Side trip on the way home...

I took the US route home again.. didn't feel like Saskatchewan and it's cheaper for gas as well as hotels driving in the states.

I decided to take a side trip that I tried last time through.  I had tried to get through to Cody WY last trip and the roads were closed due to snow.  I took a less mountainous route and spent a day and a half in Cody.  It's a very interesting town.. very "Cowboyish" which of course is it's claim to fame.  I couldn't resist staying at the Irma hotel which was built by Buffalo Bill himself. It's a very interesting building and has been kept up very nicely. I also spent a lot of time wandering around the Buffalo Bill museum which is huge.. It has four major displays featuring Yellowstone, Buffalo Bill, Fire arms of the west, and the Plains Indians..  It's a place where one could spend a couple of days as it is a bit overwhelming.

From there I headed back north and east and was sooooo lucky to happen upon this route. After a brief stop to check out "Dirty Annie's" I drove through my last mountains.. through the absolutely beautiful Shell Canyon and then the Bighorn State Park.. I had to stop several times to take in the beauty of this area and some photos that don't do it justice..

Got back to Minnesota 2 nites ago... and getting this blog caught up... some dumbass left his computer charger in BC and it got back to MN the day before me...

Visiting with the Lavens for Easter Weekend and then next weekend Jewels and I are off to Chicago..

Life is Good..

Some final pics from Vancouver Island

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During my last few days on the island I decided to take a drive up to Port Hardy - a town on the northern end of the island that I had heard of often but never had the opportunity to visit. It was a long drive and unfortunately, not all that great of a trip. I found the road boring as I was surrounded by trees most of the time.  I thought of my buddy Dan and his "aversion" to being surrounded by trees and how he would have.. uhhh ... loved this drive!!

I did take a few nice photos at Campbell River - which is still one of my favorite spots in Vancouver Island.  As well, I took a few pics in Port Hardy.. the town reminded me a bit of Yellowknife for some reason.. not the scenery but the buildings and people which was a mix of white and aboriginal.

I did get in a couple of games of golf. Being early in the season the courses were quite wet but hey.. golf is golf so it was fun..

Life is Good.

Port Renfrew to Cowichan - scenic route...

Yesterday my new friends - Viktor and Ildiko returned home from their Costa Rican holiday and my first house sit was officially over. It was an interesting and fun time and I am happy that I had an opportunity to get to know this part of the island.

I decided to take a new and scenic route back to the west side of the island so I zipped up north to Port Renfrew and found the "highway" that led me through Lake Cowichan and to Duncan.  I guess I should have known that the word "highway" may not apply to the road when my GPS advised me to turn right "on gravel road"!

It wasn't gravel - it was a paved ash-fault surface all the way.  The road was a bit rough and very narrow in places.. but it was also a lovely drive.  I was in no hurry so I got to stop several times to take in the view and snap a few photos.  The moss growing on the trees indicate the ongoing humidity of the area.. lots of rain - especially this time of year.  It is also a major forestry/logging area and there were several places that looked like a big old bomb had exploded and razed the whole area.

All in all, a nice day.. I'm in Courtenay now (it's raining here as well) and planning to head out on a drive up to the north end of the island as far as Port Hardy.  Haven't been there yet and it's time to see that area. After the coming weekend, I'll be on the road home...

Life is Good!

Butchart Gardens..

It was too early in the season to really appreciate what a beautiful place Butchart Gardens is.  The flowers were just starting to sprout.. the trees were just starting to blossom... the rose bushes weren't happening yet.. but the sun was out and it was a nice day spent with my family.

It was happy/sad to turn over my little princess to her mom... I loved my time with her and we both learned a lot this trip.  I admit I'm drained and it will be nice to have some time to myself now.

That's it... a fun day with Wayne and Jill, Auntie Becca, and my girls...

Life is Wonderful...

I'm NOT a stalker - but she did catch my attention

We went to Butchart Gardens yesterday...

