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 

Power outages, high winds, soon time to head out...

Our Location: Buttercup Ridge, Roseneath, Ontario

 

A fine few days have passed here at Buttercup Ridge. The weather has mostly been sunny with some cloudy periods but the winds were brutal Friday daytime and late into the evening. The local area of Burnley is without power and has been since last night around 7:30 pm. We fall in that little enclave of powerless folks. Estimations are for around midnight tonight, Saturday that the power will be restored. 

 

Some of  my raking efforts...

 

Wind gusts reached 63 mph/102 km yesterday in the small city of Peterborough just to our north. Various other locals in south western, south central and south eastern Ontario all had devastating winds as well. With the fast moving wind came a cold front which dropped temperatures about 25 degrees within a couple of hours. I've seen some estimates for power restoration ranging from a few hours like us to 10 days in the future. Not a comforting thought. 

 

Soon be time to move these cattle out of the barnyard and on to some pasture land.

 

The sun shine was wonderful again today, warmed up nicely with just a slight breeze which picked up to gusty again this afternoon but has since died down again. We had no rain to speak of at all during this wind event and other than a few downed branches I found no other evidence of the wind. Well of course except for the power outage. 

 

Signs of spring growth at the pond.

 

We've spent a lazy day here just kind of cleaning up the Igloo, reading, napping. You know the drill right? We soon need to find ourselves some more reading material, or at least I do, I have 3 books left to read before I run out. I'll have to fire up my Kobo soon and download some more reading material before too long. 

 

Definite signs of spring here at Buttercup Ridge.

 

Tomorrow we will hopefully be doing some laundry before we get ready to pull out. It was actually on the agenda for today but due to power issues, didn't get accomplished. We will also be hooking up, backing the Igloo out of the circular drive (due to low power lines we can't complete the circle) and getting ready to head out Monday morning for the next part of our homeward journey. 

 

Farm/cow country signs of spring as the manure haulage begins.

 

So there you have it, our quiet few days here at Buttercup Ridge. Thanks for stopping by, I hope you enjoyed your visit. 

 

Love the wood fire pizza oven.

 

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

 

Deb

 

 

 

 

A few leisurely days....

Our Location: Buttercup Ridge, Roseneath, Ontario

A very nice few days here at Buttercup Ridge. Warm sunshine, and a nice warm breeze from the south helped to make things quite nice here. The mud is drying up, the flowers are starting to show promise of blooms and of course the buds are beginning to appear on some of the trees near by. 

Tulips just scream SPRING.

We've been having the big door open most days for a while, windows as well, even the vents open at night. The frogs are close and very vocal, as well as chipmunks, squirrels, birds and various other forms of life. The odd moo of a cow, the honking of geese, while the gobble of the wild turkeys hasn't been heard they are around. Some deer are also lurking as I've noticed some of the tulip blooms have been eaten off and I doubt that was anything else. I don't have a picture but I'll get some before we leave of a number of  the new calves which have been born here at Buttercup Ridge. According to Mike there are 16 new calves already, and I witnessed a 2 day old calf kicking his heels and testing his wobbly legs as we chatted.

Buds are coming slowly.

Yesterday (Wednesday) we headed out for a couple of errands and managed to accomplish most of them. One more will have to wait until we arrive in Sudbury I think. We left Buttercup Ridge and ventured along County Rd 29, crossing over County Rd 45 where we settled down for a few miles on County Rd 9 in a westerly direction. We turned North on County Rd 15 (the little subdivision) toward the small hamlet of Harwood. It's a very small little bump in the road but it has an amazing feature. Free (donations welcome) water from an Artesian well or an aquifer that runs all the time. The water is amazingly cool and crisp. We will return before we leave the area to fill all of our drinking jugs. It's a mere 10 minutes from Buttercup Ridge. 

Just one of the  many statues here at Buttercup Ridge.

Leaving Harwood we retraced our steps to County Rd 9, again turned west, until we met up with County Rd 18, which we took south all the way to Cobourg and the local Walmart. We've shopped here before and so knew where we were heading. It's a bit more straight forward than coming down County Rd 45 which would make us wind our way through the city of Cobourg. 

I was quite far away and couldn't really tell what that was as it was just getting to be dusk.

We managed to get just about everything on the grocery list, which of course mostly consisted of fresh veggies and some juices. We also managed to exchange one of our small BBQ tanks, $24 CAD which seems to be the consistent price range here in Ontario. Our next stop was the Bulk Barn for some sea salt which we prefer instead of fine table salt, we use our little salt and pepper grinders to provide a fresher flavour for us. After that it was a stop at Petro Canada Gas Station (the only one in the area unless I venture further into Cobourg) to top up the Big Dog's drinking bowl. Diesel prices are high at $1.28 per liter which works out to be about $5.12 a US gallon.(There is approx 4 liters to the US Gallon) But surprisingly much less than even the lowest gasoline prices at the pumps there which started at $1.36 per liter which works out to be $5.44 a US gallon and continued to climb in 10 cent increments. After that it was home once again to Buttercup Ridge. 

