April 2009

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Thurs. Apr. 30th
Warm sunny morning at Pettigrew's Garage in Plattsville. They worked on finishing up our coach while Suzie went to help her father with a spread sheet he does for the Mennonite Relief Sale. The work on our coach was completed at noon and I went to her parents place to pick up her and the car, had some great potato soup for lunch and headed off to Rock Glen Resort in Arkona. It rained most of the way there and the remainder of the afternoon. We set up and had a nice supper of garlic sausage and noodles, then went to the clubhouse for a visit with all the dart players from the park. A nice welcome back.
Wed. Pics

Wed.Apr.29th
The weather today about the same with strong cold east wind. Suzie had a doctor's appointment in Kitchener at 9:00am so I hung out at the garage and chatted with quite few more people. She returned at 10.00am and we went to the farm where our friends Steve and Barb (camping at Bronte Creek) had dropped in for a visit. We chatted for a while and got caught up, had a nice lunch, then I followed them back to Oakville to borrow some carbide drill bits, to help in the repair of our coach. With the help of these bits the repair will now be completed and we should be on our way soon.
I picked up Suzie at the farm and we went to her parents for a nice supper of ham, chicken, mashed, veggies, salad and desert. And the company of her brother, sister, niece, nephew and their spouses.

Tues. Apr.28th
The weather cooled down 10c (50f) and it rained most of the morning. We chatted with a few people in town at the Garage, then took Suzie to the farm. From here I went to Waterloo and had a morning coffee with mother, then to bottle our wine at the Brew House. I stopped by the garage on the way back to check progress, and a few unexpected problems have arrisen. So off to the farm and a nice roast pork dinner with rice and salad.

Mon. Apr. 27th
Nice warm sunny day 25c (80f). We took our coach to Pettigrew's Garage in Plattsville to have some repairs done, hooked up to electricity and parked for a few days. Suzie picked me up at noon and we were invited to take at look at our old house that we had sold 3 years ago. This young couple have done a lot of work with new hardwood and ceramic tile flooring, repainting and leveling the floors, looks real nice and still have plans for more upgrades. I went to chiropractor and hearing specialist, back to the farm for supper, BBQ steaks, mashed and caesar salad) then home to our coach in Plattsville for the night.

Sun. Apr. 26th
Sunny and warm today after yesterdays storm. Not much happening, (for a change) we relaxed today and picked up lots of fallen branches from the lawns. Remnants of the high winds. A nice lunch to day at Jolene's and then a light snack for supper.

Sat. Apr. 25th
Warmer day today up to 28c (82). Chris and I loaded my stored woodworking tools in our coach and we left there about 10:00am. A nice drive along the 401 thru Toronto. We stopped at Milton to fuel up and have lunch. From here west to Ayr Ontario where we filled our propane tank then on to Jessica's place in Drumbo where we dropped off the tools and visited with them and the boys for a bit. Then off to the farm for a few days. We parked and set up here then into New Hamburg for a craft show. This is when the weather changed drastically with major winds, very heavy rain, lightning, tornado watches and a temperature drop for 82f to 58f in 1 hour !! Back at the farm we had a delicious supper of lasagna and salad.
Fri Pics

Fri. Apr. 24th
Bright sunny and warm today, awesome! We are leaving my sister's today just as the weather is getting nice and headed south to Whitby for the FREE Town RV dump. Then we stopped by my brother Chris' work to say hi, visit a couple friends, then park on the street and wait for Chris and Sheri to get home, Chatting with their neighbours for quite while. We then had some yummy Mary Browns Chicken for supper and got caught up on each others lives. A real nice visit, just too short.

Thurs. Apr. 23rd
The weather is getting nicer, less wind a bit more sunshine. We have a nice view here across the lake very peaceful. We puttered around a bit and investigated my Louise's new (to her) Roadtrek (the motorhome that thinks its a van). It is in very good shape and has been well looked after, I am sure they will enjoy it this summer doing some sightseeing and traveling about. Supper tonight was delicious chicken tacos and salad.

