Happy Birthday Danica and Lilly!

Sorry, this is belated. For some reason this didn't post on Saturday.

Taken near Portland, Ontario

Our niece, Danica is 19 today and our granddaughter, Lilly is 2 today.

We left Ottawa this morning under gray skies. Since there is no thermometer in the rental, I have no idea of the temperature although when we reached the RV our thermometer read 9C (48F) and for late morning, that wasn’t very high. It was also raining by then.

I suggested rather than returning by the same route we take Hwy 16 and take Regional Road 6 (which turns into 4) to Smiths Falls. We’ve gotten so used to the compass in the truck that we missed it a lot. I was completely turned around. Fortunately my husband has a good built in compass so we got to Smiths Falls without a problem. Continuing south on Hwy 15 we stopped at a few places to snap a few photos even though the day wasn’t really conducive for photography.

We arrived at the RV before noon, had something to eat, proceeded to sort the mail (tons of it), read and had a nap. It was just that kind of day!

Our Day in Ottawa

Friday was rainy and nasty but we had to go to Ottawa so we left at about 8:15 a.m. and arrived in Ottawa at 10:15 a.m. Gordon’s camera needed to be dropped off for repair, we had banking to do, income tax to look after and tried to find a campsite.

No sites at Rideau Heights except electric and water only. We didn’t want that. We couldn’t see the satellite and I don’t like to use their washrooms as they aren’t very clean. We tried to stop at Ottawa Municipal but they don’t open until May 1^st and the gate was up so we still don’t have a campsite.

We had a late breakfast at the Bella Vista in the Alta Vista Shopping Mall and while we were there we got a call from the Dodge dealer in Kingston telling us that our truck was ready and that warranty was covering it and the rental. We told them we couldn't get to them until Saturday but they are closed till Monday so we'll pick the truck up on Monday morning and hopefully the rental will be covered for the weekend. If not, at least we didn't have to pay for the repairs to the truck! Gordon had asked them to price new tires for the truck as well and they came back with a good price so they'll be putting the new tires on sometime next week as well.

We arrived at my sister’s at about 2:45 p.m. She had just gotten home from work so we sat around and chatted for a while. Danica was home and she had just finished the last exam of her first year at Ottawa U and Saturday (28^th) is her birthday so she was happy.

Nick and Becky arrived at about 5:30 p.m. for dinner with all of us so I got to see their whole family at one sitting! Danica took the car to a party she was attending so I volunteered us to drive Nick and Becky home since it was such a rainy, nasty night.

We had been invited to stay overnight rather than drive the two hours back to Kingston in the rain so shortly after our return to Margie’s, we hit the sack – long day!

I can’t believe I didn’t take any photos at all – must have been tired!

Bad News and Good News

This morning was very foggy and 6C (43F) for my walk around the park. I walked around the area where the seasonals are and found that there are quite a few for sale here. I wonder why.

Yesterday when we were out we noticed a whining coming from the truck. We thought it might be the tires as they need to be replaced and we are looking into that however Gordon decided this morning to take it into the Dodge dealer and found out that it is probably the differential however the technician at the first dealer he went to is on course and they couldn’t do anything about it including order the parts until Wednesday next week and we have to go to Ottawa tomorrow but Enterprise Rent A Car don’t have any cars and that’s who the Dodge dealer uses.

Since there are two Dodge dealers in Kingston, he went to the other one who started on the truck right away, got us a rental so we’re set up for going to Ottawa tomorrow. The only fly in the ointment is that the dealer says sometimes the warranty doesn’t cover these things even though our warranty is paid for, up to date and well within the warranty period. Go figure!

Since we’re supposed to leave Rideau Acres on Tuesday and we can’t tow with the truck the way it is, I went to the office and signed us up for another week (it was $80 more for next week than it was for this week even with Passport America during the week and Good Sam discount for the weekend).

However, the good news is the differential waited until we were back in Ontario so we weren’t stuck somewhere in the U.S. past the six months allotted for staying in the U.S. and on the side of some highway in the middle of nowhere!

Since we’ll be in Ottawa tomorrow and staying for dinner at my sister’s house, we may stay overnight so there might not be a posting tomorrow night.

