We had several visitors in October.
On October 7 and 8 the Coastal Messenger stopped in for a visit. This is a missionary boat that visits the coast all year. Port Harvey and area is on their schedule for October 7 to 10. They arrived early to Port Harvey because there was a wind warning out and Bing and Eleanor at Hadley Bay were out fishing. They tied to our dock to be secure. They came for coffee and later that day George and I went to their boat for supper. A very nice one indeed. Roy and crew, Petunia, Gloria and Tom were excellent company and we thoroughly enjoyed their visit.
Later that night, true to form the wind did pick up. I had never heard such a wind before. Around 4 am the wind changed direction and woke everyone up. The Coastal Messenger had gone 45 degs on the dock. The screws holding the one section of dock had pulled out and the dock was no longer secure. Roy and Tom secured the dock and the boat to the barge so all was well. This secton of dock was only temporarily attached to the other. George knew that it had to be attached better. I guess a 70 ft boat was just oo much right now for it. On the news later that day it was mentioned that the wind was stronger than predicted and had been recorded at 160 KMH on some parts of north and east Vancouver Island. Luckily for us there was no damage and the dock is still secure. Roy, Petunia, Gloria, Tom and Doug came for supper on October 8. The Coastal Messenger had moved over to Doug's dock which has pilings and is alot more secure. Fortunately, the wind stopped and the sun came out. On the 9th the Coastal Messenger went back to Hadley bay to visit Bing and Eleanor and then they were off to Port Neville to visit Lorna.On October 10 Mother Mary, Aunt Kitty and Uncle Bob came for a visit.
George and I went to Campbell River on this day to meet them and restock the pantry. We came back across the strait on Friday, Oct 11. Doug was the chauffeur across in case it was not a nice trip. Fortunately, the strait was calm and the sun was out. It was a very nice crossing. Aunt Kitty only became a little nervous when Doug decided to play with George's wake. George and Uncle Bob came across in the bayliner. Doug decided to race George and Uncle Bob and we beat them to the dock. Doug came up for coffee and visited with us girls while Uncle Bob and George unloaded the boats. The bobcat sure comes in handy when there is so much luggage and groceries!Saturday was an exploration day and George and I enjoyed showing our family what we had accomplished in a year. Mom had not been here for two years so she especially noticed the difference. This was the first time for Uncle Bob and Aunt Kitty. We were soo fortunate that the weather was good and not too cold. "Old people" really feel the cold. We even lit the furnaces for them! Sunday was Thanksgiving dinner. Carl and Doug joined all of us for supper.
George picked out the turkey and I do not know what he was thinking, 30 lbs for 7 people is a bit much. If the turkey would have been alive, it definately would have been toast by the end of the evening. I couldn't believe that only half the bird had actually cooked! I put it back in the oven after supper to cook it some more and even after an additional 3 hours one part was STILL not cooked. Mom said I gave the turkey "The Look" and if looks could kill it would have been dead if it wasn't already. I must say the fish and crabs enjoyed that part of the turkey!!
Uncle Bob was a huge help for George and they did quite a bit on the barge. They even had us ladies down there helping. We held the beams in place while George and Uncle Bob used the mallet to pound them in place. The ceiling and roof will not fall down now!! We all helped pull the rubber up the edges of the barge as it had sagged quite a bit. That took us all morning. Aunt Kitty, mom and I went for a few walks, but basically we visited. Doug took them all on the mail run and they really enjoyed it. I am glad they were able to see how we live and how many neighbors we have. We had planned on doing a few boat trips when they were here but the wind would not cooperate and the temperature was not that warm for a boat ride.
We did go on a short ride on Wednesday and showed them some of the sights, like the petroglyphs on the rock on Mist Island and how calm the strait can be. If it was earlier in the day, we could have gone further but it was getting late. Doug was the chauffeur again on Thursday, Oct 16 to take the family back across to Eve River so they could be on their way back home.We thoroughly enjoyed their visit and it was a little lonely when they were gone. George and I were sad to hear of the passing of sister Debe and brother-in-law Gary's niece Chantal on Friday October 17. She was a courageous young lady and put up such a battle. She will be missed by all that knew her. The town of Peace River and area were huge supporters and will miss her dearly.
George and I went up the estuary in the black banana at high tide. We went up the creeks for quite a ways. Doug had mentioned to us at one time that two men used to live up at the end of the estuary, but that no one knows who they were. There is still evidence of an existence there as there are fence posts in one area and it looks like fruit trees. We will explore this area more at low tide and in the winter when the bears are asleep. Maybe our metal detector will find some "treasurers".
George went with Doug to help fix Jenny's truck. She had carborator problems. George took the fuel pump and the carborator off the Mellow Yellow but they did not fit. Doug and George were able to fix the problem anyway and Jenny has a truck to use.Yesterday, Dave and Merle stopped in for coffee and stayed for supper. Doug came over also. Dave and Merle worked at Lagoon Cove for the last year and looked after the marina during the fall and winter. They decided to leave but stayed in the area helping Bing and Eleanor for awhile. Now they are off to Thetis Island for the winter and will be back up here next spring. They are a lovely couple and very knowledgeable. Dave was the resident "dentist" and could also be the doctor if need be. We will definately welcome them back next spring. Their boat "Ocean Child" is moored in the bay and they hope to leave today if the wind cooperates. Right now it is not and there is a wind warning out. If the wind switches to the northwest, they will leave and sail their way through the strait.
The little black butter ball is still around and we are glad to see him. He was a cub that was too young to be away from momma and was all alone. Doug and us have been keeping track of him since this spring and we were afraid that he would not make it to winter but alas he is rolly-polly and healthy with a shiny coat. He has been hanging around the property between Doug's and us and we believe that he feels safer here as bigger bears and other animals do not come around "human property".
We hope to go to Campbell River tomorrow (depending on the wind) to stock up on some items and pick up the spindle for the lawn tractor. MAYBE I can get the lawn mowed before winter. We plan on going back to Alberta for a month again at Christmas and both George and I are looking forward to watching the Valleyview Jets hockey. George does miss being involved with his "boys".
1 comment:
we had a wonderful time. Everything is coming along nicely; Your yard looks so nice
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