A log about those Silly Folks and their Escapades

Friday afternoon we headed up to Sun Peaks for a Family Winter Vacation. We all arrived around 4:00 p.m. and Kevin, Tamara,Sage and Conrad arrived a little later around 5:30 p.m.

We had a great dinner and a chance for everyone to reconnect since it’s been a while since we have all been together.

After dinner it was time for a family get together tradition which is a treasure hunt for the grand-kids. In the past we have had just one treasure hunt for all the grand-kids, however this year we did three separate treasure hunts.

Zachary’s required him (with Sage and Conrad’s help) to follow a long piece of yarn that lead to his surprise.

Conrad got picture clues that were scattered around the Condo and at each location was a piece of a puzzle; once he got all four pieces he assembled the puzzle which showed a picture of the location of his hidden surprise.

Sage’s clues were all printed and ones that she had to read to lead her to the next location. The final clue told her where her surprise was hidden.

After all this excitement it was off to bed for Zachary and off to the Hot Tub for the older kids. A great end to day #1.

Jeff, Lindsay and Zachary arrived on Wednesday afternoon just before our Sun Peaks family vacation.

Poor little Zachary was not feeling well and in fact had been sick for almost 2 weeks. So, although he goes to daycare while Jeff and Lindsay work in Kelowna, he had been too sick to go there so they decided to come early and Brenda and I would look after him while they got work done. You can see from his expression he looks pretty punky.

Having Jeff, Lindsay and Zachary come early also worked well because GGPa and GGMa came over for GGMa’s 84th birthday celebration and it is always nice when they get a chance to see one of their great -grandchildren.

Well, the week in Vancouver flew by and I’m not sure we took many more pictures………… but, we certainly have lots of memories.

The weather for the most part was great. We started with 4 days of Sunny weather and lots of clear skies, however it was cooler. It was kinda weird the first night in the penthouse suite the evening was perfectly clear and cool and then around 8:00 p.m. the fog started rolling in and from our vantage point on the 21st floor you could see it coming off of the North Shore mountains and pretty soon the entire downtown core was thick pea soup.

By Wednesday, it started to warm up which brought the rain. Now, for us non-Vancouverites it wasn’t a bother, we simply took our umbrellas and we were off for a walk and daily adventure

Thursday we took the Sea Bus over to Lonsdale Quay to meet our good friends Fred & Barb for lunch. It’s always great to see them and their big news is that their son Ryan who lives in Kelowna is getting married this summer and their son Marshall who is an RCMP Officer recently transferred to North Vancouver District, so he is working closer to home.

We had some great meals out in the Yaletown are and cooked a few in the apartment; which was nice to have to come back to each afternoon and evening.

So, we would definitely rent City Solace on another trip to Vancouver.

Now we’re back at it in Kamloops……….. so stay tuned.

Tuesday was an absolutely gorgeous day in Vancouver. It started with watching the full moon fall in the horizon over English Bay and then a bit later the sun coming up in the east.

Today we were headed off fairly early to the Canada Passport Office at the Sinclair Center downtown. When we got there it was pretty packed and we expected a long wait. Well, because ours was a renewal they sent us in a shorter line up and in just a few minutes we got to the agent and after a few signatures, a couple clarifying questions and a few bucks we were done……… and we should receive my new passport within 2 weeks. The whole process is so much simpler.

Once we left the passport office we headed off for a walk along the water front. Even though it was sunny out it was still cool and the walkway was pretty icy, they tried to put down some salt , however it was not enough.

We took a couple pictures, hard to find a more beautiful City when the weather is like this?????

So, if you cancel a trip to Hawaii what’s the next best thing you can do? Well, it’s take a last minute trip to Vancouver.

We were lucky enough to find a VRBO rental in Yaletown. It’s called City Solace and it is a penthouse loft suite on the 21st floor of a Condo on SeymourSt.

The suite has everything we need for the week. A small kitchen, washer/dryer, a loft bedroom, a couple decks and the best of all a Hot Tub with a view towards False Creek, Granville Island and out towards Jericho.

