A busy day today....

Our Location: Walmart Front Lawn, Hamilton, Ontario

(today's pics were all taken on the Rock in Lake Huron (Manitoulin Island) a few years ago)

Coolish nights seem to be the norm here in southern Ontario. The predicted high didn't materialize or at least not anywhere I was today. It was nice with a bit of a breeze which of course cooled things off, that big yellow ball in the sky was a welcome sight and stayed with us pretty much most of the day. Things clouded over and the rain began to fall just as the evening hours struck. Around 6 pm I think I heard the first rain drops on the roof, followed by a couple of big thunder boomers, a light show of one or three flashes across the skies over the city but other than that it was mostly a rain event. The odd far off rumble of thunder could be heard later in the evening but it was minor rumbling, while the sky turned an ominous shade of slate grey but I think the bulk of the storm went around us.  Round about 8 pm the sun was lighting up the store front but the rain drops were still falling.

South Baymouth Lighthouse

We started off this morning by making plans for the day. If you've been following this blog at all you'll know we always make plans but often we don't seem to have the energy, the time or the need to do some of them and they get pushed off until another day. Today was NOT like that at all. First we headed back to the wonderful folks at Dr Yaksich/Dr Adams dental office, Riley was getting fitted for a mouth guard to help her clicking jaw issue. Of course the ladies on the desk were spectacular as always, helpful, knowledgeable, and quick to smile. Dr. Larry graced us with his presence once again today and even did a quick job of reattaching Riley's wire retainer as it had come loose. MaryAnne and Lisa were excited when I told them I'd mentioned them in yesterday's blog, I hope they don't think that makes them stars now 'cause NOT that many people read this little blurb. ~laugh~ I assured them that I said only bad things, I'm almost certain they might have believed me. ~laugh~ So if you are reading Ladies, Hello and welcome!!!!

South Baymouth Marina

From the dentist office we made our way down the hill to Life Labs where Riley needed to have the blood work which Dr. Dube requested yesterday. While she was having her vampire procedure I was on the phone making a few calls that needed to be addressed with regards to doctors, Dogsled appointments and such. The Dogsled needs to have a check up to ensure that he's fit for use in Ontario, I think he also needs to have his breathing checked with an emissions test, all of which must be done before he can be plated and insured here in the wonderful province of Ontario. Hopefully the breathing experts can fit him in tomorrow and the check up with Dr Ozlo's crew is scheduled for Monday morning. I have no worried the big boy will pass with flying colours. 

After the blood work we headed back to the Igloo, grabbed a Timmies, changed back into some dirty clothes before making our way back to the storage locker place (it's some dirty work I'll tell ya). Today we managed to finish cleaning out the unheated outside small locker (5x5) and stuff everything into the indoor heated much bigger unit. That will relieve us of a sizeable payment every month. We had to pretty much pull out about 1/4 of the things in the locker to get to the usable but unused space near the back half of the locker. It was suitable for light boxes such as linens, clothes, etc to be piled upon firm wooden pieces of furniture. We then managed to stuff ALL of the other boxes into the space with a bit of room to spare. I was extremely happy to do that. The front desk returned the month's storage they had just taken out about an hour before I told them I no longer needed the unit. Good timing, huh? ~laugh~ 

View over the islands in the North East waters off the shores near Little Current

After that it was home to clean up and a quick jaunt across the way to Great Clips for a hair cut. We were both due for one as it's been a while for both of us. I was starting to feel like a long haired sheep dog with stuff hanging in my eyes all the time. ~laugh~  I had a wash and trim while Riley had a wash and cut. It's much shorter now and she seems pleased with it. I like it very much. 

After that it was home again and for the rest of the day we just kind of rested. Enough work today already!! We were too tired to load up the laundry and head out so that's on the list for tomorrow's chores. We can't wait too many more days or we'll be starting to "look for our cleanest dirty shirt" ( a line from a Kris Kristopherson song - Sunday Morning Coming Down). Therefore tomorrow WILL be laundry day. ~laugh~ 

Swing Bridge/ Hwy 6, the only all year round route on/off the Island

Since we had a late lunch today dinner time wasn't of any interest to me and Riley decided to manage for herself, which she did just fine. Afterward my hunger pains were satisfied with a nice big juicy Granny Smith apple.  

Sailboat waiting to pass thru at the Swing Bridge.

So ended our day. Not life altering or news worthy but it worked for us. We're looking forward to an easier day tomorrow and we'll take the weekend off except for a visit to the old neighbourhood. Monday we'll do our morning appointment and I hope then we'll be heading out along the QEW toward the big city of Toronto and points further north!! Depending on our departure time and traffic we will stay somewhere between Toronto and Barrie, or we'll reach Parry Sound for an over night on Monday. We should be in Lively, Ontario a suburb of Sudbury on Tuesday, an overnight there to visit with my best friend Linda and her hubby Randy.  Wednesday we will be off to the Rock and our summer location. So a few short travel days next week will net us a mid week arrival time which should be just in time for the warm up trend to start rolling in.  We'd really like that as it will mean we can once again get out and start walking which we haven't been dong lately. 

Okay, enough rambling for one night! Thanks for stopping by, feel free to leave a comment, and until next time...be safe, take care....

