Joei Carlton

RV Owners Lifestyle Conference

It’s hard to believe that the Lifestyle Conference at Okanagan College is over for another year.  It was FANTASTIC.  I met up with some old friends like Julianne Crane who interviewed me a couple of times while she was a reporter on the Spokesman Review in Spokane, Washington and Gillian Hebert who does an in depth presentation on Baja, California that is one of the best.

I did a workshop on Solo RVing where I presented The Spot, a personal GPS product.  It would be invaluable if I was lost in the woods or on top of a mountain……but I NEVER go there.  I’m a main-highway type of person and haven’t been anyplace where my cell phone doesn’t work…..and may that continue.  A couple of ladies in that class were already using The Spot and loved it because they could keep in touch with as many as 12 friends and family members.  That too is not my style.  I don’t want to stay in touch with 12 or even 2 members of friends and family although I would love to have access to the 9-1-1 button.

My travel writing class went well and the 1-1/2 hours went so fast we hardly had time to read our stories.  They took all my spare paper magazines that I’ve been hoarding all year for this occasion and we all updated my list of on-line magazines.  Zip…..and the time was gone.

I also did an entertaining travel lecture on Morocco on Sunday night after our banquet.  It was fun.  It is one of the few lectures that I do that brings my husband Paul back to life.  Everyone laughed when they should and applauded at the end.  

I’ve been invited back for next year and have decided to talk about Turkey…..my trip of a lifetime.

I left Kelowna Tuesday morning after coffee with Gillian.  It took me 5 hours to get back to Surrey and since I arrived around 1:00 I stayed over at the library checking my e-mail because if I went home I would miss my 2:00 P.M. dentist appointment.  I picked up a few groceries for dinner. I unpacked my camper while it was parked in front of my apartment.  I drove down to my parking spot in the RV lot, cleaned my holding tanks and then offloaded my camper because I knew that I would be too tired on Wednesday.  By the time I got back to my apartment it was almost 6:00.  I was almost too tired for dinner.    Glad to be home…..but definitely don’t want to stay more than a few days.     Joei

Jewish Community Center - Kelowna

I was feeling rather lonely yesterday when I got a call from Dina Kotler of the Jewish Community Center.  She had read the post on my website, realized I was lonely and called and invited me to dinner.  Life on the road doesn’t get any better than that.  She picked me up around 5:00 and we went to the Cactus Club and dinner and conversation was JUST what I needed.  I think we could have been happy chatting all afternoon but, of course, that wasn’t to be.  We had a quick dinner, I loaded my books into her car and she drove me to the Community Center.  I certainly would have found it on my own but I would have hated driving back in the dark.  It would have been troublesome in my truck alone but with the camper on the back I would have been really uncomfortable. Thankfully I didn’t have to.

There was a wonderful crowd…..about 40 people and they seemed to enjoy my presentation…..at least they laughed when they were supposed to.  I sold a few books, had a nibble of halavah…..haven’t had that in a hundred years and a cocoanut macaroon with a chocolate base……another treat I haven’t had in years and then asked Dina if she wouldn’t mind if my friend Barb Shave took me back to my camper.  She didn’t mind. 

I received a WONDERFUL presentation gift. Dina is an artist and I was presented with a numbered print of one of her paintings.  The coloring is similar to one of my needlepoints so the print will be framed and those pictures will be grouped.  It is gorgeous.

Barb, her friend Joan and I went to Barb’s place for a glass of wine.  Barb took me home in the dark but not before we stopped at Denny’s for an ice cream sundae.  Got home about 10:30 or possibly later.  Great day and I cannot thank Dina enough for being so kind.     Joei

On the Move

Even though I was totally disappointed with the Ellen Degeneres show I am, once again, in her debt.  The 2 Starbucks cards that I received for being in the audience on my birthday, and have almost used up with coffee and lattes and special iced teas, I have discovered that I have 2 hours of free wifi in their stores so here I am again….at Starbucks.

I left Kamloops this morning, drove highway 1 - the highway that goes from one end of Canada to the other, and arrived in Kelowna about 3 hours later.  It was a much more pleasant drive than it would have been driving down highway 5 and turning off in Merritt.  It was a long, boring driving heading north so it would have been an even more boring drive going south - because I had already seen it once.

