Sleepy Day

We had revolving thunderstorms for a couple of hours around dinnertime last night and we kept losing both TV and internet satellites. We eventually just turned the TV off but later in the evening internet satellite was stable again so I was able to spend some time on the rv-dreams chatroom.

It rained off and on all night but although cloudy, it wasn't raining for my walk this morning. I remained fairly close to the RV though in case it started up as it was to rain during the day as well but it didn't happen till around 5 p.m.


Most of this afternoon was a waste. I lay down to read, fell asleep for a couple of hours but since it's not a very nice day, I don't feel bad about it (not that I would anyway). I had meat loaf to make for dinner and I decided to make some gluten free bread for Gordon. The recipe calls for 2 eggs and 2 egg whites so the meat loaf is a good place to put the extra yolks.

Not much going on today, I'm afraid and no photos either!

May Expenses and A Busy Day!

I woke up this morning to pouring rain and a thunderstorm. Sounded like a good day to stay in bed so I didn't get up until 9:00 a.m. I can't remember the last time I slept that long.

Sleeping late makes the day go by really fast. By the time I finished interneting it was 11:00 a.m. as with the cloud and rain the internet satellite kept going in and out but it gave me time to post my receipts to my Excel spreadsheet.

I decided to do something ambitious since I didn't walk this morning so I cleaned the bathroom and vacuumed. I was getting ready to start thinking about what I was going to paint on my niece's old trumpet when Gordon said it had stopped raining and he needed to go out and get a photo for today. I was going to stay at home but changed my mind

We went back to Andrew Hayden Park as cloud is the best light for photographing waterfalls. Here's a photo of both parts of the Falls.

I decided to walk there so I walked around most of the pathways within the park. The sun came out while we were there and I got some photos of these adorable baby groundhogs. I was whistling and making noises so they would come out from under the rock and all of a sudden there was Mamma Groundhog. I'm not sure if she was looking for food or protecting her babies or both but she came right up to me.


Today was Gluten Free Day at Rainbow Foods so we decided to stop there. They have this every year and it was last year that we learned about Judy's Magic Mixes that make the best bread. They were there again this year with more goodies as well as Sue's from Kingston who make great cookies. We had lots of samples but refrained from buying anything as I had already completed my month end financial report for posting.

From there Gordon noticed there were some interesting clouds in they sky so we decided to stop at the Arboretum on the way home. Here are some photos I took there. They have a really pretty hosta garden (photo below) there as well.

Looking toward Ottawa downtown and Dow's Lake from the Arboretum.



This is only a small part of the hosta garden

Water droplets on the hostas.


Red squirrel in the hosta garden

Lots of shades of green

Red and green

Purple wildflowers



On my way back to the truck I saw a pretty black poodle - a black Fillmore!

May Expenses

Considering all the medical and dental we've had this month, I think we did exceptionally well. We also bought Miss Pinky (GPS) and Gordon bought a new (to him) camera. I also bought a new mixer as my old one didn't have enough wattage to make Gordon's gluten free bread. Also it was 41 years old! Our electric heater died so we had to replace that as well. You can see we didn't do much by way of entertainment, however we've had a great time out in nature and that's free except for the fuel to get there.

I'm very happy with this month's total!

Finances, Picking up the Dreaded Prescription & Kids Having Fun

Today started out bright and sunny but by afternoon it was cloudy and threatening rain. The temperature hovered around 22C (72F) for most of the afternoon and the wind wasn't as strong today.

We had a late morning appointment with our financial advisor and we came away as usual with lots of information and our eyes glazed over. However he has given us some things to think about, one of which I would never have considered - borrowing money to invest. Apparently it's a good tax write off and comes highly recommended. For people who don't like owing money, this would be a big step. Other than that, he thinks we have a wonderful lifestyle and says we should go and enjoy ourselves and let him worry about the rest. I told him to just remember that I don't want to have to live under a bridge when I'm 75!

We came home for lunch, then out to our pharmacy to pick up the dreaded $1180.00 prescription. My favourite pharmacist, Michael, was on duty today and he's always so nice but unfortunately he can't give us a discount! Oh well, after we left there I stopped to photocopy my prescription receipts and my submission form and mailed them in to our extended health care.

Our plan was to go and find a trail after that but Gordon's medication has to be kept at room temperature and it was starting to get pretty warm in the truck so we stopped to take some photos of a little carnival that was going on in the little mall where I got my photocopies at Staples and then came home. The photo today is of a couple of little kids on a dinosaur ride. They looked like they were having fun!

