Salmon Arm, my town... We have been cominng here for years. I have my favorite haunts. Great dollar store, great shops down by the pier and of course the LORDCO. My saviour, LORDCO had a fuel pump that fit. Like new, we were back in action.
Sturgess North had it's own charm, in a scattered disorganized kind of way. Highlight of the event had to be Ray Sawyer and Doctor Hook. "Sylvia's Mother" was the encore, nearly made me cry. The weather was brutal. Cold and rain with hail. When it cleared, it took the rest of the day with it and we were sitting at +3 degrees in JULY!!! The band even had to leave to go and layer up. Sporting toques and Boston Bruins Jerseys.
The Remainder of our time was spent visiting our family, enjoying the adventure and loving the best scenery BC had to offer. By the end of our trip, we had seen over 20 other busses in varying conditions but all being loved by their drivers and loved by those who saw them.
Saturday, March 3, 2012
Monday, January 9, 2012
Did you have a sound wagon?
When you have someone give you something that's so thoughtful and cool as a gift, sometimes you just have to share. This was under the tree this year, and I have never seen one before, but after this, I feel a new collection coming on. The sound quality is crap, but that makes it all the more entertaining. Apologies for the photo quality, I used my IPad to record it, lacking proper video equipment.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Location:Athabasca County No. 12,Canada
Freedom quilt
VWll after much time spent hunched over a very vintage singer, the freedom quilt is finally done. I have to say despite some obvious flaws where the patches don't quite line up, I am still very fond and very proud of it. That old singer powered right through double thick arctic lining like a true workhorse without skipping a stitch. Now to decide what to do with it? Keep or sell?
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Location:Athabasca County No. 12,Canada
Friday, December 30, 2011
Sorry I have been away. But I learned to Applique!!!
I wish I had a better excuse for not being here to post more, but this fall had really taken it's toll on any available free time for blogging, plus my priorities being more about making things than talking about making things, got me a bit caught up in projects.
So the latest insane project is the design of a VW Bus quilt. Never having appliqued before, I truly did not understand how addicting this could really be. While I had intended for this to be a new years project, I had nine 9X11 quilt squares made before Christmas!! But of course, true to form, I had one issue after another just getting to nine squares. First, my not so old - basic singer sewing machine, which should have been maintained better in retrospect, decided not to co-operate. Missing stitches, puckering fabric, chewing through my appliques, what a disaster. To the rescue, my mothers vintage 1970 singer - or as I affectionately like to call it - the finger F&$ker. Don't look away for even a second, this machine has one speed- warp drive and if you aren't paying attention, you will look like Edward ScissorHands in no time.
So after much frustration, I got the old girl running, and haven't looked back. Hope to have a finished project before spring. Have a look at the first two I made, I will post more pics of the others soon.
So the latest insane project is the design of a VW Bus quilt. Never having appliqued before, I truly did not understand how addicting this could really be. While I had intended for this to be a new years project, I had nine 9X11 quilt squares made before Christmas!! But of course, true to form, I had one issue after another just getting to nine squares. First, my not so old - basic singer sewing machine, which should have been maintained better in retrospect, decided not to co-operate. Missing stitches, puckering fabric, chewing through my appliques, what a disaster. To the rescue, my mothers vintage 1970 singer - or as I affectionately like to call it - the finger F&$ker. Don't look away for even a second, this machine has one speed- warp drive and if you aren't paying attention, you will look like Edward ScissorHands in no time.
So after much frustration, I got the old girl running, and haven't looked back. Hope to have a finished project before spring. Have a look at the first two I made, I will post more pics of the others soon.
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
Sturgess North Day Three. Where was I??
Alrighty...
Last we left off, we were stranded in Blue River. Highway closed due to a tanker truck roll over and we lost Darryl and the girls...
This is the first day we wake up to sun in a very very long time, so much so that we notice it. We have a chilly sleep, as we had no real blanket overnight, but the kids survived the night in the tent, no large black hungry bears bothered them. Trailers and campers are all pulling out, obviously they know more about the road closure than we do, must have opened up through the night. We are less than 3 hours away from Kamloops so we hastily eat our breakfast and get on the road.
The van is running tip top, thanks to a new fuel filter. Always loving the quick fix on the road. I find my anxiety level is off the charts when Lil Blue gets cranky.
This has to be the best part of the trip so far. It is all downhill, windy roads, moderate traffic and plenty to see. Kids have been really quiet, enjoying the trip as much as I have. Meryl is long gone, enjoying the open road and mountain passes, we will catch up I am sure. If I could only get cell service.