Wed. Apr. 22nd
Nice sunrise and rainbow this morning. But still cold and windy, this weekend is supposed to be nicer. We puttered around a bit finished,the painting and sorted thru some old pictures, next thing we knew its time to cook supper. Yummy again , porkchops, baked potato and salads. Another nice day hanging out with my sister and her husband.
Wed. Pics

Tues. Apr. 21st
Overcast this morning and still cooler than we like it. My sister came out to her driveway and visited us for a while in the morning, then we had lunch and painted some trim work around the new doors she had installed. Later we had chicken wings and salad for supper then relaxed by a nice warm fire.

Mon. Apr. 20th
We left Aurora at 10.30 am and drove to my sister's place in Little Britain on Lake Scugog arriving about 11:40 am. Lotsa parking and a nice view of the Lake. Another cold wet rainy day, our coach is filthy again ( just washed it a week ago). I only washed it 2 times all winter when down south, mostly just to get the dust off . We had a nice day visiting then Salmon with rice and a salad for supper.

Sun. Apr. 19th
A good nights sleep and the boys slept in, must have tired them out yesterday. We went to watch the swimming lesson at 10:30 am. Back home we have a bite for lunch, then drive to the health food store returning to take take the boys for a walk around the block and return to find my son Ken and mystery woman Jane had arrived. We all had a very nice visit, awesome supper of ham, mashed potatoes, asparagus , a yummy salad and rum cake from the Cayman Islands. (p.s.: if you notice any mistakes please let me know!!)
Sun. Pics

Sat. Apr.18th
This morning we checked email and chatted with a few people in town and were on the road about 9.30am. Off to visit with my daughter Kim and Brian and 2 more grandsons north of Toronto, (our coach just fits in their driveway.) These guys are 2 & 4 years old and kept us pretty busy showing us things, bike riding and going to the park, followed by a delicious supper of souvlaki, rice and veggies, then bedtime stories. Nice to see them all after 6 months away.

Fri. Apr. 17th
Lovely warm day 20c (70f) , took our coach to Pettigrews Garage in Plattsville for an oil change at 9.00am, and hung out there for a while and chatted with lotsa people. Suzie met me at noon , we had lunch and visited with my daughter and grandsons for the afternoon.(really nice to see them again after 6 months away!!) We had a lovely supper then they had a short visit with us in our Coach parked at Pettigrews for the night. ( Thanks Muriel and Don!) After that we visited with old neighbours Dave and Cindy and friends for a while, then we returned home for a good night's sleep.

Thurs. Apr. 16th
Another nice day warmer still about 16c( 62f) . We left and drove to Ayr for Suzie's dentist appointment at 10.00am. Then to Kitchener for a 12.00 appointment, a quick lunch at the Metro Restaurant for their famous Schnitzel, then off to Waterloo for Suzie's doctor appointment and finally back to the farm about 5.pm, still in time to sit outside and enjoy the sunshine and warm weather.

Wed. Apr.15th
Sunny, warmer and less wind today. I took a drive into Waterloo to pick up a few things then stopped by mothers for a coffee and chat a bit. Then back to the farm the weather is almost perfect to wash our coach. So I finally get all the mud off and it looks nice and shiny again. For supper I made BBQ'd pigtails& ribs, with sauerkraut, rice and veggies, my craving now satisfied.

Tues. Apr. 14th
Took a drive to Cambridge, to pick up a few things and dropped by the shop where I used to work and had a nice visit with a few of the guys. Then Suzie went to Stratford for some geneology research. Still too cold with a very strong east wind, (glad we are not driving in it) to wash our coach. Back home we had an early supper of roast beef, mashed potatoes, gravy, veggies and salad.

Mon. Apr.13th
We had a good nights sleep and up early. Went to Plattsville and chatted a bit at the garage to make arrangements for service on our coach. Then the short drive to New Hamburg to pick up a few groceries and back to the farm. I was able to raise our coach and put boards under the tires that sunk in the mud so will be able get unstuck. It was still cool with an east wind, still a little chilly to wash our coach, hopefully soon. For supper I made a shepherd's pie with chicken & turkey, cooked carrots, salad and garlic sausage, yummy.

