Happy Birthday to Me!

This is a cropped photo of the blue jays

This is our new massaging cushion

I'm 58 years old today! I can't believe I'm that old!

This morning dawned damp and cool but I still went for my walk. Not a very nice day for my birthday weatherwise but there have been worse like our first year of RVing in 2004, it poured rain all day from one of the hurricanes that was passing through.

This morning we went to Carlingwood Shopping Centre to see if we could get the sneakers that Gordon wants. They didn’t have them in the store so we’ll have to order them from the catalogue. We also tried to find a tripod for our StarChoice dish at The Source but they didn’t have anything. We had a coffee at the Food Court, then stopped at GNC to get some stuff. While there, Gordon had a free massage in the massage chair that they’ve had in their store for a long time and suggested we buy one as we both have back problems so this is my (our) birthday present as Gordon’s birthday is next Saturday. The price with my GNC Gold Card was fairly reasonable. See it pictured above.

We came home for lunch and settled down to watch ‘Bite the Bullet’ with Candace Bergen and Gene Hackman. It turned out not to be something we wanted to watch so Gordon went for a nap and I watched some sitcoms till I fell asleep so I turned off the TV and then couldn’t sleep so went for my second walk of the day around the campground. The sun was out so I walked back into the area that’s now closed off hoping to see some deer but all I saw was a groundhog and on the way back near our campsite, two bluejays on the grass. I took photos but they were too far away for my camera.

Tonight we just relaxed and watched a movie on TV.

Back in Ottawa

Today was a beautiful sunny day with some cloudy periods. We packed up and left Double M RV Resort and Campground at 10:43 a.m. and arrived in our campsite at Ottawa Municipal Campground at 2:45 p.m. We were set up by about 4:00 p.m. just in time for the cloud to set in. We sat outside in our lawn chairs for a while to get cooled off as it had gotten to be 27C (81F) on our arrival. It hasn’t been that warm in Lindsay for a while.

The trip was a good one with only one car holding Gordon up enough so he had to pass her (on a 2 lane highway). It’s pretty bad when a 38 foot fifth wheel passes a car for going too slow! She was the type of driver that would slow down, then speed up again, really annoying! Anyway, someone on one of Gordon’s forums had asked him the other day if people up in our area painted their barns or not. So, on the way to Ottawa I surveyed the barns along Highway 7 and over twice as many barns are unpainted as are painted. That’s today’s little bit of trivia.

It’s quite windy here so we’re not putting out the awning tonight. The ground is really hard with underlying rock so it’s difficult to get the stakes in the ground to hold the awning. Maybe tomorrow! We got a thunderstorm around 5:30 p.m. so we got set up just in time.

We're back in the same site that we were in when we stayed here in June.

Boat Trip!

Betty and I in the bow rider just after we got gas in Bobcaygeon (photo by Gordon)

The photos below are some of the scenes taken on our trip today. You can see with the rocks in the pictures that we are in the Canadian Shield.

The entrance to Catalina Bay is only 28 feet wide!

The plan today if the weather was nice enough and Sturgeon Lake wasn’t too rough was to go out in the boat. Gordon had never gone through a lock so I thought that we would go through a lock, toodle around a bit in another lake and come back. Betty called early this morning and indicated that all systems were go. When we got to the cottage we found out that Garth had decided to take us to Catalina Bay where we were to go last Wednesday but couldn’t because of the weather.

So with layers of clothing on (it wasn’t that warm at 10:00 a.m.) we headed out. Sturgeon Lake was fairly calm and got to Bobcaygeon. The lockmaster saw us coming and opened the gates almost right away. Another boat came in behind us so it took no time at all for us to get through the locks. Garth stopped to get some charts of the area we were going to but they didn’t have what he wanted so we headed into Pigeon Lake, then Big Bald Lake and Little Bald Lake and got to Catalina Bay without much of a problem. However when we got there we found out that Crocodile Bob’s is now only open on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. The plan had been to have lunch there and head back. It only took 45 minutes from the time we pulled into Pigeon Lake to get to Catalina Bay so we headed back to have lunch in Bobcaygeon. Again, on the return trip we had little problem finding our way, stopped for gas, got through the lock as after Labour Day they close at 3:30 p.m. and then went to the El Toro for lunch. Wouldn’t recommend it but it’s just across the street from the lock so it was a nice location. Betty and I took a quick look through some of the shops and she bought a T-shirt that she had looked at when we were there a couple of weeks ago.

Sturgeon Lake was getting pretty choppy as we headed home from Bobcaygeon and I got a little wet but it’s better to get wet on the way home than on the way on an outing!

We saw a couple of osprey which Gordon photographed and some loons but other than seagulls no other bird life.

We arrived back at the cottage at about 4:00 p.m., only stayed for a few minutes and then headed home to get started packing up. We got some gray water dumped so we can do dishes and stuff tonight as we’ve been full for a few days, packed up chairs, BBQ etc. so we’ve got a head start on tomorrow morning for our return to Ottawa.

