Still in the Big City, Another Long Day, Ipperwash, Hospital Visit, Two Day Post

When I woke up on Tuesday, Aug. 22^nd Bill was up already and it was 6:30. He says he didn’t sleep well. From where our Suite is parked at the east end of the lot, I could see the sunrise so walked down to the fence to take my pictures. It is a beautiful morning although the humidity is high again. No complaints from me, I plan on an easy day.

Parked at the back, I could see the sunrise

When we finished our morning chug-a-lugs we got cleaned up and dressed assuming the Suite will get moved in again as soon as the techs arrive around 8. It was a hot humid 31C here yesterday (still no complaints from me, I spent most of it in a too cold air-conditioned hospital and then restaurant). The outside air felt great after that! Today is only supposed to be around 26C after lunch and possible rain so much cooler for anyone working outside.

And it rose beautifully

And it was moved soon after Clemson and I moved inside to the lounge. I turned the tv on to occupy my mind for a bit until I was awake enough to read more of my book. It is a good one. Bill busied himself around as he tends to do and at 9:30 he greeted his clients who purchased a 2014 Lacrosse travel trailer. Bill will be delivering it this afternoon to Ipperwash and Clem and I can go along for the ride.

Our Suite goes in for the first couple of repair jobs

We popped into the Suite over the lunch hour since the techs were doing the same thing. The bedroom slide cable has been replaced so job #2 is finished. There are a couple of minor fixes with paneling staples coming out (not surprising on some of the roads we’re travelling!) and a ceiling panel needs some attention. Tomorrow morning, they will do the last job, greasing the axles.

This little tractor backs it in so nicely

Our truck is also going in to Hi-Tech Auto Care for an oil change and 2 new tires in the morning. As usual, we have a trip to Costco in mind to pick up a handful of things. We should be on the road again shortly after 1 pm. We keep reminding each other, no matter what the delays, we aren’t leaving until all the work is complete. We have all the time in the world, really.

Clemson was helping me write my post on Tuesday

I couldn't understand his language so pushed his nose off my keyboard.
I think it was ZZZZ for snoring.

We heard this morning that our brother-in-law is doing as well as can be expected. Dependent on pain pills, naturally, but sitting up in the bed this morning. We have offered our sofa bed to Donna to stay tonight instead of paying for the room at the Comfort Inn another night. Depending on how she feels about leaving Gerry this afternoon, she can decide.

At 1:10 we hopped in the GMC 2500 after Bill hooked up the trailer to be delivered. We took the 402 to #21 and past a stomping grounds road to Rock Glen RV Resort. Hello George, Suzie, Gerry and Melinda! We are under cloudy skies and yet ahead of us we see the encouragement of bright sunshine. We are headed to Lake Huron and turn onto Army Camp Road and into Silver Beech Park.

We took Clem's bed and seat belt along and he settled right down, happy to be with us.

Darkening clouds followed us from London
This was taken over Arkona, Rock Glen RV Resort area

Jim, the manager, met us at the gate and gave us directions to find their site. This is a nice little park but it is tight to get into spaces. Catherine and Al were not there yet but a fellow across the way came over and between him and I and Jim, we directed Bill into the site. When we arrived it was beautiful out although we were under tree covering mostly.

Nice park, lots of trees though

Bill backed it up like a pro after some jigging
So far, still dry

Luckily, it wasn’t until after we had the Lacrosse in place with jacks on patio stones that the skies opened up. The guys still got wet while Catherine showed me through her very first trailer. 

Al, Catherine and Jim setting things up at the back
I regret not getting a picture of them standing with their new trailer

She was/is so excited with this unit and I could feel the joy of it all. It is a beautiful one. We chit chatted until the downpour calmed down, said our goodbyes and headed back home to London. We encountered some real heavy rain and strange skies on our travels.

After we left their site, it cleared again briefly but left huge puddles and mud

Glad to be back, we fed Clemson and made contact with Donna and Gerry at the hospital. We had to eat supper ourselves so went to Swiss Chalet on Wellington Rd. again. This time I had the Quarter Chicken dinner and ordered the mashed potatoes instead of fries. It came with a cob of sweet corn too and was very, very good. With full tummies we drove to the hospital and visited with Gerry while Donna went downstairs for a bite to eat.

