Category: Uncategorized

Now that we have a new electric car, we decided to take it on a road trip to see if we could handle the new technology.

The journey started on a Thursday morning and a few chores got done before attending my weekly pub meet-up. We took the afternoon ferry and ended the day at Rosalie’s cousin Jeannine’s house in Coquitlam. 18 Km were saved on that phase of the journey; I don’t know how, but it happened.

Rosalie decided to keep a mileage log of our journey to see if anything was gained with the regenerative braking. It seems to work well.

Next up was three nights with our daughter Lisa’s family at their cabin on Lake Harrison. The weather was cold and damp but we had our new great-granddaughter to entertain us for a very nice stay.

Our next stop was Kamloops to visit Rosalie’s cousin Hubert and his wife Gloria for lunch. We finished the day with our friend Maureen and stayed with her overnight.

The following day we were supposed to join up with more friends in Sicamous but they couldn’t make it. It was decided to go straight to Nakusp after a charging stop in Salmon Arm, intending to top up there.

After a scenic ride, we got there in good time. With the car plugged in, it was time for food, wine, and some great discussions with Dan and Linda about anything and everything under the sun. It was a wonderful evening. The following day we were off to Vernon.

When I checked the available mileage the next morning, I found that it hadn’t been charging at all, that night. Apparently, it was on the same breaker as their small hot tub. Oops! Now what.

Nakusp is a fairly small town so there are not many charging stations there. The museum has a fast charger but it was out of service. I plugged into the slower charger and took Rosalie for a coffee at a funky little coffee shop. The charge took an hour and a half and we still weren’t sure if it would make it to Vernon.

There is a free-charge station at the Needles ferry crossing, but was it working? Fortunately, it was, so the car got a fairly good charge.

The drive to Vernon was cold, down to 7C at one point so the heater came into use. Also, it was raining so the windshield wipers came on. Not knowing the limitations of the car there was a little concern. There was no need for worry as we arrived in Vernon with lots of mileage to spare. A fast charger in Vernon charged the car up in 30 minutes.

After an evening of more drinking, good food and staying overnight with Bob and Virginia, it was decided to make our next stop Hope. On the way, we visited yet another one of Rosalie’s cousins Mariette and Stephen in Kelowna.

The new goal was Hope for the next charge. On the way we stopped at a rest area and were surprised to find two free fast-chargers so we topped up again just to be sure. The guy next to us works in advertising and was traveling with a group of electric vehicles for promotional purposes. He gave us lots of free information about EVs and EV charging.

Arriving in Hope was a bit stressful as I couldn’t get my app to work to find us a charger. I finally got it figured out and we charged while having lunch. Again it was a free charge as they had an EV promotion going on.

From Hope to the ferry and finally home was a doddle as we had lots of power left.

Overall everything worked out great. We put 1700 km on the car for a total cost of $30. Some of the people we stayed with were great and let us plug in. The cost for the night is less than $2 so no real hardship.

We learned a lot of lessons and it reinforced our belief that an EV is the way to go for us and look forward to more trips, long and short.

We were in Nanaimo for a Doctors appointment and decided to check on the status of our new car which was due to arrive that day.

Our salesman wasn’t at the Hyundai dealership but another one told us it might be up to another two weeks. But in the meantime, we could take another car for a test drive. He wasn’t coming with us so we thought we would take it around the block for a quick spin.

We were almost at the highway when we decided to give Peter a visit and a quick ride. We took him around the block, including a drive up a very steep hill. He was surprised by the power of the thing. That’s because electric cars have huge torque.

Driving an electric car is a bit different from a regular car. At slow speeds, it feels as though you’re moving through molasses. That’s because of the regenerative braking system. It recharges as you take your foot off the gas. The other neat thing is that I hardly use the brakes even when going downhill.

A week later we got the call that our car was in. We had to go and fill in a huge amount of paperwork and then got a brief orientation. We hadn’t told Peter and Suzie so we decided to surprise them and take them for a ride. After that, we drove home.

There are paddles on the steering wheel which adjust the brakes. That’s a bit of a learning curve. I finally got it figured out and on the way home I put on the cruise control. Because it’s a smart cruise control I drove from Nanoose to Horne Lake Rd without touching the pedals—a nice feature.