Sun. Apr.12th
Easter Sunday
Bright sunny Easter sunday a perfect day about 10c (50f). At noon we went into Kitchener for Dinner with Suzie's family at Delores & Earlus's place. About 25 of us there spread throughout the house. We had a great meal of ham, scalloped potatoes, sweet potatoes, squash, salads, all the trimmings and a huge selection of deserts. It was really nice to see everyone again and do a bit of catching up, especially after being down south for the last 6 months.
Sun. Pics

Sat. Apr. 11th
Sunny day again about 6c (44f) and alight wind. I went to Plattsville in the morning and ran into at least 10 people I have not seen for quite a while, ( small town), Chatted for a bit, did a bit if shopping in New Hamburg then back to the farm. We did some raking in the yard for a while then drove to the Bright community centre for an open house for a friend Jules (Gord) Jackson. His 70th birthday. We again saw many people there that we have not seen for a while and enjoyed the afternoon. Back home for supper we had smoked chops and rice for dinner. Just the 2 of us everybody else busy.
Sat. Pic

Fri. Apr. 10th
Good Friday
Sunny and warmer today, we checked email and walked about a bit. Then stopped by the neighbour Harold where they were making pork sausage. There was Harold, Elmer, Dennis, Mark, and a few others trimming the pork,grinding it up, spicing it then stuffing the casings, and linking some for smaller BBQ portions. Also a huge pot boiling ,making head cheese. Then its packaged and frozen. I have not done this for about 24 years since myself and Doug used to do it in our back yard in Plattsville. This way you know exactly what is in your sausage and can spice it just the way you like, awesome!
From here we went to my mother's house in Waterloo for lunch with her, my brother Chris and sister Louise and our spouses, also an old family friend was there, Charley Brown. We all had a nice visit and chatted for a while after lunch.
Back to the farm, relax for a bit then out with Dennis & Sandy and a bunch of friends for a bite to celebrate their 28th wedding anniversary.
Fri. Pics

Thurs. Apr. 9th
A little warmer again today and sunny. They graded the country roads to fill in some of the potholes so made driving a a lot easier.
I had a hearing test in Kitchener at 8.00 am, then stopped by for a nice visit with mother for a while, picked up a few things, then back to the farm, putter around a bit check email and went thru our snail mail, ( six months worth). Then went to New Hamburg with Dennis and Sandy for chicken wings.

Wed. Apr. 8th
Sunny and not as cold , a bit windy. Ran a few errands today made some phone calls and had a nice roast chicken supper with with Suzie's mom, dad,Greg, Shelly, Dennis and Sandy.

Tues. Apr.7
237 miles today
We left this morning at 8.10am no wind and no snow. There had been snow in some areas that we passed but did not affect us. Until just before the border at Port Huron some snow squalls made visibility difficult, but now accumulation. Customs was a short wait and the sun came out bright and clear, then areas of more snow squalls! While freezing at the pumps fueling up at the Flying J in London a fellow Rv'er commented, "looks like came home a bit early" for sure I said. We grabbed a slice of Pizza for lunch and decided that we could get into the farm. We arrived at 2.00pm and got set up in the cold and snow bbbbrrrrr....( miss Arizona already!) I went to New Hamburg for a few things then we had a nice supper of sausage,sauerkraut, scalloped potatoes, veggies, salad and fresh fruit. Back in Ontario again until the fall.
Tues. Pics

Mon. Apr.6th
188 Miles today
Another good night's sleep and most of the snow was gone when we woke up. At least not on the roads. We checked the weather reports and waited until 8.30 before pulling out. The first 2hours of driving north there was a very strong crosswind then we headed east with the wind at our backs so made the rest of the driving quite nice, passing a few areas with quite a bit a snow accumulation.
We arrived at the Flying J in Lansing Michigan at 12.30 (now 1.30pm Eastern time) fueled up and parked for the day. Suzie called her 5th cousin Elaine and she and her husband Bob came out to visit with us in our coach, went into the restaurant for dinner, then chatted some more, a very enjoyable visit. Very cold and windy out there possiblity of snow.