Then he turned around and I could see his charming face.

The last few days have had us outside doing a few odd things, raking, puttering, etc. A quick chat with Mike (his cow's we hear mooing on occasion) had it decided that no more raking will be taking place as he assured me that his mower will mulch all the branches and sticks down on the lawn now that I've moved the big limbs over to the large pile by the barn. Any piles I make he'll have to clean up and he would rather not do it that way. So I'll have to find something else to putter at for the next few days. 

Very blurry but this guy was big and fast.

The other evening I went out to get a few pictures and noticed something by the pond. Heading that way I couldn't really tell what it was but once it turned around I knew it was a raccoon. It is the biggest coon I've ever seen in my life. This thing was huge. He took off running as I went nearer and while the pictures aren't the best I think it gives an indication of what a constant diet of corn will do for a raccoon that lives in the barn here at Buttercup Ridge. As that's where he made his get away dash for, the open areas that allow them access to the hay loft. 

He's under the hay wagon turning the corner to head back toward the barn. That's a regular sized hay wagon and look how little space there is above him to the bottom of the frame.

We've been catching a few episodes of our boxed set of Hawaii 5-0 as well as reading and getting a few walks in up and down the driveway. Today however we will be Igloo bound off and on as the rain falls outside, stops and starts again. The temperatures are still warm, 57F/ 13.8C over night with yesterdays high temperature reaching 69F/20.5C. I'm sure today won't reach that high but it's still a sign that spring is coming. Yeah!!!!!

I was more interested in the geese than the foliage or lack of it in the back ground but as you can see there is no hint of any colour yet.

So there you have it, our few days of leisure here at Buttercup Ridge. Amazing how the time is slipping past. We have only 4 more days here before we head to Peterborough for a stop at Kal Tire for tires, and then a bit west before turning our noses northward again. We'll take a few days to reach our Island destination as we have a thing or two to accomplish before leaving the Sudbury/Lively area. 

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

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

Deb 

Cold, lazy days here at Buttercup Ridge....

Our Location: Buttercup Ridge, Roseneath, Ontario

 

(Today's pictures are from April 22/23 weekend with Courtney & Matt)

 

We've had a lazy few days with some what iffy connections so I've saved myself the frustration and just not tried to post or even go on line much. The off/on isn't the happiest of buttons and seems to work fine but then changes it's mind. Fickle would the word I think that would apply here. 

 

Riley wasn't too happy standing there.

 

The weekend was cold due to the clouds and winds we found ourselves with. The temperatures on Saturday were pretty cool, we didn't top out over 44F/6.6C, and yesterday was a high of about 60F/15.5C but the wind on both days had us bundled up for any ventures out side which were very few. The rain and extremely cold winds caused us to have ice on the steps of the Igloo Saturday overnight into Sunday morning. Hopefully those cold days are behind us. 

 

Courtney and her hubby Matt. Courtney is a teacher in Toronto, Matt is a research doctor in the neurology field. He returned last December from a two year stint in Lausanne, Switzerland. Courtney also lived in Lausanne for a year but returned last August ahead of Matt. Matt is currently doing his research at York University in Toronto.

 

A chat with my best friend Linda way up there in the cold north of Lively, Ontario (a little town near Sudbury) had us beginning to rethinking our northward trek. Snow, cold temperatures, and rain are still issues up in the north. Their Camp on Manitoulin Island still has snow, lots of snow in some places and the temperatures aren't any higher than about 37F/3C until the upcoming weekend. So that gives us pause for thought. 

 

Sisters on the bench.

 

A chat with my Aunt Shirley the night before had netted me about the same information with a few variables as they live in a different area of the Island. 

 

We still had some snow when they were here.

 

A chat with my dad yesterday also helped to give us the incentive to stay put a few more days. So we now plan to arrive on May 9 or 10 instead of 5 or 6. Not a lot of time but there it could be make a huge difference. Hopefully the rains in the forecast help things along.  The ice in the bay hasn't even begun to go out, and remains frozen solid at the shore line with a testing last week (not by my dad) that had it registering 2 feet/ 60 centimeters down the bay near Jocko's Point. That's a lot of ice for this time of the year. So with the ice solidly locked in the bay the temperatures at our summer location will be governed a bit  by that cold surface. There is talk of delaying the opening of the sailing season of the Chi-Cheemaun for a while until the ice or at least a portion of it moves out of the bay. It goes out the channel in the little village of South Baymouth which is where the ferry docks. Ice and the ferry in the small channel at the same time would not be a good mix. 