Our First Day in Kingston

It was mostly cloudy and 8C (46F) this morning and I had a nice walk around the park. Rideau Acres is a fairly large park and is on a point so has water on three sides. They have increased the size of the park and now have sites for rallies with just water and electric in one part of the park. As well as the usual ducks and geese around, they now have a pair of peacocks. The male didn’t spread his tail and show off for me but he was pretty just the same.

This morning I called Ottawa Municipal and the site we want has been booked for others for about eight days in the month so I called Rideau Heights and he can put us in an electric and water spot for a week or so and then maybe move us to a full hookup. We’re going to stop in and see him when we go to Ottawa on Friday to sign our income tax forms. Both campgrounds have put their prices up – Ottawa Municipal from $660/month to $704.00 and Rideau Heights from $749.50 to $500.00. Electric is included in both those amounts.

After lunch we decided to see what there was to see at each of the exits off Hwy 401. There isn’t much right near the highway but the fifth exit, being Gardiners Road is actually the shopping district. Bath Road is also a shopping area and there is shopping in downtown Kingston as well. We headed to Bath Road as I knew there was a Food Basics there and I needed to pick up some groceries, especially perishables. I finally was able to get some nice fresh fruit. It’s amazing that I had to return home to get it. Apples and plums are less expensive than most of the places we were in the U.S. Bread is also cheaper. Unfortunately wine is not. It’s about three times the price that we’ve paid all winter.

We drove through downtown Kingston on the way back. They now have the Farmer’s Market area ready. It’s been under construction for the past year or so.

We got home around 3:30 p.m. and I read for a bit. The sun started to come out around 4:30 p.m. and the temperature reached only 12C (53F).

Back in Ontario

We left Erie, PA at about 8:00 a.m. under sunny skies and 46F. It was sunny all the way to Kingston, ON. There were low lying clouds for some of the way but they didn’t affect our sun. It didn’t get as warm today, only 55F and quite windy. We didn’t have nearly the mileage we got yesterday. I think we averaged about 13.0 mpg on our 398 mile trip.

We reached the border at around 2:00 p.m. and a temporary sign was up telling RVs to use the truck lane. We were asked a bunch of questions, then asked to pull over to the right where there was a big white truck. We had to get out of our truck and the x-ray machine x-rayed the whole RV. Then they wanted the slides out and the doors open to the storage areas. Don’t know what they were looking for but they were very neat about it and didn’t rip anything apart. I’m not sure how they decide who to check and who not to check. The whole thing took about 20 minutes, then we were on our way to Rideau Acres at Kingston. We arrived at about 3:00 p.m. but it took almost ½ hour to get checked in. We were set up including satellite dishes by 5:00 p.m.

We’re only staying a week here as their prices have gone up so will have to make reservations in Ottawa. Ottawa Municipal doesn’t open until May 1^st and that’s the day we’re leaving Rideau Acres so we’ll either go there or Rideau Heights. I’d rather stay at Ottawa Municipal until our medical appointments are over as it’s quite near our doctor and it’s easier to get in and out of than Rideau Heights. Traffic on Prince of Wales (Rideau Heights is just off P of W) is usually very busy especially at rush hours. I was hoping for a relaxing three weeks here but it’s not to be!

The photo is of our site here at Rideau Acres.

Two Family Birthdays Today

Happy Birthday Ian and Becky! Gordon’s son, Ian is 30 something today and Becky, Nick’s wife is 20 something.

We were on the road at 9:00 a.m. this morning under cloudy skies and 68F (20C). It was quite warm overnight and we had one of the bedroom windows open all night. We had a great tailwind all the way coupled with Ohio’s 55 mph speed limit we were able to achieve 16.4 mpg at one point and 16.3 mpg for the overall trip! That’s a record!

Here's the photo of our 16.4 mpg record

We arrived at Hill’s Family Campground at Erie, PA under partly cloudy skies with some rain but only in patches and only for a short time at about 1:30 p.m. and were set up by 2:30 p.m. We set up the internet but not the TV satellite as they have free cable here.

It was really windy making us feel like we were back in Texas. The wind gusts were rocking the RV. The temperature was 75F (24C).

Our site at Hill's Family Campground

After we settled in, we went to check out the Erie KOA which is at the same exit but south of I-90. It is a lot farther from the exit than Hill’s and there are a lot more trees around so a possibility of not being able to access the satellites.

