We're finally home.....

Our Location: Summer Home, Tehkummah, Ontario

A few very cold, wet and dreary days at Buttercup Ridge, but also one really nice day that helped to dry up some of the water, and the constant wind also helped with that but still soggy and muddy. We had to re-level once and would have had to so again if we stayed longer. We didn’t do much over the last remaining days but managed to do a few little errands.  

Toronto sky line, circle K (who knew we had 'em in Canada), and getting closer to C & M's.

We had one remaining goal while at Buttercup Ridge and that was a trek into Toronto to visit oldest daughter Courtney and her hubby Matt. They live on the east side of downtown which meant we didn’t have to go all the way through the city. Toronto like any other major city is just busy all the time. Except for the DVP (Don Valley Parkway) the traffic flowed relatively well with only a few slow downs, so we were fortunate. The DVP was stop and go the entire way, lucky we weren't going too far. We spent a few hours visiting C & M, catching up and just enjoying their company. It’s always wonderful to see my girls and their other halves but they lead very busy lives and so we keep our visits short.

Courtney & hubby Matt. Courtney, Riley and Matt.

We decided we’d pull out on Monday, April 29 and head north due to the incoming bad weather. We decided it’s better to be high and dry in our summer location even if it’s a few degrees cooler, it’s only for a couple of days. So with that in mind we pulled out of Buttercup Ridge around 8 am  on a bright and sunny Monday morning. 

 

Some sights along the way.

A leisurely drive along ON 7 to ON 12 North brought us to the small town of Orilla, and from there we hopped on ON 400 North bound for the rest of the day. A stop in Parry Sound due to yet another issue with the rear tire on the Igloo had us at Seguin Automotive Repair at Exit 214. Darcy and Dave both agreed it was a wheel bearing issue. I watched as Dave pulled it apart and made note that the wheel bearing was loose but otherwise in perfect condition. Now how could that be? Both sides had the same issue but only wear on one tire. Hmmm…. I think there may be another issue but I’ll have that dealt with in the fall on our way south again. I know the perfect place in Hamilton to have it looked at. So Dave reset and tightened the wheel bearings on both rear wheels, replaced a tire and checked everything else. They could find no other issues. We only went a few minutes down the road and pulled in at a Walmart. We called it quits for the day. It was now mid afternoon. 

 

Strawberry Channel (top L), Hwy 6 S (top R), Hwy 400N (bottom L), Hwy 69 N (bottom R)

Morning found us up and on the road by 8 AM with a mostly sunny sky above and the decision to bypass our regular stop in Lively to visit friends Randy & Linda. We instead opted to go all the way through to our home spot, we'll be visiting with Randy & Linda on Sunday at their camp on the island. A stop in Espanola for fuel, a dump station and a few groceries would be the last stop until we were parked in our spot. 

A single turbine blade for a wind turbine. I think I heard they are 90 feet long.

At 2 pm Riley was opening the gates to let us on to the farm and by 3 pm we were up the big hill, turned around (which is always a bit of an adventure) and with the basic set up complete. Not a bad amount of time for us. We pulled on our shoes and headed up to see Dad for a quick visit. He was surprised to see us, he hadn’t been home when we came by and so didn’t know we had arrived. 

Top - along ON 12 N heading toward Orilla. 2nd-snow/ice on ON 400N, 3rd-water in the farm fields Hwy 17 E. 4th one of the many little inland lakes with ice along Hwy 6 S.

Back home for a light snack, a bit of reading and around 7 pm we climbed into the Dogsled to drop in for a visit with my brother Rick and his lovely wife Barb. Son Jason wasn’t there at the time but is around for another day.

So there you have it, our last few days. We have now arrived home and over the next week will set up our Igloo for the summer and begin enjoying our time with more family.  

 

Top Left- town of Espanola. Bottom- crossing the river into Espanola, Top R, snow in the bush along the way.

A belated Happy Birthday to two nephews, Allan and Jesse. Allan was 35 way back on April 21, and Jesse turned 23 on April 28. Allan is my sister's only son, and Jesse is my brother’s youngest son.  Jesse and girlfriend Claudia just bought their first house and moved in 2 weeks ago. So a congratulations to them on that as well.
 

Crossing the swing bridge onto the Island. The North Channel which flows under the bridge above.

