Seasons Greetings & contact us

Merry Christmas to all.

We are here in Victoria, having some friends over for the traditional turkey dinner. Canadians do turkey also, but other dishes are different. The picture shows the Parliament Building.

We hope all of you are having a wonderful holiday and wish you a Happy and Prosperous 2007.

Please write to us, email, call OR enter a comment on this blog. We'd love to hear from you. If you are in Victoria, call --> 984 1319 If you are in Port Renfrew, call --> 385 7758 If you are in U.S.A., call --> (678) 748 5806 (local call in Atlanta area) email --> observer@islandnet.com snailmail --> 425 Cecelia Rd. Victoria BC V9A 1C9 Canada If you didn't get an e-card with this picture of the Victoria Parliament Building, it's because we don't have your correct email address, so please help us update our address book.

Snow in Victoria

Very strange happening. We are snow bound in the middle of town, and will probably be for a few days. They have almost no snowplows here because it's not supposed to snow like this. We are lucky that we still have power -- thousands in Victoria do not. Anyway, it's very pretty.

Still here

Looks like we will still be here for a while -- we have an "open ended" agreement with the house owner, so we will stay on for a while and continue fixing things up. We still have the van (of course), so are not doing a lot of driving. But we are practically in downtown Victoria, so we don't have to go far for stores & restaurants. The weather has been cool and drizzeley.

nothing new

We are still here in this tiny house in Victoria, (Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada) sawing and sanding and painting and papering. We laid a new floor of wood-laminate in one room, papered 2 walls, painted 2 walls & the ceiling, finished baseboards, etc. Doing lots of filling and sanding.

Manfred just spent a lot of time and money getting the van "legal" for here in Canada. (Of course, he has not sold it!) There were several small repairs that had to be made to get the sticker. Gas here costs more but insurance is cheaper than the US.

Current telephone numbers are : 678 748 5806 == this is a Georgia (U.S.) number & is a local call if you are calling from Atlanta 250 984 1319 == this is a Vancouver Island (Canada) number, a local call from Victoria but not from Port Renfrew 250 385 7758 == this is a Vancouver Island (Canada) number, a local call from Victoria & also from Port Renfrew

The first 2 numbers are the internet phone, you can leave a message. The third number is the house phone here and there's no message service.

We are not using the cell phone at the present, because every call made or received to/from Canada is long distance.

These photos show before and after sanding floor.

Finally -- in Victoria & Back on line!

We just now, this minute, got back on line! With Shaw, the Victoria cable company. We are living in the house, sort of, but we have to go, right now, and exchange the bed we bought, which is no good. More later. Back with more info (and the new bed). We moved into "the house" 4 days ago, on Tuesday. It's a small house on the end of a cul de sac, next to a park. Close to malls and next to the "Galloping Goose Trail". The "Goose" is a paved walking/bicycle trail that goes right downtown. We moved into the house in Victoria 3 days ago -- we still have a lot of unpacking to do and trying to find space for all our junk. Then there's a lot of cleaning, re-arranging, painting and fixing up to do. We got some laminate flooring to be laid in one room. We are going to change our Vonage number so it is a 250 area code, so people in Victoria & Port Renfrew can call us for free. That means it will be long distance from Georgia, CA, etc. Can't please everybody. It may take a few days to change, so it's still a local number in GA. We'll let you know what the new number is as soon as we get it. The land line here is: 250 385 7758, there's no message service. Snail mail address is: 425 Cecelia Rd. Victoria BC V9A 1C9 Canada Now we can blog any time again, so keep looking. Pictures soon, I hope. If you want to tell us something, put a comment on this blog, now that we'll be checking it regularly. email is still observer@islandnet.com

Port Renfrewwwwwww

Yes -- we're still here. But we do have plans. We are going to Victoria tomorrow to buy some furniture so we can move into the Victoria fixer-upper house. We will take a load of stuff, mostly stuff that's still in the van. Then, the following Sunday or Monday, we will actually MOVE IN. In the meantime, our contact numbers are still the same, for what it's worth. Manfred is not sick any more, but he still has a cough and is very weak. Somehow, I managed to NOT get it--whatever it was. This pic is looking out of the window of Bill's house (note the eagle on the post).