Appointments, apologies, and a longer stay....

Our Location: Walmart Front Lawn, Hamilton, Ontario

 

(sorry no pics today)

The overnight was cool but then again it's April in Canada so it could have been a lot worse. The day started off cool as well but eventually warmed up to about mid 50F/10C with a wind off the lake which of course makes it seem like a few degrees cooler. 

We had hoped to be departing Hamilton late this afternoon but it wasn't in the cards. We'll be here a couple of more days, had I known we'd be here this long we would have parked at Fifty Point Conservation area with full hookups. However this at least gives us a chance to use our new solar panels, which we had installed in early January in Georgia. It's the first that we've used them and we're still used to dry camping with out them which means we are a bit stingy on turning on lights instead of using our LED lanterns, etc. I know it sounds odd but it's true, we are so used to doing things a certain way when we dry camp that it's difficult to change. I have no doubt we will but it's just odd to find ourselves doing things without realizing we don't have to be quite so diligent  about it. 

Our morning started off with a trip to the storage unit where we will be returning tomorrow for a bit more work. We are combining two lockers into one and will hopefully get that finished tomorrow. We worked there for a couple of hours and managed to accomplish about half of what we started out to accomplish but half is better than none. After a couple of hours and the amount work we were both tired and ready for a rest. 

Back to the Igloo by 11 am we were just relaxing when the local Gynecologist office called to discuss forwarding Riley's paperwork to the new referral. Long story short with some trepidation they convinced us to come down to their office this afternoon and they would see her TODAY but that the doctor felt it was somewhat of an urgent matter. Explaining we had two appointments this afternoon and couldn't possible reach the office before 4 pm they assured us that would be fine, they would be there until all patients were seen by the doctor. We added that appointment to our list. 

 

Lunch was a quick bowl of soup, not the best soup as it came out of a can but it was good for a quick fill up and warm up as well. We both kind of just relaxed for the next hour knowing the rest of the afternoon would be busy. Climbing in to the Dogsled we headed up the hill to see our fantastic dentist, Dr. Larry Yaksich. He's actually retired and sold his practice but still comes in a couple of days a week, we lucked out having him there today. He's been our dentist for many years and we always feel like family when we are there. The ladies in the front office are amazing, MaryAnne and Lisa work magic slipping folks in for appointments and truly make us feel as if we're their best friends. It's a gift they have and it serves them well. Lisa is recovering from a battle with cancer and is doing wonderfully, she looks great, her usual semi short, spiky blonde locks are extra short, extra dark and curly. MaryAnne is always her usual chipper self, quick with a smile, a quip and sparkle in her eye. Truly these two women are special people and we're very lucky to know them.  

Our appointments went well but we need to return tomorrow morning as they are going to fit Riley with a mouth guard for sleeping. She's having some issues with her jaw clicking at various times. Dr. Larry thinks the mouth guard may help with that problem. He says its from clenching/grinding her teeth while she sleeps. I wonder if it's hereditary as Bradey also has the same issue. 

From there we headed back down the big hill to Hunter Avenue East, coasting to a stop in front of Dr. Dube's office at about 3:50 pm. Putting a couple of bucks in the meter (paying time ends at 6 pm) we headed off for Riley's appointment. The office was full with a few folks sitting outside as it can quickly become hot in the waiting room with too many people. We waited for about an hour and a half before being shown into the room. After discussing the problems with ultra sounds and office visits with Zena on the front desk, next with Rosemary the nurse, we received many, many apologies for the troubles and were assured it's not the norm. Finally after about 20 minutes of sitting in the little exam room the doctor made an appearance. We once again discussed the issues and were assured that it wouldn't happen again. In fact the doctor wrote specific notes on the file regarding HER expectations of how this should be handled. So we'll see how it goes. Eventually we finally got down to the issues. The cyst on Riley's right ovary has grown larger and needs to be taken out. It is showing signs of twisting and is the reason she is having so much discomfort and pain at times. Dr. Dube requested specific blood work, some standard, some specialized  that we have to pay for ourselves. She wanted it down as quickly as we can, so we're having it done tomorrow. Dr. Dube is going to refer Riley to a gynecologist that the doctor knows personally in North Bay. She is also requesting an MRI from this doctor. The referral request will go out tonight from the doctor herself. So we can't fault the lady for not picking up the ball and getting things moving for us. After the blood work and the MRI they will decide the best course to take. In 2 weeks I'll contact Dr. Dube or her nurse and get the results from the blood tests (specialized test take a bit longer than regular tests).

 

We finally left the office at 6:25 pm and headed home. Both of us were extremely tired but glad we went, it's helped answer a number of questions and also helped to ease our minds about exactly where things should to go in the near future. Riley is somewhat relieved and I think given a couple of days she'll be more so once things settle down a bit. Riley dislikes answering the questions that are asked in these situations and will just look at me indicating I should answer them. It's difficult enough for her and at this point I'm more concerned with just getting the information delivered to the doctor than about encouraging Riley to speak for herself.  I know sometimes it seems as if I'm overbearing but at this point in the process I think Riley has enough stress without adding any more. 

 

We stopped at the pharmacy on the way back to the Igloo but only picked up my script as the doctor didn't think Riley should continue with her script. It was a quick in and out which surprised us both as it usually takes a while. 

