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Vancouver Island Toyin?


Ron 'n Sue

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I don't know what happened to the posts that discussed having a 'meet' on Vancouver Island in May or June. It was there and now it seems to have disappeared!

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It's still there

http://toyotamotorhome.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=2362

But you have to scroll down to around post 48... I think this is a good idea to start a new post for this rally.

Hi David ... and everyone else, especially those who might like to take in this event:

As of now you can read the messages as well as I and get a sense of the interest in this toy in. I'm planning to ask for some firmer responses by about the beginning/middle of May or so. I'll get in touch with Living Forest in early May and ask them to set aside a block of adjacent campsites for us and I'll give everybody a date by which they must book in this block before I let the campground release the sites that are not spoken for. I've camped there a few times and it's a great site. Large, nicely treed sites, beautiful walking trails, ocean views from many of the sites ... and they even have a nice cafe/patio where they serve pretty good lattes. All sites are full hookups. The campground is only about 2 or 3 minutes off the highway ... and away from a small strip mall with a good grocery store and pancake restaurant ... but you don't hear any traffic noise at all. The city of Nanaimo (75,000 approx) is nearby with some nice tourist attractions and all the usual big box stores, as well as a more charming and historic part of downtown that is fun to browse through.

So, I enourage everyone to start making plans and be ready to book if you're interested by early/mid May if possible. Everybody will have to book their own sites directly with Living Forest and I don't see a problem if some people want to come a day or two earlier or later and, likewise, stay a day or two later. Hopefully we'll have at least2 or 3 days when most of the people will be there together.

Cheers, Wayne

Heidi (my wife), our 2 kids and I are planning to be there on Friday June 24. We can't wait!!! :ThumbUp:

Andrew.

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  • 4 weeks later...

Let's Think About Making A Booking

Hello Everyone. I was just checking out the Living Forest website and I noticed that people are already starting to book for the June 24-26 weekend. There are still plenty of spaces left in the Group Camping area but they will fill up fairly quickly, so I recommend that we all make a booking ... even if some people aren't 100% sure about being able to make it. You can always cancel later if you need to. I'm going to book today for a site in the Group area for the nights of 24, 25 and 26 June and I invite all interested Toy owners to book soon and put a notice on this board when you do so we can all get an idea as we go along about how many campers we are going to end up with. The group area hasvery nice shelter we can use for get togethers so it's definitely worth booking in that area. I'll notify Living Forest about our event so be sure to mention that you are from the Toyota camper group when you book. I can't promise anything now, but I will ask them if they have a group discount they can give us.

Looking forward to meeting lots of Toy owners and having a good time at a beautiful campground. I'll be checking this site frequently to see how many campers we will have for this fun weekend. Cheers to all, Wayne

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A Bit More Information

I've just made our reservations at Living Forest for the nights of June 24,25 and 26. I spoke to the reservations lady there and told us about our group. She is setting aside 10 sites for us ... and can provide more if needed once the reservations requests start flowing in. Be sure to identify yourselves as members of the Toyota campers group and you will be given a 10% discount on your camping fees. Also, be sure to specify that you want a site in the Group area. Cheers, Wayne & Irene.

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A Bit More Information

I've just made our reservations at Living Forest for the nights of June 24,25 and 26. I spoke to the reservations lady there and told us about our group. She is setting aside 10 sites for us ... and can provide more if needed once the reservations requests start flowing in. Be sure to identify yourselves as members of the Toyota campers group and you will be given a 10% discount on your camping fees. Also, be sure to specify that you want a site in the Group area. Cheers, Wayne & Irene.

Hi Wayne,

Which spots did you reserve? We note some have Cable and some do not (on the map at least). Should we try to get spots close to the other Toys?

We're not that familiar with the group camping area. The group camping spots are a bit more shaded, and don't really have water views, but will be fantastic anyway.This is a great park for walking (and keeping fit!).

