Thur. Apr. 29th New Hamburg

Join us as we travel North America in our Holiday Rambler Vacationer, since August 2006

      Sunny again and a lot less wind. Not much on the agenda today, which is just fine with us.

I made a chiropractor appointment in Waterloo so Suzie came along with me and we visited mother for lunch. Then I did a small repair job on her front porch while Suzie helped in the garden a bit. 

Police motorcycles

      For lunch at mother's I picked up Chinese food from around the corner and was surprised to see a total of 9 Police Traffic Control Motorcycles neatly parked in the plaza. And they were all in the restaurant enjoying lunch (no traffic violations happening in the restaurant). Kinda makes you want to hop in the car and make a few improper turns, speed down the road and maybe run a light or two.

      After mothers we fueled the car (at a bargain 92.9 cents a litre!) and took a nice country drive back to the farm. Relaxed and puttered around a bit. Then made a nice supper of BBQ'd steak, shrimp, mushrooms, baked potato, vegetables and a caesar salad. Afterwards we sat on the front porch overlooking the creek watching the cows grazing. Sure is nice to sit out in daylight and not too cold until almost 9 p.m.

cows grazing by the creek

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Wed. Apr. 28th New Hamburg

Join us as we travel North America in our Holiday Rambler Vacationer, since August. 2006

      Bright and sunny but very windy today. I took the coach to Plattsville for an oil change at 8.30 am and chatted with a few local people in town again for while. Then drove to Hickson about 20 minutes for an emission test (it passed, yeah!!) now we  can drive our house for 2 more years. Then off to New Hamburg (15 minutes) for beer and propane. Well I got the beer (whew!) but they don't sell automotive  propane in town there anymore. I was gonna forget the propane and just deal with the beer, ( I even stopped at the liquor store and contemplated a bit) but I think we might have a problem when our furnace quits during these cold nights. So another 15 minute drive to Petersburg and fill up our propane then back to the farm, top up our fresh water and set up again shortly after 2.00 pm. It was a very nice leisurely drive around the southern Ontario farm country and some local towns, except for the high winds. I'm glad we were not traveling far today.

      While I was doing this Suzie went to the dentist in Ayr for a cleaning, then to visit her mom and dad to help with some computer setup plans for the Mennonite Relief Sale in New Hamburg  the last friday and saturday in May. And she enjoyed a nice lunch with them as well.

Tonight's supper

      I saw this interesting looking recipe on a friends website (Vintners Wine Works in Woodstock Ontario) and thought it would be worth a try for supper tonight, served with rice and a salad, absolutely yummy!

      Well  we have been home now for 7 days and I was thinking about how many days before we head south again! Then I checked our friends the Amazing Vanstone's Blog and they are thinking the same. I think something addictive about Mexico, the sandy beaches, friendly people and warm weather got in our blood  maybe ?

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Tues. Apr. 27th New Hamburg

Join us as we travel North America in our Holiday Rambler Vacationer, since August. 2006

      Sunny day again and a bit of shopping in the morning, and back home for lunch. Then off to visit my daughter and 2 grandsons. The boys are 6 and 2 yrs old and quite energetic so we made lotsa noise and chatted. Then when Jay got home from work we went to for some good chicken wings and fries for supper, another craving satisfied. Its so nice to see everybody doing well and the boys growing up so fast.    

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Mon. Apr. 26th New Hamburg

Join us as we travel North America in our Holiday Rambler Vacationer, since August. 2006

      Well a nice sunny day and Suzie went for a Doctor's appointment in Kitchener for 9:00am and back to the farm. Then I took the car and ran a few errands and back for lunch. 

      We puttered around for the afternoon on a few small projects and enjoyed the afternoon sunshine, before a supper of BBQ'd garlic sausage, scalloped potatoes veggies and a salad. A nice relaxing day.  

no pics today   

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Sun. Apr. 25th

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      This morning was cool, windy and raining. We enjoyed our morning coffees and I went to Pettigrew's Garage in Plattsville to check lottery tickets and chat with a few of the local people I have not seen for a while. Nice getting caught up. 

      Back home we get together with Suzie's brother and sister-in-law, pick up Gramma (95yrs old) at her apartment and take her for a nice drive to Stratford and out for lunch, then back to her place we were joined by Suzie's mother and father. They have been putting together a of history and a few stories about people in the area for the 75th anniversary for their church, and Gramma is a charter member!

at Gramma's

      Then back to home and a nice relaxing evening watching a couple of good movies. Something we don't do much of in the warmer weather.

