Hershey's

Late yesterday afternoon the rain finally stopped and I got to go for my walk. The temperature rose to 19C (67F) and the sun finally came out around dinner time.

I woke up to bright, sunny cloudless skies and a temperature of 17C (62F). I had a nice walk but didn’t see much, only the goldfinches and a couple of butterflies. The wind was a bit cool but walking soon warmed me up.

This morning we got ready and headed into Smiths Falls. Here are a couple of photos I took along the way.

The prime objective for this trip was to visit the Hershey plant. I've lived in this area for almost 59 years and had never been there so away we went and picked up lots of Reese's pieces, Gordon's favourite candy. Note the street lamps in the shape of Hershey's kisses. When we arrived you could really smell the chocolate even in the parking lot.

We did a brief tour from the observation deck but not much was going on. I don't know whether it was because it's Saturday or the fact that the plant is closing sometime in the near future.

After Hershey's, we were hungry so we went in search of a restuarant serving all day breakfast and found one on Hwy 15 called Roosterant. We had a really great breakfast, excellent tasting eggs and it even agreed with Gordon and it was probably the most inexpensive breakfast we've had in some time.

We picked up a couple of other items we were looking for including a weather station that Gordon has wanted. The last one we bought in Kentucky didn't work properly so we had to return it. He spent the afternoon putting it together. I had wanted to walk around the downtown area but with all the chocolate we bought (I picked up some baking chips for the lady that owns the campground) and the sun shining, we thought we'd better come home before all the chocolate melted! We'll have to go back again!

Today was a beautiful, warm, sunny day with no sign of rain!

Rainy Day

We had torrential rains and revolving thunderstorms from about 2:00 a.m. this morning. It continued into the daylight hours so no walk for me this morning. During the morning we also had some wind gusts. We watched our neighbours pack up and leave. YUCK! What a day to have to move. If we have a choice, we don’t move when it’s raining especially in something like a monsoon! That’s one of the reasons I hate making campground reservations. If you’ve made them you almost have to move.

I took today's photo out the back window of the RV.

Most of the morning I just surfed the internet. Luckily the rainstorm hadn’t interfered with our satellite reception but Gordon said it was down during the night when the rain was heaviest. Our high today only reached 16C (60F). Needless to say it was not a nice Ottawa summer day!

About the only thing I did today was make a batch of cornbread. The oven managed to heat the RV up. Other than that I finished my Rosamunde Pilcher book. I think I’ll have no problem finishing my list of books that I have to return to the library on July 28^th. In fact, I may have to get more.

I emailed the library in Lindsay and got a reply stating that for people not paying taxes to the city the charge is $30/year but they will pro-rate for the 5 weeks that I’m there. So, I’ll be able to get books there as well. Now if they would just do that in the U.S. when we’re there!

Around the House and News!

This morning was 20C (68F), cloudy and humid and looked like rain might be imminent so I took my rain jacket and did my three point walk (three directions) so I’m closer to home if it starts to rain but don’t give up my 30 minutes.

This morning I got the vacuuming done, washed the floors then had a nice warm shower. That felt good!

Yesterday I had bought a roast of beef and put it in the crockpot with carrots, potatoes, onion soup mix and a little cooking wine so we tried an experiment at eating our big meal at lunch today. I know it’s better to eat your big meal earlier in the day but we’ve never done it before mostly because of working and we’re usually doing something mid day which would preclude eating our large meal at noon. So, the jury’s still out on whether this continues.

This afternoon I decided I had better back up my hard drive as it’s been over two months since it was done.

We had a few brief rays of sun and then rain this afternoon and we only reached a high of 22C (71F). That was higher than the weather report had said it would get. I spent the afternoon reading my book by Stephen White “Manner of Death” which I finished and then started "The Empty House" by Rosamunde Pilcher.

During the afternoon we received a phone call from Gordon’s son, Ian with good news. He and Tracy are expecting their third child next spring. That will be grandchild #6!

Since the weather didn't cooperate today, these photos were taken yesterday in Almonte.

