DRUGS AND PARKS

The most fun so far has been watching the old man sell drugs from his house across the street.  There has been all kinds of activity over there!

  Cars pull up, guy gets out, knocks on the door, old man answers, makes him wait, and as the old dude is inside, a few minutes later, an old lady pulls up in a car.  She gets out and starts screaming at the waiting guy, who yells back.  The old dude comes back out and starts shoving the old lady who turns out to be his sister...who owns the house and must have a spy on the block to let her know when someone shows up and blah blah blah.  All in all interesting.

I had lunch with Jeff, a fellow broker who used to work with us.  I got to Earl's first and sauntered into the place, told the hostess I was meeting someone and she pointed me in the direction of a young man sitting by himself over there.  He was at that particular moment giggling and laughing with one of the gorgeous waitresses.  So I go over, big smile in place, and go up to the table and say a big welcoming hey there!!!  How are you? Long time no see!!

Well he looks up at me, big smile, bit puzzled, and as I go in for the killer hug it dawns on me, this isn't actually Jeff.  Oh God!  In my defence he looked a lot like Jeff and I actually haven't laid eyes on Jeff for years.  Sigh.  He was very kind about it..immediately saying hey!  you can sit with me!!!  I was so humiliated but I laughed it off, told the guy that the fellow I was meeting was super good looking and he reminded me of him.  He laughed and all was okay.  I skedaddled over to a different table far away, with my tail between my legs. Grace is def not my middle name.

I am having a good time with the kids, except when they are fighting.  I had forgotten how awful kids can be and how LOUD.  They spend a lot of time tug 'o warring over EVERYTHING!!  And Elise is still at the age where her voice is extremely high pitched and whining.  Drives me crazy!  And in that high pitch 'Everything is not fair!'

On the other side of the downside they are amazing.  Funny, clever, mouthy, thoughtful, inventive and so interesting to talk with.  These kids have grown up without screens of any kind.  So their first go to is to either play a board game, make up a game,  play with lego or whatever by themselves or most of all, curl up in the corner with a book.  I can't believe Elise!  She is reading Judy Blume books.  Fenton has read Tale of Two Cities.  Really something!

I have a couple more days here then home on the first.  I take Wrangle Dangle into the Pet Resort on Tuesday.  On Wednesday I head down to Cookies' for a couple of nights.  Then over to April's and on Sunday Aryn, Bradley, April and Myles and I are all going to Hy's for dinner.  I think I am repeating myself here.  Time to go to bed.  TTYL

KING OF THE CASTLE

IN THE LION'S MOUTH

HANGIN' WITH THE DOG

A VERY HIGH RIVER NEAR KEREMEOUS

GOING THROUGH THE TREE TUNNELS

A DEAD FISH

A HUGE PIECE OF APPLE PIE AT THE COCK AND BULL IN OLIVER

SHE ATE THE WHOLE THING!!!

ON THE ROAD AGAIN

Off to Penticton today!!!  I love going to Kevin and Tandy's place.  Its homey and of course GRANDCHILDREN!!!

It has been a busy week with one thing or another. Was out to Shuswap to a friend's place for a birthday party.  Its been quite a while since I was in a house party where I didn't know anybody.  It was an appy pot luck and boy was the food good!  It was a very high level of appetizers I tell ya!  And the company was stellar.  Ollie, the birthday girl and hostess is one of the nicest people you could meet.  And she makes the best salsa in the whole world!

Wayne, her husband had made sourdough bread, from scratch!  I brazenly asked if I could have some starter to try making it myself.  He very very kindly gave me a jar of starter (actually his lovely daughter did) and all the many instructions.  I tried making it yesterday and it was a colossal failure...to the point where I won't even post a pic here.  It was fun and messy trying though! I think I will stick to english muffins from Costco.  Thats what I was actually wanting to make eventually.

So, as you know I am now a temporary owner of a dog.  He is a smart funny good companion.  But....yesterday? Not so much.

The guys were here with heavy duty equipment and machinery to clean a tremendous amount of sand and dirt off the condo roadways. They stacked their coolers, coats, tool boxes etc. on the lawn just up from my condo.

Well I let Wrangler out for his mid day whiz.  He always runs around the corner to the big grassy lawn area to a certain tree.  I follow along with a dog bag on my hand, at the ready.

Off he goes at a hundred miles an hour, me trailing along behind.  When I got around the corner, there was Wrangler, leg lifted, stream agoin', right onto the men's stuff!!!  Holy crap!!!  I hollered at him, and credit to him, he stopped mid stream and bounced off.  Meanwhile, there is dog p all over their stuff.  I almost died.