Then we drove to Presque Isle State Park but by the time we got there the sun which had come out for a while had mostly gone. We took some photos anyway and then came home. We had a real burst of rain and some wind before dinner. After dinner Gordon headed back to Presque Isle SP for more photos but I stayed behind and cleaned up and did the dishes and just relaxed. Tomorrow is a long day and includes border crossing!

A view in Presque Isle State Park

Our Last Day in Columbus

It was 44F and sunny again this morning and turned into a beautiful sunny day with a high somewhere near 81F. At least when I noticed the thermometer in the truck around 6:00 p.m. it was 81F so it could have been warmer.

This morning I went to Walmart and picked up some last minute items. When I got home, Gordon went out and filled our empty propane tank. I spent some time sitting outside reading and I had to get my shorts out it was so beautiful.

Late this afternoon, Gordon decided that his weather station wasn’t working (it was 7 degrees off on temperature and it never did record the wind) so we took it back to Walmart for a refund and got another thermometer. We’ll have to look next year when we’re in the west to see if we can find his wind thermometer.

We stopped to say good-bye to Michelle, Eric and the kids, picked up Taco Bell and came home for dinner. Michelle had surprised Gordon yesterday with his favorite, his mother's butterscotch pie recipe so we brought the remainder of it home with us tonight. It's very yummy!

Tomorrow we head north and expect to stop at Hill’s Family Campground in Erie, PA for the night. Don’t know if the internet satellite will be hooked up or not so just in case I don’t post, we’ll post when we arrive in Ontario on Tuesday.

Paper Work!

This morning was 40F (4C) and very sunny. I took what has become my usual walk this week.

Gordon left early to go to the Columbus Zoo. Michelle and the kids were meeting him there after Luke’s morning nap. I elected not to go as I still had to go through all our receipts and get them straightened out for the border. While I was at it I went through our little filing cabinet that we have in the form of a coffee table in the living room and sorted through all the papers and tried to get them organized. It took a long time!

After that I settled down to see what I could do on this month’s Conde Naste Where Are You contest but I think it’s got me stumped this month. It’s definitely somewhere in South America but the clues have me confused. I’ve relayed what I have to my sister, Betty who is also involved in this contest with me every month so maybe she can make some sense of it.

We got to a high of 70F (21C) today. A really beautiful spring day!

Gordon stayed at Michelle’s for dinner so I didn’t have to make dinner either. Bonus!

Back to Dayton

A security guard patrols the parking lot on a segway at the new mall, The Greene, in Beavercreek, a suburb of Dayton, OH.

This morning was cooler than it has been but it was very bright and sunny and 41F (5C). I took the same road south from the campground as I did yesterday.

After breakfast and getting ready we headed back to Dayton where Gordon had made arrangements to meet Mel and Janice (our friends who visited us in Ottawa last summer) and some folks that used to work with Mel that Gordon knew of or had met. We met at The Cheesecake Factory at a new mall called The Greene in Beavercreek. It was great to see Mel and Janice again. Both have had serious health problems since we last saw them but they both looked well today. We had an excellent lunch (I had the best shepherd’s pie I’ve ever had) and met the other people (10 in all counting us).

We had left Columbus early so took a detour to Gordon’s boyhood home area in New Carlisle. We arrived at the mall early and walked around. It’s one of the new concept malls that are all outside. This one is built in streets and even has a town square. My preference, however, is for indoor malls but this one was interesting anyway.

After lunch broke up around 3:30 p.m. we headed back to Columbus to read and nap! Today was a beautiful day and we hit a high of 72F (22C).

More Family Visiting

More Photos of Luke (below)

This morning was mostly sunny and 44f (7C). Across the road from the campground there’s a road that goes south so I walked along it this morning. It has more of a shoulder than the one I walked on yesterday.

Late this morning we went over to Michelle’s but she had called to say she had to go out so we went to a new store near them called Whole Foods Market – quite expensive, I thought, then went to Taco Bell for lunch.

This afternoon, Gordon’s sister, Carol drove up from the Cincinnati area to Michelle’s to see the kids and Michelle and visit with us as we didn’t stay very long in their area this time. It’s always good to see Carol. She has a very positive outlook and besides that she reads my blog every day (almost).

