Cooler day here but still nice....

Our Location: AOK Campground, Amarillo, Texas

We were up early this morning and ventured into Walmart to try to put some time in before hitting the road. It worked, we were on the road at 8:35 am, five minutes later than we normally are. ~laugh~ Amazing how it just works out to be about the same time every travel day. 

Cotton fields in Oklahoma

A cool start to the morning, windy as well in Weatherford, Oklahoma. A nice night though, not too noisy and I don't think the low reached the predicted numbers but it was still much cooler than the previous few days. We were one of 5 over night guests in Sam Walton's front yard, plus a number of big rigs. The last 3 Walmarts have all been open 24 hrs and I expected them to be noisier and have been pleasantly surprised. 

Welcome to Texas

A strong head wind when we first started out had the Big Dog drinking diesel like he was in a hurry to empty the bowl. Before we reached the Texas/Oklahoma state line the wind died down noticeably.  We topped up the drinking bowl with diesel for $61 USD for about 26/27 gallons of fuel near Elk City, Oklahoma. 

Really red/brown coloured earth in Texas

Some construction narrowed the lanes down a bit for a while but nothing too troublesome and the traffic was flowing well. I've noticed that there is less and less traffic the further we head west, longer stretches where there are fewer vehicles around. I like that. 

Amazing colours here further along in Texas

We crossed into Texas without any fanfare. No welcome center to greet us but we managed to make our way along. The first impressions of Texas weren't very favourable, as it appeared to be somewhat drab and dull. Granted it's a dull day but the feel of the area was less than exciting, perhaps it was my expectations or perhaps it was just the landscape, devoid of colour that made it seem drab. The further we get into the state the nicer it appears, the more appealing it becomes. 

The view from the first rest stop West bound I-40 in Texas.

The first rest stop is located quite a ways from the state line but for a good reason. The view is eye catching and for first timers exciting to see. The vistas are beckoning and offers great promise of much more to come the further you delve into the state. Its almost as if the country side is laughing at the surprise it's caused in you. I think Texas may be a great place to explore in the future. 

More views from the viewing platform at the rest stop

The rest stop is dominated by a white 3 sided or horseshoe shaped structure that looks to be rising right out of the ground. Each of the tall white sides has a single star cutout in it. Obviously for the Lone Star State. The building seen from the front is interesting and inviting with a small metal windmill showing thru the windows. Inside it contains washrooms and a circular bar with information about the area and the state placed on placards ringing the windmill. The back part of the building is also all windows showing the amazing first time view of the time eroded lands of Texas. Picnic areas are covered by a metal roof that appears to be waving in the wind and allows the picnic area to view the scene while enjoying the great fresh air. 

For the first time viewers like us, this was eye catching.

One of the most amazing things for me to see here in Oklahoma and Texas is all the cotton fields. They stretch on for acres and acres. Big watering machines dot the landscapes here in this part of Texas as do the bales of cotton as well as hay. A 5600 acre Wind Farm shows off the many fancy wind turbines in this area. They seem to just keep going and going and going. Like back in Ontario though, not all of them are turning, which causes the question, why not? These wind turbines are high enough to allow crops to be planted/harvested and/or livestock to graze without causing issues.  Dual purpose land!!!

The red colour is earth, the sky is huge, the horizon naturally hazy.

Just outside Amarillo we found the Passport America park, AOK Campground. It's right off of I-40 and we can hear a few trains, planes and automobiles going past but we're happy here for a while. We've had enough driving/towing for a few days and had a few things we wanted to deal with here. 

This is more of the 'exciting' landscape that I expect from the western states this winter.

Parking in site # 27 we have full hookups and good wifi. It's not a fancy park, but it's clean and presentable. So far the folks have been friendly and other than the noises mentioned the park is quiet.  The planes flying over head appear to be military with a couple of passes by a fighter jet or two. A couple of cargo planes as well flew over after we had put the Igloo's feet down and hooked up. However we aren't too worried, if it's too noisy we'll just move to another location in the area. 

