Return of the fat bastard - camping in Anmore

 July 1st 2016


      I don't know what I was expecting. But when I rolled out of bed at 8 o'clock to grey skies and drizzle I thought, O Canada why do you want to Rain on My Parade!  I looked out the back door and there was my brave lawn mower still sitting in the middle of the lawn untouched if a little soggy. Looks like I won't be mowing the lawn again today! I've been trying to mow the lawn since Monday. People places and things keep getting in the way. Every time I'm about to get started someone shows up or the phone rings or it rains. Mostly though it's because Michele has Stuff scattered all over the place. She has brought a couple of dozen planters. They need to find a home that won't interfere with my mowing. If I ever get around to mowing again. I got the mower under cover just as the rain stopped.
       I put on a pot of Jo. Took care of my morning absolution's and by the time the Jo was ready I had pants on!  I also had on my new bright red Canada Day t-shirt, EH!

        It's now 11:30 at night as I sit down to catch up on the day's events. It's taking a long time because I keep forgetting to save this, and then I hit the renew button and it only renews the stuff that is saved which is none of the stuff I just wrote and wanted to keep but didn't save. So here I go again.
      It wasn't just Canada day today. It was also Michele Moving Day! She's lived in the same rental house in North Vancouver for more than 20 years. People acquire an awful lot of crap in 20 years. Michelle has acquired more than most. She has always had a great eye for quality. She got rid of so much stuff but still has a ton of stuff left. The plants she brought are not a problem. They're all in planters in can be placed around the perimeter of the property. It started with me ripping a sheet of plywood in half so I could get it through the attic door and expand the floor space available. The two of them up and down from the green Room to the attic. The lovely Lisa organising the space while Michele brings stuff that won't fit in her room to be stored in the attic or in some cases used to enhance our living space namely the front deck. 

Tomato trellis

Wall of flowers

      It's looking pretty good out there and we spend a lot of time out on the deck. The rain never really materialised. At least not real rain. This was more like Vancouver thick air. No rain drops, but everything is wet anyway. You can feel the dampness cling to you as you walk to the car. I don't like the humidity neither does my knees but it is what it is and nothing another cookie won't fix. We plugged away at it for hours. Stopping for coffee, admiring our handiwork and congratulating ourselves on our cleverness. 30 years ago that trellis was a shoji screen in our friends Howard and Teresa's home it Prospect Lake in Victoria where I first met Michele.
      About 4:00 we packed up the Ratdogs and a guitar and were off for the 20 minute drive to Anmore. Like most places in the lower mainland you don't have to go too far from town to be in the woods. The Anmore RV and Campground is situated right by the gates to Buntzen Lake provincial park. Besides being a great lake to swim in it's also stocked with trout. The first thing I heard about when we got there was that Bella had caught her first fish! She was so excited. Her Dad, Christian was going to send me a picture of this but he was Barracho when we got there. I probably didn't spell it right but Barracho means drunk. Not stupid sloppy drunk, just happily vacant. Jen's oldest friend Michelle was there with her son Ronin.

Michelle and Ronin

 Ronin is a year or two older than Christo but they play together really well. Whatever Ronin does, Christo is right there to try it too. Bella is as always Bella. Trying to keep everyone organised and making up games for them to play. She also made plenty of time to cuddle with Nutmeg. While the kids were off playing hoops. Christian was getting ready to start cooking the burgers and smokies.
      I don't want to belabour the point but Christian was having alcohol induced spaz attacks! "The slots in your grill are too wide" I pointed out as yet another sausage rolled through the gaping bars into the coals below. "That's okay" he said "I got a lot more smokies" pulling another pack out of the cooler and sounding very much like Ricky Ricardo!.That's when I took over.

Cheesebuyger ,Cheesebuyger Pepsi Pepsi

This is what I took over.

More wasted meat than a Weight watchers meeting

Three burger pattys and four smokies. That was just Christian. Three hotdogs ended up in there too courtesy of poorly administered weenie impaling! I got the cooking finished, losing only one more smokie but I pulled it out of the embers and Jen washed it off under the water tap and then we fed it to Christian. He was Barracho!! He won't even know!  Oh come on, I'm sure some of you have put things in your mouth when you were Barracho that you later regretted. After dinner we walked down to the store so the kids could have ice cream. The lovely Lisa stayed at the campsite with Christian. As the kids tore off ahead of us on their scooters.

Possible Scooter Trash

 We went to the bathroom then made our way to the store. They have about a dozen flavours. Jen and I did not partake. Ronin and Bella had Ice Cream cones, I got The lovely Lisa a bowl of Pralines and cream and creamsicle ice cream and we posed for a picture out side the store.

I scream, you scream we all scream for ice cream....except Jen...and me

      We walked the 100 feet or so from the store to the crosswalk when disaster struck.
" MAN DOWN, MAN DOWN!

Oh, Sponge bob

No! really...this is Bullshit!!

       Jen took him back for another one. The kids were down playing Volley ball and shooting some hoops. While we were chatting about Clarissa's upcoming visit at the end of the month. From now till the end of summer our dance card is full. Every weekend someone is coming or we are going. I'm not sure which.
      I guess I should have told you a couple of blogs ago that I landed a part in a feature. I didn't because last time I did, they wrote me out. I can tell you it's called Why we're killing Gunther and I shoot on the 18th of July.
And here's a picture of Jen's new car

That's all I've got
Till next time
Peace out Y'all