I must have looked harmless.  She didn’t.  The border lady behind the window asked me a lot of questions.  Why do you have the contents of your car covered?  (For security purpose)  Do oyou always do that?  (Yes)  What is that that you are using for your covering? (My blanket that I sleep with every night) Oh.  Why do you have so much to cover?  (Because I’ve been travelling so many months) What all do you have in there? (My clothes, books I’ve purchased, a silverware set that I purchased at an antique store.)  Hmmm… (Skeptical look in her face) When did you leave on your trip? (March 7th)  Why? (To take a trip) Are you retired? (yes)  From what did you retire? (Professional photography–oh yes, I also have camera equipment with me)  Hmmm…(eyebrows furrowed like she really wanted to pull my blanket back)  Where are you going? (Vancouver Island) Why?  (To visit the Butchart Gardens)  For how long? (Until Saturday) Where else are you going? (Hope and Christina Lake) Where are you staying? (Have you ever heard of Airbnb?) Ummm…oh yes. (Well I am staying in Airbnb homes)When are you going back to the US? (On June 16th)  Where will you be entering?  (Coeur d’Alene Idaho.  I may be going back into Canada but I haven’t decided yet)  Hmmm…(She was looking at the line behind me, back at me, back at the line. I speak up and say, you can take a look at everything if you want.  She looked mighty tempted with a deep scowl on her forehead.  She looked right in my eyes and said) No.  You can go. (So I went)!!!

I was told by all who gave me advice to not volunteer anything.  Let them do the asking.  She hadn’t mentioned food yet and I wasn’t about to go there unless she brought it up.  I probably had a bit of contraband had she looked.  I was sure hoping she wouldn’t.  I had my RED insulated bag sitting on the front seat in right in plain view and she didn’t even mention it or food.  I had three oranges I probably would have had to throw away.  I would have had cucumbers, carrots, more oranges, cooked chicken from a restaurant leftover from last night’s fajitas, fresh peas, two tomatoes, but I ate all that a few miles back down the road before I got there because I didn’t want to throw them away.  Had I known that I wouldn’t have had my food confiscated I would have eaten it later and brought the other two servings with me to eat later still.  I ate very little last night and had three more large servings of leftovers to take with me when I found out I wasn’t supposed to bring in cooked animal products.   Too bad I left it.  It was so good!

So…I am here now.  After leaving the border crossing, of which I include a photo below, I drove on to the ferry landing that would take me across the Pacific to Vancouver Island.  It cost over $71 dollars one way.  I was informed by my host that it will be a higher rate on Saturday when I cross back over to the mainland.  It was a great ride.  Just for you information Dave, I didn’t even get sick at all.  I kept moving the entire time I was on board and walked in circles around the upper promenade deck to get some exercise in.  I may have overdone it because I did it for well over an hour. The entire water passage was 1 hour 45 minutes moving time.  The scenery was beautiful as the ship weaved its way through many small islands with beautiful homes dotting the shorelines.

It is beautiful up here in Canada.  It seems clean and fresh.  There are so many wooded ares everywhere,sort of like Oregon and Washington but with a bit different kind of woods.  More northern woods, trees not quite so tall, more oak and birch and a lot that I don’t recognize.  As I drove out of the ferry terminal and down the highway I realized all the speed signs are in klm/h.  Fortunately my speedometer has both mph and klm/h.  That helped.  Also, there is a strip of highway bordering the ferry landing that has so many billboards on a curved road, it is as if where one ends the next begins. They go for a distance and then boom…they stop and there are no more.  I wondered about that.  Before the signs there was a warning sign that said  “Illegal to use hand held devices in a moving car”  A very eye catching sign that made you know there are heavy fines that go with it if caught.  Then all the billboards.  And of course I’m trying to read all the signs on a curving road which causes me to weave all over the place.  I think, WOW, no hand held but instead, all these signs to distract you and have your eyes leave the road.  I truly wondered which one was more dangerous.  I mentioned that to my host and he explained that the property along that part of the highway is owned by the Indian tribe and they rent space for advertisements.  Everyone wants their sign to be displayed so thus all the signs. There was one sign with an all white background with big black letters  ” WE”…(THEN A BIG RED HEART)…then… “ISRAEL”.  In essence saying “We “love” Israel  That was all that was on the sign.

I left my last place in Kenmore Washington at 7:30 a.m.  When I leave now it is as if I have to go through what a pilot must go through to take off (perhaps a little scaled down).  My first thing is to say goodbye and drive away so my friends/hosts will go back to doing what they do when I’m not there.  My next thing is to drive out of sight, get out my GPS, look up the address, input all the information needed and make certain I have made the connection so I know for certain where I am going.  So I do that and then I plug my cell phone in so it can recharge  as I drive and then just for safe measure I GPS with my cell phone too.  Then I have bossy talking to me in her soft subtle way and them  my cell phone blasting through my automobile’s speaker system.  So far, every time I do that I get two different routes which I don’t find out about until about half way into the trip.  That is confusing.  I finally figure out the way I think I would go, keep at it and the other apparatus will respond accordingly and re-route me to the “correct” way.  Well, after I crossed the border into Canada I quite using my GPS on my Iphone because I didn’t want it to rack up bills to pay.  Just in case.

I arrived at the border at about 11:30 at the ferry crossing area at about 12:45 and  bought a ticket and was on the 1:00 p.m. crossing.  Arrived at 2:45 p.m.  I drove a bit around Sidney, then GPS’d to the Airbnb without a hitch.  And oh my, what a beautiful location.  They have four dogs, a one year old beautiful German Shepherd. (I am not going to try to remember all their names), and two little black dachshunds that remind me of my Granddogs, Jackson and Cole.  The are wonderfully cared for and kept at a slim body weight.  The fourth is also a miniature dachshund but a beautiful red color.  There are also two beautiful horses.  The yard is a beautiful, country type surrounding with the city just a little ways away.  The home is beautiful also.  I have a parking place under a covered carport and my car is just a step away from the private entrance into my personal private suite, a large bedroom that has a dual purpose of being my little kitchen, a very ample room with a couch, some tables, and an L shaped office set up, and a complete private bathroom and closet.  Nice open space, very comfortable.

I have met both husband and wife and they are very likable folks.  I know I shall enjoy my stay here.  My room is only $50 per night.  I tell  you that only to let you see how reasonable a wonderful place like this can be.  There are some that are much more expensive but I try to stay within a budget by choosing to frequent the more affordable priced rooms.  I have found that I can sleep well in any circumstance, bed size, hardness or softness, where it is or with what four legged creatures chooses to come and sleep with me.  And that is where I’d like to be now.

After I was settled in my room I took off again and went to the town of Sidney by the terminal and attended an outdoor farmer’s/craft market on the main street.  It was loud with lots of live entertainment with the guitar case top open (for donations), vendors selling hot food while you waited like lamb on a bun, lots of other delectable foods to buy like hummus, jams, breads, etc…I bought two tomatoes, a big box of cherries, 4 baby cucumbers, black bean hummus, and two granola bars that I thought would travel with me to the  gardens tomorrow for a snack if needed.  Then I went to a grocery store and bought one ripe banana, fresh Brussels sprouts, two peaches, one avocado and one carrot.  I thought that would give me enough food for the next few days with what I already had with me.  And it was good!

So now my saga is done.  I am overtired but my teeth are already brushed!

Good night.

P.S.  Remember  DO NOT CALL ME ON THE PHONE UNTIL NIGHT OF JUNE 16.