Westhill

 February 2024

The Blogspot binder had been shelved away and not read or shared. Many times have changed in these last 14 yrs. Our travelling and.living in a motorhome became another lifestyle. We chose to reclaim our furniture from storage and rent a two bedroom apartment in Kitchener. JJ and Pixie found the new 900 square ft. home. 

Years slip by. Our travel and home companion pets are no longer with us. We carry on. Westhill, a change with home and retirement living.  I plan to write my new blogs with some of our memories.

The Resting Place

We left Naples, FL on April 12th and gave ourselves 2 weeks to drive to BC. We had decided to find a resting place or haven to pause and relax before continuing on to Kelowna to attend my nephew Jason's wedding.

We were told about a small town close to the US/CA border called Osoyoos. We had travelled past this area several years ago when we first started full-time RVing.

We pulled into Island View RV Resort on April 26th and set up for our 3 weeks. A site with full hook-up, cable, wireless and excellent weather. Our patio looked out over Lake Osoyoos, and across the lake, a golf course and the flags marking the border.

Osoyoos is nestled in the Okanagan Valley among the fruit orchards and vineyards. It is very much a tourist and retirement area.

From here we have enjoyed drives to Penticton, Keremeos, Kelowna and several wineries.

These pictures are taken from the mountain to the East and shows the main part of town and the southern part of the lake and looking towards the US border.

We have found our oasis in the desert, a haven and now we must move on.

Thoughts of Mother's Day

May 9th, 2010 As I laid in bed last night, my mind wandered to some of the memories and special moments of being a mother. Foremost in my mind was the fact that this was the first time in 75 years that I did not have a mother to share the day with. No cards or little gifts, no phone call to wish her a happy day and tell her I loved her. Next, it is the first time in 50 years that I did not have one of my own children to share the day with. I thank them all for their calls and to say they loved me. That's what made my Mother's Day special. Here are a few tidbits about being a mother of five: Robert Scott- First born, first grandchild. Our one and only son! A bundle of joy and the ecstatic feeling that all new parents have. But holding him in my arms for that very first time is a memory that will never fade. That's LOVE! Wendy Lou- "the quiet one". A sleepy, placid baby that loved her thumb, her satin bound blankie and quiet time. But wait! isn't she also the one that went through the terrible twos? God bless her, she gave us our first grandchild. Sue Ellen- our little "house cat". When a child in your family has a medical problem, they become the centre of your life. Taking her first steps was a monumental day in our lives. Now I love when she refers to me saying " Mommy! Mommy! Mommy!" Margaret Helen(Peggy)- the little tease! This baby had a sparkle in her eyes from the day she was born. When we tried to teach her her first word of Mama, she would deliberately say Dada.This got to be a game with her. Little blondie who loved to change her clothes 3 or 4 times a day. She was the apple of her Nanny Boville's eye. Jennifer Leigh- the baby of this family. Something she can never change. My only little red head. She has brought joy and sunshine into all of our lives as the other children grew older. Once again the whole family was involved in her accident and slow recovery. Things like this bring a child even closer to your heart. She is very close to her Dad and I. My children are now grown and have lives of their own. Bob and I gave them their foundation years and they went out into the world and built upon their training. I am so proud of them and I know that I don't really need that special card or phone call on Mother's Day to know that they love me.( but I miss them.)

Home Is Where You Park It

Once again we have a new home base. New area, new town, new province, new view!

After 2 weeks of travelling across the U.S. we pulled into the Island View RV Resort in Osoyoos, BC. This park is seven tiers of RVs, either looking out over Lake Osoyoos or looking at the vineyard above us. We have set up and settled in for 3 weeks of sightseeing, wine tasting and what we do best,"rest and relaxation".

We have mountains to the north, east and west of us and the US border just 5 km. to the south.

This semi-arid desert is ideal for growing grapes and a variety of fruits and vegetables.The rolling terraces, intense sunlight and gravelly soil produce award winning wines. We are too early to taste the fruit and vegetables but this week happens to be Wine Festival Week. We have taken advantage of visiting and tasting several of the local wines.

I have some new ones for my sisters to try when we get together in another 3 weeks.

On today's wandering we came upon a wierd phenomenon. A spotted lake! The native Indians of this area call it a medicinal lake. Apparently, the minerals within the water cause the "spots".

I can't seem to get my pictures co-ordinated with the blog today. Sorry!

