Update…spring, summer and fall….

 

Our Location:

Summer Spot, near South Baymouth, Ontario 

The sounds have changed in the past few days, you can hear fall in the air. The wind sounds different, no it’s true, there is a difference between summer and fall winds. I wonder if it has something to do with the leaves and branches being less lush and more brittle. Whatever it is, it is apparent. We are hearing more of the water these days as well, more pounding on the shore now. Of course the skies are starting to show off more birds as well. The click, click of leaves falling or rushing past on the ground in the wind is also a sign. The colours are of course becoming more visible each day and the cooler morning air and less visibility as I trudge in the almost full dark up the path for coffee in the morning. Yes, all signs of the changing season from baskingly warm sun to a crisp, breezy day. The signs are unmistakable.

Spring….

to fall..only a few months.

Our time here at our summer spot has been hectic but we have enjoyed it. A change of job this spring has us less than 10 minutes to work, which is nice but it also means less visits with sister Jan. Our lives have been quite normal in every other way though.

Many birthdays and anniversaries over the past months. Dad turned 88 on Aug 10, and Richard has been gone 19 years on that very same day. Richard’s only sister Janet passed away Feb 7, 2025 in California at the age of 68 and I miss her terribly. You may recall we stayed at her farm Buttercup Ridge in Ontario many times and would visit her and Dennis in Indian Wells, California every year. The farm has since been sold and Dennis is living in Belleville now. My cousin Paul passed away Aug 15 in Grand Prairie, Alberta, at a very young 55. A new baby for nephew Jesse and wife Claudia in late July added a sister for Hali and made it 7 grandchildren for Rick and Barb.

Cukes

Beans

Tomato 

Watermelon 

Busy mornings, lazy afternoons and quiet evenings were more the norm this summer. However I did manage to get both rig and cabin hooked up with solar, a few false starts but I think most of the issues are fixed. The rough frame for a quad/storage shed from which we will remove the big tarps was interesting to build as well. Screened frames for the skirting of the rig has kept our mouse trap line empty this fall. The many small boxed gardens worked okay. So I suppose I wasn’t quite as lazy as I thought.

Deer ravaged cherry tomato plant.

We aren’t sure what chomped the watermelon.

It ate one whole but peeled two others.

Squirrels peel cherry tomatoes before eating.

Grandson Auston is now 6 and attending Grade 1. His brother Lincoln, 3, is still enjoying daycare but is quite happy to see his brother at the end of the day. It sounds like big brother is just as happy to see him. Bradey, David and the boys enjoyed a week long vacation in Alberta this summer. It sounds as if all were delighted with the time spent there. Daughter Courtney is once again back to work with on line tutoring and is delighted to be back. She has only one open space left and isn’t sure she wants to fill it yet. She is an enthusiastic lady with tons of energy and loves her job. We are hoping to see all of them for a few days later this year.

The shoreline at Jason and Leah’s.

A little longer view.

Fall is here, the ferns are showing off.

Our winter plans are now set, or mostly set, a few more details to attend to before I can say I’m finished. This winter we are doing something extremely different for us. Our winter residence will be Mexico. We will travel by train, plane and automobile. The Dogsled and Igloo will be staying behind. Cabo San Lucas is our destination in the Baja California of Mexico. We will travel by car to Sudbury, Ontario and by train from Sudbury to Toronto, Ontario and by plane from Toronto to San Jose Del Cabo, Mexico and by automobile from San Jose to Cabo San Lucas. We have rented an apartment there for the winter months and will do the whole thing by reverse in the spring.

I looked into many destinations like Portugal, Philippines, DR, Australia, New Zealand, and Bermuda to name a few. Some required a few hours of research before being ruled out and others required a few days. We settled on Cabo as it is closest to the weather of our last number of winters in California. We like the dry heat best. A new adventure for certain, one I hope goes smoothly and with few hiccups. 

Shortly before its demise….by cow.

