A glimmer

The phrase ‘a glimmer of hope’ is a very familiar one but it was only a while ago that I read/ saw (I’m never sure these days what the medium was) that those small moments of delight or joy are called ‘glimmers.’ I don’t know who coined that term but I like it. It rhymes with shimmers and that’s what it makes me think of, a passing something that catches and reflects the light for a fraction of a second and then is gone. It also brings to mind the idea of a glimpse, again, something perceived but not quite seen in its entirety.

A glimmer for the bees and me

The possibility of raspberries

I’ve long been an advocate for searching for those small moments, mainly because if I don’t consciously look for them it is far too easy to fall into a grumpy world that feels like I’m covered by an itchy grey flannel and everything is irritating. Some days it’s easier than others to find the glimmers but that’s beside the point.

The point is that today I went to renew my drivers license. One of the joys of getting older is that, at a certain point, the government requires a medical to allow you to keep driving. I’m not at that point yet; however  they will only renew my license for one year and then I must show up again with a note from my doctor saying I’m not likely to harm myself or anyone else on the road due to a physical condition.

I wasn’t all that thrilled about the visit to the registry. I was imagining long line-ups and people impatient to get their business done before the long weekend.  So, as I got into the car this morning I gave myself a good talking to about getting a parking place fairly easily, and the process not taking too long. I reminded myself that I have my phone and I can play my favourite word game if the visit turned out to be longer than expected.

As I pulled into the parking lot a car came out of a spot right in front of the registry. Bonus! Three or four people entered the registry ahead of me and there were a few in line ahead of them. As I took my place in line, two of the folks ahead stepped up to the counter. I had just stopped walking when another two groups moved from the line to the counter and then the father and  teenaged son immediately ahead of me moved to a window, the boy giving me a shy smile. I looked to my right just as a young woman wearing a hijab motioned me over.

I explained my errand and she asked my age. When I told her and she frowned and told me that she might only be able to give me a license for a year. I replied that it wasn't a problem because I was expecting it. “Let me just check.” Her accent was charmingly British. I nodded. She punched something into the computer and then looked at the print out. “Oh, good.” she said smiling, and then, “Hmm. I think it’s being naughty.” 

She tried again and then turned to me, her brows knitted. “I’m sorry, it’s only going to allow me to give it to you for one year.” Again I reassured her; she got me to sign in the appropriate places on the form and asked how I wanted to pay. I replied I’d use my credit card. She looked at me again. “Do you happen to have cash? It’s quite a bit cheaper if you use cash.” I don’t usually bother but the thought that she cared enough to save a random stranger a couple of bucks impressed me, so I took out my wallet and gave her cash. She gave me change and motioned me to the chair in front of the camera.

I sat down, she directed me where to look and took one shot. “I think I’ll take another,” she said.  She took two more which seemed to satisfy her. I got up from the chair, wished her a nice day. She returned the wish, smiled and said, “See you next year.”

It was an exchange of a couple of minutes but I drove home in a much better mood than the one in which I left the house. For her I was another customer in a long line of them and she probably won’t remember the interaction beyond tomorrow morning if that long. For me, she is the most recent in a growing list of people who have made one of my days more enjoyable by their presence. 

I know well the feeling of delight when I see a hawk riding the wind, or when I see a bee busy about a flower. Those are reliable glimmers for me. People also can be glimmers and, while I don’t often have the words to tell those people in a moment that they have made a difference to me, I hope that on my good days I can pass that experience on to others. I'm also resolved to write about those moments when they happen so I have something to look back on on my grumpier days. As always, we'll see how long that resolve lasts. Stay tuned.

A window, a nest, and a five-foot slinky

Walking by McLean Pond

You’re probably wondering what the 3 items in the title of this blog have to do with each other. Well let me explain. Last Sunday we set off on our first camping trip in two years. We intended to go last year but when Richard needed surgery we cancelled our reservations. We were determined to get out this year and the first window opened up last Sunday, June15. We want to avoid camping on the weekends if we can. We invited our friends Deb and Steve to come out and have a hotdog lunch with us on Monday.

We arrived around 7:00 pm, checked in and got settled in our campsite. We now need some sort of power to run the CPAP machines so we booked a campsite with a power hookup. That meant that dinner was really easy, leftovers in the microwave. We also use a small electric kettle to boil water for dishes. We turned in and Monday morning woke without the aid of an alarm. I took my lighter quilt thinking it would be fine and I found myself curled up into a ball most of the night unable to get warm. I was just cold enough to wake up and think that I should reach down and get the sweater from the end of the bed but not awake enough to actually do it. By the end of our excursion I was sleeping in two layers of tights, one of the fleece, two layers of merino wool, both with long sleeves, and a quilted vest. Note to self: bring the down quilt next time.