Springtime in the Rockies

We left southwest Florida on April 12th and started our cross country trip to British Columbia. One of our biggest concerns of travelling at this time of year was the weather. Spring weather can be a wild mixture of leftover winter to April showers and even tornadoes in parts of the country.

Sunny, warm days accompanied us through Florida, Alabama and Louisiana. Shorts and T shirts all the way. Once we made a slight turn to the north and got into Texas, the clouds began to appear on the horizon and the nights were cooler. Time to put some heat in the motorhome at night and haul out the blue jeans.

The bluebonnets of Texas welcomed us to spring but the April showers also moved in. First showers, then downpours, then severe weather warnings of wind and rain. Approaching Amarillo, we checked on overnight stays at Walmart. We pulled into a large Walmart lot, one of three in that city, early in the afternoon and positioned the RV to take the brunt of the storm. Before long we were joined by others who wanted off the road. By late afternoon we had 16 RVs, by morning we had 20. A car, a truck and a van also joined to temporary campground.

The following day we travelled through small towns with flooded streets and intersections. They didn't appear to have built their streets with sewer run-offs and the rain collected 6-8 inches deep.

From Texas we travelled a new route for us into Colorado. Light rain and colder temperatures were felt as the elevation changed. The green grass and trees budding new leaves were signs of spring in this state that I had not visited before.

Next state was Wyoming, were the grasslands and rolling foothills spread for miles. Snowcapped mountains began to appear on the far horizon. Days were back to sunny and bright and we enjoyed time sitting outside soaking up the spring sunshine.

Since we were now in cattle country, a sign of spring were all the newborn calves. Watching them as well as the many herds of antelope, made the long drive more delightful.

Each day's travel brought us closer to the mountains and the bright sun shining down on the snow. Small run-off streams were running at their highest as the snow melted.

After living in the flatlands of Ontario and Florida, the mountains are truly majestic. Not so much fun to climb and descend in a motorhome.

BUT! what a glorious landscape to travel. Thirty-two hundred miles of scene after scene. Each day a different terrain and an appreciation of our chosen lifestyle.

Second Museum of the Day

After the walking tour of the Old State Prison we went on to the next museum in this small town. The brochure advertised "Cowboys, Cars and Cons". We left the Cowboy museum for our next trip to Deer Lodge and decided to go for the cars. What a pleasant surprise! Over 120 cars were featured! From the earliest in the early 1900's to the 1960's. Cars that have moved on to history, cars that had wonderful names like Hupmobile, Phaeton, Edsel,Nash Neopolitan, Pierce Arrow,Studebaker Hawk, Packards and a Ford Woody stationwagon. I couldn't possibly remember all their fascinating names. One of the surprises was the 1913 Electric car,built in Detroit and could travel 65 miles to a charge. Who dropped the ball and did not see the future in this car? Many of the cars took us for a stroll down memory lane. Bob has owned so many different cars in his lifetime that we were continually smiling and recollecting some of our fun days. Forty of these cars were on loan from a couple who live in Deer lodge and have their own collection of 46 antique cars. Other cars were on loan from individuals who had restored one or two cars and a few had been donated to the Museum. What a way to spend an afternoon in a small town in the middle of nowhere!

Deer Lodge, Montana

Our first visit to Deer Lodge, Montana was 44 yrs. ago. We loaded 4 young children into our station wagon and started across the northern states to visit Nanny Wiffen and Uncle Fred in British Columbia. A twin size mattress fit perfectly in the back and a box of tenting supplies rested on top of the wagon.

We pulled in to Deer Lodge and rented a room in a small motel. It is still there today. We took the kids out for dinner, if I remember correctly, it was spagetti for all. There was a large prison on the main street and we teased the kids about leaving them there.

Bob and I have visited this small town 3 times since then. We have found a lovely, RV park and a favourite restaurant. We swear that The Broken Arrow serves the best steaks we have ever tasted.

Today we visited the old prison which is now a Museum. A self-guided tour took us to all the facilities of this state prison. From solitary confinement, to the shop were they made licence plates, to the mess hall, to the cells, all surrounded by a stone wall and lookout posts with sirens and search lights.

Since Deer Lodge is a very small town, I doubt that this prison will ever be kept up as a museum. The buildings are slowly deteriorating, paint is flaking, sidewalks broken and a huge theatre has been burned.

More to come in the next blog. SERVING TIME!!