We left Dorchester at 8:45 AM and hoped to be in Marshall, MI where we left our MH by early afternoon. The US border is about 1 hour and 15 minutes from Dorchester and I was apprehensive about the US Customs.
Here we are, two seniors , driving our son's car with G/Kids paraphernalia such as 4 bikes , 3 scooters , ball gloves and 2 buoys from NS and several suit cases with clothes that were not ours. This is definitely grounds for the Customs Office to be somewhat suspicious. As we approached the border Kiosk I could see the customs officer was a young lady and I thought "oh no", we are definitely going to be searched.
So, I pull up to the Kiosk and I handed over our Passports and she started with the preverbal question: and then she ask; do you own this vehicle( I have never been ask this question ever) so of course I say no, it belongs to my son Todd. ( incidental , at that moment in my life I realized I did not have a letter from Todd to say I could have his car so I thought here goes the search). The customs officer seemed to buy that answer and then she said " Roll down the back window so I can see what is in the back". Again I thought, Oh No , when she sees the 4 Kids bikes , she is not going to believe another word that I say. She said, what have you got in there and of course I said my G/Kids bikes , 3 scooters and two suite cases full of clothes and it was about this time that I could think of anything else.
Carroll said, why don't you start from " Square One " so I ask the Customs Office if she would like me to start from Square One and her reply was ; It would be a good idea. So I describe the whole trip in detail and that we flew down to NS to pick our MH and I added that we stopped in Ont due to death in the family, thinking that might help our cause. The Custom Office says " that sounds like a reasonable explanation" and then said, you folks have a nice day. Whew, that went better than I expected. Then I thought about it for a minute; and said to Carroll, I bet it was my honest face that got us through.!!!!!
We had two choices to get around Chicago but decided to stay on I-69 that put us on a Turnpike just inside the ID border. the Turnpike would take us to our planned overnight stay at a Cracker Barrel in IL. However, our exit was blocked due to some road construction and of course we missed the recommended exit and either got lost or obvious did not know where the hell we were going. Finally I pulled into a Wal-Mart thinking we could stay overnight but it was not so, however the Security Guard gave me precise direction how to get to our Planned overnight parking spot at Cracker Barrel in Tinsely Park. When I pulled off the Turnpike I had to cross 3 lanes of traffic to make a left turn and it was Rush Hour. So I might be short a couple of Christmas cards this year, if the sound of the horns is any indication. Cheers
Saturday, 5 November 2016
Thursday, 3 November 2016
Marg passed away; 15 Oct 16
Friday evening Marg was failing fast so the family was called to her bedside. Early Saturday morning Marg drew her last breath.
Paul invited both sides of the family to meet at his home Saturday evening to have a wake. It was ideal for Carroll and I as we had not seen Paul and Marg's Kid's and G/Kids for a few year. We also got a chance to meet Marg's brother and sister whom we grew up with but don't see very often.
As sad as a death is, it does seem to pull a family closer. My brother died suddenly in Feb so this our second time in 8 months that we lost a close family member.
16; 17 and 18 th Oct 16
Sunday was a day of reflection .
Monday evening was for the viewing and we were amazed at the large number of people whose lives that Marg had touched. The viewing started at 6 PM and the line up took 1 hour to reach the casket.
The funeral was held on Tuesday in the Catholic church in St. Thomas and there was in excess of 200 people in attendance. Marg's brother delivered a great eulogy which included their days of growing up. Marg had 2 brothers and 2 sisters.
Although funerals are a somber time there was some levity. It was a very warm day of the funeral and the exit/side doors of the church were opened slightly to allow air to circulate and keep the church cool. Shortly after the Priest started his sermon and was staying something about Marg's life, a gust off wind opened the door further and then closed it. The Priest turn to see the door move and quietly said, " Oh, there she comes now". It did take the edge off the somber mood for the moment.
After the internment we met at the church basement for a chance for friends and relatives to meet and talk about old times. I spent time canvasing the room to see as many cousins as I could find. Some I have not seen for years and some I did not recognize but it was still great to see them. cheers Cheers
Paul invited both sides of the family to meet at his home Saturday evening to have a wake. It was ideal for Carroll and I as we had not seen Paul and Marg's Kid's and G/Kids for a few year. We also got a chance to meet Marg's brother and sister whom we grew up with but don't see very often.
