And the Rain Came Dowm Blues: Sunday, June 26th!

There is no greater fallacy than the belief that aims and purposes are one thing, while methods and tactics are another. -Emma Goldman, social activist (27 Jun 1869-1940) 

Ayn P Patrick James Dunn Corinne Durston 1976...totally pregnant with a Leo named Chloe Alexis Dunn Chloe Alexis Dunn Hippies!!!!!!!❤️ Lori Ann Lol- that was Patrick?

Ayn P Yep!!Commies too I bet, they used to steam everything...wtf? Right veggies for three!! Chestnut St. Took me back there!!

Bruno Sterckeman Love Patrick's Amish pants.

Maggie Carr Not a look I recall at United.

Colleen Teahan Waldron Classic!

Penny Doorbar Great pic- you both look so good together x

Maggie Carr Pat was always involved with the drama group at UC. They were a tight group of friends.

Hi Patrick, Glad to see you're eating well. Family looks great. Lynne is still wearing the elephant pants! We did manage to escape Scandinavia although it was a near thing. SAS pilots went on strike do we had to plan an alternate route, via train from Stockholm to Copenhagen. It was quite a sojourn but we made it, only a half day late getting home. All' s well on the home front. I spent last week in the Rockies dodging grizzly bears at the coal mines. After a quick 2- day turnaround I'm back on the road, currently at Penticton airport on the way to Cuba for the week. My good man Rudy has the vineyard in good shape.
You road warriors should be home by next weekend. Looking forward to getting together to catch up on all our travels. Cheers, hugs for Corinne, Peter

Talked to Sandee Gatton today .They are home from the East. Said she hadn't heard from you for awhile .Said she was coming out to Visit Dusty . Rain this morning and afternoon .Just what we need !!! Enjoy your visit with Sandi
Clara


Hi Everybody, Hope you don't another field report from the Canadian Prairies. There is even a video included, taken this morning at 6:30 am.

We came from Val Marie yesterday, where we visited Grasslands National Park. The day started off with blustery weather – strong wind gusts and a bracing 11ºC. Soon we were in the park and on a narrow dirt road. We passed colonies of gophers (Richardson Ground Squirrels) and Black Tailed Prairie Dogs. The undulating grasslands, huge vistas and big cloud formations, wasn't all. We came across three huge bison bulls near the side of the road.

Back on the highway, after a few hours, we returned to Val Marie for a cup of tea. On the edge of town was a huge cylindrical tank with a tiny shed. You could fill up here, at this card lock set up – an unmanned gas station. Good thing too, as the gauge was on empty.

Saskatchewan is beautiful province and prairie people are amazingly friendly. Well, yesterday, I had to go to the bathroom and there was nowhere to go in the tiny town, we stopped in. The local grocery store owner in Frontier was not able to help and the senior citizens centre across the street was closed. So was the hotel. A customer offered to drive me to his house; a young man and school teacher. Then he drove me back to rejoin Ellie, on the main street. Later Ellie and I were sketching by a grain elevator and a rancher's wife drove right off the highway up in a big pickup. She was curious to see what we were sketching and was exuberantly friendly.

We drove on to Eastend and the T-Rex Museum. We did our laundry first, in the back of Charlie's Cafe where we each ate a burger. The museum was small but fascinating. It has one of the best assemblages of a local Tyrannosaurus Rex skeleton (65% original fossilized bones) anywhere in the world, and this ferocious looking monster was found right outside Eastend.

Once again we were on gravel road. We followed the Frenchman River west, through a beautiful shallow and almost treeless valley, to Ravenscrag. Then our route took us north up a long and steep hill. Soon we were in even higher prairie, perhaps near 1300 metres/4,300 ft. We reached the Spring Valley Guest Ranch down a very rough driveway, in early evening light.

Jim, is slightly built man, who grew up in in the area lives alone at his ranch. The place is dominated by a big rambling house, in Queen Ann style, and moved here by truck from elsewhere. Unbelievably, the ranch house was originally ordered from an Eatons Department Store Catalogue, and built back in 1913. There is also a bright red barn, a log building, a church (also moved from elsewhere) and some other outbuildings. Jim raises cattle, has chickens, does some catering and even does upholstery. There are no other guests here.

Jim is planning a steam punk fashion show in September and is awash in incorporating aboriginal, frontier, RCMP, and Hutterite cultures into his show. We were only slightly aware of this steam punk thing and it's fascinating. The performance will take place in the church where he also used to teach line dancing and host weddings. Jim has exotic breads of cattle and chickens and sells his meat locally. This is turning out to be a most interesting accommodation with a wonderful host.

Ellie and I are going to the Cypress Hills now. We will have to drive some more gravel, to get out to a highway. This is a forested region above the surrounding prairies. Best Wishes from the Ranch, Bob and Ellie 

Dear Patrick, Sounds like the Durstans had a gala anniversary celebration. Seventy one years is impressive indeed. Hope the torrential rains have let up in Wpg. & Penticton. We had a taste too of what Mother Nature can offer or is it Zeus with his magic trident creating those thunderous skies as we were on our boat in Port Browning on Pender Isl. when we heard Zeus roar. Cabin bound we danced the night away to Credance Clear Water and the Revivers with John Fogerty. It took me back to the sixties when I bopped until I dropped.

We have been out at sea for a week relaxing my doc told me my adrenals are taking a beating from being over star stressed so it is time I learned to relax. He is right I had been working non stop for four months organizing this gala birthday party for my mom. Hall rented, caterers in place and the concert now planned. Ukrainian choir and senior dancers. Children's dance group and the mandolin orchestra. I grew up with the Kozub family of five.  I danced, sang and played in a mandolin orchestra too. Now this family is famous in the musical world as performers & conductors. They have a folk group too and will sing at the party.  One of the sisters  Ilena, I was very close to as a sixteen year old. We hung out together but when I left home at seventeen I left my Ukrainian roots behind. Fifty years later I phoned Ilena and we have been talking none stop. She is a singer an a actress and a seventy year old great grandmother. Kind of neat I must say, it does my heart good.

I have a wonderful brother in Wpg. who is the caregiver to our Mom. Dan is an extreme extrovert talks non stop and a great story teller. He has four children and four grandchildren.  He still is teaching high school at 67. In the dedication to the cake for our Mom at the party he will be telling many enjoyable stories and after each story will follow a song. Well songs from The Lion Sleeps, Under the Board Walk, Sugar Sugar and more but the family are not enthused except me and I have been learning the songs. I suggested Bob Dylan's Forever Young which the audience can sing too so we will see.

It is Sunday and the weather is sublime. We are docked  at the yacht club marina in Salt Spring and decided to walk into Ganges. Here too time stands still with all the alternative folk in their hippie style costumes each amazingly unique my mouth agape at the variety of eccentric people doing their thing. We sat outside the cafe that produces the famous Salt Spring coffee, John had a roast beef croissant and I had a roasted veg. quiche followed by mango, blueberry crumble. yummy! Crumbs went to the hounds.

The forecast for the coming week is hot so we will head home tomorrow, I am quite allergic to the heat now so will enjoy the coolness of the forest that it brings. John is sitting beside me reading Nobody's a Fool by Russo. The water is breathtakingly calm as boats bob up and down on these blue azure waters. One must always stop and take in the beauty of nature and this amazing world as we are just pilgrims on this road of life. Enjoy the journey and your many wonderful bike rides. Love to you and Corinne Hugs Jean & John