First rest stop in Texas on I-40 West bound.

After setting up we started BBQ'ing lunch, we were both hungry by this time as it was already after 1 pm. While tending the BBQ I called the Red Rover Repair office and spoke with Matt Curry. I had a few issues I wanted to have resolved and the reviews for him were excellent. I was hoping to get an appointment for tomorrow or Wednesday. Not going to happen, he was here in about an hour. Of course that was just when lunch was cooked. ~laugh~ 

Picnic areas at the rest stop.

Long story short, our problem with both the hot water heater and the furnace is due to the Asian beetles. They seemed to have climbed in there and clogged things up, he cleared them out and bingo, we're good to go again. He checked over the fridge outlet as well, walked around the Igloo and gave me a few heads up and pointers. Really nice fella, very knowledgeable, friendly and helpful. He even put a couple of screws in the fender cover that were loose. His name is Matt Curry, he summers in Amarillo, Tx and winters in RGV (Rio Grande Valley), TX and works in both places. You can reach him at 956-369-9918. Here in Amarillo he charges $45 to come out to the park, and $80 an hour after that which also means that if he has to go for parts you are paying him for that time, not just the time he's physically at your site. I think that's very reasonable and fair. Nice guy, or did I mention that already? ~laugh~ So if you need someone to work on your RV in those areas give him a call, you won't be disappointed. 

Forgive the dirty window but the landscape is .....vast.

So we've been here for less than 3 hrs, we've got our issues fixed, we've paid for a couple of nights and we've finished our meal. Now it's time to just sit back and relax. We have a few ideas of what we're going to do tomorrow but as you know that could change at any time. So I'll not write anything down just in case it changes. 

Thanks for stopping by, I hope you enjoyed this post. Until next....be safe....take care....

A windy day here in Oklahoma....

Our Location: Walmart, Weatherford, Oklahoma

Hello again from our favourite overnight spots, a front yard belonging to Sam Walton, also known as Walmart. ~laugh~ The time change last night helped us to arrive here early than we expected since we were up and at ‘em earlier than we would normally be. I’m sure you were all in the same boat as us. Up early according to the clock.

Picnic area at the Oklahoma Welcome Center

The overnight temps in Checotah stayed in the upper 60’s all night and we slept with windows as well as the vents open. It was a bit warm to start the night but by morning it was starting to get cool enough to need a blanket. So I can tell you that it was a fantastic temp wise. I found the place a bit noisy and of course very bright with the windows open and the blinds up to let in the breeze. Yes, yes I know, we could have closed the blinds but we find they block the breeze and make the Igloo stifling in short order. We have used our AC once and don’t usually use it. We didn’t use it that much in our sticks ’n bricks either. We prefer the natural temps unless they are extremely hot and sticky. 

Vast flat lands here in mid western Oklahoma.

We were the only RV sleep overs in the Checotah lot last night. A couple of trucks but no other travellers. I found that to be a bit odd but I’m not complaining. It gave us the whole side of the lot without generators running all night, but there was the sound of a big diesel all night as the trucker in the next lane seemed to find it necessary. Lucky he was some distance ahead of us or it would have made for a very loud night.

Amazing sky!

We woke to sunny skies and warm temps. The sky is very deceiving out here, what appears to be blue sky is in fact not always blue, but  is high wispy white clouds that seem to fade into the blue of the sky. You can’t see any definition of where each one starts or stops. The sky is vast out here, or appears to be to me anyway. It’s hard to describe the ‘bigness’ of it.

No this isn't in Canada, it's just outside Oklahoma City. 

Pheobe our RV GPS did her usual cranky morning thing and took us along some back roads before letting us get back onto the Interstate. We took US Rte 266 from Checotah to Henryetta, while a nice drive the road was pretty narrow in some places with little or no shoulder, lots of bumps, humps and uneven lanes but we made it anyway. She passed right by 2 on ramps to the interstate and I didn’t see them until it was too late to get on them. I have no idea why she does that other than she’s having a bad day. ~laugh~ 

Coming into Oklahoma City.