Happy Birthday to Michelle, Lots of Errands and Dinner at Pleasant Point!

Betty and Garth on their dock at sunset

Our name plaque is finally up!

Misty morning on the Scugog River

Happy Birthday Michelle! Gordon’s daughter turns 30 something today so he called her this morning to wish her well. Their son, Luke (almost 4 months old) apparently wasn’t thinking of his Mommy when he woke her up about twice last night!

Busy day today! I started out by getting up about an hour early. There was a possibility that we would be going for a boat ride but it all depended on the weather and Betty was to call me around 8:15 a.m. I looked outside and it was foggy. Not a good sign for a boat ride. Gordon was out taking photos so I walked around the park and took some as well and then went on my walk. I was back in lots of time for the phone call. No boat ride today – 70% chance of rain. I had no sooner finished the call than it did start to rain but it didn’t rain much. So, tomorrow is supposed to be a nicer day so we are going to try for our boat ride tomorrow.

I called this morning and got our medical appointments set up for next year for our annual physical, got a dentist appointment for me for next week and called Brian Sanderson at Sanderson Insurance to get our US travel insurance.

Since tomorrow is sort of planned and I wanted to get laundry done, I packed up the laundry and headed to the Laundromat. After that was done, I stopped at a First Choice Haircutters and got my hair cut. I again thought about getting bangs and again decided against it. It’s taken so long for them to grow out that if I decide I don’t like them, it will take another 3-4 years to grow them out again. Then I went into Lindsay and got our US medical insurance cards from Sanderson Insurance as they are located here in Lindsay. This is the same company that had our insurance last year and they paid up for my hospital stay in Cincinnati and it was the same price as last year. But, you have to be stable with no changes in medication or anything for 6 months. I’m ok (at least at this point) but Gordon started another medication in June so we’ll have to keep our fingers crossed there. If you’re not stable for 6 months, you’re not covered (for that malady). Then I stopped and got some more groceries and came home.

When Betty and I were out shopping yesterday my back started to bother me again. I’ve been hearing things about how to wear a backpack properly for the school kids lately on TV so wondered if my purse might be creating a problem. I started carrying it in my hand and my back was much better. So, I’ve shortened the strap and hopefully that will help. If not, I’ll have to think about downsizing my purse. After about 50 years of carrying a purse that has everything in it you need, that would be very difficult.

We arrived at the cottage just before 5:00 p.m. and went for a walk down by the boathouse as Betty said their blue heron had returned. We did find him but he flew off just as we arrived. We had a really nice dinner and showed Betty and Garth some photos of the grandchildren as I had taken my computer over to show them information on a condo they hope to rent for two months this winter.

We got home around 9:00 p.m. Lights out! Tomorrow will be another full day!

Shopping in Port Perry

Another cloudy day. I’m starting to feel like Texas in the winter of 04/05 when all we got for about three weeks was cloud!

Gordon hung our plaque with our names on it this morning. Not bad – it’s only taken since Mesa, AZ to get it done. It’s hanging quite low right now as we have to adjust the front end to make the RV level so the front end is quite low.

Today, Betty picked me up at Double M RV Resort at 1:15 p.m. and we went shopping in Port Perry. Port Perry is a pretty little town but it’s not on the Trent-Severn Waterway. We didn’t buy much but it was a nice afternoon. We sat outside at a little coffee shop in town and had a coffee. It didn’t rain and the sun came out on our way home.

Our time here in Lindsay is coming to a close. It’s been great to spend some time with Betty. They are planning on being in Florida for February and March 2007 so we may see them there!

No photos today. I didn't even take my camera with me as it was so cloudy.

Lift Locks and Zoo

This is photo #1 the boat is in position

Photo #2 you see the boat basin coming down and the other basin going up

Photo #3 the basin the boat is in is now lower and is almost in position to release the boat

Photo #4 - the boat continues on its merry way!

Barbary sheep at the Riverview Park & Zoo. He's so cute up there on his perch

Vietnamese pot-bellied pig

Today was mostly cloudy and about 19C (66F). A lot of people were leaving the campground today. Summer holidays are over and the leaves are starting to turn. It seems awfully early this year. Gordon had mentioned a while ago that he wanted to go to see the lift locks at Peterborough but we hadn’t done it yet so I suggested we go today even though it was cloudy.

So about 10:30 a.m. we headed for Peterborough (about 22 miles) and drove to the lift locks. The sun came out! Just as we were walking toward the locks the loud speaker came on announcing that the locks would be operating soon as there was a boat in the lock waiting to be brought down. So, we were just in time. We got photos of the lock moving and then the boat moving on down the canal. Interesting. We then stopped at the Chamber of Commerce as we had seen a sign for a zoo. We found out where the Riverview Park and Zoo was located and that it’s free! So off we went. It’s a nice little zoo and has a huge playground. Not a lot of animals but a couple of really big camels, cute little monkeys, some deer, emus, kangaroos, a pot bellied pig and some donkeys. There were other animals and reptiles as well.

