Released by the Aliens!

Why else would I not update my blog for close to three weeks?

Or perhaps I was in denial after waking up to a fresh snowfall one day?

However, waking up these days is a lot easier with the sun rising before 6 AM and shining in my bedroom window trying to blind me about the same time as Hailey makes it her duty to see that I am awake.  Having a morning coffee on the front deck is a lot like RV’ing.  It is super quiet here, if you don’t consider the swirling flocks of cliff and barn swallows chattering to each other, the sound of the river splashing on the rocks, the robins, the gaggles of Canada geese honking as they leave the river and head past on their way to graze on the fresh green grass, and the tinkle of Hailey’s bell as she keeps the mice and other small critters honest. 

The herd of deer moves off into cover for the day as a lone flicker pounds his head against a dead tree; the  beaver and muskrat seek out their daytime hiding places.

Then I got the e-mail I had been expecting from Chris at Back Country RV in Lethbridge.  It turns out that the repairs are complete, the new axle is installed, and the unit is ready for pickup.  They arranged to have the wheel alignment done as well before I came back for it, and repaired a couple of small cosmetic things on the rig too. The good news was that a new mortgage was not required to pay the damages!  I was looking forward to being re-united with most of my ‘stuff’, having packed everything I could think of into the truck when we had to leave the rig behind.  I headed back south the next day for the reunion.

Heading south from Calgary, I rolled into Nanton, and did something I have been meaning to do for a long time.  Nanton is home to the Bomber Command Museum of Canada.  My uncle Clifford was a bomb aimer on the crew of Halifax LW 682 M that was shot down on a night bombing raid over Belgium on the night of May 12, 1944, almost 68 years ago to the day.  Although my uncles body was recovered at the time and buried in Belgium, several of the crew were not recovered as the plane sank in a bog.  Through the dedication and efforts of a large number of individuals, the plane LW 682 and the remaining crew members were recovered in September 1997. (check all the links)

Still outside the museum, I quickly spotted uncle Clifford’s name, along with hundreds of others.

Inside, they displayed a piece from the propeller from his downed plane that was recovered from the bog.

Also inside the museum, another restored Halifax bomber was on display.  I could actually go inside it and see where my uncle and his crew would have been on that night raid.

Back out on the road southbound through Granum, it appeared that there had been up to 5” of new snow overnight, however most of it had melted and the roads were all bare and dry.  The area down here is known for it’s windy conditions, and this was demonstrated by the guywires on this tower.  This type of tower is usually free standing, but this one was well tied down!

The guys at Back Country RV Service, 3109 12 Avenue North, Lethbridge, AB  (403) 320-0841 had taken good care of the rig, keeping it plugged in and ready to go upon my arrival.  They let me fill a bit of water too, as I had drained all onboard to reduce the weight while limping in on three wheels! They are a new shop in Lethbridge, so if you are in the area and need some maintenance, parts or repairs, I recommend giving them a call.  They treated me just great.

After hooking up we headed west towards Pincher Creek where we had some visiting to do.  We managed to skirt the perimeter of a very dark looking cloud along the way, but stayed dry.

Back at home, we have been off the ground for some photos, while waiting for the grass to green up and enjoying some real summer-like weather.

Here we are, finally updating the blog.

It may be a while before we blog again, but hang in there and keep checking back to see what we are up to!