  No one was around so I grabbed my stupid dog and hightailed it back home and hid for the rest of the day.  I wasn't about to go find them and say, Umm, excuse me but my dog just pissed all over your lunch kits.

 There.  When I write it here and share the events with you peeps, I release it from my brain and don't think about it anymore.  :)

I have posted the next batch of trip pics with explanations under.  I do wish this stupid blogspot would post them in date order, or at least in the order I click them.  So many stupid things in this world!  TTYL

SO COMPLETELY OUT OF ORDER.  THIS IS THE RICE TERRACES.  SO BEAUTIFUL

CLEARLY A BAD PIC.  I MUST HAVE TAKEN THIS WITH MY CAMERA...WHICH I DISCOVERED ON THE LAST DAY OF THE TRIP THAT THE CAMERA HOLE GLASS WAS COMPLETELY DIRTY.  THESE PEOPLE ARE DOING LAUNDRY IN THE YANGZEE RIVER AS THE BOAT FLOATS BY

KATHY IS ABOUT TO SIT AT OUR TABLE AND I AM IN THE FOOD TROUGH LINE UP IN THE DINING ROOM ON THE BOAT

THIS WAS A PARK WE WERE TAKEN TO.  IT WAS CALLED ELEPHANT PARK, THE NEXT PIC WILL EXPLAIN WHY.  WE HAD ENVISIONED GREEN EXPANSES, FLOWERS, LEAFY TREES.  NO.  CEMENT, A THOUSAND POSING CHINESE, AND STRANGE UNEXPLAINABLE WEIRD THINGS, LIKE THIS FORMATION.  I EXPLAIN IT BELOW AS WELL

THIS FORMATION IS WHY IT WAS CALLED ELEPHANT PARK.  LIKE I SAID BEFORE, THESE PEOPLE WILL SEIZE ANYTHING TO MAKE A BUCK OUT OF IT

SO THIS SEEMED ACTUALLY KIND OF AMAZING.  I MEAN WHAT KIND OF TREE GROWS ROOTS AND TRUNKS LIKE THIS? RIGHT?  YEAH WELL GUESS WHAT?  IT IS CEMENT.  NOT REAL.  PUT THERE BY PEOPLE WITH STRANGE IDEAS OF WHAT WE MIGHT WANT IN A PARK

WE VISITED A TEA PLANTATION...WITH OPPORTUNITIES TO BUY BUY BUY AT THE END OF IT. SEE THOSE MOUNTAIN FORMATIONS IN THE BACK?  THERE ARE FORTY THOUSAND OF THEM IN THIS AREA!  IF YOU HAVE BEEN TO THE AOU NEEDLE IN MAUI, WHERE THERE IS ONLY ONE, YOU CAN IMAGINE BEING IN THE MIDDLE OF FORTY THOUSAND OF THEM.

WE GOT OFF THE BOAT IN CHUNKING (NANKING).  WE WENT TO A SAD ZOO AND VISITED PANDAS, WHICH ARE NO LONGER ON THE ENDANGERED LIST.  I AM SURE THATS ONLY BECAUSE THE CHINESE SAW A WAY TO MAKE A BUCK OUT OF THEM AND DIDN'T WANT THEM DEAD AND GONE.

I TOOK THIS PIC OUT THE BUS WINDOW.  WE WERE ON A VERY BUSY MULTI LANE STREET FILLED WITH RUSHING CARS AND TRUCKS ETC.  AND THIS LITTLE GIRL WAS WANDERING AROUND RIGHT ON THE ROAD!!  THESE PEOPLE JUST DO THINGS SO DIFFERENTLY THAN US.  AND THIS IS NOT OKAY!!!!!!!!

THIS IS A WEDDING SETUP.  THATS ANOTHER ODD THING.  TWO MONTHS BEFORE A WEDDING, THE BRIDE RENTS A FEW DRESSES, HIRES A PROFESSIONAL PHOTOGRAPHER, AND DRAGS HER GROOM TO A BEACH, OR SPECTACULAR BUILDING OR PARK AND GETS A THOUSAND PICTURES TAKEN.  THEN THEY GET THEM BLOWN UP TO IMPOSSIBLE SIZES AND PUT THEM AROUND THE ACTUAL VENU ON THE DAY OF.

THIS LITTLE ONE REMINDED ME OF ARNIE WHEN SHE WAS THIS AGE.  I MISS HER.

HAHAHA!  I HAVE THE GLOBAL NEWS ON RIGHT NOW AND JUST AS I WAS ABOUT TO WRITE ABOUT BICYCLE RENTALS,  A STORY ABOUT VANCOUVER BIKE RENTALS CAME ON!!!  MAYBE ITS A SIGN FOR ME TO GET OFF MY BUTT AND GO TO A SPINNING CLASS!