 

Home sure looked pretty inviting when we arrived but we headed off into Walmart to buy dinner instead of cooking. We were both just too tired to think about cooking never mind actually doing it. ~laugh~ Of course we're both stress eaters and so we didn't really make good choices but that's okay, it's one meal and we all need comfort at times. That's my story and I'm sticking to it. 

 

After we finished eating it was time to do the dishes that have been accumulating and so armed with the knowledge that we HAD to do dishes it went pretty quickly. Truly it wasn't THAT bad, everything managed to stay under cover in the sinks, so if you visited you would never know we had a sink full of dirty dishes. ~laugh~ 

 

After that chore was complete I called my dad to explain we'd not be seeing him as early as I thought. I explained we had a few things come up that were going to take a few extra days and didn't want him to worry when we didn't show up in the next day or two. He assured us that next week is going to be quite chilly up there on the Rock and staying here a bit longer isn't a bad idea. I've looked at the long range forecast and since we'll be approaching mid May shortly the weather is promising to be nicer and nicer. We can handle that!!!!

 

After that it was a matter of heading in our own directions and doing our own thing. It feels good to just kind of unwind and settle down. 

 

So there you have it, our day here in Hamilton, Ontario. Appointments, apologies, and some work. Tomorrow we have a few things to do that will keep us busy for the day and out of trouble. So on that note, until next time...be safe, take care...

Warm, sunny, productive day....

Our Location: Magic River Rv Resort, Long Beach, Mississippi

(all pics taken with my phone)

A much warmer night and the day that followed was also a much warmer day. I think we're over the cold weather hump now. Looks like clear sailing until we have to leave. 

Up this morning before 6 a.m., greeted by Miss Riley looking for some pain meds for a headache. Very odd for her to be up at this hour. Donned my freshly laundered fire clothes and headed for the morning fire. There wasn't one!!! Cold dark fire pit with no movement of any kind. Hm.....I wonder, oh well, I spent some time in the log cabin with Magic the camp cat, she purred and half laid on my knee for a while but then it was time to call it enough for the scratching behind the ear and off she went. I headed home to find something to do.

Having breakfast I happened to glance out the window and there was a fire going in the fire pit with Robert standing near by, so my direction was clear when I finished eating. Mac and Robert were there and we chatted for a bit before a fella named Trent from Florida stopped by for a brief chat. After Trent left, Robert left, Pete & Pat came along, soon Riley came along and we all had a nice chat.  Magic the cat climbed back on my lap for a while during our chat and was quite content to stay there, finally moving to a chair of her own. It's now getting to be about 9 am when a motor home pulls in and it's some guy named Mike, the others know him, he seems to be a regular. Riley and I head home as we have things to do today and it's getting to be late in the morning for us.

All things camo, even a sun shade!!!!!

During our fire side chat we learned that Lisa and Buzz are home, Ron and Sharon are close to home, and that Lisa loves the new reno's!! So we are quite well informed now.
 
Home we change into short pants, climb into the Dogsled and head off to the sports complex for our walk. We haven't walked for a week but today was the beginning of getting back into that routine, we managed two laps before saying it was enough. ~laugh~ How lazy we get with a little time off.

We pulled out Phoebe, our newest and most updated GPS to find a grocery store I've heard a number of people mention named Fruggels. It's about 6 or 7 miles away but we opt to head there anyway. It's an uneventful drive and I've driven past it many times while never noticing it. It's very much like Piggly Wiggly and the prices were pretty good. Produce will definitely be purchased there along with a few other things but we still need to have a stop at Walmart for a few things we couldn't get at this store. We did manage to find a number of things that we were looking for and while there I called Bradey to see if we can get a couple of things in Canada, which according to her we can, so I didn't buy them here.

After the grocery store (we didn't buy anything needing to be kept cool or cold) we headed into something called Tuesday Morning, not a store I would be going back to unless I need bedding or linens. From there we headed off to the Family Dollar but it was closed, empty windows staring back at us, we moved across the lot to the Big Lots store. I like Big Lots, not a great store but you can sometimes get some pretty good deals if you look carefully enough and today was our lucky day. We found another Aluminum /titanium folding table for only $15, the one we currently have we paid over $45 for it about 5 years ago.  So as you can see it was a very productive trip.

A folding chairs to go with the above sun screen. They have their own bags as well.

We managed to get home by shortly after 12:30 pm, unloaded, put things away, started making lunch, and since I was chopping up veggies for a salad I just chopped  a few extras for dinner, wrapped them in tin foil and stuck 'em in the fridge until later. After lunch I took myself along with my book headed off to the swing by the pond to read for a while. It was nice, the wind was a bit cool but the sun was wonderful. Back to the Igloo around 3:30 pm to sit inside reading and enjoy the quiet.

With daylight savings time it's light much later and since it was a such a nice day I BBQ'd dinner tonight starting just about 6:30 pm. While I was cooking Mac dropped by Riley came outside and we all chattered for a while. About 7:20 pm I came inside bringing our dinner along with me. Garlic Italian Potatoes with Onions, Orange Zest Veggies, and JD Honey Smokehouse BBQ Chicken Breasts. It was good, we followed that with a couple of oatmeal cookies later on.