I sat outside for a while, then popped a port tenderloin in the over for dinner. Another fine day in the life of a fulltime RVer!

The good news is good.....and the bad news is ugly!

The phone rang early this morning. It was my sister calling to tell us that the doctor's office had called and wanted to change Gordon's prescription to liquid instead of pills and they needed the name of the pharmacy. It's difficult having a cell phone with a long distance number. The medical profession don't want to use it as it costs them! We got that straightened out and while Gordon was talking to them got his appointment for June with the Infectious Disease Specialist.

This morning after my walk we just hung around the RV. Gordon had a dentist appointment this afternoon so I dropped him off and went to the Loeb grocery store and Walmart to pick up some stuff. He called me when he was done and luckily I was almost back so away we went to the pharmacy to get the prescription. On the way in I told Gordon not to be surprised if they didn't have it at all or only had part of it. I was right, they didn't have it at all. It had to be ordered and will be in tomorrow. And here's the bad news (it comes before the good news). It costs around $1100 for one month's prescription! The good news is that when we reach $1000 each year, the extended health care pays 100% so we should be there or nearly there now.

Gordon wanted to go and do something fun and since I wore sandals today we decided to go back to Andrew Hayden Park where if the trails aren't paved, they are level and in good shape. We walked along the Ottawa River for a while on this trail.


Then we changed locations within the park and saw these baby geese as well as others also born this year but looked a little older.


Then we walked on to Keeley Falls where we have our own red rocks. It's a pretty little falls within Andrew Haydon Park and is the subject of lots of photos around this area.


This is looking down river away from the falls.


On our way home I saw this little Mini. It's not a Mini Cooper but an authentic Austin Mini 1100!

Bright and sunny!

Today was a beautiful sunny day but quite windy. We did reach 20C (68F). I started the day as usual with my walk, blog reading, internet surfing and actually found out how to put a thicker border around my photos on my blog.

My reflux disease is acting up again today and the only thing I can think of that's different is that I started taking Claritin instead of Actifed after my doctor's appointment on the 15th. Prior to that I had been doing really well. It's not working that well anyway so I think I'll stop it and see what happens.

Today was Gordon's follow up appointment with the Infectious Disease Specialist at the Ottawa Hospital Civic Campus. I decided to go with him today. I absolutely detest paying parking fees at a hospital or anywhere else for that matter as they are exorbitant so we parked on a side street and walked to the Civic. We were gone over two hours and didn't have a ticket. Yeah!

There were some pretty tulips along the way that I photographed. The first one - yellow tulips against the bark of the tree and the second, the translucence of tulips with the sunlight shining through them.

The doctor seems happy with Gordon's progress however he does have some symptoms which are puzzling so he's being scheduled for an MRI and the doctor changed his medication. He is following up again in a month and also will have another CT scan around the beginning of August.

As such, we might be staying at this campground for another month. With the price of fuel, the closer we are to the medical appointments the better.

Back to Stony Swamp

Last night after dinner I got up some energy and got the laundry done. I just didn't want to have to face it today when I had planned to get it done yesterday.

When I got up this morning it was cloudy, windy and 8C (46F) with promises of sunshine later in the day. I did my walk around the Hospital Linen Service plant next door and on Rideau Heights Drive ending up on the roads within the park.

This trailer has been here since shortly after we arrived. It looks home made and I've only ever seen a lady around it.

Most of the morning was spent on the internet but I took time out to have a shower.

Gordon wanted to go to the doctor's office to get weighed so we stopped there and then continued on to the Jack Pine Trail in Stony Swamp (photo below). We thought we might see new baby geese but the nesting geese were gone and there was no sign of babies. We did see a couple of adult geese in another area though. There weren't as many critters today as last time we were there but did see this white breasted nuthatch (photo below) and a couple of chickadees as well as a couple of chipmunks and red squirrels (photo below).



From there we stopped at Farm Boy to pick up some bananas and some things for dinner. I'm going to try a Thai stirfry tonight. Their noodles are made from rice so Gordon shouldn't have a problem with them. There's not tomato involved so I should be okay too!

A Total Washout

I didn't feel well most of yesterday so last night I slept on the couch as I often do when that happens. With reflux disease you sometimes get a lot of pain and nausea. I slept quite well considering.

