An Elvis Sighting in Collingwood

So it is true, Elvis lives! If I hadn’t seen him with my own eyes, well, you know the story. While we were sitting around on Thursday, we learned that it was the annual Elvis Fest in Collingwood. I asked if anyone was interested in driving down and having a look see and without hesitation, the ladies said yes! The parade with Elvis started at 9AM so we had to leave by 7:30! We loaded our lawn chairs and all the Elvis fans into the truck and our first stop was Timmy’s!

We roll into Collingwood with time to spare we made our way to Main Street to find a suitable place along the parade route. The shady side was full so we sat in the sun but it wasn’t long before the fire trucks came along. Another Elvis, wow, look at all the Elvis look-a-likes. They came from all over the world and the winning Elvis came from London, England. Now that is a mile or two from Memphis! All the Elvis’s sat or stood in classic cars. Some had their own cars like Roy LeBlanc. He had a stretch limo and was standing out of the sun roof serenading the fans as he made his way along the parade route. One was on his Harley and he also sang as he proceeded down the route. We were only 6 of thousands standing along the parade route and walking along Main Street. Di, Donna and Barb even got their picture taken with a tall Elvis in white. Boy all they talked about after was how great he smelled. Our St. Thomas group knows Roy LeBlanc, an amazing Elvis impersonator, who is singing at Blue Mountain Village. We head to Blue Mountain but go to the hotel instead of the village and using our GPS we find we are only 500 meters away. Parking was hard to find and we had a lengthy walk but still got to the village common with plenty of spare time. No shade and high temperatures but we persevered and watched most of the concert. One lady got real lucky as Elvis pulled her out of the audience and danced with her. I think the three ladies with us would love to have danced with him too!

The village was very busy, not only for the free Elvis concerts ongoing through the day but also with mountain bikers.

People were riding the ski lifts to the top and some more adventurous and possibly younger, were riding their BMX bikes down the mountain! I’d be okay with the ride up but I’d also be bringing the same ride back down!

We all agreed it was time to take to the shade and have some lunch so off to a neat little road house, The Beaver and Bullfrog in Collingwood. After, we went back to the rigs for more ladder golf, beverages and to kick back!

Sunday, Barb & I did a ‘hitch up’ breakfast for our friend’s departure! It was a great week with friends and we were all sad their visit came to and end! Larry was at his boat so he drove over from Honey Harbor to visit and have dinner with us what a great treat!

Well, we’re back to our normal routine albeit moving slowly through this humid weather. We hope you’re able to keep cool where ever you are…..

Not our Normal Routine

Sunday, John & Dianne and Ray & Donna arrived in their 5ers to spend a week with us. It is great that RVing friends can meet up almost anywhere! After a quick beverage and some chat, they got set up then we spent the remainder of the day catching up with each others activities. Some over indulging occurred but was only good entertainment for the rest of us! After a feast of lasagna, Caesar salad and garlic bread followed by pie and ice cream, we settled in for some serious – ok not so serious Mexican train until after midnight!

During the days, we played lots of ladder golf, had a few beverages, shopped, more beverages, on Tuesday, we biked along the Owen Sound Harbor and tried to keep cool!

First, we had to stop at WalMart to buy a new inner tube for Ray’s bike. With the use of a couple of screw drivers and a wrench, we complete repairs in the parking lot! It was scary for a second, 3 guys working on the tire at the same time! Now off to the ride! The bike ride along the water is always excellent. We left one truck at the start and took the other one down to the end of the ride at the bridge in Owen Sound. All 6 of us rode down to the harbor bridge – 3.57Kms with a few stops along the way to smell the flowers, literally! The Georgian Bay Garden Club maintains a beautiful garden about the halfway mark on our ride so we stopped to ‘wander’ through the summer blossoms and enjoy some shade. Arriving at our destination we had a short discussion as to if the river water is flowing out into Georgian Bay, then why is the surface water carrying weed debris back up the river! You see, these nonsensical discussions are how we fix all the problems of the world! For our return, 4 of us decide to bike back while 2 thought it best if they took the truck back to the beginning and met us there so we loaded their bikes in the second truck and we took off. The ride back was all up a slight grade so no coasting now; it was peddling all the way! Whew, we’re tired and in need of refreshments! While sitting on the deck laughing at the day’s activities, we see more wildlife - a turtle walking down the road. On closer inspection, it was a baby snapping turtle and Curly, the CG owner didn’t want it getting into his swimming pond so it was scooped up taken off to a different pond for him/her to live a long and happy life!