A quick clean up inside and out, walk to the dumpster and home to play a couple games of Yahtzee and guess what...I won, both games. ~laugh~ I will make no comment about the fact that Riley said I cheated....which I didn't but ....

Dinner...yummmm

After that we headed off in our directions to do whatever it is we do. Not an earth shattering day but a nice one all the same. Glad the sun is back out, the heat is back as well. On that note I'm going to sign off, thanks for stopping by, until next time...be safe...take care..

Goodbyes, Dinner Out.......

Our Location: Magic River Rv Resort, Long Beach, Mississippi

A cold dreary night followed by a cold dreary dreary day for Sunday and now again today it's more of the same. The next few days are much cooler than we'd like but hopefully we are finished with the rain. However time will tell, won't it? 

No blog last night as there was nothing to say except some whining, so the less said, the better. I'm sure you agree. 

This morning up at the fire the usual suspects showed up and chatted for a bit. A sad day today as Buzz and Lisa left our little neighbourhood. They are heading home to Columbus, Ohio which will take them 4 days to reach. Hugs and well wishes, they were on the road around 9 am. We wish them a safe journey. 

Today was house cleaning day and we completely took Riley's room apart. She's been complaining about a musty odor and I think we've finally found it. I believe the trundle bed is causing the problem. The trundle bed is a small single, while Riley's is a larger twin. The trundle has a front face plate that reaches from the floor to the underside of Riley's bed and is full length of the opening, thus not allowing any air to circulate under Riley's bed and leaving a 'dead' space between the small single mattress and the wall. I removed the face plate, tucked it flat under the bed and we moved the mattress to the top bunk to see if that would allow the air to move better and get rid of the odor. We shall see if it works, so once again, time will tell. If not, I'll have to keep looking.

No one went for beans and rice today, we think it's because Buzz and Lisa weren't here so the whole thing fell apart or may be we're all just old and forgot. ~laugh~ We did however use some of Buzz's coupons to go to dinner this evening at Sicily's Italian Buffet on Hwy 49 in Gulfport. 

 

Ron and Sharon stopped by to see if we needed anything from Walmart but we declined as tomorrow we need to do a shop there and since they just have small little vehicle I didn't think they'd appreciate having no room to bring home what they were going for. ~laugh~ 

 

I  had a nap again today, and according to Miss Riley so did she. Seems like it was just one of those days when we needed to recharge more than we had thru the night hours. 

 

Up to the fire around 3:30 pm this afternoon chatting with a few folks, Ron, Mac, Riley Jerry, Pete, and Pat it was there we decided to head to Sicily's for dinner. Ron & Sharon came with us, and we met Jerry and Carol at the restaurant. Riley and I had never  been but we enjoyed it a great deal. Many, many choices of pizza, along with a nice salad bar, regular fare such as mashed potatoes, veggies, gravy, chicken, lasagna, etc, then there were the desserts of puddings/custards, pizza, ice cream, brownies and such. I can honestly say I enjoyed the experience and will go again without hesitation. Riley seemed to enjoy it as well. I tried apple pie pizza and rocky road pizza. A first for me but I will have the apple pie pizza again for certain. Coupons were used and new ones given, they have no expiry date so we'll use them next time we are around. Dinner was $14.00 for the two of us!!

 

Light rain on the way home making it hard to tell about daylight saving time as the evening was so grey anyway. I'm sure the daylight hours were longer but ....

 

I started trying to call Dad last night around 7 pm but it was busy until at least 9 pm, then again this morning it was busy. I called Rick this morning to check on the phone at dad's house but just left a message. Tried Dad's again about an hour later, left a message there as was no answered. Finally reached Dad to chat around 6 pm our time tonight, he said they were out but hadn't known about the phone, so maybe Rick fixed it while they were out today. Things are cold up there but everyone seems to be doing well. Talked to Barb last night, she was telling me about Jason & Leah's wedding plans, and the stag & doe coming in May. Nice to chat with her again, it's been a long time. I should call more often but for some reason I just don't seem to. Also called my sister tonight, she's struggling with her depression again, meds are being changed too, so that makes things difficult as does the time of year. I should call her more often too but well, it just doesn't seem like I think of it before it's too late in the evening there to call. Sis and I have made some tentative plans to do some shopping when we get to the island. 

Up at the fire again this evening but the rain came so we moved into the cabin for a bit. Always enjoy chatting with my buddy Ron, he's a character. ~laugh~ I'll just leave it at that!!!

 I have a few business things to handle in the next week in preparation for heading home to Canada in a few weeks. I  need to contact a broker and get the paperwork to them with regards to the truck and getting it across the border. I'm not looking forward to that day, I think it'll be a long one. I've decided to cross the border in Buffalo as we will be staying about an hour from there when we get back to Ontario. I've been looking at a number of options for our upcoming time in Southern Ontario for appointments. I think Fifty Point Conservation area will be our home location while in the area. That will allow us to be close enough to the city to handle all of our appointments with ease. It will also allow us a short trip from the border to our home base should we get tied up at the border crossing for any length of time. 

 

So as you can see we are managing to put get our days in down here in the Mississippi Gulf Coast area. We've not walked for 3 days but we'll be fixing that in the near future I'm sure. This will be a week of goodbyes for us as many folks are pulling out. Sad to see them go but we'll see them again in the future!!