We have taken the last few weeks getting used to the idea of not having a combustion engine driving us. There are also a lot of electronic bits and bobs to learn and get used to.

We mostly charge it at home but did charge at Canadian Tire just to get used to doing that. At home, we get the equivalent of 420 Km of travel for about $5. cheap travel! We will test it and ourselves this week as on Thursday we are going to Sicamous with a few stops in between.

I’ll keep you posted.

In the meantime, we’re sitting here watching the smoke from the Cameron Lake fire. We have friends in Port Alberni and hope they are all okay.

I have been feeling a bit off for the last 10 days or so. I had no appetite and no energy. So no blogs.

I have been trying the get my cataracts done for a year now. The problem of course is that Mexico keeps getting in the way. However, I got an appointment with My ophthalmologist who gave me the go-ahead. Now I have to try to get everything in place before mid-August. And that’s just to get the first one done.

First up: I had to get a pre-surgery physical checkup. My regular doctor is so booked that I would be lucky to see him this side of Christmas so I got a substitute. She was really nice but saw that my last test said platelets were a bit low so wanted me to get a blood test. Everything else was fine.

She gave me the lecture about consuming alcohol. I have cut down a lot in the last six months as it’s getting too expensive. What about quality of life? I have been drinking, on and off, since I was about sixteen and at the grand old age of seventy eight am still in great condition. I don’t abuse it, so, leave me alone.

I wanted to get things going quickly so I went as a walk-in to the lab the next day. Half an hour later I was out of there and on my way home. That evening I tried to log into Lifelabs to get my results, something I had done many times before. No! rejected; that app doesent work anymore. I get the new app and the battle commenced.

I logged in but my password was rejected. I got a new password and tried again. Now I have to identify all the right-handed tea cups to prove I’m not a robot. I must have selected a left-handed one as I was kicked out again and had to start over. Next time I had to select all the traffic lights with a cracked glass. This time by good fortune rather than skill I managed to get in.

I looked for my results but there were’t any. Now, I had to add my account information. I did that. Next I had to enter the number they gave me at the lab ?? What number? Okay so about now you’re as confused as I am so the upshot is that I now have to phone in to get someone to sort the whole mess out. So I won’t get my results until after the week end.

I have investment apps that have all our financial information on that don’t need this level of security. Considering that at this time it’s mostly seniors using the service, you would think that they would make thing just a tad easier. I’m somewhat computer literate and find it confusing, so how does someone who isn’t, get on?

After the problem with the hydro, I thought I was home-free. But then I found that the water wasn’t heating up so we couldn’t take a shower. After an exhaustive examination (well, I looked at it) I decided to consult Mrs. Google. It seemed as though it needed a new thermostat so on our way to town we stopped off to get one. Sixty bucks later and I had the fix…or so I thought.

The water only heated to lukewarm, so now what? I finally decided it was something to do with the mixer valve. To get to it, I had to cut a hole in the stair riser. I took it apart but it seemed fine. After it was all back together, the water temperature was fine again. Maybe an airlock; I don’t know.

When we reconnected our cell phones it was discovered that we were paying $20 a month more for each one. However, we were getting 6 more gigs of data that we didn’t need. I believe a phone call is needed. I think I mentioned once before that our bill in Canada was $35 plus tax and we get exactly the same usage in Mexico for $15.

The heat pump has turned out to be a great success. We put it on ‘heat only’ for now and it keeps us nice and toasty. The other morning though, the outside breaker popped and I had to get the maintenance guys to reset it for us. Fifteen minutes later it popped again. At this point, I realized why. We had on: the heat pump, the electric fireplace, the fridge, the hot water tank as well as the electric kettle. I switched the hot water tank over to propane and so far no more problems.

Then the Wi-Fi started to act up. When we first got here the signal was off and I did a lot of muttering about Telus for not turning our hub back on. Eventually, I called them. Now that sounds easy, but after having an argument with a computerised answering service that kept telling me they had no ideas what I was talking about, I was ready to explode. I decided to use online chat but it kept referring me to a website that also didn’t know what I was talking about. I did eventually get through and found that we weren’t supposed to get reconnected for a few more days. Oops! my fault!