Wednesday, we toured two of the local water falls around Owen Sound, Inglis and Jones Falls. Inglis Falls was the easiest to walk to but the trails leading away to view the glacial pot holes were a bit more of a challenge so we’ll do that when it cools down some. The view was pretty good and the falls did not disappoint us. When people create these look out points for viewing, why can’t they keep the underbrush cut down in front of the viewing area? Oh, no budget! So it was still early so the 6 of us clamber back in the truck and we wander off to find Jones Falls. It was easy to find if you follow the signage but when ignored; now you start another adventure! But I had 5 other drivers with me – no, not in the back seat, that would be illegal, so in no time, I was quickly turned around and we arrived at the Falls parking lot!

It was a tricky walk through a fairly dense wood. If you were not watching your step, you could easily trip over the many roots above ground or the many mid sized rocks on the path. During our walk back to the Falls, we came across a King Milk snake sunning itself on a rock in the middle of the stream. Finally we arrive at the Falls and again, not many real good viewing spots so we took turns having a look from a small out cropping that looked like it was going to cave into the stream 30 feet below at any time! The best vantage point would have been at the base of the Falls but none of us were in any shape to repel down to it! After a quick look, we started back and found the snake still where we had left it! The sight of the snake drove us all to drink so we had to find a good ‘ole’ watering hole! Barb & Donna were so shaken up that they needed strawberry daiquiris to calm them down while the rest of us ordered beers!

The tourist brochure suggested that the Rocky Raccoon was a great place for dinner so we thought we’d give it a try. Oopppsss, none of us were really into the menu so we politely excused ourselves and headed on over to Montana’s, a place we all know and like! After dinner, the local car buffs were holding their weekly ‘cruise night’ in the parking lot of the Heritage Mall so the ‘boys’ went to have a look see while the ‘girls’ went to WalMart! There were lots of classic cars and trucks but nothing that would pull our rig so I didn’t make any offers on any that were for sale! Heading back to the campground, we were all exhausted but had time for another round of ladder golf and then onto Mexican Train for the night!

Thursday was hot and we all had the air running with no plans of going or doing anything. In the afternoon, we all collected at our rig and we showed them some of Barb’s DVD productions of our various trips to Alaska. When we finished watching a couple of DVDs, it was dinner time again. We had another picnic table along with ours and ate communal style outdoors – this means we’re camping? Everyone brought their own entrée that could be grilled and we all kicked in on the veggies and or desserts.

Friday was another laid back day in the morning and we went to the local winery for a tasting the afternoon. This was a neat find, a free tasting – not too prevalent any more and then an opportunity to have a glass of your favorite wine with an exotic cheese tray sitting back on their deck overlooking the farm land and Georgian Bay! It was a great way to spend an afternoon with friends! Back to the rig for a light dinner then more Mexican Train and more laughs! Their visit is winding down and we are all having a great time. Saturday will be separate entry so stay tuned!

Hope y’all are well wherever you are….

Another Week in Paradise

Barb & I had an enjoyable 5+K bike ride today along the Owen Sound harbor. We didn’t see any dolphins as we did in Rockport, Texas but it was just as enjoyable. We also found a good place to put the kayak in so maybe in the near future it will get wet again – it’s been too long! More in town, we stopped to read some of the history of the harbor and watch divers as they make repairs to the ‘sea wall’ of the harbor.

We are continuing on our little projects, Barb is finishing her golf placemats and started on a quilted tote bag and me on my caning. Thanks goodness I bought the how to caning book as my memory of “how to” from Bob at the plantation is a little off – ok, more than a little!

