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

 

 

 

Sunshine, warmer, muddy....

Our Location: Buttercup Ridge, Roseneath, Ontario

 

We woke this morning to cold temperatures, 28F/ -2.2C but there was something different about today. Some big bright yellow thing was showing itself over the pine trees. I believe it may have been something called the sun but it's been so long I'm not sure. 

We are located up at the house this spring, instead of by the barn.

It warmed up considerably throughout the day with our high reaching 53F/11.6 C. A regular heatwave it has been. The morning started with us moving the Igloo about 5 ft to a better location, not quite the same down slope as our original park job and while we were pretty level I just didn't feel comfortable with the front feet extended that far. With the soft ground, melting snow and all things being what they are, I was more than happy to spend the half hour adjusting our location. 

 

Drive shed on the right, the cedars/pines on the left. We are to the left of the cedars and pines.

  

Catching up with our friends scattered across a vast couple of countries while enjoying my hot drink. An Igloo adjustment, showers and some housekeeping duties in the Igloo pretty much took up most of the morning. 

 

This is the flat middle part of the drive way. I turned around from the taking the above picture to snap this one.

It was a quite day with birds singing, squirrels giving us a chattering at, and of course Mike's cows in the barn giving off an opinion every once in a while. I noticed Mike out at the barn this morning too, well actually that's not quite right, I noticed Mike LEAVING the barn area this morning on his way out the driveway. When we left last fall Mike had a half dozen cows and some baby pigs in the barn. I haven't ventured out to chat with Mike or look in the barn since our arrival. It's extremely muddy out there and I've only got my little low top Sploggers, so I don't think a trip to the barn will be in the future until it dries up some. Mike rents the barn and the farm land from Janet and Dennis. He also plows the drive and cuts the grass. Pretty sweet deal I think for all of them.

Coming up the drive.

The sun is melting the hard crusted snow which we could walk on this morning while we adjusted the Igloo but now you can't walk on it, you sink. It's not deep but again without the proper boots wet feet would result in a short period. I did however manage to dance around the mud as I made my way down the driveway to the road to collect the flyers from the mail box. A walk around the outside of the house also let me report to Janet that everything was good, the downed branches all appeared to be in the front of the house. I've hauled a couple of them out to the big wood pile past the drive shed and have a few more trips to go to get all the bigger stuff out of the way. That's how I know it's too wet/muddy to venture to the barn. The wood pile is extremely muddy to reach and the barn is past that.

A garden shed along with the putting green and practice net, all back behind the pond.

A text to Courtney to find out when they are arriving so we know what to do about meals and turning up the heat in the house. They should be arriving later tonight just around 9 - 9:30 pm. They are coming from downtown Toronto and are stopping for dinner on their way. Works well for us, we've had the day to do our own things and get caught up on a few things before company.

The barn area is quite muddy and wet.

The afternoon was spent doing some reading and watching some more Hawaii 5-0. The afternoon sun through the windows helped to heat up the Igloo and we spent most of the afternoon without any heat on inside. It wasn't nice enough to open the door but with the curtains open on the sun side it was nice and warm. Helped with some of the condensation as well. 

That's the big wood pile where I pulled a few bigger branches today, and in front of that pile is where we parked last fall. Couldn't park there now, it's just all one big mud slope.

 
Around 7 pm I slipped into the house, turned the heat up, and turned on some lights. I hauled a can of coffee inside for morning coffee and tomorrow I'll bring in some groceries to feed the crew. We'll really only have tomorrow as a visit but that's okay, some is better than none. I've missed them a great deal.

The house, you can see we are plugged in at the garage. We are parked just in front of the cobblestones.

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

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

Deb

 

Arrived at Buttercup Ridge today....

Our Location: Buttercup Ridge, Roseneath, Ontario

 (MOST of tonight's pictures were taken yesterday)

We arrived here at Buttercup Ridge right around 8:30 am this morning, only a short jaunt from the ONRoute in Port Hope. The temperatures are hovering right at the freezing mark and as long as the sun stays out it warms up about 4 or 5 degrees, but if the sun slips back behind the clouds it drops back to around the freezing mark. The problem is it's pretty cloudy, so we're not seeing a lot of sun. 

Toronto is always busy these days, no longer is it just rush hour that is crazy busy.

The overnight at the ONRoute was cool but not cold. We slept well and under the many blankets we were toasty. Even HRH Miss Kitty was happy to be nearby but not under the covers. She doesn't like being under any blanket. We left the ONRoute right about 7:30 am, so not bad in the way of getting to where we want to be. 