AND THIS IS THE TROUBLE WITH TOURING IN CHINA.  THERE ARE FIVE MILLION CHINESE TOURISTS DOING THE SAME THING.  YOU CAN'T EVEN SEE THE FRONT OF THE LINE OF BUSES AND WE HAD TO WALK RIGHT FROM THE FRONT...GRRRR.  THE LAST TIME WE WERE IN CHINA THIS WAS NOT THE CASE.  TOURISM HAS EXPLODED...AND KIND OF RUINED THINGS.  ITS BECOME LIKE DISNEY LAND WHERE THE TWO HOUR LINE UPS MAKE THE DAY NOT FUN

AT THE RICE TERRACES WE BOARDED A BUS AND WE WERE DRIVEN UP AN EXTREMELY STEEP AND HAIRPIN  CORNERS VERY NARROW ROAD TO THE RICE TERRACES.  HOLY SHIT!!!!  I HONESTLY THOUGHT WE WERE ALL GOING TO DIE!  YOU KNOW HOW YOU HEAR ABOUT TOURISTS DYING IN BUS ACCIDENTS IN OTHER COUNTRIES?  WELL ITS A FREAKING WONDER WE DIDN'T!  THAT DRIVER WENT HAIR BENT FOR ELECTION, TOSSING US AROUND CORNERS AND NARROWLY MISSING THE ODD ONCOMING VEHICLE.  IT WAS CRAZY!!!!  THERE WAS A VILLAGE UP THERE.  VERY PICTURESQUE.

THE VILLAGE HANGING OFF THE EDGE OF THE EARTH

TERRACES

THE HUMBLE LOBBY AT THE END OF A LONG DAY

WALKITY WALK WALK WALK

I'm working on keeping my steps between 3500 and 5000.  Now I know some of you do over 20,000 (or at least a number that needs a comma) a day and my paltry five seems a little weenyish.  But keep in mind I am coming off three years of doing an average of fifty per day.  Having a dog and a sister to run with helps.  He is so bouncy and happy to go out there and zip around and so is she.

Anne came over one day.  We had a wonderful catch up coffee morning.  Then off to post office, bank and lunch at OJ's.

I have also been cleaning out my tan purple room. (gotta get it painted!)  I have decided that its time to get a bed and get out of that chair.  On this trip I slept in comfortable, soft, hug you beds.  And I slept unbelievably well.  The only time it got painful was the couple of times the beds were hard.  

I mentioned this to Kathy and she told me that they had a spare twin bed, the only type of bed that would fit in that teeny room.  It was a bed that Kerry's grandfather hand made!  He kept the bed from being disposed of but none of his kids wanted it.  So it was offered to me and I am gratefully accepting, and I feel honoured!!!  So, that room had to be cleared out.  It wasn't a huge job as I didn't have a whole lot in there.

Now, instead of writing about the next leg of the trip I am going to put pictures here with explanations underneath each picture.  TTYL  (I was supposed to be in Penticton this week but Kevin phoned and asked me to wait until next week)

THIS IS A TEMPLE...WITH A GIANT SCREEN ON THE OUTSIDE WALL

A FAST TRAIN SELFIE

SO MANY OF THESE SENSELESS SIGNS AROUND

THESE PICS ARE HORRIBLY OUT OF ORDER...OH WELL.  WE ARE NOW ON A SMALL BOAT GOING UP THE GORGE.  IT WAS SO VERY BEAUTIFUL.  THIS IS JIM, ONE OF OUR TOUR MATES.  HE IS A CHEMIST FOR SUNCOR BACK EAST AND A HOBBY FARMER.  

WE ARE NOW ON A FAST TRAIN AND BECAUSE THERE WAS NO FREE LUNCH, PEOPLE TOOK FOOD FROM THE BREAKFAST AT THE HOTEL TO EAT ON THE TRAIN.  THIS IS SHELLY, JIM'S WIFE

THIS IS JIM....PEELING A STOLEN EGG...EATING IT WITHOUT SALT!!!!  EWWWW!!!  THE TRAIN RIDE WAS AMAZING.  WE TOOK THE TRAIN TWICE.  THE LAST RIDE, IN WUHAN WHERE WE DISEMBARKED, WE HAD THREE MINUTES TO GET OUR LUGGAGE AND OURSELVES OFF THE TRAIN.  THREE MINUTES!!!!  WE DID IT THOUGH!