So, we are going to spend the week being Vancouverites. We’ll update you as the week goes on…………….. so stay tuned.

So, if you had your choice what would you go for, Hawaii or a Hernia?

Well that’s a stupid question isn’t it? Of course you would pick Hawaii.

Well unfortunately when it comes to some things in life you don’t always get a choice. Anyway to make a long story short I developed a Hernia. I discovered an unusual bump/protrusion in my lower right groin area after a swim at the YM/YWCA the week before Christmas. So, it was off to see our family Doctor, who sent me to see a Surgeon in the New Year and from there I was scheduled for Surgery on January 18th.

As I am typing this I am resting comfortably in bed and the surgery went well according to the Surgeon. For obvious reasons this will be one post without pictures! Ha! Ha! Although the various shades of black and blue are spectacular.

For Christmas Tamara received a Blog from Jeff; it is listed on our sidebar “Blogroll”.

So keep an eye on the adventures of “The  Silly Farm” at  or as the subtitle says “The World in a Princeton Minute”.

On Friday Brenda and I drove down to Princeton to spend Christmas with Kevin,Tamara, Sage and Conrad. We are so lucky to be able to spend Christmas with some of our family and especially with our grandchildren.

The kids have been keeping us busy playing and entertaining them and Kevin and Tamara have been keeping us very well fed.

Saturday morning we worked on a gingerbread project. Sage’s was a Santa Sleigh and Reindeer and Conrad’s was a Train and Caboose.

After dinner and just before bedtime Sage and Conrad were allowed to open a present. They both received very fuzzy, cozy and warm housecoats.

Then they put out a plate of cookies and some milk for Santa and carrots and water for the reindeer. Then it was off to bed!

In the morning they started with opening their stockings and then moved on to a tree full of presents.

Christmas dinner was celebrated with Kevin and Tamara’s good friend Tim.

Tamara did a great job cooking a wonderful turkey dinner with all the trimmings.

Like most family gatherings at Christmas we all ate too much and it was delicious.

Dessert was specially decorated cupcakes and a bowl of sherbert for those who had room.

On Saturday Sage, Conrad, Tamara and Kevin arrived to celebrate Sage’s 6th Birthday. Tamara and Kevin had a friends birthday party in Princeton for Sage last weekend; this birthday party was for us and GGPa and GGMa to celebrate with Sage.

They arrived about 1:oo p.m. and shortly after Auntie Donna stopped by for a quick visit, it was good to see her. After that we all headed off to “Ruckers” for the kids to play all sorts of video and amusement games. What a hoot and boy did they have fun. Unfortunately, as we were getting ready to leave Conrad became quite pale and it was pretty obvious he was not feeling well.

However, once we got home we decided it was time to open some birthday presents and he seemed to perk up for a while. Sage received a beautiful purple dress and a Justin Bieber doll. Of course Conrad got a small present also.

The birthday cake was a Rocker Guitar that Brenda and I designed and decorated and we know Sage really liked it.

Unfortunately Conrad became quite sick and because we were all concerned about passing it on to others Kevin ended up calling GGPa and GGMa to cancel their visit.

The next morning Conrad was feeling better,  but by now Sage wasn’t feeling well. In the end they headed home early on Sunday. It will certainly be a birthday that we will not forget for a while.

This past weekend we made a quick trip to Portland Oregon to attend the memorial service for our good friend Ed House, Ed was part of our Reunion Group. Brenda and I met up with Betty-Anne who drove down from Campbell River to attend the Memorial

He developd Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis which is basically unknown caused scaring of the lungs. Some cases are slow reacting however poor Ed had a very fast acting case and it was only about 5 months from the the time it was diagnosed until he passed away.

Ed was full of life. He loved to laugh, meet people, chat, have a beer and was just a great guy.

He is survived by his children Danny and Kari, his Mother and a Sister.

We’ll miss you Ed.