Highway 1, then turned off to highway 97 and drove through a few small towns and beside lakes all the way.  Rained on and off for a bit but nothing that even slowed me down.  A beautiful trip and I’m glad that I asked a local which road to take.  She steered me right.

It’s hot out so I’ve been spending my afternoon at the Chapter’s Bookstore and the air conditioning is lovely.  Since I have 2 free wifi hours I’ll update when I have something interesting to say.  Bye for now.  Joei

Greetings from Kamloops, British Columbia

This is my first time in this area and the drive up the Coquihalla Highway was rather long and boring and there was a constant reminder that there is no service on the highway so better make sure that you have enough fuel for the entire distance - which of course - I had since I stopped in Chilliwack, at a Flying J and filled up for 83 cents a litre. Not cheap by any means but cheaper than anything I had seen in my area.

The highway just goes up and up so my truck turned on the power stoke several times during the trip and followed the road up with no problem at all.  Unfortunately there was a little bear that had been killed and it was lying dead in the middle lane of the highway.  Must have just happened before my arrival and I’m sure they would have cleared it away quickly.  Even dead I would hate to hit something that large in the middle of the road.

I stayed overnight at the local Wal Mart and before the night was over there were 10 RV’s in the lot.  I had lots of company and was greatful for it.  Never felt a moment of discomfort.

Today was my booksigning and I was delighted to sell 12 books.  Since I have not heard back from the Save On Foods in Kelowna I asked if I could come back tomorrow and the manager said “yes.”  So I’m staying the Kamloops another day.  So I’ll be in air conditioning another day and the nights seem to cool off - great sleeping weather.

I also get a couple of hours of free wifi at the local Starbucks thanks to the gift card I got at the Ellen DeGeneres Show…..really comes in handy.  That’s it for now.  Joei

Too Many Old People and

too little Chihuly.  Went on my second bus trip yesterday.  It was 140 miles to Tacoma, Washington and the Museum of Glass.  I have been looking forward to it for weeks.  More than 10 years ago I saw Dale Chihuly’s exhibit in Anchorage, Alaska and I really thought I was going for more of the same because there is never enough time to see all that great work.

We started with lunch at Woody’s Restaurant, right next door to the museum and right on the water with boats in the marina and right next door to the outside clear glass water sculptures.  Pictures will be posted on my Facebook page.  Lunch was delicious. 

At the museum we started with a demonstration of glass blowing.  From our seats we saw little except on the overhead screen so I (alone) went up to the short walking aisle above the artists to watch.  When they went to lunch I packed it in and I was delighted because I didn’t feel the benefit of the air conditioning.  Hot, hot, hot. 

Since there were only few pieces in the lobby along with an enormous wall hanging  and we had to wait for a tour guide I went into the gift store.  Lots to see, nothing to touch and if we wanted a small (under $25.00) momento it was “made in China.”  During the guided tour there were 2 small Chihuly pieces and the process on almost each piece was explained.  No pictures were allowed on the tour.

From the museum we walked the bridge and while I stopped to take pictures and see the exhibit that was truly a small portion of Chihuly’s finest work the others on the tour just walk across - no stopping - no looking - no admiring - no understanding of why we had driven 140 miles to get there.  They just walked.  The bridge is truly a work of art and I stopped to look at each piece behind the plexiglass.  It was magnificient and by the time I arrived at The Courthouse the others were ready to head back.  I took pictures of the 2 exhibit pieces before heading out.  I assumed they would take their time going back over the bridge - wrong.  I took another fifteen or so minutes to take more pictures and they waited for me. 

We were back on the bus within minutes heading north.  We arrived at our dinner spot - the Golden Corral in Marysville - about an hour earlier than we were expected and home by 7:30 P.M.  A long day but check out the pictures on my Facebook page that I was able to take. 

Next Chihuly exhibit - I’ll go alone.

How I lost 3 pounds in 30 years of dieting without going hungry - excerpt

There are few foods that I think are worth risking life and limb. For those who know me you know that seafood with a hard (crab legs, lobster, oysters, mussels, clams) or a soft (shrimp, scampi, soft-shelled crab) shell are the mouth-watering exception.  In a pinch I’ve been known to try and boil away a ton of Georgia mud to savor the unique flavor of a pound or two of crawdads.  That is how I ended up at the oyster festival in Fulton, Texas on a day not fit for dogs.