 

That is where we parked last fall, out by the hay bales.

 

So our plan is to remain here until May 7th, which will be a week from today. We will then head  northward taking our time and arrive at the Island 4 or 5 days later than we planned last week which was already changed by a few days. Our original plan had been to leave here today, April 30. So as you can see spring is still slowing slugging it out with Old Man Winter. I personally don't recall the last time there was snow on the Island at the beginning of May. 

 

So muddy and wet out there but it's starting to turn green.

 

A chat with my sister in law Janet yesterday also provided us with some interesting information. She and hubby Dennis left Indian Wells on Sunday for a little jaunt up to the Julian Pie Company, a pass along the Salton Sea and near the little town of Borrego Springs where she and friend Sue visited Riley and I. She informed me that not one camper was in the area in which we parked, nor were there many in either of the other two locations Rock House Road or Henderson Canyon Road. She commented that they were almost empty. The temperatures have been pretty high in the area, reaching into the 100F/38C in the Indian Wells area a bit further north, so I imagine everyone has headed off to better climes. I know we left due to heat when we visited in early February. However apparently a cooling trend is coming to Indian Wells, it should only be in the mid 70's/ 24C this coming week.

 

Still some snow with standing water as well on April 22/23.

 

The sun is shining this morning but we have once again cycled the furnace as we have for the last 4 days now. The wind is the great equalizer here in Ontario, where it goes from bitterly cold to balmy warmish over the course of the year. Those cold north west winds can be brutal can't they? 

 

Can you see the wetness of the drive way in this picture. Step on that stuff and you sink.

 

We have tended to stay inside most days, with a few little short jaunts outside. It's just too cold for me, not to mention the mud. We are high and dry here on the circular drive by the house but everywhere else is like a day at the spa, a mud bath. I wouldn't say we are hostage but we are being held pretty close to home due to wind, mud and cold temperatures. Lots of reading, a bit of napping and some planning have pretty much taken up our time. 

 

North side of the house on April 22-23.

 

So thanks for stopping by. 

 

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

 

Deb

A maybe connection...

Our Location: Buttercup Ridge, Roseneath, Ontario

 

(no pictures, they just won't upload)

 

I think I'm going to crawl in a hole and wait for Murphy to go away or at least mail him elsewhere. I'm tired of Mr. Murphy and his wily, sneaking ways. 

  

Thanks to Patsy for giving everyone an update. I am currently using my JET PACK but it has a faulty on/off button. So it works on occasion and not on other occasions. A new one is in the mail in the US to a friend who will then forward it on to me, since Verizon doesn't ship to Canada. Thanks Ron & Sharon. So for now I will try to use this on again, off again connection. So if it's off again, no concerns. 

 

Let me catch you up on our doings. We enjoyed our visit with Courtney & Matt, the weekend went by pretty fast.

 

Since then we visited the little city of Peterborough where we visited Kal Tire to do two things. First was to return the chocks Jake had forgotten, and second was to make an appointment to replace the two tires in question. I'll have them look at the third tire at the same time.Since we are heading through Peterborough on our way north we will stop at Kal Tire for the new tires. It's about 60 km/35 miles to their location so it only make sense to do it on our way through their little city. Our tentative appointment is May 3.

 

We also managed to do a major grocery shop while there and now we're pretty much set for the rest of our time here. We had a day and a half of rain which cooled us off a fair amount but the snow is now all gone, not even a hint anywhere that we can see. We can't however see into the forest very far, so there may still be snow there. The open grounds are muddy and soft but hopefully it'll clear up soon and dry out. Although I think it will take some time to dry out the corn fields here as they are extremely soft even to the step. 

 

I have managed to complete our laundry in the days this week as well as any from the house that needed to be washed also. I'm going to give the house a bit of a shine before we leave as well. Even though the cleaning lady will be coming before Janet and Dennis arrive home I don't want to leave any messes behind for anyone else to clean. 

 

I spoke with Janet a day or so ago as she called to chat for a bit. If any of you out there own a Mandeloin slicer please either get the mesh glove or get rid of the slicer. Janet is now hoping the glued on finger tips of two fingers will heal and not be lost. Not to mention the deep cut on a third finger. It is her right hand, which is her dominant hand of course. Daughter Courtney has had a few nicks and cuts from her own slicer which she still won't part with. Both Riley and I had cuts from ours before I threw it in the garbage when we lived in our Stix 'n Brix. Riley's was a minor cut while the stupid thing was in the cupboard and she moved it. Mine was a cut to the bone while washing the thing. Makes me shudder just to remember. 

