Around the House Day, Dip in the Pools, Jell-O in Action, Happy Hour

Bill and Clemson woke up at 5 to meet nature’s call on Tuesday, Nov. 20^th. I heard them and then dropped right back off into a very deep dream state for an hour and a half. They were both still in bed when I woke around 6:30 and Clemson was on top of the covers, smack dab in the middle of the bed. Obvious that it was a perfect night for sleeping with no heat necessary. We like that.

So, we got up around 6:45 and had our morning brew. I realized that I didn’t finish my blog post for yesterday so instead of walking, worked away at that. Around 9 we walked over to visit Rob and Pat to discuss the winter. We had some hiccups in our original travel plans regarding the park we want to go to next. Because some of our AOR and Coast to Coast membership parks are under the CRA (Colorado River Adventures) umbrella, there are rules.

This is the kind of day I wanted for a dip in the pool

We knew we couldn’t move from one AOR to another after 14 days without being out of the system for 7 days. No problem. What we didn’t realize was that you can only stay in a CRA park under either AOR OR Coast to Coast and the first stay of the calendar year determines which you can utilize for the remainder of that year. So, for eg., Bill and I stayed at Yuma Lakes in January 2018 under AOR (Adventure Outdoor Resorts). That meant we could only stay in any other CRA parks for the rest of the year under AOR.

We’d booked to go from this (CRA) AOR park to a (CRA) park under Coast to Coast. They called yesterday and informed us that we could not do that. So! Jell-O jiggled. We also could not go directly from here to there under AOR without having 7 days grace out of the system. Hmm. Jell-O was making waves at this point. We called Rob and Pat after receiving this call so they were on board with the issue as well and could think about options too.

This morning, things are settled, we now have new plans for the next 2 months and that is a-o-k by all of us. I made Bill and I some bacon and eggs with crescent rolls for breakfast and after dishes Bill moved outside to do some ‘truck’ things including vacuuming it out. I showered, wiped cupboards down and then shook and replaced mats after he vacuumed inside. The Suite was looking better and we had the afternoon for our pleasure.

and that is what I did

The temperature is already at 72F/23C at noon hour. Even though windy, it is warm. Just gorgeous! After their lunch, Pat and I went for a walk around the park. It is nice for me to have someone to walk with when Bill is busy or just doesn’t feel like walking. I don’t ‘need’ company but I rather enjoy it sometimes and I think Pat likes the opportunity too to get some walking in. When we returned, I changed into my swimsuit and walked up to the pool.

No one around, not surprising with the wind but it didn’t deter me. I placed a lounge chair at the east corner facing the southwest sky with the wind at my back. I slipped easily into the warm water. Yes, it probably felt cooler because of the strong winds but it really wasn’t. If you kept under the water, it was very refreshing. I swam around for 10 minutes, kicking myself that I didn’t bring my pool noodle (next time), and then stretched out on the chair with my book. The sun felt wonderful.

Rob and Bill walk up to the front office
to secure our added 5 days

It was probably about an hour and a half before I saw Bill and Rob walk up the road to the office. They were paying for our extra 5 nights and when I saw them walk back, I got dressed and followed them home. It was Happy Hour, after all! We invited them indoors and we shared some fudge and cheese with our drinks. Our sites are in shade in the later afternoon and we didn't want to have to put extra clothes on to sit outside. When they left at 5, Bill lit the Weber to grill the chicken thighs.

I prepped our garden salad inside while Bill cooked. I could smell the chicken through the open window and realized that our snack this afternoon didn’t ruin my supper. I was hungry! Bill tapped on the window to tell me that the Gambel Quail were making their way up and over the hill behind us. We’d just been talking about them, how we hadn’t seen them for a couple of days. Rob, Pat and Bill were outside watching them and following their path.

It was a nice supper, the chicken was perfectly done

This is our busy night for tv so Bill set up the programs, that we wouldn’t be able to watch, to record on our PVR. They start at 6 MT and 8 EST so we shouldn’t miss any this week. I had 4 more crescent rolls from the Pillsbury pack so cooked those to have with supper. They are always a nice treat as we don’t have them often. Supper turned out great. We cleaned dishes up and without waiting, decided to have our ice cream right away. Hmm, better add it to the grocery list. I actually prefer the White chocolate raspberry swirl to the Rocky road.

I missed the sunset but this made up for it as I looked to the southeast

I’ve enjoyed this day. It has been a day to get things done around the place including some walks, some cleaning, some reading and spending time with friends. I am especially pleased that I was able to get to the pool for the first time. You all know that I’m a sun worshipper so with some sun screen on hand I should be able to get a lot of use out of the pool over the next 10 days. The hot tub is great too.

Goodnight

Thank you for stopping in today. I do love to hear from you if you wish to leave a comment.

Good Morning Mr. Fog. Bus Delays? Turbines and Mail

The fog was as thick as pea soup when we woke up on Tuesday, Oct. 10^th. We got up after 7 and it was so thick that it felt like rain when I stepped out to snap a picture. You can’t see through it, so it must be black, Daddy. The temperature was hovering around 12C outside and 15C inside so we took the damp feeling out with our Blue Flame heater for an hour.

There is a house across the pond......good luck seeing either one!

With the fog out there this morning, I’m sure the school buses will be delayed. We can barely see the house next door at 9 o’clock. After reading blogs and having our first cuppa java, Bill called our London mechanic, Hi-Tech Auto Care, for an oil change on our car. We’ve planned another jaunt to London to tie up a few things before heading out. Oil change, Costco, Value Village and a stop at our former Union office.

