01-31OCT15 - Sultan, WA (with sad medical news)

Unfortunately October was dominated by the sad news that Corrie’s brother Ed Riesmeyer’s cancer was not responding to treatment.  We won’t brother you with the disappointing developments & prognosis, but we have been aware of his illness for some time.  In fact, his health was one of the reasons for the Canadian family reunion this last August, when we flew the kids & grandkids to Canada.

http://theryanrvexpress.blogspot.com/2015/08/12-22aug15-sprucewoods-manitoba.html

Because of this, Corrie made two unplanned trips to Brandon, Manitoba – 12-18OCT, and 22OCT-01NOV (for Ed’s 65^th birthday on 31OCT).  So October was not one of our better periods because of Ed’s health, & us being separated for almost half the month.  But there were some nicer times worth noting in the BLOG:

-Corrie decides to have garden mulch delivered in “bulk”

-Friday, 09OCT, we meet Dan’s cousin Rick Lee & wife Sharon for lunch at Ixtapa’s in Sultan, as they head to Leavenworth, WA, for Octoberfest.  The last time we saw them in June 2011 (see BLOG link).

http://theryanrvexpress.blogspot.com/2011/06/01-12jun11-monroe-wa.html

-Sunday, 11OCT, we headed to Shawn & Cindie’s.  From there we then drove together, to Tahoma National Cemetery to visit the interment sites for Dan & Shawn’s father, Dan Sr, & brother, Gary.  We then met their cousin Steve Ruttner at Main St Dairy Freeze in Sumner, WA, for lunch.  The last stop of the day was a get together with Aunt Mary Anne (Steve’s mother), Kelley (Steve’s sister), husband Les & kids.  We hadn’t seen Aunt Mary Anne since August 2009, & Kelley & Les since June 2011.

-Saturday, 24OCT, was the start of preparations for the solar array installation when a contractor showed up to cut down a maple tree whose shadows would negatively impact the electricity generated.

-Finally, because of Corrie’s unplanned flights to Canada, Dan had to make four crossings of the USA/Canada border.  This was because there are no direct flights out of Seattle to Winnipeg.  In fact, it is cheaper to drive two & one half hours to Vancouver, BC, for a direct Air Canada flight.  During one of Dan’s returns to the USA he was pulled aside for an “enforcement” screening.  Turns out the mistaken identity issue noted in the below BLOG had arisen again.  Last time it was Canadian authorities, this time it was American.  The Border Patrol agent was definitely not pleased when Dan asked - why this identify issue was not a problem for last 35 years?  Or how could he serve in the USCG for thirty years w/security clearances?  Anyway because of Dan’s supposed criminal past he was pulled from the end of line of hundreds of people & processed firstJ!

http://theryanrvexpress.blogspot.com/2015/05/2829may15-leavenworth-wa-kelowna-bc.html