As sad as a death is, it does seem to pull a family closer. My brother died suddenly in Feb so this our second time in 8 months that we lost a close family member.
16; 17 and 18 th Oct 16
Sunday was a day of reflection .
Monday evening was for the viewing and we were amazed at the large number of people whose lives that Marg had touched. The viewing started at 6 PM and the line up took 1 hour to reach the casket.
The funeral was held on Tuesday in the Catholic church in St. Thomas and there was in excess of 200 people in attendance. Marg's brother delivered a great eulogy which included their days of growing up. Marg had 2 brothers and 2 sisters.
Although funerals are a somber time there was some levity. It was a very warm day of the funeral and the exit/side doors of the church were opened slightly to allow air to circulate and keep the church cool. Shortly after the Priest started his sermon and was staying something about Marg's life, a gust off wind opened the door further and then closed it. The Priest turn to see the door move and quietly said, " Oh, there she comes now". It did take the edge off the somber mood for the moment.
After the internment we met at the church basement for a chance for friends and relatives to meet and talk about old times. I spent time canvasing the room to see as many cousins as I could find. Some I have not seen for years and some I did not recognize but it was still great to see them. cheers Cheers
Wednesday, 2 November 2016
Mill Tales Restaurant 14 Oct 16
My older sister Marilyn and husband Joe insisted that they treat us to a Fish Dinner ( Perch ) at the "Mill Tales " restaurant in Tillsonburg, about a 1 hour drive from London, Ont . Tillsonburg is a town of 15000 plus and it is a town which attracts may Senior as a retirement place of choice.
Tillsonburg is also the home of the Mill Tales restaurant which has a long history. The Mill Tales restaurant was constructed in the early 1800's as a Grist Mill and a Drying Mill. For those who may not understand the workings of a Mill. I will briefly explain. A Grist Mill was a place where a farmer would take his grain such as Oats, Wheat , barley and Corn to the Mill. The Miller would grind and mix the raw grain , rebag it and the farmer would feed it to his cattle. Cows do not normal like to eat raw grain and the farmer also likes to have a mixture to feed the cows.
This Mill also dried grain, mostly Bean. In the 1800's the drying method was simplistic. A fire was built at the basement of the Mill and the Beans would be on a screen about 30 feet above the fire. The hot air would go up the Shute much like a chimney and dry the grain.
An entrepreneur purchased the Mill a few years ago and apparently spend a Million dollars to renovate it into a restaurant. I spoke to him but he would not tell me the real cost. The renovations left the pillars and beams in place which really adds to the ambiance. The Mill was built on a river to make use of the water power to operate the Mill. Today the river adds to the ambience.
Carroll and I where treated to a great Perch dinner , at my sister's expense. My sister Marilyn has the dubious honor of working for the TD Canada Trust for 50 years. Even the CEO Ed Clark was surprised to hear of her record and sent a Limousine to Dorchester to pick her up and bring her to his Office for a meeting. Cheers
Tillsonburg is also the home of the Mill Tales restaurant which has a long history. The Mill Tales restaurant was constructed in the early 1800's as a Grist Mill and a Drying Mill. For those who may not understand the workings of a Mill. I will briefly explain. A Grist Mill was a place where a farmer would take his grain such as Oats, Wheat , barley and Corn to the Mill. The Miller would grind and mix the raw grain , rebag it and the farmer would feed it to his cattle. Cows do not normal like to eat raw grain and the farmer also likes to have a mixture to feed the cows.
This Mill also dried grain, mostly Bean. In the 1800's the drying method was simplistic. A fire was built at the basement of the Mill and the Beans would be on a screen about 30 feet above the fire. The hot air would go up the Shute much like a chimney and dry the grain.
An entrepreneur purchased the Mill a few years ago and apparently spend a Million dollars to renovate it into a restaurant. I spoke to him but he would not tell me the real cost. The renovations left the pillars and beams in place which really adds to the ambiance. The Mill was built on a river to make use of the water power to operate the Mill. Today the river adds to the ambience.
