Christina's Airstream Chronicles

April Showers Bring May Flowers

2011-05-06T12:28:00.004-04:00

Wow, what a busy month April was in so many ways! We traveled back to Ottawa from the south over about 8 days and had a relatively uneventful time with the exception of some tornado threat time in Kentucky! The weather was cool and rainy here in Ottawa for the most part and the grass colour changed from dingy grey brown to bright green and lush! On the top of our agenda was getting Louise's Airstream out of storage for her and into its summer resting place so that she could enjoy it once again. It weathered the winter well except for a failure of the converter, a $250 part with Richard generously giving his time and doing the fix for her once the part comes in!

We started in on the renovation work again at Fernwood and the new Granite counter top is amazing and very beautiful! What a difference that made. The under mount sink and swan-like faucet are also new and never again will I go with anything but stainless for a sink...We (almost the royal we since Richard does do most of the work and I help when I can) are replacing the lighting and the baseboards and kick plates to finish off and refresh the entire look. My contribution will be the painting and getting the cupboards purged for the garage sale.

Of course I had visits from my three wonderful grandchildren, I cannot believe that Payton will be 9, Brooklyn 3 and Madison 2 before (or very soon after in Maddie's case) we head south again. Delightful ages and what a wonderful helper Payton is for Nana, when all three come together. :-)
After the kitchen we will start the basement( the final frontier). A carpenter is quoting the new banister this weekend. There are still some elements to complete outside like the back and front steps...The big question is always will we have it another year or get it up for sale this year as has been our plan for the last two? What do you think?

Back on the Road Again, Headed West and North from Myrtle Beach

2011-04-03T11:48:00.005-04:00

Our trip home to Ottawa this year is from Myrtle Beach again. We head west on I 20 through Columbia, SC., Altanta, GA and then to I 75 to Chattanooga and then I 24 To Nashville. North of Nashville we stay at a KOA in Bowling Green just off highway 65. The sites have been good for us in the F or the S sections and we usually stay hooked onto the trailer. For us one day of travel is usually about 6 hours of driving time but both these ended up between 6 and 7 and seemed like really long days... This shot of the Airstream and truck is from the good side- since we had a Bus Coach mess up the passenger rear panel of the truck box while we were parked at a shopping centre...aaarrrggghhh. Oh well, we will get it fixed in Ottawa to be good as new! We were at a truck stop in Tennessee taking a break and refuelling before the final leg to Kentucky.

We were amazed at how much traffic there was on the roadways for a Saturday morning, Atlanta and Nashville were both busy and in Chattanooga near the "Y" in the road where 75 and 24 seperate, there was a period of very slow going.

I loved the shot of Brooklyn sharing her ice cream with Rudy as she sits in the Airstream. We really enjoyed seeing Derek and Lisa and the girls at the beach this year and hope we can meet them again on the road...maybe next time in Disney World!

This year I was up to Ottawa a bit more than I had planned to and the shot out the airplance window is of the Washington DC area and no snow!!! :-) I landed at National on an Air Canada flight and had to leave the security zone to catch my US Airways connection! Never again will I make that mistake...

We have a weather window but it means that we will stay put here in Bowling Green for three nights before we head North again...next stop is the Airstream plant in Jackson Centre, Ohio.

Myrtle Beach, Ocean Lakes Campground, March 2011

2011-03-18T18:00:00.005-04:00

Our campsite is just about 35 feet from the beach and we have no-one parked in front of us this year which is very nice indeed. The dogs are allowed on the beach and absolutely love it there. Listening to the waves crash against the shore is a favourite pastime for everyone and especially with the windows open at night!

Many friends returned from last year and we have been enjoying beautiful weather since I got back to the Airstream (Airebella) from Ottawa.

Next week Lisa and Derek have rented a condo on the beach in Myrtle Beach about 5 miles from here. It will be wonderful to see everyone here in the beach setting.

Today folks were not only sitting by the shore they were wading and swimming...it is still a little too cold for me...

Ottawa for Five Weeks!!!

2011-03-15T08:44:00.004-04:00

This was the longest visit home to Ottawa that I have taken, since we started travelling for the winter. It was wonderful to spend time with family and friends but at about the midpoint of the trip I realized that "home" is where Richard, Rudy and Reggie are and sometimes that is in Airebella...

Payton, Brooklyn and Madison spent some time with me painting, playing and baking and it was sure fun for me and I hope for them too!

The back yard at Fernwood was filled with snow and looked quite bleak.

Louise and Brooklyn enjoying a cuddle in Nana's kitchen. Lots of changes in the kitchen while was home. I ordered and received all new Stainless steel appliances, replaced the hardware on the cupboards, ordered a new countertop in granite with new sink and faucet. There was lots of planning and now are lots of jobs for Richard to do when he gets back to Ottawa! :-)

On the Road Again

2011-02-02T06:43:00.004-05:00

Myrtle Beach View from Airebella's door!
Rudy is always exhausted after a relocation...

Perdido Key white sands...

Well, January was a beautiful month in Perdido Key. The weather transitions that the winter always brings there at the Gulf made for very interesting backdrops for some days! For us the month saw an influx of new RVs as folks that had spent their Christmas at home before heading out South made their trek. The motorbikes became more plentiful and almost all the sites were booked. Richard and I, knowing that our days were becoming numbered in our site 3, made several visits to Joe Patti's seafood to enjoy fresh fish, lobster and crab.

We also discovered the walking trails that lead to and from the Alabama State Park and enjoyed going there for long walks in the Alabama pine forests. All manner of pine can be found there. And the 9 banded armadillo also lives in those woods and on occasion one would come out and peer at us as it foraged in the pine needles.

I also made a trip to Ottawa that was to last one short week and ended up lasting almost two so that I could attend some planned meetings and start an unexpected contract as well. Thank goodness for the ability to skype with Richard several times a day for face to face chats. The highlight of travel home always includes family of course and we got some time in between my work to chat and get together!

We are now in Myrtle Beach, enjoying a beachside location and hearing the rain on the roof today is quite comforting. We traveled from Alabama, through the panhandle of Florida to the Atlantic on Interstate 10 and then north through the seaside swamps of Georgia to South Carolina with an over night near Tallahassee at the Flying J and one at a beautiful campground near Amelia Island and Jacksonville Florida. Now, with Airebella sitting right beside the majestic Atlantic, I can hear the waves crashing in as a storm passes through the area. The rain on the roof has stopped as I have been writing this message.

I have decided to update my journal on about the first of the month so as not to lose the Chronicles altogether!

Happy New Year :-)

2011-01-01T13:45:00.003-05:00

Folks, I do hope that 2011 is everything you are hoping for. At the RV Park we had a full house last night at the Playa Del Rio room with a Low Country Boil prepared by one of the fellow travellers, Larry. The boil was authentic and very complete with several varieties of shrimp, red potatoes, rice, corn all spiced to perfection. It was followed by a couple of dessert selections that we provided and preceded by some appetizers that Suzy prepared. It was a wonderful evening including fireworks over the Gulf contributed by our condo neighbours!

As the New Year rolls over for me I am seriously thinking this could be my last post. Not that we are completing our travels by any means, in fact, we will soon be moving on again, and spring, summer and fall of 2011 will see us exploring many new places...

Enjoy the day and the year ahead everyone!

Life in the RV Lane ... part 1...

2010-12-29T09:39:00.006-05:00

This is our third year at this site! Site Number 3 at Playa Del Rio on Perdido Key. (this shot was from year 2)

This morning is gorgeous here on the shores of the Gulf of Mexico on the Florida panhandle as it joins 1/2 mile away with the Beaches of Alabama! I am compelled to share a few insights about life in an RV parked for a time away from home.

One meets so many people on the road. Some stay with us, as lasting friendships are formed. Some one hopes to never encounter again (thankfully these are few and far between!). Some have an eccentricity that one cannot help but notice. Some expect more from the campground that one would reasonably do. Campgrounds are a community and as such, folks need to get along and there is an essential balance to be struck between the community and the service provider that is predicated on trust and fairness.

Campsites come with services that are more or less the same wherever you go; Internet access, Cable TV (which I could easily do without except for HGTV! :-) ), water, sewer, power, and land mass. One can survive for some time without any of these, except for the land mass; it is of course, essential to have a place to park. For Richard and I getting adequate space to park is our first priority to get the truck and Airstream out of harms way. We have a generator so wherever we are we can power up the trailer, But if we are parked for a long time it is very nice to have sewer, water and power so we do not have to move the rig to address those issues.

We have been having some issues with Internet here at our campground that could be remedied for the higher paying sites with a third router up at this end of the campground. Internet is VERY important to us, I have a need to skype with my grandchildren and right now I have to walk down to the clubhouse to get a good signal! That is just not acceptable for me. Also, since I am working on my business as well, consulting is difficult without solid and continuous access. So we are going to get a solution that can travel with us while we are here in the US to de-couple us from our dependence on the adequacy (or inadequacy) of the parks internet services. Having said that I am ready to hit the showers and get ready to visit Verizon and AT&T today ... unless my state of relaxation compels me to unwind and enjoy the sunshine for another day!

Merry Christmas to All...

2010-12-24T11:53:00.005-05:00

Well it is Christmas again and Richard and I and Rudy and Reggie are enjoying some warm weather at the Beach. It is always hard to miss family at this time of year but they all know our hearts and thoughts and spirits are with them. It is a busy time for everyone and we often do not get time to sit back and relax and just enjoy the scenery, whether it is palm trees and rolling oceans, Christmas trees and crackling fires or southwest sunsets and cactus flowers. As you enjoy this holiday season remember to think about what is truly important in your lives and be thankful for all the blessings you have.

One of my facebook friends wrote this morning "may you be filled with the meaning of the season, be with those who matter, heal the relationships (where needed) and give voice to the love in your heart" and I could not have said it better myself. Life is so short and the time flies by whether we like it or not!