Wednesday is tour day so we decide to venture south of here to see some waterfalls – 3 in total. We started at the furthest one away and made our way back home. It was not a difficult drive and McGowan, Hoggs and Eugenia waterfalls were good, great views and lots of water. When we were at Eugenia, we were a little disappointed as we could not really view the falls from a good angle. As we were approaching our truck, another couple told us to take a different trail in order to see the ‘breath taking’ view as advertised! It was great and glad these other folks spoke up! As we were leaving, we spied a small bakery and stopped to buy some ‘home made’ bread and it was fantastic! One can not say enough about these small towns and their little boutiques! Our route home from here took us through Beaver Valley – one of the better ski hills in the area and we stopped at a small conservation areahttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif dedicated to John Muir, a “Scottish-American naturalist and preservationist” and spent a few minutes taking in the views overlooking Beaver Valley toward the Blue Mountains. We stopped for dinner at a fish and chip restaurant in Meaford. We will not recommend it to others when asked.

The remainder of the week was our regular stuff, walking, quilting, caning, site maintenance and some shopping. When we got back from a busy day out yesterday, we were surprised by our neighbors when they brought us a couple bottles of wine and garden light in appreciation of our help.

So our week ended on a happy note and we hope yours is also going well…..

Back in the Groove

We are back on site near Meaford and want to get back to a semblance of normal. We have the 5K walk coming up this weekend and continue to walk on alternate days. Once back, we checked the weather to see if we could expect 3 days of dryness and yes, we get to paint the deck now! It dried in a couple of hours for the second coat so all done in a day but it has to cure for 72 hours. We can get in and out with walking on it so no hardship there.


Our plants were a little thirsty but with some TLC from Barb, they are coming back nicely. I continued with my chairs, trying to get the wood finished so I can start
canning them. We think they will look great. Barb has her sewing centre set up again and is continuing with her placemat project. She has also finished her latest wood carving project and I’m sure you will agree it looks great!


Wednesday, we toured around Sauble Beach and Sauble Falls. It was a first time for us in the Sauble Beach area. We had a picnic lunch beside the falls and watched the kids jumping over the falls into a deep pool (we hope it was a deep pool)! We were surprised that kids were not tubing over the
cascades but maybe that was because their parents were nearby! After our lunch and watching the ‘entertainment’, we went to the beach. As we drove down to it, the mist was rolling in and it cooled
considerably so playing in the sand another day! Our return trip took us through Wairton and back to Owen Sound. We rolled up to a stop light and the vehicle next to us was trying to talk to us…. He wanted to know if we wanted to sell the truck! We said no but he persisted at the next light and asked us to take his number if we changed our mind! That was weird!



The rest of the week we walked 3 Kms (still getting ready for our 5K walk on Saturday), stained between the boards of the deck and used the remainder of the stain on the picnic table. Barb finished up one of her quilting projects and
continued on another until she ran out of thread! We both started some new things too. Barb started carving a plaque to replace our name plaque that has outlived its usefulness. I started weaving the cane on the infamous chairs!

Our neighbor was having problems with their roof A/C and asked for some help. Apparently they had the rig in for service last fall – they had to have a new roof and side put on as he tangled with a booth and lost! Anyway, the RV dealer took the A/C off and repaired the roof and re-installed it. It hasn’t worked since and of course, they said it was tested before it left the shop! With the dealer on the phone with me, we checked all the connections and lights etc. The dealer says the only possible solution was a seized motor! So up I go to remove the cowling and see if it is. After I get all the stuff off to actually see the motor, I see a couple of connections that are not connected and have suspicious feelings whizzing through me! I stick the wiring harness back down into the coach and scramble down and re-connect them into the control board and holy crap, the A/C kicks on! Wow, and it worked when it left the shop!


On your mark!!!!! It is race day and we’re up early doing our stretches – fooled ya’s didn’t I? We were up early so we could get down to Meaford – about a 15 minute drive and get signed in and do some people watching! At 9 sharp, we were all lined
up – runners and walkers and the gun went off! By the time we got a couple hundred feet under our belt, we know we had set a pace that was too quick and it wasn’t long before the ‘shin splints’ were affecting my bride! Barb was in terrible pain for the remainder of the 5K! Our daughter suggested they are caused by dehydration and her mom should drink more water! But you all know the equation, water in, water out! So, we slowed a little and Barb limped along, head down and trying very hard not to give in to the aches! As the KMs ticket by, Barb was determined not to let our donor pledges down and continued to trudge along. To our surprise, we actually beat our normal time of 1 hour, 2 minutes for 5Kms and came in under 57 minutes! Yea Barbie! The remainder of the day was spent on the deck, under the awning, on our duffs staying cool and re-hydrating ourselves!

