Summer Comes to a Close

It is wind down time. The campground is almost deserted and really quiet! The weather has cooled off dramatically and we find ourselves being busy inside. Barb is working on sewing projects, restarted our family tree search and creating some DVD projects. Me, well after watching Barb doing her thing, I’m too tired to start anything! Well, that’s a fib, I’m continuing to scan our photo albums and scrap books! Every now and then, I’ll see a picture that is too cute not to share so I’ll send it out to our daughters with a cryptic comment! We all have a laugh and it is fun!

While I was scanning some pictures, I came across a picture of my mother with friends. I googled the name of her friends and found their family tree! I sent the tree owner a message and waiting to hear back from them. We hope this will provide us with more leads to my mom’s lineage. It’s these little victories of genealogy that keep us hooked! Barb is using a family tree maker from My Heritage and it is really comprehensive. We’re hoping to publish this online so maybe we can get more input from other family members.

 

Barb helped a neighbor with her new sewing machine and I started our departure count down by checking air pressures, adjusting as required and giving the truck a good scrubbing on the inside. Soon, we’ll start putting our outdoor furniture and decorations away. Getting ready to head south always brings mixed emotions, saying farewell to new friends we have met this year but always looking forward to meeting more along the way!

Another neighbor wanted help re-leveling their trailer. So Barb & I gathered up our bottle jack, wood blocks and ground tarp and headed next door. This is the new trailer that was delivered and the delivery guy did not do even an adequate job for the customer! So, we managed to get it sorted out and leveled the way it should have been when delivered.

It’s been a slow quiet week here but we manage to keep busy. We wish you all well out there….

The Ignition Switch Twitch…

Both of us are amazed that we have not felt the desire to move on this summer! Usually, after having the jacks down for about 5-6 weeks, we are ready to move on down the road for more adventures. But this summer, we haven’t had that feeling – until now! Could it be that we have been busy doing and being focused and not wondering what was waiting around the next bend or over the next hill? Could it be that we are in a nice campground that’s not making us wonder why we’re here? Could it be that the summer is nearly over and our thoughts are wandering to our venture south to our ‘new’ ERPU site at the Rainbow Plantation? I can’t think of any more ‘could it bes’ so let’s chalk it up to the end of this chapter in the summer of 2011 and it’s time to turn the page!

We have kinda gotten out of our normal routine for no reason. Barb has been busy working on a couple of projects that I can not mention here just in case someone is reading this. But she has finished one project – 8 bears have been born from that fur coat we showed you a few entries back. They are almost too cute but they are for sale so if you want one, send us an email to reserve yours today! She is also restarting the family tree project that had been sidelined when we could not trace my mother’s lineage back. We are using a neat tree building program from My Heritage Family Tree and helps inputting and tracking. Ancestry.ca had a special on where you can try out there service but of course there are strings and we’re not sure yet. We’ll use our family first for history etc then maybe…

The bathroom is 98% completed now. We replaced the paper holder and had to modify the cabinet where the old one was so the new one would fit. Some wood bought, some stain slapped on and some varnish and when assembled, I was ¼ inch short! Crap, and I left my board stretcher at the house so cut, stain and varnish a new piece and by the time this entry is published, it will be 100% complete! It’s always fun when I’m working on something!

Our neighbor, Peter and Molly bought a new trailer and Barb & I have been busy helping them with modifications and additions to make it ‘their own’. I put his Max-Air vent hoods on and helped take out a couple of cabinets they didn’t want – I’m good at demolition! Barb provided Molly with some ideas and helped me with another pair of hands. I’m busy doing nothing and there’s Peter, cutting our grass! I gave him a hard time of course, accusing him of not liking our shabby chic lawn next to his new trailer. Finally, he said he’s doing it to repay us for our help! Nice!

Barb is putting the finishing touches to some nice Christmas gifts that are going to be a hit. I am starting a big project of scanning some of our memorabilia that we have accumulated over the 44 years of wedding bliss.

We’re ‘talking’ to friends about this winter and whom to expect at the plantation and when. It is exciting to make plans with friends that you can meet on the road! Oh, we just got an email from our friends Dick and Karla in Minnesota. I hope you can remember us talking about how good friends they have been to us when we visit them. They are opening their ‘retirement log cabin’ as a B&B! So, if you’re interested in a little down time to recharge your batteries and experience the north woods of Minnesota, check them out at www.redpinepointbedandbreakfast.com. Dick and Karla are wonderful people and you will feel welcomed and comfortable. I hope you look them up.

Enough for now and we wish you well out there….

It’s Coming!

Well, it’s that time of the year again; the leaves on some trees are actually starting to turn. The soy bean fields are nearing harvest as they turn gold! The nights are cooling and dew is heavy most mornings! Time has gone by in a blink and it is hard to believe the summer is backed up in memory! Our time here at Roebuck Campground is ending which takes our thoughts of our future travels. We’re excited to know we have a winter site waiting for us and not having to worry if there are sites available or what the campground is like. Get ready Rainbow Plantation, here we come!

I know, get back to the present. We’ve done another 5K walk today and then into Owen Sound for some groceries and to the fabric store for supplies – not for me but Barb is onto another little project while I continued on finishing the bathroom trim and cut the grass. Tuesday was more of the same, Barb was finishing a set of napkins for Terri – a small gift to celebrate their pergola project behind their house and I fastened down the bathroom trim.

We decided on a road trip into Waterdown to inspect Olympia Village campground where we might use for the month of Oct/Nov before we head south. They have been working on some new sites (they are the ones that called us 3 days in advance to tell us they couldn’t accommodate us on the long weekend in May and how we ended up in Meaford) and we wanted to ensure we could fit and it would be adequate for us. It was a 3 hour trip for a 15 minute tour but I now have peace of mind that we don’t have to go to Golden Pond in Ingersol again! It was one of the few campgrounds that are open year round but their electricity is flakey and the water is undrinkable but they always treated us good! We went to Terri’s for dinner and to present her with the ‘custom’ napkins. Thursday we moved slower than normal and didn’t get home here until after lunch and couldn’t get motivated to do much.

Friday we drove up to Tobermory to celebrate my birthday. It’s been 30+ years since we have been there and it hasn’t changed too much except for the large homes. We had lunch on a patio overlooking the harbor and watching some of the world go by! After, we strolled through the harbor and wandered into a few gift shops. Oh, also had to stop for an ice cream! As we were heading out, the Chi-cheemaun ferry from ManitoulinIsland was just arriving and it’s always a treat to watch the ship as it lifts the bow to let the vehicles off!

On the way back, I had a ‘bright’ idea to see the ‘Devil’sMonument’ – I had read a sign on the way up and thought it might be interesting. It was only 19Ks out of our way – we’ve traveled further for less! Anyway, after turning off the highway and no more signs to follow, we gave up after 40 minutes of very rough road. There was supposed to be the Cabot Head Lighthouse  along the way but we didn’t find that either! Our GPS was of no help! We did get to see some very nice cottage/homes and magnificent vistas of Georgian Bay and the beautiful blue waters! We didn’t get to see what we started out to see but we still saw beautiful sites anyway and made the side trip worthwhile.

 

Wishing you well out there…..