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1 to 15 August 2017 16 to 31 August 2017

Tuesday August 1, 2017

We woke up to light rain and it continued all morning.
Gabriel watches TV and I work on the next blog update.

Grand-maman joins Gabriel and watch the movie E.T.

The rain comes down hard at times. The farmers will be happy and so will our grass.

Jeremy offers to Gabriel to go bike riding in the rain. Off they go!

It was an indoor day.

Wednesday August 2, 2017

I am on my way to the RV dealer so they can replace the two parts covered under our extended warranty. It is the cylinder that holds the door open and the vent cover on the ceiling. At the same time, they will do an estimate on the damaged awning and submit it to my insurance company.

The RV dealer is only 12 km away. One hour and half later, I am back home with no parts replaced!
They had the wrong cylinder and the wrong vent cover, imagine that? So, back to square one for the repairs under the extended warranty. MJ RV & Boat of Moose Jaw do not impressed me so far.
For the awning estimate, they will have to order the parts. We hope all will fall into place soon.
So, I am back home now.

We have time for a quick bike ride before lunch.
Got to put on the protective gears.

Ready to roll. I have my geocaching GPS with us that way we can see how far and how fast we went.

We have traveled 8 km with a cruising speed of 8 km/h and a peak speed of 20 km/h.

It is 3 pm and Gabriel is going with his dad for a haircut.

The result.

Gabriel having fun with Grand-maman.

Last evening, me and Jeremy went to Regina to pick up an old canoe.
Here it is! The price was very good and we will have to make some repairs over the next few days.

We are getting anxious to go camping at Rowan's Ravine on Monday.

Thursday August 3, 2017

Another nice day ahead of us. First off, we fill the bird feeder.
Gabriel helps me a lot!

Next is a bike ride around the bike path
Gabriel is getting more and more confident as the days go by and more practice he gets.
Sometimes he wants to go really slow and he falls down. I laugh, he does not even cry, he gets back on the bike and goes again.

We are installing a rear safety light on Gabriel's bike.
He is supervising me as I install the light. He also tells me I am a good worker.

After a good lunch, it is pool time again. This time it is with Grand-maman.

Gabriel and his favorite alligator.

Gabriel stays about an hour in the pool.
It is now time to empty the pool. We are a very good team.

The master at work.

I would say that the major part of the day is spent laughing.

What? Gabriel is spending the night in the MH?
Look at the snack?

Our days are pretty full with a busy little boy like Gabriel.

Friday August 4, 2017

This is where Gabriel sleeps when we go to bed.
He is watching cartoons this morning.

Yesterday we decided to have breakfast at McDonald and play in the Play Place.
After 20 minutes in the Play Place, we head to our next activity.

Across McDonald is the Armory and they have all kinds of military vehicles on display.
Gabriel loves driving the jeeps.

Next stop is at Walmart.
Grand-maman could not resist and bought a Lego. Me? I complain just because I have to. I still enjoy building it with Gabriel!

A lizard.

We went for a bike ride again. This time Gabriel had a crash and it damaged his bell on his bike. Once it was fixed, he helps me re-install it.

Gabriel is like his dad, when he is tired, he can be grumpy.

When we went to bed, we moved Gabriel to the living room bed. Here is how it happens. First I wake him up, take him to the washroom and then we race to the living room bed where he jumps on the bed and falls asleep in about 5 seconds!!!

Another busy day for the Grand-parents. Biking, baseball, pool, reading, lots of questions and answers and more questions and more answers. All this followed by lots of "I love you" and "you are my favorite Grand-parents". He knows who to suck up to that is sure!

Saturday August 5, 2017

Jeremy is back at work on the canoe.
We are fixing up more stuff and making improvements too.
We even got Gabriel helping. He is vacuuming the canoe.

We debating about the location of the benches.
Gabriel is still supervising.

A little more cleaning in the canoe.
Gabriel is the vacuum man.

He slowly becomes bored with the canoe things. He prefers playing with the ants.

Doing the prep work for the new sealant. Many places will need the sealant.

We have to mix the sealant and we use a drill to make it easier for us.

Hum! Why not use pliers to dig a hole?

Showing his strength by crushing a piece of wood.

