The Scamper Campers

The End.

2011-09-03T21:47:00.005-07:00

So, Zach demolished the camper. It was falling apart, and leaking, and there were bugs, and Kevin offered a room to us inside his house, and that was it. Zach has spent the past couple weeks turning the scamper camper into a fully functioning flat bed trailer, in order to haul our belongings back to Vancouver Island. He does good work.

We have spent the past few days in Kamsack visiting family and friends, getting in one last walk and scenic drive at Madge Lake ( seriously people, enough with the mansions and pavement already! Leave the trees alone!) , and finishing up some packing and trailer building. In less than 12 hours, we will be on the road back west, to our new, although temporary, home in Sooke, BC, which is just outside of Victoria. We have found a nice home to rent while we look for something a little more permanent, and we're both excited to be settled down, and have a kitchen, a bathroom and more than 6 feet of space to move around in.

Living in a 16 foot camper for a year, sure makes you appreciate the little things in life, while at the same time teaches you that material things really aren't all that important when it comes to general happiness. We have had our fair share of arguments due to our close proximity, but overall, I think that we came out closer than ever. We are a better couple, and better friends, and I wouldn't trade this experience for anything. We have met interesting people, we have had the opportunity to see parts of Canada we had never seen before. Our journey did not go as originally planned at all. I don't think that anything, other than heading west, went as planned. We didn't go to the States. We didn't visit a lot of people we said we were going to. We stayed in the camper for 4 months longer than we had planned. But that's the way life goes, sometimes the universe just throws you in the opposite direction and you have to learn to just go with it, whether you like it or not, and for the most part, we're happy with where the universe guided us.

We are very excited to get back to Vancouver Island, to see our friends and family, to meet our new cousin, to take the dogs to visit their canine friends at Malahat Mountain Meadows. We are already looking forward to visits from Saskatchewan family and friends this winter, getting back in shape after a long summer of fun, but unhealthy living, and being able to be outside in the winter. Most of all, we are excited to start the next chapter in our lives, and even though it takes us far away from many people that we love, and will miss, we are thinking of ourselves, and know that we will be happy where we are headed.

Thank you for reading this blog over the past year. Sorry we were at times absent with updates, but that's just the way it goes. We hope you enjoyed what we did give you, and we are grateful for all those who supported us in this journey.

Catch you on the flip side.

*Want to know what's going on with the Scamper Campers? Check out their blogs at http://abigailroad.ca and www.zachogilvie.com

Summer Update

2011-08-03T13:48:00.005-07:00

In less than a month, we will be leaving Kevin's back yard and heading back to Vancouver Island to put down roots. So much has happened this summer, and it seems like we have been back in Regina forever, even though it hasn't been that long at all. It wasn't the summer I envisioned having here. At first I thought it would be three months of partying and working and catching up with old friends, but then we got pregnant, and I expected a summer of sober activities, and checking out all of the Regina summer fun...and getting to hang out with family and friends. Both scenarios are pretty similar, one just has more booze in it.

And then, we lost the baby, before I even got a chance to blog about it. I just read (and deleted) the post I wrote when we were about 6 weeks along, and wanting to tell the whole world about our big news. It's heartwrenching to say the least to read those joyous words, when these days, it's all I can do not to be a total negative fucking Nelly about all things baby-related. Everything changed, and went back to normal all at once when we miscarried. We have spent our time mostly at home with friends since then, and other than our annual camping trip at Madge Lake (that was very different than previous years), we haven't been up to much. A few nights out here and there, an adventure at Fort San, a much needed weekend away in Gravelbourg. We're working to save money, and go back west, and hoping that things will start to work out for us soon. Please universe, let things start to work out for us soon.

Thank you to everyone who has been there for us this summer, and to those we haven't had a chance to see yet, we're leaving at the end of the month, so give us a ring if you want to get together.

Until then, I'm going to try to keep enjoying this glorious hot and dry weather, before we head back to the rainforest!

Back to Regina

2011-05-04T20:29:00.003-07:00

We arrived back in the city that rhymes with fun on Saturday evening. After giving up parking the camper properly, we sat down and had some beers with Kevin and visited before passing out on our faces.

Our original plan had been to take it easy and not visit anyone for the first couple days, just so we could have time to unwind and unpack and such. However, during a nice long walk early Sunday morning around downtown, we got the idea to ring my brothers doorbell and yell "Watcha!" and then run away. We decided not to run away when we saw my mom's car parked near his building, and had a nice surprise visit with a good chunk of the Smandych-Ogilvie clan! Thank you Kyleah for the impromptu breakfast and coffee! Visiting with the family, led to visiting with DK and Paige and then we passed out on our faces again.

We've been busy little bees since we got here. I've had a bunch of meetings to attend and errands and chores to take care of and have been slowly putting the inside of the camper back together, while Zach got a job straight away when we got here thanks to Mr. Walker, and has been working 16 hour days. I go back to work tomorrow, doing that group home thing that I do. It is going to be strange being away from each other every day, after 6 months of rarely being apart.

I've been lucky enough to have visits with a bunch of people the past couple days, some on street corners, some here in the sunny backyard of Casa Vidomski, and I spent a lovely sunny afternoon visiting with a few lovely lady friends at our old building. We will be out at O'Hanlon's on Saturday night, as requested by some of you. Everyone is welcome to come out and buy us drinks...I mean visit with us. ;) I may even shake a tail feather or two, if you would like to come and watch.

We are excited to be home, if only for awhile. Huge thanks to Kevin and Paige and the kitties for letting the Ogilvie family crash in the yard, and use things in the house. We will try our best to earn our keep and be the best roomies ever.

Life

2011-05-04T14:05:00.000-07:00

Bye Bye

2011-04-25T06:47:00.001-07:00

We'll be leaving the campground and heading to the ferry at Sidney in less than an hour. So much to say about this winter, so little time to type, so I am stealing Zach's Facebook status for now:

Goodbye to the frogs that live in the pool. So long to the trees and rocks and the carpets of moss. Catch you later maple leaves as big as my head. Later, you magnificent rocky beaches, big fat robins on the lawn and fresh mountain air. Let's do this again some time.

Packing Up

2011-04-20T17:32:00.003-07:00

In five days, we will be leaving our campground that we've called home since November, catching the ferry and heading to the mainland. I think we are both excited to hit the road again, even though our funds are low, and the weather back home is still touch and go. We both like to be on the move, and even though I am not quite mentally prepared to move back to a winter wonderland, we can feel it's time. We are going to be taking our time on the way home. We will be in Vancouver on Monday and Tuesday, so if anyone wants to get together, email us and let us know, and maybe we can plan something, and if all goes to plan, we will be in Armstrong by Wednesday night, and we'll be staying there until I get paid on Friday. We will be doing a short stop in Regina to drop off the camper, if it doesn't fall apart before then, and then we'll be going to Kamsack for a couple days before we both have to get back to work.