 

On that note, I'm calling it a day. Thanks for stopping by, sorry no pics today either. Tomorrow I'll work on that. ~laugh~ Until next time...be safe, take care...

Not feeling so good....

Our Location: Magic River Rv Resort, Long Beach, Mississippi

(pics today from our visit to Beauvoir House a couple of days ago)

Last night was warm again and today while warm had a cool factor to it.

No post yesterday and a short one today as the last couple of days have seen a flare in my arthritis and typing is not much fun. I think a combination of the damp weather and the humid temps have brought about this flare. Normally it's not too humid here at this time of the year but we seem to be ahead a couple of weeks in the timing of things here. 

Rose Garden at Beauvoir House.

We've kind of coasted thru the last couple of days and probably tomorrow as well. We have been out and about yesterday but not doing much of anything, a 10 minute walk due to rain and pain yesterday and today's walk was about the same length as the cool wind and pain once again was a deciding factor.

Pocket doors/room dividers from the front parlour into the back parlour.

No fire pit yesterday at all and only for a short time this morning. Ron came by to check on me yesterday wondering if I was mad at them. ~laugh~ He must have informed the folks at the fire pit of my issues as they all seemed aware of my issues this morning. Considering how long I've been dealing with arthritis I've been fortunate to have as few problems as I've had. 

Grave of Samuel Davis, Jefferson's father in the Confederate Cemetery behind Beauvoir House.

Today we spent the day inside venturing out for our aborted walk, and my short time at the fire pit but otherwise we stayed in keeping warm and watching movies. Two good ones today, the original Magnificent Seven with Yul Breener, Steve MacQueen, Eli Wallach, and James Coburn along with a few others. I preferred the TV series myself but it was still good to watch. After that we watched Jason Statham in Safe, which was a lot of blood, guts and gore but a good story all the same. From there we just kind of did our own thing, I had a nap and I have no idea what Riley did. ~laugh~

This coming week will be a week of goodbyes here at the park with Buzz & Lisa leaving on Monday, Ron & Sharon leaving on Wednesday, Jerry & Carol leaving on Wednesday, Linda leaving on Thursday. Buzz and Lisa stayed a week later than usual which I think they've enjoyed a great deal. Maybe it will be a trend for them. ~laugh~ 

Old time microwaves - food warmers.

The park is pretty full. The guy across the way has two units here, side by side and I heard him saying he's going to put a new roof on one of them so I think it will be noisy. We've paid up to the 20th and I'm not sure what we're going to do from that point on. Time will tell I guess. 

My good buddy Ron came to check on me this afternoon while I napped, and came again while Riley was having her dinner. I'm so fortunate to have such a good friend!! We both ventured up to the fire about an hour tonight, the heat from the fire was nice. I'm going to be sad to see Ron & Sharon leave, such wonderful people they are!! Wish we could have spent more time with them but that's the way it goes.

Hand made quilt by Mrs. Davis

Daylight savings time tonight, hope Poppa remembers to turn his clocks or I'll be calling him late into the night. Would hate to call him too late. ~laugh~

On that note I've typed enough. Thanks for stopping by, have a great evening. 

Busy Monday....

Our Location: Magic River Rv Resort, Long Beach, Mississippi

(all pics taken with my phone)

A much warmer night last night than it has been for a while. This morning was warmer as well and the day followed that lead!! We had no wind this morning, but it picked it up continuously throughout the day and died down a bit during the evening but still hasn't died out yet. A few rain drops tonight sent us all scurrying away from the fire and homeward bound but it stopped before it started. If ya know what I mean...

Rusty Pelican Parking Lot

Usual suspects up around the fire at about 6:15 a.m. and the new guy Jerry showed up as well. He's not new, he's been here many times before and I remember him from before. Mac, Buzz, Ron, Pete, Charles, Linda, Lisa, Jeannie, Jerry, Paige, and myself  were the morning crowd today. Mac baked cornbread and Jerry brought Zucchini Bread for the morning goodies today. 

 

Rusty Pelican Signage at the roadway.

 

Home around 8:15 a.m. and since it's Monday you know it's cleaning day. I try to keep things tidy thru the week and therefore it's not a major deal to actually clean the Igloo as I try to keep the drawers/closets/cupboards neat and often times clean up one or two a day during the week which basically leaves the vacuuming, dusting, washing floors, cleaning bathrooms to Mondays. Of course this morning we had dishes to handle as well and once again tonight I'm leaving the dinner dishes until tomorrow. Strange how I'm able to do that these past couple of nights. 

 

Colourful houses on US 90 West

 

After cleaning the Igloo we both had some breakfast and made plans for the day which included first thing...our walk. We climbed into the Dogsled and headed off to the Sports Complex for our daily couple of mile trek. We started at 10 a.m. and made 2 laps by 10:40 a.m. but Riley opted to call it a day. I took another 20 minutes and walked a third lap before calling it done. 

 

Back home we had about 15 minutes in which to do something before heading out to pick up our friends Ron & Sharon. We all headed to the Rusty Pelican for the Monday special, Red Beans and Rice. Not that everyone got Red Beans & Rice but that's the special today. Along with the four of us there was also Lisa, Buzz, Jerry, Carol, and Mac. I think only Buzz and I managed the special today. 