THIS THE GORGE AND THAT IS ONE OF THE BOATS.  THINGS HAVE CHANGED DRASTICALLY SINCE BILL AND I WERE HERE A FEW YEARS AGO.  WE USE TO GO OUT IN SMALL SAMPANS WITH ONE OPERATOR USING A LARGE FIXED OAR.  NO MOTOR.  BEAUTIFULLY QUIET AND NOT TOO MANY BOATS.  NOW THERE ARE TONS AND TONS OF BOATS THAT HOLD ABOUT 25 PEOPLE EACH WITH LOUD MOTORS.  AND ALMOST TO THE END OF THE GORGE YOU COME ACROSS A HUGE PLATFORM WHERE ALL THE BOATS TIE UP.  YOU GET OFF, NO REAL SCENIC REASON, AND ON THE PLATFORM IS AN ENORMOUS BOOM BOX PUMPING OUT TRANCY TYPE MUSIC.  THEN A BUNCH OF CHINESE YOUTH DO A SINGING AND DANCING NUMBER OR TWO.  SO INAPPROPRIATE AND SO TYPICAL OF THE CHINESE.

NEEDLESS TO SAY THERE DOESN'T SEEM TO BE A SINGLE MONKEY LEFT IN THE GORGE

THIS IS WHAT I REALLY CAME TO SEE.  THE DAM.  IT IS SO BIG AND WIDE YOU CAN'T GET IT ALL IN ONE PICTURE OR IT DISAPPEARS IN THE DISTANCE IN THE HAZE.  IT WAS MAGNIFICENT!!!!!

THIS IS ONE END OF MY STATEROOM ON THE RIVER BOAT

I TURNED LEFT AND THIS IS THE REST OF THE ROOM.  IT WAS AMAZING.  SO DIFFERENT THAN THE SAD ONE BILL AND I WERE ON BEFORE WITH PRINCESS CRUISES

TOTALLY OUT OF ORDER HERE....THAT WAS ABOUT THE HIGHEST SPEED WE REACHED ON THE TRAIN

PRINGLES, A FRUIT I CAN'T REMEMBER THE NAME OF, DUCK GIZZARD IN A BAG, BANANA, GRAPES, TOILET PAPER FOR NAPKINS AND A COFFEE...NOT EASY TO FIND IN CHINA

WE WERE CONSTANTLY TAKEN TO FACTORY SHOWROOMS.  WE WOULD BE GIVEN A LITTLE TOUR AND A LONG LECTURE AND THEN ENCOURAGED TO BUY BUY BUY.  WE WENT TO  JADE, SILK, OCEAN PEARL, SEED PEARL, EMBROIDERY, TEA PLANTATION, TERRA COTTA, CLOUISAN (SP),  FACTORIES.  GOT ANNOYING AFTER A WHILE.

A SCAREY WARRIOR OUTSIDE THE TERRA COTTA/LAQUOR FACTORY

I LIKED THIS LITTLE LAQUORED TABLE

THE TERRA COTTA WARRIORS IN DIG ONE.  AGAIN THINGS HAVE CHANGED SINCE BILL AND I WERE HERE BEFORE.  WHEN WE WERE HERE A FEW YEARS AGO THE BUS DROPPED YOU OFF AT THE DOOR OF THE ONE BUILDING, THIS ONE.  NOW THE BUS DROPS YOU OFF AN OBSCENE DISTANCE AWAY AND THERE ARE FOUR BUILDINGS....THREE OF THEM ARE NOT WORTH GOING INTO.  AND WHEN YOU LEAVE YOU TAKE A MUCH SHORTER DOABLE WALK BACK TO THE FRONT BUT THEN YOU HAVE TO GO THROUGH THIS LOOOOOOONG STUPID WALK THROUGH A MILLION BOOTHS HAWKING SHIT.  SO ANNOYING.

THE WORST SELFIE OF THE TRIP.  POOR DAN, LITTLE DID HE KNOW I CAN'T DO SELFIES

 A PURLOINED FROM HOTEL BREAKFAST (PLUS CONTENTS OF A BAGGED BREAKFAST THE HOTEL GAVE US)  ON THE FAST TRAIN AGAIN.

AT A MUSEUM/ANCIENT WALL LOCATION OUR GUIDE TOOK US TO...WITH A TON OF WALKING INVOLVED OF COURSE.

HILLBILLY HEAVEN!!!

This post will be all about April's thirtieth birthday shared with her Aunt Kathy.

She wanted to do a hillbilly party so I did the only thing that made sense.  I made a call to Jocelyn!  Jo knows how to plan a party like no other.

Holy crap!!!  The stuff we did!!!  We made wiener calamari, white bread sushi, kd, tater tots, wings, a pinata made out of a beer box and more.  We planned games...like spam carving, rude toilet paper and plunger game, karaoke, and more.  Lots and lots of beer drinking!  

