Shopping and sightseeing

June 7 – When I got up and turned on my phone I had an email from Jane and she and

Entry to one building of shops

Pete were not feeling well and would not be up to today’s excursion.  We certainly understand that!  So instead of arriving at their house at 9:30, we left the RV at 10 and headed to St. Jacob.  It’s just over an hour from the RV park and they have a huge Thursday and Saturday Market.  There are 3 large buildings of crafts, merchandise, and food vendors in addition to 40-50 10 x 10 outdoor vendors.  Lots of people had come and gone by the time we

Poutine

arrived.  Upon arrival Bill said he wasn’t feeling well so for me go for a half hour or so and he’d sleep.  I checked out one building and saw so many food items I wanted, then at the next 2 story building I actually bought some pea bacon, schnitzel and summer sausage.  There were lots of veggie stalls and tons of rhubarb if only I had a place for it.  Bill had been talking to Jane about cream honey and I found some and got it for Bill.  It’s kinda a whipped honey that you can spread better than regular honey.

I took my haul back to the truck and Bill and I did it all over again, including the 3^rd building.  He found 2 books, I found a hedgehog, we bought 2 thin ready to bake or freeze pizzas, and Bill got maple candy.  I had a small order of poutine for lunch and Bill did the regular :  burger, fries and soda

We drove across the road to the outlet stores and I found 2 silicone toppers for bowls to keep the contents warm til eating and then it was my turn to drive!

Me and my new buddies

We went to Stratford, where they have built a

William is "the man"

theater to replicate The Globe in London.  We wanted to see the inside but they were having a performance today so we couldn’t.  The gardens are beautiful with a nice tribute statue of William Shakespeare.  The theatre overlooks the river and they have a lot of swans there.  They didn’t seem the least bit afraid of people.

I was at the wheel for the drive back to London.  The decision was to go to Pete and Jane’s and say good bye since we leave tomorrow.  She got out the wine and we enjoyed a final glass of Riesling and talked about our day before we got our hugs and headed home.  I really enjoy our time with them and hope they can soon make a trip to Florida!

Molly was pacing a usual, so she was fed and I started the oven for the pizza.  I cut each one in half and cooked both kinds and will do the same with the other halves.  I got the Canadian which has ham, pineapple and some ground beef on it.  Bill got pepperoni with mushrooms.  The crust was super thin which made it all the better to me.

I checked the Robin’s nest.  It so neat to watch dad as he stands guard on the ground and lets her know it is safe to bring food back to the babies, then she takes off again and hunts another bug or worm.

So that’s our story for today and tomorrow could be a whole new adventure!

Food and Family!

June 6 – We were close to the designated time to be at Pete and Jane’s this morning, 10 o’clock!  It didn’t take long to pile into their car and head out for Parks Blueberries out in Bothwell. We had a wrong turn or 2 and a detour, but we finally made it.  It’s a nice drive through some small towns, lots of farm land, a deer and wild turkeys here and there.  They have a really nice (and expensive) shop with nice kitchen items and lots of beautiful home décor items.  However, the real draw is the yummy baked goods they make there and the nice and delicious food they prepare for breakfast and lunches.  Pete wasn’t feeling well so he didn’t eat but Bill and I each had one the daily specials of a ham and cheese on ciabatta bread with a side salad.  There were blueberries with the salad.  They a raspberry pepper jelly on the sandwich and it was super tasty.  Jane had an egg salad wrap with a salad and no one left a crumb!  Then it was time to pick out what pastries were leaving with us!  We got a box that held 6 items and Bill chose a raspberry/Chocolate scone, a raspberry scone and a raspberry turnover.  I went with a lemon/cranberry scone, a chocolate croissant, and a giant cheese tea biscuit.  Yum!  We also bought 4 butter tarts to share with Pete and Jane after dinner.