On the 402 heading to London, crazy skies

Gerry looked good and was in great spirits, him and Bill making their own entertainment. We were happy to see him recovering so well. We said our goodbyes, I gave him a card and a Toblerone from Swiss Chalet. I figure he certainly deserved a treat after what he went through.

Here you can see the sky in front and the sky behind us

Donna and I drove behind Bill back to the Suite in CanAm’s lot so she could sleep on our sofa bed. We had a glass of wine and settled in for the night. That was it for our Tuesday.

Crazy rain to drive in

Wednesday, Aug. 23 we were up and at ‘em after 7 and Bill left with the truck for Hi-Tech at 7:30. Donna and I closed up the rv and moved inside with Clemson. We waited in the lounge until the Suite went inside the shop for the last day and we drove to the Flying “M” for breakfast. It was cool enough to leave Clem in the car with the windows open while we ate. It was a great meal and thank you Donna for picking up the tab!

Another beautiful morning

Donna dropped us off back at CanAm and then went to sit with Gerry again for the day. This was one of the longest days ever, with breakfast with my sister being the highlight. We sat on the couch for the most of it, watching tv. With the Suite having brakes checked and bearings greased, it was up on jacks and wheels off. My laptop and book were both inside, irretrievable for the whole day. I didn’t plan that very well, did I?

We went for a few little walkabouts but remained in and around the building for the whole time. It turned out that the brake pads needed replacing and one brake line so this took longer than expected. At least the work can all be done while we’re here and we will just stay put one more night. We are in no rush since we are living the retired life.

I had Donna's permission to take her picture with Clemson snuggled beside her

Bill was able to work two full days while here, so he was able to keep busy. Once they pulled the Suite outside around 4:00, we fed Clemson and drove to Costco for a few groceries. It is amazing how tiring it is to just sit around all day and I’m so glad I manage to find things to keep me moving most days. We were too lazy to even go anywhere for supper so I heated up some mushroom soup.

We liked this license plate clock at the Flying "M" diner

This blog post covers our last two days here in London and we will be pulling out in the morning as soon as possible. Donna stayed with Gerry until around 3 and then she drove home too. She texted when she got home about the long drive alone and the empty house. She will miss Gerry until he is ready to go home. 

Few trailers in the front lot on a Wednesday evening

Situated out front for easy getaway "Start the car!" (for you Barb)

Clemson is happy to be curled up in his own bed, in his own home

As for us, it will indeed be nice to be back home to our regular routine, my regular routine of doing what I like. I hope you have had some good days as well.

Waiting for the sun to make its exit but I'm too tired to wait for the finale
Good night from London

Thank you for reading along. Every day is an adventure, isn’t it? I'm just glad I was able to be here for Donna when she needed support on a tough day.

Where Are We? I Hear Traffic and See Concrete! Gerry’s Surgery, RIP Gerry Lewis

On Monday, Aug. 21^st when I woke up, I peeked out the blind and thought what the heck? Oh yah, now I remember. The good news again was the blue sky. I missed seeing the sun come up this morning, there is a building in my way.

The building that was in my way of a sunrise this morning
(the picture was taken last night)

Bill said last night that the traffic would die down by 11 and we left windows open on the east side of the Suite. I dropped off as usual with my ear plugs and never heard a peep until my first wakening at 5. Rolled over and dozed until 6:30.

We have the best puppy dog in the world

Being temporarily entertained by The Price is Right in the lounge

 Bill was up already and reported some problems jumping from one blog post to another. Just a bunch of gobbeldy gook came up so we had to type in the web addresses of the ones we wanted to read. We made our tea/coffee in transportable cups as it will be a motion-type day for us. Except for Clemson, he’ll be inside looking after the house while the techs are working.

He took turns sitting with us and greeting other clients

So, by 8 o’clock we were washed and had a bowl of cereal. We were ready to vacate at a moment’s notice if they came to get our Suite. When 9 rolled around and there was no movement to do so, I took Clemson inside the CanAm building to the lounge area to wait. Bill was bustling off already as he had an orientation scheduled for this morning. May as well work while he is here.