There was a fire ban so when Deb and Stever arrived for hotdogs we had to cook them in a pot rather than over the open fire. We took most of the kitchen stuff out of the van for the winter but there were a few things left on the second shelf. I went looking for something there and when I pulled out the first item I noticed some dark little objects about the size of grains of rice. MOUSE POOP! Oh yuck! I investigated further and saw that the little creature had made a lovely nest of insulation at the back of the second shelf. Well, no point in fussing about it then. It had clearly been there for a while; the inhabitant was no longer in attendance, and another few hours weren’t going to make any difference.

We enjoyed our hotdogs, coleslaw, and a wonderful blueberry pie that Deb provided, for dessert. We had a lovely visit as we always do, complete with required silliness and lots of laughing. When it was time for Deb and Steve to head home we turned our attention to the mouse problem. Richard donned gloves and threw out the nest and remaining bits of insulation. There were several fabric items in the affected area. We tossed a pair of oven mitts and some placemats along with anything else we could live without. Richard swept the area, then vacuumed it using the handheld vac we carry in the van. While I walked to the Campers Centre to get some vinegar, he took everything out of the cupboard and washed it within an inch of its life. I thought vinegar would work as a mild disinfectant.

 

All clean

As luck would have it, the Campers Centre had vinegar and Lysol wipes so I bought both and returned to the van. The cupboards got a good going over with the wipes and we let them thoroughly dry and air out before putting back all the items we had washed. Some we kept out to sterilize in the dishwasher when we got home. I think we’ll request that our pest control guy put a couple of bait boxes in the van before the winter. Maybe it was the fact that we went for two years without driving the van much, or maybe we’ve just been lucky in the past, but this is the first time we’ve had mice in the van. Although it wasn’t the way we intended to spend the day, we felt pretty good about what we accomplished and spent the rest of the day lounging around, doing puzzles, and reading.

Taking turns in the inflatable lounger

The weather was unsettled on Tuesday, it rained and the sun came out and then it rained again. At one point Richard tried to lock the van using his fob and nothing happened. Back to the Campers Centre to see if they had batteries that would fit. I guess he didn’t like the idea of me being able to lock him out, or in. If I locked the door from the outside with my fob and he tried to open it from the inside it would set the alarm off. Oh the power! We actually found batteries that would work.

When we were at McLean Creek in 2020 it was a bit of a game to see whether the Campers Centre had ice cream or not. This time they did so, of course, we had to have some. Richard took off his hoodie and laid it on the counter when paying for the batteries and neither of us noticed that we left without it. Later in the evening when it got chilly we turned the van upside down looking for it. By that point the store was closed but he did have other insulation clothing.

Wednesday when I was closing one of the awning windows in preparation for a walk, the arms that retracted the window came in all right but the glass didn’t. The glass had been stuck on with some sort of adhesive, much like the stuff they use to put mirrors on walls. I wanted a closer look so I lifted up the glass slightly and it came away in my hands. I stood there looking at the window in my hands and Richard hopped into problem solving mode. I really appreciate that! My thought was to find duct tape and tape over the window completely. Richard pointed out that duct tape might take the paint off the van and asked if I had any glue. I rummaged around and found a tube of ‘No More Nails.’ I didn’t think that would work but it was what we had so we decided to give it a try.

 

Attempting window repair

I got some sandpaper and roughed up the aluminum arms where they attached to the adhesive. I also tried to rough up the adhesive. You have to try, right? We got the glass nice and warm in the sun, applied the No More Nails, seated the aluminium arms into the goop and weighted them down with a couple of pieces for firewood. We waited for a couple of hours and then decided to try our luck. Richard managed to get the mechanism put back together and eventually we wrestled the window back onto the tracks. I gently turned the knob to close the window and we waited. The plan was to get it securely closed and then leave it alone until we got back home.

It wasn’t long before we heard a small pop as the window again detached from the arms. Plan B: back to the Campers Centre to get some electrical tape, yellow as it turns out. No, I didn't bring any duct tape with me. Richard did a great job of taping around the edges of the window and the van now sports a lovely yellow accent. Oh, with respect to Richard’s hoodie, they had it behind the counter at the Campers Centre. Good news.