My message for my daughters and son-in-law and my grandchildren is that I love you all and every day you are filling my heart with joy! Have a blessed Christmas and enjoy all the time you have together this holiday season with family and friends. In the photos selected for this post, I just wanted to show the grandkids three things: Reggie as a Reindeer, my smiling face.. :-) and that Santa goes to the Beach to sun himself before he makes his rounds! Merry Christmas...

Ottawa was Cold, Snowy and Windy!

2010-12-18T09:47:00.004-05:00

Madison happy to see me home for a week...

Payton and Brooklyn came for a sleepover together...if was fun.

Rudy held down the fort at the Airstream with Richard and Reggie.

Because I came home for a visit before Christmas it was essential to get a little tree....It was little but charming and Brooklyn and I both loved it.

The weather was snowy, blowy, freezing rainy and cold the whole time so we spent lots of time indoors keeping warm. I was able to get the contract in place for the next work I am involved in so that was very good. Next time home will be for a while longer.

Returning to Pensacola was very nice, the temps have been around 60 to 65 during the warmest part of the day. About four weeks ago we ordered a new la-z-boy for the Airstream and it arrived early. Very nice addition to the interior!

There is a Christmas party tonight at the Park complete with a Santa exchange and lots of good food and company. I may not be able to go because of my cold but we will see how the day evolves...

Cooler Days In Florida...

2010-12-07T12:13:00.004-05:00

Rudy likes that he gets to cuddle up under blankets when it is cold. He is such a sweet dog. His face is getting a little grey!
Happiness is a good friend...Reggie and Rudy spen hours sleeping on the couch on an old wool blanket from the Mill at Blythe, Ontario. These blankets never seem to wear out!

This morning the temperatures had gone down to 29F overnight and the wool socks Richard brought down feel good on my feet. Trouble is they are hard to wear with my flip flops! :-) I am headed for Ottawa for a week tomorrow morning and so if I think this is cold....well I guess I will see....

Chilly Morning On Perdido Key...

2010-12-01T08:56:00.003-05:00

The beach is just over the hill and beyond a gulley and the weather is cold this morning. It was 37 F overnight and right now, at 08:00 am it is up to 38 F (3 C) . today it should get up to about 60 F (16 C) here on the beach.
Our new friends, Donna and Duane from West Virginia left today after a month here at Playa Del Rio. They are headed for Emerald RV Park near Navarre Beach just about 45 minutes from here. Their big 5th wheel had 4 slides!

Off they go leaving site number 1 vacant again and returning a view of the horizon to us from our site 3. We will see them again soon since we are planning a day trip down the coast to Destin, Florida.

Rainy, Windy Day in Paradise!

2010-11-30T15:00:00.003-05:00

Reggie braves the wind and the weather for a little constitutional....
Rudy braves the weather from his spot on the couch, head on the pillow, blanket overtop...don't bug me attitude goin' on !

The view from the Airstream door, you can see the ex FEMA trailer on the left, that is one of 6 that are here , probably for the winter....

Tornado watches and water spouts on the Gulf...I love the sound of the rain on Airebella's roof top!

Turkey Day Tomorrow - Thanksgiving USA!

2010-11-24T13:18:00.003-05:00

Today is absolutely gorgeous with not a cloud in the sky and we are giving thanks American style here at the beach! It is a lazy fall day and the little salamanders are running around the rocks and back fence behind the Airstream. The breeze is moving the greenery around just enough to give the illusion of crisp coolness outside. But it is HOT. I am not complaining , the alternative is the Canadian winter and snow!

Tomorrow I am cooking one of the turkeys for the Thanksgiving feast here at the park. It will be in addition to the smoked one Larry is doing right now, and the two deep fried ones that Steve and Ann are doing....seems like a lot of turkey, but the park is expected to be full tomorrow with about 26 sites occupied.

Rudy and Reggie love the smell of turkey cooking and I will have to cook one for them too! Today is a good day to do that ... Rich and I are headed for the beach in a while for a little sunshine. We miss everyone at home, but I will be home to Ottawa a couple of times this year to see everyone; the first trip back is in two weeks! Cannot wait to hug everyone! :-)

Bob and Debbie, Torrey and Pebbles, I do hope you are on the road to Arizona and have "fair winds and following seas" for the maiden voyage of the new Class A...

Checked the Beach Behind the Crab Shack Restaurant

2010-11-17T09:29:00.004-05:00

We have had a bit of a stormy day yesterday and the winds are fairly brisk today. The beach view behind the restaurant that is about a mile east of us was spectacular with the waves crashing the beach. As you can see, even after the storm, still not many shells (if any) washed up. The sand looks very clean!

One of the fellow campers was telling us about the clean-up activity here over the summer that involved BP hiring locals with boats for $1400 per day for 12 hour days worth of work at clean-up out in the Gulf. Big job, big, big job!

Airstream Surroundings - site number 3...

2010-11-15T11:55:00.004-05:00

Richard decorated the tree outside Airebella with beautiful lights and captured this picture on his night walk with Reggie.
The Airstream as seen from the lane...

Beautiful flowers in November...this must be Florida!!!

Post Oil Spill Disaster Beach Views

2010-11-15T10:57:00.004-05:00

Yesterday I took a little walk by the beach and enjoyed watching the birds playing at the water's edge. They were clearly finding tasty tidbits there and were seemingly oblivious to the disaster that fell upon the Gulf this spring and summer.
The vehicles in this shot are part of the group of about 50 workers that are combing the beach for debris and any indications of the oil spill. We cannot see any evidence that oil came on shore, likely because of their hard work here. The sun is blazing down on them as they sift by hand and by machine.

The birds still play but for those of you who have followed my posts from this location last year and the year before, there is one obvious difference. The absence of shells is clear when you look at this shot. Where the birds are was once teaming with Heart Cockles, Choral, Scallop shells, Lettered Olives etc. This time of year was the best for beach combing and there is nothing! Nothing rolling in beyond the waters edge either.

The worker's dune buggies drive back and forth along the beach now...where in prior years the space was deserted!

It is important to keep up the work on the clean-up for sure but it does change the peaceful landscape that I am so fond of. The manager of the park told us that the park was nearly deserted all summer, a time when the beaches are normally acutely alive with children playing, water craft and sun bathers. The area around us seems to be suffering from the lack of tourists as well. Locals are afraid of eating the seafood from the area, some even worried about stepping into the waters of the Gulf where dispersant had been used to battle the oil spill. I myself have ventured into the waters of the Gulf up to my ankles and thorougly enjoyed the local shrimp that a fellow camper prepared for our first pot luck!

We Have Arrived in Perdido Key ...

2010-11-08T12:22:00.005-05:00

We left snow one week ago....
And found sun and clear skys yesterday!

Ahhh the joy of unhooking Airebella, cranking down her stabilizer pods and unlatching the awnings for another long rest in Perdido Key. We arrived yesterday afternoon to the smiling faces of old friends welcoming our caravan of one into it's place - site number 3! This park is tiny, with under 30 sites and it is flanked on one side by the Ole River and a cute little marina and on the other (across a small road) by the majestic, though wounded, Gulf of Mexico.

The Gulf coast is showing signs of the Oil spill. The fact that people descend on the beach to pick up any oil when they see it does not detract from the amazing vistas and the fresh and soothing aroma of the salt air. Richard and Rudy saw some folks picking up bits this morning on the walk in the gully across from Playa Del Rio. BP provided visitors with an incentive to travel here in the form of three hundred dollars in American Express gift cards. Richard picked ours up this am at the Chamber of Commerce. This was a nice gesture and the $300 covers our fuel cost to get here. :-)

Since we arrived we have celebrated our friend Suzy's birthday with a trip to Vallarta's restaurant; we have done three small loads of laundry; we have vacuumed the trailer and shaken the rugs outside! The weather is warm(ish) (18degrees C) and sunny and glorious. Rudy and Reggie are so excited to be here. They recognize the surroundings, the sand and some of the folks here...

Good Morning David and Nancy!

2010-11-08T12:16:00.002-05:00

Our friends, David and Nancy told me they check my blog every morning for news so I cannot help but say a special hello to them and their little dog Millie! Hope all is well in PA and that you can head south soooooon!!!

A Very Familiar Route...

2010-11-06T20:57:00.003-04:00

Saturn Rocket Exhibit at the Alabama Welcome Centre.
Bowling Green, Kentucky.

Images of industry in Ohio.

This year we are retracing our steps and it is very hard to believe that this will be our third year returning to the Gulf and Perdido Key. We came upon the little resort quite by accident and had not intended to stay, that first year, more than a few weeks. The lure of the sea air, the beauty of the pristine and quiet beach and the wonderful people we met there are compelling.

This year while driving south with the Silver trailer in tow, we travelled with two fewer companions, having lost our two cats to old age this summer just a few weeks apart. The roads travelled were familiar and as such I was not so compelled to pull out the camera at every new turn, rather I enjoyed revisiting the places, remembering how it felt to see them the first time. Is this our signal that it may be time to move on, to explore new places in the years ahead?

We crossed below the two smallest of the great lakes, travelling through wine country and remarking how blue, how cerulean blue, Lake Erie could seem on a sunny but cool fall day. Moving south into the heartland and seeing the vast expanse of the farmland of Ohio, dotted with industry, and city scapes, and with the swell of religion rolling across the landscape in waves, evidenced in billboards, sculptures, places of worship and rough hewn signs. Moving into the south through the rolling hills and beautiful landscapes of Kentucky and Tennessee, contemplating what it might have been like long, long before the Interstates were there, when trails consisted of two thin tracks from horse drawn wagons and when the early inhabitants hunted and fished in these beautiful forests and rippling rivers. When the crispness of the night sky and the multitude of stars were gazed upon by folks who had no idea about autos, or trailers; folks who would have laughed out loud if you told them that one day people would be uploading their musings to an invisible network for strangers to read and live vicariously through the writings of others.

Yes, I am looking at these familiar scenes with fresh eyes, I am allowing myself to think beyond the first impressions, to imagine the past or the future while I experience the present. It feels good. Familiar feels good.

On the Road Again!