We got home about 2:30 p.m. just in time for a nap.

Wimpy's

Today when I took my walk it was raining but not that heavily so I didn’t need an umbrella. If it had been that heavy, I wouldn’t have walked.

I was just settling into my book when Betty called to see if we wanted to go out for breakfast. We had eaten but since by the time we got there it would be almost lunch time, we went for it. Gordon had photoshoped one of Betty’s photos of their Amazon cruise to fit their Christmas card so we stopped at Staples to get it printed and met them at Wimpy’s. Wimpy’s is a 50’s diner and has all kinds of coke memorabilia around. Gordon’s topic for his photo club this month is Coca Cola so he photographed a lot of the stuff that they had.

We had breakfast and a chat and then went our separate ways.We stopped at Valu Mart and I picked up makings for a stew. It’s that kind of weather again! When I got home I made the stew and put it on the stove to simmer for a couple of hours. We won’t be having dinner tonight as we went out today but it’s better when it sits for a day.

The rain had stopped by the time we returned to the campground so Gordon put the awning out again and after my food prep, I did some interneting and then settled down with my book. I’m reading John Sandford’s Dead Watch. It’s also a pretty good book Betty brought me another one by Lee Child called The Hard Way. I want to get all the hardcover books read so I can give them to Danica before we leave to head south. They take up lots more room and are heavier than paperbacks.

The rest of the day was a quiet one.

I didn't take any photos today so the one above is from our trip on Wednesday to Six Foot Bay.

Ernesto Arrives as Forecast

Red lawn chairs in a row (taken by Gordon this week)

The campground is pretty full this weekend

This morning was cloudy and cool but at least it wasn’t raining yet. I did my walk around the park instead of on the road and noticed that most seasonal people are here this weekend. Also you will see from the photo that there are lots of tents and tent trailers around. The park is pretty much full this weekend.

Ernesto arrived in the form of rain and some wind just after 12 noon as predicted by the weather forecaster. The plan today had been to go to a corn roast at a cottage down the way from Betty & Garth’s, however with the rain and the corn roast to be held outside, we decided to stay at home and try to keep warm. With the electric heater on, it keeps the cold at bay but we don’t run it if we’re going to be out so unless we put the furnace on it would be very cold and damp if we were out all afternoon and evening.

I had purchased a camp toaster some time ago, I think I wrote about it when I bought it and today was the first time I used it. It works quite well so I had a BLT for lunch. I don’t crave toast very often but today seemed like a really good day for it.

Just before dinner, Gordon decided that we should put the awning up in case the wind picked up during the night. It’s bad enough to have to put the awning up in the rain let alone in the dark too.

I had an accordion file to hold maps and tourist books from different states and provinces which would no longer close so I went through that and disposed of things not needed. I took the maps and put an elastic band around them. Hopefully we’ll be able to carry them in the truck so they will be there when we need them.Other than organizing maps, reading, naps and TV, not much got accomplished today.

Expenses for August

It was cool, sunny and beautiful this morning, a beautiful day for my walk. An older lady with her dog that I see on my walk almost every morning said that I should have a dog to walk with me. I managed to tell her about why I wasn’t walking with a dog without breaking down. Everyone I talk to like this including my on-line friend, Peggi say we should get another one but we’ve decided not to while we’re traveling.

This morning I went into Lindsay to pick up some groceries so I could make my Calico Beans for the corn roast tomorrow night at neighbours of Betty & Garth’s. It doesn’t sound like the weather is going to be very nice. Rain is predicted for the next few days from Hurricane Ernesto so I guess there is a possibility that the corn roast won’t happen.

This afternoon I decided to take advantage of the nice day and the sunshine and sat outside till about 4:30 p.m. Then I came in and made the Calico Beans and put them in the crockpot to cook overnight.

Since yesterday was the end of the month, below are our expenses.

Campground Fees - $594.28

Groceries - $347.16

Laundry - $32.75

Wine/Spirits - $48.45

Entertainment - $9.91

Snacks - $7.50

Eating Out - $117.20

Fuel for Truck - $250.25

Propane - $0.00

Dog Food/Vet etc - $310.66

Repairs/Service/RV/Truck - $94.47

Misc - $414.89

Insurance - $151.04

Internet/TV - $207.96

Cell Phones - $110.00

Medical/Dental - $59.62

Gifts - $50.00

Total for August - $2,806.14

Great month for expenses! This is mainly due to eating a lot of meals at Betty & Garth’s. The vet bills of course were more this month than before. We were charged for two months for our satellite internet as we weren’t charged last month. We’re also now on a two month contract so it’s $10.00 plus taxes cheaper per month. Eating out increased this month as Betty and I have been having lunch out when we go on our shopping sprees. Our Misc. items included purchasing the receiver for our StarChoice TV and I also bought ink for the printer.