We are frequent campers at Living Forest and always get down on the 'streets' overlooking the water. Cedar Circle, Garry Oak Ridge and Maple Way. It has become our favourite r.v. park.

Here is the link for Living Forest. http://www.campingbc.com/cmaster/vacancy02all.html for those who don't know.

Hoping to meet lots of other Toy owners June 24-25th!

Ron & Sue

in T-warr-eg

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A Bit More Information

I've just made our reservations at Living Forest for the nights of June 24,25 and 26. I spoke to the reservations lady there and told us about our group. She is setting aside 10 sites for us ... and can provide more if needed once the reservations requests start flowing in. Be sure to identify yourselves as members of the Toyota campers group and you will be given a 10% discount on your camping fees. Also, be sure to specify that you want a site in the Group area. Cheers, Wayne & Irene.

We just now reserved G21 (with Cable) which is right across from G1 & G2, which the girl at reservations told us you had reserved. The spots look pretty good, don't they?

Ron & Sue

on T-Warr-eg

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We are in 189 for Friday June 24,25 and leave on the 26th :ThumbUp:

OnlineLFCMAP2011.jpg

Andrew.

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  • 3 weeks later...

It's Time to Think Seriously About Reserving

I hope lots of North West North American Toy owners are giving some serious thought now to the Vancouver Island Rally on 24-26 June. It's only a month and a half away now and we all know how the time can get away on us. The Living Forest RV resort is holding 12 sites for us. When you make your booking be sure to tell them you are with the Toyota camper group and they will put you in the group area and give you a 10% discount. Hope to see lots of campers there. I'll be checking with Living Forest regularly and I WILL bug you all again if we don't see some reservations there soon. :-) Cheers to all, Wayne

p.s. We just got back from a 5 week trip to Las Vegas and Redding California. The Toyota ran flawlessly. We got new tires in the states (so cheap there!) and a great bathroom vent fan from Max Air.

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Hi Wayne,

Maybe we should put something in the SHOUT area because perhaps some people haven't been watching the Rallys and Toyins area. We are looking forward to the V.I. one, for sure. Should be verrrry interesting! :rolleyes:

Ron 'n Sue

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It's Time to Think Seriously About Reserving

Okay, okay! I reserved already!

Kay and I have reserved G20 for June 24 and 25 and they are holding it for us for the 26th, as well, in case we decide we can stay another day.

This is going to be fun!

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Okay, okay! I reserved already!

Kay and I have reserved G20 for June 24 and 25 and they are holding it for us for the 26th, as well, in case we decide we can stay another day.

This is going to be fun!

Wonderful! So looking forward to meeting you!

Ron 'n Sue

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Okay, okay! I reserved already!

Kay and I have reserved G20 for June 24 and 25 and they are holding it for us for the 26th, as well, in case we decide we can stay another day.

This is going to be fun!

My brother and his wife (CraigD) are coming, too. They will be in G19 with their 1990 Seabreeze.

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Great to see interest picking up and some folks already making their reservations. For those coming from off Vancouver Island I would recommend you check the BC Ferries website for sailing times. You will want to take the ferry from Twassen to Duke Point, which is quite close to the Living Forest RV park. (You could take take the ferry to Swartz Bay, but that would involve a drive of about 1.5 hours to Living Forest.) At this time of year the ferries do get quite busy, so plan to arrive AT LEAST an hour before sailing time or give serious consideration to making a reservation (cost is $17.50 but worth it if it saves a long wait til the next ferry if you miss the one you want because you aren't early enough arriving at the terminal.) Also, be sure to come with enough gas so you don't need to buy our over-priced stuff. At $1.25 per litre, you are paying almost $5.00 per US gallon.

I will have my car onsite and can provide any emergency transportation that might be required. If someone should need medical care I can get them to the Nanaimo hospital very quickly. Don't forget to consider Blue Cross or similar out of country emergency medical coverage.

There is a good grocery store very close to the campground at the intersection of the TransCanada highway and the road you turn down towards Living Forest.

