Tuesday 27 October 2015

Osoyoos to Penticton

After three weeks living in a lovely two bed apartment at Desert Surfside in Osoyoos, we were tempted away by the offer of running an RV park in Penticton. The deal was to simply be on site while the owners disappear to Mexico until March. 
We have just one tenant until November and of course have to welcome any new arrivals. My duties include raking tons of leaves before the snow comes and to repair any tree damage caused by beavers from the creek. I can do all that, gissus a job!

Two days before we left, some scrote decided he liked the look of my truck so broke in and tried to drill out the ignition switch and have it away. I think he was disturbed because I found a set of old Ford keys on the floor next to the remains of the ignition switch.  The true calibre of Canadian people was highlighted by the concern shown by all around us. We were lent a car to be able to go and buy a new switch, the manager of the apartment called her husband who arrived with a van full of tools and a crooklock for the steering wheel.  Between us we drilled out the jagged remains and replaced with new, he even hoovered the carpet.

Courtney the cop arrived to make the report, she was so apologetic, one might think she was responsible. She said ours was the fifth Ford broken into that night and failed theft but they did manage to get the fifth one. Her theory was they wanted a heavy truck in order to tow away something big to order. She also mentioned that the Ford F250 is number one on the hit parade.
Did I mention they stole my Garmin satnav, phone charger and all Lyns Willie Nelson cds?

Archie is still with us and has got himself a job working nights at Staples so he can raise enough money for his deposit on a house share when he returns to Silver Star mountain for the ski season next month. Its a bit cramped in the trailer right now as he gets home at 6am and needs to sleep all day. Still, keeps me off the streets.

Penticton is a much larger place than Osoyoos, not as charming but has that big city feel about it. Much like the difference between Truro and Plymouth.

Lyn applied for a job at the Hudson's Bay Trading Company in the shoe dept. They loved her and offered her the job there and then only to find out her Permanent Resident status has expired so is on a visitors visa and not allowed to work. Gutted!

The weather has certainly become established as autumn, or fall. Clear blue skies all day reaching 15/16c but dropping to freezing at night, snow is on the way!

About half a mile away is Penticton regional airport, not that Im interested but one can fly from here to Vancouver or Calgary and then to London..........



Wednesday 14 October 2015

Canada Facts

In Canada, dog food is tax deductible.

Octoberfest

Osoyoos no more.

Osoyoos is still a very nice place.....however, being here for the winter will probably bore me to death. The town has everything one might need from banks to bars and all manner of restaurants. The only thing missing is interesting people.  Its a holiday destination and from what I can gather during the summer months the place is full of folk staying for the activities that the warm weather brings, like boating, fishing and beaching.
We went to an Indian restaurant last night and were the only people in there so we made it a takeaway, which by the way was gorgeously tasty.
We had hoped to get some kind of part time work to get us out of the apartment but all the shops and bars are closing for the winter.

Lyn was reading the local paper and came across an advert asking for someone to manage an RV park in Penticton for the winter. We went for an interview and only got the job!  So next week we leave the apartment, hook up the trailer from storage and pitch up in Penticton. We get free living plus an allowance for electricity in return for being on site to greet any campers and sweep up the leaves.....oh and keep the beavers from eating the trees in the park. Simple eh?

Penticton is a much bigger town with a beautiful lake and a regional airport. Population is 33,000 which makes it bigger than Truro, certainly seems a lot bigger.

Tonight we went down the Osoyoos branch of the Canadian Legion with Ron, Lorette, Glen and Linda.   The occasion was Octoberfest.....yay!   Back in the early eighties I went to Octoberfest in Munich and witnessed huge venues where buxom young ladies brought you magnificently large glasses of wonderful beer to the beat of Umpa Umpa bands also large dishes of traditional Bratwurst or Knokwurst mit pomme frittes au mayonaise etc. Fabulous times constricted only by ones personal limit on beer consumption. 
Tonight was slightly different, apparently the same theme in name but a few things were missing........well, actually everything was missing. We were as far removed from anything Germanic as Israel.

Let me paint the picture, more a thin water colour. The hall was brightly lit by neon.
Plastic tablecloths hid the Formica from my very elderly fellow sauerkraut munchers. The predominant topic of conversation was what medication I was on or hoping to be on. 
The authentic German fare was a plastic plate holding some fried potatoes, two kinds of low taste sausage, some sauerkraut and some red cabbage.
The Umpa Umpa band was represented by a Buddy Holly cd.

NO BEER!

I had to go one floor down to get a Budweiser.

To summarise, the food was poor, the atmosphere was Plutonic, the beer was American and everyone went home as soon as they cleared their plate.
Anyhoo, we were back home after two hours watching Corrie, and missed Calum getting killed!

Thursday 8 October 2015

Canada Facts

Canada has more coastline than any other country at 202, 080 km. If you fancy a coastal walk it would take you 4.5 years, non stop!

Monday 5 October 2015

Osoyoos

Osoyoos is a nice place. The name is Indian or First Nation to be correct politically, meaning "Where two lakes meet".  Its one of the furthest places south one can get in Canada and the two lakes really do meet here.

Along the way, somewhere between here and Toronto we met a couple from Manitoba who were also on some kind of travel plan.  Ron & Lorette, they were in their late sixties and completely bonkers. They told us of a place called Osoyoos where they go for the winter because it stays relatively warm and rarely snows. To cut a long story short, here we are with Ron & Lorette plus a gang of their friends from all over Canada.
Ron is a mountain of a man, retired bricklayer with the sharpest, driest sense of humour. Lorette just cares for everyone.

We put the trailer into storage and have rented a two bed apartment on the lakeside. The town really is nice and friendly so might stay here for the winter.
 
Anyway, we joined their gang and so far we have gone pig racing and bingo on Sunday afternoon. Then tonight we took part in a darts tournament, all at the Canadian Legion.    Like the British Legion but in Canada.
Pig racing is bizarrely simple. One backs a wooden pig with a number on his head, someone throws 2 large dice; the red dice decides which pig moves along the track, the second dice decides how many squares he moves. The first over the line wins the pot.     As I said, simple. 

Bingo, well, we all know how bingo works.
That was Sunday.   Did I mention the large pot of chilli?   Help yourself, its free!   Also theres a bar but thats not free.
Tonight we joined in on the darts tournament.  We were by far the youngest there and a rumour had spread about his couple from England coming to wipe up at their national sport.   We were crap but had a good time.   The pot of chilli was still there and just as delicious as the previous day.

Next week at the Legion......Oktoberfest!    $7, you get a German style Bratwurst, sauerkraut and one beer.    Im in!