Buddy Cleaning, Bill Spots a Bulge, Family Departs, Final Pack-Check.

The Ridge

On Monday, July 29^th, we woke up to another hot day. No doubt about that when at 6 am it was already reaching 65F/15C. We both got up and drove into the Laundromat. This was Bill’s ‘training’ day so we did a Buddy Clean. He will be looking after the Mat on Wednesday and Friday for me while I’m off 'hi-faluting' with the girls. 😊

I don't think I showed you there little set up in yesterday's blog

He knew the basics but just wanted to go over the things that I did while he would do the floors. It didn’t take us long, 40 minutes maybe but it was an hour’s work. I found a dime and gave that to him as a tip. Don’t worry, when he works my shift, he’ll earn that money. So, we were back by 7:30 after filling Ptooties up with fuel. Now I’ll be set for my week. There will be 4 of us driving with our vehicles, coming from different directions so we share the ‘touring’. Because there are 6 of us, everywhere we go, we need 2 cars.

This morning's sky as we left for town

Patrick came to the door around 8:30 to get Molly some water in her dish and then he returned a bit later with Nate’s cereal, milk and juice so they had their breakfast in the Suite. The morning was slow and easy and Bill did a few things down in the Hangar. If it hadn’t been so windy, and the wind picked up as the hours passed, he could have taken the Timber out for another flight. He would have let Nate fly it but the wind just wasn’t conducive. Another time.

These were from last night
Patrick and Nate playing with their little plane

It was a dud so we laughed a lot

So Bill showed them how to do it

I knew Bill was getting hungry so around 10 I made him his eggs and bacon. I’m glad he has accepted that if I’m not hungry, I’d rather not eat. We cleaned up those dishes and Patrick and Chaela started the pack up. They are heading to Collingwood to a campground for 3 nights and plan to tour the Blue Mountain area. They will have a good time, all of them and possiblyget into Georgian Bay for some swimming.

Bill had fun and Nate was in awe

I made myself a B.P. coffee and went outside on the patio and watched, staying out of the way. I was impressed with how Chaela was helping and learning how to pack the trailer. Nate was back and forth, probably saying goodbye 3- or 4-times way before it was time to leave. Bill helped Patrick check the tire pressure when one looked low and it was a good thing because he/they noticed a bulge and some cracking on the tread. The tires are so small compared to our big ones but just as important!

A nice shot of our pond

They changed the tire and topped up the spare that came with the trailer. When all was set, they were very appreciative for Bill’s help and eagle eye. We said our goodbyes and I got a family picture before they left. They have an old unit so things are going to go wrong and need to be replaced. Bill gave Patrick a few tips on things to do and when to do them. This can be a fun adventure if things are looked after on a regular basis. If we were closer, I know Bill would help him out but right now, it is just advice.

It was 12:05 when they pulled out of the laneway and turned right, following their gps. I think the dark clouds that we were watching were ahead of them so they should arrive at their destination by 1:30 and get set up before any rainfall. They have confirmed that their site in the park has plenty of shade so they shouldn’t have any problem keeping cool. I’m excited for them, Patrick especially, because this is something he loves.

It was hot to be working in the heat
but it had to be done
Molly watches, just a little afraid of what was happening

We enjoyed seeing them all and I value every moment alone with my son to the nth! I don’t see him often enough. No matter who visits, there is a sense of peace when they leave. Not that we want to see them go, that is inevitable, but when it happens, we enjoy it for what it is. Aloneness. Our lifestyle is very complacent and when families visit with children, we realize how complacent we really are. We love them dearly but the void after is still a pleasant one. 😊

Nate looks after Molly while waiting

Now it was time for me to eat and I’d found a package of chicken hearts in the freezer yesterday. Hmm, good! I fried them up in butter and fully enjoyed the treat. I need to get more of those! They are hard to find packaged by themselves, usually gizzards are in the same pack and they don’t appeal to me as much. I did buy a package of calf liver yesterday at Foodland so divided that up for two meals for me, me, me.

checking the tire pressure

Thinking of the next 3 days, I changed my big bulky purse for a smaller cross-body one, easier to carry. I was sitting writing my blog and playing online Scrabble when a knock on the door surprised me. Why was Bill knocking? It was UPS with my little Avon package. He could very easily have left it in the mailbox but kindly drove up to hand deliver it. He’s a nice guy. Then I went upstairs to go over the items I’m taking to Gayle’s tomorrow.

And another little family says goodbye

That didn’t take too long but it was a good thing because of the heat upstairs. We have the a/c on down here with the door closed to the bedroom so I was quite warm by the time I finished. With a quiet afternoon ahead of us, we dozed some, read some and then watched some tv. It was much more comfortable inside than out. I walked to the end of the lane around 4 to check the mail and touched base with Patrick. They had arrived at their destination so I could relax.

The wind picked up and the sky darkened around 5:30. Donna kept me informed about the weather as we seem to get what they get, 15 minutes later. True enough, the sky opened up around 5:45 and we got a heavy rain for about 10 minutes. As the storm (high winds, thunder and rain) moved to the east, the rain remained so we had some much waited for showers into the evening until about 8 pm.

My Avon arrives

We had planned burgers and salad tonight but I changed that to Tilapia loins instead. Something I could cook inside for an easy and tasty meal. I steamed broccoli for me, cooked mixed vegetables for Bill and we were eating by 6:30. The fish was really good and a great choice for this rainy night. There was one dish each of custard left in the fridge so that topped supper off perfectly. We cleaned up dishes after watching the rest of the news and I watched our regular Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy programs. Bill went upstairs to watch a Mash episode instead. 

Here comes the rain

But thankfully, it was only wind and rain for the most part
and the wind soon let up

We were doing dishes and Bill said “this is the last night to do this together for a little while”. Aaah. We have discussed his meals for the next 3 nights and I think he might feel my absence in the evenings more this year than previous ones. for obvious reasons. He’ll keep himself busy down in the Hangar and by spending time over at the Acreage with John and Gerry. Not only the gals get together and for that I'm happy.

We had a nice supper

with custard for dessert
Gosh, I love this stuff!

This has been a good day, some time with family, some time alone and a good rainfall. I hope you also got some rain (if you need it) and had a wonderful day!

No sunset tonight so I'm sharing last night's with you

Good night y'all!

Thank you for YOUR visit! Thanks also for any comments you leave me.