Things are moving along!

 It's now the 10th of May and we've been home 10 days.  To say things have been brisk would be a bit of an understatement!  The house is shut down while we are away so it takes a bit to get everything up and running.  We stayed two nights at our daughter and son in laws and the first day we came out to unload and get the water up and running.  No heat in the house so the water is drained and as we are on a creek system it means valves in the field etc.  That afternoon we had a leak in an old tap under the kitchen sink so parts were in order.  Eric thought it might not be possible to repair the tap but...it was.  Next day I did grocery shopping and started to put things together inside.  Eric went out to start up the machinery big and small as lawns needed to be thatched.  I needed to remove all the birch tree trash from the yard and deadhead any plants that were still blooming when we left in the fall.  The first few days were pretty brutal but things are now under control ....more or less.  Eric has " Big Red " uncovered and he did an oil change on the Tiger.  Motorcycles are important !!  

It was fairly warm when we got home and the daffodils are still blooming. 

Thatching ....farm style!  This lawn is so mossy the tow behind thatcher just kept plugging up.  He is towing the side delivery hay rake with his David Brown tractor.  This 1960's vintage tractor did all the work in the early years including snow blowing our long road in. 

I did manage a coffee with my " gal pals " here at home.  Barb in the middle trying to do the " Greek neck squeeze" to take away my wrinkles and Trudy on the right.  Both ladies are Terrace born and I've only been here 50 years!

Even the primroses are still blooming. 

Wanda primroses that I got from son in law Wade's mother, Fern.

Bits of color here and there. 

Kitselas mountain in the distance.  The Skeena river is still really low but there seems to be lots of snow on the mountains. 

That's my creeping thyme...can you see the holes...the voles make it their winter home!

A white pulsatilla or Pasque flower. 

Dinner a few nights ago.  B.C. oysters....delicious!

Here I'm waiting at the Old Bridge which is one way.  We have another bridge which we call " The New Bridge!" but I was going to the north end of the town.  

I had just been down to the Spotted Horse Nursery on Graham and I'm coming up Kenney St.  It's run and owned by a local gal Cathy Jackson whom our family has know since she was a little girl.  She has appaloosa horses hence....The Spotted Horse.  I needed seed potatoes as I'm getting my vegetable garden ready to plant.  We had a bit of rain this afternoon but tomorrow looks good so the seeds, potatoes and transplants will go in.  Hopefully Eric can get out for a ride which he so dearly loves. 

So all in all things are good and we are happy to be home.  Quiet and green here! 

A little hiccup and then home.

 So how did our trip from Prince George to Terrace go today?  Well...it was a mixed bag.  We were ready to go at 7am and I went to check out and meet Eric at the gas station next door.  No Eric.  I walked back and the truck was running but the canopy was open and he had gloves on..well the truck wouldn't start at first.  You won't remember but back in 2020 on our covid run for the Canadian border and home we had numerous problems and the last one was...the truck wouldn't start.  We were in Moses Lake Washington and Eric had to call a tow truck.  The problem was simple.  A fuel pump that was sucking air instead of pumping. In the end it started and when we got home Eric replaced the O rings and it's been no problem since.  Luckily for us he knew what to to do this morning and we were on the road by 7:30.  

I tried to download photos as we travelled but the cell service was sporadic.  And...Google photos mucks up my photo order after I edit so I can't photo order.  However if I didn't take so many pictures it would be easier 😂 

Beautiful day but cold and -2c to start.  Pretty but not much growing.

Coming into Vanderhoof about 90 miles north of Prince George.

Trucks loaded with logs the whole day.  A mad rush to get it all to the Mills before brake up and it's too muddy.  Plus...more wood moving south as smaller Mills have been closed down everywhere up north.

In Houston they're making pellets for pellet stoves which are used for heat.  Canfor mill has closed and "promises" they'll build a new state of the art one...we'll see.

They grow huge amounts of hay in the Vanderhoof area.  

As we travelled it snowed intermittently. Squalls!

Hmm...a bit wet here.  We watch the weather before we travel and none of this was called for.

Endako pub...no longer open.

 

There was a forest fires threatening Endako a few days ago.  All we saw was right along the highway and close to all the fibre optic and power lines. Likely a cigarette butt.

Coming into Burns Lake.

Leaving Burns Lake.

Nothing growing and no trees in leaf.

Wet and sleety.   April showers bring the flowers that bloom in May!

Houston.

Just a constant stream of loaded logging trucks.

Here we're coming into Telkwa and it's starting to green up.

All the rivers are really low..which isn't a good thing for the summer.

The Bulkley is usually roaring at this time of year.  Lots of British Columbia has low snow packs.

Smithers and we stopped for fuel and ate lunch.

It's starting to green up as we head north.

This has had the surface ground off in preparation for paving.

North of Smithers and there was lots of delays for paving.

Now the big coastal mountains appear.

Moricetown canyon.

Coming down into Hazelton which is about 90 miles south of Terrace.

I edited and cropped all these photos and Google photos mucks it up...very frustrating.

To the left the Seven Sisters mountains are hidden by cloud.

The Skeena river and the water is low.

Just beautiful and home isn't far away.

Greener here.

Up off the highway onto Gold Creek Road and home.

Everything is just as we left it which is always a relief.

The pulmonaria or lungwort has bumble bees on it.

Our little house.

The grass is a bit greener and the daffodils are out.  

We got home around 3pm, unloaded a bit and dropped the trailer with the motorcycle. Turned on the power, started the fridge and turned on a couple of heaters...and tomorrow we'll get the water going.  Tonight dinner and we're spending the night at our daughter Erika's.  Glad to be home.