After getting onto the interstate we hustled along looking for a rest stop but none were open. So far the only one we’ve seen open was the welcome center. Someone told me once that they are closing the rest stops in hopes the people will travel into the small towns and spend some money instead of using the rest stops where only the vending companies make money. 

Riley liked his parking job!!

We passed thru Oklahoma City around 10:30 am or so. It’s a big city, but much more spread out than our Canadian cities I think. We had light traffic and some complaints from HRH in the back seat due to rough roads, she let us know she wasn’t impressed, not even a little bit. ~laugh~  An interesting sky line with only a few tall buildings, a water park literally right beside the interstate. If you flew off the water slide you could catch a ride on a passing vehicle. ~laugh~ I would imagine it doesn’t smell very nice in the summer 

heat!!

Me and the white Buffalo. I had to hang on it was so windy!!!!

After realizing we weren’t going to find any rest areas open we stopped at the Cherokee exit. Leaving HRH in the Igloo to do some of her business (no we don’t leave her in the truck if we are going to be more than 10 minutes), Riley and I walked around for a bit finding a painted buffalo, a white buffalo and some real buffalo. Although the real ones were pretty skinny looking. A mural depicting the history of the Cherokee people was pretty impressive, a statue of a Cherokee chief, complete with headdress riding a horse, a couple of totem poles and a trading post, as well as a gas bar and restaurant, plus a KOA camp ground finished off the amenities in that one little spot. We however didn’t buy a thing, not even fuel. So the ‘spend money’ idea didn’t work on us. ~laugh~ 

North Canadian River

We debated about going on to a campground in Amarillo, TX but decided we’d stick with our original plan and stop early in Weatherford, Oklahoma. This will be our last day on the road for a few days and so we figured we’ll hit Amarillo around noon tomorrow with plenty of time to find our campground, set up and enjoy ourselves before the day gets too old. We want to have some repairs tended too while there as I’ve read some good reviews for an RV repair shop in the area. 

Somewhere Oklahoma. Along I-40.

After deciding it better to stay in Weatherford tonight we quickly found Sam’s front yard again for the night. Windy here but nice, much cooler than this morning though. The temps have dropped about 10 degrees over the course of the day. We now need a light sweater or jacket when outside. After we had a big lunch and settled in to do our own thing for a while, I managed to get all of the photo’s I wanted to use for the two posts, (yesterday and today) edited and ready to go. After I post them Riley and I are off to walk around the store and see what catches our fancy and just get some exercise.

Along US RTE 266 between Checotah and Henryetta, Oklahoma

A quick note, we travelled approx 200 miles today, took us about 41/2 hours with only one stop. A good day’s drive with lightish traffic and lots of wind. Mostly from the right front corner which when added to the drag from big trucks seemed to make us almost stand still at times. Fuel consumption was about the same as yesterday so I have no complaints. 

Some very skinny live buffalo. 

Thanks for following along, and I know you don’t believe me but this isn’t the Walmart Trail. ~laugh~ We just find it convenient for overnight stops, we feel safe in the lots, we drop a little money in each one, and leave it as we found it.

On that note, I will sign off. Have a great night. Until next time…be safe, take care….

Another short day on the road...

Our Location: Walmart, Checotah, Oklahoma
 

(yesterday's post)

We were the only sleep overs, besides a guy in his avalanche at last nights stop. It was quiet and peaceful. Great for sleeping, I slept with my vent open and didn’t hear hardly any noise until about 6 am when someone came by with the hip hop tunes blasting loud enough to wake up the dead folks in the next county. However Miss Riley didn’t hear it. ~laugh~ That woman can sleep through anything. 