Interesting looking buildings, don't you think?

The driveway has been plowed of course, but it's terribly rough and bumpy, we also needed to use 4x4 to get us up the hill at the beginning of the drive. Some pretty ugly spots and some pretty soft spots too. We managed to make it to the house and get up into the circular drive this time. Last fall we parked out by the barn and on nice days that's nice, but in the wind, it's brutal. It comes from across the fields and hits us broad side, so we opted to park closer to the house. We are literally just off the cement at the garage door. We ran a cord from the garage to hook in and give us use of our furnace for a few days without worrying about the solar panels not producing enough in this weather. 

Welcome to the 401 East bound.

I called my dad to let him know we've arrived, he was happy to hear from us. Cold there too, cold here and I think just cold everywhere. Things are starting to ache much more intensely today as I think I stood too long on the cold wet pavement last night. So I'll probably be taking some extra meds and having a nap this afternoon to help get past the worst of it. However we shall see. 

The Collectors lanes over there were often stop and go, while we in the Express lanes just kept crawling along.

I've kind of caught up on Facebook and my email but not my blog reading yet, although I did manage to answer all comments on my last few posts. With the internet connection so slow in Hamilton it was difficult to even do that much unless I was up early. Here at Buttercup Ridge we have much faster service, and we don't even have the booster on. So we are very happy!!! 

The skyline often looks familiar in most cities, I think. Unless one sees a major 'famous' building, arch, etc, all cities pretty much look like each other.

The temperature as I write this at noon is 38F/3.3C and dropping as the sun is behind a cloud. A somewhat strong gusty North, Northwest wind is not helping with the temperatures at all. We need some of that desert warmth right about now and to think we were too hot in Borrego Springs. Never satisfied are we?
 

We are getting closer to being out of Toronto. Traffic is much lighter here.

I had a nice nap this afternoon, seemed to help alleviate some of my issues, along with a bit of anti inflammatory medication. So I can say that my afternoon was pretty quiet. Riley and I decided we'd do a little tv watching, we have the series Hawaii 5-0 on DVD and are currently just finished disc 3. We still haven't found season 5, so we have just 1- 4. We're hoping to find the next seasons also bundled. We'll see how it goes. 
 

Double decker Go Bus passes us as we leave Toronto and head toward Ajax and Oshawa.  Two GO trains were also running along on the tracks to the south of the highway.

 Sister in law Janet called and we chatted for about a half hour. They are still in Indian Wells, CA enjoying the weather and golf. She and Dennis are both very avid golfers. Janet is very good, and very serious about her game, Dennis plays drop and giggle golf as she calls it. Nothing too serious about his game. They are the proud owners of Buttercup Ridge. They won't be returning until May 10. She found it hard to believe that there is snow here at the farm and thought we should stay in the house instead of the Igloo. I assured her we were very appreciative of the thought but the Igloo keeps up pretty warm and with being able to plug in we can use the furnace to help keep us warmer. Looks like Tuesday is the last unspring like day here. After that it will warm up and hopefully usher in spring. 
 

This old car went past us on the 401 East bound.  It looks to be in great shape but the back window was missing.

So as evening falls here the wind is still gusty at times, it's still around the freezing mark and will drop a few degrees below tonight. Tomorrow will be more of the same, as will the next few days. Although  we'll be busy on the weekend visiting with Courtney and Matt as they will arrive tomorrow for a visit, so hopefully we won't notice the less than wonderful weather. We will be using the house for that visit, but Riley and I will be sleeping in the Igloo. I'm excited about the visit. We haven't seen Courtney and Matt for some time. 

I'm not sure but I think this might be a BBQ place, its on Highway 45 near Cobourg.  We pass this on the way to Buttercup Ridge.

That was our day. We've arrived, set up and are enjoying ourselves very much. Feels like home! Thanks for stopping by, I hope you enjoyed your visit. Feel free to drop a comment, I appreciate them all. Readers only are welcome too. 

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

Deb

 

Met Jake from KalTire today.....

Our Location: ONRoute, Port Hope, Ontario

 

(April 18, 2018 post)

 

A quick post today. We were up early, cold in Hamilton but the sun looked like it might shine for a while and that seemed to boost the temperature a bit. 

 

Search and rescue plane flying the shore line of Lake Ontario as we leave Hamilton.

 

We had a dentist appointment at 10:40 am where we once again managed to get a little chat time in with Marianne and Lisa. The lovely ladies at the front desk. Always a treat to see their smiling faces and sparkling eyes. Thanks ladies for all the giggles!! See you in the fall. 

