A very long few days....

Our Location: Big Buck Resort

(205 Sparks Road, Hornsby, TN)

Tuesday, Nov 6, 2018 post

(All photos taken our drive between Louisville and Hornsby)

Sorry I've been out of touch but it's been a bit hectic with us. When last I posted we were at Buttercup Ridge in Roseneath, near Cobourg, Ontario. We had visitors in the form of four legged friends but they didn't bother with the Igloo, no they visited the Dogsled leaving behind evidence of their visit by a message flashing across the dashboard. I managed to limp the Dogsled to Cobourg to Bill Spencer Chevy Dealership where the news was not good on this day of impending departure. I would need a rental car to make my appointment in Hamilton with the Rheumatologist, the good Dr. Bobba. Leaving the Big Dog with the dealership for it's operation I headed off alone at the wee dark hour of 6 am for my drive to make my appointment at 9:45 am on Tuesday, October 30 across from St. Joseph's Hospital in downtown Hamilton. I hustled my way along and managed to make my appointment with about 25 minutes grace. Of course we all know the time we spend with doctors is short, in fact I dealt with a resident from one of the local hospitals for about 10 minutes, and spent maybe 5 minutes with the doctor in the same room but only spoke with him for about a minute. I needed a new blood work requisition form. So I was in out of the office in less than 20 minutes. Back in the car by 10:40 am (blood work also completed) I managed to make it back to the dealership in Cobourg to pick up the Big Dog by about 1:30 pm.

Louisville, Kentucky in the early Saturday morning light.

The Big Dog was out of surgery and good to go. Wires chewed off at the very edge of the boot for the fuel pump caused me to have a bill of  around $650 CAD to repair that little issue, it was an easy fix but very difficult to get to and things had to be moved to accomplish this feat. I hurried back to Buttercup Ridge.  We hooked up, said our goodbyes to Janet (Dennis was away) and headed off down the road to Hamilton again. Twice in one day for me. How fun!!!

The Great Smoky Mountains early Saturday morning.

Arriving in Hamilton by 6 pm, we immediately dropped our Igloo at Walmart before heading off to Brantford to meet with Bradey and David and to see their newly purchased house. A very nice little house on a quiet street, a beautiful kitchen and a generous back yard are just a couple of the appealing things about it. I'm certain as time goes on they will settle in and make it a home, not just a house. Congrats again on the house!!!! We had dinner and a catch up chat before Riley and I headed back to the Igloo. I fell into bed and didn't hear a thing until 5 am. I think I was tired. 

You have to love the views, don't you?

Morning found us at the dentist. A visit with Marianne at the reception desk informed us that Lisa has left and is off exploring new possibilities. We wish her the best of luck in her future endeavors. Chatting with Marianne and the new lady (Shelly, Sharlene, Sharon????) we managed to cram a fair bit of catch up in those few minutes. I was good to go less than 25 minutes later, however Miss Riley has a few cavities. One that would require work or it would be causing issues before we get back home. So we opted to delay another day. Back at the Igloo we managed to accomplish a few things and enjoyed a quiet evening. Morning found us waking up to a parking ticket, we were the only one to receive one, not the trucker or the stealth camper of a truck with a cargo trailer. Oh well, we had asked and been told they couldn't say yes or no but people often parked there with no problems. We took a gamble, worked one night, but not the second. If not for the second dentist appointment we would have been gone.

A bit of colour but not too much yet. Lots of green leaves in there still.