Sun. Apr. 5th
293 miles today
We had a good nights sleep at St. Louis, and were up by 6.30am, it was very cloudy and the weather forecast was calling for cooler weather and possible snow showers in the afternoon so we were on the road at 7.30am. The driving was good, a bit of light rain and no wind until about 11.00am. We drove about 1-1/2 hours with a strong cross wind then it subsided. Arriving at the Flying J, Lake Station Indiana just east of Chicago at 1.30pm, fueled up our coach and parked just in time, it became real cold about 38f (3c) and started raining. Think we will spend the night here and see how the weather turns out. After supper it began to snow and about 9.30 lost our satellite tv due to snow on the dish, bedtime anyway.

Sat. Apr. 4th
270 miles today
We left Branson at 9.30 am and a few last pictures of the main drag andthe amazing rolling hills in the Branson area. We travelled I-44 to St Louis, and arrived at the Flying J in Pontoon Beach Illinois at.3.00pm. We crossed the Mississippi River here and saw a tug boats pushing many huge barges up the river quite a site to see. It was a bright sunny day but quite windy. Here we fueled up checked email, make supper ( ham steak and scalloped potatoes) then watch tv for a while before turning in. Internet not working too well here, very slow.......
Sat Pics

Fri. Apr. 3rd
Bright sunny day today 76f (23c) had coffee and went to the 10.00am morning show by Doug Gabriel at the Jim Stafford Theatre His first show of the season and we got the tickets for only $8.00 each, (reg $28.00). We had good seats again 12th row centre. They have been doing the morning show here for 16 years and do a great job with good singing and comedy skits including his wife, 2 sons, 22 & 17 and their 12 year old daughter . Very enjoyable. He even played a couple of songs on his world famous Mufftar, a guitar made for him by his father from a 1969 Ford Thunderbird muffler.Back home early afternoon we relaxed in the hot sun and read. BBQ'd chicken thighs rice pilaf and garlic bread for supper. Thinking about getting on the road in the morning and try to beat some of the cool weather coming in.
Fri. pics

Thurs. Apr. 2nd
Today cool, rainy and overcast all day. We decided a good day for lunch at Red Lobster across the street, (Much cheaper than supper) Then we went to pick up tickets for The Doug Gabriel morning show for fri. at 10.00am at the Jim Stafford Theatre,(Reg,$28.00 special only $8.00 for 3 days). Across the road from here is the Hughes American Family Theatre were our 2.00pm show of SIX (check the link) is playing. We went in and got our seats 12th row centre, (we have not had bad seats yet). Again we were mesmerized with another amazing show. These are six real brothers from the same 2 parents and singing in pure harmonies and all the sound comes from their mouths, percussion, instruments and harmonies. Their is no band and no instruments truly and a great show. 2 hours of Frankie Valie and the 4 Seasons, Beach Boys, Elvis, a lot of familiar songs and a some Gospel,some good interaction with the audience and comedy stints. Every one of the brothers sang some songs and solos and vocalized some kind of musical instrument. On the way back home only 2 blocks away is our campground on 340 acres with 550 campsites, we spot a bunch of what looks like wild turkeys wandering beside the road in our resort. Arriving home we about supper, maybe just a snack (Fresh Strawberries and angel food cake sounds good). Really too bad that there is no picture taking during the shows , it would be nice, but distracting for other people.
After supper the couple from Bright, Jim & Mildred Evans invited us over for bit, we chatted for quite a while comparing travel tips and all the same people we know, small world.
Thurs. Pics

Wed. April 1st.
Happy April Fool's Day
A nice sunny day but a bit of a breeze about 70f (18c). Enjoying the nice weather, a bit of grocery shopping and clean the car on the inside and putter about for while. We did a bit a computing and picked up some tickets for a couple more shows which I will tell you about after we have seen them. I was looking at some old pictures that we took when we visited Branson in June of 2004 and will post them today. We stopped here for 2 nights on our way to an RV Rally in Hutchison Kansas. Back then we took in a 70's show, Ride the Ducks amphibious sightseeing tour, a Country Tonite Show and a Dinner Theatre on the Branson Bell showboat. All was good then and enjoyable, but we do not need to do that again as there is so many other things to see and we have more time and less money now.
For supper tonight BBQ some country style ribs, sauerkraut and french fries .
2004 Pics