September definitely won’t be within budget as I will be purchasing our travel insurance for this winter and we won’t be getting monthly rates as we’ll be staying a week or two in Ottawa and then probably moving elsewhere yet to be determined. There has also been talk of needing new tires for the truck which will also be a big expense. We’ll have to decide if they will last through the winter as I don’t want to have to buy them in the US and pay taxes and duty on them.

No photos today, just relaxing!

A Relaxing Thursday

Today was just a relaxing day. I napped on the couch this morning but as it got warmer outside I moved to my lawnchair and spent most of the afternoon out there reading 'Judge and Jury' by James Patterson. I finished the book and it was pretty good but I'm a James Patterson fan.

Around 5:00 p.m. Gordon decided he had to go into town to Bulk Barn to get some candy. He’s a candy fiend and he says he’s been without any for several days. While he was gone I whipped up a meatloaf for dinner.


That’s about it for today!.

Today’s photo was taken by Gordon a couple of days ago at sunrise.

A Day's Outing with Betty and Garth

This is the card that Betty & Garth gave us for our anniversary and our photo.

See the little chipmunk peeking out from the crack in the sidewalk? There were at least two of them that appeared to be living in that crack.

Gordon, Sandra, Betty & Garth with Sandy Lake in the background

Today was partly cloudy and cool 13C (55F) when I went out for my walk. The plan today was to go to the cottage and take a boat ride over to Catalina Bay Resort where they have a restaurant called Crocodile Bill’s for lunch. It’s located on Big Bald Lake which meant we would have to go through the locks at Bobcaygeon.

Since it was quite cool this morning we dressed in layers and headed for the cottage. Sturgeon Lake however had other ideas for our day as it was quite choppy. Sturgeon is quite a large lake and is often quite choppy which meant that the chances of us getting wet were very good. Before we arrived Betty and Garth had decided that we would not go by boat but would take a road trip. Bummer! Oh well, another day for the boat! Too bad we were dressed for boating!

We headed out and stopped at a couple of restaurants in Buckhorn to see if they could accommodate Gordon’s diet. One looked promising but it wasn’t on the lake. We headed toward Sandy Lake, a pretty glacial lake about 5 miles from Buckhorn and on the way back stopped at a place called Six Foot Bay. Garth had played golf here at one time. It’s a pretty area, has large cottages on the water and an RV park as well as a restaurant which had a huge plate of nachos that Gordon could eat. The food was very good and Betty paid for our anniversary (which is November 5th but we will be somewhere on our way south by then).

We then headed to Curve Lake which is on an Indian Reserve. They have a Pow Wow every year in September so we drove to the area where they have the Pow Wow and it looked like they were participating in a mini Indian Ceremony for CHEX 5:30 News as they were there with cameras. We took a few photos before someone told us we couldn’t take photos of an Indian Ceremony. It was quite interesting watching them do their dance. We then stopped at the Whetung Ojibwa Crafts and Art Gallery. I bought a couple of little bracelets there but there were some really pretty Indian blankets and lots of art and jewelry of all kinds as well as moccasins and all sorts of gifts. From there we went to Young’s Point, a little town on Clear Lake. Lock 27 is at Young’s Point so we walked across the lock and around the little town area a bit and then came back and looked in their Trading Post while Betty and Garth had some Kawartha ice cream. After the huge lunch we had I can’t imagine where they put it! They sell everything there from clothing to furniture to stuffed lifelike looking cats. Nothing called to me however so I managed to escape without buying anything.

From there we headed back to the cottage where we took our leave of Betty and Garth and headed home, both of us very tired again!

Shopping in Lindsay and The Canadian Shield

It was cloudy this morning and since I was spending the day shopping with Betty I decided to forego my walk to see how my back lasts throughout the day without the morning punishment. I do find that walking quickly doesn’t bother my back nearly so much as strolling along and stopping to shop or just standing, that really kills it.

I met Betty at the Lindsay Square Mall and looked around there and the plaza with Dollarama and then shopped Kent Street. We had lunch at The Grand in Lindsay and sat outside on the patio. They have probably the best taco salad I’ve ever eaten. I bought a butterfly book with the gift card I got when I left Breconridge and I still have some $ left on it.

I got home around 5:15 p.m. My back is killing me so skipping my morning walk didn’t help!

No photos taken today so I have included one I took yesterday of part of the Canadian Shield.

The Canadian Shield is the largest of Canada's 7 physical regions. This area completely surrounds the Hudson's Bay in the shape of a horse shoe. It mainly is rock that was once mountains millions of years ago. Through the process of erosion, water, ice, glaciers from the Ice Age, and wind wore down this rock so that it became flatter. Over these millions of years rivers, rapids, trees like the fir, pine and spruce love it here but the shallowness of the soil wouldn't work for plants that have a deep root system. lakes and valleys have been carved out by the force of nature. All these beautiful sources of water add to the tourism and recreation (camping) industry but at the same time it sure made it difficult to create a transportation system. When all of the erosion was finished, the rock was very close to the surface. As a matter of fact there isn't a great depth of soil. Trees like the fir, pine and spruce love it here but the shallowness of the soil wouldn't work for plants that have a deep root system.