2010-11-03T09:30:00.003-04:00

Richard and Rudy having a Walk at the Pennsylvania Welcome centre on the south shore of Lake Erie. Beautiful weather for travelling... We were having lots of laughs along the way. Rudy and Reggie are comic relief as we travel and they get us to stop often along the way to "smell the roses" and relax a little. It is so wonderful to have your home woith you when travelling - the bed is ours, the kitchen is fully equipped and the Airstream is such a dream to tow. Our estimate for fuel for the 1500 miles we will travel on our trek South is about $300 this year. The Cummins Diesel is a real gem!

Richard and Rudy!

Airebella having a break!

Lake Erie from the South, after having travelled through the Finger Lakes Wine country you reach the Penn. border with upstate NY. It is just a beautiful drive but the I 90 had some construction this year.

Rudy...

September...October...Time flies

2010-10-19T18:24:00.004-04:00

Brooklyn and Payton enjoying thanksgiving dinner at Nana and Bompa's house. Payton was working on a concoction of ice cream and whipped cream which she claimed closely resembled yogurt in flavour and concistency!
Oops Lisa leaned back and I did not get her in the shot but everyone else is in view. Louise, Matt, Derek and Lionel as well as Richard and the girls at the other end of the table. I promised Derek that next time I would seat he and Lisa at the other end of the table so that they could get a break from the feeding of the children! :-)

Brooklyn helped her Mom prepare two pumpkins and Madison looked on at the goo and the mess.

Richard's fishing yielded a catch of 5 Rainbow Trout. They were so good!

Madison at Payton's birthday party.

Brooklyn at Payton's birthday party wearing Louise's earrings and trying to hold them there by sheer will power!

Payton with her Dad and Auntie Louise at her birthday party with family. She was 8 on the 20th.

Home Home in September. Green, green still!

Flower bed in front with little fall blooms.

This month and last month have just flown by. We have been busy getting the house ready for the winter, advancing our agenda of getting it ready for sale. We had thanksgiving, Payton's birthday celebrations and Richard was fishing with his friend Bob at a lake near Ompah, Ontario.

We are looking forward to the winter warmth of Florida and are preparing for the trek south once again.

Culmination of Three Weeks of Summer Camping

2010-08-30T07:24:00.006-04:00

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?!

2010-08-25T16:02:00.007-04:00

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

2010-08-25T10:51:00.006-04:00

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!

Richard Fishing with Bob!

2010-07-21T21:19:00.002-04:00

Richard drove up to Mosque Lake north of Highway 7 near Oompah to fish with our friend Bob and his brother-in-law yesterday and the fishing was great. We enjoyed a Rainbow trout dinner tonight and yesterday at the lake side the fishermen enjoyed a fresh catch dinner as well. The fish was very tasty indeed!

Bob's boat is a 14 foot Springbok with a 15 HP Johnson motor. They were using downriggers for trolling and worms and gang trolls as bait and tackle. The Lake was deceptively large!

This Past Week

2010-07-14T12:33:00.002-04:00

Well, this week was busy, we had Richard's birthday, got the Boat out of storage and ready for the water, worked on the house purging and we lost our cat Ricky to old age. Sad as it was we are happy that he had such a good long life and that we were able to share almost all of it with him, except for that short time between his birth in the wild and coming indoors to the warmth of Fernwood.

Airebella is Bella!

2010-07-03T17:39:00.006-04:00

Ricky enjoying the warmth of the counter top over the sink on our winter sojourn to Florida.
Reading and relaxing on a warm July day...

Folks, we went out to pick up the boat at the storage facility where we also have the Airstream. We let the breezes blow through the Airstream while we were there and I picked up some Coastal Living Mags and read while Richard worked with the boat. The light came into the space and I forgot for a moment that I was not parked at the beach!

I should share that Ricky, our cat of 20 years, is of failing health these days. He misses Biter so much and he is getting very weak indeed. I am so glad we were able to share two winters in the south with Ricky and Biter. I am afraid we will lose Ricky this week, just about seven weeks after Biter passed away. He had a great life with us though!

Galloping Yoga for Horseback Riders

2010-07-01T08:11:00.001-04:00

My daughter Louise's video clip! Good stuff!

Painting Party!

2010-06-30T06:58:00.004-04:00

Hands, feet from Payton, Brooklyn and Madison!
Brooklyn's first masterpiece on canvas!

Payton's jumping horse masterpiece!

Payton and Brooklyn painting at Nana's on a rainy day. The paints and brushes are acrylic from Ikea! Very colourfull indeed!
The canvases are from the dollar store and what fun it was watching the creativity!

Payton Successfully Completes Grade 2!

2010-06-27T15:27:00.002-04:00

This past week was Payton's first day off school for the summer and she and her sisters visitied here at the house! We painted fridge magnets, coloured in colouring books, played cards, picked raspberries in the backyard, played outside and she had her Aunt Louise draw her a horse on the canvas she is going to finish for her bedroom at Nana's!

Earthquakes in Ontario rare but not unexpected - thestar.com

2010-06-23T21:15:00.000-04:00

Earthquakes in Ontario rare but not unexpected - thestar.com

We certainly felt it at our house and it was very loud. Scary!

Catching up with My Blog!

2010-06-23T11:59:00.006-04:00

Updating the bedrooms for the staging of Fernwood has been fun and some work too. Richard laid the new floors and I scoured the countryside for treasures to put to good use! The little dresser here is one example of a $15 find that just needed a little TLC and Paint to be a perfect little storage place for the girls. Payton and Brooklyn did the little table mat for us when we first left for Florida and so it has a special place in their new little room.
I found the lamp at Home Sense for $29 and when it is lit you can see moons and stars through the lampshade. Very cute. The bed came from a friend of Lisa's and it has been painted the same "Heritage White" as the dresser. The little garbage pail is from the dollar store!

The rug was from Ikea and it was only $34 and it gives such a lovely little place to play on the floor. The basket is from my parent's home so it has a vintage feel and brings a little nostalgia to the room for Grandma (me)! The bedding was from Winners and Ikea and came together nicely with some fabric in Green that I already had to do the curtains.

The spare room and study was essentially the last room we needed to complete and it has come out very nicely too. The bedding is from Beddingtons and the curtains from Home Depot! Richard replaced all of the plugs and switches for nice new white ones and you can see that the floor, the paint job and the baseboards all look pretty good too.

Deanna and her boyfriend were in Ottawa for a visit from Guelph where they have each renovated their respective homes so they know what we have been up to these days. Louise and Lisa and the two little Youngs were able to visit for Monday morning breakfast. We will soon have Payton off school so we can see her too. Today is her last day! I have projects waiting for the girls to do some artwork for their room!

Brooklyn choosing a picture to colour at her table and chairs...currently by our fireplace.

This week Maddie learned to pull herself up in our playpen and she is so pleased every time she does it. She turned 7 months old a few days ago! and has 1 tooth.

Reggie and Brooklyn are the best of friends!

June is Beautiful!

2010-06-13T11:04:00.007-04:00

The amazing beach of Perdido Key Florida and Alabama before the Gulf Oil Disaster of 2010.

Derek, Payton and Madison at Brooklyns birthday party. Maddy at the park with Nana and Brooklyn this week. Brooklyn rode the whole way standing on the front of the stroller so Maddie could lie in it!

Brooklyn got a bee sting at the cottage with her Mom and Dad and sisters. It took a while to blow up to this level but she was a trooper even though she had one eye shut tight! She let me hold a cool cloth on it and we counted to twenty together. Funny thing was when I got to nineteen, she yelled out twenty after...what a smartie pants! :-)

At the park her Mommy used to play at Brooklyn feels right at home these days.

I have been busy working lately but it has been nice to get time with the girls in too. I can't wait til Payton is off school, I have some projects to do with her too!

I included a picture from the Gulf of Mexico so we all can remember the devastation the oil spill is causing there...the turtles would be returning to the ocean after laying their eggs when it first happened and now the babies would be hatching, I hope they have moved them!

Brooklyn Becomes a Toddler - She turns TWO!

2010-06-06T20:48:00.005-04:00

Brooklyn examines her balloons, she very carefully ensures they don't get wrapped round each other!

Brooklyn and Payton enjoying a romp around Brooklyn's birthday present , a big girl bed!

After the singing there is nothing to do but go "oh my goodness!....TO ME!"

Brooklyn sits on her couch, an antique from her great, great, great, grandfather's home. I am wondering how many happy birthday girls sat there before her!

Madison and Grandpa have a special bond...he loves to hold her and she loves to be there! :-)

Payton giving Grandpa Richard a kind little look and a sweet smile....

Brooklyn had almost a week of celebration of her birthday from the actual day on June 2nd and a small family gathering at her house to the big party on Saturday! Everyone had a great time and Brooklyn finished the gifts with a brand new Big Girl Bed!

Add To The Mix...

2010-05-30T07:21:00.003-04:00

Folks,
It has been so long since I have updated the blog, I do apologize! My schedule has been really busy lately; continuing to help Richard with the renovations, enjoying being here in Ottawa and grand parenting and most recently starting a contract to do a review of a government IT project.

Our renovations have progressed to the point where we have all of the flooring materials needed to complete the upstairs bedroom floor replacement and the Ceramic tiles are now on hand for the basement Reno. New exterior light fixtures and a new sink and faucets for both bathrooms have been acquired and await installation! We finished the tops of the fence posts in the back yard since we decided against changing the fence top line. We got the masonry work that needed to be done completed on the exterior of the house and are well in line to complete the projects towards "Go For Sale" day!

As for staging, I have purchased or re purposed loads of curtains, curtain rods, bedding and linens to stage the upstairs bedrooms as a family like to see them and my favourite subset is the small bedroom that I am staging for the pleasure of my granddaughters! At a garage sale yesterday I got an antique, small dresser that Richard will spray paint for their room, to match the bed headboard and foot board that I got at another garage sale. Fun! Once the final bedroom floor is complete this week, I will be able to unjumble the upstairs and finally set the stage for the sale. Then we turn our attention to the Banister installation on our stairs and the basement Reno.

