Happy Canada Day!

Today Betty was picking me up at 10 a.m. to attend the Canada Day Festivities downtown and for a lady's day out. She actually arrived at 9:30 a.m. Luckily I was ready!

We drove back to my sister, Margie's place and her husband, John drove us to the bus station. It was much easier taking the bus downtown today as a lot of the streets were blocked off for the celebration. Margie supplied bus tickets, thanks Margie!

First stop was a tour of the lab where Danica is working this summer. Here she is in her lab coat.

She showed us all around the various areas and in where the fish are that she's working on. Unfortunately the only fish photos that turned out were the goldfish and she works on trout!

From there we bussed it back to the downtown area and had lunch at Palermo's on Sparks Street. Sparks Street is a pedestrian mall here in Ottawa with all kinds of shops and restaurants. Betty bought lunch, thanks Betty!

From there we walked toward Parliament Hill. There sure were lots of people around today.


The crowd in front of the Peace Tower at the Parliament Buildings. There were lots of people dressed in red and white.

Left to right: Margie, Danica and Betty

We sat around on a planter wall for a while waiting for the Snowbirds to fly over. Unfortunately my camera didn't do well on photos of the Snowbirds.

A Mounted Policeman

Then we walked down by the locks between the Parliament Buildings and the Chateau Laurier Hotel. There are 7 locks here to get from the Rideau Canal down to the Ottawa River.

From there we went to the Rideau Centre which is the downtown shopping mall and the only thing open today for shopping except for the Byward Market which is also in that area. We spent a couple of hours walking around there. Betty bought a dress at an outdoor shop in the Market, Danica got a couple of pairs of shorts at the Rideau Centre and Margie bought her husband some shorts at Giant Tiger (a Canadian discount store). I didn't buy anything! No money and no room!

This is the view looking towards Parliament Hill from the bridge over Rideau Street at the Rideau Centre.

After that we walked back to the University of Ottawa campus area to catch the bus back to Baseline Station where John was waiting to pick us up. They dropped me off at the RV where I have collapsed!

Lunch Out and an Unplanned Visit

It was a bright, sunny morning with little humidity and I enjoyed my walk today. By this afternoon we were back into rain although the next few days are supposed to be very nice.

Betty was picking me up late this morning as we were having lunch with her long-time friend, Linda at Pelican Grille on Bank Street. The restaurant is part of a fish store and it was excellent and beautifully presented as you can see!

Betty and Linda had the Sea Scallops

I had the crusted Thai trout


Left to right - Sandra, Betty and Linda

Linda's parents have been well known to our family since before I was born. Linda's father was born in Williamsburg where our family had their farm and was in fact related to the lady we called grandma who brought my father into their home as a child from England when young boys were being sent to Canada to work. Linda's mother was born in the nearby town of Iroquois. They have just moved to a senior's residence quite close to where we were having lunch so we dropped in to see them. I hadn't seen then for any years.

Here are John and Lee along with their son and Linda's brother, Allan who dropped by while we were there. I might also add that I had my first job with John when he was a manager of Mutual Life here in Ottawa.

Betty dropped me off at the campground late this afternoon in time for me to have a nap!

Happy Canada Day tomorrow to all the Canadians. Canada is 141 years old tomorrow!

Sunday in Ottawa and Dinner With Family

We had some serious rain overnight and a thunderstorm. I got up to unplug my computer just in case. It wasn't raining this morning but it was humid and the threat was still there. Eventually the sun did come out but it was long after my morning walk.

After breakfast we decided to go out and do something fun since the sun was shining, a rarity the past while so we drove to the Arboretum and took a short walk through the hostas and then down by the river. We came across this golden retriever having fun retrieving his ball out of the water. Lots of people out this morning jogging, biking, walking dogs and enjoying the sun. I can't believe I actually forgot to take my camera. Luckily Gordon had his Minolta with him so I used it. Duh!


Some pretty flowers in the garden where we parked the truck.

Horse and buggy followed by another horse with the Canadian flag. I'm not sure what that was all about but must have something to do with Canada Day which is July 1st!

Part of the hosta garden (again)

A beautiful old tree in the Arboretum

When we got home I sat outside and read my book and had my lunch.

We were invited to my sister's place for dinner tonight in honour of my nephew, Nick's 23rd birthday and also to see my sister from Toronto who arrived this afternoon to spend a few days. We had a good dinner as usual and Nick opened his presents. It was a nice family time.

This is Nick opening a gift from his Aunt Betty - champagne as Becky watches.

Rainy and Dreary!

Today was a strange day weatherwise, it was cloudy, rainy and humid without being really hot, just a really dreary day and it looks like the next two days will be similar. This is not your typical Ottawa summer.

I did manage to get my walk in this morning before the rains came and other than that I spent time on the computer, read and napped. This afternoon I went out to pick up some groceries.