Port Renfrew still

We are still here at Bill Jones' place on the Pacheedaht Indian Reserve in Port Renfrew, British Columbia. The weather is great -- no heat wave here. Manfred is still not over his virus, so we have not been able to do much, but we went to Victoria to see the "fixer-upper". We will probably be moving into it as soon as Manfred is better. It needs a bunch of work, but it's in a very nice location. The phone number here is: 250-647-0022 (Canada) street address: 150 Pachidat Rd. Port Renfrew BC V0S 1K0 Canada email (always): observer@islandnet.com our cell: (please only call from U.S.) 678-516-6907

In Port Renfrew, B.C.

We came to Port Renfrew over a week ago, and have been unable to update this blog since then. Manfred came down with a particularly virulent virus shortly after arriving here, and has been "sick as a dog" ever since. I have never seen anybody be so sick -- he can hardly walk across the room. It is getting better, but he still coughs all the time, which causes him terrible pain in muscles and head. Most of the people here seem to have had it, and it lingers. So, we have not been able to deal with our stuff very much, but we have a good possibility to stay in and fix up a house in Victoria. We are going to look at it tomorrow or Wednesday, but it is probably "a go". I am still OK -- been taking echinacea and Xango and resting a lot (mostly reading). It's been nice seeing old friends and enjoying nature, although the heat wave has gotten here too, the temperature was in the 80s for a couple of days, but we are staying at Bill Jones house which is quite cool. The telephone number here is 250-647-0022. email is still observer@islandnet.com

Still here

We are having such a good time at Rosemary's that we stayed another day (again!). This time we are leaving for sure. Next post will be from Port Renfrew, guaranteed.

Victoria

We found some ways that we could help Rosemary, so we are still here, putting off going to Renfrew and dealing with our (groan!) stuff. Incidentally, the van did not get 16 MPG. That was a miscalculation. It got 11 or 12 on a good day. Manfred had it weighed and it was over 7,000 lbs.

Still in Victoria

The picture shows a deer that was resting under a bush in the yard of Rosemary's neighbor. We are staying in Victoria with Rosemary untill tomorrow or Sunday. Then we will go to Bill's place in Port Renfrew. The phone number here is 250-385-5195 (but don't call unless it's urgent) and the number at Bill's is 250-647-0022 (after Sunday). We don't have a proper phone line, yet. If you call our old number (678-748-5806) that's the Vonage internet phone, and we won't have it hooked up until we can get a hi-speed internet connection. Port Renfrew only has dial-up, so far. You can leave a message on that phone, we check the messages every 2 or 3 days. Calling our cell is a call to Atlanta, and counts against our minutes. And we cannot call out on the cell from here in Canada without paying 40¢ per minute. The best way to contact us is to put a comment on this blog or email to observer@islandnet.com.

Victory -- Victoria

So, we finally made it across the border at 6:45 p.m. Then it took us 2 hours to clear customs and we had to pay $160++ tax for the vehicle. So the van has paid tax on both sides now. It was so good to see Rosemary -- and she even had champagne chilled for us. We will stay with her for 2 nights and then go to Port Renfrew. Or at least that's the plan so far.

In Port Angeles

We finally arrived here in Port Angeles on the 4th of July, but we couldn't get our mail because of the holiday. Today we got it and the passport is here, thanks to Steele's prompt sending. We will be going to Victoria today, provided they let us in. Then we will be heading for good old Port Renfrew -- after visiting with Rosemary, of course. On the way through Oregon, we stopped at Ken Roberts' place, which was closed (Sunday).