Back at the dentist office a little before 9 am, we arrived early and they managed to squeeze Riley in early. Having completed the necessary work and letting us go, we were on the road toward Windsor by noon. We decided to by pass the onRoute at Tilbury and continued on to the Walmart in Windsor on Dougall Ave. We won't tell you about the blue air in the truck cab due to the GPS but we eventually found what we looked for. Parked and realizing there is an issue with the Igloo batteries, even after being plugged into to shore power for so long they were only at 1/3 and we hadn't used them for much of anything. I stopped into Walmart for a chat with the fellow handling the automotive desk. Very uninformative but they sold me a battery they assured me would be fine for use in the Igloo. I just wanted to have lights for the evening. Got it into the battery area, hooked up and no difference. Still only reading 1/3. We opted for an early night and knew we'd be to Big Buck in a few days and that we would make due until then. Up early and eager to get on the road, no such luck. Dogsled won't start. Hmmmm....I forgot to unplug the Igloo from the Dogsled. Auto club came by to give me a boost, driver told me the battery looked old, I should replace it. However the parts guy at the local dealership told me it sounded like it just needed a boost due to the Igloo issue. Stopped at Auto Source, had them test the batteries, both were good, nothing wrong with them the fellow told me. So two people in the business of knowing indicate it's probably just the Igloo draining the battery, we should be good to go. Okay it's now pushing noon and we're heading out. The border crossing was backed up and we waited our turn for about 30 minutes. Nice young man asked us a few questions, noted our plate number and sent us on our way. 

An impressive start to their fall colours.

Southbound I-75 is under construction and poorly marked, it took us a while to actually get to the right detour road but we managed and continued on our way southward. The weather was cool, damp and some rain drops greeted us on our drive. We pushed harder than we like to push but we wanted to get southward quickly. We pushed on until we reached Carrollton, KY where a Walmart associate that answered the phone told us we could certainly park in the lot over night. Upon arriving just as dark was settling in we noted the signs in the parking lot saying NO PARKING. A trip to customer service also had us informed of NO PARKING. No explanation as to why we would have been told we could on the phone only to now be told we can't. A neighbouring TSC (Tractor Supply Store) allowed us to park in their lot over night and after a long day's drive we were happy to fall into bed and get rested. Morning dawned in a blanket of fog, of course being in the Great Smoky Mountains might be the reason for that. It was at this point I discovered that there are no travel lights working on the Igloo. The brakes, turn signals and four way's work fine but no other lights working. The fog lifted and we headed out as the sun was shining and we were highly visible to those around us and the other lights working would allow all to know the most vital information.We crossed the time line before 10 AM and so we moved our clock back ONE hour before noon. A good travel day, sun shining and the temps climbing slowly and steadily all day. A few delays had traffic at a crawl for about an hour just as we approached Elizabethtown, KY. Once again we started rolling along and soon were exiting the interstate heading toward Jackson, TN and onward to Hornsby.

A nice day, getting warmer with each mile we drive.

Checking in we were greeted warmly by owner Tina and a had a quick catch up with her before moving off to park in our spot, #24. We are beside Dave and his wife (???), not far from his brother Kenneth, and wife Tina. (Not the same Tina as mentioned above). We've been parking in this same area each time we are here and are becoming more acquainted with these friendly folks. Dave is the campground handyman. We reached a high temperature of 64F/17.8C on Saturday, Sunday, Monday and Tuesday. Low's were in the comfortable range of 50F/10C, although rumour has tonight dipping to the freezing mark, apparently a first this fall. The trees here are just starting to turn, the grass is still green and was freshly mowed on Sunday afternoon in a part of the park. We've had two days of rain, Sunday and part of Monday. Today was beautiful sunshine and warm temps. Asian beetles and lady bugs are once again becoming an issue due to the weather today. They just seemed to appear suddenly and can creep in the slightest opening. 

Note the fresh cut grass, they were cutting grass late Friday night on the road sides as well.