 

Heading up the Burlington Skyway with Lake Ontario on the right. That lighthouse marks the entrance to the harbour where all the freighters go to load and unload their goodies. 

 From there we once again headed back to Walmart, hooked up and were heading off toward Roseneath, Ontario, about 100 miles/160 km farther east. Climbed onto the QEW, 427, then to the 401 where we continued on to the ONRoute located just WEST of Port Hope. Pulled in to check the tires as I didn't like the feel of the way it pulled. Found another spot that scared me so once again I decided to err on the side of safety. Called CAA, went through the whole crap thing again, finally they agreed to send KalTire from Peterborough to help us out. Wait time 3 to 4 hours, but ended up being 5 hours as they sent him to the WRONG ONRoute about 40 minutes PAST us, so he had to come back.  

Lake Ontario looks so very cold doesn't it?

 

Jake was fabulous. He discovered two leaky valve stems were the cause of today's issues. Neither he nor I can figure out why no one caught that at the other ONRoute or the Tire place in Hamilton. Jake and I had a bit of a discussion about what I should do. Since we will be sitting for the next couple of weeks I feel confident that I have time to make some reasonable plans without feeling pressured in a hurry up decision. So when we leave Buttercup Ridge will be heading through Peterborough on our way northwards and will stop at KalTire to have them replace 2 but probably 3 tires before we head out. I'll keep ya posted. 

 

Just past the Ford Plant in Oakville and topping the rise heading into Mississauga. That is a continuous skyline all around the top end of Lake Ontario as far as we can see. Off to the right but not in the picture is the CNN Tower in Toronto.

The night wasn't too bad, a bit chilly to begin but once under the covers we all  managed just fine. I even managed to get a couple of miles of walking in waiting for the service truck to arrive. Jake arrived just around 9 pm and left about 10:30 pm. So it was a bit cool standing outside but not too bad. 

 

We have reached Etobicoke but not Toronto yet...lots of traffic and it's right around 1 pm, long time before evening rush hour. Toronto is just busy all the time now.

 

So there you have it, we were less than an hour from out destination but didn't want to arrive in the dark and I think we made the best choice. 

 

Kind of quiet here on this part of the route, not much snow here.

 

Thanks for stopping by, hope you enjoyed the visit. Feel free to comment if you like, or not. Either one is fine. 

 

Heading along on the 427 North we pass close to Toronto's Pearson International Airport. Lots of planes.

 

Until next time... take care, be safe

 

I can see those folks all shivering up there as they come home from the sunny, warm south.

 

Deb

 

 

 

Quick note

We are heading out this afternoon for Buttercup Ridge in Roseneath, Ontario where we will be for some time, at least until the beginning of May. I have no idea if the jet pack works there as we didn't have it working when we were there in the fall. The internet isn't turned on in the house either so I can't promise to post any posts or answer anything while we're there. So if there are no posts, don't be concerned about our safety dear friends. It just means we have no connection. 

Take care, be safe, 

Deb

Very busy productive day, visit with family....

Our Location: Walmart, Rymal Road East, Hamilton, Ontario

 

(yesterday's post)

 

It was cold when we woke this morning. Cold inside and out but we started the heater and before long it was toasty warm. I didn't tarry long as I had an appointment downtown at the Rheumatologist's office. I always dislike going down to the downtown area, the parking is a bear to begin with and with the Dogsled it's not fun. The spots aren't meant for anything bigger than a Tonka toy.  

 

Eventually I got parked in my favourite lot and headed up the hill to the Carlton Building where the good Dr. Bobba is located. After a years wait for the elevator (I won't climb 6 flights of stairs) I managed to snag a ride upwards. Ever notice how no one speaks in an elevator? Haha..ride with me sometime, I talk. Never know what I might say but I talk. 

 

Before I even managed to get checked in I was hustled into a room by the good doctor himself. We chatted for about 4 minutes, I answered the same 6 questions, did a few new bends and twists, told to come back in 4 months, which I said I wouldn't be in the area but would be back in 6. We agreed that would work and off I went. I managed to get checked in as I was leaving the office. How good was that? I was getting out about the time I should have been getting in. I like Dr. Bobba as I think he's pretty good at what he does and there is never a long wait for your appointment. You're almost in and out right on time every time. I never feel rushed though and I know if I have questions or concerns he'll take the time to answer to them for me. So I have no complaints. 