Keeping the babies warm

We headed home and the guys took the car to the

Feeding the babies

mechanic to check on a warning light that came on earlier and “waited” at the local bar!  Jane and I took off for Dollar Tree as I wanted to see if it was the same as ours.  It is except the cards are $1 but everything else is $1.25.  Jane and I both picked up a few things.  After more visiting, Pete lit the grill and he and Bill grilled everyone’s meat of choice.  Everyone pigged out with the grilling, chips, salad and of course, the Butter Tarts.  They were REALLY good and gooey!

Dad doing his part!

After more visiting and watching everyone starting to dose off, it was time to get home as Molly would be having a fit of hunger by then  (Yes, she was!)

The robin nesting her babies behind us on the ladder of the RV, are so fun to watch.  I've gotten several photos of the process.

We were both kinda tired so I didn’t even write my journal!

Great day with family!

June 5 – Brrr, it was 49 when we got up today!  We’re not in Florida anymore!  The plan was to be at Pete and Jane’s around 10 but I think it was 11 when we got there.  After showers I put a load in the washer before we left.  We ended up getting home after 9.  Poor Molly! I didn’t leave nearly enough food out for her.

We just sat and visited and caught up until time for lunch.  They had remodeled the kitchen since we were last there and it’s gorgeous and also had all the floors stripped, and the oak floor is beautiful.  The colors they used were all perfect.

Jane put out a spread for sandwiches that we all enjoyed and we followed up with mini Mound bars I took to her.  They can’t get Mounds or Almond Joys so I got her a bag of minis of each. 

Jane had plans to meet a friend to see “The Book List” and Bill wanted to see “Solo” so after Pete and Bill went to Fatty Patty’s for a couple hours, we left Pete home and Jane met her friend at the movie and I dropped Bill off to see his movie while I checked out the adjoining mall and later drove a little further to Michaels.  I did figure out the problem with my phone not getting WIFI, it was a simple a rebooting the phone!  Duh!  So I got some emails and messages, when WIFI is available we can communicate. 

I read my book while waiting for Bill and then we went to Pete’s and followed them to Muldoon’s Pizza.  No one had pizza, Bill went with calzone and I had Alfredo.  Jane and I had wine and we all enjoyed our meal together.  The owner’s father had 2 Muldoon’s in Naples, FL!

We headed home as did Pete and Jane.  We’re to meet them at their house at 10 tomorrow!!!

We made it to Canada!

June 4 – I got up several times last night but never got sick, I kept using the bathroom and drinking water.  My hernia was hurting so took tums and then a pill.  I was glad once I was feeling normal as it was a travel day.

The saga of the passport worked out!  I called the post office just after they opened at 8:30 and the clerk said she had it there for me so after breakfast I went down and picked it up and mailed a few items while Bill started the tank emptying job.  We were later leaving that we would have liked but it was better than waiting all day for the passport and staying another night.

Jack and I at the duty
free store

It really was not the best day!  Bill had our route mapped out only to be re-routed away from I-75.  As we followed the re-route we ended up where we started so Bill chose to put us on 23 which was a 4 lane divided highway.  We stopped for diesel at the Pilot and Bill chatted with the trucker beside us who told him how to get to the Ambassador Bridge.  We followed him for a while but with traffic cutting in we got further behind.  He did give perfect directions to the bridge.  THEN there were no directions for anything but cars or trucks.  We don’t fit either so of course we got in the wrong lot at the duty free shop.  We shopped for Bill’s cousin and then debated how to get turned around to get on the bridge.  The trucks just fly through,

Ambassador Bridge to Canada

far more trucks than cars going over.  We got turned around and paid our $10 to cross the bridge and then there was the border guard in Canada.  She had NO personality and then Bill could not find his new passport that I just picked up this morning.  She was getting impatient and the line behind us was getting long.  I looked in my wallet and he had put it there.  Geez!  Now I’m responsible for it! 

Traffic was pretty heavy on the way to London.  There was also a lot of road work so the speed limits were up and down.  We tried setting up our phones as instructed but it’s not working.  Once we settled in to the kinda ratty campground, Bill used the office phone to call Pete and Jane and let them know we made it and we’re getting together tomorrow.  We had some dinner and I dug out the old “burner” phone we used before and headed to Wal-mart to get a prepaid card for it.  Well, that didn’t happen, the phone is too old.  We stopped at a huge hardware store so I could get a new light bulb for the fridge.  I guess tomorrow we’re going to do the $10 a day deal with ATT for Bill’s phone.