 

Fall colours in Southern Ontario, Canada

This morning was warm, in the mid 60’s some where and foggy. We just kind of took our time before starting out and didn’t get on the road until just before 9 am. We wanted the fog to have a chance to clear. We took a wrong turn out of the Walmart parking lot and ended up taking some back roads, which wasn’t too bad but I was expecting a straight run to the interstate from the lot as I had read about being taken along back roads for 10 miles to go 4 miles, if you know what I mean. However we managed to find the Interstate and started once again trucking it west. The ride was great, nothing exciting, or eventful but I’ve discovered that all Arkansas rest areas have the same kind of truck parking. It’s so weird. ~laugh~ 

 

A cold, rainy day we crossed the Mississippi into Arkansas.

We crossed the half way mark of our westward journey today near the Arkansas/Oklahoma state line. It’s just about 1300 miles each way from there. Considering we aren’t in any hurry I think we’re speeding right along. We are enjoying the new country scenes as we’re motoring along. The fall colours aren’t brilliant like back home in Ontario, they appear to be more dull, almost a rust colour, or at least that seems to be the dominant colour. Granted it was overcast during most of our drive and that may have played a factor as well.

 

Some of the roadside bushes in Arkansas

The hilly country today seemed to be blanketed in a haze in the distance, much like the Smokey Mountains with the haze hanging over everything. In fact the countryside reminded me very much of our travels in the Smokey Mountains, it had almost the same kind of feel to it, rolling hills, twisting roads, stretches of patched, bumpy roads, and always trees, small fields, and billboards. There were not many long flat areas as I some how imagined there would be, or perhaps we just aren’t seeing them from the interstate. We still have a few hours left to travel in Oklahoma so perhaps I’ll see that flat land later on.

 

Some colour in the roadside trees in Arkansas

We travelled a total of 225 miles again today, in about 5 hours, we stopped often, at pretty much each rest area we found. The Oklahoma welcome center is very nice and for those that follow any history the Cherokee Nation history is very rich in this area. The Trail of Tears has been signed for a lot of miles the last couple of days. There is a great deal of Native history evident in this area, many famous leaders of the Cherokee tribes and their heart breaking tales. Perhaps we might stop longer in this area another time to explore some of this history but we decided not to stay any longer than over night this trip. That makes me feel there will be another one in the future. 

 

Fields in Arkansas, the sky is so huge!!

We arrived in Checotah, Oklahoma, again at a Walmart front yard. Nice store, good parking but I haven’t looked around for a spot to fill up yet. Our travel today took us about a 1/2 tank of fuel or about 20 gallons of diesel. Not bad. Diesel is running right around the $2.60 per gallon range. Of course like everything some places are higher and a couple are lower. I’ve seen  prices as low as $2.40 and as high as $2.95. We certainly can’t complain about fuel prices when diesel back in northern Ontario is running between $1 - $1.25 per litre. I’m still trying to figure out why diesel is higher than gasoline, it takes less effort to make diesel, so shouldn’t that be a cheaper price? ~laugh~ Yes, I know, I know…it is what it is. 

 

Splashes of colour.

We arrived here just around 1:30 pm to a very warm and humid 80F with bright sunshine and some what blue skies. A bit of a nice  breeze on occasion helps to cool things off. I’m guessing we’ll be sleeping with the windows open tonight!!!

 

I can't count that many silos!!

A late lunch, a walk about the store to pick up a couple of things, and back to the Igloo to rest and smash beetles. ~laugh~ I think we might be winning. I bought some ant spray with residual effects up to 6 weeks. I spayed all the screens and around the windows, vents and the door. We shall see how it works or not in the days ahead.

 

For my dad, look at those colours, pretty rusty looking, huh?

I talked to my dad last night for a few minutes, making note that there is snow flurries there, and some coldish temps, but also some nice days in the upcoming week. A text message from my sister this morning confirmed snow flurries in her area and of course I DIDN’T laugh.

 

I know some folks that would be right at home there, and they aren't from Oklahoma!!

With the humidity the new hair cut is making me look very much like I’ve gone a hundred miles on a bike with no helmet. It’s sticking up in every direction. ~laugh~ Can’t tame the waves, can you!!!!!!!