When I woke up this morning it was raining so no walk but I didn't feel like walking anyway. After a brief interlude on the computer and having breakfast (I always try to eat breakfast regardless of how I feel), I lay back down and slept again till nearly 2 p.m.

Gordon went out to get a photo of the day. I watched a bit of TV.

I have to say that I do feel better. Just wonder what's causing this - the spareribs or maybe the change in allergy medication? It's always difficult to know. Maybe I'll have to go back to keeping a food diary if this keeps up. In any case, it's chicken noodle soup for me for dinner tonight.

My plans to get the laundry done today were quashed, oh well, maybe tomorrow!

It was rainy and cloudy all day but fairly warm at 24C (75F).

Shopping, Visiting, Hiking a Trail

Linda's rib recipe was great and it didn't seem to bother me. I didn't use any sauce on my rice, just in case. However, having it again tonight might be pushing my luck, we'll see.

Today started out bright, beautiful and sunny. I walked down by the river again. Here's a photo of the Rideau River facing south.

And here's a photo of a little tent trailer that was in the park this morning.

I needed to pick up my prescription eye drops so I headed out to Bayshore Shopping Centre to be there about when it opened so I could park in the back. Our truck won't fit in the covered parking area. I got the prescriptions, picked up a few things and while I was there got a call from my sister saying there were going to be home and I could stop by for lunch.

I made another stop at the new Giant Tiger that just opened this month and then went to my sister's where I got fed and then we sat outside and chatted for a bit. Danica got home from playing trumpet at a church service. I picked up a few books to read, got the mail and came home.

Gordon and I then went out to an area close to the park so he could get his photo of the day. There are paved trails here. I took a photo of this dead tree.


And this goose sitting on her nest. The male was close by playing protector.

And so ends another day in the life of a fulltime RVer.

Nothing New Here

Other than my morning walk, I didn't go out today which was a shame since it actually got to 21C (70F).

I had planned to wash the nose of the RV but that didn't get done again. I need to get it done before we leave here as RV washing isn't allowed at our next stop.

I made Linda Payne's (rv-dreams.com) Oh My Spareribs for dinner tonight so I'm hoping they're yummy and that they agree with me. With 1 cup of catsup in them it might be iffy especially since my whole intestinal system has been off kilter this week.

So other than surfing the internet, reading and napping the only thing that really happened was that Gordon got my PDA synched (backed up) after many months of me not being able to get it to work.

I took the photo today on my morning walk. There's a patch of small trees just getting started and only about a foot high that I thought were pretty.

Back on the Trail

Last night after dinner we had an interesting sky from all the rain we've had. The sun came out so we decided to go for a drive. We went south on River Road which goes along the Rideau River to a little park that we had seen on Saturday when we were out. There are paved pathways but no way to get down close to the river.

So off we went again, this time east on Leitrim Road. We stopped to take a couple of photos of the sky with barns in the foreground then south on Bank Street.


We were looking for a trail but we hadn't programmed Miss Pinky so we were basically winging it. We didn't find the trail so went west again this time on Rideau Road to Long Island Locks that we had seen last Saturday as well. We had some rain along the way and some sun but lots of pretty clouds.

Momma & Poppa Goose with their babies

Trees, water and clouds

This morning was sunny again for my walk. Gordon had suggested going to drive the Gatineau Parkway but it clouded up and rained again this afternoon. Gordon spent some time programming in all the locals trails into Miss Pinky so we would be able to find them when we're out.

Around 3 p.m. the weather cleared up a bit so we went out to a trail that's fairly close to us just off Slack Road called Pinhey Trail. The mosquitoes were about to pick us up and take us away. I had brought dryer sheets but that didn't phase them a bit. Luckily Gordon had mosquito repellent wipes in his camera bag. Some of the trails were pretty wet and muddy and there was a lot of standing water around hence the mosquitoes. We found a trail that was on higher ground and walked a ways on that but didn't stay long however it was nice to get out!


At least it warmed up to 19C (66F) today!

Getting Out A Bit

It's been another strange day weatherwise. It did manage to reach 13C (56F). I woke up to bright sun but it was only about 6C (42F) but when I went out to walk the sun was quite warm. We had sun, rain, cloud, wind and sometimes sun and rain together but no rainbow and each weather pattern was short-lived.

Our site now that the leaves are out on the trees.