Although it was cloudy most of the day, the temperature did reach 65F (18C) and the sun came out late in the day.

We stayed at Michelle’s for dinner (and an excellent one it was) and Eric arrived home after two days of being away flying executives around the country. We got back to the RV around 7:30 p.m. – very tired!

Housework and Shopping

This morning was 44F and mostly sunny when I went out for my walk. I headed west on Hwy 40 and then turned right on Cole Street and walked a ways down that road. There are no shoulders but luckily the traffic was sparse so I didn’t get run over!

After getting the vacuuming done yesterday I decided I’d better get the laundry done as it was piling up so I had Gordon drop me at the local Laundromat (this campground doesn’t have laundry facilities). It was done and I was back before noon.

Today I had the first shower I’ve had all winter in the RV. The washrooms here are closed for repair and their shower facilities aren’t the best so we usually use our own facilities when we’re here.

After lunch, I went to Meijer. Meijer is a Walmart type store but it’s only in the Midwest states. It’s more expensive than Walmart but has a better quality of things for the most part. I also found that they don’t carry some items that I usually buy at Walmart so I guess I’ll have to make a stop at Walmart before we leave. We're stocking up on things that we can't buy at home.

When I got back, Gordon went out and got a much needed haircut!

No photos today!

We Visit With Michelle, Luke, Faith and Grace

Grandpa and Luke

Grace with Faith on her back

Luke having his lunch

At the Playground

Faith on the slide

Grace rock-climbing

Grace and Faith on the slide

Grace wanted me to take her picture when we were in the van on the way home from the playground

Grace on her scooter in front of their house

This morning was bright and sunny, 39F (4C), with no wind. Quite a change from the wind we had yesterday. The RV park here isn’t very large so I usually walk around the small town. Even with doing that it only took me about 20 minutes so I probably didn’t walk for ½ hour today but then I haven’t been doing that lately anyway. There’s something about being back in the cold weather that doesn’t motivate me very much.

Late this morning we got ready and headed over to Gordon’s daughter, Michelle’s. Grace (our oldest granddaughter) was at school and Luke was asleep. Faith wasn’t interested and went downstairs to watch TV so we sat and talked to Michelle. When Luke got up he went right to his Grandpa. At that point Faith too became interested. Grace got home from school at lunch time and after we had lunch, we all went out in Michelle’s van to look at some scenic spots around the west side of Columbus. We found a new playground that the girls were really fascinated with. They had rock climbing walls, lots of slides, swings and things to climb on. They also had a fireman’s pole which the girls really had fun on as well.

When we got back from our drive, we headed home, stopping to fuel up – 2.89.9/gal. and I doubt it will get any cheaper as we head towards home.

Back in Columbus, OH

This morning was 1 degree warmer than yesterday but bright and sunny. We left Lebanon at 11:15 a.m. under bright sunny skies, 46F (8C) and very windy. For most of the 88.7 mile drive to Columbus, OH it was a crosswind.

We arrived around 1:00 p.m. and Sue, who owns the park came running out when she saw us arrive and guided us to our spot. It’s a different spot than we’ve had before and was more of a parallel park along the side of the park but Gordon did it without much problem. We got at 50 amp spot this time as it was so cold when we were here in October/November. We can run our electric heater on high with 50 amp. It took us till about 3:00 p.m. to set up with all the satellites including getting checked in and paying for the site. When we were set up I drove down the road to Kroger, a local Ohio grocery store and picked up a few things we were out of.

Gordon talked to his daughter, Michelle and told her that we weren’t coming over today as we were tired and we read and had a nap.

When I turned the TV on at dinner time, the satellite dish had moved so Gordon had to go up and tune it in again. The wind was very strong all day although our weather station only measured it at 9 mph. It had to be at least 35 mph so we’re not sure what’s wrong with the weather station.

Another Day With Family

It was only 36F this morning when I got up, later than usual but at least there was no snow and it wasn’t raining so I got to go for my walk. I think the grandchildren really wore us out yesterday. Just watching them run around is exhausting!

This morning we didn’t do much. I read and napped while Gordon was on his computer. At noon, we headed north to Dayton to visit Ian, Tracy and the kids stopping at Walmart on the way as I was out of fruit.