We get to Clear Water in great time, it is quite obvious where the accident was last night. Hydrochloric acid kind of has a way of leaving a mark. Quick bite to eat at the local DQ makes the kids happy and gives us a chance to stretch out. The bike and van attract some visitors who stop to talk about our trip and how both of the vehicles are handling the trip so far. Being unique attracts conversations that we would never have otherwise, but Lil Blue is a conversation starter, even more so than the bike. Bikers are tough, unapproachable - or so goes the reputation. People want to look at the bike and they want to talk to Meryl, but you can tell they have a different approach or attitude then when they are talking to me in the van.
Finally Kamloops Hooray!! Now we are really starting to see a ton of bikes. They are everywhere! We are close to Salmon Arm now and you can tell there is a biker rally going on. Rolling thunder is an understatement. I can't help but wonder how much the communities in the region are benefiting economically from this event. Outstanding.
Darryl finally calls!! "Where have you been, I was worried about you guys" he exclaims. He continues on to tell me they were stranded on the highway too, just on the other side of the accident, north of Clearwater. He said that they were trying to make people wait it out on the side of the road. Now remember of course that Darryl is hauling a "house" on the back of his truck. But being the stellar truck driver he is... Backs up that whole entire rig through windy mountain roads (did you catch the BACKWARDS part) 3 MILES down the vacant northbound lane until he came to a campsite. And he only had to stop to straighten it out once. And he did it with a vehicle full of kids... My Hero.
So, long story short, they make it to the Zoo and are waiting for us. We plan to travel convoy style the short jaunt to Salmon Arm.
First thing first - lets get some gas to be sure. No biggie, fuel up, waiting for Meryl at the pump, Lil Blue is idling nicely, when out of the blue...(no pun intended) we stall out and die. Sounds like it isn't getting any fuel. Can't be the filter, we just changed it. Meryl decides it has to be the fuel pump, just not holding its prime. When the accelerator is being used it seems to work fine, but just wont idle. A little tinkering and a shot of CO2 down the fuel line seems to be all it needs to get the gas flowing again. Off we go, mind you I am a bit apprehensive at this point. My spider senses are starting to tingle.
Fortunately we find Darryl in short order, his mammoth rig sticks out with more attention than the Zoo itself. We head out all three of us, with less than an hour to go to our final destination.
So you know what is worse than a van with fuel pump issues?? A van with fuel pump issues in highway construction!!! FML could I not have had worse luck today? We are so close to Salmon Arm it isn't even funny, and here we are, stuck in traffic. I have learned by this point in time to shut the van off instead of idling. We are finally moving again, well at least some of us are... No dice, I am dead again. Now I am stranded on the side of what used to be a road, in construction, the kids are hot and freaking out and to be quite frank, so am I.. Meryl is gone but Darryl is still behind me. He hasn't got a clue... We get it going enough to make it about 50 yards, dead again... ACK! Now the flag lady is trying to push me out of the way onto the side of the road, Darryl and his house are blocking the road and Meryl who finally found a place to turn around has returned to the chaos. I am beyond freaking right now and we are seriously stranded. Even the flag lady feels for us, she offers several emergency posts to protect Meryl who is now under the van, trying desperately to find a way to get this jalopy moving again.
Darryl is forced to go on without us, he is simply too big to stay on this narrow one way stretch.
I would love to tell you what happened over the next several minutes, but to be honest, I was too busy watching out to make sure no one ran into or over us, but within 25 minutes we were back in action. Gotta love a mechanically inclined spouse.
Balls to the walls, no stopping now, if I do it will die. I call my Sister in Law, panicked "I need a route to your house that has not lights, not stopping". She excitedly tells me she will meet me on the highway. I fly by her at breakneck speed, probably with the look of sheer determination and fear written all over my face. She bursts out laughing at the circus sideshow act which is Lil Blue screaming down the mountain.
To end this day... what a relief. We make it safe and sound, I don't care if I ever move from this spot again the entire week. Tomorrow- fuel pump day. God I hope it is the problem.
Last we left off, we were stranded in Blue River. Highway closed due to a tanker truck roll over and we lost Darryl and the girls...
This is the first day we wake up to sun in a very very long time, so much so that we notice it. We have a chilly sleep, as we had no real blanket overnight, but the kids survived the night in the tent, no large black hungry bears bothered them. Trailers and campers are all pulling out, obviously they know more about the road closure than we do, must have opened up through the night. We are less than 3 hours away from Kamloops so we hastily eat our breakfast and get on the road.