 

The sun is out today and hopefully the temperatures warm up enough to dry out some of the mud and grass. It's too muddy even to walk on the drive way as it's pretty soft and it tries to suck the shoes off of a person. 

 

A quick note from my Buddy Ian way out in Nelson, BC had us chatting for a bit today. It was nice to hear from him again, it's been a while. Ian and I met while he lived in St. Thomas, Ont, a few years ago. He's an English fellow who has always managed to make me smile. He's also a helicopter pilot. Nice chap as they say!! Good luck Ian. 

 

The past few days we've managed to watch a bit of Hawaii 5-0, and read a few books, do some house keeping and even managed to cook a bit. We've been keeping out of trouble. 

 

So there you have it, we are all caught up now. Nothing exciting, just more of the same stuff. Hopefully we'll have some nice weather now and we can do a bit of yard work to keep us busy and perhaps even manage a hike if the trails dry up in time. 

 

A couple of quick notes to add.

 Belated Happy Birthday to my nephew Allan, who's birthday was April 21. 

Happy Birthday to another nephew Jesse who's birthday is tomorrow, April 28. Jesse shares the same birth date as his great grandmother Katie (his father's grandmother). Happy Birthday fellas!!!

Again, a thank you to Patsy!!!! I appreciate it very much.

 

So thanks for stopping by, hope you enjoyed your visit. 

 

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

 

Deb

Visit with family, blown circuit, warmer weather......

Our Location: Buttercup Ridge, Roseneath, Ontario

 

(Today's pics were taken a few days ago when we arrived.)

 

It's been a wonderful few days since we've settled in here. The sun has been shining every day, warmer weather has arrived, things are starting to green up and we managed to have a wonderful visit with Courtney and Matt. 

 

The field in front of the house the day we arrived.

 

The temperatures have been nice enough to sit outside with the big door open at least in the afternoon as long as the wind stays down. The wind is the big equalizer of course and we try to avoid it if possible. 

 

The field in front of the barn on the day we arrived.

 

Courtney and Matt arrived much later than anticipated in the original plan but they did manage to find us in the dark. They arrived just before 11 pm on Friday night. We chatted for about an hour or a bit more before all going to bed to get some much needed sleep. 

 

The muddy drive on the day we arrived.

 

Saturday morning found us all up before 7:30 am, gathering around the table having breakfast and chatting non stop. In various ways and times we all spent some much need time just enjoying the stories and details of the last number of months since we've been together. We heard more about Switzerland and the European nations as well as their busy lives now in Toronto from C & M, and they of course heard about what you folks already know about our travels. 

 

The garden shed, putting green and drive net on the day we arrived.

 We went our own ways during the afternoon doing various things. I grabbed my book, sat out in the sun and read most of afternoon, soaking up some much needed rays. 

 

Heading toward the barn on the day we arrived.

 

A few minor issues with circuit breakers in the house had us scratching our heads for a bit. A call to Janet and we figured things out, reset things and continued on. Matt did most of the cooking for the short time they were here and I did the clean ups. With various forms and offers of help along the way. 

 

Where we parked last fall, on the day we arrived this spring.

 

Courtney and Matt drove to the farm in an electric car. A Chevy Bolt. Cute little thing, very quiet of course, but we needed to leave it plugged in most of the day and all night Saturday to ensure they could make it home. A number of areas have plug in capabilities between here and their Toronto home so we weren't overly concerned but wanted them to have as  much in the battery as possible.  Note for my own reference: Garage breaker is behind the barnboard panel in the basement. 

 

Evidence of the recent ice storm.

 

We spent Sunday morning having breakfast and chatting more, we moved outside as they were packing things and bringing them to the car for the trip home. Alma, the neighbour dropped by for a few minutes and we chatted for a bit before she was off doing whatever it is she was on her way to do. 

 

That's us up there by the house on the day we adjusted the Igloo.

 

Shortly before 2 pm C & M headed off homeward bound and Riley and I once again settled in for more relaxing. I of course did a house tidy, and we brought our groceries back to the Igloo before I sat outside to read for a while, had a bit of a nap and just enjoyed the afternoon. 

 

From the front, after our little adjustment.

 

We watched some more of our Hawaii 5-0 series before calling it a night. We didn't shut it down until shortly after 10 pm and I didn't feel like starting a blog post then. So this is my catch up Saturday and Sunday post combined. 

 

The back patio on the day we arrived.

 

Thanks for stopping by, I hope you enjoyed your visit. Feel free to leave a comment. 

 

 

The side of the house where we are parked. See our power cord?

 

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

 

The welcome front door of Buttercup Ridge.

 

 

Deb