Sunday morning we were going to head out and do laundry as the baskets are piled pretty high. Hmm..Dogsled won't start. This is not a good thing. So instead we spend the day inside as it rained anyway but just resting up. Monday morning another call to the auto club, a boost from Mike Woods, nice fellow from the auto club here in this area. He sent me to Brooke's Automotive service in Bolivar, TN just up the road. Kevin Brooks worked on the Dogsled finding the issue as a bad battery. The Auto Source guy hadn't disconnected the  battery cables and so both batteries read good as one was feeding the other. I had him replace both batteries, keeping the still good battery for a back up just in case. Each battery was $150 US plus $85 US labour, add taxes, and a few other charges that accompany batteries, the bill coming in at around $440 US.  Expensive but now I'm no longer concerned about the Dogsled. Back home to pick up Miss Riley and we were off to Walmart to do some grocery shopping.We spent the remainder of the day tidying up and watching a movie or two. The evening found me on the phone with daughter Courtney, Dad, and my friend Linda. Daughter Bradey's call went straight to voice mail. I'll try her again another night.

A bit of colour along the Tennessee River.

This morning found me up early and the sun shining wonderfully bright and inviting. I spent 2 hours on the phone with Verizon getting my jet pack back up and running. Computers were slow today and a number of issues also impeded the progress. However Dante managed to stick with me through the whole thing and we are now up and running with internet service again. I then headed outside to do a few things, Dave next door, the handy man spent some time checking out the battery issues. We couldn't find anything, the batteries test as good, we couldn't find any blown fuses and no broken wires. So I'm at a loss as to why they won't charge when we're hooked up but they will charge while on solar on a sunny day. We couldn't determine the reason for travel light issues on the trailer either. There is a fellow here in the park that supposedly works on RV's back home in Maine and so I may ask him to look at it tomorrow. I'll have to see how the day goes but laundry is also on the agenda.

This is part of the Tennessee River but it's called Kentucky Lake or Lake Kentucky, I'm not sure which.

 
So there you have it. A number of things have conspired to cause me some headaches but I know I'll get them fixed up shortly. We have a few more days here at Big Buck Resort before we head on and hopefully we'll be able to head out on Saturday as we've planned. If not we'll have to do what it takes to get things fixed. Ah the joys of home ownership just keep following one along don't they? No matter what kind of home you own there is always something to fix. 

Do you know what that is?

Thanks for stopping by, I hope you enjoyed your visit. I'll be spending the next rainy day catching up on my reading and hopefully I'll be back in blogger land again on a daily basis very shortly. Hope all is well with everyone out there where ever you may be and whatever you may be doing.

Baled cotton of course.

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





Deb

Arrived at Buttercup Ridge, Dogsled checked out okay.....

Our Location: Buttercup Ridge, Roseneath, Ontario

Hello one and all. I hope you’ve all managed to stay warm, dry and healthy over the spring, summer and now into the fall months. As you can see we’ve arrived at The Farm (sounds like a Patricia Cornwell book, doesn’t it?). We left our home location after saying our goodbyes on Tuesday morning, October 16th, around 8:30 am. Our destination was only a few hours away but a bit further north and we managed quite well as it’s a new season of towing again. Arriving at our usual over night spot in Lively, Ontario we parked beside the abandoned Husky gas station on the small cement pad we like. It keeps us out of the way and makes us very level at the same time. We unhooked and headed off to the little bistro Alley Catz to have lunch with best friend Linda and her sister in law Diane. From there Riley and I headed off to our eye appointments with a new eye doctor, Dr. Teri Fisher. In and out in less than 45 minutes with no money owing. We like that!!! An  afternoon visit with Linda at her home just around the corner from the Igloo and then home for the evening. Morning found us at Linda’s once again for another hour’s visit before  heading out to hook up the Igloo. We wished our friend a very happy birthday before leaving. We didn’t have far to go before unhooking again for an appointment with a nurse for insurance purposes (not travel insurance), as there was no where to turn the Igloo had we pulled it down her street. The whole area was NO EXIT so we couldn’t even park on a different street. A quick 20 minutes with her before Riley and I along with HRH Miss Kitty headed back to pick up the Igloo again. 

Leaving Manitoulin Island via the Swing Bridge in Little Current, Ontario.