 

Angel Tree in Bay St Louis

 

On the way to the restaurant the Dogsled seemed to be shifting funny so I convinced Ron that he should drive on the way back home to get a feel for what it might be. He managed to get the thing to do the herky jerky a time or two but didn't think there was much to worry about. However calling the dealership was first on my list when I walked thru the door. The local dealership said this transmission is not the smoothest one and often times the drop from 2nd gear to 1st gear is not smooth. Said I could bring it in and they'd look at it but it's normal. Also told me the warranty is good to 100,000 miles and good for all of North America, so even if I decide to have it looked at I can do that back home in Canada. Good to know!!! 

 

 

Cold, dull and almost ominous 

 

Home after lunch, got my truck seat all back to 'right' for me after a guest driver had moved everything. ~laugh~ Riley and I headed off for a drive shortly after getting home since we needed milk and bagels anyway. US 90 West thru Pass Christian and Bay St. Louis left us with the impression of cold, murky waters that promised to be make a body shiver if they got too close. Taking US 90 East we returned to Walmart to do some groceries!! While we only needed two things we did manage to grab about a half dozen other things as well, our motto is always be prepared. No wait, that's the boy scout motto, our motto is always have lots of food on hand. ~laugh~ 

 

Bay St Louis bridge to Pass Christiam

 

Back home once again we unloaded the groceries and put things away. We had some time to read our books and I started prepping dinner about 4:30 pm. In fact I even BBQ'd dinner early  so we could go up to enjoy the fire with our friends and dinner would be ready to just warm up in the microwave later.  Dinner was Italian Potatoes, Orange Zest Veggies and JD Smoke House BBQ chicken breast. Riley enjoyed it, but I wasn't hungry when I got back from the fire, so mine is in the fridge, one of us will have it tomorrow. 

 

It's not a nice looking body of water.

As you've guessed we also wandered up to the evening fire tonight. Although on my way I stopped a few doors down and chatted with Donna & Malcolm, a very nice couple from Collingwood, Ontario. Leaving the fellow Canucks I made my way to the evening fire. A smaller crowd with just Ron, Charles, Jerry, Mac, Riley and myself for a while and then the deck shuffled with Charles, Mac and Jerry leaving but Lisa, Pat, Pete and Sharon coming to the party. Interesting conversations to be certain. Riley left before I did as she was hungry and came home for her dinner. Chatted with Ron as he noticed Riley has been chatting more the last few days then she did when we first arrived. Riley is becoming much more comfortable with most of the people here and enjoys being more independent and confident within this new lifestyle. I'm so very proud of her for making such enormous strides, it is my hope that she continues to hold such confidence and independence when we return to Canada. I suppose time will tell. 

 

Leaving the fire pit due to rain drops falling on my head I was certain the rain would pick up and we'd have a good downpour but alas by the time I got to the Igloo it was over. ~laugh~ A quick visit with Lisa to thank her for her assistance today and I was back home before 9 pm. Not hungry so I just readied myself for bed and writing this blog. I'm not sure I'll get it finished and posted tonight as I'm tired and having a hard time keeping my eyes open. I may just finish it in the morning. 

So there you have it, our Monday excitement. Thanks for stopping by, hope you enjoyed your stay. Until next time...be safe, take care.....

Overcast, warmish Sunday....

Our Location: Magic River Rv Resort, Long Beach, Mississippi

(all pics taken with my phone)

A much warmer overnight last night with a warmer day following in it's wake today. The wind wasn't as chilly and while we had little or no sun, along with a few rain drops there was a warmer hint to the air today. 

Up around the fire this morning shortly after 6 a.m. with the usual faces there to greet me and more of the usual crowd following at various intervals, the morning meet and greet was nice and I stayed late, until almost 9 am. I don't usually stay that long but we were all chattering and laughing, enjoying ourselves. 

One of the many things you can purchase at the flea market..

 

Home to make pancakes, have showers and do the dishes before starting the day. I will admit we didn't walk much today, just a short stroll but oh well, it was just one of those days. Just about 10:30 a.m. we headed out to the Dogsled, picking up our friends Ron & Sharon before heading off to the Long Beach Flea Market. While we weren't looking for, nor did we buy any fleas, we did manage to find a few other things to carry home with us. Just entering the market area we were in the produce/fruit section which of course held our attention. We chatted with the Mexican gentleman that runs the stand, he explained various kinds of fruits and veggies to us, gave us some samples to taste and was extremely helpful as well as knowledgeable about his goods. We bought something that is like a zucchini but is called something else, some tomatoes, a fresh pineapple and potatoes from his stand on our way out. Earlier on while wandering around we found a half dozen books we wanted to read and so for a few dollars we have many hours of entertainment in one small bag. ~laugh~  We all enjoyed the musician that entertained the crowd, he had a nice voice and a large variety of songs in his repertoire. A one man band with the help of a 'band' in a box while he played lead guitar. We dropped Ron & Sharon off before heading back home around noon. 

 

Need a cap? Many to choose from.

 

After that we kind of just relaxed the rest of the day, even managing a short nap this afternoon. The skies threatened but didn't really carry thru with it. The wind was still blowing but didn't manage to blow away the clouds nor blow in the rain, so I'm not certain if it was a productive wind or not. ~laugh~ 

 

 

More goodies to buy...