It's amazing how fast time flies. The past six months have been all about seeing new things, and meeting new people, and rubbing all our good weather in Saskatchewan's face. The next three months will be all about seeing old friends and family, going back to old jobs, and enjoying the hell out of a Saskatchewan summer.

Leaving is bittersweet, but knowing that we'll be back in the area in a few months makes it easier. So highway drivers, keep your eyes peeled for a patched up little green bean next week, and instead of pointing and laughing, feel free to throw gas money at us. Or do both. Whatever floats your boat.

Wordless Wednesday

2011-04-20T17:29:00.004-07:00

Long Night

2011-04-17T14:13:00.003-07:00

There is only one highway from Victoria to Nanaimo, and we live on it. Which means that when something happens, such as a tanker truck full of fuel crashing into the side of the mountain and spilling said fuel all over the highway and into the Goldstream River, they have to close the highway completely. As I write this, that portion of the highway still isn't open to traffic, and it's been about 20 hours.

I finished work last night at 8pm, and took my short cut to the highway, excited to get home. Right away I noticed that traffic was backed up, but I didn't see any emergency vehicles or signs so, I just stayed put, and went with the flow. After 20 minutes of slow moving, I got to the last intersection before the Malahat, and saw that it was closed. Police officer informed me of the accident, said it would be at least eight hours before they could let people through. Ugh. I yelled a curse word or two at the steering wheel, and headed back to work to use their phone to call Zach. After not coming up with any ideas on how to get home, I ended up sleeping at work. Thank goodness I work at a group home, anybody else leaving work last night didn't have that option.

I got up bright and early, around 6am, bought a coffee and hit the highway again. This time, there wasn't a back up of traffic, so I figured since it had been about 10 hours, it would be open. But no, at the last bend before the Malahat, I realized it was closed again. FOR GODS SAKES HIGHWAY PEOPLE, PUT UP A DAMN SIGN OR SOMETHING NEXT TIME....is what I was thinking. I asked a flag person what was going on, they said at least another 6 hours before they could let anyone through....argh.

I turned around and headed to the Shell station down the road, and soon learned that many people had to actually spend the night at the gas station, at least I had a couch to sleep on. I bought a phone card, after learning that our home phone doesn't accept collect calls, and got a hold of Zach to let him know I was following some other people and giving Finlayson Arm Road a shot. It was either that, or drive to Port Renfrew, and do the Pacific Marine tour again.

Luckily, they were letting people through on the twisty turny back road a few at a time, and I was there early enough that traffic wasn't backed up there. It was a beautiful drive, under different circumstances, I would have enjoyed it so much more. Maybe even stop to take a few pictures of the sunlight bouncing on the ocean. I was home by 9am, only 13 hours after my first attempt.

There are still people stranded up here, and down there. The Legion opened its doors and let people stay, the pubs and hotels and gas stations in that area were jammed last night. Some people stayed in their vehicles on the highway all night.

It blows my mind that a city like Victoria only has one major route out. Yes, there are other roads, going other places, and if you have a map and some knowledge of the area, you can get places eventually. This is just one of the many many times this highway has been closed. This was just one drunk semi driver, and look at the mess this has caused. If there was an earthquake, and people needed to evacuate, most would never get out. Which is something that people who live in the city, and don't leave it, don't think about when they reject ideas to build another route out. They don't want traffic going past their house, they don't want to pay for the work....but they sure as hell will want that road when a disaster happens, no doubt about it.

But, I'm exhausted, so no time to rant about shitty highways, and shitty people. I just hope that the road is opened tomorrow so I can get to work, and I hope that the clean up crew is getting somewhere, because a fuel spill at Goldstream? That's not easy to fix.

Nap time.

Wordless Wednesday - Skunk Cabbage Edition

2011-04-13T00:20:00.000-07:00

That Damn Show

2011-04-11T23:26:00.004-07:00

When Zach and I first got settled here on the island, we quickly realized we weren't going to have the money to be going into the city, and going out every night. Gas is expensive yo, and so is booze. We didn't have a TV yet, but luckily we had a bunch of TV series on the computer to watch when we were bored. Neither of us had watched "House" when it started, but we did start watching it last winter from the beginning, and then promptly got busy with other things. Luckily, we still had seasons one through six on the hard drive, and thus began a nightly ritual of cuddling up on the bed with the dogs and watching hours of House before bed.

It didn't take us long to be hooked. Both of us looked forward to House time every night, and we became very invested in the lives of these fictional characters. Seriously, I still feel bad for hating Amber so much. I totally wished they would just kill her off already...and then they did. Yowza.

Other than a couple episodes from this current season, we ended our nightly House ritual when we ran out at the end of Season 6, and we're waiting until we can sit and watch all of Season 7 in order.

I hadn't thought much about our obsession with House until this evening. I was sitting here in bed playing stupid Facebook games, while Zach was working on the other computer, and listening to Radiohead. All of a sudden I felt this huge pang in my chest, and my eyes started to tear, and I felt so freaking sad, in every single cell of my body. I took a minute to compose myself, as I had no idea what was wrong, and then it hit me. It was the song. The song that was used at the beginning of the epic two hour premiere episode of House Season 6.

Apparently I still have some open wounds when it comes to Dr. House and his mental problems, that I may need counselling for.

Yum Yum

2011-04-09T18:16:00.003-07:00

I have tried out a few new recipes in the past few months, and have had to be a bit creative, what with not having an oven and all. Some things have turned out great, and some things not even Zach will eat...but it's been fun figuring things out, nonetheless.

My absolute favorite recipe I came up with this winter is super easy and yummy, and with summer coming I thought I'd share it here. If you try it, let me know how it turns out and what you think!

We had a month or so this winter when money was really tight, and we were eating the kinds of foods that we ate when we were in our early twenties. We were eating a lot of Kraft dinner, ravioli, spaghetti with nothing on it...you get the picture. We happened to have a ton of canned tuna on hand, which was nice for casseroles and sandwiches, but that gets old fast. I was craving a burger one day, knowing that I couldn't have one, and asked the internet for tuna alternatives. I found a bunch of different recipes for tuna burgers and patties, but I didn't like everything about them...so I did some mixing and matching, and voila! A burger not made of beef that even a hungry boy like Zach loves. He actually gets excited when he sees me making them now, and that makes a wife feel all warm and fuzzy, I tells ya.

One Day These Will Be Known as Great Grandma Anna's Tuna Burgers

( I'm still working on that title there)

What you need:

2-3 cans of flaked tuna, drained

1/4 cup of quick oats

one egg

one tbsp. beef OXO powder

1/3 cup of finely chopped onion

one tsp. dried dill

2 shakes of black pepper

Only if you got 'em extra ingredients: blue cheese, crushed garlic

Throw all these ingredients into a bowl, and mix well. Shape into burger patties, and refridgerate for at least 2 hours, so they hold their shape. Depending on how large you make your burgers, this recipe should get you 4-8 patties.