 

Downstairs I headed to the blood lab, I'm a bit late on getting my blood work done. Oh well, that's the way life goes. I waited for about 15 minutes before I was called in. Fast simple and easy except they kept my blood requisition form which they shouldn't have done. I need it to get blood work done every two months. So now I'll have to get in touch with the dr's office to get another form sent to me. I should have remembered to take it but well I just didn't. 

 

Back at the Igloo I picked up Riley and we headed for the bank. Her debit card stopped working earlier when we were away but since mine worked we managed. I thought it was the strip in the back looked a little hinky. So yes they replaced the card but also there was a lock on the card, use for deposit only. So we had to call the Loss Prevention Center. Long story short, after about 40 minutes we had that corrected as well. Thanks to Colleen at TD Canada Trust, Rymal Road branch for all her help. 

 

From there we headed a bit further down the road to Queenston Tire on Upper Centennial Parkway. I've used this tire place before in the past and had great service there. Also the one down by the traffic circle in the east end of Hamilton is good too. I went in to explain my tire issue and we came up with a great solution. Go back get the Igloo bring it there, park there for the night, they'll have the tire replaced, back on, and the spare back where it goes by the time we finish our appointment tomorrow around noon. Sounds excellent right? So off we go, pick up the Igloo, drive the 5 minutes to the tire place, turn in and I've got a fellow directing me to go NOT were I had been told to park. No problem, I know this guy, not his name but I know his face, he works here. So I pull up where he directs me, get out and guess what? It was all done within 15 minutes and I was told I could still park there overnight. Is that service or what? Thanks to the folks at Queenston Tire, Upper Centennial Parkway. We were back at the Walmart (less slush here) within a half hour and set up in no time. 

 

A quick lite lunch and the rest of the afternoon was spent reading. Around 7 pm we hopped into the Dogsled for the 3 minute ride to the Vicar's Vice, an old church converted into a restaurant. Yes we could have walked but it was cold windy and we'd have to cross a very major roadway with no lights available, easier  and safer to drive. Very nice place, a bit on the expensive side but not overly. We met Bradey and David, (middle daughter and her fiance) there for dinner. Unfortunately they can't make it to Buttercup Ridge for a visit. It was nice to see them and catch up, they are full of excitement with a house purchase perhaps in the future, as well as a wedding tentatively set for late 2018. We all came back to the Igloo to continue our visit but around 9:30 pm they headed out for home. They both have to work in the morning and a dog that needs to be walked before bed. 

 

So no post as it was late for me and I was tired. I'd had a very busy day. Again no pictures as the internet slows down extremely the busier Walmart gets. Even though it's our own jet pack there are so  many cell phones being used it slows everything down here. 

 

So there you  have it, our busy day yesterday.  We had a change of plans late yesterday with regards to our travel to Buttercup Ridge in the next few days. So I'll be filling you on that in the next post.

 

Thanks for stopping by, hope you all had a fantastic day. Feel free to leave a comment, or feel free to just stop by without leaving one. I'm always happy to hear from you should you chose to make your presence known. 

 

Until next time... take care, be safe

 

Deb

Arrived Hamilton, wet, rain and a bit warmer.....

Our Location: Walmart, Rymal Road E, Hamilton, Ontario

(again, no pictures, they just won't load)

The wind stopped last night in the oddest manner. It just stopped. One big gust rocked us a bit as I was getting ready to climb into bed and then nothing more. Didn't hear anything, didn't feel anything, and no I wasn't asleep either. It was the oddest feeling when I realized there was no more wind. It stopped so fast it was scary. The rain also stopped but I did hear it pitter patter once or twice through the night but not hard, just a soft sound. 

 

This morning's temperature was 37F/2.7C which wasn't too bad at all. The tiniest of winds kicked up a bit but nothing you'd notice at all. We were out of bed by 7 am and decided we'd pull out this morning as it was supposed to warm up the further we came to the north east. Hamilton was predicting a high of 48F/9 C this afternoon. A quick pack up, checked all the rubber and we were good to go by 8:15 am. 

We cruised along in the slow lane until we reached the next ONRoute at Dutton, Ontario and while Riley visited Tim Hortons for coffee and a couple of timbits, I checked all the rubber once again. It all looked fantastic and soon Riley was back outside with our nice hot drinks, and a wee treat. The temperature was still steady at 37F/2.7C and we continued motoring along. The roads were wet, with a bit of slop coming up, mist appeared to settle over some of the country side which actually turned out to be more fog than mist but it had the same effect, we had to use the wipers sparingly the whole trip. 