Petroglyphs Provincial Park

McGinnis Lake in Petroglyphs Provincial Park

This is the building that houses the petroglyphs.

This is the Village Inn and Spa in Lakefield where we had lunch at their pub called The Thirsty Loon.

This is me at The Thirsty Loon (taken by Gordon).

Today was bright and sunny again. I got up at 8:00 a.m. and went for my walk. It was 19C (66F) so it was quite enjoyable. I actually jogged for a short way.

This morning as I mentioned yesterday, the plan was to go into Lindsay for the groceries I didn’t get yesterday as the store was too busy. However, it was such a beautiful day we decided to go for a drive as we haven’t seen much of the area this month (on our own). So we headed generally northeast stopping in Lakefield for lunch at The Thirsty Loon. We walked around Lakefield and got some maps and information at the local Chamber of Commerce.

Then on to Petroglyphs Provincial Park. We had stopped there last year but there was no one in the booth so after paying $9.91 (???? Not $10.00, go figure) we headed to the petroglyphs. It was a short walk from the parking lot but on our way there were signs saying that this was an Indian spiritual area therefore we couldn’t take any photos. We weren’t impressed! They have built a steel and glass building to house the petroglyphs so I took a photo of that but was disappointed that we couldn’t take any inside. The petroglyphs were quite good. Probably better than the ones we saw in New Mexico but there was no problem with taking photos there.

After that we stopped at McGinnis Lake which is also within the park and took some photos there. It was very pretty and reminded me of Pink Lake in Gatineau Park.

Stony Lake is apparently a very pretty lake in this area but it's hard to actually see it as there are cottages and trees that surround it but Gordon did hike down to a public beach and got some photos so you’ll have to go to his site to see them. Click on the links on the right. By that time, my back was finished for the day.

We started to head towards Buckhorn but it was getting late so decided to turn around and return home through Lakefield and Bridgeport again so we arrived home just before 6:00 p.m.

Lousy Weather Today

Today has been a lousy day weatherwise. I did manage to get I a short walk this morning between rain showers. On top of the rain it’s been very humid and misty for most of the day.

It was in the plan today to get the laundry done. For it only being a week, I had lots of laundry so trucked on into Lindsay to the Laundromat I was at last week. Again no one was there till I was packing up to leave. The one bad thing about this Laundromat is no washroom. I thought maybe since it’s also a gas station that the convenience store would have one but the cashier said that he had let someone use it and they put paper towel down the toilet and it was plugged. So after my clothes were in the dryer I went over to Loblaws to use their facilities. Not too convenient but the washrooms in Laundromats are usually not very clean anyway.

After laundry I stopped at National Grocers and picked up a few things. Checked out the new Dollar Store in that plaza. It’s more like a department store than a dollar store. I was going to hit Food Basics too but the parking lot was full. Then I remembered it was Sunday and the place would be a zoo so I decided I’d go back in tomorrow.

This afternoon we also had to dump the tanks. The sewer is too high so the sewage doesn’t flow properly out of the hose so it’s a two person not-very-nice job and the sewer is quite a ways from the RV so we have to use two hoses connected. The connection usually leaks so we use a plastic bag to catch the leakage. Also not nice!

After that we headed to the campground showers. They have a lot of water pressure so I find it good especially for rinsing my hair.

The sun did come out around dinner time so hopefully tomorrow will be nicer.

We spent the evening watching Pirates of the Caribbean.

I didn't take any photos today so borrowed one from Gordon that he took when we were near Carleton Place.

Garage Sale & Dinner at the Cottage

Today dawned another bright sunny but cool day. It was the day for the garage sale at the RV Park to start at 1:00 p.m. I had been putting some things out all week for the sale and this morning I priced it and got ready to put the items out on the picnic table. I also printed off some photos of Nick and Becky’s wedding for Betty as I had bought some photo paper this week. They turned out quite well and she was happy.

I had everything ready for the garage sale by about 12:15 p.m. so I sat outside and read my book for a while. Gordon walked around the park to see if anyone was participating in the sale. Betty came over about 1:30 p.m. I still didn’t have any customers. She and I then walked around the park and let Gordon man the sale at our lot. Betty bought a couple of items but we still had no customers by the time I returned. Betty took a couple of my mixing bowls that I had out for sale and the rest I loaded into the truck.

Betty had invited us to the cottage for dinner so on our way to the cottage I dropped the items off at the local thrift store. We had dinner in the gazebo on the dock. It was a mild evening but to Gordon’s disappointment, no sunset as it was cloudy.

We were home by about 9:15 p.m. just before it started to rain!

The photo above is of the little church at Pleasant Point where the cottage is located.

Big Harv Gets a Bath!

Apparently there was a nice sunrise this morning (photo above taken by Gordon). I wasn’t up yet. By the time I got up it was cloudy and cool with a threat of rain.