Once chilled, lightly grease a frying pan/grill with your favorite grease ( margerine, oil, what have you), and heat. Once pan is heated, throw on the patties. Flip once bottom is starting to brown, cook until lightly browned and crispy on both sides. If BBQ'ing, make sure to grease the burger a tad so they don't stick to the grill. These are a bit more fragile that beef burgers, as they don't have all that fat to keep them together.

Serve as you would a regular burger, with all the fixings, or on it's own. I like put mine as a topping on a big salad, or just on rice if we don't have buns.

Enjoy!

Question

2011-04-07T00:53:00.001-07:00

Is it weird that after 6 months of living in this trailer, all that I can think about it how awesome it will be to camp in a tent?

Thoughts, please.

Wordless Wednesday

2011-04-06T00:00:00.002-07:00

Wordless Wednesday

2011-03-23T14:45:00.004-07:00

Road Trip

2011-03-12T22:58:00.011-08:00

"Fuck it! Get out of bed, and let's go anyways!"

We had planned the day before to finally do the drive from Victoria to Port Renfrew, Lake Cowichan, Duncan and back home to Malahat. We were going to get up early, and have a nice relaxing day trip. Of course, when the alarm went off that morning, we woke to the sound of hard rain echoing off the camper roof, groaned, and went back to sleep. Eventually Zach got up, and I lay awake in bed, trying to decide if I should just stay there until the next day, or get up and try and be productive.

As the first line up there alludes, we got the fuck up and went anyways. After a little thought, we agreed that if we were in Saskatchewan, we would never let cold weather get in the way of a day of fun, so rain pissing down on us shouldn't hold us back either. Zach had also checked the forecast for the west side of the island, and it looked clearer there than it did closer to Victoria.

We had first learned of this drive from Uncle Bruce, on his first visit to our campground. We read a bit about it afterwards, and Zach mapped out the directions, and we planned to do it before we left the island. (To see the route and learn more about what I'm talking about, check out http://www.travelbritishcolumbia.com/tours/Pacific_Marine_Circle_Tour.aspx )

We went for a couple long walks along the way, first stopping at Juan de Fuca Provincial Park, and then at Botany Bay ( near Botanical Beach). We drove through Jordan River and Port Renfrew and checked out the sights, but didn't get a chance to do anything there, as the phone lines were down all last week, and most businesses were closed because of that. We liked the atmosphere on that part of the island. Quiet and laid back and simple.

After our excursion to Botany Bay, we started heading to Lake Cowichan. Thank goodness for our truck, because old Mabel the Ford Focus wouldn't have been happy on that trip. For the most part the roads are paved, but it is a relatively unused road, and from what we could tell, was mostly used by logging trucks, and probably campers and hikers in the summertime. Although we drove past a few homes, and a lot of clear cut areas, there were very few signs of life....and a lot more snow than we have seen this whole winter.

When we got to Lake Cowichan, we decided to get out and have a walk around. We bought some coffee's and wandered down the main drag, and down to the lake and museum. Cowichan was quiet and quaint, and reminded me of the kind of town that has its population double in size as soon as summer arrives. I also got the distinct impression that the young locals were well aware of how much cooler they were than any outsiders....reminded me of how I acted growing up at Madge Lake.

Once we hit the Trans Canada again, after getting to Duncan, we knew our little adventure was over. Driving on the main highway just doesn't give you the same carefree feeling as a back road. We had one last stop in Mill Bay, where we took the dogs for one last walk down to the now-defunct marina, and ordered our favorite Mill Bay pizza to take home.

Thank you, Zach, for getting me the fuck out of bed, and for reminding me not to let weather get me down. I can't think of anything better than spending a day driving around with you and the dogs, and I can't wait to see where we go next.

Wordless Wednesday - Botany Beach

2011-03-09T23:04:00.004-08:00

6 Tips on How to be a Frugal Scamper Camper

2011-02-24T12:08:00.013-08:00

Our combined expenses each month, totals approximately $1550.00. That includes bills, SGI, campground rent and loan payments. That is before food, entertainment, fuel, dog treats, etc. I make about $800 a month at my part time job, so Zach is expected to bring home the rest at this point, and he does. All of my Etsy earnings are going in to savings because at this point, our goal is to save, save, save...and everyone knows that can be difficult on basically one income. It's not always easy, so we have had to change a lot about the way we live. However, we make it work, and I am proud of us for finding ways to save, be frugal, and still have fun.

Here are some of the things we have been doing to try and keep our expenses down on the road.

1. We make our coffee at home. I am a coffee addict, and even though I have always made coffee at home, I don't even know how many hundreds of dollars I spent in the past year buying coffee at gas stations, Tim Horton's, etc. We have cut back immensely on this one expense by using our re-usable cups, and taking coffee with us. We have also found that most places will give you a discount if you bring your own mug.

2. Whenever possible we get gas at Superstore or one of it's affiliates. Not only is it usually a couple cents cheaper than other places, but you get Super Bucks with every fuel purchase. When you drive a big truck like we do, those Super Bucks add up to free groceries fast. They definitely have come in handy this winter when we were between paychecks, but needed coffee, bread, margarine, etc.

It's no secret that a truck like ours is a gas guzzler. We live right between Victoria and Mill Bay, so nothing is that far away. However, we have learned to only make necessary trips, and try to combine errands as often as possible. If I have to work, that will be a day when we get our errands done, for instance. We like to save our gas for things like visiting family and friends and going on adventures.

We also like to use our Canadian Tire card to purchase big things when we can, because we get Canadian Tire money back, which comes in handy!

3. Not only have we quit smoking, but we do not go to bars or restaurants. I can actually count on one hand the amount of times we have gone out to eat or drink in the past four months. However, the times we have gone out have felt super special and fun because we don't do it all the time. We have also only ever bought alcohol to drink at home twice.

4. Learning to be smart grocery shoppers has helped immensely in saving money. Not only do we do common sense things like stay away from brand names, use coupons and only buy what we need, we compare prices between stores, and hold off on purchases if we know we can get something cheaper somewhere else.

Most stores in Victoria do not have plastic bags available to use, and if they do, you are paying for them. Instead of buying the reusable grocery bags, I have made my own, using some of Zach's old T-shirts.

We try our best to plan our meals in advance and get to the stores early ( meat from the day before is usually very cheap in the mornings!). When purchasing meat, I want it to get us through at least 2 meals. ( making broth for soup from a chicken, for example.) All potatoes, onions and dry goods are bought in bulk.