Carroll and I where treated to a great Perch dinner , at my sister's expense. My sister Marilyn has the dubious honor of working for the TD Canada Trust for 50 years. Even the CEO Ed Clark was surprised to hear of her record and sent a Limousine to Dorchester to pick her up and bring her to his Office for a meeting. Cheers
Monday, 31 October 2016
Return to Ontario 13 Oct 16
I woke up this morning and felt guilty because I left Ont with meeting my brother Paul. I just felt I should have somehow hugged him before I left. Before pulling out of the Cracker Barrel lot where we spent the night I went to MacDonald's to check our email. For whatever reason I could not connect to their WiFi with My iPad.
About 2 hours down the road we seen a sign for a truck stop with reasonable cheap diesel fuel so I decided to pull in. It was a small truck stop with only 4 pumps but it was easy in; easy out and I like those type of truck stops. Carroll went in to pay as we had some USD and we knew it cost 2 % extra to use our VISA. She noticed that they had free WiFi so we took advantage of it as we really want to check on Marg to see if she was improving or failing. The news was not good as she was failing so we decided very quickly that we must return to Ont.
We did not want to take the MH back as that would be a 10 to 12 hour round trip. I inquired at 2 truck stops about an RV or truck storage in the area but the clerks just shrugged and said they did not know of any. I then noticed a Parts Store across the street so I thought I would give it a try. The Parts clerk said there was a RV Camp Site 5 miles away and that they do have winter storage for RV. Our luck was changing as we ventured to the Camp Site and they said I could park for 50.00 for a month. And since we would be less than a month we could park in their parking lot instead of being crammed into the storage area. Their parking area was fenced and secured.
Carroll quickly pack a few clothes and we were on our way back to my sister's place in Dorchester. It was a 4 1/2 hour drive by car. cheers
About 2 hours down the road we seen a sign for a truck stop with reasonable cheap diesel fuel so I decided to pull in. It was a small truck stop with only 4 pumps but it was easy in; easy out and I like those type of truck stops. Carroll went in to pay as we had some USD and we knew it cost 2 % extra to use our VISA. She noticed that they had free WiFi so we took advantage of it as we really want to check on Marg to see if she was improving or failing. The news was not good as she was failing so we decided very quickly that we must return to Ont.
We did not want to take the MH back as that would be a 10 to 12 hour round trip. I inquired at 2 truck stops about an RV or truck storage in the area but the clerks just shrugged and said they did not know of any. I then noticed a Parts Store across the street so I thought I would give it a try. The Parts clerk said there was a RV Camp Site 5 miles away and that they do have winter storage for RV. Our luck was changing as we ventured to the Camp Site and they said I could park for 50.00 for a month. And since we would be less than a month we could park in their parking lot instead of being crammed into the storage area. Their parking area was fenced and secured.
Carroll quickly pack a few clothes and we were on our way back to my sister's place in Dorchester. It was a 4 1/2 hour drive by car. cheers
Heading Home 12 Oct 16
As mentioned yesterday, I had the MH Oil change and lube appointment changed to this morning and the truck garage was able to get it in right away. By noon we where hooked up and bide farewell to my sisters. I still did not get to see my bother but he was spending all his time at the hospital with his wife Marg, and we were not allowed in to visit the hospital. Since Marg seemed to be improving we decided to head home and if she passed away later we would make a decision then about a revisit.
We had some apprehension about getting thru the US Customs because most of the " Stuff " in the MH and the tow car belong to Todd's and family. We thought that 4 Kids bikes in the back of the tow car would trigger a few question. However, we were ask the standard questions and bide a safe journey from the Officer.
We drove for 5 hours and as it was getting close to supper time Carroll's eagle eye noticed a Cracker Barrel restaurant so we pulled in knowing we could stay in their lot overnight and the food is reasonable and good.