We Visit Almonte

This morning was 20C (68F) with hazy sun. The sky looked like we would have rain today and indeed we did! I walked my two miles and all I saw were a couple of goldfinches sitting on the electrical wire. I mentioned a couple of weeks ago that I had seen what I thought was a wolf in the ditch on my walk. When we were at Murphys Point Visitor Centre the other day, I saw a stuffed animal that might have been what I had seen on my walk – a fisher! It had the same little face and although I didn’t see the body really well, I think that’s what it was. I borrowed this photo from the internet.

I had decided yesterday that I was going in to Almonte to look around and get some groceries. Gordon decided this morning that he would go with me. So while I looked around the shops in the main shopping area he was off taking photos. I looked in almost all of the stores but didn’t find anything I wanted to buy. I might also mention that Almonte is where James Naismith, the inventor of basketball is from.

We met up for lunch at the Iron Works Pub on Little Bridge Street. They have a nice patio and we’ve walked by there before but had never eaten there. Gordon had a really good burger and I had a taco salad. Both were excellent!

After we finished there we drove around town for a bit and stopped at the library then on to The Bargain Shop which has just opened recently. While I was there Gordon drove home as a storm was threatening and all the computers were still hooked up. So I walked across the street to the grocery store and he drove in just as I was going through the cash. From there, Gordon came home and I then went back to Carleton Place to finish grocery shopping. I had some heavy rain on my way in to Carleton Place, then it stopped long enough for me to get into the store but it was raining quite hard when I came out so I managed to get a little wet.

We’ve had a couple of power outages and as I’m writing this we have more rumblings of thunder. Apparently we’re under a severe thunder storm watch but that’s from Ottawa and we don’t always get the same weather they do.

Up Early, To Ottawa, To Nap

I was up earlier this morning as we had to go in to Ottawa for Gordon’s dental appointment. At 7:00 a.m. it was already 16C (60F) and very sunny and bright with no humidity. Today was a mostly beautiful sunny day. We had a few clouds in the afternoon.

While there I cleared up the U.S. Visa problem. The credit is now deposited where it should be so I called when I got back and got the card cancelled. That’s one headache overwith.

When we got home I sat outside to read (photo is view from my lawnchair) for a while as it was so nice but then Roger started mowing so I went inside and had a very long nap. The life of a retiree!

Murphys Point Provincial Park

This morning was beautiful, warm and sunny and 18C (65F) but I only took a short walk as we had plans to go to Murphys Point Provincial Park near Perth today.

We arrived at the park somewhere around noon, paid our $11.00 admission fee (highway robbery) and drove around one of the campgrounds (too many trees for our satellites), the road is also quite narrow with trees lining the way so it would be difficult for us to get in and the sites aren’t any too large. We had our picnic lunch that I packed at a picnic table at the boat launch on Big Rideau Lake. We then looked for a trail but some of them aren’t very well marked. We walked on the Loon Lake Trail and part way on the McParlin Trail. The Provincial Parks really need to mark their trails better. We didn’t see anything other than a few black squirrels, chipmunks and the usual robins, red wing blackbirds etc. We could have done any of the trails in Ottawa for free and seen just as much or more. Anyway we arrived home around 4:00 p.m. I then sat outside for a while under the tree to read but it got cool so I came in and finished my Rosamunde Pilcher book.

Here are a few photos that I took today.




It was a beautiful day today with temperatures reaching about 27C (80F).

Lazy Sunday

After 12 hours of sleep last night I walked my two miles this morning (those muscle relaxants really do you in). It was 18C (64F) and sunny when I started out, then turned cloudy and then sunny again. I didn’t see any wildlife this morning as there was quite a bit of traffic for a Sunday.

This morning I washed five of Gordon’s ball caps that were in pretty sad shape. I put them out on the picnic table to dry and they were dry by dinner time.

I spent the day relaxing and reading. I finished my Kathy Reichs book and got half way through one by Rosamunde Pilcher.

Just before dinner I went around the park to take some photos. Other than that it was a quiet day.

Sore Back, Reading and Potluck

Today was mostly cloudy with temperatures hovering around 21C (70F). We had a few sunny breaks here and there. I had to cut my walk short as I got a pain in my back between my shoulder blades (from doing arm circles) and couldn’t take a deep breath. I tried to work it out with our massage cushion. It helped a bit but didn’t cure it so wound up taking a muscle relaxant.