It escaped so far…

I am not certain if I will blog this winter or not. I seem to have lost interest and the skills I once had to do it efficiently, however one never knows. Regardless, I do hope you all remain safe, healthy and happy. I hope life brings you joy and laughter and delivers to you only the very best. 

Take care, stay safe,

Deb

Home sweet home…..

 

Our Location:

Home, Tehkummah, Ontario

We left Valens Conservation Area in Flamborough, Ontario after dumping the tanks, disposing of our garbage and depositing the swipe card in the bucket, the time read 8:23 AM, Thursday morning. 

The Swing Bridge that takes us from mainland to island.

The first town as you cross over the bridge.

A few rain drops, a few sunny moments and various shades of blue in the sky had us hoping everything would stay on forecast, no rain until overnight. We did well, we stopped 3 times in our 8 hour drive. We were up the big hill, turned around, parked and level by 4:30 pm. Not bad! 

Some snow still around on the ground.

Spring flowers too.

A couple of drop ins at Dad’s but he was sleeping, he is currently battling with shingles and at 87, it is a big job. He is pretty much over the rash/blisters but the pain is still intense. I am shortly heading out the door, 6:10 AM for coffee, so will be better able to judge for myself.

Parts from this tractor….

Fixed this tractor.

It is good to be home, still some snow in places, the most I can remember in our years of camping here, although we are about a week earlier than usual. Red Gads are definitely hinting at spring, a very green tinge to the grass, even a little green in the chives and onions. On a morning walk I found a teeny, tiny morel. A definite sign of spring.

Of course the winter cut…

Still waiting for splitting and piling.

Over the next number of days we will settle in but Monday will find us off to the voting station, the mail box and the Township Office, so I see very little outside or cabin work that day. We also need to purchase a few things to get the gardens ready. The joys of returning and setting up.

Thanks for stopping by.

Until next time….

Take care, stay safe,

Deb

We are back in Ontario…

 

Our Location:

Valens Conservation Area, Flamborough, Ontario, Canada

A quick update for the folks out there wondering about us.

Day 1- April 6, 2025

We left Ogilby Road, in southeastern California, at 7:20 AM PDT,  stopping to dump the tanks at the Chevron station, our wheels officially turning toward home at 8:00 AM PDT. We rolled along easily, filling whenever we reached the half way mark, which ended up being 3 times throughout the day. Our day ended at a rest area in Fabens, Texas just east of El Paso. Which means we crossed one time zone, losing an hour of our day. We pulled off the road and 7:20 PM, MDT. Yes, 7:20; I thought it a bit odd too. We had no issues, but a long day, travelling 610 miles.

Day 2 - April 7, 2025

We had our wheels rolling from the Fabens, Tx rest area at 7 AM, MDT. A quick Dogsled repair at Van Horn, Texas and we were off once more. Our plan was the DOT Rest Area near Ranger but we somehow rolled on past. We opted at that time to make a big change of plans and continued along thru Fort Worth, Arlington, ( the only slow down occurred at the edge of this city), and Dallas, continuing to Walmart, Greenville, Texas. The end of rush hour was nothing like we expected, very little traffic and almost totally smooth sailing. We arrived at Greenville at 8:10 PM, CDT, shutting down for the evening.  Another very good day, with only a hiccup, we travelled 651 miles on this day, with another time zone change to Central Daylight Time.

Day 3 - April 8, 2025

(This was our original day of departure, with a long 9 day trek in mind, but we opted for a different plan.)

We left Greenville, Texas at 7:30 AM,CDT and motored along smoothly all day. We left Texas, crossed through Arkansas and stopped Big Dog in Missouri, at the Haiti Welcome Center, 20 miles inside the state line. Another good day, no issues. A much shorter day as we arrived at 4:00 PM, CDT, travelling only 481 miles. Green grass, lots of green leaves and flowers, along with a couple of otters in the pond. Spring has reached Missouri.