Cracker Barrel does not have WiFi and I suppose the reason is that they want us in and out quickly and not taking up valuable space. I could see a MacDonald's sign about a block away ago so I thought I would go there as soon as the rain stopped to check our email. However it rained continuously most of the evening so I deferred that idea until morning. cheers
We had some apprehension about getting thru the US Customs because most of the " Stuff " in the MH and the tow car belong to Todd's and family. We thought that 4 Kids bikes in the back of the tow car would trigger a few question. However, we were ask the standard questions and bide a safe journey from the Officer.
We drove for 5 hours and as it was getting close to supper time Carroll's eagle eye noticed a Cracker Barrel restaurant so we pulled in knowing we could stay in their lot overnight and the food is reasonable and good.
Cracker Barrel does not have WiFi and I suppose the reason is that they want us in and out quickly and not taking up valuable space. I could see a MacDonald's sign about a block away ago so I thought I would go there as soon as the rain stopped to check our email. However it rained continuously most of the evening so I deferred that idea until morning. cheers
Sunday, 30 October 2016
More Ontario visits and Dinners
10 Oct 16
Since today is Thanksgiving it will be slow day so we called our travel friends Rusty and Laura to drop over for a visit. They have a 40 ft MH and have been Full-timers for 14 years . Rusty is a wealth of knowledge when it comes to MHs. I told him about my fridge tripping off and that I could not reset it. He gave me the name and number of an RV shop about 20 miles away in St. Thomas and assured me that the owner was an excellent Fridge tech. Finally , I thought , someone who can fix a fridge.
Because today is Thanksgiving, Barb ( Pat and Henry's daughter in law ) has directed that she will be cooking Thanksgiving dinner and it will be delivered and served at Pat's place and we are invited. Free dinners are our strong suite , no matter who is cooking it. The dinner was superb and Pat and Henry's family were there including the adult G/Kids.
The evening was closed out by watching a ball game and a hockey game. cheers
11Oct 16
The first thing I did today was call the RV fridge tech, whose name I got from Rusty. The tech said bring it down right now so I said I will be there in one hour. I already had an appointment at 10 AM to have an Oil Change and Lube on the MH so I had to cancel that. The Truck garage gladly changed my appointment until tomorrow.
I took the MH to Gammon's RV in St. Thomas and he looked at the problem right away. Mr. Gammon use to manufacture cooling units for fridge several years ago but due to lack of skilled labour he has changed his business to a one man show and does RV repairs. He did a quick check on the fridge controls and noticed a wire to the igniter was pitched which could have caused the power control box to trip off. He clear that problem and reset the power supply and the fridge started right away. He provided me with a wire and showed me how to reset the power Box should it happen again. His cost was 40.00. How is that for Service.
Another slow day but lucky for us as Carroll's brother called to invite us for supply. Boy; there is nothing like a free lunch. cheers
Since today is Thanksgiving it will be slow day so we called our travel friends Rusty and Laura to drop over for a visit. They have a 40 ft MH and have been Full-timers for 14 years . Rusty is a wealth of knowledge when it comes to MHs. I told him about my fridge tripping off and that I could not reset it. He gave me the name and number of an RV shop about 20 miles away in St. Thomas and assured me that the owner was an excellent Fridge tech. Finally , I thought , someone who can fix a fridge.
Because today is Thanksgiving, Barb ( Pat and Henry's daughter in law ) has directed that she will be cooking Thanksgiving dinner and it will be delivered and served at Pat's place and we are invited. Free dinners are our strong suite , no matter who is cooking it. The dinner was superb and Pat and Henry's family were there including the adult G/Kids.
The evening was closed out by watching a ball game and a hockey game. cheers
11Oct 16
The first thing I did today was call the RV fridge tech, whose name I got from Rusty. The tech said bring it down right now so I said I will be there in one hour. I already had an appointment at 10 AM to have an Oil Change and Lube on the MH so I had to cancel that. The Truck garage gladly changed my appointment until tomorrow.
I took the MH to Gammon's RV in St. Thomas and he looked at the problem right away. Mr. Gammon use to manufacture cooling units for fridge several years ago but due to lack of skilled labour he has changed his business to a one man show and does RV repairs. He did a quick check on the fridge controls and noticed a wire to the igniter was pitched which could have caused the power control box to trip off. He clear that problem and reset the power supply and the fridge started right away. He provided me with a wire and showed me how to reset the power Box should it happen again. His cost was 40.00. How is that for Service.
