Culmination of Three Weeks of Summer Camping

We ended our camping with a roaring fire ! :-)
....and with a glass of red ...
We relaxed by the shore as we waited for news of the Rasta repairs.

We left for our travels on Monday, August the 9th and returned on Saturday, August 28th after almost three weeks of time in the Airstream. Our trip was only supposed to be about two weeks long but weather and the brakes on the old Rasta Van put us a little behind schedule. It was the first time I had pulled the 2008 boat behind the 1986 Dodge Ram Custom Camping Van (Class B - we call it Rasta Van) and all went well until the brakes felt a little "soft" on the drive between Long Sault and Kingston. In retrospect, I should have taken Rasta in to the brake specialist (who ended up being younger than Rasta Van) as soon as I got to Kingston!


We towed (with Richards truck) the boat back to Ottawa (and storage) Thursday night, and brought the Rasta Van in to the shop on Friday morning not sure whether they could finish the work or if we would have to return for it mid week. The camp site we had been in was to be occupied Friday night by other campers so we moved three sites over to another after dropping off the Van. Needless to say we were tired as can be on Friday so while we waited to hear about the state of the repairs we relaxed by the waterfront.
.




During this years vacation, Louise came by to visit us on her way back from delivering a workshop at a Yoga studio in Kingston. It was nice to have her there to fill us in on her trip and how her Airstream is doing. Some other fellow Airstreamers camped near us for a couple of days. They were from the Toronto area and were avid members of the Wally Byam Caravan club, the Airstream club that was born out of a 50's American caravan to Nova Scotia.





Some folks we had met in years before also came by the last evening of our camping as we sat watching the fire. They were saying goodbye for another year as they were returning to Pennsylvania from this year's fishing trip. The end of the summer of 2010!

Last Boat Ride of this Trip-maybe of the Summer?!

Our toys, some old (Rasta Van) some newer (Boat and Airstream)!
Richard loves being on the water ... he is very relaxed behind the wheel of the boat! I, on the other hand, can be seen clutching the sides when the boat lifts off as we speed at nearly 50 Miles (!)PH across the water! You don't want to see a picture of that!
It was a calm day but still we were airborne many times and Richard just smiles!

Green, green, algae laden waters this year.

Richard had to install our own cleats on the dock this year...look how neatly he belays the cleat!

The boat is now up on dry land again and we are getting it ready for the drive home to Ottawa. We had one last ride today and it may be the last of the season. The water here in Col By Lake and the adjoining Rideau canal is green with algae, the worst I have ever seen it! It looked like we were careening over an oil slick and we thought of the Gulf of Mexico and how that might look something the same near the source - slippery and soupy! Here it must have been the very warm weather that bloomed so much algae...

Summer Vacation 2010

Brooklyn at the door peering out ...
Airebella gets a wash and a wax at our full service site in Rideau Acres, Kingston.
Notice the shop vac that made short work of the inside space!

Payton, enjoying her lunch and a water while her sister Maddie plays nearby in Nana's playpen!

Lisa, Derek and the girls getting ready for the second leg of their journey - to go to Montreal!

Airebella and Richard and Reggie at our first site (two service only) at Rideau Acres in Kingston. This site is right by the water!

This year we took a short trip to the St Lawrence, near Cornwall, and to Kingston for a couple of weeks in the Airstream. Every year I look forward to having a day or two to camp with the grandchildren (and their parents of course) and this year was no exception. Because the littlest one, Madison, is only 9 months, we thought it best to make the camping trip close to home so that nap time could consume her little enroute persona and make the car part more pleasant for her parents! It happened that Lisa and Derek had a great trip to Montreal planned so Cornwall and the Parks of the St Lawrence was part way there. We departed Ottawa on the 9th of August and it happened that Lisa, Derek and the girls arrived at the campground ahead of us by about a half hour or so I would say.

This year we also traveled with fellow RVers Bob and Debbie. Richard and Bob fished the St Lawrence and boated on the Rideau Canal near Kingston. Today, as Richard and I took the boat out of the water after a nice little joyride, I thought of another season coming to a close and how lucky we all are to have our health and our wonderful family and friends close by!

We may be headed for the Maritimes in the fall for a week or so but that trip depends on the health of an aged relative there so we will see...perhaps our next outing with Airebella will be heading towards Florida and points South!