Rain is coming and we moved the canoe in the garage. It will be easier to apply the sealant.

It is 2:30 h when we are finally done. Now we can take the canoe with us to Rowan's Ravine.

Gabriel and Jeremy are getting their stuff ready for tomorrow. They are going to sleep overnight at Kristin's place. They will go to a reptile exhibit in Regina. Gabriel can't wait to see that.

Sunday August 6, 2017

Today is getting prepared for tomorrow's trip to Rowan's Ravine. Gabriel and Jeremy are doing the last little thing before leaving to Kristin's place in Regina.

After they are gone, we do some packing of our own.
The house is so quiet when Gabriel is gone!

Monday August 7, 2015

Today, we are going to Rowan's Ravine campground.
It is the first time we are going to this Provincial Park.
Jeremy, Kristin and Gabriel are already in Regina and will go to the campground from there.
Our first stop is at the Wakamow dump station to empty our gray/black waters before we leave Moose Jaw.

On the road to Regina. We are going through Regina because it is a better and shorter route to get to Rowan's Ravine.

Going through Regina was a piece of cake. On the other side of Regina, we took highway 11 north-west.
Once we arrive in the Qu'Appelle Valley, we leave hwy 11 and take some secondary roads north.

"Last Mountain Lake".
We are now at the south end of the lake. The lake is 93 km long, 3 km at its widest, a maximum depth of 40 m with an average depth of 35 m. Rowan's Ravine Provincial Park is located about halfway up the lake.

We leave hwy 20 and take hwy 220 to the park.

23 kilometers of rough road in front of us! You want washboard, the road is just a washboard road all the way.
Our maximum speed is between 45 and 50 km/h.

We made it!

I booked our site online and I was sure we had water and electric at our site. We do not have water on our site, Oh well!
We just fill the fresh water tank on the MH.

Another surprise awaits us once at our campsite. When I booked, it said we had 30 amp service. We have 50 amps service, good.
We have a nice, large site.

The lake is about 200 meters from our site and the beach is 500 meters away.

Shortly after lunch, we head for the beach. The water is a little green, but park officials said it was still OK for swimming.

We are back at the MH and just enjoying the weather. Gabriel is very busy playing.

We converted an old soap container into a hand washing station. That way Gabriel cannot forget to turn off the tap and drain the whole container in one hand washing session...

We are having cheeseburger for supper and Gabriel has one "cheesy tooth".

One site close to us is now empty, we sent Gabriel to take the split firewood from it.
An evening by the campfire.

Now that we are all setup, we are enjoying our time. We made an arrangement with Kristin and Jeremy, they provide all suppers and we provide breakfast and lunches.

Tuesday August 8, 2017

We woke up to light rain. The temperature is a little cooler too.
When Gabriel woke up, he came to the MH and watched cartoons for a while.

We have periods where we have no rain at all.

Gabriel really loves insects. Jeremy is reading a book about insects.

I am reading a book about snakes.

Our "coureurs des bois" are ready to go canoeing.

On their way to the lake.

Doing the last safety check before heading out.

We believe it is the first time Gabriel goes canoeing this year.

Our site.

They had a good trip with the canoe. Gabriel loved it.
We have lunch at 1 pm and it is with big cheese bread and cold cuts.

After our lunch, the rain started again . We head inside to watch a kid's movie.
Gabriel watches the movie and the others sleep.

Me? I continue cooking the bacon and sausages for the next few breakfasts.

The sun is back a few hours later. Jeremy, Kristin and Gabriel went biking around the campground. After biking, a nice, cold Mr. Freeze taste very good.

Kristin and Jeremy cooked a very good pulled pork.

Different generation! I read the label on my beer and Jeremy reads on his phone.
Another evening by the campfire.

First full day camping and we had a very good time.

Wednesday August 9, 2017

Out for a canoe trip this morning.

Jeremy, Kristin and Gabriel flipped the canoe and Gabriel did not like that at all.

While they are canoeing, I took this time to empty our gray water tank and take it to the dumping station.

Gabriel is a busy little boy.

Lunch being cooked over the fire.

Kristin getting ready for the beach.

Off to the beach we go.

The water is not green today. It must be because of the rain and winds we had yesterday.