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Sat. Apr. 24th

Join us as we travel North America in our Holiday Rambler Vacationer, since August. 2006

      Today was cooler and mostly overcast, but no rain. Suzie was working on some family history for her family and printed it off then we dropped them off for her brother and father we proof read, we had to drive around and find what fields they were working in thou.

working the fields

Suzie talking to her father

      From here we took a nice country drive along the back roads to the St. Jacobs Farmers Market to check out the the vendors and get some fresh air. This market has evolved over the years to a major commercial enterprise from a simple Mennonite farmers market to, factory outlet malls, farm tours, tourist attractions, even a Walmart a block away. Still always a nice outing to the check out the fleamarket, meat, bakery and produce items. Then a to pick up a few groceries and back to the farm.

  

St. Jacobs Market

      Then again thru Ontario farm country the 30 minutes drive back home. Passing a small farm with Miniature Horses in the field, What a really nice sight to see them playing just like large dogs. I think maybe too big a pet for our RV.

miniature horses

      We did get back home and relaxed for a bit, and Dennis had finished planting the corn, 10 minutes before it started to rain, a good thing. After chores we enjoyed a nice supper of huge garlic shrimp (that we brought from Mexico) and rice pilaf and lettuce salad, then sit on the front porch and chat for a bit. But its quite cool so need to wear socks and a sweater. Summer soon ?  

 

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Fri. Apr. 23rd New Hamburg

Join us as we travel North America in our Holiday Rambler Vacationer, since August. 2006

      Well this morning the sun was bright and early to melt the frost off the ground and heat up the air for the rest of the day. With frost overnight it did get to about 16c (64F), comfortable in the sun. Not as warm as we would like , but then we got spoiled this past winter. Just enjoying the farm parked beside the driving shed, cows mooing, fresh air (manure), family, friends and of course Omer (the dog).    

our parking spot

      Like I said its nice to be back in Ontario, and we are proud Canadians, but we have to get back on our budget here.  Here is an example of a few items and the price differences between Canada , USA and Mexico.  Now these prices are approximate and have been adjusted to to Canadian funds at  5% exchange rate, but you get the idea.   

      One big difference is fuel, we have a 270 litre tank and fuel is 34 cents liter cheaper in Mexico is $91.80 more to fill our tank in Ontario. Beer, whiskey and wine about double the prices in Canada, (of course if you don't drink no problem). So for a quick summary we drove 14,000 kilometers last winter, we saved at least 24 cents a liter on fuel at 33 liters per 100 kms we saved $1,108.00 on fuel, not counting other savings, just so we could suffer and sit on the beach in Mexico. And explore new places.

      Now with taxes going up again this summer prices will increase. But we choose to call Canada our home and we also have one of the highest standards of living in the world and an excellent health care system. So we will continue to explore this beautiful country of ours but just drive less and explore in the warm summer months. 

      In the morning I took a drive to Waterloo to have hearing aides repaired again!!! They were returned to factory and hopefully back soon. I went and had a nice visit with my mother for the rest of the morning, then back to the farm. Here I put new plastic covered chains on the swing set in the yard, to make it safer for our grandchildren to play on. And even a few adults, like Suzie and Sandy.

Sandy, Omer and Suzie

      Then we had a nice supper of hot beef sandwich, with potatoes, veggies and salad, then a quick drive to Plattsville to check Stacey and Marks' (Sandy's Daughter), new to them home, very nice!

            

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Thurs. Apr.22nd To New Hamburg

Join us as we travel North America in our Holiday Rambler Vacationer, since August. 2006

Oh Canada!!!       We were up early again as usual, had our coffee, checked email and were on the road heading north on I-75 by 8:00am. A nice sunny day and a good drive, we always enjoy the signs and names of some to the places along the way, who thinks these names up?  Cridersville?       We drove right thru Detroit to Port Huron Michigan and crossed uneventfully thru customs back into Canada. And a nice Welcome to Ontario sign. There is 2 seasons here winter and construction, we missed winter and looks like the construction season has began! welcome to Ontario       From here we took the back roads to the farm and parked in our usual spot by about 2:30 pm. It was nice, no mud , no snow and not too cold. Then we put together a nice roast beef dinner, mashed potatoes, gravy, veggies, salad, strawberry rhubarb pie for desert with most of Suzie's family there to join us, a nice visit.       Well our southern adventures have been another success this year. We travelled thru the southern states, and our first Rv adventure into Mexico, with 2 fantastic months on the beach, meeting many people and seeing so many interesting places. Now back to Ontario for 5 months to visit our families once again, and see how much the grandkids and nieces and nephews have grown. And take care of doctors appointments etc.. so that we can get a clean bill of health for another adventure next winter. Visitor Number Notice the controls for this New Map on the left side, you can zoom into different areas of the map and see where we are or have been.