I was thinking that we might like to have a Meet and Greet on the Friday evening and perhaps a Pot Luck dinner Saturday evening. Maybe a communal breakfast Sunday morning? Let me know what you think and we'll try to do what everyone would enjoy.

I'm really looking forward to meeting some nice folks and seeing some interesting "Toys". Hopefully the weather will cooperate and we'll all have a great time! Cheers, Wayne

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  • 2 weeks later...

I was thinking that we might like to have a Meet and Greet on the Friday evening and perhaps a Pot Luck dinner Saturday evening. Maybe a communal breakfast Sunday morning? Let me know what you think and we'll try to do what everyone would enjoy.

I'm definitely up for a Meet 'n Greet on Friday evening - I'll bring some wine! As to a pot luck dinner and a communal breakfast - I'm not much for advance planning on my vacation time, but it sounds like fun to me. I know my wife and I would like to spend a little time exploring some of the island, though. Probably get back to Butchart Gardens for a bit and maybe spend some time in Victoria. As usual on vacation, we tend to pack too many plans into too little time.

Along with my brother and sister-in-law, we will probably leave Boise around 6/18 or 6/19 and go through Glacier National Park and Waterton Lakes National Park before heading west. If anyone wants to join our caravan along the way, tell us where you're coming from and we can figure a way to meet up!

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Hello Everyone, you can add another Toy to the list of folks camping at the Living Forest. We have booked site G4 for the 24th and 25th of June with the possibility of the 26th. Looking at the photo's on their web site, I see a shelter in the center of the group area. Most probably there's a fire pit in that area, so for sure I'll be bringing a cardboard box full of firewood. If someone can bring a bit more wood, we should be good for fires on a couple of nights.

We are looking forward to meeting all of you.

Ron & Rose

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Hello Everyone, you can add another Toy to the list of folks camping at the Living Forest. We have booked site G4 for the 24th and 25th of June with the possibility of the 26th.

Ron & Rose

Hey, it's starting to look like a party! I think that is at least 5 spots reserved. I hope we will get a few more yet.

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I'm definitely up for a Meet 'n Greet on Friday evening - I'll bring some wine! As to a pot luck dinner and a communal breakfast - I'm not much for advance planning on my vacation time, but it sounds like fun to me. I know my wife and I would like to spend a little time exploring some of the island, though. Probably get back to Butchart Gardens for a bit and maybe spend some time in Victoria. As usual on vacation, we tend to pack too many plans into too little time.

Along with my brother and sister-in-law, we will probably leave Boise around 6/18 or 6/19 and go through Glacier National Park and Waterton Lakes National Park before heading west. If anyone wants to join our caravan along the way, tell us where you're coming from and we can figure a way to meet up!

Pot Luck and communal breakfast sound really good! AND a campfire! We'll lug along some logs!

Ron 'n Sue

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Living Forest Reservations ... Changes for the Better

Hello to All Campers Bound for Vancouver Island:

This afternoon Irene and I drove up to Living Forest to have a first hand look at our Group campsites. We didn't like them nearly as much as the sites we had camped at last year ... sites not in the Group area. The staff there offered us other sites clustered around the other Picnic Shelter they have. If you go to the Living Forest website and look at the sites in the range of #189 to 192 and 201,202 and 214 you will see the area that I'm talking about. I took the liberty of changing everyone's bookings in the Group area to the best sites in this new area. Here is a list of the sites I have booked for each of us. For others who have not yet booked, please inform the staff that you are members of the Toyota motorhome group and ask to be booked into the closest available sites to the ones I have mentioned above. There is a good map of the campsites on the Living Forest website you can refer to for this purpose.

Site 201 Irene and Wayne Ananny from Crofton (Vancouver Island)

Site 214 Les and Fran Al Molky from Courtenay (Vancouver Island). (Les and Fran are long standing friends of ours who we camp with reguarly. For this weekend I have designated them as "Honourary Toy Campers" even though they have not yet seen the light, and still camp using their fifth wheel trailer. Les and Fran will help us host the meet and greet Friday evening and are looking forward to camping with us.

