This past weekend Lino and I were invited to go camping. Well, my idea of camping at this point in my life is the Holiday Inn! However, we did indeed take a mini staycation and joined our friends Bill and Donna Bosnich at the Bee Lazee RV Park and Campground. The Bee Lazee is just a few miles south of Prince George and they offer a quiet and a spic and span clean camping experience.
To my surprise there were other friends of ours also taking a mini staycation and camping at the Bee Lazee RV Park. We met up with Art and Diane Reynolds who were spending time with their grandchildren camping. And if you can believe it, both couples live just a few miles away from the Bee Lazee!
We had all turned off our computers (with the exception of the grandchildren) and the television sets and we left our phone services behind for a relaxing time just visiting and eating great food with friends, along with a sip of wine to round out the event.
Now, I would like to introduce you to Ivan and Lise McGill the owners and operators of the Bee Lazee RV Park and Campground. Ivan was born in Ontario in 1937; Lise was born in Holland and arrived in Canada when she was just 12 years old.
Ivan and Lise were working in Fairbanks, Alaska and decided to head further south. Ivan says, "I had a good job in Fairbanks and the pay was great but we wanted to head south. Our son was now old enough to start school and I had a job waiting for me at the Prince George Citizen so we figured it was a good time to go."
Ivan reflected back and said, "I took my apprenticeship at the Northern Sentinel in Kitimat. We used molten lead in linotype machines also known as a 'line casting' machine used specifically in printing. Then we moved to Trail and I worked for the Trail Times newspaper. From there I went to school in Colorado to learn new processes and to keep up to all the changes. My new job at the Prince George Citizen in the composing room was a perfect fit. I worked for publishers Al McNair and Bob McKenzie. I started at the Citizen in 1967 and I retired in 1995 after 28 years at the paper. It was a great feeling to retire and not have any more deadlines."
Ivan said, "I am now 77 years old; Lise and I go to Parksville or Langley in the winter where it is warmer and we both work the RV Park in the summer." I asked Ivan how he met Lise and with a twinkle in his eye he said, "I met her at a party in Kitimat. I borrowed some money from her when we were going together and I couldn't pay it back so I figured I had to marry her. We have been married for 54 years and I still haven't paid her back." Lise said, "I raised our three children and then I went back to school to be an LPN (Licensed Practical Nurse). I worked for nearly 20 years as a full time and sometimes part time nurse and then I retired."
Ivan and Lise have lived in the area since 1968. They built the park in 1991. I asked Ivan how he chose the name Bee Lazee for the park and he explained," We were driving along and the name just popped up. I have been a beekeeper since 1969 so the name fit in perfectly. We sell honey (when we have it) here at the Bee Lazee office or at the Ave Maria Health Food store in Prince George."
We had a great conversation and I learned a lot about bees and the problems that beekeepers are experiencing with the loss of their bees due to mites. Ivan explained that the loss of bees is serious due to the fact that 80 per cent of everything that we eat has to be pollinated by something. Check out the Bee Lazee RV Park and Campsite at: http://www.beelazee.ca/index.html