I have found some amazing sales recently: 12" x 12" ceramic tiles for 50 cents a piece (we needed 770 of them!), nice lighting fixtures for the basement for $4 each (need 8), exterior lights for $10 each (need 2) and some great garage sale finds for staging.

Some side projects I have to complete: an upholstered bench and headboard for the master bedroom, two roman blinds from fabric I acquired in South Carolina, re-upholstery of one chair and restoration of another antique desk chair...just need time time time now!

As I go I will include some pictures...

The Home Front...

2010-05-14T18:53:00.003-04:00

All is well here in Ottawa, as we move into the late spring and summer the city becomes more and more beautiful. This weekend and next (May 7 to 24th) is the 58th Annual Canadian Tulip Festival in Ottawa.

check it out at www.tulipfestival.ca

Work on Fernwood is progressing...slowly...this week we lost Biter our cat to old age (she was 20).

Today Was Sad in one way but Happy in Another!

2010-05-11T15:09:00.003-04:00

Brooklyn with a Kolbassa tongue as prompted by Bompa....
Madison wearing a big smile!

We lost our cat Biter today to old age. She was an amazing mouser and a beautiful little cat. We will miss her. As we were watching her closely today, Lisa, Brooklyn and Maddie came over for a visit.

Armen Living - Furniture for Contemporary Lifestyles

2010-05-05T19:12:00.003-04:00

The chairs that I found at Home Sense were made in Italy for Armen Art Co. a furniture and Art store in North Hollywood, California. How they made it here to Ottawa is anyone's guess. I have painted them a soft ivory and re-upholstered the seats in an artful material...I only kept two of them after all but with the new look I love them!

Armen Living - Furniture for Contemporary Lifestyles

Brooklyn Having Lunch! or Rudy Having Lunch! Take your pick...

2010-05-04T17:53:00.002-04:00

Richard and I were both getting over our colds this week and we ended up shifting our priority to some out door work on the back door and painting furniture for staging the house. The masons came and did such a wonderful job on the chimney and the brick work that we asked them to re-parge the back of the house. They were great workers and very nice people too! Every day I admire the work they did and am grateful that skilled craftsmen are so readily available to us.

News of the horrible oil spill in the Gulf and of the eleven poor workers who remain missing, and are now presumed to have perished after the accident, have cast a pall over our week. We love that area so much and would really miss going there. The beaches may be affected and the sealife and wildlife are certainly already suffering. We are so sad for them.

On the weekend Brooklyn, Richard and I picked up a twin bed and mattress and box spring from a friend of Lisa's. They were making room for their baby and had this furniture to spare. As a proponent of re-cycle and re-store and re-purpose we were so happy to buy it for the staging of one of our smaller bedrooms...and while the house waits to sell, it can be a lovely little retreat for my granddaughter's Brooklyn and Payton. We will post pictures here once I have finished the work on it. While we were out garage sale-ing we dropped by the Airstream (our Airebella) in storage and Brooklyn played while Richard and I checked that all was well and sipped Tim's coffees!

Fernwood Renovations....

2010-04-25T20:43:00.003-04:00

This week did not see too much progress...we finished tidying the flower beds, washing the outside windows, shutters and siding, purged and spring cleaned on the bedroom level. But the best thing about the week was the wonderful time I had to spend with my daughters and grandchildren. My son-in-law had a business trip so the "girls" came to our house to hang out when they could.

We visited Louise at her Airstream and although this was an extremely busy week for her with her Yoga business, she took a bit of time to chat with us. Her Airstream is a 23 foot Safari Special Edition 2008 model and it is very cozy...I will try to get a picture of it to add this week...

Week ahead sees Lisa's birthday and our milestone of painting the shutters, getting the masonry work completed and completing the upstairs work (flooring and painting) if all goes well.

I have started to put up Kijiji ads for items for sale..know anyone who wants to buy a great snow blower, looked after meticulously by Richard....?

Renovating on the Home Front!

2010-04-18T15:30:00.002-04:00

Folks,

The Airstream Chronicles will be taking a bit of a break from travels since we are home in Ottawa getting our house ready for sale. We have lived here for 25 years almost, it was (and is) a wonderful home in a great neighbourhood, but we don't need all the space anymore and the real estate market in our neighbourhood is hot! Houses are being sold as quickly as they go on the market. Since we have been living months at a time in the Airstream we know we will be happy with something much smaller... As the weeks go by in our purging, cleaning, de-cluttering and renovating we will keep the blog up to date every Sunday as we take a break from the fun!

Staging...staging...staging...my new mantra...LOL :-)

Reunions are Fun!

2010-04-11T12:37:00.004-04:00

Since we have been home it has been organized chaos...if there is such a thing....Thursday dinner with Lisa, Louise and the girls; Friday at the Airstream in Storage to bring needed things home and we went to a couple of movies we have been dying to see; Saturday breakfast at Fernwood and then babysit all three girls while their parents went fence shopping; Sunday breakfast club with Louise and Rachel! Rudy is very happy to see Brooklyn again and he is very interested in her teddy bear...

Derek and Madison catching a glimpse of one another after she has made the rounds with everyone else!
Grandpa meets Madison for the second time and is enjoying her happy demeanour. What a sweetie.

Lisa with Payton and Brooklyn in Nana's kitchen.

Auntie Louise with Baby Madison.

Final Leg - Airstream Plant to Ottawa - 12 Hours of Driving

2010-04-09T20:33:00.002-04:00

Well we left the Airstream plant after a two night stay there, we had planned a third night but the threat of hail had us "biting our nails" and deciding to hit the road. Hail on an Aluminum skin leaves golf ball dimples all over ... not pretty, I am told, and the only solution is to re-skin the whole rig. Richard and I are working on a quick and ready damage prevention approach for hail threats
and I am pretty sure we have the answer.

Our travels took us from the Airstream Plant, North on I 75 to the border crossing at Detroit/Windsor. What a pleasure that was...There was an involved circling dance that we had to do to get the toll paid for the Ambassador bridge but it went okay so we were happy. We stayed overnight at the Flying J in London, Ontario. From London we travelled to Kingston Ontario and thank goodness our favourite campground there was open, with full hook-ups! Sweet!

Home is wonderful and my next post will include grandchildren photos.

Chattanooga to Bowling Green, KY; Bowling Green to Jackson Centre OH

2010-04-05T11:58:00.008-04:00

We took I 24 through the "mountains" of Tennessee West of Chattanooga and on to Nashville and then on to Bowling Green,KY for the third day of our travels. It was a relatively short day for us and we were grateful for that. I 24 was a really wonderful highway, very well maintained, no construction and the one climb we had went from 1000 to 2000 feet but without being too steep in either the up or down portion so we were glad of that. The key is being able to slow the Airstream on the down grade and Richard had no problems at all.

We always enjoy our site at Bowling Green KY, the KOA park there is quiet and restful, the sites are long and level and many have a concrete patio. Sunday morning the park ladies were laying out an Easter Egg hunt for the small campers.

We had thought that we might stay a couple of nights there because we were getting a little tired of the daily routine of getting up, having quick showers and breakfast, stowing anything that could shift position and then hurrying on along the highway for the next stop, whatever it would be... But when we got up Richard thought that with good weather ahead and the Airstream factory as the next stop perhaps we should take advantage of the fact that it was Sunday to get safely through Cincinnati,
and Dayton today, Day 4. We opted to take the beltway around Cincinnati and we were really glad we did. It adds ten minutes to the trip but no big deal...Happy Easter everyone.

Being Easter we were remembering that there was a huge statue of Jesus (at least I think it is meant to be Jesus) at the roadside near Dayton and I got a picture of it.

I thought it was a little ironic that the statue of Jesus was right next to a huge flea market and you can see I caught the sign in this shot.

This is Dayton OH skyline.

We made it to Airstream Factory in Jackson Centre, OH at 5 pm EST and after setting up I made dinner of Joe Patti's Clam Chowder, and we reminisced about the beach a little and about the winter behind us. How quickly the time passes these days. We enjoyed the winter even though it was the coldest Florida has had in recent history.

Columbia, SC to Chattanooga TN - April 2nd

2010-04-04T00:18:00.003-04:00

Oriented for Chattanooga...Good Friday Traffic....

Heavy in both directions...

Rest stop...

One of these wheels is not like the other...

The Story Unfolds...

Some of you may wonder why we stay at Flying J's when they do not all give you the same sense of security. Well, the answer is simple, the Flying J's are all just off the Interstates, they have RV lanes where it is easy to fuel up, lanes to park the rig in and grassy areas (at least in the East) to walk the dogs...oh and they have WIFI that usually works well!

Yesterday while Richard was on the mission to get a new tire and I found myself at the Flying J without the truck attached (read the post) and I met 'Brad Pitt', I can tell you that my mission was to find a campground to move to if Richard felt uneasy too. The one I found was called Barnyard Campground...okay, I know that doesn't conjure up very good images but their web site looked nice, they were located right behind the Barnyard Flea Market (not that that is good when you only have 287 square feet to live in you tend to not buy much stuff!). When I called them they were full! Where did I put my KOA (Kampgrounds of America) guide again? I must find that quick! we don't usually like Wallmarts but it worked out okay and soon we were on the Interstate 20 again headed for Atlanta and then North West to Chattanooga on I 75.

Once I found the KOA guide we stopped for the day (day 2) at around 4 pm at the Chattanooga South KOA. It was hilly, noisy from the Interstate behind us, and the sites were uneven gravel. We changed sites and found one that seemed okay but the place was mainly gravel and Reggie the Pekingese we travel with did not like the feel of it on his paws... At ten pm Richard said to me "come out and see this" ..I thought the moon might have been up but he was showing me that I 75 northbound was blocked, at a standstill, and it was like that at 3 am when he walked Rudy. What a mess! Glad we never drive in the dark...

We debated staying on I 75 all the way to Ohio and the exit for the Airstream Plant, and passing though Knoxville rather than Nashville but in the end we opted for I 24 to Nashville. Day three would be Chattanooga to Bowling Green Kentucky (4 hr drive).

