Oh dear it’s been a long time

I’m sorry –we’ve been on the move a lot and I didn’t realize how long it had been since I had posted.

Where to start …………

We waited out the blizzard in Lethbridge – does it ever NOT blow in that gawdforsaken hole? By then it was too late to go to Billings and also make my Nexus appointment in Calgary so we moved up to the Sunridge Mall parking lot on the NE end of Calgary.  Some time ago now I submitted a Nexus application.  Nexus is a cross border clearance card that is purported to make the crossing effortless.  They finally got around to accepting my application and then I had to make an appointment 2 months out to meet with a US customs officer in Calgary.  I’ll come back to that story sometime in the future but suffice it to say for now that US customs and immigration is clearly out of control.

There are a variety of versions of the Benjamin Franklin quote but Wikipedia claims that “They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety” is likely the earliest version of it.  I have some dear friends who are Americans.  Any of you who are reading this should take the time to understand that quote, consider what elements of it made your nation great and then consider what you can do to re-establish your former greatness.  I can assure you that what your government is doing now is providing neither security nor freedom and it is daily diminishing a once great nation.

After I got done with US Customs we moved from Calgary up into central Alberta where I did a project for Growsafe at the University of Alberta’s Kinsella Ranch.  It was too damn cold to be doing what I was doing but we survived. 

Right now we’re back in Airdrie where our friends Al and Camiel have bought a new acreage with a much larger bus parking area.  They don’t have 30 amp power here but then again they didn’t have 30 amp power at the last place until I installed it.  I think I will install a 50 amp service this time.  But not in this weather.

We spent the last two days making a flying trip to Billings to pick up the Exploder.  Along the way we had another great visit with Skip and Maria in Helena.  I love that Great Dane – I tried to kidnap her for a boat dog but it’s hard to be inconspicuous with a beast that size.

Tomorrow morning we are leaving early to meet Marlan for breakfast in Strathmore.  He’s working a night shift driving a truck in that area.  Then we’ll head over to Regina to spend a couple of days with father before going to Buchanan to pick up some boat supplies.  Monday morning we’ll be in Saskatoon for some meetings and by the end of next week we hope to be back on the left coast.  We’ll have to watch for a weather window to get through Roger’s Pass and over the Coquihalla but if we can catch a break on those two obstacles then we’ll only be a short ferry ride away from Gray Hawk. 

For those of you who voted in the Name-That-Boat poll, thank you.  But I think we’re going to go with tradition and leave the name alone.  If anybody is interested, Baylurker came in dead last.  Bethia Jewitt and Vamonos ran neck and neck but Vamonos came out slightly ahead.  Somehow though it seems cruel to change a 30 year old lady’s name so we may just leave the name alone.  We’ve got plenty of higher priorities including the fact that the State of Washington wants 10% sales tax on the purchase if we don’t get the boat out of Washington in the early new year.