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Wed. Apr.21st Wapakoneta, OH

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Another bright and sunny day around 75f (23c) and no clouds most of the day. Our last day here so we do laundry, vacuum and dust and check everything over before we hit the road in the morning, heading back home to New Hamburg. We purchased out of province health insurance for 182 days and now that time is up, sure went pretty quick. It will be nice to see all the family especially our grandchildren again.              We were able to enjoy the sun, read for a bit in the afternoon and chat for a while with yet another couple from Galvin Bay resort in Ontario that stopped by. After this a nice supper of leftover hambuger helper, tossed salad and garlic bread w/cheese. No Pics Today        Visitor Number Notice the controls for this New Map on the left side, you can zoom into different areas of the map and see where we are or have been.

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Tues. Apr. 20th Space Museum and Airstream factory

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at Neil Armstrong Museum       A nice bright sunny day again. We decide to check out the Neil Armstrong Air and Space Museum in Wapakoneta about 3 minutes away. He was the first man to set foot on the moon July 20th 1969 and was born and lived here in Wapakoneta Ohio. Amazing I remember that day in history!  Lots of pictures, information, space shuttle mock ups, newspaper articles and a very good video in their theatre of the actual landing etc. A very interesting tour for the morning. Then home for lunch. Airstream factory       After lunch I drove to the village of Jackson Center Ohio, 20 minutes away to take a free tour of the Airstream Factory. Suzie was not interested, but I definitely was, just to see these trailers being made in their main factory. Over 70 years ago Wally Byam had a dream to develop the perfect travel trailer. Thus the birth of the Airstream trailer, with very few changes in the original design, just improvements and modern upgrades. The tour was about two hours long with a retired employee taking us thru the whole process and answering many questions from our group of about a dozen people. Truly amazing to see aluminum sheeting being formed and riveted together, the assembly of the trailer and furniture making, wiring, plumbing and testing all down on site. They produce 28 trailers a week with an average of 9 days per trailer, from 16 feet to their 36 foot toy hauler. No pictures were allowed in the factory but follow this link to a pretty good tour in itself.       Back home in time to sit in the sun and read for a while, while the farmer behind us was working his fields, (just like home) except the tractor was green! Then a nice supper of a hot chicken sandwich, potatoes and veggies. Click this for Tues. Pics. Visitor Number Notice the controls for this New Map on the left side, you can zoom into different areas of the map and see where we are or have been.

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Mon. Apr. 19th Wapakoneta, OH

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havin fun       Another nice sunny day, to putter about a, bit chat with a few neighbours and walkabout enjoying the sunshine.  nice blossoms       At 3.00pm we joined Bob and Jody for a happy hour to sit it the sun, chat and share stories for a while before they hit the road in the morning. We will see them at Galvin Bay sometime this summer.   Bob and Jody their Scooter       Following happy hour back home to heat up a huge rotisseire chicken and some leftover rice. Love these rotisserie chickens here only $4.95 and we get 2-3 meals from one.  Another great day! Visitor Number Notice the controls for this New Map on the left side, you can zoom into different areas of the map and see where we are or have been.

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Sun. Apr. 18th Wapakoneta

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Sunday and bright an sunny today, very little wind and about 64f (17c). Could wear shorts and t shirt as long as I stayed in the sun. Walkabout the park a few times chat with a neighbour and take in fresh air and scenery.  Nice peaceful creek in the park       As I walked near the edge of the pond 2 Canadian Geese spotted me and flew across the water and landed by the shore squawking and honking at me. Now I don't speak goose so had a problem understanding the honks but assumed they were telling me not to go back to Canada quite yet it's too cold. Canada Geese       Back home we puttered around a bit and did some more interior spring cleaning and research. Then a tasty supper of Hamburger Helper and a tossed salad. Followed by a nice visit from Bob and Jody the couple from Galvin Bay Resort in Ontario that I ran into yesterday at the Walmart parking lot. Visitor Number Notice the controls for this New Map on the left side, you can zoom into different areas of the map and see where we are or have been.

