Just Resting

Today was very low key. I had a short walk this morning but we had to return the rental car at around 9:00 a.m. After that, we went to Food Basics and picked up some stuff and walked around the Frontenac Mall. It’s mostly a discount place since Walmart has moved out.

Nice and sunny but a bit breezy – high around 17C (62F).

When we got back I lay down to read and of course, fell asleep. Still tired from the weekend, I guess. Had another walk this afternoon. That’s it for today.

Tree in blossom

Wild flowers

Rally section of the campground - lots of new sites put in last year

Home Again!

Gordon got up for sunrise and went down to the pier in Cobourg and took some photos around the Cobourg East Pierhead Light. For a photo, click here. We didn’t rush to get around this morning. When Gordon went out this morning and started our rental there was a ‘check engine’ light that came up so we called their 1-800 # and they told us to keep driving it that there are all kinds of sensors and stuff that could be causing it. We had breakfast at the hotel, had an hour’s worth of internet time in our room and left around 10:00 a.m. We checked out most of the little parks in Cobourg and we definitely want to go back to the RV park in their downtown area sometime, not because of the parks but it’s just a cute little town (city).

We drove along Hwy 2 till Napanee through all the towns but didn’t see all that much that was worth photographing. At Napanee, we took the 401 back to Rideau Acres. It was sunny and beautiful all the way. Can’t tell you the temperature as our rental didn’t come with all those conveniences. We sure missed the cruise control, temperature gauge, mileage and compass gauges that we have in the truck! Small cars apparently don’t come equipped with cruise control. My sister has a mini Cooper and it doesn’t have cruise either. Can’t imagine being without it now we’ve had it for so many years in all our vehicles.

When we got home, our RV was fine. It’s something we worry about when we leave it which isn’t often. This weekend was a treat, having a hotel room, eating out a lot and not having to tow!

After unpacking, I lay down on the couch to read and decided I needed a nap so moved to the bed and slept for nearly 2 ½ hours. This having a good time makes you really tired!

Thanks for the comment on yesterday’s blog, Laura & Steve. Yes, I did indeed wear a hat (the only person at the wedding that did). One of the older gentlemen commented on it on the way into the church. He remembered when ladies always wore hats to church. I still like hats however there’s not much room for storing such items in an RV nor is there room to wear one while riding in a Hyundai Accent!

A Very Busy Saturday

We were up at 6:30 a.m. today to get packed and ready to head to Kitchener to attend the wedding of my long-time friend, Laura and her significant other, Steve. We left Toronto around 8:00 a.m. and arrived at Laura’s church shortly after 9:00 a.m. The wedding wasn’t till 10:00 a.m. so we just sat around and waited. When we went into the church Laura and Steve were there dressed in their choir gowns. They are both very musical and I guess had been singing before we arrived. We got to say hi and give hugs and then we were seated. They had a string quartet playing in the church until the wedding started and they were VERY good. They also had a choir comprised of choirs from both of their churches and again they were VERY good.

My husband described the wedding as traditional but unique. How often do you have a string quartet at a wedding? How often do the bride and groom go from the choir back to say their vows then back to the choir and so on? One of the three ministers was Laura’s cousin and he was the minister that married them. They also had the pastor of the church and the pastor from Steve’s church. Very well done Laura and Steve! Be happy!

We had told Laura that we wouldn’t stay for the reception as she needed to know by April 20^th and we didn’t know what the weather would be and if it was below freezing at night, we would be heading right back to Kingston to be sure our pipes didn’t freeze in the RV. If it was a beautiful day, the plan was to go to the Butterfly Conservatory in Niagara Falls and stay overnight there leaving for home on Sunday and visiting some of the little towns along Lake Ontario on the way home.

Plans change as they so often do. On our way to the wedding we saw a sign for a Butterfly Conservatory at Cambridge so on our way east on the 401 we stopped at the Information Centre and asked about it. It is smaller than the one at Niagara Falls but also closer. The drive to Niagara Falls would have taken 2 hours putting us there sometime around 2:00 p.m. and we hadn’t eaten so we decided to go to the one at Cambridge. It’s called Wings of Paradise and is very well done. They had lots and lots of butterflies of all kinds and colours. A couple of them even landed on my hand and a few landed on our hats while we were walking around. We spent a couple of hours there and then started east getting off the 401 at Port Hope and driving through Port Hope and then on to Cobourg. Both are very pretty little towns and worth a trip back. There is an RV park right behind the beach in Cobourg that is owned by the town. It’s not open yet but we walked through it and it’s within walking distance of downtown. I had heard about it from someone at the coffee klatch at Double M in Lindsay last year so it’s definitely a place we want to stop at for a few days at some point.

We were both tired and it was getting on to 6:00 p.m. so we stopped at the Best Western in Cobourg and got a room, had dinner in their restaurant and then back to the room for the night. They have high speed internet but Gordon is using it right now so I’ll post this when I get a chance.

Thanks to Betty & Garth for dinner and allowing us to overnight at their place and also thanks to Bonnie for coming for dinner to see us. It was a great but tiring couple of days!

Visiting in Toronto

Traffic through Toronto

Dinner at Betty's - L to R - Gordon, Garth, Bonnie, Betty

We picked up our rental car this morning and after returning the truck to the RV, we headed for Toronto at 9:30 a.m. All went well on the 401 till just before Yonge Street when traffic backed up both on the Express lanes and the collector lanes, then all of a sudden traffic thinned out and away we went until around Hwy 400 when it backed up again. It wasn’t bad though as it used to take me 30 minutes from Betty’s condo to State Farm in Scarborough and this took us 45 minutes. It seemed like a long time though.