We spent about 2 ½ hours at Ian and Tracy’s place visiting and interacting with the kids. Lilly was asleep when we arrived and slept for about 1 ½ hours but Caden was up and playing his favorite video game on their new HD TV.

Another exhausting day although we got home a lot earlier – about 4:30 p.m.

Tonight we’ll be watching TV and getting ready to leave for Columbus tomorrow.

Thanks to Gordon for the photo of me with Lilly.

A Day With Family

Today was a cold, nasty rainy day. It was 43F (6C) when I got up this morning and I think that was the high for today.

The plan for today was to meet at Gordon’s sister, Carol’s house. She and her husband, Rick live near Cincinnati. Gordon’s son and his wife and their kids were meeting us there around 1:00 p.m. Unfortunately Gordon’s daughter and her husband and kids couldn’t make the trip from Columbus.

We picked up some food for ourselves at Taco Bell and McDonalds on the way to Carol’s and had a good time chatting with Carol and Rick. When Ian, Tracy, Caden and Lilly arrived, we ate. Carol had gotten pizza for them and she was so sweet to reimburse us for our food that we had purchased.

Rick and Carol just returned from Heidelberg, Germany where Rick had some medical treatments as they aren’t covered here in the U.S. by his medical insurance. Suffice it to say that for all he’s gone through he looks very well but is still a ways from a full recovery. We complain about our Canadian medical insurance but I have to say that what we have is much better than what they have here in the U.S. even though it really costs us!

We had a great afternoon. Gordon had a good time playing Grandpa and everyone is tired out. We got home shortly after 7:00 p.m. I also called to make our arrangements for an RV park in Columbus for a week starting Monday.

Lilly, our granddaughter - isn't she cute? Her Mom loves to dress her in orange

Grandpa teaching Lilly to play the piano

Lilly (got into a scrape with a green marker) and Caden , our grandson (not prepared for a photo)

Three Generations of boys

Aunt Carol and Lilly with (part of ) Ian

The Family L to R Front Row - Gordon, Ian, Caden, Rick, Carol; Back Row - Tracy, Lilly, Sandra

We Leave 'Our Old Kentucky Home'

Brrr! It was only 38F (3C) and cloudy this morning when I got up. We weren’t in a hurry to get on the road as we only had a two hour drive. Before we tow, we always warm up the truck so by this time the sun had come out. We drove around the Kentucky Horse Park Farm and took some photos, then hitched up and dumped our tanks on the way out.

Photos of the Kentucky Horse Park

We left the Kentucky Horse Park Campground at 11:00 a.m. under sunny skies and 48F (9C) and drove the 127.7 miles in the two hours expected arriving at Cedarbrook Campground in Lebanon, OH shortly after 1:00 p.m. It took a while to get set up as the new weather station has some parts that Gordon needed to figure out where to put them and how to anchor them. Since we are between Dayton and Cincinnati we didn’t set up the TV satellite as we get quite a few channels just with the aerial.

Our Site at Cedarbrook Campground

With the sun today we reached a high of 54F (12C) but we won’t be seeing that again this weekend as the forecast is for lots of rain and some possible snow. Not nice!

I went into town to pick up some groceries but all they have in downtown Lebanon is a Save A Lot and their produce section leaves much to be desired. I know they have a Walmart Superstore here too but I wasn’t sure how to get to it so I didn’t bother.

Now we’ll have to hunker down and wait for the nasty weather to pass!

Definitely in Horsey Country

Part of the Bluegrass Scenic Byway

We stayed here an extra day hoping that the weather would co-operate but no such luck. When I woke up today it was 46F and that was our high for the day. It remained cloudy and windy with a very odd sunny break. The good news is that we didn’t have a tornado last night but we did have hail and a thunderstorm but it passed very quickly.

Gordon went out briefly this morning to take some photos. The rest of the morning and early afternoon we didn’t do much. I read some and watched some TV. I haven’t watched Regis and Kelly for most of the winter so watched that as well as Cityline and the Price is Right. Mid afternoon I went for another walk (as I had walked this morning) and then we went to get fueled up. Our thermometer had quit so we stopped at Walmart and Gordon found his weather station that he’s been wanting that shows wind speed. We drove across the street to Lowe’s to see if they had anything similar but they didn’t so back to Walmart and purchased it. We then drove around the area and took some photos even though it wasn’t sunny. Lots of horses and money in this area! It’s a place we’ll want to return to, probably on our way south some year. It should be very pretty with the leaves changing and the green fields and hopefully, sunshine!