Myrtle Beach to Columbia, SC

2010-04-03T17:38:00.007-04:00

We woke up at the Wallmart in a nice neighbourhood to start our second day of travels.

This is the front view at the Flying J without the truck hitched up...never thought I would see that!
This is the motel with the drive up window that we parked in front of to wait for the help from the CAA. It was noon, hot and a little remote ...

The Story Goes...

Chapter 1 saw Richard and I heading to Birmingham, AL from Perdido Key, FL in early March and then east to take a coastal route home originally. That changed and we enjoyed a restful time in Myrtle Beach for three weeks. The rain in the east meant we moved west again for the trip back. April fool's day we set out, bound for home again. With Airebella readied for the trip, the pets all safely placed for travel, we only got an hour along Route 501 towards I 95 (and then I 20 W) when a pick-up truck driver pulled up next to us and at 60 mph going down the highway he gave us the bad news that we had a flat, middle left tire on Airstream. Too bad!

We pulled over, assessed the damage to the tire and tried to figure out exactly how we would describe where we were when we called for help. Note to self, do that before you dial the number.... Well let me sing the praises of the CAA who answered our call right away and came out within 30 minutes to put on the spare...We also tried Good Sam because we have their "Platinum" service and I was put on hold for 15 minutes...soooo the Platinum is really Tin!!! We were pulled over just east of Florence by a Motel drive through window...I know how that sounds and it was really a little weird but the lady running the motel said it was okay for us to park there. I expect she wasn't hopeful for customers, at least not this early in the day.

Once we were on the road again we needed to get a new spare and ended up doing that from the Flying J in Columbia, South Carolina. Okay, I have sung the praises of Flying J before and they are a port in the storm for sure. But the fact is, this one said they had tire service but the best you could get was a little air for a good tire. Then, they sent Richard to a dump of a tire shop that would have charged him $180 US to drive the half mile over to see us at the Flying J.

Richard had to unhitch, leave me in the Airstream with the pets and the weirdos wandering around while he set out. He eventually found a Wallmart (!!!) that had exactly the right tire, with the heavy rating for RV's and would replace it for us...i.e. put it on the rim....imagine that! Wallmart over a truck stop to fix an RV tire...well now I have heard everything...

So, as to my plight at the Flying J while there alone, it was at least 90 F, there was a guy wandering around that looked like Brad Pitt and he did a pass of the Airstream muttering " that's a sweet ride..." and " cool ". All I could think about was the movie Brad Pitt did in his early days called "Kalifornia" where he was a deranged killer on the road with three other losers, killing people at gas stops and hotels etc along the way. Okay, so I made sure the door to the Airstream was locked but that reduced the interior airflow so I used the fans running on battery to cool the place down when it got too hot. Later, this fellow approached Richard and while he didn't see the Brad Pitt resemblance, he did get an uneasy feeling about the surroundings.

Then, there was a fellow who was shouting at no-one in particular and running all around the parking lot sharing obscenities and chastising anyone he saw for imaginary infractions...nice...hmmm where could Richard be all this time???

Okay as for Richard, he was using the GPS to get to the Wallmart and darn if that little wonder of technology didn't take him to a closed down Wallmart in a really bad looking part of town...glad he had the maneuverability of the truck without the trailer!

We ended up moving at ten pm after a long and interesting day to the Wallmart for the night when Richard got back from his successful expedition to get a new spare. We had a restful night amongst 7 or 8 other rigs. The funny thing is, when I was doing the light check from the outside of the trailer as we hitched up at the Flying J, the "Brad Pitt" guy came out of an RV from California...no, I am pretty sure it couldn't have been the real Brad...he has an Airstream 345 Motorhome. :-)

Friends from Barrie Headed for New Orleans....

2010-03-30T14:35:00.001-04:00

Tom and Johnni (Joan) are headed for Savannah, Jacksonville, and then New Orleans before heading home to Ontario.

Ocean Lakes Campground, Surfside Beach, South Carolina

2010-03-28T04:22:00.007-04:00

We have been here at this resort campground for almost three weeks now. It has been a great place for me to recover from a bout with Bronchitis, with our site being just steps away from the beach. Before we leave this week though I wanted to share our thoughts on this place for others who may wish to come here.

Reception and Reservations: Reaching the campground by phone was challenging and I was left on hold for more than 7 minutes twice while calling for reservations. Normally this is not a big deal but when roaming, minutes are relatively scarce for us since we use our Canadian Blackberries as our main phone lines. There is an online booking system that works for American credit cards. Once we arrived and during our stay the reception desk was very helpful.

The Sites and Amenities: The sites are quite large and plentiful so you can find what you want, proximity to bathrooms, pool, playground, ponds or beach.

The Internet service SUCKS!!! You pay extra for it and if the park is full expect to go make a coffee while a picture is posting if it works at all, or expect to get online at 3 am where it is moderately better. Granted we were at a site near the beach and perhaps if we were nearer the repeaters, which look to be on top of the bathroom buildings, it might have been better. Also there is a picnic table area up near the laundromat where you can log on for free up to 12 users at a time and when I wanted to skype I did that because the signal is better.

A big laundromat (100 machines) and a store that is also quite large can be found on the grounds.

The park has a playground, and a large pool and a variety of other amenities that a visit to their website will reveal. It is a very large park so they also have golf cart rental available for a fee.

The water has too much fluoride in it to be drinkable so even though we triple filter, we could not drink it. There are drinking water spigots at the Post Office in the Park. We bought our drinking water.

Park Security: There is a front gate where all vehicles coming in are checked for a visitors pass. The site also has many cottages as well as the RV park. Security does rounds every so often during the day and overnight.

Would I Come Here Again? Well yes, but mostly for the beach being so accessible and for the area having so many attractions. There are loads of restaurants, tourist attractions, and shopping venues in the area.

Shark Fishing?

2010-03-24T05:07:00.006-04:00

Richard caught two baby sharks yesterday and we released them both after noting how beautiful and healthy they looked... There were other retirees on the beach from the Niagara region who also were fishermen and one was excited to help get the first little shark off the hook and back in the water.
When Richard released them back to the sea we watched to be sure the rough surf didn't wash them up again. They knew what to do with that strong tail once they hit the water...

Surfside Beach/Myrtle Beach March 2010

2010-03-22T04:46:00.002-04:00

Richard has been enjoying his fishing while we have been here at Myrtle Beach area. The water is cool but very beautiful. High tide this day was around 11 am and it was a cloudless sky as you can see with a temp of about 73F.

These fishermen were tending their crab trap line along the shore and the pelicans were very observant in case any bait or catch might come their way.

From our windows we can admire the palm trees and sunshine outside...

Camp sites here are large and with cement pads and grass. I love it when all the awnings are out. The more time we spend in the Airstream, the more we love it.

Yesterday we went out for lunch at Margaritaville, Myrtle Beach and we were a little disappointed that it was not on the beach as it should be! :-( The service was also not that great...we were comparing it to the one in Las Vegas on the strip and it has loads more character! We love the little Surfside Beach restaurant Nibils for breakfast and are headed there tomorrow morning with friends from the park.

Trip planning home is well underway now that my bout of Bronchitis is over. We have decided to go west and then north again opting to forgo both the eastern shore route and the one due north one through the Mountains in PA.

Every Trip Yields New Knowledge...

2010-03-14T15:37:00.004-04:00

ATLANTIC OCEAN AT MYRTLE BEACH
Well this trip back to the old stomping grounds of my Parents is too much fun. Too bad I am feeling a little under the weather, but every day I get stronger and the sea air and rest are doing me loads of good! The weather has been just wonderful, we have slept with the bedroom windows open at night. We were laughing because last year we had to trade our down comforter for a lighter cotton one about mid Feb time frame but this year we are still enjoying the heavier covers at night.

So what have I learned this trip? Well I have learned that Richard can cut my hair and he does a great job of it. When you don't feel much like going out but you still need to feel neat and tidy you just make do. It took some convincing and assurances that no matter what happened I would not be upset! LOL. He did a super job and I am loving my new cut!

I also have observed here at this campground that if you take a site close to the playground then you will have lots of children nearby having fun. We are far from the playground but it is an observation I am filing away for the future! :-) Also sometimes a site a little farther away from the beach will actually give you a better view. You need to think about that because there are trade-offs.

The shower facilities are quite a bit of a hike away so we have been showering in the Airstream and this morning I was almost cooked like a lobster because the setting on the shower handle was a little loose and mostly hot hot water came out. I learned that RV water heater tanks do not have a temperature dial like our home hot water heater does so all the adjustment is in the faucet handle. So once you read the directions, unscrew it, and make the necessary adjustments safe showering is the end result. Our faucets and fixtures are all oil rubbed bronze and when Richard had this one apart he brought just one of the pieces out to me to feel how heavy it was...whoa, no wonder the Airstream is heavy! It is fixed now and Richard has just tested it with his shower.

One of the neat things I saw here at this campground is that some of the RV's appear on the hitch of an Ocean Lakes Campground truck and are placed on the site waiting for the owners to arrive from wherever...cool. So you can keep your RV here in storage and they will drive or pull it out and place it on the site right by the Ocean. You don't have to have a truck to haul it, you don't pay property tax for your cottage, and you can be guaranteed a great spot for vacation fun; beach, golf, attractions etc.

Sunrise .. South Carolina Style...

2010-03-10T07:56:00.004-05:00

This morning Richard saw the orange on the wall outside the bathroom and realized something beautiful was happening out our door. He didn't wake me from my sound sleep as he stole out to capture these amazing shots...

Myrtle Beach 2010

2010-03-09T09:46:00.003-05:00

Myrtle Beach, the sand is not as white as Perdido, but the sea is just as beautiful. We walked the dogs on the beach, something that is allowed here until May. Rudy and Reggie loved it...Reggie b-lined it for a young woman in a bikini and made friends as he always does...I can see I will have to be walking the dogs with Richard or who knows what "mischief" reggie will get him into!