I was on Facebook this morning and saw that they have now added Morrisburg High School to the list of schools so I joined Classmates.com and saw a lot of names of people I knew way back when. I’ve sent out a couple of emails.

I slept most of the afternoon away thanks to the muscle relaxant. I did manage to read a few chapters in my book by Kathy Reichs. The weather wasn’t very nice anyway.

Just before 6:00 p.m. we headed over to the rec hall for the potluck. Since it was spitting rain on and off we expected it had been moved there instead of having it on the beach. It was another really good potluck with an excellent turnout and I ate far too much as usual!

I took the photo above a couple of evening ago. It’s of the Jock River off Cemetery Road near Carleton Place.

Friday the 13th!

I woke up this morning with a headache to pouring rain and thunder so no walk first thing this morning. The next thing was I couldn’t get my underwear drawer open so Gordon had to come in and get that open. Drawer brackets that hold the slide rails in an RV usually have to be replaced in the first year as they build them out of cheap plastic. We’ve replaced just about all of them but not this one (until today).

Around 10:00 a.m. the sun came out so I went for my walk then. I’d rather walk first thing but I was glad that it stopped raining long enough for me to go at all. While I was walking, Gordon fixed my drawer.

This morning I took some more flower photos around the RV park.

This morning we went into Carleton Place to renew Gordon’s driver’s license and get our new truck plates. We picked up the paperwork with our mail yesterday. Gordon had to have a new photo taken and it will be 2-4 weeks before he gets his new license so hopefully we’ll have it before we leave Carleton Place.

While we were out I took some items to the thrift store located on Hwy 7. It’s the end of an era. I gave away all my toe socks!

We also stopped to take some photos along the way. There were lots of different clouds in the sky making for some interesting photos.

This afternoon was spent reading. I’ve got six books to read before July 28^th!

Laundry, Hair Cuts, Dinner and a Visit

Last night after dinner and doing a mountainous stack of dishes, we took a drive for sunset. We wound up going to Playfairville and McDonald’s Corners but the sunset fizzled again. We took some photos, saw a few deer and that was about it but it was a nice evening for a drive. Below is a photo of the little church in McDonald’s Corners. I love the gingerbread!

What a difference a day makes! This morning was bright, sunny with no humidity and 14C (57F). I did my two miles this morning and actually did a couple of running spurts neither of which I’ve been doing the last couple of mornings because of the heavy air.

After my morning ritual, I took the laundry in to Carleton Place to get that over with then on to the grocery to pick up some items to make my Calico Beans for the potluck at the campground this weekend. When I returned the sun was still shining so I sat outside and had my lunch.

Late this afternoon we both went into Carleton Place and got haircuts. Here’s mine:

Then we headed in to Ottawa. Gordon needed a new camera strap. He’s worn his out so we decided to go to Swiss Chalet for dinner. Nick and Becky had given us gift certificates last September for our birthdays but since there are very few Swiss Chalets in the U.S. (I think only in New York) we just got around to using a couple of them. It was really good too, thanks Nick & Becky. After that we stopped at my sister’s and visited with them for a while and picked up our mail. One of the things in the mail was a package from Laura (my friend who got married in May). It was our name cards that she had made for us but unfortunately we didn’t stay for the reception. They are really cute too. Maybe I’ll post a photo of them tomorrow night. Thanks Laura & Steve!

On our way back to Carleton Place we took the back roads and took a few photos. There was an interesting sky in the north. The clouds looked like snowy mountains along the horizon. Here’s a photo.

And also a photo of a couple of old log barns.

Just Sittin' Around

It’s still warm and humid here, 20C (68F) for my morning constitutional. I had a bit of sun and no rain this morning. I know this temperature isn’t really warm compared to the 41C (106F) that some of my daily bloggers are having but it feels very humid for me!

When I went in to Ottawa on Sunday I took the sneakers that I bought last week back to Tootsies and they exchanged them for a pair exactly like I bought last year so I wore them this morning for the first time since my blisters have now healed and they worked great! Note to self – if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it! In other words, why didn’t I buy the same ones again the first time???

