Rainy last day in Hamilton.....

Our Location: Walmart, Hamilton, Ontario

(sorry no pics tonight)

The last couple of nights and days have been similar in many ways and yet different in others. Mornings are cool bordering on cold, wind is a constant and the wet weather makes everything seem colder. Even on a nice day the wind off of Lake Ontario cools things greatly. Tonight is warmer than we've had it for a while, hope we've turned the corner on the cold weather. 

 We took Saturday and Sunday as days of rest with a bit of wandering but not much. Yesterday (Sunday) was so cold, damp and rainy that we stayed in all day and just put in the day. This morning we by passed cleaning day to just a tidy up day, and I left the Igloo about 9:30 am this morning not returning until 4 pm this afternoon. To say it was a long day is an understatement. I arrived at Ozlo's repair shop on Hwy 56 between Elfrida and Binbrook right on time for the boys to pull the Dogsled into the bay for it's safety check. It was nice to see the fellas, Steve, Larry and Patrick, haven't seen them since last fall. Patrick did the safety, Steve was around, and Larry took the money and did the paperwork. It was a slow process and while my appointed hour was 10 am I didn't get out of the shop until 11:30 am. From there I headed off to find someplace to balance my tires, pick up some diesel fuel and grabbed a coffee. A couple of places could do the balance this afternoon with big swings in the price from $85 at the first place to $40 at the next. However since I had a 1 pm appointment at Pyetts for the emissions test some one suggested I get the balance done there as they also do it. 

At 12:40 pm I pulled into the yard at Pyetts for my appointment, went inside gave over the keys and asked about the balance. They didn't know if they had time but they'd see when the emissions test was over. They took the truck right away even though I was early. The truck was back out by about 1:15 pm and I asked about the balancing of the tires. They said they didn't feel any issues when they took it for a ride but Patrick- from Ozlo's (like me) had found a serious issue around the 100km mark. I asked them to do it anyway. At 3:30 pm I finally asked at the window if it would be much longer and was told it would be out shortly. Ten minutes later it came out of the shop. The entire bill for emissions and balancing came to $120. I was pleased. 

 

The rain today was intermittent but very hard at times, we had some thunder, some lightning, some wind and the ditches were running full to the brim in most places. So much water laying in fields everywhere, small rivers running down the middle of many fields as the water tries to escape but with the ditches all full there really isn't anywhere for it to go. 

Everything is good for the next step which is to go to Service Ontario to get my own plates back on the Dogsled, change insurance companies again and I'll be finished. I'm hoping by the end of the week to be all finished. 

Riley spent the day at the Igloo doing whatever it was that struck her fancy. She informed me she had a nap and spent some time just lazing about. She was ready to get out for a bit when I got home. I had a quick bite to eat and we headed out to do a few little things. 

 

Dr. Dube called this afternoon to inform us that we are going to be seeing a Gynecologist in Sudbury by the name of Dr. Wallace. Everything was faxed to this doctor this afternoon and we're waiting to hear more from Dr Dube regarding the appointment date. Dr Dube is certainly giving us her full attention as it was she that spoke to me this afternoon and promised to call me again when they have an appointment date.

First stop in our errands was Princess Auto we needed a few little things and I knew for sure they would have what I wanted and sure enough, they had everything except the inverter I wanted. The ones they had were too big but I'll keep looking. After that it was off to Canadian Tire to check our their inverters and walking sticks. We came home with the walking sticks. After that it was a stop at No Frills for a few little grocery items and I was given a slug that attaches to the key chain so I won't have to hunt for a coin to get a cart any more. From there we headed back to our old neighbourhood to visit Chris and Shaunna MacNeil. They were kind enough to keep a small bistro table and chairs for us over the winter and we picked them up tonight. We brought back a bottle of Mike's Southern Peach Chipotle BBQ sauce for them as a little thank you. Chris looks amazing, he's dropped 50 lbs and looks wonderful. Shaunna is always a pretty lady and hasn't changed though she just turned 40 a few weeks ago. Such nice folks they are, always enjoyed their company. Daughter Ashley was there to greet us and it was wonderful to see her as well. We didn't see son Riley though, not sure where he was tonight. A quick visit with them and we headed back to the Igloo. I dropped Riley off with the groceries and headed back to the storage locker as I remembered we wanted something from there but it was too far back into the locker and I decided not to dig that far. Back home I helped finish up the groceries, we headed into Walmart to get a couple of things, including a chicken for dinner. 