That being said, after breakfast this morning we proceeded to wash the RV. The site that we have is perfect as we can pretty much use the truck as a ladder on all sides and there’s no one behind us so we also used it for washing the rear. Our ladder isn’t really tall enough to be able to get any strength behind washing and this time, it really needed strength. It was very dirty, a lot of it from washing the roof on Wednesday but there were also black streaks which are very hard to get off. Gordon did most of it with me running errands. I did do the part under the nose. Photo above shows Gordon using the truck as a ladder. It was actually a good day to wash the RV, it wasn’t too hot and the sun wasn’t shining in our eyes. Gordon got soaked so after we were done, we went down to the campground showers and had long hot showers. Our shower is convenient but it’s nice to be able to let the hot water run instead of taking ‘navy showers’. It never did rain while we were working.

It started to rain late in the afternoon and has been raining steadily all evening.

Two Year Full Timing Anniversary and More Shopping!

This bull was very curious about what I was doing walking by his field

Mist on the river

I forgot to mention that yesterday marked our 2nd year of full timing. We picked up our rig at Vos Trailers in Stittsville, Ontario on August 23rd and headed to Tranquil Acres as it was the closest RV Park to the campground that had pull thru sites. For a more detailed account of our two years, see Gordon's site at http://gordonwolford.com/News/News.html.

Today, Betty returned from Toronto where she has been for the last couple of days, picked me up at the RV and off we went to Peterborough to shop again in her little black and yellow Mini Cooper. I had originally planned to wash the RV today but decided shopping would be more fun. We do need to get it washed before we leave here though as not many campgrounds will let you wash your rig on site!

We stopped at Red Lobster for lunch. It seemed to be taking forever for our lunch to come and it turned out something was wrong with their printers. The waitress had input our order but for some reason it hadn’t printed out in the kitchen so we got one lunch for free and they chose the most expensive one to give to us!

Then on to the Peterborough Mall. Betty bought a bracelet at Ardene’s. We then stopped at a mall that has a Reitmans and a Winners and Betty was itching to buy something else. She bought a black top with bling (wooden beads in this case) and a long black skirt. I didn’t buy anything!

Garth was having dinner out with his golf group tonight so we called Gordon on our way back and he met Betty and I at Taco Bell in Lindsay. Then Betty left for the cottage and we stopped and picked up a few groceries.

Yeah! I don’t have to cook tonight!

I also didn’t take any photos today so I’m posting a couple that I took this week on my morning walk.

Happy Birthday Margie!

This is my little sister, Margie - Happy 40 something!

I've posted this photo before but she does look young enough to be Nick's date!

Today my little sister, Margie is 40 something (over 45) . A friend of my older sister commented on looking at the photos of Margie’s son’s wedding in July that she looked young enough to be Nick’s date. I’m including a photo of Nick and his Mom above. It's true! Margie is a very loving, giving person and a wonderful sister. We celebrated her birthday at the cottage on Saturday night but again, have a great day, Marg!

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This morning we went to the RV park’s coffee klatch and met two more couples, Paul and Carolyn and Tom and Pat. Tom and Pat just sold their house on August 1st so are newbies and are very interesting folks. Carolyn and Paul aren’t full timers and were basically just overnighting here at Double M but had just come from Ottawa.

Last week we met Jim & Pam who told us about some interesting spots in New Mexico that we’ll have to try out.

After we got back from the coffee klatch, we started working on washing the RV. Gordon had to do the roof first so I tried to get the tree seed pods off the awning which didn’t work. He basically finished the roof and we packed it in for today. Now the RV itself is a lot dirtier due to the black stuff from the roof so another day for that!

I’ve had a bit of a meltdown last night and this morning from loss of our puppy. I’m not sure if crying it out is the way to go or trying to ignore it. Crying is just making me feel weak and shaky but it’s obvious that ignoring it isn’t working either as I’ve tried to do that since Friday last week so I guess it’s just time that will heal.

We relaxed for what was left of the afternoon. I also started going through things to get ready for the garage sale at the RV park this weekend.

Betty called after dinner and wanted me to go shopping with her tomorrow. Since we have to wash the rest of the RV, I told her I would go with her if it rains, so I have to call her tomorrow morning to make the decision. I also called Margie to wish her a Happy Birthday again but she had gone out so I left a message with Danica.

Shopping for Travel Medical Insurance

Sunrise over the Scugog River (taken by Gordon)

Betty and Danica riding up front in the bow rider (taken by Gordon)

Today was another bright, sunny day with a cool breeze, just right for walking.

Late this morning I went into Lindsay to do some errands. I priced travel medical insurance in a couple of places but I think we’ll go with Brian Sanderson through the RV Explorer Club. That’s who we used last year and they paid my entire claim for my hospitalization in Cincinatti (amounts negotiated by them). I also looked around the downtown area a bit as I hadn’t been there yet this year. I picked up some ink for our printer and some other odds and ends that we needed as well as a few groceries.

I arrived home around 4:00 p.m. Gordon was nearly ready to send out the posse since I had been gone for about 5 hours. Shopping occupies my mind so I don't think so much about my poor little puppy.