The plan today had been to go into Carleton Place to do the laundry but late this morning we had rolling thunderstorms which lasted into early afternoon. We also had rain and high winds so I decided it could wait till another day.

This afternoon I read my book and made a pot of baked beans. This makes for lots of dishes to do tonight!

This morning we were told that there was a large frog sitting on a tree down by the water so down we went with our cameras and here he is! Not sure what kind of frog it is but he isn't scared and just sits there and gets his picture taken.
He sure is fat though!

Frustrated!

Last evening after dinner we took a drive as a sunset was looking promising but that turned out to be a flop so we drove around on a few roads we hadn’t been on before and found some deer who seemed to want to pose for us.

This morning was 20C (68F) and a bit sunny as I walked out the door following by rain as soon as I hit the road going southbound so I walked for a while, realized it wasn’t letting up a lot so came back and walked west down the side road, then around the park. I was only gone for 20 minutes but was quite wet by the time I got home.

My U.S. Visa card has a credit balance and I’ve been trying to get it back from them since May 15^th. I’ve called three times each time getting ‘the cheque’s in the mail’ sort of answer. Finally today I got angry and asked for a supervisor. He reactivated my card (it had been cancelled on May 15) and said I could go to any branch of CIBC (Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce) and get a refund there. So, I decided to go back to Ottawa and go to my branch there. Not as easy as Mr. Supervisor had said. Mind you they were having problems with their computers freezing up today. All in all I was there for 1 ½ hours. They have the paperwork ready, just have to wait for their computers to be fixed but here were the problems:

1. We can’t do cash advances on U.S. Visas.
2. After a phone call to Visa – we have to change the U.S. funds back to Canadian and then back to U.S. funds to put in your U.S. account.
3. After my nixing that idea and another phone call they found out how to do it (I hope).

Now I just have to wait for their phone call or email to let me know that the transaction has been done. The lady who waited on me was really nice and very patient. I used to work in a bank so I know what they have to go through and I’m not sure I could be that patient anymore!

After stopping at the Hazeldean Mall to pick up a couple of things, I headed back to Carleton Place and did the remainder of my grocery shopping there. Then home. Feels like I’ve been through the war!

Another Brief Trip to the City

It was cloudy, humid and 18C (64F) this morning as I set out however on my way back it started to rain. Luckily I had my wind jacket with me. It’s not waterproof but it helps.

After breakfast we got ready to go into Ottawa as Gordon had a late morning follow-up doctor’s appointment. I had made a chiropractor’s appointment for tomorrow but called and changed it to this afternoon instead so between appointments we stopped and had some lunch at Wendy’s, picked up a few groceries at Loeb (local grocery chain) and then drove down Richmond Road to Wellington Street to see if there were any changes. Most of the changes were in the little community of Westboro. It's really becoming built up and quite trendy.

We came back on the Ottawa River Parkway and stopped at Remic Rapids where we came across these pretty rock sculptures. They are created by hand by a man named John Félice Ceprano and are quite pretty to look at. It’s too bad it was very cloudy at the time these photos were taken.

We arrived back home early this afternoon in time to read and nap!

Seeing Friends

I’m not a fair weather walker but it was drizzly, 17C (63F) as I took my walk and my camera. Of course, I didn’t see anything this morning. Often deer are out when it’s rainy but I guess they were taking a break today. I wore my old sneakers this morning as I knew just by putting the new ones on, I wouldn’t be walking anywhere in them.

Today was the day that I was to get together with my friends, Sandy and Nancy. We all worked at Nortel together and we meet once a year and have lunch and make an afternoon of it and today was no different. We met at Kelsey’s at the Centrum Plaza in Kanata. Luckily our waiter was a friend of Sandy’s daughter so we didn’t have to rush to leave and spent 3 ½ hours getting caught up and looking at Sandy’s photos of her five week trip to Australia and Tasmania last year. What a beautiful trip!

When I left it was pouring rain but as the day progressed the weather got better although the sun never really came out all day (at least at this point in posting). I arrived home just after 4:00 p.m. under cloudy, quite humid weather.