One of the long rows of vendors

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Called Dad shortly after 6 p.m. our time, chatted for a bit, got caught up on the gossip and the news from the Great White North and the rock in the middle of Lake Huron. It was dark at his house but still light here at Long Beach when I made the call. The difference a few hundred miles makes is amazing, isn't it? 

 

 

More stuff....

 

Up around the evening fire we enjoyed the usual laughter, the stories and of course the fantastic people. Ron told us about Howard the Pot Bellied Pig, while Jeannie was comparing her running ability to that of Forrest Gump. ~laugh~  Jeannie also brought out her Rodent Repellent which she referred as to Sniff and Go but ended up being something else. ~laugh~  Lisa was quiet which is unusual for her, Buzz even put in an appearance. Charles and Roberta dropped by for a bit, Billy and Charlene were also there, as was Linda and of course Miss Sharon too. Riley and I completed the crowd.  As the evening started to wind down Ron & Sharon invited Riley and I over to bring home some pizza for tomorrow. Very generous of them to do so. Riley came away with a number of slices for her breakfast!! 

 

Wonder about those eggs...

 

The local black cat, whom Sharon has nicknamed Black Magic has been making their motorhome almost like her home. She enters when they open the door, climbs up on the furniture and just enjoys herself greatly. She goes to the door  yowls to be let out and follows them around like a puppy. She's a beautiful cat but will miss them when they leave, I think they'll miss her too!! 

 

I was looking at this bag of goodies but left it there...

 

After Riley collected her pizza we headed back home to have some dinner. I just snacked on some crackers while Riley had more chicken, veggies, and potatoes left over from last night's dinner. We're lazy tonight, we didn't even do the dishes. ~laugh~ I wonder how that happened? 

 

So there you have it, that was our day! We had a great day, enjoyed the time we spent with Ron & Sharon, as well as those around the fire pit. Thanks for stopping by, until next time...be safe, take care....

 

Great day....a motorcycle ride......and laughter...

Our Location: Magic River Rv Resort, Long Beach, Mississippi

(all pics taken with my phone on our walk)

Another cool night, followed by a cooler day as well. The wind was from the WNW but it had a bite to it that would chill you if you didn't stay wrapped up in a heavy sweater. 

Up at the fire around 6:15 a.m. this morning with the usual suspects and of course they staggered in at various times. Jeannie of course brought with her the usual ability to make us all laugh. She's a real character. ~laugh~ 

Some kind of berries on this bush...

Home for breakfast and jello plans ebbed and flowed with the wind. The one constant was our walk at the sports complex. We started about 9:15 a.m. circled for three laps or three miles finishing up about 10:30 a.m.  From there we headed off to the Dollar General store for a couple of things that would make life easier back at the Igloo. 

Home before 11 a.m. we both commented on the fact that it wasn't even close to noon. ~laugh~ We put things away, tidied up a bit and then sat down to read. Buddy Ron stopped by to ask Miss Riley if she would like to go for a motorcycle ride this afternoon. She of course agreed and is looking forward to it. 

New red leaves coming out....

Buddy Ron also stopped by a little later on their way to Wally World to see if we needed anything, which of course we didn't but it was nice of them to ask anyway. 

The sun is shining but it's not too hot outside due to the wind. Leaving the big door open but a cool breeze blows thru once in a while causing me to have a chill.

Lots of little buds and couple of little flowers too..

Sharon showed up shortly after lunch to see if Riley was ready to go for a motorcycle ride and of course she was very excited to go. Ron arrived shortly after and once Riley had her helmet on, she climbed on the back of Ron's bike and off they went. I didn't get a picture and I wish I had. Sharon and I sat and visited while they were gone. It was getting cool outside by the time they got back. Riley had a great time, truly enjoyed herself. Thanks for taking her Ron!!!

After that we came inside, closed the big door and busied ourselves with reading. We kind of let the rest of the day slip away from us. Around 5 pm I decided to make dinner, stick it in the fridge to eat when the urge hit us. Dinner was Italian Chicken Breast, steamed veggies and mashed potatoes. Cooked, plated and put into the fridge, we did the dishes, walked to the dumpster and headed over to the fire pit for a while. Ron, Sharon, Charlene, Billy, Jeannie and Linda were there. Truly some amazing company and we had a great time. Always a treat to meet folks with such humour!! Eventually Lisa came by after her winning evening at the Casino. However the party started breaking up shortly after 8, it was getting cold, some folks were getting hungry and it was just time to head inside.

Interesting name for a street don't ya think?

Back at the Igloo, Riley warmed up her dinner but I passed on mine, just not hungry for some reason. Soon we were headed off in our own directions for the night.

The close of another day, nothing too exciting but a great day all the same. Thanks for stopping by. Until next time..be safe, take care...

Cool morning, warmer afternoon, sight seeing in Ocean Springs....

Our Location: Magic River Rv Resort, Long Beach, Mississippi

This morning was very cool 39F/3.8C at 6:15 a.m. when I headed up to the fire. I can tell you I had my gloves and two heavy sweaters on, one with a hood. I didn't find it as damp as usual this morning and I have no idea why, but I'll take it!!

