Still Crazy in October

There is always memory gaps when I am trying to write about our adventures this far behind. I procrastinate too much but finally ‘set pen to paper’ and here is our next instalment. Thank goodness Barb does a great job with her picture taking and filing that helps jog my old memory.

We started October by helping our daughter to install a room vent that she needed to renovate her bathroom. While Dean is out shopping for parts we need in the bath, I install their new dishwasher. Out with the old and in with the new one – ooppsss, we need some parts off the old one but not to worry, it just landed on the curb so we’ll go out and strip off what we need. Corrie suggests we hurry as anything with metal does not last long at the curb but we laughed – wait, there is a guy eyeing it up already – not 15 minutes since it hit the curb! Mack rushes out as the guys has his hands on it but he waits while Mack strips off the pieces we need and then the guys picks it up and literally drops it into his truck and he is off for the next big find!

On Oct 6th, Sunday morning, we awoke to a foggy and damp conditions – I know, most of you think I’m always in a foggy state – but even the Vultures were grounded and were roosting on some surrounding trees. It was an eerie sight but if we just keep moving, they won’t look at us as a meal ticket!

 

 

 

We finally organized an afternoon of geocaching with Randy & Norma. We took the scenic route to LaSalle park in Burlington, we stopped off at a water falls that we have been to before but with the recent rains, it was flowing great for pictures.

We have been to these caches before but were unable to find them and made for a disappointing caching day so we were hoping with our new GPS and fresh eyes, we would do better. Well, we did a little – we found 1 of 5 – way to go Randy! It was a fun day anyway.

 

 

 

 

 

This brings us to our Thanksgiving weekend. The Ellis clan decided to do something different this year – you’ll read about it in the next posting – so Terri invited us to their cabin in New York. On our way down, we stopped off in Ft Erie to look over a house for sale – yes, Barb & I are looking at real estate but not for living, just an investment. We’re making sure our portfolio is diversified. The house is on a double corner lot with mature trees and a 2 1/2 unattached garage. I was not feeling it but Barb was sure this would be a good investment (she’s the designer, I’m her labourer) and we left there for the cabin with many questions and ideas. Lot’s of discussions ensued over the weekend between all of us and Terri’s neighbours from Buffalo.

 

Saturday, we spent the morning splitting fire wood under sunny skies and warm temps – Barb did all the splitting while the rest of us lifted, carried and stacked the split wood. After some brewskis, we ventured into Ellicottville to their Fall Fest. This is a giant art and craft show and sale that is very popular. We bump and joggle through the crowds, looking at the many booths and crafters. Mark was drawn to the cigar shops while the ladies stopped at the many craters – me, I was looking for the beer tent.

Sunday started out with grey skies and threatening rain. We walked – don’t ask what we were thinking if it looked like rain – down to the end of Terri & Mark’s road to Pumpkinville – about a 1 KM walk. There are – of course – more crafty booths, fresh pumpkins and apples for sale and what we really walked down for was their home made pumpkin, sugar coated donuts. They were warm and oh so tasty, yummmm, it only took us seconds to devour them. Now what you ask? Well, there is lots to see and do here for all members of a family. Go to the web site for more thorough information.

 

We left early on Monday so we wouldn’t run into the holiday traffic at the border. We hope all is good for you, where ever you are….

Winding Down from September 22

The weather has cooled down but some of the ‘guy’ neighbours wanted to learn how to make the beer can wind spinners so we had a ‘guy craft day’! Since we were busy, Norma and Barb got together so Norma could learn how to cross stitch, finish her crocheted wine bottle cover and make boxes from greeting cards. And, well the guys were not quite as productive! After a few beers and some Crown Royal, our progress slowed considerably. In fact, some would say it ground to a halt! I was supposed to be the instructor but that didn’t go to well either. Randy cut himself on the aluminum and couldn’t cut straight so he did not complete a spinner. Mike on the other hand made 1 1/2 spinners. It was a fun day of camaraderie regardless of the state of soberness.

Our friends John & Di were to come down with their trailer for a few days but due to health, they thought it best to stay close to home where he would be more comfortable. We went to their place for an overnight in case we did a usual wee hour Mexican Train marathon.  It has been a tradition that the score keeper (that would be me) would win more often than not but this evening, lady luck was not on my side but it was fun anyway.

On our way home, Barb & I did a little geocaching along the way. We chose 5 but only found 4 but had fun anyway. It’s a great sport/hobby that gives us feelings of elation when we find the caches and disappointment when we don’t.

 

 

The gaskets on our fridge are splitting and not sealing very good which causes icing etc on the inside. We bought a new gasket kit for our model and proceeded to make the repairs. The instructions said to remove the doors and lay flat for 48 hours. Being full timers, that is a difficult task without a spare fridge at hand. So we compromised and did everything except wait the 48 hours before re-installing the doors.