Site 191 and 192 David and Kay from Idaho and their relatives.

Site 190 Ron and Sue from Nanaimo

Site 189 Andrew Ferguson and family

Site 202 Ron Davis and family.

Please note the following points. The Group sites we originally booked are much smaller and in the open as compared to these new sites which are beautifully treed and much more spacious. The Group sites did not have cable TV hookups but these new sites all have cable TV as well as full hookups. The new sites are in a much more attractive area of the park and are also a very close walk to a lovely outdoor cafe with a large patio area that overlooks the ocean. Our new area is close to, but not right on the children's playground. The picnic shelter in the new area will easily accomodate 25 or more people on picnic tables. This shelter also has sinks and electric. Immediately beside the shelter area is a lovely firepit with a circular bench around it for cozy campfires. I asked that we keep our group discount for these new sites. The person on duty today will have to check with her boss and will let me know if the discount can be applied to these sites. She informed me that the discount is normally only given to the Group sites. In any case, the small additional fee, if it applies, is well worth the much nicer campsites for our event. If anybody has any questions, please post them here and I will reply as soon as possible.

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Living Forest Reservations ... Changes for the Better

Hello to All Campers Bound for Vancouver Island:

This afternoon Irene and I drove up to Living Forest to have a first hand look at our Group campsites. We didn't like them nearly as much as the sites we had camped at last year ... sites not in the Group area. The staff there offered us other sites clustered around the other Picnic Shelter they have. If you go to the Living Forest website and look at the sites in the range of #189 to 192 and 201,202 and 214 you will see the area that I'm talking about. I took the liberty of changing everyone's bookings in the Group area to the best sites in this new area. Here is a list of the sites I have booked for each of us. For others who have not yet booked, please inform the staff that you are members of the Toyota motorhome group and ask to be booked into the closest available sites to the ones I have mentioned above. There is a good map of the campsites on the Living Forest website you can refer to for this purpose.

Site 201 Irene and Wayne Ananny from Crofton (Vancouver Island)

Site 214 Les and Fran Al Molky from Courtenay (Vancouver Island). (Les and Fran are long standing friends of ours who we camp with reguarly. For this weekend I have designated them as "Honourary Toy Campers" even though they have not yet seen the light, and still camp using their fifth wheel trailer. Les and Fran will help us host the meet and greet Friday evening and are looking forward to camping with us.

Site 191 and 192 David and Kay from Idaho and their relatives.

Site 190 Ron and Sue from Nanaimo

Site 189 Andrew Ferguson and family

Site 202 Ron Davis and family.

Please note the following points. The Group sites we originally booked are much smaller and in the open as compared to these new sites which are beautifully treed and much more spacious. The Group sites did not have cable TV hookups but these new sites all have cable TV as well as full hookups. The new sites are in a much more attractive area of the park and are also a very close walk to a lovely outdoor cafe with a large patio area that overlooks the ocean. Our new area is close to, but not right on the children's playground. The picnic shelter in the new area will easily accomodate 25 or more people on picnic tables. This shelter also has sinks and electric. Immediately beside the shelter area is a lovely firepit with a circular bench around it for cozy campfires. I asked that we keep our group discount for these new sites. The person on duty today will have to check with her boss and will let me know if the discount can be applied to these sites. She informed me that the discount is normally only given to the Group sites. In any case, the small additional fee, if it applies, is well worth the much nicer campsites for our event. If anybody has any questions, please post them here and I will reply as soon as possible.

Hi Wayne,

This sounds like a very good move. We weren't really 'struck' by the group sites either, but thought perhaps that was our only option.

We have camped frequently at Living Forest; down by the beach first time; on Cedar Circle, on Garry Oak Ridge and also on Maple Way, always a wonderful view! Do we need to call them to reserve?