5. We reuse everything that we can. All plastic containers are kept to use for storage ( food and otherwise.) Any and all plastic bags are reused in some way. So many things come wrapped in a plastic bag ( bread, rice, pre-packaged meat is usually bagged again at checkout, all bulk bins and produce sections have plastic bags to use, etc.) All small bags are kept and used to pick up dog poo on walks. All larger bags are used for garbage bags. Paper and cardboard packaging is also kept, because we need it to start campfires. We have also started saving our egg cartons, so I can return them to be reused when we buy farm eggs.

6. Everyone knows that Zach has an affinity for websites that sell used products, and that I have a thing for places like Old Navy and Walmart that always have awesome sales. We are trying to curb these impulse shopping habits, and also use them to our advantage. If we need something, we check online used sites first, before just heading to a box store to get it. When I do buy clothes or craft supplies, I am waiting for deals, and really am only buying things that I need. I signed up for the Old Navy newsletter, so I don't have to drive in to the city "just to see what they have."

Other things we have been doing is using only rechargeable batteries, buying dog food and treats in bulk, going to barber shops instead of salons, fixing and refurbishing things if possible before throwing them out and we are always looking for free activities to do around the island and beyond.

What do you do to save money? Do you have any tips of your own?

Wordless Wednesday - Sooke Potholes

2011-02-23T00:26:00.000-08:00

Wordless Wednesday

2011-02-16T15:17:00.000-08:00

A Short Tour of Site #28, Malahat Mountain Meadows, British Columbia

2011-02-15T15:49:00.007-08:00

This is our new campsite. We like it because we actually feel like we are living in the forest, unlike our other site that didn't have any trees, and was next to somebody's backyard. It's pretty and comfortable, and I can't wait to have people over for campfires...we have had a couple already, but it would be nice to share the fun.

This is the rear of our camper, which is a good place to put things. :) Take note of the dog food, wiener sticks, ladder, wood, and we always have an extra jug of drinking water full, just in case.

The outdoor dining area. Take a look at the ivy Melanie gave us for our wedding! It's doing better outside the camper than it did inside.

We have been living without a television since we sold our 52" flat screen last June, and we were slowly dwindling down our cable long before that. When we wanted to watch a television show, we were just watching it online. When we got the Rocket Hub, we had to kibosh online television watching, due to the amount of bandwidth it used, and sometimes, the internet connection just wasn't fast enough to watch something anyways. Needless to say, we got on just fine without a TV. However, having this little guy that Uncle Bruce dropped off for us has been nice. I get to watch Law & Order every day at 4pm, and it has given us something else to do on those rainy days and nights when you can't be outside and you've read and watched all the internet already.

When the topic of buying a hot plate to use as a stove came up, I visualized a rusty old 70's green and/or yellow piece of crap. But leave it to Zach, he found the sexiest hot plate in town. I love it, and it works well as our stove. Added bonus - no burners to clean! Woot!

The small bar fridge we had been using since we moved in to the camper died on us last month. We ended up having to go only a few days without a fridge though, because Zach found a good deal at Costco, and got us a brand spankin' new one. I guess it's still technically only a bar fridge, but to me, it's huge. We can fit a whole jug of milk in there, and we don't have to buy miniature condiments anymore.

Every evening, we come up with a list of things that need to be done the next day. We don't always get everything done, but we try our best. :) It not only helps to keep us organized, and to know what chores or errands need to be done, but it helps me remember what day of the week it is. When you spend most of your time in the forest, it is really easy to forget what day it is. Especially since the majority of the people we interact with out here don't seem to care what day it is either. It's great if you ask me.

That's it for our tour for today. Hope you enjoyed it. If there is anything else you would like to see, don't hesitate to ask!

How to do Dishes the Scamper Camper Way

2011-02-12T22:28:00.005-08:00

Even though my wonderful husband is busy hooking up the water in the kitchen sink as I write this, which will give us running water for drinking, ( good-bye Nimbus jug) and rinsing things, and a receptacle to dispose of water, this here wife will still need hot water to do dishes. I have gotten so used to doing dishes without warm running water, that it doesn't even bother me. It is just a part of my day, like it was back when I did have a proper kitchen.

Due to limited counter space, and only having enough dishes as we need, we need to keep on top of this household chore. Dishes are usually washed twice a day, unless we have a day when we aren't eating as much, or can reuse an already soiled plate, pot or cup.

Unlike the original pioneer women, I get to do my chores in sweatpants instead the traditional pioneer dress.

We have been hauling our water in a large water jug. I figured out soon after we got here that the best place to get hot water is in the shower, so the shower is where we fill our jug. We are now camped closer to the public washrooms, so it's just a quick walk down to get the water, it isn't like we are hauling it uphill both ways or anything.

See? It's not so bad. I do wish I would remember to buy a pot scrubber though.

Since we haven't been able to use our sink to actually hold water, the sink has been where we put the clean dishes to dry once washed, and we wash the dishes in a large Rubbermaid container. I have been dumping the dirty dishwater in the bush behind our campsites, but after tonight, I can quit polluting the campground with our dirty water, and dump it down the sink, where it will find it's way to the sewer. This makes me happy inside. I don't like being a litterbug.

Apparently when I am happy inside, I look like a psychopath outside.

So that is how we wash our dishes. Not that different than anybody else...well unless you have a dishwasher.

Wordless Wednesday - Malahat Lookout

2011-02-09T15:10:00.002-08:00

Question Period

2011-02-03T15:20:00.004-08:00

A few weeks ago I put out a call on Facebook and Twitter asking people what they wanted me to write about on this here blog of ours. I had pretty much hit a writers block...even when you're living in a caravan in the forest, life is life, and it isn't always exciting. Sometimes it's just about going to work, watching TV, and worrying about how you are going to pay your bills. These are a good chunk of the questions that I got asked after my call out, and I'm going to answer them as best I can. If you're question isn't here, it is because it is going to get a blog post all to itself...so thanks for helping to cure my writers block. If you have any questions that aren't here, just leave them in the comments, and I'll make Zach answer them. :)

Where do you do your laundry?

We lucked out, and the campground we are parked at has laundry facilities. They are clean, and work well, and the laundromat is a good place to hang out if you want to hear gossip about other residents of the park or the the staff.

On our way out here we did our laundry at Zach's grandparents place in Armstrong...and if they don't mind, we probably will on the way back too. ;) Or maybe we'll hit up one of my relatives.

Do you ever get sick of each other?

Of course!! Up until I started working ( which is only 2-3 days a week) we were together for 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for 2 months in a 16' one room camper. If we didn't get on each others nerves once in awhile, we would be freaks. I think we're doing rather well though. Some couples would be headed for divorce by now, and we're still loving and laughing.

How are you making money?