Love this little set up
A newer model Airstream "The Base Camp"

It was kind of a mixed-up day, as seems to happen on a busy day in this business, but we soon discovered that our Suite would be going into the bay just after lunch hour. Good! Since we had scheduled this repair back in April, we were hopeful that it would at least get looked after today or tomorrow.

this one is adorable

Especially if you pull it with this Porsche
(Psst: it is For Sale)

I spent much of the day in the lounge and it was nice to see a lot of my CanAm friends, Martin, Phil, Pat, Wendy, Nicole, Joe, Josee and Kirk, whom I haven’t seen for a long time. Bill and I went out to make a sandwich for lunch and around 1:00 they pulled our unit inside to start on the work. My sister, Donna, texted around 1:30 that Gerry was going in to surgery very soon.

this is the monitor board outside the waiting rooms

Since Bill was in the throes of an afternoon orientation he asked Phil to drive me to the hospital to sit with her for the day. We spent a long afternoon in the waiting room and watching the monitor board to know when he was moved from the operating room to the recovery room. Well, they call that now the Post Anesthetic Care unit, nothing stays the same you know.

A close up of the schedule

Recovery Room at 5:38

We waited to hear from the doctor how things went in surgery but after 2 hours of no word, pushed the limits and checked with the volunteer staff at the desk. Once she checked the patients in recovery she told us when Gerry would be moved to a room. This gave us and Donna, especially, the peace she needed and we left to walk back to her motel to pick up her car. We were starving!

Caught a glimpse of the sky as we wove our way through construction at Base Line Road

and when the opportunity arose to get a picture with this 'eye candy' group............I did

We met Bill, his daughter, Jess and her boyfriend, Matt, at Swiss Chalet for supper. They had already eaten but joined us anyway for a drink together. Donna and I had a nice meal in their company. The rotisserie beef meal was awesome! We said our goodbyes to Donna around 8:30 so she could head back up to the hospital. She was anxious to see Gerry.

Donna and I, full tummies now

Our Suite was sitting outside the bay doors in CanAm with at least one of the few jobs completed. They pulled it out so we could sleep in it tonight. Sleep in it we will, we were tired after a long busy day. We are glad that Gerry seemingly has come through the surgery without any complications and are anxious to hear what the doctor had to say.

Bill, Matt and Jess

The road to recovery will be a long one, as is typical in any surgery, so wish him all the best. I hope you have had a good day. We are glad this one has come to an end. I doubt you saw much more of the eclipse than we did and if you did, you must have done it properly. Bill had a peek at the beginning through welder’s goggles but it was so slight here in Canada I don’t think I missed much.

On a last note, R.I.P. Gerry Lewis. At 91 you led a great long life doing what you love.

Thank you for stopping by. Any comments you wish to make are appreciated.

KEEP Your Nose out of It!!

Famous last words, I know. And almost fightin' words!

August 7, 2014 All excited for our week long visit to Silver Creek RV Resort, Silver Lake, Michigan.

Once a year retreat
whether we need it or not.

Our Jayco Designer is packed up and ready to go bright and early. Check-in is 3 pm.








Double-checking my list.

Dog  

Clemson, seatbelt on, ready to go.

                 cross border list                               

• Animal fat / suet: up to 20 kg
• Baked goods, candies, etc. not containing meat: up to 20 kg
• Dairy (cheese / milk / butter): up to 20 kg, not exceeding $20 total
• Frozen or canned fruits / vegetables:  Fruits: up to 15 frozen packages or 15 cans, not exceeding 250 kg
• Vegetables: up to 20 kg of frozen or chilled vegetables

• Fresh fruits / vegetables: This is where people seem to run into the most trouble. There are some fruits and vegetables that you can technically bring across , but there are many restrictions. 

• Eggs: 2 dozen                   etc.                                                                                                                                                  bicycle     

Folding 6 speed, Love it!

                                                 
                                                                         Bill  

                                                                                                       camera and purse   

After stopping at Camping World in Grand Rapids, dropping our payment and leaving with a bunch of new goods, (it seems like a payment, always buying more than we plan) we arrive at S.C.RV R. in good time.

It’s an absolutely gorgeous day and the day is young! Our friends, Nancy and Ken have not arrived yet from Antioch, Il.

2015 set up with Jayco Designer and Ford 250 K.R.

So I settle outside in my gravity chair, face to the sun (as usual) and relax with Clemson on my lap.

