Devon on Skis

This picture shows Derek taking 2-year old Devon skiing in Fernie. Apparently she loves it, and when she can manage it, she heads down the hill all by herself.

Flat Brownie

Here I am arriving back at the Comox ferry after a week in Calgary. There is very little snow there and trees are starting to bud out. People are waiting for the other shoe to drop though.

I had a good fix of the 5 grandkids though, and have a runny nose to prove it. 14 year old Kenzie drove us home after dark (gulp) and he was amazingly good.We made Valentines (they have candies on them these days) and the traumas of everyday child-raising brought back memories. I came home with beautiful art for the fridge.

In the picture I am hold "Flat Brownie" made (life-size) by Jamie.
Flat Brownie has to have an adventure with pictures taken, and then be sent back to Jamie for presentation at Brownies. Today we will take her to the beach, and marina.

Ken is thrilled to be taking these pictures as you can imagine.

Off we go....

Dragon Boat Bracelets

For those of you who don't know, I am a very new member of the

Powell River Breast Cancer dragon boat team.

These ladies don't know anything about limitations, and I feel fortunate to have found them.

It's hard work, I might add!!!

My friend Mary Lynne joined me in organizing and designing a bracelet as a fundraiser. After lots of Internet searching, we chose to shop locally and Taws Sporting Goods did a terrific job of ordering and having the bracelets here within a very short time.

Now we have 500 bracelets which will be available at several businesses around town and of course from members.

Funds will get us to festivals around the lower mainland and Vancouver Island.

We are selling them for $3.00 each or 2/$5.00

Of course they are the in thing right now so get in touch if you want some.

Friday, Feb 3rd

Here are the ferries arriving at Powell River this morning, hours late, after being delayed by a major propane spill at the barge wharf. This happened at 5:00 A.M. and I'm sure there were a lot of disgruntled people who did not enjoy being evacuated at that hour.

All is well now, I think.

Now after a brief glimpse of sun we again prepare for a major 'blow'.

CBC is busy interviewing residents in Victoria as they tell how they secure their boats

and float houses.

Victoria seems to get it far worse than we do. They seem to be always cleaning up fallen trees.

Having struggled through the Power Squadron boat course we know that gale force winds are the norm when we have a storm.

Storm force winds, which are stronger, stop the ferries, and they are just below hurricane force.

That's your ocean lesson for today.

You can check out conditions at:

http://www.weatheroffice.ec.gc.ca/marine/region_04_e.html

Powell River is weather station #6 and Grief Point is #7

How do 2 retired people adjust to life on the west coast of Canada after 35 years of living 'inland' in Alberta:

1) Learn to operate on Powell River time. No rush, after all the ferry may or may not run today.

2) Learn to enjoy being wet. Anything less than hurricane speed winds/rain doesn't seem to stop anyone from doing what they normally do.

3)Cut the grass year round. Don't look astonished when the roses sprout and the daffodils come up in January.

4) If it snows, (once this winter) clear the driveway with the hose like everyone else.

5) Spend a lot of time in the harbour, looking at boats.Talk to everyone about kickers, dodgers, cuddies, and most importantly bilges.

Bailey

What's a prairie dog like me doing in a place like this?

This has been a traumatic experience for me-wood floors with no traction, hills everywhere, a new groomer and the ocean water tastes awful!
I spend a lot of time in the van where I feel safe.
On the upside, Mom & Dad seem to love it here and we walk on the beach everyday-great smells and squirrels everwhere. They use my plastic doggie bags to bring home shells, broken glass and rocks-go figure...

Now they are talking about buying a sailboat-how can I stand up on a sailboat when I can hardly stand up on the dock????

Mom's on the Internet looking at lifejackets for dogs-from what I can see, they are bright yellow with a handle on the back. Am I likely to fall overboard-I think not..... I'll be the one hiding in the darkest corner of the cuddy.