Zach is doing his computertron stuff just like he did in Regina. I am working part-time at a private group home in Langford. I occasionally make some money from my Etsy store. We are not above looking for paying gigs on Used Victoria, selling our stuff if we can, and picking bottles. You do what you gotta do.

Why are you not travelling more?

All of the above work doesn't pay enough at the moment. We're both working again though, and we're catching up on things, so with any luck we'll be able to put some cash away, and have some disposable income soon. In the next month or so we'll hopefully be able to get around to seeing the north part of the island. Zach also bought a book of all the roadways on the island, and we want to do some touring around on back roads in the truck to see what we can find. We were hoping we'd be down in the States by now, but we like it here, and if we have the money, we'll try get there on the way back to Saskatchewan.

Are you coming back to Saskatchewan?

Yes. The timeline isn't set in stone, but we will be back in Regina in May or June, until August sometime. We'll be sure to keep everyone posted as plans develop.

How do you cook? What do you eat if you don't have a freezer?

Even though we have a propane stove and oven, we do not have any propane. That hasn't slowed us though. For the first few weeks, we made everything in the slow cooker or on the charcoal grill, and now we have a kick ass modern hot plate too. We've also got a fire pit in our site, if we really needed to cook on it. I don't even feel that the propane is necessary at this point.

Not having a way to freeze food is a bit of a pain. I am sure our diet would be a bit more exciting if we could. We always have canned and dried goods on hand, and if we are going to eat meat, we have to buy it and eat it that day. It just takes planning. Nothing goes to waste around here.

What do you miss the most about Regina?

I think we both miss our friends and family. It's taken some getting used to, not being able to just call up someone and hang out. We're a bit out of the loop too, so anyone who feels like letting us in on what's new is quite welcome to call! You should all just move here. The weather is better. :)

What do you like most about the campground you are staying at?

It's affordable. The trees. The people we've met. The other dogs. The trails. The stream that runs through it, that sounds like a group of people talking all at once. The creepy train tracks. It is close enough to Victoria that everything is close by, but we get to be in nature. I just love it here.

Wordless Wednesday - Winter Destruction and Fun

2011-01-12T18:28:00.003-08:00

Wordless Wednesday - Salt Spring Island

2011-01-05T23:21:00.000-08:00

Settling for Now

2010-12-29T16:48:00.003-08:00

It's no secret that Zach and I fell in love with Victoria very shortly after arriving here. The first few days were stressful, what with having nowhere to stay and all, but once that was all sorted out, we got comfortable right away, and here we are, more than a month later.

Zach has been working insane hours this past month on a project, so we haven't gotten out as much as I would have hoped. We did put in an effort to get out and have a new adventure every day when I first quit smoking ( over 2 weeks now, people!), just to distract me, but apparently, you can't party all the time, no matter what Eddie Murphy may have told you. You have to tighten your belt, or your boot straps, or whatever the hell the saying is, and work so you can save, so you can have fun.

Anyways, what I'm trying to get at here is that Zach has been working a lot, so that means I have been spending a lot of time hanging out and talking with the dogs. If I know me, and I think that I do, this is not good. When I spend too much time alone, my imagination takes over, and I start to live in a land that exists only in my head, where everything is lovely, and is full of imaginary friends and scenarios as to how my life will play out. It's a super fun place to be, but it just isn't the healthiest place to spend too much time, and apparently isn't even real. In order to keep myself from falling too far down the rabbit hole, I have decided to take a job at a private group home in Langford, which is just down the road. It will only be two to three days a week, and the pay is not great, but it will give me some of my own spending money and I'll be able to socialize a bit more often with humans instead of dogs. This housewife thing just isn't for me right now, even though it has been a nice break.

So yah. I got a job, Zach's working, we like our RV park and the island, and we will be staying here until mid-April or so, when we head to the mainland...not sure if that mainland will be Canadian or American yet. This will give us more time to see the north part of the island, and get some day/weekend trips done to see what else this area has to offer us.

On that note, I've got some Jamaican Rum sausages cooking, and they're starting to smell lovely so I'm going to end this here. Hope y'all are doing well, and you have a great New Year's Eve, if you're heading out to party. We'll be heading to Salt Spring Island for a few days on the 31st, and I'll be thinking of all our Regina friends, as I sit in a hot tub and get drunk off my ass on Yellow Tail Shiraz.

Wordless Wednesday - Xmas Edition

2010-12-29T16:32:00.004-08:00

Xmas Plans

2010-12-24T17:08:00.003-08:00

This year, instead of working at a group home on Xmas Eve, I am working in our camper, sewing summer tops and tidying up so I don't have to do it tomorrow. Zach is working as well, he's on a deadline.

I threw a pork roast, potatoes and carrots in the slow cooker, so at least we'll be eating well tonight, if nothing else.

Tomorrow we will be heading to Clinton's for the afternoon to have a big, bad ass Xmas dinner and some egg nog. I'm a little nervous about leaving the puppies alone all day, but I plan on getting up early and having a long Xmas morning hike before we head into the city, so that should help them relax a bit.

We're going to try and get together with Bink and Ryan this week as well, before we head to Salt Spring Island for a few days to ring in the New Year.

We hope you all are enjoying your Xmas holidays, and for those who have to work, I hope you don't have to work too hard.

Merry Squidmas, and all the best in 2011.

Doin' the Tourist Thing

2010-12-19T13:50:00.007-08:00

Ever since I decided to try and quit smoking, Zach and I have been busier than ever. I think he's trying to help me keep my mind off of the nicotine I heart so much, and it's working for the most part. We have been getting out daily to do tourist-like activities, and have been really enjoying ourselves.

We even went out last night on a ghost walk in downtown Victoria without the dogs. We even got hot chocolates and walked around a bit after our ghost tour before coming home to continue our nightly ritual of watching House before bed. It was wonderful, although Daddy Zach did worry about them most of the evening. I'm guessing this is how parents feel when they get to go out without their offspring.

On top of the historic ghost walk last night, we've checked out Craigdarroch Castle, some new trails around Goldstream and Victoria's small but lovely Chinatown. Zach's Uncle Bruce came for a surprise visit bearing gifts yesterday too...our first visitor!

I still want to smoke 4000 cigarettes all at once, but all the fun we've been having is making it much more bearable. Thanks, Zach. You're the best.

Walk at Beacon Hill Park

2010-12-12T16:20:00.006-08:00

It has been raining cats and dogs here for about 5 days, which has put a bit of a kibosh on any outdoor activities. Yesterday, we decided enough was enough and we needed to get out. Another camper had told me a few days ago about a great off-leash dog park on Dallas Road, and we had been wanting to check it out. After a quick Google search, I realized he was talking about Beacon Hill Park, also known as Mile Zero of the Trans-Canada Highway and home to one of the largest totem poles in the world. We grabbed an umbrella, I put on my new ugly but practical rubber boots, and we headed into town in search of that darn totem pole.