One of the really nice things about camping is how easy it is to walk. One of the days I clocked 10K without really trying. We visited Loop D where we stayed in 2020 and tried to find the site. We couldn’t decide so when we got back to the van I looked it up in the log. We also visited McLean Pond a couple of times and enjoyed watching red winged blackbirds, juncos, and robins. At dusk we were there and saw something very large swimming. We weren’t aware of any Ogopogo-like creatures in East Kananaskis. As it got closer we determined that it was a beaver towing a huge branch complete with foliage. We managed a couple of photos just before the beaver dove at the entrance to its lodge. One morning a couple of horses wandered through the campground. They may have been feral or they may have belonged to the same ranchers who have free range cattle in the area. I was surprised and a bit disconcerted that in the 5 days we were there I only saw one squirrel. We used to be able to count on a steady cacophony of squirrels, and we had to constantly be on guard when we had any food on the picnic table. I don’t know why there are so few squirrels around but I don’t think it can be good.

Lots of dogwood flowers



We saw a few butterflies



The roses were abundant





Horses paid us a visit



Geese and goslings on McLean Pond



Red winged blackbird



Beaver towing his dinner


No camping report from me would be complete without noting the interesting people we met. On Thursday we saw an SUV pulling what I can only describe as a gypsy vardo go by our site. Being naturally nosey, we gave it a few minutes and then walked in the direction we saw it go. We waved at the people who were just getting set up and told them we really liked their trailer. They invited us to have a closer look. Before he retired, the man worked in the oil fields and built it over the course of a summer when he was home on weekends. All of us agreed that the days of sleeping on the ground were over for us. His job had been to design pump systems for the oil industry and his wife noted that before he built the vardo he drew it out in great detail. She confessed she had no idea of how to read the drawings but made appropriately encouraging noises. On either side of the door was a bracket to hold a lantern and there was a little porch that folded down when not in transit. We thanked them for showing us around and planned to go back for another visit after they were completely set up. Unfortunately, we never did get back to see them and I didn’t get any photos of the trailer.

On Thursday evening it was looking like rain again and we decided to pack up the cook tent and stow the awning while it was dry rather than having to deal with soggy fabric in the morning when it was time to leave. Luckily the fire ban was lifted so we were able to have a couple of nice campfires, including one in which we roasted the last 2 hotdogs. We were sitting watching the fire when a young couple from the next site approached and said they had a couple of questions. They wanted to know where we got the van and how much we paid for it. We answered the questions and then had a good chat about the various methods of camping and the pros and cons. What we are learning is that with increasing comfort comes increasing complexity and therefore increasing maintenance. That was to come back to bite us on Friday morning.

Firebuilder



A microfibre towel attatched itself to my pants. That is not a flag so Richard can locate me.

I had a meeting to attend on Friday afternoon so we set an alarm for 8:00. I turned on the furnace to take the chill off, we leisurely made our way through our travelling checklist and headed off to the dump station. There was nobody else there and, although the clouds were threatening, it wasn’t raining. We got out the disposable gloves, flipped up the step to access the release valves for the grey and black water tanks, and took out the fitting that attaches to the end of the sewer hose and clipped it on.

The hose didn’t seem to be coming out as far as it should, so while Richard held the business end, I gave it a tug. It immediately split, turning what had been a hose into a five foot long slinky. I said a couple of bad words. Richard looked at the blue slinky and said, “Hmm.” My thought was to stuff it back in, close everything up, get home and call an RV repair place. After careful consideration Richard figured we could dump the tanks anyway because nobody could do anything to fix it until the tanks were empty. He proposed pulling the hose back so that the slinky part was in the pipe. Then, with the oil change pan that we carry to catch the drips under the point of connection, he would release the valves. It’s important to say here that we only use the toilet in the van for #1. ( No photos of these shenanigans!)

Neither of us could remember which lever was for the grey tank and which was for the black tank. He pulled one. Some of the effluent went through the hose but a lot of it spilled into the pan. He closed the valve and dumped the pan into the waste port which I was holding open. It became apparent by the toilet paper that we had found the black tank. When we finished with that one we emptied the grey tank following the same procedure. I considered it lucky that it wasn’t a scorching hot day and that there was no lineup. We used the dump station water pumps to rinse down things as much as we could, then as I tossed the gloves in the garbage a guy in a trailer pulled up to the spot beside us. I smiled to myself thinking what a show he had just missed.