When it was back on Wi-Fi, the signal was really bad. I kind of expected this as the new roof blocked the antenna. Eventually, we got no signal at all so I had to do something. I waited for the coldest, the rainiest and most miserable day before going outside to tackle the problem. I froze my toosh off but eventialy got the antenna in a place where we could get a better signal. It’s only a temporary fix and I will make it permanent as soon as the weather gets warmer.

Rosalie said I done good

No more problems please, I’m done!! Wait, Rosalie just informed me that there’s water on the bathroom floor. Oy Vey!

This is one of the nicest and most gentle articles I’ve read in a while: no politics, no religion and no racial issues, just food for thought.

You know time has a way of moving quickly and catching you unaware of the passing years. It seems just yesterday that I was young and embarking on my new life. Yet in a way, it seems like eons ago, and I wonder where all the years went. I know that I lived them all. I have glimpses of how it was back then and of all my hopes and dreams.

However, here it is the last quarter of my life and it catches me by surprise. How did I get here so fast? Where did the years go and where did my youth go? I remember well, seeing older people through the years and thinking that those older people were years away from me and that I was only on the first quarter, and that the fourth quarter was so far off that I could not visualize it or imagine fully what it would be like.

Yet, here it is…my friends are retired and getting grey. They move slower and I see an older person now. Some are in better and some worse shape than I am, but I see the great change. They’re not like the ones that I remember who were young and vibrant. But, like me, their age is beginning to show and we are now those older folks that we used to see and never thought we’d become.

Each day now, I find that just getting a shower is a real target for the day and taking a nap is not a treat anymore; It’s mandatory because if I don’t of my own free will, I fall asleep where I sit.

And so, now I enter into this new season of my life unprepared for all the aches and pains and the loss of strength and ability to go and do things that I wish I had done but never did. But at least I know that, though I’m in the last quarter and I’m not sure how long it will last, that when it’s over on this earth, it’s over. A new adventure will begin!

Yes, I have regrets. There are things I wish I hadn’t done; things I should have done but truly there are many things I’m happy to have done. It’s all in a lifetime.

So, if you’re not in the last quarter yet, let me remind you that it will be here faster than you think. So, whatever you would like to accomplish in your life, do it quickly. Don’t put things off too long. Life goes by so quickly. So, do what you can today, as you can never be sure whether you’re in the last quarter or not.

You have no promise that you will see all the seasons of life. So, live for today and say all the things that you want your loved ones to remember – and hope that they appreciate and love you for all the things that you have done for them in all the past years.

‘Life’ is a gift to you. Be Happy! Have a great day! Remember, it is health that is real wealth and not pieces of gold and silver.

You may think:

Going out is good – but coming home is better!

You forget names – but it’s okay because some people forgot they even knew you!

You realize you’re never going to be really good at anything like golf – but you like the outdoors!

The things you used to care to do, you aren’t as interested in anymore – but you really don’t care that you aren’t as interested.

You sleep better on a lounge chair with the TV on than in bed – you call it ‘pre-sleep’!

You miss the days when everything worked with just an ‘On’ and ‘Off’ switch!

You tend to use more 4 letter words – ‘what’ and ‘when’

You have lots of clothes in your wardrobe; more than half of which you will never wear – but just in case!

Old is good –
• Old is comfortable
• Old is safe
• Old songs
• Old movies
• and best of all,
• Friends of old!

So, stay well, ‘Old friend!’
Have a fantastic day!
Have an awesome quarter – whichever one you’re in!
Take care

Send this on to other “Old Friends” and let them be smiling in agreement.

It’s not what you gather but what you scatter that tells what kind of life you had.

You know time has a way of moving quickly and catching you unaware of the passing years. It seems just yesterday that I was young and embarking on my new life. Yet in a way, it seems like eons ago, and I wonder where all the years went. I know that I lived them all. I have glimpses of how it was back then and of all my hopes and dreams.

However, here it is the last quarter of my life and it catches me by surprise. How did I get here so fast? Where did the years go and where did my youth go? I remember well, seeing older people through the years and thinking that those older people were years away from me and that I was only on the first quarter, and that the fourth quarter was so far off that I could not visualize it or imagine fully what it would be like.

Yet, here it is…my friends are retired and getting grey. They move slower and I see an older person now. Some are in better and some worse shape than I am, but I see the great change. They’re not like the ones that I remember who were young and vibrant. But, like me, their age is beginning to show and we are now those older folks that we used to see and never thought we’d become.