 

After that it was a matter of just hanging out and resting. I had to run a small errand shortly after 9 pm and then headed back into Walmart to return an inverter we had purchased just this afternoon. It didn't have a 12 V plug just the pins to connect to the battery, and that isn't what I wanted. I'll just keep looking. 

 

So that's it, our day in short order.  Tomorrow we are heading north and both of us are looking forward to that. We aren't sure how far we'll make it, perhaps only as far as Parry Sound or maybe we'll push a bit to make it to Lively as we are going to be stopping there for a day at least to visit with Randy and Linda. After that it's a short 3 hour drive to our summer location. We're getting closer and closer. ~!laugh~

 

Thanks for stopping by, until next time....be safe, take care.....

Felt like a busy day.....

Our Location: Walmart, Hamilton, Ontario

(no pics tonight)

A warm overnight had me kicking off some covers and this morning was warm as well. The day heated up nicely however the wind kept things a bit cooler out here in the open space, but it was still a great day. That big round yellow ball in the sky was a welcome sight, hopefully it sticks around for a while, although the weather folks think it'll be gone by Sunday with some pretty cold temps coming our way. However we shall see what actually comes.

This morning we packed up our dirty laundry and headed down to King and Ottawa Streets (actually near by) to use their machines instead of finding a creek with a rock to wash 'em. It was pretty busy, the aisles were narrow but we managed to get all four loads washed, dried and folded without too much trouble. I forgot hangers and so we had a bit extra work when we finally got back home. We left about 9 am and managed to get home about 11:40 am, so not bad for us. It is such a nice feeling to have an empty hamper. ~laugh~

Riley made us lunch and my best friend Linda called to check on us. I've known Linda for more years than I care to say but no  matter how long it is between chats we still just pick up where we left off the last time. I think we chatted for at least an hour, probably longer. I'm looking forward to seeing her and hubby Randy in the near future and maybe getting a chance to spend more time together this summer at their cottage. Linda was telling me what a great time they had in Cabo, Mexico this past winter with their friends Wayne and Anna. It sounded like a beautiful place with great weather and some pretty amazing food!!!

Around 2:30 pm I headed up the big hill hoping to get the Dogsled's emission test handled. Hm....slight problem, the truck is too heavy for them to do the test, they only do light vehicles. He suggested another spot, so off I went. I'll save you the details of my tour of the city of the Hamilton, however the Dogsled will be having a number of appointments on Monday. Starting at 10 am with a safety at Ozlo's, then to Pyette's  for an emissions test and an alignment. After that all of our noses will be pointing and heading north.

Arriving home I found I was suddenly tired. It just kind of hit all at once, so  for the rest of the day Riley and I just kind of lazed about. I couldn't seem to motivate myself for some reason. However I did manage to chop up some chicken, veggies, and garlic, sauteed in a pan which I then added to some rice. Nothing fancy but Riley enjoyed it. 

A big happy birthday to my nephew Jesse. Jesse is a wonderful young man who very much enjoys the outdoors, along with hunting, and fishing. Jesse is a test or two away from being a certified welder. Happy Birthday Jesse. 

Also a big happy birthday to Bob Blue. Cousin Bob lived in Southern Ontario for many years before retiring back to Manitoulin. Country life seems to suit him!! Happy Birthday Bob. 

A quick trip into Walmart for a bit of a walk, picked up a couple of things, back home and off to do our own thing. It felt like a busy with us managing to  accomplish a couple of things.

Thanks for dropping by, until next time...be safe, take care...

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....