Thanks for stopping by, I’ll do one more update before I stop blogging for the summer months. I just don’t seem to have the time to do a blog while we’re here. As I type this it is raining, today and tomorrow will be rain events on both days but after that the good weather starts and we are looking forward to it.

Until next time… take care, be safe,

Deb

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

Travel day, we're going further north....

Our Location: Walmart, Parry Sound, Ontario

 

Our last full day at Buttercup Ridge was one of packing up, straightening up and adjusting our location. We had to back out of the circular drive as the power lines from pole to house were just not quite high enough for us. We backed straight up the driveway to hang our end over the edge of the pond. I think that may be the place we pick next time as well. We'll see.

 

To quote Willie Nelson, " We are on the road again."

 

Departure day (Monday) was sunny, warm and wonderful. Still without power to the house when we left, we could hear the cows in the barn voicing their complaints about limited water. We pulled up the feet, powered in the slides and headed straight out the lane way. We left around 10 am, an appointment at Kal Tire in Peterborough at noon was our first destination. We arrived much earlier than that but since many of the bays were empty they took us much earlier. (When I had rebooked they said they were full until noon) We backed the Igloo up onto the cement pad at the end of the building and told them to knock on the door when they were ready to start work. 

 

The hints of green in the trees, and the bright green of the grass definitely say SPRING.

 

At 11:15 am a nice young fellow knocked on the door. We went around the entire Igloo checking the pressure of all the tires even though they were up I wanted them checked to ensure we didn't have a leak of some kind. We went over which tires to change, etc and they checked the Dogsled tire pressure as well. By 12:15 pm we were on our way. Thank you Kal Tire PETERBOROUGH. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend them to anyone. 

 

Small town Omemee, very cute welcome sign.

 

We headed out on Trans Canada 7 North, eventually turning onto Provincial Highway 35 North, passing though towns like Omemee, Boboconk, Lindsay, etc. We took CR 48 until hooking up with Provincial Highway 12 leading us to the small city of Orillia. We bypassed down town and continued on toward Midland until we connected with Highway 400 North. Wabashene, Victoria Harbour, Honey Harbour all passed through our sights but we were aiming for the Information Stop south of Parry Sound. NEW signs indicate 1 HOUR PARKING ONLY, so overnight parking there is not allowed. Nor is there parking allowed at either of the little turn outs for future reference. There is parking allowed at the Truck Weigh Station Area BEFORE you reach the information stop. 

 

One of the many, many small inland lakes in the area.

 

Fuel prices are scary high at $1.36 per liter and with approx 4 liters per gallon you do the  math. We did fill up though as the Big Dog was about half way down the water bowl. We continued onward to the little town of Parry Sound. For all those folks that followed hockey years ago Parry Sound is the home of Number 4, Bobby Orr of the Boston Bruins. It is also home of the 30,000 Island Cruise Ship. We pulled in at the Walmart, parked out near the end of the lot, scooted in to ask permission and were told with a smile that we are most welcome to park here. 

 

How can you not love the views.

 

A quick call to dad, left a message, some late lunch or early dinner I guess, as it was about 4 pm. Dishes cleaned up, and back inside for some quick groceries. After that we just enjoyed the rest. I found the place very quiet and had no issues falling asleep, but Riley said it was noisy. I was awake around 5:30 am too early to get up as I have no where to go at this time parked in the lot, but the quiet was amazing. Hardly any noise of any kind. The store is open from 8 am to 9 pm. Also nearby Marks Work Wearhouse, Dollarama, and Home Depot. In fact I'm using HD's wifi to do this post. 

 

I imagine that was quite the landing.

 

Today we'll be heading to Lively, Ontario about 3- 3 1/2 hours travel time. Not sure how far in distance. I'm used to this part of the route so I don't really calculate the mileage. I've travelled this part of our route for over 30 years going back to the Island to visit. We will be pulling in at the old Husky Garage for the night, hopefully getting in a visit with my best friend Linda and hubby Randy before we pull up stakes to head to our summer location on Wednesday morning. We won't be staying all summer as we usually do but at least we'll get a couple of weeks visiting in before we head out.

 

 

Our final destination for the day. We took the Bowes Street Exit.

A quick text from Alma, the power is back on at Buttercup Ridge, a day earlier than expected. Thanks for the hard workers at Hydro One for their efforts. Thanks for stopping by, hope you enjoyed the visit. 

 

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

 

Deb