We arrived at Betty’s condo around 1:00 p.m. and chatted for the afternoon. Betty also got caught up on my blogs. Luckily we were able to pick up wifi from her condo.

Garth arrived shortly after 4:00 p.m. and Betty’s friend, Bonnie whom I’ve known for years and also traveled with arrived for dinner around 6:00 p.m. Betty prepared a really good dinner of roast beef with potatoes, carrots, salad and ice cream for dessert.

We’ve got a long day tomorrow so will be hitting the sack early!

A Visit in Brockville

This morning was sunny again and 9C (48F). I actually had to take my jacket off on my walk this morning. The sun was warm!

This morning I decided I could see some roots so I coloured my hair. It’s so much easier to colour when it’s short.

I got an email from my Aunt Ruth in Brockville this morning so we went down to see her this afternoon. I can’t believe I forgot to take photos. Her son-in-law, Glen came in while we were there and I got distracted. I’m glad we got to see Aunt Ruth and having Glen arrive too was a bonus!

The store called when we were on our way to Brockville to let me know that my duvet cover was in so we went straight to the shopping mall and picked it up and had Subway and Taco Bell for dinner.

When I got home I put the new duvet and shams on to be sure they fit and then started packing for our weekend in Toronto, Kitchener and possibly Niagara Falls.

I may not post tomorrow night as we’re staying at Betty’s and she doesn’t have internet access.

Our new duvet & shams

Laundry and Not Much Else

Today was a bright sunny day with a little breeze. When I got up the temperature registered at 9C (48F). I saw the peahen this morning. She looked like she was waiting for the store to open. I saw her hop up on the bench but then she started looking in the window – too funny!

Because of my gastrointestinal relux disease sometimes I get what feels like a sore throat even with the medication so I have to sleep basically sitting up. If I was in a regular bed in a house I’d raise the head of the bed on books or something but you can’t do that in an RV so I usually sleep on the couch for a couple of nights. That doesn’t give me a very good sleep and after only one night it hasn’t helped my throat either but I’m not sure I can take another night on the couch as it doesn’t do my back any good. It’s good for naps during the day though.

I had a huge pile of laundry to get done but when I went for my walk this morning the laundry building was being worked on by some construction guys. They told me they were replacing the roof and the laundry would be open so around 10:00 a.m. Gordon drove me over (there was no parking in front of the laundry today due to the roofing and since we just got new tires yesterday we didn’t want to be anywhere near nails) and helped me take the laundry in. It took over two hours to get it done as there are only four dryers and I couldn’t get enough washers when I first arrived but at least now it’s done so we’re ready for our trip to Toronto and Kitchener this weekend.

While at the laundry, I chatted with a lady who has been here for six years. She has a park model in the area where you can stay for 9 months of the year. The other three months she either stays with friends or rents a hotel room in Gananoque. She says the reason for all the units here that are for sale is mostly circumstance – spouses passing away, jobs taking people elsewhere etc. She said it’s a lovely park and the people who own it are very nice and have owned it for 28 years. So that answers a question I had earlier this week.

This afternoon after putting all the laundry away, I just sat around and read and did puzzles. Our high today was 17C (62F)

April Expenses and More Spending

I took this photo yesterday on my morning walk. Pretty, isn't it?

This photo was taken at sunset. It's within the campground. Very pretty lighting.

We now have confirmation that we will be at Tranquil Acres near Carleton Place from May 8^th for at least a month depending on medical appointments.

The sun was shining when I got up so went for my walk around the park. I was specifically looking for the peacocks but they were specifically avoiding me apparently as all I saw were ducks and geese and of course robins, starlings etc. The sun went behind a cloud shortly after I got back.

The Dodge dealer called this morning to let us know the tires were in and we made arrangements to go in for 1:00 p.m. to have them put on. While Gordon was at the dealership, I got my hair cut and walked around the Cataraqui Town Centre. I actually found a nice duvet cover and shams for a good price. Unfortunately they didn’t have queen size in stock but should be in by Thursday so the clerk will hold a set for me when they come in.

We now have new tires and a front end alignment for $1200.00+. Oh well, we really needed new tires!

April Expenses
We returned to Ontario on April 24^th, therefore to make things easier, I’ve transferred all the amounts from the 24^th on into American funds. April was NOT a good month!

Campground - $662.23
Groceries/Wine/Spirits - $424.55
Laundry - $18.50
Entertainment/Parking/Restaurants - $198.66
Truck Fuel - $837.99
Propane - $43.30 (back to the cold weather!)
Repairs RV/Truck - $806.86
Fixed Expenses - $359.37 (insurance, internet, TV, cell phone)
Medical/Dental - $0.00
Gifts & Misc - $558.02

Total - $3909.48

Our biggest expense this month was the truck service, first to have the oil changed in the rear which is always about $7-$800 and then our deductible for the warranty work on the differential. Since we were traveling north this month and diesel just kept going up and up, we had a large total for fuel. We also had a big month for gifts so our total for the month in U.S. funds at $3909.48
is a killer for being in the U.S. That sound more like an Ontario total! Sure hope we don't have many like that one but looks like May might be !