Arrived at Buttercup Ridge, Dogsled checked out okay.....

Our Location: Buttercup Ridge, Roseneath, Ontario

Hello one and all. I hope you’ve all managed to stay warm, dry and healthy over the spring, summer and now into the fall months. As you can see we’ve arrived at The Farm (sounds like a Patricia Cornwell book, doesn’t it?). We left our home location after saying our goodbyes on Tuesday morning, October 16th, around 8:30 am. Our destination was only a few hours away but a bit further north and we managed quite well as it’s a new season of towing again. Arriving at our usual over night spot in Lively, Ontario we parked beside the abandoned Husky gas station on the small cement pad we like. It keeps us out of the way and makes us very level at the same time. We unhooked and headed off to the little bistro Alley Catz to have lunch with best friend Linda and her sister in law Diane. From there Riley and I headed off to our eye appointments with a new eye doctor, Dr. Teri Fisher. In and out in less than 45 minutes with no money owing. We like that!!! An  afternoon visit with Linda at her home just around the corner from the Igloo and then home for the evening. Morning found us at Linda’s once again for another hour’s visit before  heading out to hook up the Igloo. We wished our friend a very happy birthday before leaving. We didn’t have far to go before unhooking again for an appointment with a nurse for insurance purposes (not travel insurance), as there was no where to turn the Igloo had we pulled it down her street. The whole area was NO EXIT so we couldn’t even park on a different street. A quick 20 minutes with her before Riley and I along with HRH Miss Kitty headed back to pick up the Igloo again. 

Leaving Manitoulin Island via the Swing Bridge in Little Current, Ontario.

Arriving in Parry Sound around 4 pm after a leisurely drive we dropped in to the local Walmart where we spent the night. A few flurries visible in the air but nothing on the ground. Morning found us right at the freezing mark and the dewy moisture had frozen overnight making things icy on the Dogsled and all puddles were frozen. On the road around 8 am we headed south once again exiting the 400 Southbound and catching Ontario 12 East toward Orilla. On this stretch of road we noted snow on roof tops and on the fields, not enough to say it snowed  but enough to know a few flakes had fallen and that winter is approaching. We continued along our way stopping for a stretch only once before we arrived in Roseneath at Buttercup Ridge on Oct 18, my anniversary. (Travel note to self: Continued along until we took the 115/7 to Fowlers Corners, a left there and it’s a straight run to the farm. Best route so far.) We tucked ourselves in beside the little drive shed out of the wind and settled down for a stay. Janet and Dennis (sister in law and her hubby) were on a cruise and returned home around dinner time Saturday evening. We managed a quick coffee and catch up with Janet on Sunday morning before Riley and I headed off to Hamilton.

 

Heading into Toronto on the Gardnier Expressway, you can just see the CN Tower on the right.

Courtney and Matt (oldest daughter and hubby) were to meet us at the storage locker to remove their things but Courtney woke up with a case of vertigo and needed to stay home. Matt and his sister Amy showed up at the locker and we managed to get everything into the Dogsled and Matt’s car and now we can actually walk INTO the locker. Thanks for the help Amy!!!! From there we headed back to Toronto to visit with Courtney and enjoy lunch. Courtney and Matt live with friends Jodi and Shane in the area of Danforth and Coxwell. A very nice home but lots and lots of stairs. A tight fit to get the Dogsled in the driveway, had to angle it in  and still managed to block a bit of the sidewalk, but not a busy street so it was no issue. Courtney broke her foot a few weeks ago and is getting around well in her walking boot. Lunch was delicious and we enjoyed our visit, it was great to see both C & M again, also nice to chat with Jodi again but Shane was absent, away for the weekend. Riley and I headed for the Farm just before 5 pm and although traffic was backed up for a while we still managed to arrive at the farm north of Cobour by 6:30 pm. Another quick visit with Janet and Dennis before calling it a night.

 

A dusting of snow in the Orilla, Ontario area.

Monday, Oct 22 found me on my way shortly after 8 am to Bill Spenser’s Chevy dealership to have a warranty issue addressed on the Dogsled. The beast had an oil leak, still covered for a while under the power train warranty. With the Big Dog on the hoist it was determined the oil pan nuts just needed a bit more torque. So we shall see if that is truly the issue or if it needs a new pan/gasket etc before the warrant expires. Oil level was perfect even after we towed from the Island to here, the trip to Hamilton and Toronto and into Cobourg. So it’s a very minor leak but I’ll be keeping an eye on it. 

The entrance path to Peter's Woods.