Rod extender to turn knob

We bought a few things at C.W. and some needed ‘assembly’, a folding bike for Bill, like mine above and a rod extension for our exhaust fan in the kitchen area. Easy peasy so you say.

As I said, sitting, relaxing. In my birds-eye view into the trailer I see my worker bee climbing on 2 stools, one on top of the other. These are the C.W. foldable stools. Sturdy? Yes. This is an accident waiting to happen, methinks, so I move the dog, get up and go in and give said worker a talking to. “Are you trying to break your neck and leave me a widow?” Or something to that effect.

Once he explains that he had to remove the current handle on the fan and replace it with the newly purchased knob, I offer my assistance.  Reluctantly, I prop myself on my knees, hands positioned to brace the legs of the top smaller stool to the flat top corners of the base stool.

There was no video taken of this momentus event..........so please don't mind my attempt with my untalented hand at stick people, this drawing to make it all clear.

 He proceeds to step on the top stool at the same time I’m watching the stool shift and thinking “this is NOT going to work”. The thoughts hadn’t even formed fully in my head when the stool slips, Bill falls towards the sink and stairs and the stool edge very poignantly connects with the bridge of my schnoz. We couldn't have planned such precision if we had tried.

                                              I hear a crack and double up in pain. YOWSA!!

You don’t need to hear about the gory details, but I can tell you it all involved ice packs, tears then sobs, apologies (from both of us!) lots of Kleenexes. With no further delay, we were en route to the hospital in Shelby, MI.

When the bleeding subsided on the way, and the tears slowed, it only took a glance in the mirror to start me up all over again. LOL A broken nose??? Are you freaking kidding me? I’m almost 60 without a single broken bone and there ya go…………I think Bob from The Caretaker Chronicles wrote a post on saying things like that just last week.  thecaretakerchronicles.blogspot.com

                                          We are Canadians  
 and this was our first experience in an out of country hospital. (Another Bob-ism?) Let me say this slowly………they………….were…………amazing!! Small town hospital versus our big city hospital? Worth repeating...........amazing!   www.mercyhealthmuskegon.com

We walked into emerg, were taken in within 10 minutes tops, saw 5 or 6 various staff plus a doctor and within 2 hours I had x-ray results and we were on our way. No significant break, just a hairline fracture. When asked we showed our insurance cards. Our only complaint is that instead of taking the time to call right away, the nurse took our information and said she would just submit it for us. This slowed the process.

As far as me? Well, I was good to go although I now sported a crook in my nose.

Two hours after, swollen

Not quite the 'nose job' I would have chosen for myself, I'll tell you that!

So far only a wee bruise

I knew the next day would bring black eyes and bruising and I’d be a sight for sore eyes for the remainder of our stay. This was indeed true and the questioning looks were embarrassing but it didn’t ruin our vacation…..at all.

A little pampering never hurts

The fallout of this, months later, is that we are still waiting to be reimbursed for the x-ray and doctor’s bill. Maybe it was our negligence but for these short trips we do not purchase extra out of country insurance. We have Manulife coverage through our employer. Would it have gone smoother and been cleared up earlier if we had put money out for extra coverage? Who knows. Manulife www.manulife.ca is coming through for us now and that is all that matters. If this was a test, did we pass?

In 2015 before we go we will follow the same practice. We did learn that it was unnecessary to visit the hospital in this instance, they really did nothing anyway. Next time we’ll be more thorough in our examination of what is wrong before we go to emerg.

The positive? I’m happy to say that our new trailer has a remote to turn the exhaust fan on and off. Insert happy dance here. :)

I’ve also forbidden my dear sweet handy man husband from climbing on anything that is double stacked and he has forbidden me from being anywhere near him if he chooses to ignore my ever-wise words.

Glasses don’t sit on my nose properly anymore………..I thought they were just out of alignment, but no........... it’s me who is out of alignment.

A lovely dinner out before out week ended

Our week went off without anymore hitches, and we had a wonderful time with our friends. I wore sunglasses where I felt it helped stave off questioning looks and hung on tight to Bill to dispel any doubts.

yup, definitely a crook there!

Lookin' pretty rough

Ken and Nancy relaxing by the fire with a glass of wine.

Thanks for stopping in for a read and stay off the dangerous course! It's not worth it!