The day started out as raw as the oysters that I planned on consuming by the plateful or bucketful or (hopefully) truckload. I left the Island RV Resort in Port Aransas, on Mustang Island, and spitting distance from Corpus Christi, assuming, of course, that one is a champion spitter, with a gale force wind at my back. I looked in sheer terror at the canal I had to cross on the ferry. Between the whitecaps and giant swells I was sure we were going to be bowled over and after floundering on our side for days would surely sink down to Davy Jones’ locker.  There were only a few brave souls ahead of me in line as I drove on board - fear shriveling my heart to the size of a green pea.

How I lost 3 pounds in 30 years of dieting without going hungry

My new mini-read is now ready for shipping.  The Paypal carts have been added and the books are ready to go.  I’ve read the book about a thousand times so I’m not a good judge anymore; however, I’m told that the stories are laugh-out-loud funny.

And who knows better than Princess Joei

Eat, Travel and Laugh……that’s all I need to enjoy my life.    Joei

Published

For those of you who are not in the British Columbia or Alberta area where the RV Times is distributed free of charge you can read my story in the May/June edition just by going to www.rvtimes.com. Click on the magazine in the left corner, scroll down to my picture and click.  65 and Welcome to it.

I had a great birthday so enjoy my story.   Joei

Up and Running

My printing woes are OVER.  I spent about 2-1/2 hours at Staples with their tech trying to get my Kodak printer to do what it was supposed to do.  They installed another disk since I brought along my laptop. They attached another Kodak printer….they did everything they should. It never worked properly.  In the end I left with a Hewlett Packer 2-sided printer. (This is my third Hewlett Packer and each one has worked PERFECTLY.)  Since it was after 8:30 when I arrived home I decided to give myself a break.

Early Tuesday morning I installed the disk, crossed my fingers, found the printer on my laptop, pressed a couple of buttons and voila - it printed out my booklet perfectly.  It absolutely boggled my mind HOW EASY IT WAS.

I decided to read through my new mini-read, How I lost 3 pounds in 30 years of dieting without going hungry, and couldn’t believe how many mistakes I found……so I’m still editing.  I purchased one last item for the process - a long handled Bostick stapler.       Joei

Printer Woes

I’ll find out later this morning - since I’m not ready to face the challenge yet - if my printer woes are over.  Last Wednesday I purchased a Kodak - 2-sided - printer so I could produce my new line of mini reads.  I connected the printer on Friday and, must confess, that I’m a novice with this new type of printer so I wasn’t surprised that I was having problems.  It is supposed to print page 1 and page 72 on one page and page 2 and page 71 on the back - thus a booklet is produced.  Well it printed page 1 and 72 and page 2 and 71 and page 3 and 70 on 3 different pages.  That wouldn’t do so I started playing around with all the settings.  After 2 totally frustrating days it produced either one side only or, if it was printing on both sides the font went from 12 to about 3 and printed 4 pages on each side - tiny, tiny, tiny.

Sunday night I spent an hour and a half on the phone with Tech Support in India.  By 11:00 at night NOTHING was resolved, but I was told to call the next morning.  Monday morning I spent another hour on the phone and was told that my wizard had to be updated with the internet.  I don’t have the internet on my laptop so I hiked it over to the Starbucks Cafe at Safeway - a short walk.  I updated my virus protection and then started on updating the wizard.  It quickly went to work and started downloading.  It stopped for a long time and I didn’t know if it was working. I tried to cancel but I realized that it was still working so I left it.  About 40 minutes later I realized that it had stopped and wasn’t going to go any farther.  I couldn’t cancel or update or close.  My computer had crashed.  I turned it off and started up the computer again and was delighted that I hadn’t lost any of my stories or my booklet.

I called Staples, told them my problem and they suggested that I bring it back. I brought my computer as well and they installed a new printer disk, connected it to the printer to discover that it was doing EXACTLY the same thing.

I arrived home with a 2-sided Hewlett Packer at around 8:30 and decided to wait until sometime this morning to connect and see if it works.    I’ll keep you’all posted but keep your fingers crossed.    Joei