Back home before 10:30 am, Riley and I decided a short hike was in order. Peter’s Wood’s is  approximately a mile long through some very nice hard wood trees. Very little colour here yet, but it’s coming, ferns are still green, many trees still green too. However frost has hit in the past day or two so I’m sure the colours will be changing quickly. Twenty minutes later we were heading home.

Some colour but not much yet during our short hike in Peter's Woods.

We’ve been enjoying our evening meals with Janet and Dennis, she is a very wonderful cook!!! We always enjoy our time with family and the time we spend here on the farm. The barn is once again filling up with piglets and cows. Probably about 10 or piglets arrived the other day, and about 20 cows/calves as well. A couple of wild turkeys could be seen strutting their stuff in the fields which were stripped of their soybeans just this past Sunday afternoon. We hear next year’s crop will be corn. 

A bit more colour in this area of the trail.

So we will remain here at Buttercup Ridge until Monday, Oct 29 when we will depart for another destination a bit further south. Walmart on Rymal Road in Hamilton will be our next destination for two appointments and a short drive to middle daughter Bradey’s new home in Brantford will fill our short stop in the area. We’ll be checking out the length of the driveway on that visit as both she and her partner David assure me it’s lots long enough for the Igloo but I want to see it first. We are excited to see them again and their new digs as well.

Can you see the face on this tree in Peter's Woods?  I wonder if it's Peter?

My next post will be from Hamilton as we aren’t doing a whole lot of exciting things here at Buttercup Ridge but enjoying our time just the same. Thanks for stopping by, hope you enjoyed your visit. All pictures today were taken with phone/camera on our journey from Manitoulin Island to Buttercup Ridge.

 

One small pile of these nuts, chestnuts or walnuts, not sure which. We had several more piles like this as well.

Until next time….take care, be safe,

Some more fall colours on our journey southward on Highway69 S just outside of Estaire, Ontario

Not as brilliant as they should be but still nice.

 

Deb

 

We've arrived.....

Our Location: Lakeshore Rd N, near South Baymouth, Ontario

(sorry pictures won't load, I'll try tomorrow)

A few days of travel have since passed since I last posted. We've been busy doing a number of things and I've been a bit lazy too. We've had great weather, although a little windy today, a bit of rain last night but other wise sun and warmth have been filling the days. 

  

We left Parry Sound on Tuesday morning, taking our time, arriving in Lively, Ontario near my friend Linda's home around the noon hour. We parked and settled in for a night's stay. A visit with Randy and Linda during the evening hours, had us straggling home to the Igloo shortly after 10 pm. A late night for us. A quiet night there but alas I think our stops there will be limited for a time at least as there is construction trailers now resting near the spot we like to park and a chat with a couple of the workers/foremen makes me think they will be using it for quite some time so we may need to find a new parking place for our next couple of trips through that area. 

Due to the incoming dump trucks around 9 am on Wednesday morning (courtesy information from the two foremen the day before) we were hooked up and pulling out by 7:45 am leaving Lively in our rear view mirror. The roads in Northern Ontario leave a lot to be desired as they are horrendous, rough, pot holes, heaves from the frost, poundings from the big trucks, gouges from snow plows and so forth. Not nice at all.

The trip from Lively to our summer location is at best a 3 hour ride. We managed to drag it out a wee bit, not arriving until around 1:30 pm. We stopped along the way to do a few little things like fill the diesel tank, dump the Igloo tanks, a bit of shopping and a visit with my cousin Karen. We spent more than an hour catching up with Karen and enjoying a few laughs. Hopefully she comes for visit over the summer months when we are on the Island. 

All of the above was accomplished in the little town of Espanola, a paper mill being it's main source of employment. The drive now turns from west back to the south as we head down Highway 6 toward the ferry terminal at South Baymouth. We are not right in the little hamlet of South Baymouth but a short 10 minute ride away. 

This drive netted us sights of ice still on the rock cuts along the road, a few sightings of snow still here and there in the bush off the road as well. The temperatures were warm and the snow/ice is in those hard to reach places for the sun but will eventually melt. The big news is there is still lots of ice in the bays and channels, not enough for ice fishing but still a great deal. Although the North Channel is clear (the town of Little Current sits on the shores of the North Channel) the others are still ice choked and just now beginning to show signs of breaking up. A good strong wind for a couple of days, some good hard rain or some very warm sunny days, or a combination of the above will get the ice moving quickly and once it starts it'll go pretty fast. 