Nothing on the agenda for tonight. Gordon needs to figure out how to work the weather station.

A typical horse farm building

Another horse farm

Yet another, this time with horses

The stone wall reminds me of the back roads in England

Weather!

Lots of robins here!

Our row- we're the first RV

The weather wasn’t very nice today. We had rain and wind off and on however when I got up it was 46F (8C) and although it had rained overnight, it wasn’t raining then so was able to go for a walk around the park. The sun even came out ever so briefly.

We lazed around this morning and I got a stew made. It’s the first one we’ve had since sometime in Texas. After the stew finished cooking, Gordon dropped me at Walmart to pick up some things and he went to scout out the area for photos. Unfortunately it started to rain quite hard so after he picked me up again, we headed home.

We’ve signed up for another day here since today was pretty much written off as far as seeing anything is concerned so Friday we leave for Cedarbrook Campground in Lebanon, OH for three days.

Our high today was 62F (17C) so it wasn’t bad if it hadn’t rained so hard.

Oh, and, we must be back in colder weather. My throat is scratchy and I feel like a cold is coming on and my eyes are all fuzzy. It’s allergy season!

Oh, and we’re on a tornado watch until 11:00 p.m.

From Georgia to Kentucky

Driving through the Appalachians

Part of the Kentucky Horse Farm - horses in the distance

Our site at Kentucky Horse Farm Campground

View from our back window

We left Cartersville KOA at 8:45 a.m. under sunny skies and 36F (2C). This was the first morning in a long while that I could see my breath when I went outside. There was still quite a bit of traffic on I-75 this morning and a couple of times the road narrowed to one lane but we still arrived at the Kentucky Horse Park Campground at around 3:00 p.m. and were set up complete with both satellite dishes shortly after 5:00 p.m. This time includes check in which wasn’t all that speedy. They did tell us which sites were available and let us go and pick our own so we could get satellite access. Today’s trip was 338.5 miles with part of it going through the Appalachian Mountains

The sites here are large and paved and we even have a nice view out our back window which is something we haven’t had since we were parked on Aransas Bay in Goose Island State Park. It’s a different view, more green grass and trees rather than water but it’s pretty just the same. It was 59F (15C) here when we arrived and with the sun shining it was actually quite pleasant. We’re here for two days. Tomorrow is supposed to be rainy and not very nice but the weather changes so often that who knows what it will actually be like.

Once we got set up we went for a walk. There are a lot of people here from Ontario including our two neighbors who are from St. Mary's.

Gordon wanted to photograph horse farms so I picked this campground as the it is actually part of the Kentucky Horse Park so we’re surrounded by black and white fences so out he went for sunset (which was a bust)!

Now we're only about 2 hours from Lebanon, Ohio so we'll have a short trip on Thursday.

Our Georgia Adventure

We left Lake City, FL this morning at 8:00 a.m. under cloudy skies and 48F (9C). The first part of our trip went well. We were breezing along the Atlanta bypass when all of a sudden about five miles from the I-75 interchange, traffic slowed down and stopped in some places. The two left lanes appeared to be moving but these continued to go east on the bypass. Since the lane that was to take us onto I-75 wasn’t moving, we decided to continue on 285 and try to find another route north. We got on 19 going north and then had to find a road to take us back to I-75. At this time we were very low on fuel We wound up going west on 20 and found a station that our RV would fit into. The road took us to Cartersville where we had planned to stay at the local KOA as it had wifi. All in all with the traffic backup and then our rather long detour we were two hours late getting to the KOA but still arrived by about 4:00 p.m. and since we weren’t setting up any satellite dishes were set up by 4:30 p.m. It was 54F (12C) when we arrived and mostly cloudy with some breaks of sun.

The wifi however appears to not work all that well. Gordon went up to the office as his computer didn’t see it at the wireless network at all at the RV. Mine will see it and sometimes will connect and sometimes not.

Anyway with any luck this will upload with the photo of our site at Cartersville, GA KOA.