Jeremy must've needed some love!

One happy boy.

Another evening around the campfire.

Gabriel helping Kristin and Jeremy with the recipe for making "Bannock".

We never made bannock before. It is very simple to make and the recipe is very close to a dessert recipe we make. (Pouding aux chomeurs)

Gabriel is the first one to cook and eat bannock.

It look good. You can eat it like that or with jam, butter or anything else you like.

It is very good. Thanks Kristin for this treat.

We had a full day.

Thursday August 10, 2017

It is my turn to go canoeing with Jeremy and Gabriel. Gabriel is a little less enthusiastic about canoeing since he flipped yesterday.

Crazy moments with a snake and Grand-maman.

Gabriel has a lot of fun and so do we.

Jeremy has set up a race track for Gabriel race on.

Michele and Gabriel spent an hour playing at the beach.

I drop by for a short time. I have to leave because of the green algae in the water. It makes my allergies go up and it is not fun to be at the beach. I went back to the MH.

Kristin has another good meal for us. Marinated chicken and it is good.

Since we all loved the bannock last night. It was decided to make more tonight.

Gabriel is spoiled, he is having bannock with Peanut butter, Nutella and Maple Spread.

Jeremy and Kristin are going for a canoe ride before the sunsets.

On our way to the washroom before bedtime.

We sure have full days, but so relaxing!

Friday August 11, 2017

Gabriel is in the MH watching cartoons again this morning. We don't mind. It is a little cold in the MH (15°C).

The cook at work!

Jeremy has made two arrows for Gabriel. He really likes them.

Just like his Grand-papa, Gabriel loves to play with his green plastic army soldiers.
An alligator has eaten one of the brown soldier.

One of the pieces of wood is too long to go into the fire pit. Gabriel will cut it in two.

The completed work with a little help from Grand-papa.

Jeremy is building a garage with the firewood.

Gabriel, Jeremy and Kristin are back at the beach. Me? I am taking a nap.

For dessert? S'mores.

Another good day.

Saturday August 12, 2017

Gabriel as a burrito?

Holidays are always too short. Time to pack and go home.

Gabriel is inside that way he is out of our way during packing.

Jeremy, Kristin and Gabriel left for Regina before us.
We have to stop at the dump station before we leave the park.

Ah! Back on the gravel road. It is not as bad as when we came in.

What a name for a small village...

Here and there, you can see old homestead and you wonder who lived there and how was their lives back then.

We are taking a different road to get back home. We are going north-west (hwy 11) and then back south (hwy 2) to Moose Jaw.
We are at the north end of Buffalo Pound Lake. We can see the old road.

The cabbage butterfly are out again this year, but not as bad as the previous years.

This is one little boy who had a great camping trip, but he is still happy to get back home and the TV!

Gabriel is having a sleep-over in the MH.

In the meantime, Jeremy is fixing a hole in his tent.

Gabriel is spoiled, popcorn in bed!

Jeremy has found a diagram on how to convert a golf cart into a canoe dolly. We do some trial and errors, but it is not that stable.

We will wait, maybe a good night sleep will bring other ideas.

Sunday August 13, 2017

It is sunny and warm outside, time to play outside!

Jeremy has found a better way to make a canoe dolly. It is much simpler and more stable. We are still using the wheels of the golf cart dolly.

Gabriel with his green plastic soldiers.

We are now proceeding with the final assembly of the canoe dolly.

Gabriel showing some of his dance moves.

What a week of fun with people we love.

Monday August 14, 2015

Ready for the bike ride.

The base has a nice bike/walking path. A quick stop to watch some construction workers.

I am installing the noddles on the canoe carrier.

We had some rain in the evening and like Gabriel will tell you, "If it rains, you can watch TV".

Tuesday August 15, 2017

We are in Regina for a little shopping and to visit the dinosaur museum.

Our first stop is at Value Village and the Toys-R-Us.

We had lunch at the local mall, a good Subway submarine.

To the museum we go!

Gabriel was quite impressed by the owl.

Gabriel being eaten by the T-rex?

We come every years to this museum. It is very well made and free.
As usual, the photos do not represent how it actually looks when you are looking at the displays.