Gets about 10 miles to the gallon towing...does well except in the mountains

The morning fire was different without Ken this morning, no long slow southern drawl which I always enjoy hearing. Buzz, Mac, Ron and I were all kind of just shooting the breeze and discussing Buzz's big win last night. Lisa wandered up, eventually Pete, then Jeannie, and I think Chuck too. Butch stopped by, Robert also put in an appearance and one of the new guys (passenger in this car) who's name I don't remember. Linda also showed up at some point. It was an interesting fire this morning!

Dogsled in the background...

Home before 8:15 a.m. for breakfast but before eating I grabbed my camera, headed out to take some pictures of a vintage car and trailer which was pulling out today. The car was 1964 Ford Falcon and the trailer was a 1962 but I forget what kind. After eating we read for an hour to let the outdoor temps warm up before we headed out to walk. The walking path is a mile circuit and usually Riley does 2 laps and I do 3 or sometimes we're ambitious and each do 3 laps but this morning she stopped at 3 and I went one more. I had reasons for one more since we didn't walk yesterday and the day ahead promised to be 'filling'. ~laugh~ 

The Vietnam Memorial in Ocean Springs....

From the sports complex we headed out to Ocean Springs to do some sight seeing. Cruising along I-10 we finally reached the exit for the National Sea Shore Park, just past that was our destination The Vietnam Memorial. It is two long three sided pieces of cement that form a 'room' in between them. On the inside of the walls are pictures and names of those that served in the war from Mississippi . There were at least 45 rows on each side and the list of names/pictures was 5 per row.  The statistics say:

649 Killed-in-Action
10 Missing-in-Action
8 Prisoner-of-War
for a total of 667 Mississippi Casualties of the Vietnam War. 

That's a lot of casualties from just one state! It was a very moving tribute that allows you to put names and faces together. Many young men, a few mature men, African-American, Caucasian too but the loss was all male, not a single female in the bunch. The names were southern names such as Willie James, Donny Ray, Bobby Ray, Jimmy Earl, and the list goes on and on. Some of the pictures were taken at various times in the lives of these young hero's from childhood to high school football and on to military service. Flags and flowers were wedged into the cracks that joined the concrete as a simple tribute to a lost loved one. Also on display was a Medivac Helicopter on a pedestal, the mast from a ship and numerous flags. A walking path equaling 1/3 of a mile surrounds the whole park. It is well done and very tasteful. A must see if you are ever in the area. 

Rows and rows of pictures

Rows and rows of names

 From here we headed out to find some lunch. We once visited a Chinese Restaurant with my Dad, and his sister/husband when we were here once a few years ago. We wanted to find that place but couldn't remember the name. I had a rough idea where it was and eventually we found it. It's called Beijing Chinese something. ~laugh~ I still don't know the street and one would think I would have logged it into the GPS right? Well one would have been wrong in such thinking and should have reminded me before we left the area. ~laugh~

Looking into the memorial, pictures above, names below the ledge, benches in the middle. Both walls are covered in row after row...

From there we managed to find our way down some back roads that were heading in the right direction but not exactly where we wanted to be. I will tell you that we eventually found our way to I-10 once more and headed on back to our own neck of the woods. Not home but toward home. We had another stop to make. Can you guess where? I'll wait while you think about it. ~laugh~ You guessed it, Wally World for groceries. We were running low on a few veggies and a couple of other things and figured it would be better to pick them up today than wait until tomorrow when it will be much busier there.

Submarines were built on Pascagoula, Mississippi, a few miles from this memorial

We crossed paths with a person that was very .....fragrant ...but not in a good way. Truly thought the Chinese food may come back to haunt me. ~laugh~ We hurried out of the area only to have this same person come up behind us in the check out line. The cashier wrinkled her nose and looked around saying," Oh it must be the rabbit food." The guy in the next aisle was checking out with a bag of rabbit pellets or something, but it wasn't the rabbit stuff.  I was glad to get out of the store and felt sorry for the nice cashier that was left behind to handle this customer.

Do you think it's looking like spring?

From there we headed home and managed to get the groceries put away. The cat was kind of happy to see us but wasn't interested in any contact, she just looked down her nose with a look that said," Big deal, so you're home, I have sleeping to do, so go away." ~laugh~  She is a diva!!!

Everywhere you look there are Azalea's blooming...

For the past number of days we've seen so many flowers blooming and the blooms are reddish/pink/pinky/white and a few other colours. Like Canadians have hedges of cedar's or such things down here in the deep south they have hedges of Azalea bushes. They grow in the wild as well. Such a riot of colour in random spots. The green grass is an excellent backdrop to show off the bright colours. The leaves are also coming out which is adding more green to the picture as well. 

Such vivid colours...

Since we had a large lunch we opted to miss dinner which meant we were able to head up to the fire earlier than usual. Cool tonight but not too bad plus the fire was nice. Lots of folks up there, lots of laughter and good humour. The party broke up slowly but by about 9 pm everyone was heading inside.

Such abundant blooms....

So that was our day, much busier than yesterday, still not earth shattering but fun, entertaining and educational. We consider that a great day! Hope you had a great day as well.

So on that note, thanks for stopping by. Until next time...be safe, take care....