This morning we decided to go out anyway. Gordon had found a path that runs along the river not far from here. We parked on a side street and walked a ways on the path but the rain kept spitting and we didn't want to get the camera equipment wet so we didn't walk for long. Here are a couple of photos that I took.

This one is a photo of a path with a temple in the background. The temple is actually on the other side of the river.



And this is one of the pathway itself.


After that we stopped again at Hog's Back for me to use the facilities then walked a ways on the bike path that goes from Hog's Back to Mooney's Bay Beach (the temple is on the far side of the road across from the beach).

These two mallards were at the boat ramp across the road from Hog's Back.


That was the extent of our adventure today. Reading, naps and surfing the internet took up the rest of the afternoon. This afternoon the sun came out and we were just about to go out again when a big black cloud came at us and the rains came. So, we stayed put.

Oh, the life of a retired person!

I also added Shoutbox today. Someone let me know if it works, please! Mine looks different from others I've seen.

A Bit About My Day

Thank goodness this weather is going to start clearing up tomorrow. Today was cold, rainy, cloudy and just generally miserable. I managed to walk this morning without getting rained on but it started about the time I was leaving to pick up some groceries and stuff. Not a real rain just enough to be annoying and so you had to run the windshield wipers.

I got some pretty good deals on some hamburg and ribs today at Farm Boy. Farm Boy is a really nice store. It started out as mainly fruit and vegetables but now has nice meat and when the sales are on the prices are pretty good. Not as good as Bashas or Safeway in the U.S. but pretty good for Canada. They also have breads, a bakery and dairy products. They have a nice website too with recipes. I got a nice hunk of ribs today for under $5.00. Oh and they now have a gluten free shelf!

Giant Tiger is a discount Canadian store that has some good deals. They are basically a clothing/department type store but now have quite a bit of canned goods, things like chips, soft drinks, a dairy counter and lots of frozen foods. I managed to pick up a few good deals there too.

In the same mall is a new dollar store called Dollar It. Dollarama here in Ontario is a very hard store to beat and Dollar It definitely doesn't beat it but it has some things that Dollarama doesn't have. Since we started RVing we've kept our toothbrushes and things in little plastic cups that have a suction cup on them and they stick to the side of the sink.

At Dollar It I found cups that have two suction cups on them which will keep them more stable. The others tended to lean over and sometimes have things fall out of them. I also found the clothespin hangers that I looked all over the U.S. for over the last two winters and couldn't find. I really like them for hanging things up in the shower. So now I'm all set.

When I got back I added some hamburg, potatoes, carrot and turnip to my stew, packaged up the meat I had bought and then sat down to browse the internet for a while.

When I was at the doctor last week one of my complaints was the blurriness I get in my eyes due to allergies. She asked me what I was taking and how long I had been taking it. I told her I'd been taking Actifed for probably 25-30 years. She said that I should switch antihistamines yearly as they loose their effectiveness after a year so yesterday I started on Claritin and I think I'm seeing a difference with just one pill. The allergiplex (that I got from my chiropractor) also seemed to work but at $2/pill, it's pretty expensive. Let's see how the next few days pan out!

Gordon had to go back to his dentist today. Yesterday the dentist took an impression of the tooth that was removed in Mesa to get it added to his dental plate so we had to go and pick it up and pay for it. Luckily the insurance does cover some of it!

More Appointments and Errands and DRAMA!

It was cloudy and cool today but we did have a few sunny breaks. I managed to walk my 1/2 hour this morning.

We both had appointments today, Gordon with his dentist and me with my periodontist. We went early so Gordon could go to the lab for his monthly blood test that the doctor has set up while he's taking the antifungal drugs. Then we stopped at Bayshore Mall where our pharmacy is as we hadn't dropped off the prescriptions that we got from the doctor last week. If they have them, I can't lose them. I'll call later to pick them up. I also had a few things to pick up at our Zellers Department Store.

We were finished about an hour early so we went to Andrew Hayden Park which is on the Ottawa River. It's very pretty there and there are always lots of Canada Geese and Mallard Ducks as well as seagulls. Today was no exception. We actually had a bit of drama. There was a mother Mallard with her babies and a goose was getting too close to them so she took off after him and he got out of the way very quickly. You don't fool with a mother Mallard with babies! The geese were still really ticked off and telling us about it as they came up on land as you can see from the photos below that tell the little story. There's also a pretty photo of the flowering trees and the little bridge.