We're actually going to Liv. Forest on June 13, 14, 15th, with a group called 'the happy islanders' :rolleyes: and I'll bet we'll be in the 'old' not quite so nice group camground. lol Guess we'll find out how 'nice' or not, it is. Just hope we can 'grab' that cabled spot, G21, that we had reserved for the Toy-In.

As long as there's cable, Ron will be happy.

Ron 'n' Sue

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Hi Ron and Sue and all other Vancouver Island Toy folks

You do not need to change your existing bookings. I have taken the liberty of doing that for all of our group members who had already booked in the "old" group area. ISee my pprevious message for your new site number. If anybody who has already booked should need to cancel for any reason ... then you will have to do that for yourself. Otherwise, we'll look forward to seeing everyone ... and hopefully a few more who haven't yet booked ... in the new site area as per my earlier message this afternoon. Cheers, Wayne

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Living Forest Reservations ... Changes for the Better

The Group sites we originally booked are much smaller and in the open as compared to these new sites which are beautifully treed and much more spacious. The new sites are in a much more attractive area of the park

Nice work Wayne.

Ron

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Site 191 and 192 David and Kay from Idaho and their relatives.

Thank you Wayne! I haven't checked out the new campsites yet, but it sounds like quite an improvement!

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Site 189 Andrew Ferguson and family

Thank You Wayne!!! :ThumbUp:

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  • 2 weeks later...

We're getting excited about Nanaimo! My brother and I have been busy fixing up and modifying our rigs for the trip. I have done the following (with my brother's help) to our '92 Winnebago Warrior:

1) Replaced the original antenna with a Winegard Sensar IV amplified antenna

2) Installed a 26" Vizio LED TV and a Blu-ray player

3) Built and installed a spare tire carrier and put a spare on it

4) Built and installed a Jerry can carrier and put a can on it

5) Replaced the fart fan with a Fan-tastic Create-A-Breeze 8000

6) Replaced the battery box with one big enough for two batteries and installed 2 6-volt deep cycle batteries

7) Replaced the broken steering limit bolts

8) Got a 300 amp pure sine wave inverter (tiny, I know, but it will power the TV and Blu-ray)

9) Put an 8" clear extension on the sewer pipe and got a great new slinky

10) Replaced the mirror glass on the flat rear view mirrors

That's just a drop in the bucket compared to the modifications my brother has made to his '90 SeaBreeze 900. I'll let him show it all off to you on June 24.

We are leaving Boise on the evening of June 18 and will get to Glacier Nat'l Park on June 19. On into Waterton Lakes Nat'l Park in BC on June 20, then who knows? Maybe Lake Louise area before heading West for Vancouver Island. If you see us on the road, give a toot!

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Living Forest Reservations ... Changes for the Better

Hey, Wayne! How many reservations are confirmed now, if you know?

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Thank You Wayne!!! :ThumbUp:

We are definitely IN. Looking forward to meeting everyone. And getting hints about all those improvements!

Ron 'n Sue

in Toy-Rig

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I checked my passport and made a reservation for this Rally. I was assigned site 203 and will be arriving late Friday afternoon, via ferry from Pt Angeles to Victoria. Google maps estimated it would be about 100 mi shorter and almost 2 hours less via ferry from Pt Angeles. That was a good tip about reserving a spot on the ferry---there are so few sailing times. If any one else is ferrying from Port Angeles, maybe we can link up. Looking forward to meeting everyone and the pot luck for Saturday night. I'll be the one with the very small and old Toy Home---a '79 Bandit PopTop. Sue

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So bummed, we are just going to miss this Toyin. We cant make it up there till 6/27. We will be in Friday Harbor 25-26. Maybe we will see some of you guys at the Ferry(s)!

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, Wayne! How many reservations are confirmed now, if you know?

