Goodbye Goose Family!

It is funny what you get used to. I got used to walking the park, usually on a daily basis. No one was pushing me to make it happen or judging me if I didn't make my rounds. Well, perhaps Clemson judged from his perch on the couch or up on the bed. He enjoyed his walks.

I do, however, get encouragement from afar. My sister, Donna, lives in Hanover and we are great supporters for each other. We text, often, and lately it has been either 'mid-walk' or after our walk when we are settling in for our first coffee of the morning. It has helped me a lot to get off my butt and move, in the silence and peacefulness of the early morning hours. Usually by 7:30 at the latest I am back to our rv with coffee or tea in hand along with a book, my texting tool beside me and my fitbit registering my first mile of the day. It feels good and because I know that, I am my own worst enemy when I get lazy and don't get out there. 

I was able to see the geese one more time this morning, all 'growed up'. Goodbye!

Loved watching these guys

all grown up

Learning to swim

The walk in the park is not quite long enough to get 30 minutes in, which is all I expect of myself in a day although it is usually more by bed time. I can walk every road in the park once in 25 minutes, depending on my pace. I used to huff it and get my heart rate up but now I walk a little more leisurely and concentrate on tummy muscles (I can't maintain holding my tummy tight for too long before I get distracted and forget!) while enjoying the air and all that is around me. I do have to retrace my steps on a couple of roads to get that required time in.

Then I take Clemson out for his walk which is usually only 10 or 15 minutes. It seems like forever because he has to stop and sniff many times. You know the routine, I think I've mentioned it before. I've chatted with many other dog owners here and we are all in the same boat so we aren't critical when we see someone else say either "slow down, it's not a race!" or "for crying out loud, let's go!".

The goodbyes in the park were sad. We met some wonderful people, some we will definitely see again and others where chances are slim. Our camp host(ess) Ann is one of them. We will miss her and I will especially miss her on my morning walks. We spoke each day while she stood outside for her smoke. Her clogs always matching her shirt.

We appreciate Joe, the owner, and the way he looks after things in the park. 

We paid for 3 mths when we came in on Apr. 15 as we had planned on staying until July 15 and then heading to Chatham for an RC Fun Fly. On May 24, if you remember, we left on Thurs. evening to go to The Ridge property for the long weekend. We didn't have to, BUT we decided to offer up our vacated spot until our return on Monday. 
When we announced that we were leaving early by 2 weeks, we only assumed that there would be either a refund (woops! the invoice says no refunds) or at least some concession made for our hydro or guests. 

Weekend warriors surround us

Good thing we didn't want to move Father's Day weekend!

 Well, apparently they don't work that way so I spent my last day chatting with some friends and exchanging contact information and 'rv cards' instead of dwelling on the refund we didn't get.  Can't win 'em all, eh? You never know, we may be back.

Take care and thanks for reading! 

Pulling up Stakes......not Steaks

It is now Sunday, June 26th and we have pulled out of Golden Pond RV Resort in Putnam. Bill pulling the 5^th wheel with his cargo trailer behind and me following along in the Toyota. We’ve got ourselves a convoy! Here is our process.

Bill finished work at the Thames Valley School Board on Thurs. June 23

Some goodbyes were harder than others

Step Daughter

Gaggle of girls

Even some rule breakers in the WRONG shoes

Close friend and hair stylist

Some dear friends soon to follow in our footsteps

as I previously posted and then finished work at CanAm on Sat. June 25. Parting is such sweet sorrow and that was true enough for certain aspects of both jobs. Some goodbyes were forever, likely, and others just ‘au revoir, until we meet again’.

Daughters

More girls

 Pictures below depict only a few of the great relationships Bill had at 951 Leathorne St.

Sweet students

Longtime co-workers

Movers

Sailors

Wanna Be Full-timers

3 Long time Amigos

Driver

Supervisors and trucks

/Clerks hating to say goodbye

Bill was told by his supervisor that he wasn’t expected to do any work on his last day so other than stepping in when his replacement, Maria, was incognito, he did mostly that. He left the operation in good hands and was kept busy all day with friends, family and co-working well-wishers. Only a few pictures are included here, the rest are for his memories.

Saying goodbye at CanAm wasn't any easier I'm sure.

Breakfast with friends

Sales people

CanAm staff with yours truly at an RV show

So Bill arrived home around 1:30 after a bbq lunch at CanAm and it was hot out and he was tired. With no one around us in the park, he wondered if after a siesta what did I think about pulling out today instead of waiting until Sunday? The pool was full of 'rugrats' (other people's kids) and I knew we'd never get in for a quick dip. So.....
We began the pack up. It had been a while since we’ve moved so I had to go through my list and make sure everything was secured. Close this, latch that, put that away and lock those. I work inside and Bill works outside. Probably the norm for most of us rv’ers?

The day was hot and no doubt humid, since we live in south western Ontario, so we wanted to get on the road as soon as possible. Our destination was The Ridge, our new summer home, a spot usually blessed with wonderful breezes. 

Bill makes the hitch up look easy and doesn’t sweat it at all so I stay out of his way until he needs me. His joke is that he doesn’t ‘need’ me really, but he wants me. He gets off with a lot of things when he comes out with that choice line! So I made myself useful and went up to see our camp hostess and asked if she could prepare our final invoice earlier so we could leave. No sooner said than done, Ann brought it around with a summary of hydro costs and visitor fees.

So, all hooked up and on the road by 4:30 pm with no rain called for until the late evening, if at all. We arrived safe and sound by 7:15, all set up and rested by 8:15 and paid my sister and her husband a sneaky visit and joined in their campfire. We totally surprised them this time! They weren't expecting us until mid day Sunday.

I had a great view from behind

Stopped for a pit stop along the way

We were on our way and at the same time we were getting ourselves away from the familiarity and closeness of London. A new chapter is beginning. Address: Priceville, On. with future shopping in Durham just 10 minutes away.

So, that sums up our move after 2 1/2 months in this area. Golden Pond was a nice park to settle for short term.

Thank you for following along on this journey of ours. We’d love to hear from you if you have the time and desire to comment.