Pictured below are “the girls”.

Another Low Key Day

We’re scheduled to leave Tranquil Acres for Cobourg in a month. Time is sure flying!

We had some sun this morning but it quickly turned to clouds with periods of rain and drizzle. I walked and my heel was a little better but I still didn’t feel like walking a long way.

Late this morning we drove to the Carleton Place Library. I had put some books on hold via their on line site so we picked those up and then drove down a side road, Glen Isle Road that we had been wanting to see. This road takes you to the island that’s across from our campground. There are quite a few houses and a couple of farms on the island. I hadn’t realized it was that large. The barn photo below is one I took there.

It was just a short outing today as it was cloudy and not conducive to photography (except for flowers). So, I shot this pretty lily on our way back into the campground.

Quick Trip to Ottawa Today

This morning was much nicer 19C (67F) and sunny with no humidity. I put a bandaid on my blister from yesterday and started out only to find that my other heel seemed to be getting a blister so since I had brought a bandaid with me I put it on my left heel. As I was about 20 minutes into my walk my right heel started to hurt again. I didn’t have any more bandaids with me so I had to suffer. I think it’s just the same blister that is hurting even with the bandaid on it. Sure hope these shoes get broken in soon. The good news is my back is better.

Today we had to go in to Ottawa as Gordon is developing an abcess up near the base of the root of a tooth so he got penicillin from the doctor. We filled it and then came back to Carleton Place. We stopped at the Independent Store in Carleton Place to pick up a few things then back to the RV to read and have a nap!

We had some fairly heavy rain on the way back to Carleton Place but it cleared up and is bright and sunny now!

This is a photo I took of our RV a few days ago.

Another Stay at Home Day

It was 17C (63F), cloudy and damp this morning for my two mile walk. I wore my new sneakers and the right one gave me a blister. Hope that will clear up when they’re broken in. I didn’t have any problems breaking in the last pair.

Today was spent just hanging around the RV. I made some potato salad and packaged up the meat I bought yesterday so that it will fit better in our little freezer. Other than that I read. Glad I have those library books!

We had a bit of sun on and off this afternoon but it was generally a cloudy day.

The photo is one I took a few days ago of daisies in the garden here at the park.

Shopping in Ottawa

Happy 4^th of July to all our neighbors (notice I didn't put a "u" in neighbors in honor (no "u) of the U.S. Independence Day) from south of our border!

Today was a cloudy day with some rain this afternoon. I got up early and got ready to go in to Ottawa as I had lots of errands to run. I left around 8:30 a.m. and returned around 3:45 p.m. so it was a long day and I still didn’t get everything done that I wanted to do. I was tired and my back gave out on me. I stopped to try on some new sneakers and the salesman said my old ones were shot which is why my back and groin area have started to bother me again. He said “Listen to your body!” Needless to say, I bought new ones. These have a little more support and bounce than my old ones had so can’t wait to try them out. I didn’t walk this morning as I knew I was going to have a long shopping day and I was saving my energy.

Tuesday Stay at Home Day

I took this photo a couple of evenings ago when we walked around the park. He looks like he's waiting to be turned into a prince!

It was surprisingly sunny and warm at 19C(66F) with very little breeze. I headed east down Cram Road but in the distance I could see a couple of large black shapes on the road so not being sure what they were (I expect cows), I turned around and went south on Appleton Side Road instead. I expect some cows had escaped however there could have been a bull and with bears in the area a couple of weeks ago, I decided to be safe rather than sorry. There were actually a couple of others out walking this morning as well as someone on a bike. Summer is here!

After breakfast my internet time and vacuuming the RV, I went outside to read but fell asleep for a while instead. Those chairs aren’t really meant for comfort!

This afternoon I read, played on the computer and made BBQ spareribs for dinner. I rarely make them as they’re fiddly and messy to eat but I really like them. I got a recipe for the sauce on the internet and it sounded good so we’ll see!

Our Visit to Morris Island Conservation Area and Other Points

Today was a nicer day although we did have some cloudy periods. It was sunny and breezy and 14C(58F) as I did my two mile walk again. I decided to take my camera this morning and of course since I did that I saw zip!