Luckily we arrived early at our location. Both Gordon's dentist and my periodontist are in the same building so we had made our appointments for the same time. The parking lot was packed so we had to park in the shopping mall next door. It always pays to arrive early!

We got the dental thing over and done with and then we just headed home.

A Newer Version of the Old Me!

It rained all night and was still raining when I woke up this morning so I stayed an extra half hour under my electric blanket. When it sounded like it had stopped I got up and started out on my walk but was only gone about 15 minutes as it started to rain again.

Today is the last day of the three day long weekend here in Ontario. The first long weekend of 'summer' is called Victoria Day which is a celebration of the Queen's birthday. When I was working I always looked forward to this weekend as it meant I could wear white again. I was always taught no white pants or shoes from Labour Day weekend in September till after the May long weekend and I kept to that religiously except when I was south or on a cruise. Definitely no white at those times in Ottawa but now there's white sneakers so all that gets blown out the window!

The most industrious thing I did today was colour my hair. It's darker than I've had it for some time but is called Natural Dark Cool Blonde. The hairdresser said it was getting very dry with the bleach so I thought I'd try darker this time. I think a lot of the dryness comes from being in Arizona.

After that I lay down to read and perfect the art of napping. I did a really good job on the napping part. I was very chilly all day so I spent most of my nap under my electric throw.

Gordon went out to shoot a photo late in the afternoon but I decided to stay behind. We had some sunny breaks. It only got to about 15C (58F) so our new heater, Mr. Hotstuff was working madly today.

I think I can add pineapple to my list of foods that I can't eat along with citrus, tomato products and cheese although I have been able to eat some cheese whiz in the last few weeks. I've had pineapple every night for about 3 nights now and my reflux is letting me know that it's had enough!

For Gordon's recent news, click here.

Busy Morning, Restful Afternoon

I went for a long walk this morning taking advantage of the light traffic, first through the industrial area then across Prince of Wales and part way across the Hunt Club Bridge so I could take a photo of the Rideau River. From there I walked along Prince of Wales and then crossed onto Rideau Heights Drive and back to the campground.

Here's the Rideau River taken from the Hunt Club Bridge.

And here's the path that I take sometimes to go down under the bridge by the river.


When I got back from my walk, Gordon advised me that our electric heater had passed away after about 3 1/2 years. It's had lots of use so today we had to go out and replace it. But before that he wanted to go and get a photo for the day as it was nice and sunny with some fluffy clouds. We drove to Carleton University and parked in one of their lots and walked over to the Rideau Canal. From there we could see the tulips in the distance where the festival is being held, the Dow's Lake Pavilion where the restaurants and canoe rentals are and the Dominion Arboretum with this pretty bridge with the weeping willows and trees around it. Then back to the truck.

Trees in the Arboretum.


The white building is the Dow's Lake Pavilion where the restaurants and things are.

The tulip beds along the Queen Elizabeth Drive as seen from Colonel By Drive which runs along the canal.

Colonel By Drive is closed from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Sundays for bikers, roller bladers and joggers.

The bridge over a little creek within the Arboretum.


We went to the closest Canadian Tire and they didn't have the heater than I found on the internet last night but a very helpful lady found the stores that did still have them so away we went to the brand new Canadian Tire. This now sits where our old Saturn Dealership used to be. Most of the car dealerships have moved west into an Auto Mall. In we went and got our heater.

Gordon decided he wanted to stop again at Hog's Back on our way home so we stopped and walked on the other side and took lots of photos. It's a very pretty and unique area, one of many in Ottawa.

Hog's Back Falls

Below the Falls

A little girl feeding a Canada Goose above the Falls.


Then it was past lunch time so home we went for lunch. I lay down to finish my book and when I had finished it decided I had procrastinated long enough so vacuumed and cleaned the bathroom.

I also put the maps of Canada and the U.S. in the sidebar on my blog to show where we've been. For anyone looking for the site, click here. Thanks to Peggi McDonald of rvliving.net for publishing this site on her weekly newsletter. Peggi and her husband, John, fellow Canadians have been fulltime RVers for 23 years now and have written several RVing books. Their website is also a wealth of information. If anyone is interested in receiving her free weekly email diary, you can sign up here. The sign-up area is on the right hand side of the page and is highlighted in turquoise. You can't miss it! Her information is not only for Canadians. She also gives tips to RVers from the U.S. coming to Canada as well as lots of other information.

The afternoon again turned cloudy just like yesterday.

I think that's enough for today!