Each day now, I find that just getting a shower is a real target for the day and taking a nap is not a treat anymore; It’s mandatory because if I don’t of my own free will, I fall asleep where I sit.

And so, now I enter into this new season of my life unprepared for all the aches and pains and the loss of strength and ability to go and do things that I wish I had done but never did. But at least I know that, though I’m in the last quarter and I’m not sure how long it will last, that when it’s over on this earth, it’s over. A new adventure will begin!

Yes, I have regrets. There are things I wish I hadn’t done; things I should have done but truly there are many things I’m happy to have done. It’s all in a lifetime.

So, if you’re not in the last quarter yet, let me remind you that it will be here faster than you think. So, whatever you would like to accomplish in your life, do it quickly. Don’t put things off too long. Life goes by so quickly. So, do what you can today, as you can never be sure whether you’re in the last quarter or not.

You have no promise that you will see all the seasons of life. So, live for today and say all the things that you want your loved ones to remember – and hope that they appreciate and love you for all the things that you have done for them in all the past years.

‘Life’ is a gift to you. Be Happy! Have a great day! Remember, it is health that is real wealth and not pieces of gold and silver.

You may think:

Going out is good – but coming home is better!

You forget names – but it’s okay because some people forgot they even knew you!

You realize you’re never going to be really good at anything like golf – but you like the outdoors!

The things you used to care to do, you aren’t as interested in anymore – but you really don’t care that you aren’t as interested.

You sleep better on a lounge chair with the TV on than in bed – you call it ‘pre-sleep’!

You miss the days when everything worked with just an ‘On’ and ‘Off’ switch!

You tend to use more 4 letter words – ‘what’ and ‘when’

You have lots of clothes in your wardrobe; more than half of which you will never wear – but just in case!

Old is good –
• Old is comfortable
• Old is safe
• Old songs
• Old movies
• and best of all,
• Friends of old!

So, stay well, ‘Old friend!’
Have a fantastic day!
Have an awesome quarter – whichever one you’re in!
Take care

Send this on to other “Old Friends” and let them be smiling in agreement.

It’s not what you gather but what you scatter that tells what kind of life you had.

All packed and on our way. 

Ylda was nice enough to pick us up and drive us to La Cabaña for breakfast, after which we dragged our cases across the road to the bus depot. The bus was half an hour late, which is normal as the road from PV is slow and windy.

The bus pulled into Tomatlán for a ten minute break and Rosalie rushed to the baño as she didn’t want a repeat of last years debacle. While I visited the boys’ room, Rosalie got talking to the folks across the aisle. They were from Coombs on the Island. It seems that a lot people who visit Melaque are from Vancouver Island so I wasn’t too surprised.  

I don’t know why we booked our return on Sámana Santa (Easter), but we did. We thought Melaque was busy until we got to PV. Cars everywhere. Even sitting canted into the ditches at the side of the road. After arriving at Al and Cathy’s place we went out for dinner at Victor’s restaurant at the marina. 

The following morning took us to the Flamingo Hotel to book a reservation for September. It was too early to book though so we have to wait until August. When we got back to the condo it was time to change into our ‘winter’ clothes. It was awful. I haven’t worn socks or long pants for six months. Very uncomfortable.

An Uber was arranged to take us to the airport. The fare was double the regular rate as it was very busy and we had a wait to get into the airport.

PVR was packed, but mostly with arrivals so we got through check-in and security fairly quickly. 

We needed something to eat on the plane so lined up for half an hour to get a Subway ‘samich’. After getting a bottle of water we were set to go. The flight was great and I watched two really good movies.

When the plane landed I filled out the Arrive Can. app and it took only 30 minutes from when we landed to when we walked out of the gate after getting our checked luggage.

Then there was the trip to Coquitlam. We had never taken an Uber before so I was a little apprehensive.  The one we got in PV was arranged by Al. When I pressed the button on the app, it said the car would be there in three minutes. The problem was, I wasn’t sure where we had to meet it. We finally got it sorted and the car pulled up. The driver was great and he made it a really nice ride to Jeannine’s home.

Arriving in Nanaimo

The next morning Jeannine drove us to Harbour Air and we flew to Nanaimo where Peter and Sue picked us up. When we got home there was no power on at all. This was quite a problem as we couldn’t turn the furnace on to heat the place up, nor drive the car to get groceries.