Another slow day but lucky for us as Carroll's brother called to invite us for supply. Boy; there is nothing like a free lunch. cheers
Saturday, 29 October 2016
Visting Friends and Relatives
6 th Oct 16
Carroll and I both come from a family of 6 Kids and we both lost a brother in the passed 2 years. So our "Plan" was to pay a visit to each family member and all of our friends that we could find while we were in Southern Ontario. We allotted a week for this visit as we wanted to be home by the 17 Oct. I'm not sure why we plan anything because it never works out.
Our family knew we were coming through, so it was just a matter of scheduling for the family. We did not advise our friends that we would be in the area therefore they would not be disappointed if new did not drop in.
My brother Geo called last night to invite us for supper so that gave us the rest of the day to visit friends and do other errands. Also Carroll wanted ( needed ) to do a wash since we had not washed clothes since we left NS on the 28 th Sept. Since we flew to NS to pick up the MH , we were travelling fairly light. Once the laundry was done we called in on friends ; Jim and Marion. They winter in Yuma so we have see them whenever we go to or thru Yuma and we did see them last year. However, it was nice to catch up on their happening and travel plans for this year.
We had a great dinner and good visit with Geo and Dianne and as usually Geo put too much ice in drinks so Carroll had to drive back to the MH.
7th Oct 16
Carroll's sister Jean and husband John, farm in Wheatly, Ont, which is a 2 hour drive from Dorchester. They invited us to stay overnight as this was a window of opportunity since they where not starting to combine their bean crop until Monday. As you know, once they start to combine, visiting with friends or relatives is not a priority.
Carroll's brother and wife from Woodstock also dropped in for supper so it was a good chance ( mostly for Carroll ) to catch up the family happenings. Wheatly and Leamington are also vegetable growing area. There are 1000's of acres of greenhouses and John took me to visit one nearby to buy tomatoes. There are many "Road Side" vegetable stands in the area so we went looking for squash as you can buy them for 1 or 2.00 each depending on the size. Carroll wanted to fill the car up but I stopped her at 6. I was afraid the US Customs would not allow them into the US and if they did , would the Canadian custom let us bring them into Canada As it turns out, the US customs did not seem to care and the Cdn customs did not ask.
I got bored with family talk so I spent some time on my computer and also solve a couple of problems for Jeannie on her computer.
8 th Oct 18 Saturday
Carroll's oldest sister , Madelene lives in Windsor, an hour west of Wheatly. Madelene has some health issues so a visit from her "baby sister" was reason to cheer her up. Madelene's daughter was also their so we had a good 2 hour visit along with the preverbal Tea and Dessert.
When we returned to our MH we were shocked to find out that our fridge had tripped off and would not restart. Of course I thought, we had just spent 2300.00 to get the fridge repaired and it doesn't work. I figured it would be some thing small since it just tripped off but I knew I would never get repair shop open until Tuesday. There was an RV dealer close by so I'll talk to then, first thing on Tuesday morning.
We had a rack of ribs in the fridge and they had started to thaw so we called my sister Pat, she too is not feeling well, and told her that she was having ribs for Sunday Dinner, and that we would bring the meal over. Luckily we have a Coolatron so we took the items in the fridge and put them in the Coolatron. This would do until Tuesday. Monday is Thanksgiving.
9 th Oct 16 Sunday
As mentioned yesterday we are cooking Ribs for supper and are taking the meal to Pat's place. However, this morrow we went to visit Carroll's nephew Paul and his wife Denise, who also live in Dorchester. " Like I always say, our relatives are so close together you could throw a blanket over them and cover most of them". We where surprise when we got to Pani's as their son and daughter in law were also visiting for the Thanksgiving weekend. We haven't seen the family for a few years so it was nice catch up with he family news.