This is the view from the Airstream door . This morning the sea was very calm and lovely.

Love birds...there is a long beaked white one out there too that I need to get a picture of...no idea what it is!

We went out to explore a little last evening...

This park also has multiple ponds with fountains...nice.

Atlanta is Behind Us!

2010-03-07T20:03:00.005-05:00

Well, we left Playa Del Rio on March 3rd , heading for home a little early, with me very sick with Bronchitis and weak! It was a gorgeous day at the beach and a great day for travelling but we were sure going to miss the beach and the people for another year. Once we arrived in Birmingham, our usual first stop on the road North, I was too sick to go further and basically needed to rest in bed for a few days.

Birmingham South looked a little bleak this early in the season but the sun shone for three days and I steadily got stronger. The urgency to get home also dissipated while I recuperated and we decided to head out to the East Coast for a more leisurely coastal route home. We are also hitting Myrtle Beach, a favourite snowbird site for my parents when they were our age. Retracing their steps will be fun. I was thinking today that it is 42 years ago that I first went to MB with my parents for a March Break holiday. Wow time flies.

As we entered Georgia the Airstream rolled along effortlessly slicing through the air. We passed Atlanta on I-20 right through city centre! Glad it was Sunday and not Monday traffic!

Parked at the Flying J for the night we start up the generator to power up Airebella for the night's rest.

Sure hope the generator is there in the morning... :-)

Birmingham South Campground...

2010-03-06T17:25:00.003-05:00

Birmingham South Campground has welcomed us many times. This past few days it has been a place for me to try to get over my Bronchitis resting in bed, relaxing with the sun streaming in the windows.

We had been heading North, hurrying that first day for a window of good weather, only to realize that I needed bed rest and a little pampering from Richard. :-)

As I start to feel stronger, we are thinking of the beach again, missing it !

Ottawa Visit Feb 2010

2010-03-01T10:34:00.004-05:00

Derek and Brooklyn after bath time...
Louise and Madison ...

Payton reading!

Brooklyn skying with Grandpa!

Madison!

Baby Madison is three months old!

Brooklyn is 20 months old and a going concern...very sociable and chatty!

I waited every morning for the bus with Payton and one morning the snow was packy so we built a snowman and adorned it with my scarf!

Lisa and Madison and I got to have a quiet dinner alone at the red lobster. Madison slept the whole time!

The view of the Golf course from Lisa's back window.

I just returned from a wonderful visit with my children and grandchildren in Ottawa. The week was full of wonderful chats, visits with family, good times with the wee ones directly. It all made me smile but tired me out! I came back to Perdido Key last night with great memories, loads of pictures and a cold from a little too much sharing! LOL ... I guess you get the bad with the good sometimes so I do not mind it at all.

Mardi Gras - Feb 16, 2010

2010-02-17T05:07:00.006-05:00

These photos (taken by our friend Scott) are from the Parade of Orange Beach , Alabama.

The traditional colors of Mardi Gras are purple (symbolic of justice), green (symbolic of faith) and gold (symbolic of power). The original selection of these colors originates from 1872 when the Grand Duke Alexis Romanoff of Russia visited New Orleans.

French Explorer Sieur D'Iberville brought Mardi Gras to America n 1699. It became a celebration before Lent and so were its ties to Christianity forged.

In medieval times in Europe, landed gentle folk would ride through the countryside and reward the peasant workers with cakes (thought to be the origin of the King Cake) and gold coins.

The first Mardi Gras parade was in 1837 (173 years of evolution!).

The King Cake, a round traditional cake of Mardi Gras, is made from danish pastry dough topped with icing in traditional colours of purple, green and gold. This tradition dates back to the twelfth century in France and came to America around 1870.

President's Day

2010-02-15T09:11:00.004-05:00

Gilbert Stuart and Rembrandt Peale's Portrait of George Washington (Born Feb 22, 1732), the First President of the USA (President 1789 - 1797).
Surrender of Lord Cornwallis after the American Revolutionary War. (John Trumbull 1817)

Today is President's Day

President's day is the third monday of February and dates back to 1880 as the first US holiday celebrating an individual. Washing ton was the first commander of the Continental Army in the American Revolutionary War (1775 - 1783).

These beautiful images of the original oil on canvas are both in the public domain.

Happy Valentine's Day!

2010-02-14T13:44:00.002-05:00

Today is Valentine's Day and the weather is sunny and about 60 F in the sunshine (stay out of the wind). Ricky (our old cat) is doing better and that makes us very happy. I decided to try a recipe from our favourite cookbook The Coastal Living Cookbook to celebrate the day. The recipe is for Key Lime Pie or Floridian Pie and it looks just perfect!

Richard is getting ready to head to the Beach to surf fish. He got his Florida License yesterday and the bright sun tends to bring out the fish. Would be nice to have a Pompano to go with this tonight!

I changed the ingredients to make it a little lighter but that was a mistake...The recipe needs whole evaporated milk (Eagle Brand is the best). The followup pie I made with the whole milk was much more set and a little less tangy. A small slice is all you want though! Very rich pie!

Enough with the Cold Weather Already!

2010-02-10T19:52:00.003-05:00

Shells from tonight's stroll!

Home, sweet rolling, home away from home...

The winter beach at Perdido Key...

Okay, I think I just heard 48 inches of snow in a week in the Washington DC area....what is going on with that? Here at the Beach we had cool weather today down to 27 F overnight and only up to about 50 F during the warmest hour of the day which is about 3 pm oddly enough. Never mind, we walked the dogs, we walked on the beach, we did not complain about it and I stayed in sandals today soooo! :-)

This was, as they say in the south, a Gumbo day, cloudy, cool, etc. So we had Gumbo for dinner and, guess what, our spoiled little dogs had T Bone steaks grilled to perfection by Richard.

Sanelli 389018 Lobster Shear

2010-02-10T14:47:00.001-05:00

Sanelli 389018 Lobster Shear

Richard got the lobster shears (rightmost tool on the picture - 5 of them) online order, they are very nice! Italian made Stainless Stainless steel , they made short work of these claws...did not use the old cracker tools we had at all!

Weekend Seafood Dish!

2010-02-09T13:17:00.006-05:00

Dinner after the Mardi Gras Boat Parade was Coconut Lime Crusted Fresh Red Snapper fillets, wild rice and salad. The fish was from Jo Patti's Seafood and Richard prepared and grilled it using a recipe of his with lemon and lime zest, lime juice, coconut milk and coconut! It was great!

Weekend on Perdido Key!

2010-02-09T12:49:00.003-05:00

Many Mardi Gras celebrations have started here in the South including the Flotilla that passed by the marina here at our RV resort this Saturday. There were several boats all decorated and it was lots of fun watching them and hoping to catch some beads as they passed by!

Scott was the official "watcher" signalling to the rest of us when the boats were coming...it was windy and cool down on the docks.

A pelican was floating around and didn't realize that soon the decorated boats would come by disturbing his peace!

Richard was on the end of the dock looking down the river...ready with his boat hook to catch some treasures...others had placed their fish nets at the ready!

The picnic table was taken over by the group of Minnesotans who were visiting our neighbours at site 2 for the day!. The festivities started at about noon!

What To Do on a Cloudy Day at the Beach!

2010-02-05T10:42:00.004-05:00

Well, the day started with a visit to Waffle House for breakfast! Lots of coffee, and view of the Florabama in the background as we enjoyed our toast! After that we went to the iconic Joe Patti's seafood market to check out the fresh catch and their little shop. We bought fresh bread and a variety of fish and shrimp for our supper as well as seafood spices that are hard to find elsewhere. On our way home we saw the Mexican Restaurant, Vallartas, that we have been meaning to try for a while and Richard ran in just to get the menu and we ended up going in to have a late lunch. Their Thursday special was really cheap Margarita's which they serve in 12, 25, 45 and 64 oz sizes with the price of the special ranging from $1.50 to $8.50! We tried the 25 oz sizes and could not finish them. I asked the waiter to bring us the other glasses so we could see what a 64 oz Margarita would look like! It was huge! Definitely one to order with 4 straws and share with friends! :-)

The Chicken Enchiladas with Rice and Beans was very filling for $5.50 per person!

The stained glass display was just beautiful including this one of a parrot with a Corona. Richard took the photo of this one because Derek, our son in law, enjoys a Corona on a warm summer day!

fishing boats key west

2010-02-04T08:53:00.002-05:00

fishing boats key west

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Sunset at the Marina Here at Playa Del Rio...

2010-02-03T17:17:00.004-05:00

Last night we took an evening stroll down to the docks at the park just as the sun was setting. We chatted outside with some of the happy hour crowd. The views up the river into the sun were amazingly beautiful. Intense hues of purple and blues seemed to melt together as the sun let an eerie, quiet, coolness descend upon us. The river was calm as glass. I hoped to see some dolphins feeding as often happens here at high tide. Instead, our lone blue heron was relaxing in the water.

Across the river are the million dollar homes of Ono Island. Some ravaged by Hurricane Ivan with roof lines sagging and windows shattered. In stark contrast some have been restored to their glory but sit largely unoccupied this time of year. Things pick up in March as the spring breakers descend upon the beaches and the condos. Then the peaceful surroundings come alive with people, young people! We are told that summer here is beautiful as well but extremely busy with folks trying to escape the relentless heat and humidity of a southern summer by retreating to the shore. We miss all that when we make our way North...that time is now fast approaching. Hard to believe we have been here since November 4th!

Billy's Seafood Market

2010-02-03T10:09:00.006-05:00

After breakfast Richard and I went to Billy's Seafood Market on the Bon Secour river because we had heard it was good. We wondered how it compared to Joe Patti's Seafood in Pensacola but it was a whole lot smaller and rougher around the edges. Richard spoke to a fisherman who shared stories of how fishing in the area has changed over the years, what the fishing and shrimping is like there and how far they have to go for the various catches.
We ended up coming home with some humongous shrimp that we steamed with Old Bay seasoning and enjoyed with a glass of Robert Mondavi Private Collection Sauvignon Blanc.