Since it was a nice day but not too hot we decided to go to the Morris Island Conservation Area near Fitzroy Harbour. We had been there last year but it was so hot we didn’t walk very far. We took a different trail today, this one going through the woods. We started out on a nice gravel path

but eventually it became a path with a lot of rocks and tree roots, quite hard to walk on. You had to watch every step you took or you’d trip really easily.

We didn’t see a lot, a chipmunk, but lots of pretty white birches. I did manage a photo of one of the pretty black and white dragon flies.

And here's one of the pretty vistas.

Eventually we got back to the causeway where we had walked last year. We had hoped to see lots of dragon flies as they were plentiful last year but there were hardly any this year. Could it be that lots of people were walking around with nets?

At one stop along the road I managed to get a photo of this green dragon fly. (We don't carry nets, only cameras.)

We had our picnic lunch today at a picnic table near the water but in the forested area then drove around for a while ending up in Pakenham then on through Almonte where we took the back way on Appleton Side Road to our RV park arriving home mid afternoon.

I snapped this photo of the Mississippi River at Pakenham.

I sat outside and read for a while. The temperature reached about 24C(75F) today. Just about perfect! We did have a short shower late in the afternoon but it was very short!

June Expenses

Campgrounds - $636.00
Groceries/Wine/Spirits - $465.11
Laundry - $27.25
Entertainment/Parking/Restaurants - $40.10
Truck Fuel - $163.81
Propane - $25.64
Repairs RV/Truck incl Maintenance - $91.01
Internet/TV,Cell/Insurance - $496.11
Medical/Dental - $684.79
Gifts - $206.65
Misc - $692.97

Total - $3530.10

June was a little better than May but we still had a lot of extra expenses.

1. I had to buy new glasses of which my insurance only paid $100.00
2. Gordon’s camera lens had to be fixed
3. We had to buy an external hard drive for Gordon’s computer
4. Our yearly tax to the Canadian Government had to be paid for our satellite internet
5. Gordon had lots of dental work done
6. Our yearly Visa card fee went up again
7. We had a few gifts to buy

On the good side of things, we didn’t spend much in fuel and we did better on groceries without starving ourselves (not likely to happen). We also didn’t eat at restaurants much and confined our activities to the outdoors.

Considering all the extra expenses, I’m happy with our figures for June!

Purdon Conservation Area and Perth

It was 11C, windy and partly sunny as I did my 2 miles this morning. I saw abundant wildlife – my deer, although she wasn’t on the road, she was lying in the grass by the bush area and all I could see was her head. While I was looking at her a Baltimore oriole flew by and then as I was approaching my turnaround point, I saw something that resembled a dog in the ditch but it was definitely not a dog so a wolf or a coyote. It didn’t have hair around its face and it looked a darker brown so my guess was a small wolf. It didn’t stick around

When I got back we got the tanks dumped so we’re good there for another couple of weeks.

This morning I was looking for somewhere to go so when I got on the computer I was checking out the Mill of Kintail which is close to us and came across the Purdon Conservation Area. We were there last year but were too late for the orchids. They are supposed to be in bloom from mid June to mid July so we decided to go today. Lucky we went today as they are just about finished.Since the day was quite cloudy it was good for shooting photos of flowers but not much else. Below is the 'Showy Lady's Slipper Orchid' and the 'Pitcher Plant'. The Pitcher Plant catches insects almost like the flycatcher plant.

Below are more of the Lady's Slipper Orchids

And one lonely bog or water iris

We had packed a lunch today so decided to stop in Perth on our way home and have our picnic lunch at the park in town along the Tay River. It is a very pretty park and another place we want to go back to. Today was quite chilly for a picnic. I think we got to about 17C (63F).

On our way home we went down a side road that we've been talking about checking out to a place called Scotch Corners. Scotch Corners is a couple of businesses and about five houses but there is some pretty scenery along the road, some wetlands and old barns so we're glad we took the detour.

We also stopped at the local grocery to pick up a couple of things as they are closed tomorrow for the holiday.

So again, Happy Canada Day!