Personal

by

A Change of Plans… and a Dawson City Homecoming!

I got twenty kilometres up the Klondike highway today and decided to push on to Dawson, then do a circuit by toad and tent in late June or early July when more things will be open. It’s been a pretty lonely winter and I just couldn’t wait to see my friends again! It was a long, hard haul as the trip from Whitehorse to Dawson always is, and the numerous frost heaves have left me terrified to open any of my cabinets!!!

As expected, everyone was shocked to see me pull in today and there were so many hugs all around! I washed the rig and then got squared away in what will probably be a temporary spot. I don’t care, it has sewer! 😀 And I can get online with my Telus key!

An invitation to go out for a drink came quickly from two of my French-speaking friends, so we headed over to Bombay Peggy’s, a cozy pub I never got around to visiting last summer! I savoured a Yukon Gold as we each three shared our story of our winter adventures. Oh my, how I missed French! I think I spoke it twice this winter and that’s it. 🙁 Reading books and watching movies wasn’t nearly enough; there’s something to be said for a good gab fest in your native tongue!

I’ve put on some laundry and will be heading over to the public showers since I have a ton of stuff packed in mine and there is debris scattered all over the dressing room floor. I’m too wiped to even start to sort it all out. At least, I’ve had a hot shower every night since Les played with my water heater in Prince George. The water heater is still misbehaving, but I can coax it into submission thanks to his adjustments. He and it must have had Words. 😀

I can’t believe that was just a few days ago and that a week ago this day I awoke in Nanaimo! I’ve done 3,400km in that time. I didn’t mean to go so quickly and I honestly wasn’t ‘rushing.’ I really savoured this drive, much more so than the one last fall, and I had fun driving the RV for the first time! It was an awesome trip and an equally awesome summer lies before me. I’m really going to be able to get back on track financially and maybe even get some painting done.

Everything on my journey from Campbell River went well with the minor hiccups of the fuse and the windshield hardly worth mentioning. I boondocked solidly except when I had a chance at free power and lacked for nothing; I had all the heat and hot water I wanted, and when there was cell service I got work done. I read a lot, cooked a bit, and really got a taste of what life with the new layout is going to be like (even if I missed my dishwasher!). This week my good life has had no shortage of good days and I am the happiest that I have been in a very, very, very long time.

And, so, a second Klondike summer begins!

by

Sweets and Water

My neighbour Mrs. H just brought me this awesome departure gift:

From left to right: chocolate chip cookies, chocolate cake (I think), raisin bran muffins, banana bread, and sugar cookies with sprinkles. Yuuuum! The expectation is that I throw everything in the freezer and ration it out until I get to Dawson. Let’s see if I achieve this. 😀

As for water, I don’t like to drink from my fresh water tank, so the only way to bring the Campbell River water with me was to put it in jugs. I bought a fresh water jug when I hit the road and it just hasn’t worked out since the water starts to taste plasticky very quickly. Moreover, I lost the lid the last time I was at the Chasm. I decided to just chuck it and see if Canadian Tire might have some collapsible water jugs. They did, and they’re BPA free to boot!

I didn’t intend to buy two colours; I simply didn’t notice that there was a choice. They fold up beautifully and have a lifetime guarantee that they will not split or leak under normal usage.

Here they are filled:

They can be laid on their side on a counter for easy pouring since the spout has an open and shut valve.

by

Cheekiness

My friend whose parents live here in Campbell River told me that one thing I had to try out west was halibut, especially the cheeks. I had halibut a few times and understand now what the fuss is all about as it is a delicious fish, sweetly mild and fleshy, but the cheek thing eluded me. Well, tonight her parents had me over for a final meal and one of the dishes they served was halibut cheeks. They looked quite close to this:

They cooked the cheeks by dipping them in milk, dredging them in flour, and then cooking them in oil. There were no other seasonings. I thought they would taste and feel like fish, but my friend was right; they are a delicacy unlike any other. The only frame of reference that comes to mind would be that the taste is close to properly prepared squid and the texture is close to properly prepared scallops, but I’m not sure that does them justice. I had three pieces and the cheeks grew on me with every bite.

I love that my country is so huge and has such varied ecosystems and climates that there are foods in one region that are virtually unknown in another. Each time I discover one, I feel so proud and happy, like I’ve discovered a wonderful secret guarded by a few. I think the only thing that would be better than BC halibut cheeks would be BC halibut cheeks served with New Brunswick fiddle heads…

by

Still Sorting It Out

Today, I’m working at making the study travel ready and decided that I might as well make one pass through all my storage boxes in the overhead cabinets. While they were all very neat and well labeled, I had a feeling that the contents wouldn’t be that useful. I was right. For example, I found lots of neat things in the box marked ‘hardware’ that I really don’t need in a motorhome like solder and incandescent 120V light bulbs!

I also found a box marked ‘decor’ that is filled with small pictures I aimed to frame and put up. I need to go find some frames! One particularly special picture was already framed and I wanted to give myself a huge kick for leaving it in a box so long:

This is my dad circa the mid to late 1950’s. I’ve put him up on the pop out wall in the study so he can look down on me while I work.

I also had a large basket filled with music cds that I inherited from him and which I have ‘been meaning to go through.’ It’s been three years (!), for pete’s sake, and I’ve already transferred over the stuff I know I like. So, the basket was added to my pile slated for donation. Done and dealt with, whee!

My friend was promised a grand tour tomorrow, so I’d better get back to work!

by

A Long Way Down the Road of Finding My Better Way

My friend Les of The RVer’s Corner sent me yesterday a link to a blog post. I read the post a few times and have been mulling over whether or not to talk about it here. To do so really does feel like bragging, but I’m so thrilled that someone not only gets what it is I’m doing but also felt compelled to write so many eloquent words about it. Please go check out Brian’s thoughts on Building the RV “Community.”