The rest of the day passed uneventfully. At least we’re getting decent TV now!

Road Trip

Although I have no reason to get up early anymore, there’s no little dog to get me up, I got up at about 7:30 a.m. and went for my walk. The sun was shining but it was quite cool – 7C (45F). After I got back, all of a sudden the fog rolled in and lasted for about an hour and then the sun came out again with a nice breeze.

I napped and did some interneting this morning. My plan had been to go into Lindsay and pick up some groceries and generally look around the town but couldn’t get up the enthusiasm to go.

Around noon I asked Gordon if he wanted to go to Beaverton after lunch. Beaverton is a little town about 30 miles northwest of Lindsay on Lake Simcoe. Betty and I had been there last year but Gordon hadn’t been there yet and since it was such a nice day it was a shame to waste it. So, away we went. It was a nice drive but not a lot to see in Beaverton. We drove out and parked near the jetty, then walked out to the end and took some photos. Photo above is of me sitting on the jetty. We drove south from Beaverton for a while then cut over and picked up Hwy 7 and came home.

Both of us are really tired so we had a nap and read a bit. Nothing else to report for today!

End of the Annual Cottage Weekend!

L to R Back – Garth, Nick, John, David

L to R Front – Betty, Becky, Margie, Sandra

Front - Jasper (Margie & John's dog)

I woke up today to rain on the roof, heavy at times so I took the opportunity to sleep in again. I got up around 8:00 a.m. and did a brisk walk around the park.

We got to the cottage this morning around 11:30 a.m. and helped Margie get lunch ready. Betty & Garth, Nick & Becky had gone to church and they arrived home about noon. After lunch the Ottawa folks started packing up for their trip home, we got our yearly photo done this year on the back deck instead of down at the dock as it turned much colder today and then everyone departed for home, including us!

We were happy after a long weekend of visiting to relax with a book and take a nap! The sun actually came out at the end of the day!

Another Day at the Cottage

Actually I made it through all of yesterday without crying. That doesn’t mean that I don’t think about my poor little poochie but I’m trying to remove myself from the experience of putting him to sleep and remember all the good times we had and how funny he could be. He had such beautiful, expressive eyes.

My sister, Margie and family gave us flowers yesterday in remembrance of Bib.

Today was another long day. We left for the cottage mid morning and when we arrived Betty decided we should go for a boat ride. Margie and John elected to stay behind and prepare lunch. We got back from our boat ride about 1:00 p.m. and everyone was ravenous.

This afternoon was more low key, some went shopping, others went out in the canoe, paddle boat or the bow rider and some of us, like me, decided to read and take a nap.

We weren’t very hungry for dinner but we all ate anyway and then did a gift exchange. Margie’s birthday is this week and David’s and mine are in September. John’s is in November but since Betty and Garth won’t see him then and we’ll be gone south of the border we give our gifts on cottage weekend.

We were closer to 11:00 p.m. getting home tonight. Made it through another day without crying!

The photo today is of Margie and Danica in Sturgeon Lake.

Beginning of Annual Cottage Weekend

Nick & Becky - married three weeks!

Danica & Jasper

Wow! It was hot in Lindsay today 33C (92F).

I managed to get through this morning without crying! It’s been close a few times but I consider this a step forward. I still feel very sad though.

We were just lazing around this morning when the guy from 3i Communications came. He was supposed to come on Monday but got the part that they were waiting for so he and Gordon spent the better part of 2 hours trying to set up the TV satellite onto our internet satellite dish. No luck! You’d think that if someone was selling this product, they would know how to set it up! Anyway, we still have TV through our StarChoice dish.

Since we were due at the cottage this afternoon by 2:30 p.m. they had to give up so we could get ready. We had to pick up a cake that Betty had ordered at one of the grocery stores in Lindsay to take to the cottage as well. We arrived about 2:15 p.m. and sat on the dock and enjoyed the breeze. It was so much cooler there than here by the RV although I’m sure it was cooler here if we had been down by the water.

When Nick and Becky hadn’t arrived by about 4:15 p.m. we took the boat out and just as we were leaving the boathouse, Betty suggested we drive around the front of the cottage dock and see if they had arrived. Sure enough, there they were on the dock so we picked them up and took a little boat ride. Sturgeon Lake was pretty rough for a while and I got a little wet as Betty and I were sitting up front in the bow rider. On our way back it wasn’t as rough so Garth was able to speed up and we had a nice ride.

Margie, John & Danica arrived around 6:00 p.m. and after they got unpacked we had a nice hamburger dinner with ice cream and fresh peaches for dessert on Betty & Garth's new back deck. Then all went to Garth’s second cottage where Margie, John, Danica, Nick and Becky are staying for tea.

We're so glad that the newlyweds were able to get time off from work to be part of cottage weekend.

We got home around 10:00 p.m. Very tired!