One of our ladies on the rv-dreams chatroom has started a blog, click Cowgirl Creations to go to her blog. Cowgirl Creations is her screen name on the chatroom. She and her family are about to embark on their summer adventure in their RV.

I didn't take any photos today so here are a couple of flower photos I took at the Ornamental Gardens this week.

Hangin' Around the House Day

The plan for today was to get the laundry done. It was a cloudy, humid, dreary day to start out with but I persevered and went on my walk. I took my time with breakfast, internet and showering , I finally got around to bed changing and getting the laundry ready around 11 a.m. By that time someone else had already had the same idea as there were clothes in the washers and no one was there to pick them up and put them in the dryer. I really hate that especially since there are only two machines. So I came back to the RV and went back to the laundry about 1/2 hour later. More clothes in the washer, this time washing. So about an hour later I went back and was successful! However the manager has now put the washers up to $1.75/load from $1.50. Everything's going up these days except our incoming money! By the time I got the laundry done, folded and put away it was late afternoon.

Gordon had some phone calls to make to arrange an appointment for another CT scan in September and a call to Social Security in Ogdensburg, NY which is the closest Social Security office to us, about 45 minutes away. They have arranged a phone call for 15 July to get his information. He also found out that even though I'm Canadian, when I'm 62, I will also get some Social Security. Interesting! I doubt if it will be much but every little bit helps! Central booking who book the CT scans for the Ottawa hospitals have to call back next week. They lost his paperwork from the specialist!

The photo above is one Gordon took this morning in the campground. The day lilies are starting to come out along the fence by the pool. I expect they will all be out within the week.

Chiropractor, the Park, Lunch and RV Show

Yesterday after I posted, Gordon broke out in a rash. We're not sure what its from but the doctor has taken him off his antifungal medication for a week and then he's going back on the medication he was on at the beginning. Luckily we hadn't picked up the order for another month's supply at $1146.00 although I had ordered it yesterday. I called them this morning and canceled it.

Today started out as a beautiful sunny day. I was up early as we had a chiropractor's appointment this morning. I cut my walk short so I could get ready.

After the chiropractor's appointment we stopped at Andrew Hayden Park and took some photos. The baby geese sure are growing up! We were both hungry at that point so we stopped at Bayshore Shopping Centre for something to eat, Gordon at Taco Bell and me at Subway.

These kids were catching frogs and then literally throwing them back.

A lot of baby geese swimming in the pond

Our plan had been to go to the RV Show that was being held at Scotiabank Place (home of the Ottawa Senators) so away we went. I had thought it would be inside but after checking at the ticket booth we found it was out in one of the parking lots. We got parked and a lady in a golf cart picked us up and took us to the fifth wheels. There were 750 RVs there so it was spread out over quite a distance. It was nice to get a ride. She took us to the Titaniums first. Our main objective in doing this was to see if we could find something that we liked that was lighter in weight. The Titaniums were all heavier, even the smaller units but they sure were gorgeous! We looked at all kinds of fifth wheels but have to say even though ours is almost four years old, we still liked it better than most of the new units we saw (except for the Titaniums). Guess we bought the right one in the beginning! We were there for a couple of hours and were very tired when we got home so it was nap time!

While we were napping a thunderstorm came up and it started to rain and it cooled down quite a bit. We had turned the air conditioning on when we got home as it was about 27C (81F) and humid. Once the rain started it cooled down to 23C (74F) so off went the air conditioner as we were starting to get cold.

Some of the RVs at the show


This little Wazat looks cute but basically only has a single bed in it and not much else.

Just another day in the life!

Doctor and Decisions

When I woke up this morning it was bright and sunny. We had slept with the windows open last night and the breeze was beautiful! We managed to hit (27C) 80F today and most of the day was bright and sunny at least up to the posting of the blog.

I walked and sat outside and read this morning. This afternoon Gordon had an appointment with the specialist who basically said everything was looked good and although he does want another CT scan in September as far as he's concerned we have the 'all clear' to go south this winter. Good news!

After the doctor, we stopped to take photos of the flowers at the Ornamental Gardens. I hadn't been there since the peonies were first coming into bloom and now with all the rain we've had they're just about finished although there were lots of other flowers in bloom, most of which I couldn't identify.

This is definitely a rose.

Columbine

Japanese lilac
One of the flower gardens

I have no idea what this is but thought it was interesting. Looks like a milkweed gone to seed.

A really big peony

Pink fox gloves, they are so pretty!

This baby bunny was munching on grass in the rose garden.

Another flower garden


Geranium garden

So, we made some decisions after being at the doctor's office. This afternoon I canceled our insurance with State Farm and got set up with Wayfarer for both the RV and the truck. Wayfarer insure RVs only and they don't care that we don't have a Class A license and I have that in writing. That will take effect mid July. From there we're going to carry on and wait to see what the new legislation is that's coming out with respect to RV licensing in the Fall. So after 37 years of being insured with State Farm, I called the lady that I always deal with at the agent's office and canceled. She has always been wonderful and I told her if we ever get a car again, I'll be back to see her.