Day 4 - April 9, 2025

We left Haiti, Mo at 7:10 AM, CDT after a fabulous night’s rest, but we left in long pants and heavy sweaters. Rolling along with no issues we crossed from Missouri to Illinois to Indiana (another time zone) and finally into Ohio. We stopped at Walmart, Napoleon, Ohio at 6:30 PM EDT. It was a rainy, drizzly kind of day all day and evening too, we are happy we put new wipers on just this morning. We are back in our own time zone now. Travel was 556 miles. 

Day 5 - April 10, 2025

We left Napoleon, Ohio under rainy skies, cold temps and mittens on our hands. The time was once again 7:30 AM EDT.  We crossed the Ambassador Bridge into Ontario, Canada and were waiting in line at 9:43 AM. The scrutiny is longer, only two lines , things were at a stand still. We quickly hopped lines when a third one opened shortly after 10:00 AM. We answered questions for about 5 minutes, given our passports and we rolled off on our way shortly after. The weather is a mix of rain and snow, the air is very cold but we are excited to be back in Ontario.  We continued on to our current location, adding an extra week to our stay here, originally we were to be back on April 17, but as you have read, we changed that plan. We arrived here around 2:00 PM.  Travel today, 283 miles.

We are getting closer..

It is a very ugly travel day.

In 5 days we travelled 2581 miles, it leaves us still 400 miles from home. We will be staying here until April 24, when the wheels will roll again taking us home to our Island.

Thanks for following along. We do hope your days are filled with better things than yesterday, but that tomorrow will be even better. 

Until next time…..

Take care, stay safe,

Deb

A very windy, sleepy, dusty desert day……

 

Our Location:

BLM Ogilby Rd, Winterhaven, California 

The dust is obscuring pretty much everything here even though we have no wind advisories. We cannot see the Dunes, the Ogilby Hills or the Cargo Muchacho mountains which normally surrounds us with their magically ever changing views. The air closer to the ground  is a different hue of grey/brown that changes gradually as one raises the eye upwards to the beautiful blue sky that seems to rest atop of the wall of grey/brown. The air smells of dust, and tastes of dust if one is outside at all. In fact just looking out the window makes me think I can almost taste it anyway. The wind is relentless, seeking to make every little moveable thing on a rig squeak, whistle, groan or flap. It finds crevices that the eye can’t see, it pushes dust through the slightest hint of any opening, it blows dust past our windows much like Old Man Winter batters the snow back home in Ontario. Much like back home the bushes and trees here are leafless right now but they too add to the music, creaking and rubbing against each other and the ground. The sun high above us is a constant and we are thankful for its cheerful presence. Winter in the desert is as varied as winter in Ontario, it is never boring!

Riley and I had breakfast at Cracker Barrel 

Lots of picking going on near Yuma.

So a quick catchup, no pictures to prove what I say but you will have to take my word for it. When last I posted, friends Kim and Ken had left, they have since returned, following the arrival first of friends Deb and Tom, and new to us friends, Joan and Dave, from our home province of Ontario. Joan and Dave have just left for a week but promise to return. Deb, Tom, Riley and I have ventured to Los Algodones and once just Deb, Tom and I made the trip to Los Algodones, Riley opted out due to recovering from the dreaded Crud Cold! She is much better. No, I didn’t leave her here all by herself while I was away, Joan and Dave were parked across the yard on the off chance she needed something, which she didn’t.

This would be Ken and Kim returning to the yard.

Sunset Jan 25.

Calls to dad nightly keeps me informed of all the goings on up there. Snow, wind, snow, wind, 5 minutes of what they think might be sunshine, but as yet no confirmation on that, followed by snow and wind. I think you must be getting the idea by now, it’s definitely winter in Northern Ontario. Chats with my sister, both her and her other half have the Crud Cold as well. It seems to be everywhere.  Brother Rick and SIL Barb are doing well, and keeping busy.

Can you see the 3 aircraft?

The Ocotillos have a smidge of green.

A few things of note:

Belated birthday wishes to Robert, celebrated on the 7th. I have no doubt you had a great day.