With the addition of Tacoma Sue it looks like 8 sites now. One of them is for our friends from Courtenay with the 5th wheel, the rest are Toyota's. There's still time for a few more if there are any lurkers out there who haven't booked yet. We're looking forward to meeting everyone and seeing all the different Toy's, especially all the modifications and improvements that everyone has made. I finished a couple of projects this past winter. I ripped out the ugly old carpet and installed some nice vinyl flooring. Also redid the bathroom and shower area with fiberglass FRP paneling since I didn't like the wall paper shower stall that our 91 Warrior came with. Also installed a new flat panel TV/DVD and replaced the original microwave with a new and bigger one. We just spent 3 days dry camping in French Beach provincial park near Sooke BC. I discovered that we go through one full tank of fresh water per day and need to empty the holding tanks once a day as well. Both of those operations were carried out using buckets and water containers carried about 100 yards to the outhouse for dumping and the fresh water tap for filling. It was a lot of work and we've discovered that we REALLY like having full hookups. See you all soon. Cheers, Wayne

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I see BC Ferries is having a sale !!! :ThumbUp:

CoastSaverHero.jpg

Thursday, Friday, Saturday & Sunday from June 2nd – 26th, save on travel one way between Vancouver and Victoria, or Vancouver and Nanaimo.

Passenger

Adult $9.95

Children (age 5-11) $5.00

Infant (under 5 yrs) FREE

Passenger Vehicle

Vehicle Length up to 20 Feet $30.00

Extra length over 20 Feet (per foot) $5.35

Book a reservation to guarantee your space. 1-888 BC FERRY

Web site: http://www.bcferries.com/

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Vancouver Island Get Togethers

Let's have a meet and greet on the Friday evening. I'll provide hamburgers, buns, relish and everyone can bring their own favourite drinks to wash it down with. Our friends, Les and Fran from Courtenay have promised to contribute a big bowl of Les' great salad. Anybody who wants to add anything else is free to do so, of course.

Irene and I were thinking that a Pot Luck supper on the Saturday evening might be fun. The group picnic shelter area in the middle of our sites would be perfect for this purpose. It's plenty large enough to hold us all, has several picnic tables in the enclosure, has electric and water services as well. Let's plan to get together around 6 pm or so and see what goodies everybody has to offer. We have a large stack of good quality disposable plates and cutlery that we will provide to keep the washing up chores to a minimum.

The weather here on Vancouver Island is slow to warm up but we're hoping that it will get back to normal in the next week or so and we'll have great weather for our event.

Cheers to all, Wayne & Irene

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Let's plan to get together around 6 pm or so and see what goodies everybody has to offer.

We (David and Kay Day and Craig and Sherrie Day) will be there! If I remember to stock the Warrior, I will bring wine. We'll contribute something else - have no idea what!

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Hello Wayne, and all other Toy in attendee's

We can bring a Greek salad, for either Friday or Saturday evenings. Plus we thought about stopping at the Nanaimo Costco, and buying one of their lasagna's. If everyone was more or less on the same page about 3 of them would feed the group for Saturday night. Let me know if you think this is a good idea or not.

YVR

R & R

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Hello Wayne, and all other Toy in attendee's

We can bring a Greek salad, for either Friday or Saturday evenings. Plus we thought about stopping at the Nanaimo Costco, and buying one of their lasagna's. If everyone was more or less on the same page about 3 of them would feed the group for Saturday night. Let me know if you think this is a good idea or not.

YVR

R & R

Sounds like a good plan, maybe we'll do the same. Anybody else have any other ideas?

Ron & Sue

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Hello Wayne, and all other Toy in attendee's

We can bring a Greek salad, for either Friday or Saturday evenings. Plus we thought about stopping at the Nanaimo Costco, and buying one of their lasagna's. If everyone was more or less on the same page about 3 of them would feed the group for Saturday night. Let me know if you think this is a good idea or not.

YVR

R & R

Sounds like a good plan, maybe we'll do the same. Or maybe we'll bring a couple of fruit pies. Anybody else have any other good ideas?

Ron & Sue

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