Although it was raining, we had a great time exploring beaches, getting some exercise and seeing something new. I don't know what it is about the ocean, but it just makes me feel calm and happy, and closer to the earth.

As we walked, we couldn't help but imagine how wonderful it must be here in the spring and summer. If it is gorgeous on a cold, foggy and rainy day in December, it must be amazing when it's sunny and everything is bloomed. We have decided we need to stick around to check it out, so I think we'll be in Victoria for a bit longer than originally planned. Then again, we hadn't even planned on coming here in the first place. The universe makes things happen for a reason, I guess.

We'll keep you posted.

Wordless Wednesday

2010-12-08T18:59:00.002-08:00

Things and Stuff

2010-12-07T18:31:00.003-08:00

" We have too much stuff!"

" There are too many things laying around!"

" There isn't enough room to fit all our stuff in here!"

" This stuff is driving me crazy!"

These are very common phrases spoken by Zach and myself. It seems silly sometimes, considering all the things that we don't have with us on the road, and the insane amount of things we sold, or ended up giving away, or hauling to the dumpster before we left. In actuality, we don't really have that many belongings, but we do have very little space. We spend hours each week re-organizing, tidying, shuffling and throwing out even more belongings. It boggles my mind each time we part with yet another "thing".

When we first decided to do this trip, we immediately planned an apartment sale, and went through all of our stuff. We put a price tag on almost everything, except for the items that were deemed important enough to keep. We parted with our 52" television and accessories, our just-paid-off furniture, kitchen table and chairs, cameras, clothing, craft supplies and tools, picture frames, art, appliances and most of my collection of hundreds of books. It was scary, and rejuvenating all at the same time.

We spent the past couple years acquiring material possessions, because we wanted them, and we were making enough money that we could afford them. We were living the high life - double income, no kids. We took an apartment that had mostly been lived in by bachelors and students over the years, and turned it into a home. We painted and decorated and bought more and more stuff to fill it with. I loved our stuff, I really did. But it just wasn't feasible to keep it all in storage for when we wanted it back. We came to the decision that if we wanted it again, we could just buy new. And I'm sure we will one day.

Once all the big ticket items were sold and moved out, it felt like we had nothing. But somehow, the topic came up every day about what we need, what we could store at The House of Pain, what we could part with. When you're looking at living in only a few square feet of space, you really have to be realistic, and only pack what you will need to survive. We are still discussing things after more than 2 months, and still getting rid of things. It's crazy.

We did store some items. ( Thank you a million times over, Kevin and Paige) We kept anything sentimental like photo albums, family heirloom type stuff, kitchen ware that I knew I would use again given the chance, books, backpacks and some camping gear that we didn't need on the road. What we did bring were the necessities, clothing for all types of weather, extra bedding, a few books, a few board games, 2 computers, my craft supplies and finished product, Zach's tools and kitchen stuff, among other things. These things keep us entertained and connected to the world.

My friend Laurie asked me the other day if there was anything that I missed. I couldn't think of anything. After some discussion, it was decided that I missed having a bath tub, but only on those cold days when you would normally have a soak. We don't have television, but we have many series' and movies on the hard drive. We don't have running water, but I'm okay with hauling drinking water, and we have the best showers I have ever seen at a campground, which I also use for hauling hot water for dishes. There's a laundromat at the campground, and in every town in the North America, so we're covered there. The coffee pot can boil water for more things than just coffee. We only have a small porta-potty in the camper, but we've learned to be comfortable with our waste, and use the public washrooms whenever possible. We have the internet, which gives us TV, games, blogs to read and everything else that we used it for at home. We don't have propane yet, but the slow cooker and the charcoal grill cook all our food for us, and we just have to plan our meals in advance. We have all the necessities at our disposal, it's just a little bit different.

Sure, there are things that I wish I had with me. I do miss having a bath tub at times, and I've been kicking myself for not bringing the popcorn popper with us. On rainy days like today when I can't be outside and my body is aching, I miss my Wii Fit. ( You can bet your ass I'll be buying another one when it's time.) Really though, I don't miss much, because we have what we need. This lifestyle is not about going without, it's about making due with what you have, and learning to deal with situations that arise that you would never have to deal with in a "real" home.

But hey, so far, so good. I just have to figure out a way to make popcorn.

Travelling With Pets

2010-12-06T18:05:00.006-08:00

Anyone who has ever had a dog, knows that they are more like children than any other animal. They need to be fed and watered and exercised on a schedule, they require almost constant supervision, they need to be taught right and wrong, they crave your attention, your love and positive reinforcement. Sometimes they have an attitude problem, and you need to lay down the law, or bribe them with something they desire. Any dog that doesn't appear to need all of the previous things mentioned, has either grown up outside on a farm or acreage, and can mostly fend for itself, or it is being neglected. It's sounds cheesy, but it is true that Patches and Maggie are like children to us, and unless a sperm hits an egg in the next couple years, they will be our only children. Or, our "fur-babies", as we like to call them.

When we decided to give up everything and live in a camper travelling throughout North America, we knew that it would be different than any other travelling we have done in the past. We were lucky enough to have friends to look after the dogs when we went to California and Cuba last year, and even had good ol' Uncle Rod to take care of the pups when we just wanted to have a romantic evening away at the Moose Jaw Spa, or at a hotel in Regina. We were beyond spoiled, and beyond grateful for our dog-sitters, and the reality has sunk in that we just don't have that option to fall back on while we're on the road this time.

In the past when we have traveled together, we did the regular touristy things like checking out museums and galleries, popular restaurants and clubs, shopping and just wandering around taking pictures at the tourist sites. Because of the dogs, we have not been able to do anything touristy "inside" since we left Regina. If dogs aren't allowed, in theory neither are we, at this point. Not that that has stopped us from getting out and about.

We have learned, that when you have dogs, even though some doors are closed to you, be it a museum, night club, or friends home, you can work around it. We try to plan our outings to include the dogs whenever possible, although sometimes that just isn't an option, so we work around it. When going for coffee, we try and find a coffee shop with a patio. When visiting friends or family that aren't keen on dogs, or when dogs just aren't allowed in their building, we make sure they get a walk in first, and then they wait in the truck while we eat/visit/drink. We make sure to always have their food and water in the truck, as well as a couple blankets, and doggie treats, and we check on them regularly. Instead of walking around a museum, we walk around downtown Victoria, or go to Goldstream, or even hunt for hiking trails at our campground in Malahat. Victoria, and Vancouver Island as a whole, is chalk full of things to do outside that are pet-friendly. We are very excited to spend the next couple months checking out all the outdoor adventure it has to offer, and are lucky to have two dogs who like these things as much as we do. They've camped with us before, they have been on boats and gone swimming....so this isn't new to them.