 

Oklahoma Welcome Center, they sure know how to make you feel welcome.

On that note, I’m going to sign off. I hope you’ve enjoyed my short post. Looking forward to having some things to chat about in the future. Until next time…be safe…take care….

The thunder roared, the lightning flashed......

Our Location: Walmart, Conway, Arkansas

We roled out of Big Buck Resort in Hornsby, Tn this morning at 8:30 am. The skies looked threatening as they have for the last number of days but considering the rain didn’t really fall we weren’t convinced it would rain today either. We were mistaken. ~laugh~ It rained and rained hard at times. The lightning was wild, mostly chain but very close by. The thunder was deafening at times. At one point we actually seen sparks flying from a direct hit on a hydro/phone pole. Then we would drive out of it, the skies would clear and the temps would go back up only to drive 10 miles and start the whole thing all over again. It was an interesting morning. 

 

Canada Day parade in South Baymouth, Ontario. Hillybilly riding lawn mower.

The temps this morning at Big Buck were just about the 70F mark, which is about 17/18 C for those Canadians back home. We went from there down to about 65F, then back up again to the 70F mark and the roller coaster continued off and on for the morning. As we neared our destination of Conway, Arkansas we hit the big number of 82F, which is about 24/25C with high humidity. After we parked for the night we had a bit of rain, a bit of sun, and some more clouds. A mixed bag to be sure. ~laugh~

 

South Baymouth Canada Day Parade.

The drive was interesting as we’ve never been this far past the Mississippi River so it’s all new to us. We couldn’t see the Mississippi due to the heavy rain and spray from vehicles around us, but believe me, we crossed it. ~laugh~ My first impression of Arkansas was flat. There didn’t appear to be anything but flat land for about the first 15 to 20 minutes or so, then we gradually found some hills to add a bit of flare to the landscape. I must say the roads weren’t too bad, not the best either but probably average for the amount of traffic that they carry.  An interesting note is the ‘truck parking’ areas they have along the Interstate. No facilities of any kind but places to pull over and park your truck for a sleep, a walk, etc. Great idea!!

 

 

Rainbows in the morning sunshine mist along Rogers Creek

We stopped at a rest stop near Forrest City, Arkansas and it’s the strangest one I’ve seen. The truck/trailer/rv parking is along the side of the lane that passes through the area behind the rest stop. It’s lined with NO PARKING signs and yet there is no yard to park in, just side of the road parking. The cars had individual spots marked and plenty of spots as well in there portion of the rest area. We followed a wide load tractor trailer with two escort vehicles into this rest area and found it interesting that he couldn’t make it between two of the big rigs parked on the corner, he had to ask one of them to move forward so he could get through. Even then it was touch and go for a bit until he cleared the back end of one truck. Weirdest parking lot I’ve ever seen for a rest stop. We pulled in, got out to stretch our legs and got caught in the rain on the way back to the Dogsled. ~laugh~ Figures doesn’t it? Didn’t look like rain when we started out walking, but oh well. We aren’t made of sugar, we won’t melt. 

 

 

Early morning walk along Leeson's Bay. See the mist rising?

I was surprised that the interstate didn’t go thru Little Rock, but around it instead. Great idea of course, they should all be like that. I can say that I was a little disappointed in not getting to see any of Little Rock but there is always another time. The traffic moves quickly here, the speed limit is 70 mph and it seems as if everyone is going at least 10 to 15 over that. Pretty much like a blur when they fly past. ~laugh~ 

 

 

Looking up Rogers Creek in the morning mist.

