Lazy and Laundry

It was bright and beautiful today, a perfect Fall day. We reached 14C (58F) but it was cold this morning for my walk. I decided to walk along the main road as it is in sunshine while the side road has a lot of shade. I don't like walking on the main road as the shoulder is narrow and slants toward the ditch so when cars go by there isn't a very good place to walk. That's why I usually walk on the side road.

This morning after breakfast I was trying to get the urge to go and do laundry when Gordon went into the bedroom for a nap. Oh well, no laundry as that's where I usually get the laundry ready and I had to take the things off the bed. So I lay down to read and had a nap too.

Gordon was already up when I woke up so I immediately began getting the laundry ready as the rest of the week is busy except for Thursday and I don't like going to the laundromat on the weekend.

When I got there the Managers were both there doing their yearly maintenance. They take all the washers and dryers apart and clean and oil them, preventative maintenance they call it. I think I've mentioned before that this laundromat is very clean and well run. That is just an example.

After that I stopped at our local Giant Tiger (Canadian department store) which includes clothes, food and miscellaneous other things. I managed to get everything on my list except for water but we still have a couple of jugs so I'll get that another day as I wanted to get home. Doing laundry at a laundromat wears me out for some reason.

I joined a few groups on Facebook today that involve Rving. There are quite a few of them like Fulltime Rving Traveling the USA and Canada, Fulltime Rving, Rving and Camping and I'm sure there are others that I haven't found yet.

I didn't use my camera at all today so I borrowed one of Gordon's geese photos for my blog.

Running Around Day

It was cold and windy this morning feeling much colder than the 3C (38F) registering on the thermometer. It was also cloudy when I went for my walk which didn't help. I was up earlier than usual as we had to go into Ottawa today.

As soon as I walked out the door this morning I saw this beautiful leaf on the ground.



Gordon had more bloodwork to be done and a prescription picked up, I needed groceries, a new watch battery and some stuff at GNC and I also wanted to vote. Election Day is actually October 14th but that's the day we're scheduled to leave here (although I think we'll be staying a few extra days) so I went to the advanced polls. There were lots of people there voting today. I was in line for about 10 minutes to get my ballot. So, I've done my civic duty.

Between getting the bloodwork done and picking up the prescription, we stopped at Andrew Haydon Park and took a few photos and walked around a bit. It was really chilly by the water! I see on Wikipedia, it's known as the 'geese park'. As you can see below, it's very true!



Pathways



The falls and the leaves in the water near the falls.




I went to three stores to get 1% lactose free milk. The first store still had lots of 2% and skim but no 1%. Most stores up here don't even carry 1%. I can't drink the 2% and I hate blue milk so I don't use skim. Finally I got it at the 3rd store.

Then Gordon wanted to stop at the camera store to see if they had a lens that he's interested in, they didn't so we headed back to the RV park.

I was pooped so I lay down to read and had a short nap.

The day did turn sunny but it was windy and even though we reached 13C (55F), it didn't really feel like it except when you were in the sun and out of the wind.

Planning

Today was another quiet day in Tranquil Acres land. I did my usual morning routine. It was cloudy and pretty cold at 3C (38F) just after 8 a.m. We eventually got to around 13C (56F) with it alternating between sun and cloud for the day.

I read, made 2 necklaces (photos below) and we talked with Dave about becoming seasonal here at the park. Seasonal is 76 days. There is a rate for that then if you stay longer than 76 days you pay $12/day. We're still thinking about it as we're not sure what we'll do next summer. If Gordon is feeling well enough we may go west to Lake Superior. He's been wanting to go there to take photos since our trek west in 2005. We really hate making plans written in stone as this lifestyle allows us to be flexible so we like to keep that option, however this park is limiting it's transients and heading more towards seasonal so if we want to stay here, that may be the only option.


We were also looking at parks to stay at in the Rockport area as well as our route to take as we head south from Ohio. Right now it looks like we will take I-71 to I-65 to I-20 to I-12 to I-10 where we plan to stay around Lake Martin, LA (Breaux Bridge area) for a while. From there we're only a couple of days to Rockport so we're talking about staying at League City, TX again on the way to Rockport for a day or so and maybe seeing if we can get over to Galveston if they're allowing people on the island at that time. The drive from Breaux Bridge, LA to Rockport, TX is over 400 miles. We could do that in a day but I'd rather we didn't. We'll see when the time comes.

Photos from around the park




Other than that, the day passed quickly. With the shorter days, it seems the days go fast. Not looking forward to the time change!

Checking out Campgrounds

It's getting very cold around here especially overnight. The geese are heading south so we think we should be going too! Unfortunately we have to wait for a few weeks yet. I saw in the forecast on AccuWeather that they're forecasting snow for this area one day next week. Looks like it will just be snow flurries and will melt but still. It's way too early for that! That also means temperatures below freezing at night. Have I mentioned that I really hate this time of year in a an RV?