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Sat. Apr. 17th Wapakoneta OH.

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Mostly sunny today but cool and windy about 60f (15c). So I reluctantly put some warmer clothes on so that I could go out and play. With a nice walkabout the resort checking the sites with fresh air and exercise in the morning for a bit. Then I drove into town to check out more sites there and looking for an air freshener refill. Did not find the refill but enjoyed the drive thru town, lots of nice old mansions, a huge city hall and historic downtown shopping area. nice city hall       After lunch I puttered around a bit and began preparing pig tails and ribs for supper. As they were boiling in acidulated and spices for two hours I went to Walmart to grab a fresh Italian loaf of bread for supper. As I was leaving the parking lot I noticed a coach pull in and park. Now it looked familiar with Ontario plates on it and a motorcycle on the back. If it was not  Bob and Jody from Galvin Bay Resort in Ontario. I stopped and said hello and had a beverage with them and chatted for a bit. They were shopping and staying the night at Walmart then coming to the resort in the morning. (small world) So I headed back to finish cooking the ribs, pigtails, sauerkraut, garlic mashed potatoes, garlic bread w/cheese and mixed veggies for supper and a movie. Sat. Pics                     Visitor Number Notice the controls for this New Map on the left side, you can zoom into different areas of the map and see where we are or have been.

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Fri. Apr. 16th Wapakoneta OH.

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Well after the awesome weather we have had I guess it was time for a reality check. Today was overcast, windy, cooler and occasional periods of rain. And the forecast says even cooler before its going to get warmer.       So we roughed it today. Went to town for a few groceries, relaxed a bit, had lunch, relaxed a bit, went for a swim and hot tub in the fabulous spa, relaxed a bit, walkabout and relaxed a bit, then went to Pizza Hut for a great loaded $10.00 pizza. Then we relaxed a bit more. Maybe tomorrow if it gets cooler we may even have time to watch some tv, life is tough.     Fri. Pics Visitor Number Notice the controls for this New Map on the left side, you can zoom into different areas of the map and see where we are or have been.

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Thurs. April 15th to Wapakoneta Ohio

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ready to go "On the road again" 300 miles today       We are still inching our way back to Ontario. So after exploring Caves and such in Kentucky we head out to Wapakoneta Ohio at 7.30am.  Whats here you say? Well its the hometown of Neil Armstrong, the first person to walk on the moon. If thats not enough we have a nice resort to stay at with free wifi, indoor pool, hot tubs and sauna. For $8.00 a night, plus when we arrived at 1:30pm (2.30 pm Ohio Time) it is 88f  (32c). Think we will stay for a week.       We checked in and set up, relaxed a bit then a walkabout to visit with Andy & Rosalind from Ontario, that we met in Kentucky and chatted with Peter and Ann from Galvin Bay resort in Ontario, small world again.       Back home to cook a nice pork loin roast on the barbie for supper with applesauce and a rice pilaf. Then back over to join in their campfire and chat before they hit the road in the morning for Cambridge then Bobcaygeon Ontario. Thurs. pics Visitor Number Notice the controls for this New Map on the left side, you can zoom into different areas of the map and see where we are or have been.

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Wed. Apr.14th

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Bright and sunny very warm day again 90f (34c), not that we are complaining, its awesome!  No adventures today just hang out in the campground , mini golf , walkabout read in the shade for a while and putter around. We are on the road in the morning to Wapakoneta Ohio in the morning.           Supper tonight was a BBQ'd Cornish hen with french fries and Swiss Chalet dipping sauce. This was followed by joining our neighbours  Andy and Rosalind from Bobcaygeon Ontario at their campfire and exchanging stories. Wed. Pics. Visitor Number Notice the controls for this New Map on the left side, you can zoom into different areas of the map and see where we are or have been.