Our journey today took us approximately 225 miles closer to Arizona. We were about 5 hours including stops and slow downs reaching Conway just before 2 pm. Excellent Walmart here, we are parked to the side of the lot with the trucks in the NO TRUCK PARKING zone. RV’s are welcome but trucks are not, even though it appears they park here anyway. We used the Dave Ward Exit, which is Exit 129A. It was a pretty straight run from the interstate for about 4 miles to the Walmart. As we’re driving along the street heading this way, an SUV beside us pulls up and the lady driver waves and waves, huge smile on her face. So we naturally smile and wave back, thinking “Hmmmm wonder what’s up.” We manage to get to the next light at the same time, I put my window down, the passenger window on her vehicle goes down and she hollers over,” I’m from Canada too, nice to see you here. Hope you enjoy your travels.” And she’s gone. ~laugh~ How funny is that? We had a good chuckle. 

 

 

Lilac's near my dad's house.

So there you have our travel day, exciting, interesting, and a bit eventful with the lightning, but fun anyway. We are resting comfortably here in our little tucked in space between a couple of trucks. So far we are the only Rv’ers here. I think that will change as the night goes on. We slipped into the Great Clips for haircuts earlier this evening, so now we can say we are lighter as we both had a lot of hair chopped off. ~laugh~ I’m still not sure I like mine, the natural curl and the humidity are making it curl in the wrong direction of course. ~laugh~ Aw well, it’s just hair. 

 

 

Flowers in bloom at the Tennessee welcome center. 

I hope you enjoyed your visit, a few more random pics tonight, then I’ll be back on track with the pics as well. Too tired to edit any we took today.

On that note, thanks for stopping by, until next time….be safe…take care….

Up to date now...

Our Location: Big Buck Resort, 205 Sparks Road, Hornsby, Tn

We are on our last day here at Big Buck Resort. It’s been a wonderful place to stay, good for walking, the shower house is nice, the people are friendly, we’re close to a number of shopping areas and we have enjoyed the rest. We pull up the tie down stake for the big Dog and head westerly  in the morning. We are both looking forward to getting back on the road again. 

Jason & Leah's wedding venue, her parents back yard!

So to round off our summer for you, we left the Ottawa region just before Thanksgiving and headed south westerly to Cobourg, Ontario, well actually to Roseneath, Ontario which is a few miles away. We pulled in at Buttercup Ridge on the Thursday prior to Thanksgiving. The farm is the home of my sister in law Janet and her hubby Dennis. They weren’t home but we parked the Igloo between the barn and the pond and had the run of the place for a couple of weeks before they arrived home from Scotland/Italy. Dennis’ son lives in Italy and they visit at least once a year. We enjoyed a couple of visit with them and dinners as well. Janet is a great cook!!! We left Buttercup Ridge on Tuesday, Oct 24. Heading for Hamilton, Ontario and a couple of appointments. We hope to connect with Dennis and Janet in Palm Desert, California where they spend their winters. 

 

 

Brittany & Kevin's wedding venue, Canadian Golf and Country Club.

Hamilton was its usual wonderful self, we managed to get a visit in with daughter Bradey and her fella David on the evening of our arrival. Daughter Courtney is back from Switzerland but we couldn’t manage a visit with her this time, it was just too tight on both schedules but we will connect on our way back north in the spring. We did however manage to see two of our favourite Hamilton people at the dentist office. I am speaking of course of Miss Lisa and Miss Maryanne. Two very wonderful ladies, always pleasant, funny and welcoming. Miss Lisa is looking fabulous sporting a head full of hair, darker than before and curlier than before but still lovely. Miss Lisa had a recent fight with cancer and came out on top and is as beautiful as ever. Miss Maryanne is of course ever the happy lady. She has journeyed solo to India for 10 days having a great time and fully enjoying herself since we last seen her in the spring. Miss Maryanne has RA but doesn’t let that stop from doing anything. These ladies are truly beautiful people, inside and out. Always a pleasure to catch up with them!!!!!

 

Big Buck Resort, standing by the clubhouse.

From there I had my second of my twice yearly check ins with Dr. Bobba, my Arthritis Dr. I should see him more often but truly I don’t think it makes any difference as the questions are always the same and the answers are pretty much all the same. When I have a big change in my day to day living I’ll be more in touch with him but for now twice a year is enough. He did up some medications, doubled it in fact which I am not sure I like but I’ll take for a while and see how I do with the dose. 