Cleaning Up

Well the day started out with me crying as I expect I will over the next few days. There has always been a furry little body beside me when I wake up and the first thing I always did when I got up in the morning was take Bib for his walk.

So I’ve been trying to keep busy today. Yesterday I had gathered up most of Bib’s things. The vet had told me that the local humane society here in Lindsay would take anything so Gordon loaded everything that I had packaged up into the truck this morning and together with the laundry I headed into Lindsay and dropped off the doggie stuff at the humane society. They seemed quite happy to get it and said they could make use of everything. Another crying moment.

Then I stopped to pick up a few things at the grocery that I hadn’t gotten yesterday and off to the Laundromat. I was washing the comforter so I couldn’t do it here. I stopped at one and it was packed. Last year when we stayed at Alpine RV Resort I had noticed a little Laundromat at a gas station on Angeline Street so I went there and there was no one there! They didn’t have huge machines but my comforter fit in one all by itself and it was cheaper there than at the RV Resort!

This morning I also used the left over pastry that Gordon’s daughter, Michelle gives me every year when she bakes her Father his favourite butterscotch pie so I made butter tarts.

After, having a nap, vacuuming the place then dinner and TV that’s about it for today!

The photo today is of mist on the Scugog River this morning.

Bib

February 18, 1994 – August 16, 2006

Bib was our much-loved, very loyal poodle that we have owned since he was six weeks old and fit in the palm of your hand. Over the years he has brought us a lot of joy and also some heartache. Bib was a dog that you couldn’t trust with kids or with anyone making him do something he didn’t want to do. He had no qualms about snapping and biting. Fortunately we have kept a close rein on him so he has only ever bitten one person as an adult dog.

Bib was always happy for a ride in the car to go and get Mommy from work and since we have started RVing when we came in the door there he would be with a toy in his mouth to welcome us home. He really enjoyed riding in the truck and didn’t mind spending time in the truck if we were visiting the grandchildren as we couldn’t trust him around the kids.

The last little while his health has been deteriorating and we’ve had him at the vet’s office several times. The last time was Saturday we took him in with a bad cough. The vet put him on soft food in small meals however by last night he couldn’t keep anything down consequently our whole living room is a mess.

We had spoken to the vet here in Lindsay about having him put to sleep when we were in on Saturday but decided to wait and see what the soft food would do but by today we had decided, it was time. He didn’t want to play anymore and was very lethargic taking him for a walk so I stopped and made the appointment when I was going into town this morning so today at 4:00 p.m. our beloved little poodle was put to sleep with both Gordon and I at his side. We told him he needs to look up his Nanny and jump on her lap and she will look after him.

Today we took him for a drive in the truck and for a little walk. There's a photo above of me with him today and one of him alone.

No more coughing, no more strange vets and groomers from our traveling, no more being afraid of construction, of kids, and of loud noises.

May Mommy & Daddy’s little poochie rest in peace.

Another Day of Shopping with Betty!

Today was another lovely day with a nice breeze.

This morning I was meeting my sister, Betty at the library in Lindsay. They have a book sale one Tuesday every month in the summer and this was it so our plan was to hit the library and then go from there for the day. So we met there and I bought four books. We then did a little shopping in Lindsay, then left and went to Fenelon Falls where we had lunch and then did some shopping there. Then we were off to Bobcaygeon and toured their shops. We stopped at the Dunsford Golf and Country Club on the way back and had a drink and a snack. Betty’s husband, Garth and his friends were playing golf there today but they were out on the greens so we didn’t see them.

Then we stopped so Betty could pick up some groceries in Lindsay and she dropped me off at home just before 6:00 p.m.

More TV tonight!

The photo tonight is of our two satellite dishes.

Just Watchin' TV!

While this morning dawned sunny, it became cloudy as the day went on with a few hints of sun here and there and a bit of rain this afternoon and evening with a foggy mist.

Last night I got to watch Gray’s Anatomy for the first time in ages. Desperate Housewives was also on but I had seen it and I kind of like to watch Cold Case. However when the new season starts I think Desperate Housewives will be it! Tonight I got to see House which I hadn’t seen for ages.

This morning I did some ironing. This is something I rarely do anymore but there are a few items that need it. I don’t have an ironing board. I either use the bed or put towels on the kitchen counter. It works.

With the medication we’ve been putting in Bib’s ears, his ears were greasy so we used our outdoor shower and one of our plastic storage bins and gave him a bath this morning. It worked really well so now he looks a lot better.

Other than taking advantage of StarChoice and reading, nothing much happened today.

I took today's photo on my morning walk.

Lazy Sunday

Beach raft in the morning mist

Wild turkeys running in the park

Since the dog got me up in the night, I was late getting up this morning. It was about 7:45 and it was already fairly warm and sunny.

After playing around with StarChoice for a while, I had a nap and then went into town to do some shopping. By the time I arrived home it was after 2:00 p.m. and it was very hot in the RV so started the air.

I had another nap this afternoon, no energy today.

An evening of TV, hopefully much better than we’ve been used to!