It's true, that the dogs have been having some trouble adapting since we hit the road. Dogs are territorial creatures, and with all the moving around, they aren't quite sure what their territory is, exactly. They were always very attached to us, right from the moment we brought them both into our home, and I'm not a dog shrink or anything, but they have most definitely been afflicted with a severe case of separation anxiety disorder. Due to the fact that they don't know where they are half the time, they become extremely anxious if we are not around.(barking, jumping, scratching at windows for example.) However, over the past week I have noticed that they don't bark as much if left alone in the camper for a few minutes, or even in the truck while we run into a store for groceries or something. It is taking awhile, but I am hopeful that within a few weeks, we will be able to leave them in the camper like we did at home, and it won't stress them out as much. Like a child, our dogs are upset when mommy and daddy aren't there, and we'll just have to be patient while they learn that we will always come back, and that we aren't leaving just to be mean.

Even though it has been challenging, I do not regret our decision to keep them, and bring them on the road. They make all our walks more exciting, they help us meet other dogs and their owners, and all our evenings at home enjoyable, thanks to their playfulness and their willingness to share their body heat and cuddle. They are our family, and no matter how weird that sounds, it is true. When asked what we were going to do with the dogs before we left, I think Zach's sister Rhonda summed it up best when she said "What do you do with your kids? You take them with you!".

The Salmon Dance

2010-11-28T03:05:00.001-08:00

Our RV park is located a few minutes from Goldstream Provincial Park. We decided to try and catch the tail-end of the salmon run that occurs here every year. We didn't see the teeming hoards of salmon thrashing madly upstream as my minds eye suggested. We did see lots of salmon carcasses littering the stream and it's shores. If bears and predatory birds had raucous frat parties, this is what I imagine the morning after would look like. It was macabre but kind of interesting to see little eddies forming around their hollow eye sockets. Nature, you are simultaneously ruthless and beautiful, not unlike many females I have known over the years.

Patches and Maggie met several of their furry brethren and for the most part responded with minor conniptions. I wonder if they make a canine counterpart to catnip, if so our dogs should be on it. The old growth trees here are amazing, especially when you try to imagine how old they must be and how many generations of people these trees have outlived. Phew, I came close to sounding a nutty tree-hugger in that last sentence, sorry! All in all it was a relaxing and awe-inspiring afternoon (can you put those words together in the same sentence? Is it possible to be in awe of something in a relaxed fashion? We may never know).

In closing, here is a picture of a tree that looks like a bum-hole.

Photo Walk

2010-11-26T23:51:00.000-08:00

Sex, Drugs and Rock and Roll

2010-11-26T19:37:00.004-08:00

It's been a fairly quiet week here at Casa Ogilvie. The weather hasn't helped much in the way of giving us energy to do anything. The island received a nice unseasonal dollop of snow and cold temperatures a few days ago, which gave us a good excuse to sleep until noon each day, and do as little as possible in our waking hours. Fortunately, the temperatures have been slowly rising, and it should be warm all weekend, so with any luck the dogs and I can get Zach out to do some errands and walking at Goldstream. He's going a tad batshit stir crazy, if I do say so myself. The dogs and I however are perfectly happy sleeping our lives away, as per usual.

Although we have been spending most of our time in the camper this week, we were lucky enough to get out a couple times to socialize. Our first visit was with The Grand Emperor Clinton, who not only introduced us to a cat with Downs Syndrome, but helped us find a pub that sells $4.75 pints. We had a great visit, and many laughs, and with any luck next time we get together we'll have more than $20 between us, and the weather won't be so Saskatchewan-like.

The next evening, Katherine and Ryan invited us over for supper and a visit, and even let us bring the dogs. Poor pups have had to spend almost every social engagement waiting in the truck since we left Regina. Patches had a nice visit with Rusty, while Maggie spent her evening barking at poor Rusty and at reflections in the window, among other things. It was nice to catch up with Bink and Ryan, and they better be prepared for more visits, 'cause we think they're pretty awesome.

Other than that, not too much to report. We've been eating all our dried and canned goods**, and inventing slow cooker recipes since we don't have propane at the moment, I've been shamelessly self promoting my Etsy shop to try and make some cash, and today we went for a nice walk around the campground when the rain let up a bit. (I'll post some pictures later.)

So sorry folks, life can't be all about sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll all the time. Sometimes it's just about bad weather, eating, and getting very comfortable peeing in front of your spouse.

** Some people were very concerned about our large supply of dried goods, and crossing the border with them. (I'm lookin' at you, Walker.) Not to worry, we are too poor to buy fresh food, so most of them have been going in to soups and stews and casseroles, and should all be gone before we head to the States in January.

Wordless Wednesday

2010-11-24T15:39:00.001-08:00

The Reason.

2010-11-21T21:57:00.007-08:00

Giving up an affordable, three bedroom apartment in downtown Regina that we loved, to live in a sixteen foot camper sounds incredibly stupid and crazy to the majority of people that we have talked to about it in the past few months. There are a small percentage of folks who were totally gung-ho about it, happy for us and wished that they could come with us, but let's be honest, they are the minority.

We are both aware of how crazy this idea seems to most people. We know that it won't be easy, but as far as I'm concerned, it wasn't always easy in our affordable, three bedroom apartment in downtown Regina that we loved. Life was beginning to get quite dull, what with the financial problems, job stress, friend drama, and then on top of it all we were told we had to move because of our dogs, and learned very quickly that there truly was nowhere we could go that would alleviate any of the stress or make us happy. We could settle into a shitty, over-priced rental house and be poor and grumpy, or we could be creative and figure out another course of action.

We were driving out to Echo Valley to walk the dogs and enjoy the sunshine when we got to talking about retirees and their "snow-birding".

Neither of us are fans of the Saskatchewan winter, for various reasons, and both of us love to camp and travel. Living on the road meant no rent, no utilities, and the freedom to work and live wherever you wanted to. If you got bored, you could just move on. Sounded like a good idea to us, and here we are now. :)

Once we finalized our decision, we immediately began plans for selling our belongings, taking care of debt, and looking for an RV that we could afford, and wouldn't be too horrible to live in. We already knew where we wanted to go, we just needed to take a few months to get there. Compared to other times I just packed up and went somewhere, I think that this time, I was much more responsible when it came to taking care of loose ends. It wasn't easy, but in the end, everything worked out in our favor, even if it didn't go as planned.

And here we are. We've lived in the camper since October 1st, and we've been on the road for two weeks. We're alive and well, and figuring things out as we go.

Life hasn't changed much since we lived in the apartment.

It's still just us and the dogs, we see friends

and family once in a while, and Facebook, email and

Twitter keep us connected with the people at home, just like it did before.