It took us about 45 minutes to drive home. We unloaded the van just as the rain started. Richard took the van to a glass place on Saturday. They think they can fix the window or install a new one. We have an appointment with Hobo campers who have worked on Vinnie before to replace the sewer hose. I wouldn’t say it was one of our best camping trips ever, but it certainly is a memorable one. No more mouse’s nests, detachable windows, or broken sewer hoses. PLEASE!

One of the paths we took

A brief history of camping according to M&R

Our camping style has changed dramatically over the years. When we were first camping together we tossed a small tent in the car along with our sleeping bags and mats, a few clothes, some food, a stove and an axe. We travelled all over the Yukon using that method and made some great memories in the process.


When we began canoeing our friends travelled in Volkswagen Westfaiia vans and we thought those were the height of luxury. We found a green one in The Auto Trader newspaper and bought it. We didn’t have to set up a tent and the bed was quite soft and comfy compared to a camping mat.  ‘Kermie’ took us on some great trips and served as our second vehicle. There was a problem with that: Kermie had a gas heater which stank and seemed to use more gas than driving did. Because the engine was in the back the cab was pretty chilly and the steering tended to stiffen up in really cold temperatures. When Richard drove to work he dressed up as if he was going to race the Iditarod. Eventually that kind of discomfort and inconvenience takes it’s toll and we sold Kermie to one of my colleagues who planned to put in a new engine and give him a new lease on life.


We didn’t want to go back to tenting, so when we had the chance, we bought Richard’s parents’ camper van. This was another step up. It had a propane furnace and a propane stove. Even though Richard still likes to do most of the cooking outside, we certainly appreciated the furnace particularly on trips in late September and October. This van we called ‘Flopsy’ because the steering was, to put it politely, a little mushy. I didn’t like driving it at all. It had a big V8 engine and we joked that it could pass anything on the road except a gas station. Over the years we had her, Flopsy took us to more  places than any of our other vehicles, from Tofino on the west side of Vancouver Island, to Inuvik NWT, to Gros Morne Park NL. 

It was on our cross Canada trip in 2014 things started to go sideways with Flopsy. We needed a new battery in Regina; one of the side mirrors flew off in a rainstorm somewhere in northern Ontario; and on our way home, the water pump packed it in in a Tlmmy’s parking lot in Arnprior Ontario . Luckily, there was a Dodge dealership right next to the Timmy’s. We got enough fluid to limp the van next door. They ordered a water pump from Toronto, and we spent two nights in a hotel while Flopsy got fixed.

The mechanic suspected that he didn’t get to the bottom of the problem and loaded us up with diluted coolant and instructions to keep the speeds down, check the coolant frequently, and top it up when needed. We decided at that point to boot it for home and sell the van as soon as we could. It didn’t take long before a buyer, who had wanted a camper van ever since he was a kid, came along. He was impressed with what good shape the body was in and he brought a friend who was something of a weekend mechanic to look at the van. We disclosed the fixes we had made to the van and the fact that it was still leaking a little bit and we weren’t sure why. With that we said goodbye to Flopsy.


By this time we had been looking at vans for a while and had our eyes out for a RoadTrek. We talked to a few RoadTrek owners in campgrounds on our way across the country and one man who had owned three of them told us exactly what he thought we should be looking for and approximately how much it should cost. I started scouring ads on Kiji in western Canada. About two weeks after we parted with Flopsy, one came up in Salmon Arm. We phoned the owners and made arrangements to go and have a look at it. It was a 2002 Dodge 190 and it ticked all the boxes. We wanted not only a heater but also a toilet and the RoadTrek had both. That is how we came to own ‘Vinnie’ aka Vincent van Go. (Maybe not original, but the name amuses us.) 

Vinnie has been to Victoria and Kenora with many stops in between. We've camped with him in 5 of the provinces. Vinnie is now getting to the place where he needs quite a bit of work. If we were fifteen years younger, we would consider having a custom camper van built. None of the vans we have owned have had the layout we want and none of the new prebuilt ones do either. There are a lot of whistles and bells that we don't need on the new ones and, with the exception of Kermie, the space hasn't been used as efficiently as it could be. Our thinking is that we can spend quite a bit of money on Vinnie for the cost of a new van, even a used one and, as they say, ‘a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.’ As many of you know we tend to change our minds often, so I won't say we will never be looking for a new van. 

Today Vinnie sports a new set of tires, a new awning, and some new interior lighting. He needs a paint job because some of the undercoat is showing through and there is a bit of rust. He is way easier to drive than Flopsy and there are some modifications we can make to the interior space to make it less awkward. All in all, Vinnie makes a pretty good living space for the two of us and we want to spend more time with him either in campgrounds or on the road.