campers,that's about it. Take care and have fun.

The Slide

08 Apr 23

08:45 hrs

     Happy Easter Campers!

     How do you celebrate Easter? Or do you celebrate Easter? I shouldn't be so pretentious as to think that Easter is the only celebration during this time frame as some of you may be celebrating Ramadan or Passover. Here at the Wayward Inn, Chef Blaine and Sous Irene like to cook a spiral ham and then use the leftover ham to make a couple of Wife Saver casseroles. Of course, the Holiday would not be complete without watching Charleton Heston in The Ten Commandments. It's one of my favourites. I don't know how many times I've watched it but I have my own Blu-ray copy just incase, which is good 

15:30 hrs

     The weather here in the Valley is quite horrible. Heavy winds and rain. We were driving downtown today and the smell of fresh seaweed thrown onto the shore was extremely strong. Strong enough for both of us to comment on it. 

     I'm going to work more on the Catio in the coming days as Mr. Wilson has taken to climbing the screen and that can be dangerous. If he was to fall with a paw still stuck in the screen it could easily result in a broken leg. Not good. So, I'll make some platforms, a ladder (of sorts) and a caged tunnel. That should keep them busy.

     The large housing project - duplexes and triplets - is nearing completion. Each unit is a town house. Two storeys and a basement. I have no idea what they'll be priced at but my Better Half, who has better realty sense than myself, thinks they'll be priced around 650K each. Yes, housing prices are still stupid. No wonder Couch Monkeys are hanging around for so long and it'll be awhile before they can afford their own place. 

09 Apr 23

14:45 hrs

     Today has been a crap day. Not just the weather,  which has Left Coast Liquid Sunshine falling in record amounts being driven in at a 35° angle, but the Oma-nator's health has taken a turn for the worse. It has always been slowly diminishing but on Friday, right after our three games of Trouble following breakfast, she said she was tired and wanted to lay down. She hasn't been up since. Everyone is pitching in. Medical staff has been in and out and will continue to do so until the end. Yes, it is sad and we will all grieve in our own way and in our own time. But, this is what she wanted...to pass away at home and not in a hospital hooked up to machines, being pestered by strangers, fed generic stuff that was not made with love and not having her family nearby.

     Oddly enough, the cats - both Jack and Mr. Wilson - have both been lying on her bed, which have never done.

19 Apr 23

07:00 hrs

     Hello Kidlettes!

     Today marks a week and a day since the Oma-nator left our family. My Lobster and myself were at her bedside at the Wayward Inn when she passed. As you can imagine it has been difficult for all of us. My Better Half has been doing all of the leg work that comes with a death in a family. The Loin Fruits and myself have been assisting as much as we can with anything she asks of us. We all miss her terribly and for myself I miss passing by her room and not seeing her sitting in her chair knitting another dish cloth or playing Trouble after a meal - we played about 6,500 games since she had moved in - or listening to her remind me that she doesn't want any onions in her food. I'm happy that she is no longer in pain and u will remember the joy that brought to all of us.