This is only part of the pile we removed from the storage under the bed

The before picture, packed full

Watching the sky clear out, we never did see the bus go by. Don’t tell me they cancelled them for the day? Nah, we must have just missed them. Today’s first job was sorting out the under-bed stuff. We knew we had some winter accessories under there and I have a few purses/hand bags that don’t need to ride with us all winter. I’m not ready to part with them …. Yet.

We pulled a lot of things out of there, Christmas wrapping paper, bags and trimmings for gifts, scarves, mitts and hats. We don’t use the wrapping stuff now since we, thankfully, don’t buy for our children or grandchildren anymore. Heck, we don’t even buy for each other and that was actually refreshing last Christmas. Our lifestyle is our gift to each other and if we choose to buy a surprise for each other, we can do it anytime.

After, lots of empty space

 There was quite a pile, essentially a few pounds of weight that we removed from the Suite and put into the bunky. We aren’t ready to think of the stuff we’d need to get rid of if we didn’t have the storage up here on the Ridge. That day will come, probably sooner than we want, so in our heads we are tucking that list away. I made up an omelette for breakfast and we cleaned up the dishes from that. 

Bill suggested we get cleaned up a bit and go into Priceville to set up the mail forwarding. We have it forwarded to my sisters in Hanover. Cha-ching, that is another big expense but still cheaper than holding it for us and much more practical. At least with it being family, if there is something questionable in the mail she can advise us and open it for us if we need her to. It is a definite bonus to have this service, therefore justifying the cost.

On our way back from town, we noticed more service workers for the turbines pulling into site locations. We stopped at the lane back to ‘our’ closest wind machine. Bill wanted to know if they knew that 2 beacon lights have not been working all summer and was just about to call when the truck pulled into the open gate. The driver said they were not aware but would certainly check it out on his evening rounds. Nice fellow. 

“Awesome!” he said a few times about us informing him so you can guess his age.

Chatting with the young Mr. Turbine

Back home, I did a thorough sweeping through the Suite, even the carpets. Yes, the broom I have works wonders on those too, at least until we get the vacuum out next. The floors were really dirty! Bill went out to his planes trailer and started removing batteries and giving them a good charge. We take them with us so he can keep them charged over the winter. No more flying this year, sadly. Hopefully next summer will be a more typical Ontario summer and he’ll get more flying in.

While working in the closet, I brought down a couple of pairs of pants that need minor stitching so will get those out of the way too. I can do them without getting out my machine. See? I could probably do a quilt, Shirley! Ha ha. Not sure what kind of day we are getting here. It feels like it could get warmer but it is now sitting at 16C under the wispy clouds and feels cool. I know we are darn lucky for what we’ve had in October so far so I won’t complain.

Clemson and I get the mail

 Most of my outside work is done, Bill and I went through the remaining list of things and it is quite minimal and we can do it after this weekend. Did I tell you what this weekend entails? It is a bit of a change for us, me especially. I haven’t been away from the Suite much all summer. I can think of 4 nights off the top of my head, so it is a big change for me, really.

We are both working the Toronto RV Show! I used to do these with Bill helping out CanAm for a couple of years before we bought the Mobile Suite. Since our lifestyle changed and we moved, we are only home to work one in October. Last year, we didn't have anyone to leave Clemson with so I stayed here with him while Bill went for the whole weekend. We ate our dinners and slept in Hanover and came here during the day.

Wispy clouds

This year, Pat and Rob have offered to puppy sit for us both so I can go as well. I’m not worried about Clem, I just have a concern that he might upset their regular routines too much. He will definitely show them who is boss! Anyway, it will be a nice break and I will enjoy seeing and working with the CanAm staff again. The hotel stay will be a treat (but I have to pack a bag!) and being treated to dinner out is always a bonus.

My phone caught this fellow walking

Bill caught him in a sitting position with his zoom

We puttered around the rest of the day, I got my pants finished and did another sweep killing flies in here. Bill is keeping an eye on the weather over the next two weeks, especially in the areas we were thinking of travelling when we leave here. It can all change but if they are getting cold and snow now, chances are we will turn left and go further south. No one knows but Mother Nature and God so we trust that it will all work out.

Two workers on this one

I went outside after a while and moved a chair around to the southern side of the Suite. The sun was warm as it shone through the wispy clouds but when the clouds moved out of the way, it was downright hot. Just the way I like it! Sitting around here was also putting me in plain view of our noisy turbine and I knew they would be working on it again today.

So, I read more of my book, Split Second, sitting in the sun while Bill finished up with his planes. Soon he joined me and it wasn’t long before I noticed that someone was walking across the top of the hub. Bill hurried into the Suite to get his camera with the zoom lens and snapped some pretty good shots. One of the turbines further away was also stopped and Bill noticed two workers on the outside. Not on your life!

With my phone camera, this is what I could see

When the clouds moved back over the sun, the air felt cool so we came inside. Bill turned the tv on and I moved upstairs with my book. Supper was simple so there wasn’t much prep necessary. We were having leftover chili from the other night. I had a can of Compliments crescent rolls so made those up and baked them in the oven. It was yummy as chili usually is on the second and third days. There is just enough left for one more meal for a rainy night.

After dishes, I snapped a picture of what was anything but an exciting sunset but it is what it is. Tonight, being Tuesday night, is jam-packed with our favourite shows so we settled in for the evening. It all started at 8 pm and ended at 10 for me with 2 shows recorded for another evening. We still have Monday night’s shows on PVR. 

This has been a pleasant quiet day and I managed to finish another book. Yay!  It would be great if yours was just as quiet.

Good night all

Thanks for the pop in today. I’d love to hear what you have to say.