Traveling

We've been on the road since Thursday morning, wending our way up the coast of California. We visited Hearst Castle, which was something else. A ranch house that rivals Biltmore Estate. See Citizen Kane. We couldn't make the Monterrey Aquarium, but have had a good time taking in the great views and interesting scenery. Internetting has been a problem -- wireless internet at several motels didn't work -- but we finally got one that does, here in Eugene, Oregon. We will probably be one more night on the road before arriving in good ol' Port Angeles, WA. If you want to tell us something, you can put a comment on this blog, or write to observer@islandnet.com

Still at Robin's place

We are having a great time here in CA. Our present plan is to visit Hearst Castle on Wednesday and then continue on north, so we will be on the road for 2 nights and almost 3 days before reaching Port Angeles.

Here at last

We have finally reached Robin's place near Arroyo Grande in California. It is a beautiful place, very rural and full of horses. We are staying with him and his finacee, Virginia. They think it is very hot, but after 116 degree weather, we think it is quite pleasant (high 80s).

On the road again

Today we drove from Las Vegas to Bakersfield on the way to Robin's place. Seems like the desert will never end. The temperature in one town we stopped in was 116. The two ACs in the van could barely handle it. Gas prices have been as high as $3.69/gal., but the lowest we have seen here is $2.98. Tonight we finally got a motel with free wireless, but the name on the network was "White_Power_KKK" -- don't know why. To call us, use our cell number: 678 516 6907 or email: observer@islandnet.com Our Vonage phone is still alive, but only for messages, and we often have trouble checking them, so please stick to the cell.

Las Vegas still

We have extended our stay here in Vegas. The car had a blown seal on the automatic transmission. It will be fixed today, for $505. We will head for Robin's place in CA tomorrow morning (Wednesday the 21st). Last night we visited the Luxor (the boat ride is gone), the Excalibur, and MGM Grand (the amusement park is gone, so is the Wizard of Oz). There we saw the lions. Manfred and Bill are having lots of fun playing penny slots. So far, they are sort of "up".

5th & 6th Nights

On the 5th nite, we stayed in Williams, Arizona, where there was a biker's rally -- over 1,000 Harleys -- it was lots of fun, but the wireless at our motel did not work. On the 18th we crossed a whole lot more hot desert to get to Las Vegas. When we crossed the Colorado River at the Hoover Dam, there was a steep hill to climb on the other side, and the van was not at all happy about it. We got to Vegas and the 4 Queens Hotel, where we had a reservation, about 2 p.m. At 9:30 we went to get Bill Jones at the airport and discovered that the van was leaking transmission fluid. It is now (on the 19th) being repaired. We could not meet Chuck and Diane Fitsgerald in California, as we had hoped, so we are staying one more night here in Vegas, at the 4 Queens. It is incredibly hot, but lots of fun.

4th Nite

Stayed in a cheap motel (no WiFi) in Albuquerque. Gas in NMex is $2.85 to $3.19. Hit the road early, for a change and stopped at a motel with WF to post this... no time to answer emails. We have been having trouble getting the messages from both our cell phone (678 516 6907) and the Vonage internet phone (678 748 5806 for messages only). Please use email or put a comment on this blog when possible. We have just gotten text messaging on our cell, but don't know how to work it -- try texting us if you like.

3rd Nite

Did nothing but drive on Thursday, and not a lot of that. We spent the night in a tiny town called Clinton, Oklahoma. We had a coupon for the Clinton Inn & Suites, which is very nice, so we cut the day short. Driving west is not fun -- hot sun in the afternoon, sun in your face in the evening. Oklahoma is definitely "where the wind blows free". Gas is $2.69.

2nd Nite

We saw Graceland, and it was truly worth it --- we were impressed and moved and all that. Then we drove on and spent the night in Russellville, Arkansas, between Little Rock & Oklahoma City. We're using a McDonald's hot spot to write this. Gotta hit the road again. Gas prices in Mississippi, Tennessee and Arkansas are around 2.65.