On Sunday evening, I finally got to speak with my brother Paul. He has been spending most of his waking hours at the hospital as his wife Marg is failing fast and it's more important at this time to hold her hand than to talk with me. It was a subdued conversation but I needed to talk to him since we were planning to head home on Wednesday if Marg seemed to be improving. We certainly did not want to leave if she was going downhill. cheers
Carroll and I both come from a family of 6 Kids and we both lost a brother in the passed 2 years. So our "Plan" was to pay a visit to each family member and all of our friends that we could find while we were in Southern Ontario. We allotted a week for this visit as we wanted to be home by the 17 Oct. I'm not sure why we plan anything because it never works out.
Our family knew we were coming through, so it was just a matter of scheduling for the family. We did not advise our friends that we would be in the area therefore they would not be disappointed if new did not drop in.
My brother Geo called last night to invite us for supper so that gave us the rest of the day to visit friends and do other errands. Also Carroll wanted ( needed ) to do a wash since we had not washed clothes since we left NS on the 28 th Sept. Since we flew to NS to pick up the MH , we were travelling fairly light. Once the laundry was done we called in on friends ; Jim and Marion. They winter in Yuma so we have see them whenever we go to or thru Yuma and we did see them last year. However, it was nice to catch up on their happening and travel plans for this year.
We had a great dinner and good visit with Geo and Dianne and as usually Geo put too much ice in drinks so Carroll had to drive back to the MH.
7th Oct 16
Carroll's sister Jean and husband John, farm in Wheatly, Ont, which is a 2 hour drive from Dorchester. They invited us to stay overnight as this was a window of opportunity since they where not starting to combine their bean crop until Monday. As you know, once they start to combine, visiting with friends or relatives is not a priority.
Carroll's brother and wife from Woodstock also dropped in for supper so it was a good chance ( mostly for Carroll ) to catch up the family happenings. Wheatly and Leamington are also vegetable growing area. There are 1000's of acres of greenhouses and John took me to visit one nearby to buy tomatoes. There are many "Road Side" vegetable stands in the area so we went looking for squash as you can buy them for 1 or 2.00 each depending on the size. Carroll wanted to fill the car up but I stopped her at 6. I was afraid the US Customs would not allow them into the US and if they did , would the Canadian custom let us bring them into Canada As it turns out, the US customs did not seem to care and the Cdn customs did not ask.
I got bored with family talk so I spent some time on my computer and also solve a couple of problems for Jeannie on her computer.
8 th Oct 18 Saturday
Carroll's oldest sister , Madelene lives in Windsor, an hour west of Wheatly. Madelene has some health issues so a visit from her "baby sister" was reason to cheer her up. Madelene's daughter was also their so we had a good 2 hour visit along with the preverbal Tea and Dessert.
When we returned to our MH we were shocked to find out that our fridge had tripped off and would not restart. Of course I thought, we had just spent 2300.00 to get the fridge repaired and it doesn't work. I figured it would be some thing small since it just tripped off but I knew I would never get repair shop open until Tuesday. There was an RV dealer close by so I'll talk to then, first thing on Tuesday morning.
We had a rack of ribs in the fridge and they had started to thaw so we called my sister Pat, she too is not feeling well, and told her that she was having ribs for Sunday Dinner, and that we would bring the meal over. Luckily we have a Coolatron so we took the items in the fridge and put them in the Coolatron. This would do until Tuesday. Monday is Thanksgiving.
9 th Oct 16 Sunday
As mentioned yesterday we are cooking Ribs for supper and are taking the meal to Pat's place. However, this morrow we went to visit Carroll's nephew Paul and his wife Denise, who also live in Dorchester. " Like I always say, our relatives are so close together you could throw a blanket over them and cover most of them". We where surprise when we got to Pani's as their son and daughter in law were also visiting for the Thanksgiving weekend. We haven't seen the family for a few years so it was nice catch up with he family news.
On Sunday evening, I finally got to speak with my brother Paul. He has been spending most of his waking hours at the hospital as his wife Marg is failing fast and it's more important at this time to hold her hand than to talk with me. It was a subdued conversation but I needed to talk to him since we were planning to head home on Wednesday if Marg seemed to be improving. We certainly did not want to leave if she was going downhill. cheers
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