The van is running tip top, thanks to a new fuel filter. Always loving the quick fix on the road. I find my anxiety level is off the charts when Lil Blue gets cranky.
 |
| Leaving Blue River. Starting to see more of these as we go further south |
We get to Clear Water in great time, it is quite obvious where the accident was last night. Hydrochloric acid kind of has a way of leaving a mark. Quick bite to eat at the local DQ makes the kids happy and gives us a chance to stretch out. The bike and van attract some visitors who stop to talk about our trip and how both of the vehicles are handling the trip so far. Being unique attracts conversations that we would never have otherwise, but Lil Blue is a conversation starter, even more so than the bike. Bikers are tough, unapproachable - or so goes the reputation. People want to look at the bike and they want to talk to Meryl, but you can tell they have a different approach or attitude then when they are talking to me in the van.
Finally Kamloops Hooray!! Now we are really starting to see a ton of bikes. They are everywhere! We are close to Salmon Arm now and you can tell there is a biker rally going on. Rolling thunder is an understatement. I can't help but wonder how much the communities in the region are benefiting economically from this event. Outstanding.
Darryl finally calls!! "Where have you been, I was worried about you guys" he exclaims. He continues on to tell me they were stranded on the highway too, just on the other side of the accident, north of Clearwater. He said that they were trying to make people wait it out on the side of the road. Now remember of course that Darryl is hauling a "house" on the back of his truck. But being the stellar truck driver he is... Backs up that whole entire rig through windy mountain roads (did you catch the BACKWARDS part) 3 MILES down the vacant northbound lane until he came to a campsite. And he only had to stop to straighten it out once. And he did it with a vehicle full of kids... My Hero.
So, long story short, they make it to the Zoo and are waiting for us. We plan to travel convoy style the short jaunt to Salmon Arm.
First thing first - lets get some gas to be sure. No biggie, fuel up, waiting for Meryl at the pump, Lil Blue is idling nicely, when out of the blue...(no pun intended) we stall out and die. Sounds like it isn't getting any fuel. Can't be the filter, we just changed it. Meryl decides it has to be the fuel pump, just not holding its prime. When the accelerator is being used it seems to work fine, but just wont idle. A little tinkering and a shot of CO2 down the fuel line seems to be all it needs to get the gas flowing again. Off we go, mind you I am a bit apprehensive at this point. My spider senses are starting to tingle.
Fortunately we find Darryl in short order, his mammoth rig sticks out with more attention than the Zoo itself. We head out all three of us, with less than an hour to go to our final destination.
So you know what is worse than a van with fuel pump issues?? A van with fuel pump issues in highway construction!!! FML could I not have had worse luck today? We are so close to Salmon Arm it isn't even funny, and here we are, stuck in traffic. I have learned by this point in time to shut the van off instead of idling. We are finally moving again, well at least some of us are... No dice, I am dead again. Now I am stranded on the side of what used to be a road, in construction, the kids are hot and freaking out and to be quite frank, so am I.. Meryl is gone but Darryl is still behind me. He hasn't got a clue... We get it going enough to make it about 50 yards, dead again... ACK! Now the flag lady is trying to push me out of the way onto the side of the road, Darryl and his house are blocking the road and Meryl who finally found a place to turn around has returned to the chaos. I am beyond freaking right now and we are seriously stranded. Even the flag lady feels for us, she offers several emergency posts to protect Meryl who is now under the van, trying desperately to find a way to get this jalopy moving again.
Darryl is forced to go on without us, he is simply too big to stay on this narrow one way stretch.
I would love to tell you what happened over the next several minutes, but to be honest, I was too busy watching out to make sure no one ran into or over us, but within 25 minutes we were back in action. Gotta love a mechanically inclined spouse.
Balls to the walls, no stopping now, if I do it will die. I call my Sister in Law, panicked "I need a route to your house that has not lights, not stopping". She excitedly tells me she will meet me on the highway. I fly by her at breakneck speed, probably with the look of sheer determination and fear written all over my face. She bursts out laughing at the circus sideshow act which is Lil Blue screaming down the mountain.
To end this day... what a relief. We make it safe and sound, I don't care if I ever move from this spot again the entire week. Tomorrow- fuel pump day. God I hope it is the problem.
Monday, August 8, 2011
Lil Blue bus, trying to win the summer tradition celebration
http://traditions.cbc.ca/entry/4670181-Summers-in-the-Vintage-VW-Bus
Need a hand from all you bloggers out there. Lil Blue is running to win the summer tradition contest. Our story on our summer traditions with the van is all about making the best of the times we have in our ohh so short summers out here in Alberta.
No facebook account needed, just login with your email address and you are good to go.
Thanks!
Need a hand from all you bloggers out there. Lil Blue is running to win the summer tradition contest. Our story on our summer traditions with the van is all about making the best of the times we have in our ohh so short summers out here in Alberta.
No facebook account needed, just login with your email address and you are good to go.
Thanks!
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