Returning to Ottawa at the end of April is always a hassle. Most parks don't open until mid May although Dave here at Tranquil Acres has let us come in early. Tranquil Acres is on a flood plain so part of the area down by the water is often still very wet. Today we were looking for a solution to this problem

First we went north and a bit west to a park called Grainger's Tent & Trailer Park. On our way we saw this field of beautiful sunflowers.

It was a nice enough park and a definite consideration however they have no laundry facilities since they are on septic and the nearest town is about 15 minutes away which means quite a distance for groceries, laundry and the like. He could accommodate us coming in early but only if it was dry enough in the park.

This barn was right across from the RV park. Definitely some nice scenery around the area.



I had heard about a park in the east end of Ottawa but had never gone to see it so that was our next stop. The name of the park is Recreationland. This is a very nice park (FHU) and it's about 5 minutes away from the town of Rockland which has a brand new Walmart Superstore plus various other shopping conveniences. They also have a laundry in the park although it's quite expensive. They also have free wifi which they claim is very good. This park opens often as early as April 10th so we're covered there. We decided to sign up for a month beginning when we return in April. Here is a shot of one of the pull through sites where we would be located. They are quite a good size too. Since it's at the other end of town we'll also have some new places to explore. It takes about 25-30 minutes to come in to the west end of the city where our doctor and pharmacy are located.

This is one of the pull thru sites at Recreationland.

A scene within the park

One of the churches in Rockland

A building beside the church - love the looks of this old house.


After a couple of stops to pick up some supplies at Sassy Bead Company (prices are much better than the bead store in Smiths Falls) and at a grocery to get some grits for Gordon for breakfast, we returned to Tranquil Acres.

It's Getting Cold!

It was 4C (39F) this morning at 8:15 a.m. Brrrrr! But it was sunny with only a few clouds around. I walked, I ran, I did my exercises then after breakfast I vacuumed. Here are some photos from my morning walk.

My tree
I never tire of looking at this scene

In the RV Park


We had a mixed day of sun and cloud but at least no rain and a high of 12C (53F).

After that I got out my beading equipment and made four necklaces. These are for gifts so I'm not taking any photos of them. Maybe I'll take photos later of the people wearing them.

Other than that I'm reading a Lee Child's book called Running Blind.

My stepdaughter sent us some grandkid photos yesterday. Here's a couple from their swimming lessons this summer.

Faith and Grace

Luke and his Dad

Not much going on in Carleton Place, I'm afraid.

This 'n That

Since we got the RV recaulked it seems warmer inside and that's a good thing! This morning was pretty cold so I bundled up and away I went for my walk. I did my exercises down by the little dock here in the campground and then came back to the RV to do my lower back exercises. I took a couple of photos on my morning walk. It was cloudy then so they are kind of dark.




I finally reached Sanderson Travel Insurance in Lindsay to see about our travel medical insurance this afternoon and the cost for Gordon's insurance has doubled from what it was last year and if he has a relapse of his Valley Fever while away it isn't covered. Mine is still pretty cheap though.

I decided this is stew weather so went into town to get some supplies to make stew. I also got some other stuff, of course. You can't get away from a store without buying other things. I stocked up on some beading stuff at the dollar store. Dollar stores in the U.S. don't carry beading supplies so will have to go to Michaels or Walmart. There is a Walmart in Rockport but will have to drive to Corpus Christi for Michaels. Corpus Christi is 30 miles south of Rockport. Here are photos of some of the beads I bought. Each package is $1.00.

It's only $1.00 for this box of stones and each has the attached ring so it goes on a chain or becomes part of a necklace.


When I got back to the RV I got the stew on the stove.

No rain today and we actually saw some sun although our high was only 11C (52F).

Yesterday we talked to the campground owner, Dave about staying here next year. The campground is going to be pretty much seasonal starting next year so we're thinking of reserving a site as seasonal to be sure that we'll have a spot here. They open around May 15th and close around October 14th but they could accommodate us coming in as early as May 1st. We would either have to stay at Rideau Heights where we were in the spring for the first few days when we return to Ontario or stay as far away as Mallorytown or Kingston about 1 1/2 to 2 hours away respectively as there are campgrounds there that will be open. More thinking to do......

Thanks to everyone for your kind comments on yesterday's blog.

And the decision is.....

I woke up to rain on the roof. I did my indoor exercises but no walk this morning.

Today was the day Gordon saw the specialist. Good news! The fungus has shrunk, he's off the medication and we're good to go south! Such a relief!

Now I have work to do:

• Getting travel medical insurance
• Buying 6 months of our prescription drugs
• Stocking up on stuff we can't get in the U.S.

But we're going south!


On our way home we went by my first condo, here's a photo of it.

And a couple of photos in the country on our way back to the RV park.