Breakfast at the Hangout on the Gulf!

2010-02-03T09:41:00.007-05:00

Our waitress with the beautiful Gulf view behind her.

Suzy and I smiling for Richard! :-)

The Giant fan in the Restaurant at the Hangout. (Below) The view from the garage door windows at the Hangout. (Above) Yesterday began with breakfast with a friend at the Hangout Restaurant in Gulf Shores. The place is beautiful with it's big windows opening out to the Gulf. We watched a Dolphin or two close in to shore, feeding or playing, not sure which. The funny thing was that the folks walking on the beach seemed oblivious to it's presence! You can see a zeppelin flying by out the garage door windows, advertising the casino in Atmore, Alabama.

Mardi Gras celebrations have begun. There will be a floating parade this weekend down at the marina end of the park. We should get some good pictures of that.

Watching a Squall Line...

2010-02-01T18:05:00.002-05:00

As we drove out this morning to get the oil changed in the truck and to do a little more shopping we saw an unusual weather event over the Gulf. Having so much horizon visible as one does when near the sea we were able to see the clear delineation of a squall line moving east over the Gulf. The sun was behind it and once the cloud line moved out it was beautiful and sunny behind it as you can see in the top picture... Just an amazing sight!

Cool, Grey Day ..Great for Reading!

2010-01-30T19:26:00.006-05:00

Today is a little bit unsettled after a huge thunder and lightning storm last evening...We had an interesting light display out the windows and this morning the beach was wiped clean of the shell line that had been there the morning of my last post.

Today I am browsing through The Coastal Living Cookbook. I liked their Gumbo recipe so much I thought I might like to get a cookbook just for Gumbo and found the Louisiana Gumbo Cookbook...looks good!

Richard is reading the Knot Craft book by Des Pawson and is getting really good at all kinds of knot tying... Nice hobby you can take anywhere!

Morning is Breathtaking on the Gulf

2010-01-28T08:42:00.004-05:00

This morning I ran down to the beach to catch the sunrise. The vista view portlights in the Airstream were signalling that it was going to be absolutely lovely! The pictures speak for themselves but there were definitely several thoughts emerging as I walked by the shore. I am...

my Father's daughter because I love the early morning and enjoy the beauty of nature with a spirit that wants to protect it
my Mother's daughter because I love to walk along the beach, breathe in the fresh air and listen to the bird song and the sound of the sea

Being by the Gulf, feeling the warmth, taking in the beauty and discovering the little treasures that the sea surrenders after every storm just makes me smile!

Today Was Florida!

2010-01-26T17:41:00.004-05:00

Today we had a wonderful day. I did a load of laundry and hung it out to dry in the Florida sunshine...an environmentally friendly choice I would say. I chatted with one daughter and instant messaged the other. We surfed the Internet for a while and then enjoyed the patio with friends and with more friends dropping by to chat as we soaked up the sunshine. The beach walk was about 3 km today, no shelling, just chatting and listening to the waves as we walked. Near the Crab Trap restaurant, that is adjacent to the beach, we sat on a large driftwood log and searched the aquatic horizon for sea life....

Shells From The Beach Walks

2010-01-23T10:32:00.004-05:00

I was asked to post some pictures of my shells and choral samples so here they are. In this picture are my "miniatures" - perfect little examples of shells for which we have much larger versions as well. In this photo the white one in the top left is called a Baby's ear - it is a flat shell that looks like a little ear when you turn it over. Next to it is a Sharks Eye on the right and a Spiny Jewel Box on it's left and below it. Beside the Spiny is another Baby's ear that has some colour to it. Next to it is a Calico Scallop shell. Next to the quarter is a Lettered Olive on the left and on the right a Pear Whelk. At the bottom, left to right, a Lightning Whelk, a Calico Scallop and another Sharks Eye. All tiny! This grouping (in the next two photos) are larger: at the top is a rare Scotch Bonnet. Clockwise from the Scotch Bonnet is a Lettered Olive, a Sharks Eye, and a Florida Rock Shell.

These are samples of Choral that have drifted up on the beach. These are my largest pieces. Using the quarter for scale you can see they are fairly substantial. Usually the pieces of choral I find are small, single branch segments.

Beach Walks - 5 KM Most Days....

2010-01-23T09:58:00.004-05:00

On our walk yesterday in the absolutely beautiful sunshine and 72 F (22 C), we passed the old Beach house again. This one has lots of character and seems to have weathered many storms. It looks very humble from the outside but it is about 4000 square feet of living space and the land it is on is very costly. Inside, I imagine it to be decorated like pages out of the Coastal Living magazine in cool blue and green shades, punctuated by white wicker and sandstone tiles. Ahhh beach living at it's best!

The waves were high and the first signs of the blue green waters we had last year are appearing here as the Gulf gets warmer. The sun glinted off the water giving us a moving backdrop of silver studded waves to chat by as we walked along the beach.

The condos are beginning to open up with more and more visitors coming south from colder northern climes both in Canada and the US. We met a couple enjoying the beach who were from Minnesota and reflected on the beauty of this, as yet, undiscovered winter location. We mused about how lucky we were to have this natural beauty all to ourselves; at least for a while....

How Many Skype Conversations Did You Have Today?

2010-01-21T20:09:00.003-05:00

Skype is wonderful! I spoke with two of my brothers today, one computer to computer, and one computer to land line. It was really great to connect. The brother without the computer complains that I sound like I am in a barrel but he could hear me and I him so all was well! My airstreaming friends from Arizona, Dean and Sheri, also called me this morning to talk about Quartzsite and what they are up to there. It was great to see them both and the video call was absolutely free! Our friend Suzy just instant messaged me from Skype to say that she would be back in the park tomorrow after her trip to Fort Myers, Florida for a week. Connecting with friends and family via Skype is a gift! Sign up now...you won't be sorry.

The picture is one of my two granddaughters skyping and colouring with Grandpa who was in Florida while they were with Grandma in Ottawa!

Corn Bread for Richard!

2010-01-21T14:39:00.003-05:00

Richard has always loved corn bread...now that I know how the convection microwave works I can make it...a little less sugar and skim milk, no salt...Richard says it is excellent! I will post the recipe tonight on www.danishhomecooking.blogspot.com

Perdido Key Weather...

2010-01-20T14:01:00.003-05:00

They say "wait two hours and it will change.." and it is true! We started the day with our usual 5K walk on the beach and it was quite nice, warm and 70 F (20 C or so). Now it is raining again and we are using the time to catch up on the inside chores of retiree.s..wash vegetables and fruit; check e-mail; blog a little; read and relax. I do have some work to do, putting together a proposal, but the inspiration must also be there for that kind of activity. Maybe later! :-)

We had a nice visit this morning with Bob and Jo who are from California. They have two adorable pugs and run a business with their family, centered on Volkswagons. Check out http://www.bugorama.com/ for details... They are off further south in Florida tomorrow to Riverside RV Resort and Campground in Arcadia ( www.riversidervresort.com ) near Sarasota.

5050 BMX Rolls into Playa...

2010-01-18T19:13:00.003-05:00

A group of pro BMX riders rolled into the park yesterday with their rig and trailer in tow. They were very cool and seemed to enjoy the great Florida weather. I did not see them doing any fancy stuff on their bikes but check out their blog at www.5050bmx.com/blog/ there is some great video there of them doing their thing! They are almost as cool as the Airstream... :-)

In this shot we have the BMX team members, and Richard, John and Glenna (from Australia) and Scott! What a great day it was lots of sunshine!

Love the shadows in this shot...and the poses...

Stormy Saturday Jan 16th Shots..

2010-01-18T09:30:00.003-05:00

The weather was stormy over the gulf with lots of heavy rain and we did take a walk by the beach. The surf was very high on the beach, almost up to the protected sand dunes. And the waves were reported to be 7 to 10 feet at times... Very noisy!

Rainy Day in Perdido Key

2010-01-16T10:41:00.004-05:00

Today the truck is getting a great bath with the heavy rain outside! We have had a few beautiful days of sunshine and warmth. It went up to 70 F yesterday ( that is 21 C) and we walked on the beach in the morning for about 4 km. The beach was deserted! Once the spring breaks start at the colleges and universities in Feb and March the beach will experience a metamorphosis. There will be beach chairs set up, people playing volleyball and swimming and lots of beachcombers.

Oh, last evening a 25 foot Class C motorhome pulled in with a young family on board. First one child was spotted, then two...wait a minute there are two more, and, what on earth, another three !!! For a total of seven children with their two parents. The story, on the road for a year, home schooling the kids...Can you imagine what that would be like on a rainy day. There were three under 3 among them...Wow...

Reading More Dan Brown!

2010-01-14T16:18:00.007-05:00

DAN BROWN.........Lost Symbol...

There are days when I am just into reading and Dan Brown is a favourite author of mine...I enjoy reading Dan Brown's work but am thinking that this one seems to be starting in much the same way as the Da Vinci Code, with the gruesome demise of a friend of the lead character....

What is interesting to me, with my background in science, is the discussion of Noetic "Science" and the links to mysticism and the Free Masons. I know there will be a movie...I always like to read the book first... I havn't finished it yet. When I do I will update the post to give my take on it...

Walk to Eden Condominiums 5Km round trip...

2010-01-14T11:01:00.007-05:00

We got up very early this morning to see the sunrise on the beach! The sky becomes the most brilliant shades of pink, blue and purple...
The sun is just about to rise over the water ... it is a bit cloudy so we won't really see it up for a while. this morning we are walking about 5 kilometers round trip so no worries...we shall witness it all...

When it finally breaks past the clouds the colours change from misty, and muted tones to bright and vibrant ones. The sea is shimmering and there is the promise of warm weather ahead. As we walk we have our hoodies zipped up to the neck and hoods up ...

Richard picked up on these footprints and said well these are the footprints of a true beachcomber... I thought ' why is that ? '... he said "look closely" and sure enough the perfect footprints are of two different shoes, worn by the same person! Was it too dark when he ventured out...