 

 

Big Buck Resort, standing on the driveway looking across the fish pond.

From there we headed out for the Tilbury Onroute  located on the 401, Thursday October 26 in the afternoon. We managed to find a nice spot there and stayed over night. We like to get out of the city and heading south for a couple of hours at the beginning of our southerly journeys. It just seems to make it easier to start the day close to the border and have some time get a bit of driving in our first day in the US. Our border crossing was very easy and quick. We were on our way in almost no time. I didn’t know but the border guard told me that we don’t need papers for HRH Miss Kitty. So I learned something. 

 

 

Big Buck Resort, fish pond.

Our first day was uneventful and we managed to make it just east of Louisville for our first night, a little place called La Grange, Kentucky. A Walmart front yard was beckoning us and we were able to stock up on groceries as well. We were empty because as you know you can’t cross with much in the way of food and so we don’t take any chances, we pretty much empty the fridge and freezer before we get to the border. 

 

 

Buttercup Ridge farm house! It's deceptively small looking.

Our second day was uneventful as well, the kind we all like. The rolling hills and the lack of fall colours leads us to believe that winter is still a long way off in this area. Although it could change at any time!! We put our wheels into the stopped position overnight at a park that allowed us to stay even though they were full. We pulled up on the grass, used their wifi and just kind of relaxed for the night. Tanbark Campground in Dickson, Tn was nice. Folks were friendly and we would certainly stay there again if the opportunity arises. 

 

 

Looking out over one of the fields at Buttercup Ridge.

From there we made our way to Big Buck Resort here in Hornsby, Tn for day 3 in the USA. We arrived Sunday Oct 29 and will be leaving tomorrow. We’ve enjoyed our time, managed to chat with a few folks, did some Verizon business, and a bit of shopping.  It was a bit cool the first few days but has since warmed up very nicely and is even very humid today. The outside temps reached into the mid 70’s F/ 22-23 C. A nice cool breeze was blowing and helped to keep things under control. We are again being swarmed by Lady Bug like bugs that smell if you touch them. We’ve had this same problem off and on all summer and in Cobourg on the farm they were the worst we’ve had. They literally made the out side of the Igloo appear to be moving there were so many of them. They tend to swarm around windows, doors, vents and the slide seals. They seem to get in the tiniest of cracks and even almost appear to come thru the window glass. ~laugh~ They are just everywhere. Spraying doesn’t seem to help much so I’m not sure what we can do but I’ll be researching it in the near future. 

 

 

Buttercup Ridge welcome sign!!

So there you have it. We are as up to date as we can get. I hope I didn’t bore you too much. Once again random pics are inserted into tonights post.

Until next time…be safe…take care

A quick catch up for most of the summer....

Our Location: Big Buck Resort, 205 Sparks Road, Hornsby, Tn

Hello folks. Still waiting for the jet pack to arrive but thought I’d at least get a post prepared just in case it arrives in a timely fashion. Although we all know that won’t happen, don’t we?

Our summer passed rapidly with us keeping busy most days, doing what, I’m not sure but we seemed busy. I made a few improvements to the Igloo over those island months. Riley’s trundle bed, and 2 bunk beds came out, storage shelves and a single bunk went in to the same space. The storage is under the bed instead of over it. Riley is a tall young lady and therefore always bumping her head on the upper bunk and it was always a mess. So taking it out was a wise idea. I installed a slide out drawer in the new shelving for HRH Miss Kitty’s royal potty making it easier to access and keeping it out of the way as well. The other shelving was made at various heights to allow for air flow as the trundle bed made it musty smelling under the bunks. We now have a a half dozen storage shelves which over time I may actually make into pull out drawers as well. Easier access is always better!! 

Dewy morning walk...look at all the web work...