Well, we hope all is good for you out there……

Life Camped out in Toronto

Friday, June24th, we hitched up the rig and hauled it down to Toronto. Barb & I had some things going on in the ‘big smoke’ and thought rather than commute to and from; we would do some driveway parking at our daughter’s place! After we set up, Mark, Terri, Sandra (Mark’s mom), Barb and I went to Alex’s Grade 8 graduation. All the girls were dressed to the nines and most of the boys had suits on, some with their sneakers! I don’t remember this amount of celebration when I passed into high school! Each student introduced the next student to accept their diploma – it was an interesting way to involve all the kids. Of course, each student had to write their own introduction so there were some funny ones. Afterwards, the students went to their after parties and the adults went to La Veranda for an Italian dinner. It was very nice, having dinner on the sidewalk cafe amongst hanging baskets of plants and flowers.

Saturday was busy. Terri decided they wanted a Pergola built on the patio. So, the construction begins! By end of day, the plans were made, materials purchased and we had all 6 footings poured and the 4x4 saddles set in. After a few brewskis and dinner, we called it a day. Holy crap, their fish pond
with lots of gold fish and Koi just pumped itself to almost empty and there’s hardly any water left! Panic and surprise fills the air so we have to find out why and add some water so the fish don’t become sushi!


On Sunday, we constructed 2 of the 6 legs that hold the upper structure. Each leg was made from 4 4x4s that sit in
the saddles. But the main event was spending an afternoon on a 31 foot Nonsuch sail boat, cruising around the Toronto harbor. Alan and Karen (our hosts) took us back to Snug Harbor at the RCYC marina for a pot luck BBQ. Our hosts were extremely nice and we met many of their yachting buds. After the BBQ, we took a sunset cruise toward the eastern gap of the Toronto Islands. We found thousands of Cormorants nesting in the trees and were told their poop is killing the trees they are nesting in! On our way back to the dock to drop us off, we saw a man swimming in no particular direction. We approached and asked if he was ok but he did not respond or acknowledge us. We circled a few times trying to communicate
but he did not respond so we called the Toronto marine patrol. When they arrived, he still did not respond and tried swimming away from them. The patrol called for backup and it appeared they were suited up to get wet! We had moved on toward the dock before the setting sun dipped below the skyline of Toronto and do not know the out come of the swimmer – it’s too cool at this time of the year for an evening swim.

Monday, we resumed on the construction project. Barb & I constructed the other 4 legs and with Marks help, we had the skeleton up by the time darkness fell. Tuesday we went to Mack’s graduation dinner in cabbage town. We were not allowed into the school auditorium as there were too many students graduating and the auditorium was only large
enough to seat 750 people so only parents were permitted – boo! We had a fun time and good company and good food at Pappas Grill for the after Graduation Dinner.

Wednesday, we spent the day washing the rig and Barb cut the front and back lawns! We were done when the evening set upon us!

Thursday night, Barb slept alone – Mark & Terri went to their cabin in up state NY while I was at another sleep study appointment. Friday is Canada Day and we’ll be moving on back to Roebuck but not until we put on red something to celebrate our nations birthday! The trip north was easy, not much traffic considering it was a holiday – now that doesn’t speak for the cars stuck behind us on the 2 lane highways!

We rolled in without mishap and were set up quickly. A neighbor came over to greet us and was amazed at how fast we had our TV satellite dish set up. I opened my mouth by offering to help him with his dish. After moving the dish to several different locations and an hour later, he called the tech support line and they gave us the accurate co-ordinates and ding, he had a signal and all was good. Whew, that was frustrating, I’m glad ours is much easier to set up!

Well, that’s all for now and happy Canada Day to all our Canadian friends and happy Independence Day to our American friends …..