Arriving in Parry Sound around 4 pm after a leisurely drive we dropped in to the local Walmart where we spent the night. A few flurries visible in the air but nothing on the ground. Morning found us right at the freezing mark and the dewy moisture had frozen overnight making things icy on the Dogsled and all puddles were frozen. On the road around 8 am we headed south once again exiting the 400 Southbound and catching Ontario 12 East toward Orilla. On this stretch of road we noted snow on roof tops and on the fields, not enough to say it snowed  but enough to know a few flakes had fallen and that winter is approaching. We continued along our way stopping for a stretch only once before we arrived in Roseneath at Buttercup Ridge on Oct 18, my anniversary. (Travel note to self: Continued along until we took the 115/7 to Fowlers Corners, a left there and it’s a straight run to the farm. Best route so far.) We tucked ourselves in beside the little drive shed out of the wind and settled down for a stay. Janet and Dennis (sister in law and her hubby) were on a cruise and returned home around dinner time Saturday evening. We managed a quick coffee and catch up with Janet on Sunday morning before Riley and I headed off to Hamilton.

 

Heading into Toronto on the Gardnier Expressway, you can just see the CN Tower on the right.

Courtney and Matt (oldest daughter and hubby) were to meet us at the storage locker to remove their things but Courtney woke up with a case of vertigo and needed to stay home. Matt and his sister Amy showed up at the locker and we managed to get everything into the Dogsled and Matt’s car and now we can actually walk INTO the locker. Thanks for the help Amy!!!! From there we headed back to Toronto to visit with Courtney and enjoy lunch. Courtney and Matt live with friends Jodi and Shane in the area of Danforth and Coxwell. A very nice home but lots and lots of stairs. A tight fit to get the Dogsled in the driveway, had to angle it in  and still managed to block a bit of the sidewalk, but not a busy street so it was no issue. Courtney broke her foot a few weeks ago and is getting around well in her walking boot. Lunch was delicious and we enjoyed our visit, it was great to see both C & M again, also nice to chat with Jodi again but Shane was absent, away for the weekend. Riley and I headed for the Farm just before 5 pm and although traffic was backed up for a while we still managed to arrive at the farm north of Cobour by 6:30 pm. Another quick visit with Janet and Dennis before calling it a night.

 

A dusting of snow in the Orilla, Ontario area.

Monday, Oct 22 found me on my way shortly after 8 am to Bill Spenser’s Chevy dealership to have a warranty issue addressed on the Dogsled. The beast had an oil leak, still covered for a while under the power train warranty. With the Big Dog on the hoist it was determined the oil pan nuts just needed a bit more torque. So we shall see if that is truly the issue or if it needs a new pan/gasket etc before the warrant expires. Oil level was perfect even after we towed from the Island to here, the trip to Hamilton and Toronto and into Cobourg. So it’s a very minor leak but I’ll be keeping an eye on it. 

The entrance path to Peter's Woods.

Back home before 10:30 am, Riley and I decided a short hike was in order. Peter’s Wood’s is  approximately a mile long through some very nice hard wood trees. Very little colour here yet, but it’s coming, ferns are still green, many trees still green too. However frost has hit in the past day or two so I’m sure the colours will be changing quickly. Twenty minutes later we were heading home.

Some colour but not much yet during our short hike in Peter's Woods.

We’ve been enjoying our evening meals with Janet and Dennis, she is a very wonderful cook!!! We always enjoy our time with family and the time we spend here on the farm. The barn is once again filling up with piglets and cows. Probably about 10 or piglets arrived the other day, and about 20 cows/calves as well. A couple of wild turkeys could be seen strutting their stuff in the fields which were stripped of their soybeans just this past Sunday afternoon. We hear next year’s crop will be corn. 

A bit more colour in this area of the trail.

So we will remain here at Buttercup Ridge until Monday, Oct 29 when we will depart for another destination a bit further south. Walmart on Rymal Road in Hamilton will be our next destination for two appointments and a short drive to middle daughter Bradey’s new home in Brantford will fill our short stop in the area. We’ll be checking out the length of the driveway on that visit as both she and her partner David assure me it’s lots long enough for the Igloo but I want to see it first. We are excited to see them again and their new digs as well.