Now, this place is a series of various types of plants/flowers/trees etc etc spread out over several acres. It's a lovely place... but .. But it's not a place where one should show up wearing .. uhhhh... rather uncomfortable looking shoes with spiked heels and..uhhh.. well, the pics say it all.

I simply had to follow her for a while to get some pics... but I wasn't stalking her

Really.. Life is Good.

Rain Rain, go away...

No pics to share today.  The last couple of days has been steady rain and the creek that runs through the property is running pretty fast.

Neither the dog, or cat like to go outdoors into the rain so we've been kind of holed up the past few days.  Shaya and I have taken a couple of drives down to Sooke just for something to do.  The power went out for a few hours as well, yesterday so we managed to get some nice reading time in.

Shaya will be picked up by her mom and dad on Friday. She goes home with them so she can attend Nya's birthday party on Saturday.  I'll have a couple of quiet days to myself :)

It has been a great trip to this point.  A bit demanding on my time but no different than I anticipated so that is OK.

From here, a few days with Jill and her family and then back to Duluth to spend time with my hunny.  Jewels has a week off in early April and we're going to go down to Milwaukee and then to Chicago for the week and perhaps our pal Terri will join us.  Then, I have another house sit lined up just outside of Montreal around the 12th of May...

Lots to do... life is good!

Beautiful day...

A wonderful sunny day.  Shaya and I decided a trip into "town" would be in the cards for us. The cafe was open and we had a nice lunch at the Deja Vue Cafe.  There were a bunch of kids out surfing... or should I say waiting for some wave action.  The water was fairly calm so they weren't riding too many waves into shore.. These pics were taken right in front of the cafe.

Oh well, we're enjoying the lovely day.

Life is good.

Trip to Port Renfrew....

After taking Rori for a walk, Shaya and I headed out to PR for lunch and just a little drive as it was such a beautiful day.

Two restaurants in the town and of course, one of them is closed on Fridays... but we were lucky and had a great little fish and chip meal at the hotel.  The hotel overlooks the marina and most of the photos above are from that area.

It's a small place and the homes seem crowded in because it's so hilly and rugged and I imagine lots are difficult to procure.

Back to the house by 3:30... no more posts today.  I was told by my "other princess" that she keeps looking for blog updates so I've been busy here for a few days... I listen well - at times...

Life is Good...

more activities....

Well, we've had another busy morning...

Our daily activities and taking a good pattern.  We are usually up around 7am.  After Grandpa has his coffee we feed the indoor pets and the I get dressed around 8:30 and head out to the chicken coop to feed the bunnies, hens, and ducks.

After that is done, breakfast is made and served to her highness (Princess Shaya) and then we head out to the pool for a 45 minute soaking.

It's been sooooo much fun to see Shaya progress in the pool. On the first day she was so afraid of the water (it is about as high as her neck) that she basically clung to me the entire time. Over the past few days she is getting braver and better.  She can swim on her stomach and float on her back, she is not afraid to submerge herself totally and loves to practice her "floating".  By the end of this visit she will be beautifully buoyant.

She is not as keen on going out to the coop to feed and clean up around the birds.  Apparently, it doesn't smell to good so she usually hangs out with the cat inside while Grandpa does the chores.

I'm pleasantly surprised that she is hanging in and not missing her family too much.  She is fun to be with.. although it drains me cuz it is kind of constant attention..

We just got back from taking a walk with Rori.. now we're off to Port Renfrew for lunch and sight seeing .. it's a beautiful clear day..

Life is Good.

Nice sunny day... back to China Beach...

Finally a nice sunny day.. Perfect to load up Rori Dawg and take a leisurely stroll on China Beach - my new favorite spot in the world...

Sun was shining.. eagles and ravens munching on a carcass... dolphin???? ... it was just a beautiful day.

Nothing exciting to report.. my little princess seems to be doing OK.. thought she would be tired of me by now but she seems content - as long as I keep feeding her chocolate of course.

Life is good.