Also this summer I managed to secure some 6” pipe which I attached to the back bumper and now store some of my sewer hoses inside. Holes in the bottom allow any water and moisture to drain, both end caps have handles to make removal easier, and I attached the end caps to some small chains to ensure they don’t drop off and get lost. A small bumper guard ensures there is no rubbing on the back of the Igloo. 

If any of you are like me, challenged when it comes to having a long reach then you’ll know what I’m about to say. The basement side cubby was always being cleaned out so I could reach something in the ‘far back area’, you know the far back area I mean. The one where you can’t quite reach it but it’s not TOO far back just enough to tease you into thinking if you could add even 1” to your reach you’d be successful. Except it was not to be reached without taking a pile of stuff out so you could lean in and actually reach it. So over the summer I also constructed a slide out drawer for my right side cubby. It’s not a big drawer as the pipes and design of the area don’t allow for it to be big but it extends fully on 36” sliders and makes just about everything on it easily accessible. It’s not fancy, it’s not perfect but it works and I’m happy with it. I can unhook it, pull it out and voila, easy to grab anything I want there. It works fantastic!!! Thanks to my sister Jan and her fella Rick for the help. Mostly Rick, more than Jan. ~laugh~ 

Lovely Lady Slippers

My brother’s oldest son Jason was married this past summer. July 29 seen Jason become the groom of a lovely young lady named Leah. They’ve been together for a long time and have owned a house for a few years as well. Jason and Leah are young, beautiful, exciting people with a warm, friendly and inviting attitude about them. I wish them all the best in the future. For this big event we hooked up and hauled our Igloo to the small hamlet of Providence Bay, Ontario where we parked right on the grounds of the reception venue. No need to drive anywhere after the fun!!

Daughter Riley had her foot assessed at the Desimone Foot clinic in Sudbury. Her problem is a friction callous folded over on itself causing a corn IN her foot. It can’t be removed according to the woman we see at the clinic but I think I’ll ask a dr when we get back in the spring. However it is no longer causing her any issues as Megan has taken the callous down a great deal. I’ll try to keep that up over the winter months but there is nothing I can do about the corn except to ensure she has cushion pads to place around it. 

Fog morning but some family time for these geese!

Riley also had surgery to remove a huge cyst that had formed on her right ovary. Surgery was August 30 and went very well. We spent the night before at my best friends house in Lively and drove into Sudbury the next morning. Riley was out and we were on our way home before 2 pm in the afternoon. A couple of days of easy living and Riley was back to her old self!! Dr. Wallace performed the surgery and upon follow up indicated the cyst was 10 cm in size. HUGE. Everything went well, and looked good at the follow up appointment as well. Thanks again to Dr. Wallace, warm, caring and compassionate, we would recommend her to anyone needing an GYNO/OBGYN in the Sudbury area.

Late September found us hauling our home off the island a few weeks earlier than usual. We hooked up the big Dogsled to the Igloo and hauled our way first to Lively, Ontario for a couple of overnights, a quick visit or two with my best friend Linda and her hubby Randy, an appointment at the foot clinic for Riley and before we knew it we were off to Nepean, Ontario. We put our feet down at Riverbend Park in Pakenham, Ontario for a week while we enjoyed the second wedding of the summer. My sister’s youngest daughter Brittany tied the knot on Sept 30 to a nice young man named Kevin. The bride and groom both work in/around the Ottawa area, own a house in Nepean and have been together for some time. Kevin was leaving a week from the wedding date to attend RCMP training courses out west for 6 months. To them we wish the very best of whatever the future may hold and where ever that may take you. 

beautiful colours...

My sister Jan and her fella Rick stayed at the Igloo with Miss Riley and I. We had some good times, shared a lot of laughs and enjoyed the time together. It was tough saying goodbye to them as I’ll miss them a great deal. As I will everyone on the island but it’s only for a few months!!!

Okay, enough of the catch up for today. I’ll post some more in the next few days to catch up and then I hope to be doing so on a regular basis again. 

So thanks for stopping by, nice to see you again or see you for the first time.

Until next time….be safe, take care……