Our destination...the EDEN Condominiums...get it? Eden in Paradise on the lost key....

This morning another thing happened as we walked. I had spotted a large Shark's eye shell protruding from the wet sand, just 'asking' me to come and pick it up. I ran over to get it and turned around to show Richard. Just then another beachcomber, who seemed to appear out of nowhere, came walking up to me quickly with his hand outstretched. He was tall and had a ruddy complexion, like he lived here by the sea, and his clothes were warm but worn around the edges. His outstretched hand was covered with fingerless gloves so that he could shell without getting them wet. As he approached me he said "here these are for you, they are just like that one you found" and he gave me three amazingly large and perfect samples of Shark's eye shells.

As quickly as he had approached me he was gone again in the opposite direction to us down the beach. I couldn't find his footsteps in the sand as we moved away from him nor as we returned on our walk back to our familiar surf...

Beautiful, Beautiful, Planet...

2010-01-13T19:52:00.000-05:00

Beach Today Warm and Sunny!

2010-01-12T20:26:00.002-05:00

Today was a gorgeous day in Florida with great weather finally...after several days of really cold weather, below 0 C overnight! We welcomed the warmth with a walk on the deserted beach! Beautiful white sand and deep blue sea...

Mist off the Gulf of Mexico...

2010-01-09T10:14:00.003-05:00

This morning Richard ventured out in the weather in 22F (- 5.5 C) to see how the beach was and he saw "steam" coming off the water. The water is warmer than the air! He also saw fish jumping out of the water and birds feeding on them...Neat!

Arizona is looking better and better!!! :-)

Florida is Cold ...STILL!

2010-01-08T13:56:00.003-05:00

Hey there...I told you that I figured out the convection microwave and I managed to bake a banana bread that was rather good the other day. Check out the picture...:-)

We have been wishing we had packed more warm clothes this year since it has been hovering below zero Celsius in the overnight and around 5 or 6 C during the days. We did get up to 18 C (65F) yesterday during the day with sunshine and we all came out of our mobile houses to get some air. We did a thorough cleaning in the Airstream and actually did several loads of laundry. We soaked up the sunshine bracing ourselves for the sub zero Celsius weather overnight!

We heard that there was a bad car pile-up in Atlanta because of the snow and even though they were threatening snow for this area yesterday we only got rain. Hopefully this will break over the weekend..I will keep you posted. This is a great time for me to do some of the research I have to do for my projects and I am taking advantage of the desire to hibernate to do just that!

Orange Beach Alabama Weather - Snow Thursday....

2010-01-04T19:07:00.003-05:00

Well, well, well! Snow here???? I will believe it when I see it but it has been cold! Today was sunny but the temp dipped below 0C overnight so we unplugged the water and plugged in the heater! The report on Weather Underground says 30% chance of snow Thursday! Okay I know we should be saying it is not as cold as Ottawa, but really! This is toooooo much! We had a great day today cleaning around the RV and finding our long underwear...just kidding!

Rudy did not want to get out of bed and frankly who can blame him when cozy beneath a down comforter?

In Ottawa ...De-Iceing the plane - The Weather Network

2010-01-03T09:58:00.002-05:00

Your Weather: De-Iceing the plane - The Weather Network I saw this while checking the weather in Ottawa this morning and it left me feeling a little more chilly! We have had cool and sunny weather here on the panhandle with the next couple of nights dipping below freezing...but the Airstream is nice and warm and so are we. This little de-icing clip is chilling and it made me think about why air travel in the winter scares me a bit! I was thinking of another trip home to see the family in February but now ... not so sure...

Inspired to Use the Convection Microwave today!

2010-01-02T17:41:00.002-05:00

Well after the nice restful day we had yesterday reflecting on the year behind us and the year ahead I decided it would be fun to try the Convection Microwave again. I didn't want to forget how to use it! I pulled out the Coastal Living Cookbook and made Chesapeake Bay Crab Cakes with Fresh Field Greens (plus Cranberry and Almond) Salad, and Rosemary Shortbread for dessert with fresh ground coffee. What a treat... The recipes in the Coastal Living Cookbook are truly wonderful, easy to make and have been a hit with us both. Richard, being from the maritimes, knows a great crab cake and so I was hoping these would be as good as any he had had before and he was very impressed.

Happy New Year and Oh My It Is 2010!!!!

2010-01-01T15:24:00.003-05:00

Well folks, as we ring in a new year, Richard and I are so thankful for wonderful family, good friends, enchanting pets, and a lifestyle that is both comfortable and relaxing. When I remember the turn of the last decade from 1999 to 2000 all I can think of is the craziness around Y2K and how that decade ended sadly with the loss of my Father. For us, 2009 brought a new baby to the family in little Madison Christina. She joins her sisters Payton and Brooklyn (all children of the last decade)! The last decade brought great jobs and then retirement for both Richard and I, as well as two Airstreams and a boat (:-)); it brought Louise back to Ottawa from British Columbia to study and she rekindled her passion with Yoga and horses, making it her life's work, and she also bought her own Airstream...good stuff! The past decade also saw Lisa finishing her university degree, beginning a great career, getting married, having children and moving into her dream home.

Our family lost a wonderful young woman in the past decade to cancer. Johanne was my nephew Scott's wife, and mother to two wonderful little girls, Leah and Sarah. She has been sadly missed by all who knew her. Things somehow have a way of working out and Scott found new love and married Patty, my new niece. Scott's sister Christine finished her Nurse Practitioner's education and now we can all hope for great care (should we need it!) The amazing thing is that she did it while adding to her family of 4 children! My nephew Paul married his Victoria in a beautiful wedding in Niagara on the Lake so the new niece count went up. :-) Welcome to the family to both Patty and Victoria. This past year my nephew Nathan proposed to his girlfriend Carrie (a childhood friend of my daughter Lisa) and so we are sure to see more weddings and children this next decade! The last decade saw Rachel, my niece in Ottawa, completing her degree and landing a great job. Deanna, my niece from Guelph, branched out to a new job and bought her first home - a major life event.

A decade like that is hard to follow but we are sure hopeful for lots of fun, some hard work (we have a project or two ahead of us) and good times as the year progresses!

Happy new Year...Last Day of 2009!

2009-12-31T14:29:00.001-05:00

Today is just beautiful...we have all the awnings out... about 70F I would say if not a little warmer...Florida sunshine as we expect it to be... Happy New Year to everyone reading the blog. The new year show lots of promise and indeed we are starting a brand new decade. Health, happiness and prosperity to all!

Magical Nights...

2009-12-29T20:46:00.000-05:00

The Next Exit Directory - An RVer's Must Have!

2009-12-29T17:08:00.002-05:00

Just for my Rving readers who follow the Blog... please be sure to get a copy of The Next Exit before your next trip on the Interstates of the USA. For many of us, getting from one place to the next does not just involve using the biways or scenic routes, it means getting somewhere quickly ...ergo the Interstate. What do you do when you need to pull over for gas or for supplies...and you don't have mobile Internet? Well this directory was recommended to us and now I won't go traveling in the US without it! It lists what is at every Interstate exit and gives you an indication of whether it is an RV friendly place as well.

Cool Nights and Sunny Days At Perdido Key

2009-12-29T10:07:00.008-05:00

We have been having some cool nights around 2 Celsius 38F here at the beach and with all the rain we have also been having we are seriously considering moving somewhere warmer...We are so torn because we love it here with the river on one, and the Gulf on the other, side of us. The park here (Playa Del Rio) is so small that we have a real sense of community going also.

Yesterday we had a fifth wheel and it's three occupants (including a little dachshund) from Tennessee leave because they were not looking forward to the forecast! We also had Scott and Theresa return as work campers! Scott and Theresa have a big MCI Bus motor home with air brakes and a diesel engine and they have two cats. Reggie is smitten by one of their big cats...not sure why exactly but such is "puppy love".

Check out Playa Del Rio (http://www.playadelrio.com/) or Perdido Key (www.visitflorida.com/Perdido_Key) to see where we are...

As we drove on the Beach boulevard today we say six fishing boats of various sizes out on the gulf close to shore fishing so I am sure that Richard and I will head out with his tall poles later today when it warms up. Perhaps another Pompano day!

Christmas Turkey on the Road!!!

2009-12-25T10:24:00.009-05:00

Table is set for dinner...

Cooking turkey for Christmas in an RV can be a challenge. We don't have an oven (other than the convection microwave) and some RV's have an oven that is too small for a turkey. I found the solution! An electric Roasting Oven ... It saves on propane and uses electricity often provided by the campground as part of the rates.

The weather here on the Panhandle's Gulf coast beach is partly cloudy and 55 F (13 C) this morning.

Merry Christmas everyone!

Christmas Eve At Perdido Key

2009-12-24T15:18:00.005-05:00

In the evening as we sat down to supper the squall line was moving towards us...the winds were very high but the Airstream is built for winds and they just seem to roll past us without shaking the trailer...Friends with fifth wheels said they were "rocked" by the high winds...We are located on the little strip of land at the bottom (just a little right of the centre of the screen shot). This jpg is courtesy of www.alabamawx.com .

Richard and I went to the Beach Christmas eve morning after the rain subsided...There is call for Tornados near Mobile later in the day which is not too far from where we are here at the beach. We are experiencing high winds, rain and very grey dark overcast skies!

Shelling today! Nice ...

2009-12-19T21:33:00.007-05:00

Nice shells on the beach today...

A big bird was following us around...

There was sunshine and wonderful weather today...I love the awnings out...

Caught The Sunset Tonight....

2009-12-18T18:59:00.006-05:00

Done!!! Gumbo is Served!!

2009-12-18T15:50:00.002-05:00

OMG it was sooooo good and sooooo spicy! Loved it ! Here's hoping we do not have heartburn later!

Crock Pot Gumbo After 2 Hours

2009-12-18T13:43:00.003-05:00

The aroma is heavenly! Few more hours to go then make roux!