BC 2022

Trip List Calendar

2022-07-12 : Cabin Reno Day
Today we spent at Doug’s cabin. I hung out and went for a walk. Doug and Brent cleaned up the construction zone and hung Typar along the open end of the building. Tomorrow I think we’ll haul a truckload of construction detritus to the dump and head back to Poco.


2022-07-13 : Sinkhole and Return to Poco
As planned, we took a load of construction trash to the dump. When we got back, Doug went to back into his driveway, and… the front of the truck suddenly dropped… the front passenger wheel had broken through a sinkhole that no one knew was there! Thankfully not a huge one like you see on the internet because they got the truck out easily. Brent and I apologize for not taking a photo of the truck in the sinkhole.

Later on we made the trip back to Port Coquitlam


2022-07-14 : Brent Memory Lane
Today we took another walk in Poco, otherwise known as ‘Brent Memory Lane’. We walked up Coast Meridian Road to the very end, including a side trip to Harper Park.


2022-07-15 : Coquitlam River Part 2, Frankie’s Kits
This morning Brent said he hear what he thought were multiple raccoons in the yard. He heard noises from multiple locations as well as chittering and grunting sounds.

I’ve been learning a little about raccoons since we got here - we have to share the back yard with Frankie Five Fingers so I thought it was a good idea.

One of the first nights we were here I heard some grunting sounds near the tent. I looked up raccoon sounds and the internet says they make grunting sounds to announce their presence.

Brent and I had assumed that Frankie is a female - Brent thought he saw some protruding nipples on her. At least once a day she comes across the street, then into the neighbor’s yard, and over the fence to where Doug’s compost bins are. If there’s anything worth eating in the bins she’ll help herself. I really regret being too slow to get a pic that time that she came up with a complete bagel in her mouth. Then, she’ll keep going in the same direction, leaving Doug’s yard out the back beside the tarped truck. She always moves slowly and methodically, and occasionally, she will approach us in the back yard until we yell and/or gesture at her. She’s never acted even a little bit aggressively.

Since Brent told me what he heard last night, I started wondering if the ‘multiple raccoons’ he heard were Frankie and her kits. So I looked up raccoon mothers. What the internet says is that kits are born in the spring and stay exclusively in the den for about two months. Then the mom starts taking them out on foraging expeditions. I’m wondering if what Brent heard was a foraging expedition with Frankie taking her kits out. I’m also wondering if the reason she has tried approaching us is to see how we would react and make sure we wouldn’t attack her (or her kits).

The longer we’re in Poco the bolder Frankie gets. She keeps approaching me, and one time was just a few inches away before I spotted her. I wonder if she can sense that I feel a lot of compassion for her and would prefer to feed her, even though, for her own safety I put the run on her with a broom instead. One of her eyes is bad but she keeps coming up to me and looking up at me with her one eye beseeching, ‘Please help a mama out!’ I wish I could do more, Frankie, but the best I can do for you is to try to keep you leery of humans. <3
Brent and I went for another walk along the Coquitlam River today then went on a quest for a Tim Horton’s. We found a Tim’s but then had frosties from Wendy’s instead.


2022-07-16 : Cloudy Movie Day
It’s kind of a cloudy, at times drizzly day in Port Coquitlam, and I need a rest day from all the walking so all we did today, besides sit at Doug’s, was go see the Elvis movie. It was better than I expected it to be.


2022-07-17 : Smiling Creeks and Brent’s Big Friend Meet
Today we went for a walk up Smiling Creek to Harper Park, then returned via West Smiling Creek. It was cool, cloudy and humid, so not a bad day for walking up a big hill. We saw lots of enormous fresh bear poops so made sure to keep up a constant chatter.
In the evening we went over to a John and Sofia Parker’s house for a big gathering with a bunch of Brent’s old friends.


2022-07-18 : Amigo Breakfast, Colony Farm and Minions
We went to Amigo for breakfast for the third and last time for this trip. I love it so much. Just a nice little ‘mom and pop’ with good food and great prices.
We went for a walk at Colony Farm after breakfast, but due to an injury in my right foot, and a trail closure, we kept it very short. I did help four snails cross the path safely. Snail-on little buddies! And my apologies to the one little guy that I think I accidentally returned to his departure side rather than his destination.
In the afternoon we went back to the theatre and saw Minions. Going to movies is one of the things that I sorely missed during the pandemic.


2022-07-19 : Last Day in Poco
My foot injury is taking its sweet time about going away so I’m going to try the ‘stay off it for five days’ strategy. Ugh.


2022-07-20 : To Vancouver Island, Dinner with Rob and Jane
Today we bid farewell to Doug, Akiko and Lisa and headed to the island. We got settled in at Charmaine and Geoff’s and then went to Rob and Jane’s for dinner. We made it back on time for Bat TV but unfortunately it wasn’t on tonight. Maybe tomorrow we’ll get to see some bats.


2022-07-21 : Charmaine and Geoff Day
This morning we hung out with Charmaine in the yard, pruned her tomato plants and harvested some beans. Then the three of us went for a bike ride and lunch/drinks at Canadian Brewhouse. When Geoff was done working for the day, we went downtown for Mexican dinner and then a drive, including visiting the puppies we discovered last night with Rob and Jane.


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