The next day we all converged on Craig and Jo's place again and did some hot tubbing

THESE PICS ARE TOTALLY OUT OF ORDER.  ALL HANDS ON DECK!

CHARCUTERIE BOARD MADE WITH..BOLOGNA WIENERS TOASTIES AND PLASTIC WRAPPED CHEESE SLICES/WIENER CALAMARI/ WHITE BREAD BOLOGNA CHEESE SLICE AND PICKLE SUSHI/BIRTHDAY CAKE MADE OUT OF TWINKIE ASSORTMENTS

SELF EXPLANATORY...THATS THE CALAMARI IN FRONT OF THE SIGN

GETTING READY FOR THE SPAM CARVING CONTEST

DRINKING INSTEAD OF PREPPING!  TAKE NOTE...IN THE BACKGROUND....EVEN THE LITTLE UNS' ARE DRINKING!

READY STEADY GO!!!!  THEY HAD TEN MINUTES (WHICH I FORGOT TO TIME)  THE HARDEST PART WAS GETTING THE DAM SPAM (HAHA I MADE A RHYME) OUT OF THE CAN

SUCH CONCENTRATION!

I CAN SEE SHAPES EMERGING!

THE WINNER!!!  KEVIN CARVED AN OUTHOUSE....COMPLETE WITH MOON

NOT EVEN A CLOSE RUNNER UP....MYLES TRIED TO SELL IT AS A SPAM MONSTER...BUT NO CIGAR

KATHY WAS THE RUNNER UP...SHE CARVED THE GREAT WALL OF CHINA...PRETTY GOOD I MUST SAY!

ARNIE'S WAS FOURTH RUNNER UP....SHE DID A FIREPLACE AND I THINK IT WAS PRETTY GOOD.  SHE USED TOOTHPICKS FOR THE KINDLING!

JO JO AND AINSLEY MADE A LOBSTER...APRIL PHOTO BOMBED THIS PIC WITH HER RABBIT

APRIL WAS THIRD RUNNER UP....FOR ONCE THE RESIDENT ARTIST DIDN'T WIN AND GET THIS...SHE FREAKING ATE THE CRITTER AFTER THE CONTEST WAS OVER....SO LIKE HER DAD

KERRY AND MYLES EXECUTING THE RUDE TURLETT PAPER GAME

STIRLING WATCHED AND WATCHED AND WATCHED US AND THEN WHEN WE WERE DONE HE PICKED UP A PLUNGER, APPROPRIATELY PLACED IT AND PUT A ROLL OF TOILET PAPER ON IT!!!

THEN IT WAS PINATA TIME!!!  I THINK THIS IS AN AMAZING SHOT OF ARNIE WHACKING THAT BEER BOX FULL OF GOODIES!!!!

PICKING UP THE LOOT

"MMMMMM...CAN I TASTE YOUR CANDY RING?"

AWWWWWWWW......SINGIN' TO EACH OTHER

MY BABIES....LITTLE STARS THEY ARE

AWWWWWW....THEIR SINGING ALWAYS BRINGS ME TO TEARS....IN A GOOD WAY.....MOSTLY

THEY WERE SO AWESOME...NO ONE CAN BEAT MYLES THOUGH...HE KNOWS EVERY SONG ON PLANET EARTH

YEAH.....NEED I SAY ANYTHING?

THE BIRTHDAY GIRL MAKING CALAMARI!!

and played board games and had pizza and yet more wings.  I finally retired home at ten at night.  Kevin arrived around 11 with the kids.  Unfortunately Aryn had to leave that morning so she missed the second day but April, Myles and Kevin were able to stay.

It honestly was one of the best parties I have ever attended.  On Monday before April and Myles left, (Kevin and kidlets left early that morning) we headed over to Kathy's and with dogs in tow, went for a walk in Peterson Creek.  It was so beautiful.  Then after a hamburger dinner here at home, they left for Vancouver :(

Today is Friday the 13th.  Its been a lovely week, Kathy and I walked in Peterson creek again.  I am trying to keep my steps up over five thousand.  Yesterday I turned down her invite walk but I managed to get over five thousand steps in anyway.  I was Walmarting, banking and errand running.  And, today I took Wrangler and headed out the door, parked up on top of Kathy's street and walked the Creek myself.  I can't wait to tell her!!!

So, instead of going on here I am going to post some pictures.  Under each pic will be more about the party.  It was such a hoot!!!!  TTYL  I will do a few more trip posts next, along with current events.  I have a fun weekend planned and then I am heading to Penticton for a week.