All our breakers were on so I got Rosalie to call the maintenance guy. He showed up and used a sniffer to find that we did have power. However, nothing worked. After he left I got out my own hydro sniffer with the same result. After a lot of head-scratching, then I had an idea. I went to the main power plug and sure enough it was loose. I re-plugged it and all was well.

I decided Peter and I needed a shot of that tequila we brought back, to calm us back down. So the day ended well.

It’s that time of year again when we have to start packing up to leave. It’s more than just packing, I have to take down all the shade cloths; it seems as though we only put them up last week. All the tables have to be put away and some moved up to the roof just in case it floods. Anyway, it’s slowly getting taken care of.

My biggest fear is when we start to pack our cases, I have to tell Rosalie what she can’t take. I don’t know if the tears in her eyes or the look I get are worse. Anyway, I will try to get as much as I can in. It shouldn’t be a problem as we usually only have carry-ons, but this time we have one checked bag. However, even if we had a storage container Rosalie would somehow manage to fill it.

Last week there was a problem with the water supply. All our water for washing-up showering etc. comes from a well in the laundry room. I started to water the plants but there was no pressure. Okay! Now what!

I checked the tinaco on the roof and it was only a third full. When I turned the pump on there was hardly any pressure. After thinking it over it was decided to call Castulo. He finally showed up but needed to call in the professionals. Two guys arrived and after lots of discussion, Castulo called Blanca and explained the situation. He then handed the phone to Rosalie so that she could tell us in English what was going on.

It appeared that the bottom of the well was clogged with mud and a new well had to be dug. This involved pulling down part of the building to get at it. Blanca said she would see us in a few days to sort the whole thing out.

In the meantime, I had to start the pump, let it run for about ten minutes until it ran dry, and then turn it off for an hour until it recovered. After several times of doing this, I turned the pump on and went to see the pressure in the tinaco. Well heck, the darn thing was operating at full pressure. We contacted Blanca, to set her mind at ease, and she was most grateful but not impressed with the “experts” opinion.

There are a few social dates to finish up and we found ourselves at a karaoke night. It was Neil’s 70th birthday and Diane had arranged a party for him. But first, we had a really great meal at the Kraken restaurant.

The usual crowd at Karaoke.

We don’t usually like karaoke as some people tend to get really stupid. This one was different as all but one of the acts were really good. There was a fair amount of free tequila going around and as the evening went on the singing got better. Anyway, we had a great time and that’s one more date off our list.

Our friends Ron and Barb live in Barra. Ron was away in Ft McMurray for a while so Barb wanted to get together with us for lunch sometime. She called and asked if she and her friend Roma could pick us up and take us to La Manzanilla because there had been sightings of whales offshore there.

It was a great day to sit on the beach as it was overcast and so, not too hot. We sat for some time before actually seeing any whales but they did eventually show up.

One guy told us that it was a Mum and baby that had gotten separated from their pod. They had been there for a day and a half and it was hoped that they would eventually follow the shoreline and regain the open sea.

Before going home there had to be a stop by the cocodrilo sanctuary and we saw four great big fat crocs close to the fence line. Rosalie, Barb and I had seen them before but I think it was a new experience for Roma.

Things are starting to wind down so I decided to start with a bit of packing. Because we live here it’s almost like packing the house up before moving. My biggest problem is that I have to sort out the laundry room and that big nasty spider lives there. I think I’ll name him “Atilla”.

It’s odd to think that we will be home in Canada at the end of next week. This season has just flown by perhaps it’s because we are closer to town and do a lot more socializing. It’s either at a restaurant or at someone’s house or at home. And of course we had a lot of Rosalie’s relatives here this year so we were kept busy from end of January on.

And of course, Rosalie went a little potty. Just before packing, she spotted some flower pots on sale, on the side of the road. So now I have to find a safe place for them. Also, everything has to be stored up high because of the threat of flooding.

We are close to the canal where the water tends to back up and overflow. This year they are dredging the entrance to the canal so maybe the problem won’t be so bad.

The other concern, and a serious one, is that some of our favourite beachside bars are closing for part of the week. So we often have to troll up and down until we find one open. By that time we’re hot, tired and very thirsty.

It’s getting close to the time when we have to pack up and leave. But first a bit of last-minute entertainment.