Can you see the face on this tree in Peter's Woods?  I wonder if it's Peter?

My next post will be from Hamilton as we aren’t doing a whole lot of exciting things here at Buttercup Ridge but enjoying our time just the same. Thanks for stopping by, hope you enjoyed your visit. All pictures today were taken with phone/camera on our journey from Manitoulin Island to Buttercup Ridge.

 

One small pile of these nuts, chestnuts or walnuts, not sure which. We had several more piles like this as well.

Until next time….take care, be safe,

Some more fall colours on our journey southward on Highway69 S just outside of Estaire, Ontario

Not as brilliant as they should be but still nice.

 

Deb

 

Soon be moving to southern Ontario....

Our Location: 109 Lakeshore Road North, Tehkummah, Ontario

I apologize for not posting this summer but truly we don't do much exciting and I dislike boring folks. However we are getting ourselves ready to hit the road soon and have been busy getting summer things packed away and winter things pulled out and packed in the Igloo once again. 

So much rain and moisture here now.

Not often you see a partridge fluffing this time of the year.

 

We have been suffering through tremendous amounts of rain the past almost 2 weeks and it doesn't look like we'll get much relief except a day here or there until we leave. We have rain with more rain and yet more rain and the odd splash of sun just about every day. The temps have fallen drastically today from the balmy warm numbers of 56F/13C for a day time high to 45F/7C. Last night we stayed just above the freezing mark at 35F/1.6C. Definitely time to move to southern Ontario. 

I love this picture. The reflection is wonderful.

These two pictures were taken much earlier in the summer, now the water is cold and dark.

We will be leaving the Island on Oct 16, (this Tuesday) with at least a one night, possibly two nights stay in the Sudbury area. We have a couple of appointments to tend to before we leave the area. From there we will be heading south easterly for a day or two. I'm sure you can guess where we will be heading, right? Yes back to the farm in Roseneath, just outside of Cobourg. Janet and Dennis have once again graciously agreed to give us a parking spot for a couple of weeks. They left today for a short vacation or rather a cruise, and will return a couple of days after we arrive at the farm. I have a truck repair that needs to be taken care of and I'll have it done in Cobourg. My confidence level in the dealership in Espanola is not high and so opted instead to wait. 

This is the actual colour of this photo.

The sun is trying to burn off the fog but so far not doing well.

Fog in the early morning.

A family of loons have been hanging out here all summer.

 

We will be heading to Hamilton for a couple of appointments, leaving the farm on Oct 29. Appointments are on 30 and 31, with us leaving Hamilton the afternoon of 31 with the OnRoute in Tilbury being our destination for the night. We will then be close to the US/Canada border and will hopefully slip across without any issues. 

Sunrise on my morning walk not long ago.

Love the colours. Sunrise again.

Today's pictures have been taken on my morning walks. I usually walk the same block, 4 miles/6.4 km , takes me a little over an hour. I only use my phone so the picture quality isn't great but it gives you an idea of what I see while I am out and about. 

An over night rain caused this water fall not far from the Igloo. It's been running now for a number of days.

This tree is on the way to Dad's house from the Igloo but via the farm road, not the main road.

With the fall colours now on the sights are amazing and yet with the constant winds I'm surprised we still have any left at all. 

Heading out Lakeshore Road N.

A wider view of the roadside having just past my brother's driveway heading north on my walk.

Thanks for stopping by, I promise to do a much better job of blogging when we leave our home base. Coffee time is 6:30 am at Dad's house, a walk after that usually gets me home about 8:15 - 8:30 am, then the usual chores at home and sometimes elsewhere as well and before I know it the clock is reading noon. Lunch is between 2-3 pm (as you know this is our main meal of the day), reading, working, and visiting fills the rest of the day light hours and I'm in bed reading by 9 pm. So as you can see the days seem to speed by before I get a chance to write anything.  We don't do much exciting stuff here but it's home and we like it. 