We aren't sure how long we'll be on the road, but we know we'll be back next summer for the annual Canada Day camping trip, and are thinking of staying in Saskatchewan for the summer. We might decide to stay there for good, or maybe we'll have found somewhere else we want to live by then. Or maybe, we'll have saved up enough money for a

better RV, and we'll continue on as we are right now.

Only time will tell.

Not so Wordless Thursday

2010-11-18T22:48:00.009-08:00

I had intended on starting a weekly "Wordless Wednesday" post this week, as so many other bloggers do. However, upon learning a few short hours ago that today is, in fact, Thursday and not Wednesday, I realized that I had missed the boat on that one.

"Wordless Thursday" just doesn't have the same ring to it, but I figured better late than never. Maybe next week I'll be more on the ball.

Actually, now that I think about it, most of the people who will be reading this blog live in Saskatchewan, where it is, in fact, now Friday. Sheesh, I'm just not gonna win this one, am I?

Well then, have a good weekend, and keep each other warm, while we attempt to keep dry.

Vancouver and Beyond

2010-11-15T00:33:00.003-08:00

After taking our time driving through the mountains, stopping and visiting family and such, we arrived in Vancouver. We've been camped out in a Walmart parking lot in Burnaby until today, when we decided that we needed to park this trailer, so we could be more mobile in the city while we visit friends and wait for Rogers to deal with our Rocket Hub.

We drove out to Tsawwassen this morning and set up camp at the ParkCanada RV park. I don't think either of us expected to find the greatest place on earth, but at the same time, we were not prepared for the mud, the less than stellar facilities, or the folks that live here in their motor homes turned houses. (I will try and sneak some photos in the morning.) The upside was that they had public showers and believe me, we were both getting pretty ripe, since our last shower was in Armstrong a few days ago.

Once we got settled in, I gathered my toiletries and headed off to the shower room. I have honestly never been so paranoid and scared in a shower stall before. I don't know if it's because it's the off-season and no one else is really around, or maybe it was the redneck hunters, and sketchy looking trailer park boys and their dogs that weirded me out, but the whole time I was washing my hair, I kept peeking around the curtain to look for shadows and listen for foot steps. It was a scene that could have started any B-rated horror movie or zombie flick. Needless to say, I got the hell out of there as fast as I could, and I won't be going back unless absolutely necessary.
(Zach was none too impressed with the showers either, he was afraid that some local inbred child would walk in on him.)

Needless to say, we are not sticking around these parts for long. We want to have one more visit with Steve tomorrow, and we have some planning to do for the next leg of our journey, which will take us across the water to the island. This just isn't the right time of year for Vancouver and the Ogilvie's to be together, what with the grey and the rain and such, although it's been great to see Steve, Vince, Nat and Nathan. I'm sure we'll be back over here in a couple months to visit some family and friends, before we mosey on down to the USA.

G'night folks. Drop us a line and let us know what's going on with you in your neck of the woods. scampercampers@gmail.com

Travel Daze

2010-11-09T08:02:00.000-08:00

Banff and Lake Louise are all but deserted at this time of the year. It's too cold for most forms of summer recreation and there's no snow yet for skiing and snowboarding. We pulled off the #1 about 7pm Sunday evening and found our way to Tunnel Mountain campground just outside Banff. Leaving Calgary as night fell, our entrance into the mountains was like driving into a black void.

Waking up early I found everything coated with a layer of frost. Sure enough, that black void we drove through had given way to an expansive mountain range. We headed into a sleepy, tourist-less Banff and fueled up with gasoline and coffee. We inhaled some breakfast in Lake Louise and then continued west through the Kicking Horse Pass. Coffee, drive, pee, repeat. On to Rogers Pass where we sprang forward or fell back or whatever it is you're supposed to do with your clocks. One thing I'll miss about Saskatchewan is the lack of daylight savings time!

We hit heavy rain from Revelstoke right up to Armstrong. There was a huge double rainbow that followed us for about a half-hour. The leprechaun is full of beans, there is NO end to a rainbow, it's an optical phenomenon and you'll never find any gold! We pulled into my grandparent's place about 5pm and we're being forced to drink wine, eat tasty food, baking, and mandarin oranges - it's terrible!!

The Feast. The Farts. The Fun.

2010-10-11T20:50:00.000-07:00

For Thanksgiving we had sushi, crab dip, spinach dip, crackers, sausage, cheese, pickles, french bread, tortilla chips, cornbread, and pecan caramel cheesecake. I'm still working on the cheeseball.

This is our first meal together in the camper. We were going to eat real food, but then decided that appetizers and dessert were good enough.

It was deeeee-lish.

After dinner we all snuggled in bed, watched Six Feet Under, and farted. Good ol' family fun.

The End.

Thanksgiving and Camper Living

2010-10-10T11:41:00.000-07:00

Well, we've officially been living in our Scamper Camper since the 29th of September, and today we are "celebrating" our first holiday in our home on wheels. When I woke up this morning, Zach asked me what I was thankful for, and due to the lack of caffeine,and a liver full of vanilla vodka, all I could think of for an answer was "Pillows, I'm thankful for pillows." He one-upped me by telling me he was thankful for his beautiful wife, his home that can go anywhere and the dogs. He's a smooth operator, that one.

So far, camper living has been both fun, and challenging. Anyone who knows me, knows that I like things to be neat and tidy, and everything needs to be in its place. The last couple weeks, I've been struggling with the fact that everything isn't in its place, because we are still doing work on the camper, and there just isn't anywhere to put it all yet. Hopefully this week it will all get put together. I'm sure the fact that I'm still getting used to not smoking hasn't been helping my attitude, but this morning I feel refreshed and positive, and I know that it can only get better from here. It has been nice to have a yard for the dogs, and the weather has been positively splendid, and I feel like I'm getting to enjoy a few more weeks of summer camping.

Zach has been working his ass off getting everything working, and I've been doing mostly nothing, due to my lack of knowledge in all areas of construction and electronics, so I'm just waiting for my turn to be productive. I'm making curtains, and today I will start making new cushions for our benches, and then it'll be time for us to make this house on wheels a home. I'm starting to get really excited about hitting the open road, even though in the back of my head, I do have a few worries. The unknown can be both exciting and terrifying.

The next couple weeks are going to be insanely busy, trying to get all our affairs in order, getting the camper done, and saying good-bye to all our friends and family. We've got birthdays, a wedding and our official going away party coming up, so with any luck, we'll get a chance to visit with everyone at one of these functions.

In the spirit of Thanksgiving, I would like to thank everyone who has helped us work on the camper, given us a place to park and live, and has been positive and encouraging and helpful when hearing of our travel plans. We know we're crazy, so it's nice to know that you're all okay with it.

Now go out and enjoy the sunshine and record breaking temperatures.