Birthday wishes to Hudson, as today is the actual day, but the party was this past Saturday! I know everyone had a grand time skating, sledding, roasting things over the pit bonfire and the afternoon festivities were followed by a huge spaghetti dinner! Happy Birthday Buddy!

Condolences to Lori, Tim, Steve and Paul on the passing of their sister Audrey just two days ago. Audrey and I were pretty close for a some years but sadly we drifted apart as the years passed. Her smile and laughter were infectious, a huge heart and wicked sense of humour will forever be my memories of her. Taken too soon at 62 years of age. RIP Cuz!

A festive courtyard in Los Algodones.

Two casserole dishes I purchased.

I have chatted with SIL Janet here in California, and due to her health it appears we may not get to visit this winter. We had trouble contacting her due to the theft of her phone while on the way to a doctors appointment. We have managed to connect via round about methods. It is amazing how crippled our communication gets when we no longer actually know the phone numbers of those important people we need to contact. 

A fountain in the courtyard near the dentist office.

Looking the opposite way as the fountain.

So I suppose that is enough catching up for today. I must apologize to all of you but I am truly struggling to read, write and comment on blogs. I just can’t seem to get back into that groove. In fact I take very few photos anymore. I just don’t seem to have any interest. I anticipate very few posts from me in the future.

Take care, stay safe,

Deb

We are still here……

 

Our Location:

BLM Ogilby Road, Winterhaven, California 

Happy New Year, better late than never! It’s pretty quiet here, our friends Kim and Ken have left for a while, and so there is not much happening.

Dust in the air Jan 6, 2025

The winds have been relentless but today seems to have ushered in a number of days forecasted with almost no wind. If you were looking our way about 5 am this morning you may have noticed me doing a happy dance! Today’s walk was not dust filled, a huge bonus!

Riley and I have been just hanging out, a few errands, a little shopping, and just living. After our busy summer we are enjoying the down time.

Jan 7, 2025

Thanks to Ken for fixing our back jacks, we do appreciate it so very much. Now I can probably figure it out if it happens again. We are seriously thinking of replacing the electric ones with manual ones this summer. We shall see how things go!

A couple of birthdays to note:

Happy Birthday Jason! (Jan 2)A wonderful young man, great father, husband, son brother and nephew. Enjoy your adventure!

Happy birthday cousin Sheila. (Jan 7) Your smile is infectious, your laughter catching. I have no doubt you had a fabulous day!

Happy Birthday Amber (Jan 9). Your artistic talents always amaze me, you are certainly your mother’s daughter ! I hope the day was a good one.

Happy Birthday Janet! (Jan 14). We miss you and look forward to seeing you soon! 

Happy Birthday Ian! (Jan 16). You are often in my thoughts, I miss your wit, charms and laughter!

Happy Birthday Matt. (Jan 17). My former SIL, I hope all is well with you.

Happy Birthday Craig. (Jan 20). Hey Cousin, I hope you have a fantastic day!

Happy Birthday Courtney! (Jan 22) My oldest daughter. A bright, bubbly, energetic lady that leaves me breathless, smiling and trying to keep up. I love you so much! I hope you have a fabulous day!

Happy Birthday Riley! (Jan 28) I love so much and can’t imagine these adventures without you!

Happy Birthday Bob and Ruth. (Jan 29) Siblings, oldest and youngest. It is sad that we drift apart but you are often in my memories.

Happy Birthday Sally. (Jan 29). My grandfather’s half sister. I hope you have a wonderful day!

On a more somber note, our condolences to the Anstice Family in the passing of Justeen. She was a fantastic lady, we will miss her.(Jan 12) 

Condolences to the Sagle Family in the passing of their mother Elnora. A sweet kind lady, she will be missed.

Jan 16, 2025 sunset.

Today’s pics are just some I have been collecting of sunsets here in our little part of the world. 

Thanks for stopping by. 

Until next time…

Take care, stay safe,

Deb