Love the sunrise through the tree.

Love that fiery colour.

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

Looking up river on my walk.

Lots of moisture on this web.

Sunrise isn't far off.

Deb 

Home but busy.....

Our Location: Lakeshore Road North, Tehkummah

I know I’ve been silent for a long time but things have been busy.  We left the East Coast behind about a month ago. With rain continuously in the forecast we all agreed to head out and leave any further sight seeing attempts through the rain splattered windows behind. We were all very tired of the dreary, rainy days and the forecast wasn’t looking any better than we’d been having. We therefore didn’t tarry too long in New Brunswick, opting for only a few quick side trips before heading homeward. We left New Brunswick travelling back into Ontario on July 1 driving straight through the province of Quebec stopping only for fuel. We arrived in Cornwall, Ontario around 6:00 pm where we spent a quick over night before heading on to Buttercup Ridge in Roseneath. 

 

Janet and Dennis were of course wonderful hosts, allowing us to park once again in one of our favourite spots. Our 4 day visit passed quickly and Friday, July 6 had us heading northward again  hoping to escape the extreme heat of the area but our overnight in Sudbury at the Walmart  didn’t seem to break the heat wave. We headed toward the island Saturday morning with a quick stop in Espanola to visit cousin Karen for an hour on our way through and found the temps to be a bit more moderate. 

The muddy shores and waters of the Bay of Fundy.

We arrived back in on the Island Saturday July 7, 39 days after leaving for the east coast. It was an interesting journey with lots of sights and experiences. I personally enjoyed the Miramichi area of New Brunswick and would visit that area again. It was truly scenic and very much what I expected to see on the trip. The other areas, not so much, however that is just my own personal opinion. Perhaps it was weather related, but perhaps it was just not what I was expecting. Either way, it will not be on my bucket list again any time soon. 

 

 Since arriving back at the summer location I’ve been busy doing a number of things. Including the continued waxing of the nose cone on the Igloo, along with the rest of the Igloo as well. However the front has been getting most of the attention. With just one small portion left to do I can say the Igloo has been washed and waxed in it’s entirety. Although I am thinking of one more coat before we head out in the fall. However we shall see how that works out.  

Riley and I have also changed family doctors from Hamilton to the local area. We met with our new physician recently and have been doing the regular ‘test’ things with the new doctor, which included a trip to Sudbury for a screening. Our Doctor Maryna is  a young doctor, very blunt and up front, I like that. She’s extremely well versed in family medicine and I think we’ll be happy with her services. 

Getting caught up with family again, getting some exercise including walking and swimming, and doing a few chores around the Igloo has kept me pretty busy since our return. Construction on the Island roads make travel a pain in the butt and we haven’t been doing much of it since arriving back home. It’s hard to believe that August is upon us already and our time here is rapidly winding down with just a couple more months before we pull up stakes and head out again.

 

No rain, or at least not enough rain has multiple fire bans in place across the entire island. The smoke and haze from the Key River/French River fire has been an issue some days here in our little neighbourhood. A few days it was strong enough to cause eye irritation and coughing seemed the norm. It’s been an extremely odd weather pattern here of late with much fog rolling in and out at various times multiple times in a day instead of the usual morning only fog.

 

A number of chores and projects will be keeping my occupied for the next while and I doubt I’ll be updating my blog much while we remain here in our summer location. We will be attending to a number of things and I truly don’t believe they would be of interest to anyone.  I hope all are well and enjoying the summer!!! 

We have been having issues once again with the internet connections and have since changed our situation just in the last few days. Upon cancelling our service with Verizon it was explained that a new condition was added to the 'international' part of the contract which includes services to Mexico and Canada while travelling. All local carriers will allow only 512 mb of use before slowing the speeds of the data connection. Which means that after about an hour's use the speed is less than crawling speed. They however didn't tell us that until during the phone call to cancel our service. Interesting isn't it? 

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

 

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

Deb