We passed through the wide spots in the road with names like Sheguiandah, Manitowaning, Hilly Grove and finally ended up just past The Slash where we turned from Highway 6 to Concession 6, then onto Lakeshore Road North and right quick we were pulling in at brother Rick's house to fill up with fresh water. As we're doing that brother Rick and Dad were pulling into Rick's yard as well. Rick had a medical procedure and Dad had been the hired driver. Filled up, quick visit with Dad and on the road once more for a 3 minute drive to the our front gate, through the mud and mire and only half way up the hill to our regular summer location we pulled off and settled for a different location for the next couple of weeks. A couple of soft spots going up the final approach made me think that for a short time we could park further down. So we pulled off onto the grassy top and put down the feet. We've arrived home after a very long time away. We left here Sept 24, 2017 and arrived back May 9, 2018. It's nice to be back. 

After a quick set up, some lunch we headed up to visit for a bit with Dad and get caught up on a few things. We managed to get a few little quick visits in before night fall, all with Dad of course. He dropped by after his dinner as well.

The rain started just before 9 pm last night (Wednesday) and fell off and on until around 3 am. After that it was just cloudy with the winds picking up again. Today has been a bit on the breezy side but the morning fog and cloud cover were completely cleared up by noon. I woke up around 4 am and was finished sleeping for the night. Finally got up around 6 am, did a couple of things very quietly before heading out to Dad's house for morning coffee with Dad, Rick and Barb. 

Back home Riley and I had some breakfast before climbing into the Dogsled to get a few things accomplished. A quick trip to the little hamlet of Tehkummah where we stopped at the little country general store, the used book store and the post office. Tons of mail, which I hate having to deal with. I wish I could do everything on line, with no more paper but alas that is not the way it works just yet, maybe at some point though. Back home once again we managed a 5 minute visit with Dad while dropping off some things for him and then settled in to deal with the mail. 

The trusty Auto Club showing it's face with a long ago paid bill had me on the phone dealing with the mess that was made with my account. It was still not fixed properly but you'll love this part, they had simply cancelled my membership, no notice, no refund, just written it off. Can you say ticked off? However I was very nice to the lady and explained what had happened ONCE AGAIN, but this time I wasn't talking to the road assistance people but someone that was actually able to pull up my entire account. When I asked why they hadn't transferred my payment from Southern Ontario to Northern Ontario when they transferred the membership she explained they can't transfer payments like that. The old membership has to be cancelled and a refund cheque issued, and I would have to sign up for a new membership with the Northern Ontario branch and pay for a full year to start the whole thing over. She had no explanation as to why they would do what they did and not tell me. She could easily see that I had paid and that no refund had been issued but that Southern Ontario had simply just written the membership as cancelled. Which means I would have no coverage of any kind, with no knowledge of the cancellation. She in fact fixed it completely, so I now am having the proper Northern Ontario numbers/card being sent to me and billing will be totally on line, etc. Yeah me!! 

A call to the credit card company had me confused as to why a new card was issued with all the exact same information as my current card. They are no longer using a rebate card, now it's called cash back. Really? They couldn't just honour the card until it expired and then send out a new one? Anyway, that was also taken care of, again yeah me. 

Trying to change our family doctor from Hamilton to the Island is also an experience. Our family doctor in Hamilton retired and we truly aren't too happy with the new one, so we're hoping to change to a local guy. We'll be getting some information about that on Monday. Hopefully it works out well, but we shall see. We will also be looking for a new eye doctor up here in the north as it's inconvenient to have one in Hamilton.

My sister showed up this afternoon for a visit. Haven't seen her since we left the Ottawa area last Sept after her daughter Britt's wedding, so it was nice to catch up with her as well. She didn't stay long as she had some other business to attend to this afternoon and evening. 

So there you have it, the last few days of our winter travel. It was peaceful and quite relaxing as we made our way home once again. I haven't taken any pictures of our spot here yet but I will for the next post. 

Thanks for stopping by, I hope you enjoyed your visit.

Until next time... take care, be safe, 

Deb

We have arrived......

Our Location: Lakeshore Road N, Tehkummah, Ontario

(sorry no pics, computer is running low on battery)

We woke this morning in Lively, Ontario to a temp of 31F/-1C outside but no frost or wind, which made it seem much nicer. Monday night in Hamilton was also a coldish one but the temp escapes my memory. Yesterday was of course rain all day but today was blissfully sunny and very nice. The outside temp reached 54F/12C this afternoon and we had the big door open for a bit. It was fantastic.