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Tues. Apr. 13th Diamond Caverns

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Diamond Caverns       Another nice morning and we think that a tour of the Diamond Caverns right here at this resort could be our adventure for the day. Across the road to the entrance we purchased our tickets and waited in the lobby about 1/2 hour for our tour begin.        We got lucky again, nobody else here so we had personal one hour guided tour of the Caverns by a college student Greg.  He was very knowledgeable pointing out the different areas, identifying all of the formations and how they were created. Even the history about how the cave was discovered by a 12 year old boy in 1859. Now you would think a cave is a cave, but we have now been to 4 so far and everyone is quite different. Diamond Caverns is a wet cave as opposed to the others that were more dry.        The temperature in all the caves is about 58f (14c) but this one was about 98% humidity and felt much warmer. Lots of water dripping down the walls and from the ceiling making this a very live, growing cave. And the state of the art lighting here really bring out the formations and colours.       After our tour back home for lunch and enjoy the sunshine, birds and  shade, a warm 85f (30c) afternoon. With a book and chat with a new neighbour from Bobcaygeon Ontario. Then a nice supper of BBQ'd pork chops, roasted potatoes and squash. Tues. Pics Visitor Number Notice the controls for this New Map on the left side, you can zoom into different areas of the map and see where we are or have been.

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Mon. Apr. 12th Corvette Museum, Bowling Green KY

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Again we are in a dry county, and the closest place to purchase some beer is 20 miles away in Bowling Green Kentucky. But as luck would have it there is the National Corvette Museum there as well and a Walmart. We had discount tickets for the museum and I was thrilled do do the tour of the 115,000 square foot facility, (not so much for Suzie thou).       We began the self guided tour with a short video of the Corvette from it's inception in 1953 right up to present day models. Many rare models, one of a kind and concept Corvettes. Developing the bodies, power trains, chassises, engineering and performance of this Truly American Sports car. This museum has over 80 Corvettes on display and mostly privately owned with information and a history on each one.       Following this we went to Wendy's for a $2.99 lunch special and in the parking lot was designated parking spots for "Corvettes only" go figure! We could have also done a factory tour across the road, but we were wearing sandals and our shoes were back home, "no open toe shoes allowed".       After here we stopped by Walmart for a few items (beer too), and Suzie got a haircut. Then we drove thru historic downtown Bowling Green , including the town square. Election time coming up and typical signs and posters everywhere. One such sign was "re-elect Peanuts Gaines for Sheriff". (Peanuts????).       After touring the city we took the scenic route along hwy 31W back home, thru peaceful farm country, to Diamond Caverns Resort and  relaxed in the shade (80f 26c) for a while with a book. Then a tasty hot beef sandwich with mashed potatoes and squash for supper. Mon. Pics Visitor Number Notice the controls for this New Map on the left side, you can zoom into different areas of the map and see where we are or have been.

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Sun. Apr. 11th Kentucky

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Nice bright and sunny again today, after a walkabout and some fresh air this morning, we took a nice drive. Thru the rolling hills and nice country side we went down the road thru Park City (a small village) then to Cave City ( a larger village) and checked out a few local flea markets. Interesting scenery, with lots of tourist attractions that were not too busy, either because it was sunday morning or early in the season.       Back home we had lunch and enjoyed the warm sun and shade in the afternoon (80f , 26c), while we puttered around a bit and some reading. Then for supper we had heated up some turkey Quesidias and a tossed salad.       Another great day with nice scenery and amazing weather. Sun. Pics. Visitor Number Notice the controls for this New Map on the left side, you can zoom into different areas of the map and see where we are or have been.

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Sat. Apr. 10th Mammoth Caves

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Natural Entrance       Once the sun came up the frost melted off the car and things warmed up. I took a drive to Cave City for some groceries this morning, then back home for a bite to eat.        After this we took the short drive to Mammoth Caves Visitor centre to check things out. The parking lot was huge and full of cars. We went into the information booth to see about taking a cave tour. The tours that we thought about taking were all booked until late in the afternoon, but we could do the self guided Discovery tour for $4.00 each. So this we did, at our own pace with lots of signs explaining things along the way about how these caves were formed millions of years ago. Evidence of people here some 4,000 years ago and the early explorations in the 1700's with tours starting in the early 1800's. There is over 365 miles of charted caves here (the  worlds longest cave system) all formed by water and some still having rivers flow thru them. Rangers along the way explained different areas and items on display, a nice interesting tour.        A couple of hours later we made our way out back to the surface. We got real lucky, because we passed large lines of people entering the caves as we left, it would have been pretty crowded. We did find out that this is a very popular place and it was also the last weekend of spring break for the school kids. So if we decide to do any more we will wait until a weekday.       Back home we sat in the sun and shade to read and chat with the campground host and a few other people who stopped by. Then a yummy supper of a roast beef, potatoes and carrots that had been brewing in the slow cooker all day. Sat. Pics. Visitor Number Notice the controls for this New Map on the left side, you can zoom into different areas of the map and see where we are or have been.

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