As we approached London, Ontario area we made note of some ice still coating the roadside grasses, trees, bushes and some of the fields as well. The temperature was a steady 37F/2.7C here but it didn't appear to be melting. Again the roads were just wet. We also noted traces of snow and slush that had piled up along the roadside due to road cleaning but nothing on the road except wetness. Still fog/mist lingering in the area making it appear to be brightly gloomy if you know what I mean. 

As we rolled along the 401 East bound we waved to our friends Bill (On Our Way), Patsy (Chillin' with Patsy) & Clemson ( no known blog url) as they are still tucked away in the fair city of London, Ontario. 

From London we headed on to Woodstock, then 403 to Brantford which like the 401 was simply wet. The further north east we travelled today the less it seemed as if spring is on it's way. The bare brown fields turned to lakes of muddy water and  cold looking ice patches, the trees remain leafless and barren, the grass while showing hints of green is mostly that mottled brown/black of dead winter. Soon we started noticing more snow in areas that are protected from the wind, such as ditches, tree lines, etc not much but a dusting of sorts. Even further along we noticed more snow in the open areas not just around the tree bottoms or protected areas. Soon the fields were covered with no dirt showing through, just the hint of dirt. A few cornstalks poking their winter weathered heads up through the white frosting proved to us that it was indeed a field and the little stalks shivering  as they stood guard in lines like soldiers. 

As we approached Brantford the rain started to fall, not hard but in dribs and drabs, making things seem promising but disappointing at the same time. Promising because spring rains means warm weather, flowers, etc. Disappointing because so far they have just meant more cold, more ice, less sun, no warmth. Oh, the burdens of being Canadian. 

Again the roads were wet and the sky's dark but the temperature which dipped from a high of 37F/2.7C to 33F/ .5C had jumped back again when we reached Hamilton to the high temperature of 36F/2.2C. So we can't complain, now can we? It's at least figuring out which direction is the right one, so soon it will be pushing higher in the right direction. We found the Lincoln Alexander Parkway to be rough, misty and not quite as busy as I expected. We sailed along the top edge of the city until our exit at Dartnall Road which we took to Rymal Road, thus leading us to our current destination. 

Richard, the girls and I lived about 1 mile/1.6 km from this very store for 20 years. Actually Richard, Courtney and I lived there for 20 years, while Bradey and Riley were born after we moved in to the house. So we know the area pretty well. Riley and I commented a couple of times of the lack of activity around the schools as we came further north east. Turns out the schools were all closed today for a weather day. The thing is we didn't really have any weather. We pulled into the Walmart lot at 11:30 am having been on the road for about 3 hours. We travelled approx 155 miles/250 km . An easy travel day, the weather other than rain was perfect for driving. 

We were told when we asked about parking here that Walmart doesn't own the lot and can't give permission but others have stayed. If the owner of the parking lot wants us to move they will have to tell so. There are no signs and so I'm happy here for the next couple of days. I have an appointment in the morning with the Rheumatologist and we have dentist appointments Thursday late morning. I want to have the tire on the Igloo replaced, the spare tire put back where it goes and we need to do a few other little things as well. I need to have blood work done as I forgot about it last month. Oh well, the worst that will happen is the good Dr. Bobba will tell me how important it is to have it done. The best that will happen is he won't mention it.  Since he asks the same 6 questions and I give the same 6 answers I doubt it's imperative but I'll have it done quickly here. 

So there you have it, our travel day. We have a few more to go before we reach our summer location but we won't be heading there for some time as they are still getting winter weather. About a foot of snow fell on Manitoulin Island over the course of the last 24-36 hours. They had some hail, sleet, freezing rain, snow, ice pellets and just about anything else that could be tossed their way. When I spoke to Dad this afternoon he said it was starting to rain. The snow is too wet to push with the quad, so the big tractor blower will have to be used to move it. It's mid April for goodness sake, this isn't appropriate weather at all. 

A quick HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my brother Rick today. We enjoy the visits we manage with him and his lovely wife Barb, along with their children and grandchildren during our stay at our summer location. Rick is always helpful when I ask for some help with things or advice about something. It'll be nice to see him and Barb along with the children, grandchildren when we get back to the island. So Happy Birthday big brother. We hope it's been a fantastic day!!!

Thanks for stopping by, feel free to leave a comment, I appreciate them all. If you don't wish to leave a comment, that's okay too and I hope you enjoyed the post. 

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

Deb