1st nite

Well, we didn't make it to Memphis (surprise, surprise) but we got as far as Tupelo, Mississippi, where Elvis Presley was born. There's an Elvis museum here, which we probably won't see. We'll get to Graceland tomorrow, but we won't have a lot of time to see it. The good news is that the van gets over 16 miles per gallon on the highway, better than the 12 MPG we calculated. The bad news is that the fan for the AC, vent, etc. is so noisy that we hate to use it, but we must. We're in a different time zone now, but haven't set our watches -- going through 23 hours just to go back 1 hour is a chore, and if we do it each time, that's 3 times before we get to the west coast. We'd rather wait until then and set them forward 21 hours.

We're OFF!

Well, we are finally on our way, just a couple of days late. Headed for Memphis, Tennessee (and Graceland). We will be a little out of touch while we are on the road. There will only be our cell phone. We will be checking our email, hopefully every evening. The van is packed to the gills, and then some, even though we left a lot behind. We miss all our family and friends in Georgia. Will try to do pictures later.

Jonesboro GA

We and tons and tons of stuff are here in Tina and Steele's house in Jonesboro. We are looking after my mom while the rest of the family is on a trip to Denver. We are sorting through all the junk we seem to have accumulated in our year and a half here, and trying to pare it down to size to fit in the van. Also, helping Mom rearrange her apartment and do all those last minute things before moving on. So many good friends to say goodby to, so many things to complete. But somehow it will all be over next weekend, when we hit the road. You can call us at 770 472 3346 -- that's Tina & Steele's number, and we will answer if we are in the house. But if we're not, please don't leave a message -- we won't get it -- call our cell: 678 516 6907, if we don't answer, leave a message there.

Last day

This is our last night in the house we worked on for so long. Today was the big garage sale, tomorrow is the big push to get all our remaining stuff out of it and on to "Grandma's house". We are looking forward to the trip, especially meeting our best "Injun" friend from Port Renfrew, Bill Jones, in Las Vegas and our best friends from Hawaii & California, Chuck & Diane Fitzgerald, in California. And I can't wait to see how #2 son, Robin, is getting along with his old and new horses in his new place. We'll keep posting updates and pictures, so keep checking this site.

Newer plans

Our date for leaving GA is now set for June 10. We will be staying with my mother "Grandma Ruth" Gilman, in my neice's house in Jonesboro GA, from May 30 to June 10. Her phone number there is 770 471 3428. If you want to call, it is better to call our cell, which is 678 516 6907. We have decided not to go to New Orleans, it's too far out of the way. We will just head straight west, to Memphis, Oklahoma City, Albuquerque, Las Vegas.... reaching Robin's place around the 17th or 18th. Our email address is still: observer@islandnet.com

Trip plans

We are going to drive to the Pacific Northwest. We have bought a '86 Ford Econoline van with a gas-hog V8 (Manfred always says "SMALL V8") so it will cost a fortune, but so do planes and shipping. At least we get to use [relativly] cheap American gas. The picture also shows our old Subaru station wagon, which we have to sell. The van is big enough to take all the stuff we need to take, and then some. We will go first to New Orleans, to see what it looks like now, and then on to California to visit #2 son, Robin, in Santa Maria. The route will depend somewhat on the weather/temperature, although we will have to resign ourselves to lots of heat. At least the van has 2 air conditioners, and 2 gas tanks. Before leaving, we will spend a week with my Mom, in Jonesboro GA. She lives with my neice, Tina, and her husband, Steele, who will be away on vacation in Denver. So, it will probably be nearer the end of June when we arrive in WA/BC.

House is sold.

The house refurbishing is complete and the house has been sold, at full price ($130K). It was only "on the market" for 5 days! Seems that people just loved the floors and especially the painting. We must leave by May 29. We will be returning to Port Renfrew, B.C., but must visit California first. Note added 1/26/09: There used to be a "virtual tour" on the realtor's page, but it's gone now, so I had to take out the link that was here. I'll try to get some more photos to put here instead.

House pics

House pictures

These are some pictures of the house we are working on. The first one is the workshop in the back yard, with a friendly neighbor. The exterior shot is before painting, see the house tour link for changes.