Home with a Touch of Christmas...

I just cannot believe the great weather we have been having since I have been back! I put up a wreath today to bring a little Christmas to the front entrance...Snow is in the forecast!

Dinner With Family!

My brother Tony and his wife Cathy have been a great source of friendship and warmth over the years and we had a wonderful dinner in their heritage home in the country. They have been through a period of renovations and the end result is nothing short of amazing. The lath and plaster and it's backdrop has been replaced and updated with deep insulation, drywall, crown moulding, deep recessed windows and restored floors. The draperies are coming in time for Christmas! Tony did a lot of the renovations himself with the help of some very talented residents of Harvest House.

Busy Brooklyn!

Spending a Day With Brooklyn and Madison

We had a great day together yesterday with Brooklyn hamming it up and Madison sleeping! Payton was home and happy after school but wouldn't be in any pictures :-( .

The Boys!

Rudy and Reggie are missing their Nana...and their girls Brooklyn and Payton and now Madison!

The Street with Winter Approaching!

Richard was asking me what the neighbourhood looked like with winter fast approaching. A picture is worth a thousand words: majestic trees bare, leaves completely shed, grass still showing signs of life but grey skys are heralding a snowy future ahead...

Auntie Louise with Baby Madison 12 hours old!

Louise enjoyed some special face time with little Madison at the hospital last evening. What little treasures these wee ones are...so delicate and sweet.

Madison needed to be weighed by the nurse and I had to re-dress her afterwards... it was a little scary because I am so used to the older girls now that a tiny baby seemed just too fragile...

Colouring with Grandpa Via Skype teleconference!

The day before their beautiful baby sister was born Payton and Brooklyn were at our home playing while Mummy and Daddy worked! We Skyped Grandpa in Florida to share our colouring and drawing! Grandpa's face is on the computer and we enjoyed talking with him even though he was so far away! Technology unites people in ways that were not practical years ago!

What fun this was!

Beautiful Baby Girl!

Lisa and Derek's beautiful little girl arrived early this morning. A sister for Payton and Brooklyn!

Canada Geese Descend Upon Lisa's Pond!

A beautiful sight...these snowbirds will be leaving soon but are clearly enjoying a little sunshine and a cool swim before they head on...

Back in Ottawa Enjoying Family !

I am back in Ottawa to help Lisa and Derek until the new baby arrives...

Brooklyn's hair is getting long enough for one long spike. She looks a little tired because she is fighting a cold...

Payton after school ready for a great weekend!

Payton and Brooklyn with after school snacks.

Hurricane IDA and Beach Combing Treasures

When we returned to Perdido Key this afternoon we hurried down to see what the angry sea had offered up to the beach combers in us!

We were excited to find a tiny live crab

and some beautiful shells ... there is a quarter in the centre so you can see how big the shells are.

Met with Friends During our Evacuation!

Brenda and Judy came to the campground as they were heading Northward...They were hoping to add birds to their lists but had to out run the hurricane as well!

Back at Perdido Key! Airebella, Richard, Christina, Rudy, Reggie etc...

We were parked and unhitched today at 3:15 pm after having spent three nights away from the Park.
We visited the beach to see what was washed up and found lots of good stuff! Several Starfish, tiger eyes,spiny jewel boxes and a perfectly joined Giant heart cockle...

Amazing how quiet the surf was today.

There was a big pool of water in our path to the Gulf which is normally very dry.

Sidewalks in Orange Beach meandered into flood waters...

Rudy in Tropical Storm Ida Rain "Gear"

Courtesy of the Man, the Man From GLAD!!!

IDA red Flags in Orange Beach...

We are still North of the Beach at a campground tonight and tomorrow night but Jim Paar did take this photo of the Double Red Flags for Ida at the Beach near our Perdido Key Campground. The winds are high now there and the rain is pelting down. Here it is raining, not windy and we are looking forward to getting back to our site soon!

Weather Underground's Tropical Storm IDA Alerts

As of 9 am CST IDA was downgraded to a Tropical Storm off the coast but the Hurricane warnings remain in effect with tropical storm warnings as far North in Alabama as we are here near Montgomery.

Boondocking at the Flying J!

I always thought that going to a truck stop required spitting and swearing, and a respectable layer of motor grease under the fingernails so when Richard said " we can always stop at Flying J's if we are in a hurry to get away from the cold and boondock" I thought " I don't think so!" But look at me now ! A convert! I love Flying J's and can't say good enough things about them so let me give you a glimpse! You can see that there are separate areas for the big rigs and for the RV's to park. Usually that is respected but I have wakened one morning to find a military tractor trailer carrying two huge armoured troop carriers parked so close that we could just open the door to get out. The thing is these drivers do know how to park!

The flying J's mostly have restaurants, gift shops, and convenience stores aimed at the traveller and trucker alike.

They are clean and neat, well kept and there always seems to be enough room to get a rig turned around. Remember we are as long as a transport, stem to stern, so this is essential for us.

There is an island just for RV's to gas up, dump, or take on water and you can also get propane fillups there.

You can see that there is an RV parked in amongst the trucks so if you want to park there or if the RV spaces are filled you can go there and no one bothers you.
There are green places to walk the dogs and everyone appreciates if you clean up after them which we always do.



There is even a spot for Handicap RV rigs at some Flying J's.

Fuel prices are comparable...





The grounds are well maintained...and the stops are close to the Interstates.

Boondocking means we have no hookups of any kind and work on our own batteries, propane appliances etc. Flying J's also have Internet access available for $5 for 24 hour period so I can keep on blogging and surfing and tweeting!

Jim Paar's Amazing Photo of The Beach Near Perdido Key (From Hurricane Ike...not IDA)

The double flags indicate hurricane and rip currents....This is expected to be the view on the beach later today as IDA approaches the coast of Alabama and Florida.

Our good friends Jim and Jody Paar are staying at the place where the hurricane will make landfall.

Our campsite at Perdido Key is also at the point of landfall....Update... Jim tells me this is a shot from Ike but he will be updating local current photos for me today...sorry!

Note that we are moved north and boondocking near Montgomery Alabama at a Flying J...safe from the storm surge..

Weather Underground Images of IDA

Tyson Flying J Tonight...Near Montgomery AL

We are at the Flying J near Montgomery Alabama and the sky is starting to look dark south of us. We met so many folks heading away from the coast with their RV's . This shot is of the perc coffee maker so Tony can see we are "roughing" it.

The folks in the rig beside us were evacuated from the campground at Santa Rosa Island just east of where we were because of the Hurricane coming up the Gulf ...

A huge Mobile Suites in tow after a big truck with a car behind ... we spoke with them in Foley and they are headed to the town of Greenville to wait out the storm and hopefully return to the gulf coast...

The Flying J earlier with several rigs around us...