With the doors off, removing the old gasket and installing the new one was not too difficult. Instead of leaving the doors off, we planned what items we would need until the next morning and used our cooler to store them. I re-installed the doors with the plan that they would not be opened for at least 48 hours as we were going to Michigan to visit Dick & Marcia.

We arrived at Dick & Marcia’s to a warm reception of food, beverage and gab and it was so nice to see them again. The next day, we toured downtown Holland, sat at a sidewalk patio and taste tested a dozen samples of ‘Our Brewing Company’ beer. It may sound like a lot of beer but the samples are small. After I checked Dick’s lips, we passed the samples around and rated each beverage. This brewery does not serve lunch so we wandered down the main street (8th Street) to the 8th Street Grill and had an excellent meal, good service and of course, excellent company.

The next day, we had breakfast at one of Dick & Marcia’s favourite breakfast spot, the Sunrise Cafe. After big hugs, we said our farewells and started toward home, anxious to check the fridge repairs we made earlier. We open the door and viola, the gasket stayed on the fridge – not the door where it belongs – crap! Of course, we blame the double sided tape, not knowing how old it was when we received it, it had to be out dated and unfit to use. Knowing the tape was defective, it’s off to Home Depot to pick up another roll. We find one that is for out door carpet and concrete, this one will work great. Back home to re-install the tape and gaskets with the doors off again. The difficult part was getting all the ‘old’ tape off the door – what a pain.

While the fridge door was ‘curing’, I installed new stair nosing. After we finished the new bedroom floor and the stair nosing on the bedroom step, we decided that I had to match the other 2 steps. Barb has been working on a couple of her quilting projects, her summer block party with some gals from the Plantation and a Laura Nownes creation that utilizes various geometric blocks to build a quilt.

I know I am very far behind updating this blog and I hope you bear with us as we make it current and come back soon for another read. Hope all is good where ever you are….

Where Did Summer Go?

We can’t believe it is September already. Bill & Ann are at the Plantation already and we’re a little envious. We would like to come and go as we wish but we try to follow the rules! As I write this in mid September, the outside temperature is 9C (48F) and we just finished a day of rain and cold, nasty weather. I don’t mind rain when it is warm but the cold gets to me. Ok, ok, I’ll stop whining for now…

We celebrated my birthday by eating, drinking and tried our skills at a puzzle geocache. We managed to solve the first one and thought that it would have a clue to the second one but not. So back to the drawing board so to speak. We had to try to solve these before we hit the trails again. For dinner, Barb took me to the Royal Coachman in Waterdown where we met Terri & Mark. What a surprise for me. We also ‘bumped’ into Bob & Fay, friends from a different life when we worked. It was nice having a quick catch up with them and a promise to meet up again soon. It was a great day and a wonderful evening. The day could only have been better if we had won the lotto – but then that would mean we would have to buy a ticket so by not buying, we won $10.00!

Barb has been involved with a summer quilt block swap group with friends from the Plantation and her last blocks are in at an address in New York so we’re on a road trip. An easy drive, pick up some geocaches and a relaxing couple of days to pick up her mail. Geocachers are very inventive at find hiding spots for their caches. This cache was named after one Santa’s reindeer and we could not figure out anything related to Santa on our route until we drove past a ‘deer crossing sign’! That has to be the hidey place. Onto another cache, following the GPS leads us to a fast food parking lot. We searched high and low, looking at the shrubs, trees and electrical boxes around the lot. For some reason, I walked over to the lamp standard and lifted the bolt cover and viola, it was there. That was fun finding that one.

 

On the way home, we stopped at a cemetery for a cache and to see some very old tomb stones that were made of zinc. As we were walking up the hill toward the cache, following our GPS, we look right onto a large tomb stone that read ELLIS – wow, they were preparing for our arrival!

We’re back home now and time to get some things done. Barb is working on her sewing machine, being creative with her quilting her Row Robin quilt from last year and I am cleaning and waxing the rig. It takes a couple of days but now nice and shiny for another 6 months! Barb is not doing so good – her machine is driving her crazy breaking needles and thread. We take it over to Hamilton for service – it just came back not a few weeks ago. The tech suggested that Barb is sewing too much and she is abusing the machine – apparently they are not made to sew as much as Barb is asking it to sew! Wow, never heard of such a thing and I didn’t have to prompt him! That doesn’t slow Barb down, she has another machine that fills in for her but she can not do any embroidery.

On Friday the 13th, we stop at the Casino to pick up a cache on the way home. It was covered in ‘camo’ tape and hanging in an evergreen tree so it took us a few minutes to finally find it.

We have been talking about redecorating our bedroom again, pulling the carpet, wallpapering and installing new LED lights so now is the time. The bed is taken out so we can get at the carpet under the bed. It is also taken off the slide frame so we can prop it up to give us more room to manoeuvre better laying the new laminate flooring. We tore out the carpet, sized and papered, laid  under padding and laminate, installed the stair nosing and new lights and all in the weekend! Whew, we slept well.

 

 

 

 

 

 

That takes us ‘til the middle of September so enough for now and we hope all is well wherever you are….