There is a great local band here called The Bandidos. They play in most of the restaurants and bars in town. They play all the old classic rock tunes and are very popular.

We drove with Neil and Diane out to La Palma Negra on Coco Beach for lunch and to see them play. We had seen them before but you can never get too much of a good thing. In fact, we will see them again in a day or two as we want to buy some of their T-shirts.

Unfortunately, running a blog is getting expensive so to cut costs I’m using YouTube. The good thing is that you can now play videos full screen and it’s a lot less work for me; also it’s free. The downside is that at the end you will see some ads. If you want to watch the video again just hit the replay button on the bottom left corner.

La Palma Negra is a beautiful venue, and even though it’s a twenty-minute drive it’s well worth it. It’s right next to the ocean and is quite rustic and traditional. Maria and Bernie have done an amazing job over the few years we have been going there. The food is good and served to us by their eldest son Pablo; a really nice boy who speaks perfect English

They are going to do a British Columbia tour in the summer. Mostly the mainland but some gigs on Vancouver Island. Including a stopover at Neil and Diane’s place as they entertain bands regularly at their home. They’re also playing at the VIEX where we will probably see them.

El Jardin

The garden is coming along nicely although a bit slow. I decided to jolly it up a bit with some ‘abono’, cow manure from Cowpachino’s. We also bought another lemon tree to replace the one we killed. As well as a Guyabono tree also known as a Soursop in English. Apparently, there are a lot of health benefits from its fruit. Each plant cost 50 pesos, about $3.50 Canadian.

The mangos are early this year and from what we can see, we may get to eat some before we leave.

Our biggest problem was getting the place watered while we are away. We were going to ask Martina to do it but it’s too far for her to come twice a week. I suggested to Rosalie that she talk to the lady who cleans next door as she may want a summer job. She agreed so now we have one less problem to care about.

A sad day

Our favourite hangout on the beach in the afternoon was Papa Gallo’s. Alas, they closed it for good suddenly. We understand that the landlord’s son is going to try reopening sometime. So there is some hope for next year. Fortunately, there are plenty of other places we can go, although we will miss our friends who used to work there.

While at a health seminar the other day we found out about a different dentist in town. They had a pamphlet with their prices on it and they looked more affordable than most so we decided to give them a try.

The next time we were in town we booked an appointment for the following day. Rosalie wanted to get a cleaning and I wanted to get a cleaning as well as some whitening done.

The appointment was for 11 am and we arrived on time. Our dentist was a very nice young man named Eric and he was learning to speak English.

Rosalie went first as her appointment was only supposed to take fifteen minutes, while mine would take an hour. After about twenty minutes the dentist came and got me to sit with Rosalie as she also had a broken tooth, that he was going to fix there and then.

Before the process started, he had to fill in a questionnaire about our health. After answering all the questions he asked us to sign but he didn’t know the word for signature so we taught him that.

It was lucky that Rosalie’s Spanish was way better than his English so she could translate for both of us. I tried to keep up but still have a problem with understanding spoken Spanish.

During the process, he asked Rosalie to shower her mouth. We explained the word rinse and then he asked what the English word for tongue was. We told him and spelt it for him. Of course, being a Spanish speaker he tried to pronounce it phonetically and it came out something like: “tong u ee”. We told him to think of it as ‘tung’ and he was good with that; although he still pronounced it toong as ‘u’ in Spanish is pronounced ‘oo’

Eventually, it became my turn. He did the cleaning and started to do the whitening process. By this time we had been there for three hours and hadn’t eaten yet. We all decided to take a break and start again in one hour.

At 3:00, we showed up again at his office and the process eventually began. He said it would take about forty minutes but being Mexico it took just over an hour.

Because I’m able to speak a bit of Spanish even though I don’t hear it too well I decided to enter the conversation. I thought up a sentence asking the dentist if he remembered the three words we had taught him. He looked at me with a puzzled look on his face so I turned to Rosalie who did the same. I had screwed up horribly. Rosalie asked the question and he got two out of three while I got zero. I redemed myself the next day when I had to phone and cancel another appointment for the whitening, and managed the whole thing in Spanish.

In total, including lunch, the whole thing took about five and a half hours. We didn’t mind though as we liked the guy and he was very entertaining. We will see him again.