Yesterday’s drive wasn’t long even though it sounds long, we pulled out of Hamilton at 9:15 am, stopping just north of Toronto for about 15 minutes at the Enroute near King City. From there our next stop was right around lunch time at Parry Sound where we pulled in grabbing a bite to eat from the Tim Horton’s. I had a nice Crispy Chicken Sandwich, Riley ordered her usual, a BLT, we both added potato wedges but won’t do that another time, they were terrible. We also filled up with fuel at $1.19 per litre (approx 4 litres to a gallon), Hamilton was $1.04 per litre and when we filled up at the turn off of Hwy 17 and Hwy 6, it was $1.11 per litre. A big tank is nice but expensive. ~laugh~ We left Parry Sound stopping once more before reaching our destination of Lively, Ontario just a little after 3 pm. 

We called our friend Linda making plans to drop by for a quick visit about 8:30 pm. It was fantastic to see both Randy and Linda again, it’s been 6 months!! We enjoyed the pics of their holiday in Cabo, Mexico and hearing all about the wonderful adventure they had with their friends Wayne & Anna. You know a place is great if you’ll return and they didn’t hesitate to say they would return another time.

Back to the Igloo we snuggled down into our beds and I personally never heard a sound until 6 am this morning. I don’t sleep like that very often so it was a real shock for me. Riley turned over when I started the heater but went back to sleep for a bit. By 7:40 am we were packing up inside and outside. We spent a bit of time doing a few minor things before hooking up but we pulled out of our parking spot at 8:50 am heading further west and then south.

Of course Ontario only has two season, winter and construction. We’re in the later season now as we were constantly in construction zones all the way yesterday and most of today. At one point we were delayed for 10 minutes waiting for the flagman to let us go. It looks like the drive to and from Sudbury will be long this summer as construction will be an ongoing thing until the snow flies again. Hopefully the delays aren’t as bad as they were last summer/fall when wait times were much longer. 

We pulled in at the junction of Hwy’s 17 & 6 to top up our fuel and some Tim Horton’s. Didn’t take long and we were back on the road again. Within a few minutes we reached the mall in Espanola with the time being around 10 am, pulling in we managed to find a great spot to park at the end of the lot. We took our time going into a number of different stores getting a few things that we knew we’d need, some things that we thought we’d like and even a few things that we hadn’t planned on getting. We piled the groceries into the Igloo and headed out about 12:15 pm.

If you have ever driven the stretch of road between Espanola and the Island they know it’s hilly, curvy and rough. Today was no exception but there was very little traffic and we were able to cruise along without any slow downs. No leaves are out here, lots of buds around, and a red tinge to some of the smaller bushes, a few pussy willows were out, the grass is green and there is lots of water laying around, but spring hasn’t quite made an appearance yet. We crossed the swing bridge around 1 pm and headed straight south from there.

We pulled into Dad’s driveway just about 2 pm with a warm, sunny afternoon ahead of us. We chatted with Dad for a bit, dropped some things in his freezer and headed on to our summer spot about a 1/4 mile away. We had a few things to do before pulling up the hill to our site, with all the water the ground was pretty soft in some places but I just tucked the Dogsled into 4 wheel low and we crept up the hill with no issues of any kind. Took about a half hour to get turned around, parked where we wanted to be parked, and get unhooked. After that we worked on a number of inside/outside chores and by the time I was having a snack around 3 pm we had just finished everything. Dad and Marion dropped by for a quick visit which was nice.

They left and we closed the big door, came inside and read for a bit. We enjoyed sitting here with all the window blinds open and enjoying the peace and quiet that comes from being ‘out in the boonies’. ~laugh~  A call from Dr. Dube’s office in Hamilton came in around 4 pm informing us of Riley’s appointment in Sudbury on June 15. We’ll see how things go next week when the results come back from the blood test she had last week.

Dinner tonight was Honey Pecan chicken, with garlic mashed potatoes and Thyme/Parsley vegetable medley. We followed that with a few peaches.

After dinner we loaded some things into the Dogsled heading up to Poppa’s to deliver his requested items and the gifts we brought back. We visited for about an hour or so before heading back home. 

We played a game of Yahtzee, can you see me doing my happy dance? ~laugh~ I did win, and yes I even rolled a Yahtzee. Riley just wasn’t having any luck tonight and I’ll take the win. They are few and far between for me. ~laugh~

After that I did the dishes, tidied up a bit before heading off to write this post. I hope the Mifi works but I haven’t tried it yet. I guess you’ll know if it works as I’ll post this tonight, if not I’ll have to post it at another time.

So we have arrived, safe and sound. We are parked up on the hill with the frogs singing around us, we’ve seen our first porcupine when we were coming home from Poppa’s house tonight. A couple of deer earlier in the day and of course the Sand Hill cranes are in the field behind the house.  It’s good to be back home!!!

Thanks for stopping by, hope you enjoyed your visit. Until next time…be safe, take care….