After that I called and got the RV insurance and the fulltimer's policy put on. They're still finalizing the truck insurance so everything should be ready to go by mid July.

Housework and a New Trail

I heard on the news this morning before I got up that there wasn't supposed to be any rain today however it was cloudy for a lot of the time. Since no rain was forecast I set off through the industrial park for my walk returning on the busy Prince of Wales Drive.

After breakfast and as much procrastinating as possible I cleaned the bathroom, vacuumed and washed the floors. Sure am glad I worked most of my life and was able to have someone come in to clean. I would have made a lousy housewife! I wonder if there's someone that will come in to clean an RV?

My lower back is always unhappy after vacuuming so I lay down on the couch and read for a while and of course, drifted into a nap and was awakened by my phone ringing. It was Manulife Financial, Gordon's travel health insurer wanting the name of our family doctor so they could get her records. Apparently they've finished their review and are only now starting to gather information. I guess that's a good thing as it usually means they are going to pay although they haven't received the bills from St. Mary's Hospital yet. They've also requested the hospital records. I asked why they needed our doctor's records for a diagnosis of Valley Fever as that isn't something one contracts normally however it is their 'practice'.

It's such a hassle getting involved in using the travel medical which is the main reason I didn't have my foot looked at while we were out of the country. It just takes sooooo long for anything to happen and in the meantime we get bills and phone calls although I must say we've only gotten two bills and maybe one phone call from Tucson. When I had my breathing problems two years ago and went to the hospital in Cincinnati we were hassled all the time for payment. It took all summer and into the fall and I had been in the hospital in early April.

This afternoon it was noisy here because of some pressure washing being done at the plant behind us so since the sun had come out we decided to do a new trail. We headed west to Kanata to the Old Quarry Trail. It was a pretty trail and lots of wildflowers but no critters. There were quite a few common birds, little butterflies and lots of dragon flies which probably accounts for the fact that we didn't see many mosquitoes, thank goodness!

The trail

The ferns with the sun shining on them looked silvery

Waiting for Gordon, I sat down in the crook of this tree

Pretty wildflowers

The boardwalk through the swamp

Huge mushrooms
Today was a beautiful day after the cloud went away. Nice blue skies with fluffy white clouds and a high of around 25C (77F). Perfect for walking a trail!

Errands, Wildflowers, Birds

This morning's rain started just before I was due to get up, so I didn't. I stayed in bed for another 45 minutes or so. When I got up it hadn't quit but had slowed substantially so away I went for my morning constitutional. Luckily it didn't rain very hard all the time I was out but it certainly was humid!

After breakfast I went out to pick up some groceries in the rain. Nothing very exciting there! I also bought Gordon a couple pair of jogging pants and a light t-shirt for summer but they didn't fit so after lunch we went back and exchanged them. Then we had to go to our financial advisor's to sign more forms. After that it was off to the Ottawa River Parkway specifically Remic Rapids to take some photos shown below.

Roosting seagulls

Water droplets on a goose feather
Lots of wildflowers



We didn't have hardly any sun today, lots of showers and clouds. Not a very nice day for photography!

A Restful Day and The Log Farm

It started pouring rain around dawn this morning. I had opened the windows last night so I heard Gordon come in to the bedroom to close them. He had already been up for quite a while at that point as he usually is.

I got up around 8 a.m. thinking no walk for me this morning but the rain stopped for a while and I was able to get out but not for the full 30 minutes as it started to drizzle again. We had some bright spots on and off during the morning.

We reached about 27C (80F) today and had a variation of sunny and cloudy skies but no rain in the afternoon although we did see some thunderheads when we went out.

I napped a lot of the morning and even into the afternoon. I was exhausted from yesterday and I had taken a muscle relaxant last night as my back was killing me from sitting in a restaurant for three hours!

Mid afternoon Gordon and I went to see the Log Farm. Gordon had gone there last week but I didn't go then. The Log Farm is a designated historical site. It is a fully functional working farm that has been restored to depict a local family homestead as it was in the 1870’s. They have 2 horses, a donkey, and 3 sheep that we saw. There was no one else there however the couple that looks after the place arrived while we were looking around. Interesting that the horse is called Mr Bo Jangles!

The house and barns in the background

The donkey, isn't he cute?

Mr. Bo Jangles



One of the sheep

Wild daisy



Heading back to the parking lot from the Log Farm.

There were two woodpeckers in a tree on my way back to the parking lot. We think it's a Downy but could be a Hairy Woodpecker.

I talked to my sister this afternoon. They are at the cottage near Lindsay, Ontario but she is coming down next weekend for a visit. She'll be staying with my younger sister so at least we'll have a few days together as it doesn't look like we'll be going to spend our usual month in Lindsay this year due to the license fiasco!