Last day in Ohio....

June 3 – Nice lazy morning!  Decided not to head out anywhere until after lunch since we’re meeting friends of Bill’s for dinner.  We had delicious donuts with our bacon and fruit this morning.  I’m liking this not cooking in the morning!  Was considering french toast with the last of the bakery bread but then the donuts might go bad – never, ever waste a donut!

Bill went back to bed and I copied and scanned all the important cards in our wallets and will send them to Kam as well as save to the computer.  You never know….  Made a few phone calls in preparation of heading into Canada tomorrow.  Looking forward to spending time with Pete and Jane and seeing some local sites and markets.  We always enjoy our limited time with them.

Maumee River

After lunch and showers we headed out for the afternoon.  Bill wanted to see if we could locate the grave of his high school principal.  It’s in Maumee and across from the Maumee River.  A nice place to rest for eternity.  We asked a couple if there was a directory to locate people and he directed us to the main gate.  On the way I spotted a stone with the correct last name and I got out and read but it was not him, but Bill looked to his left out the window and there it was.  Due to information on the headstone, he learned things about his principal that he never knew.  He made a huge impact on Bill during a tough time in his young life.

Bill graduated from Bowling Green University, which is

BGSU Football Stadium

not far from Maumee, and he wanted to see how much it changed over the years so we drove down and he remembered a lot about the town itself but the campus was much larger and many of the original buildings had been torn down and new ones built.  He said the baseball field was in the same place but most of the athletic facilities had not existed in 1967 or have been moved, and of course of much newer and nicer than in his day.  He enjoyed his trip down memory lane!

Big Boy and I

Stopped at Big Boy (formerly known as Shoney’s or Frisch’s) so I could get a photo with Big Boy and then we headed back to Perrysburg where we planned a quick stop at ATT.  We needed to find out about usage or non-usage when we get to Canada tomorrow.  Well, we ended up being there close to 2 hours.  He showed us how to set our phones so there would be no calls or messages charging us for out of country calls, etc and I knew we were qualified for an upgrade so we went ahead and I got an I-phone 8 and Bill took over my 6.  It took a while to get my stuff to the new phone and Bill's stuff to my phone.  It didn’t help that Bill and the clerk talked Bowling Green and sports the whole time.  We got out just in time to meet our friends for dinner at El Vaquero.

Bill taught with Clyde and Jane way back in the OLD days.  They met through a mutual friend and ended up moving back to Ohio and teaching and retiring here.  They have 2 kids, one in Austin and one in Oregon.  We had a long nice visit which Bill really enjoys.  Maybe next time they will venture to Florida and see how it’s changed.

I had 2 for 1 margaritas with my dinner and I was stuffed.  They wanted to show us the “best” soft serve place around and Bill got me a huge ice cream with mix ins and I ended up scooping half of it into his smaller cup but by the time we got in our truck to head home, I was not feeling well.  Maybe ice cream and tequila don’t mix and I felt I was full to my throat, seriously.  On the way home I had him stop so I could go the bathroom and made him come wait as I was sure I was going to lose my chips and salsa.  I managed not to but the instant we got inside the RV I was on the couch and the day was over.  I have never felt so stuffed in my life!

Out and about...

June 2 – I actually slept a little later this morning and finally started making noise at 9 so Bill would get up.  I called the local post office to see if we could work it out to pick up our Priority mail envelope Monday morning that has Bill’s passport in it.  This is a pretty small town and the lady checked the tracking and it should be in the 6:30 mail drop, so she’s calling me after 8 to let me know she has it.  If we wait for delivery to the campground it could be 4PM and we’re scheduled to drive to London, Ontario Monday morning.

Then I texted my friend and co-worker, Larisa, who lives in Apopka to see if she would go to the cabinet place there before they close at 3 and get an end panel to use beside the dishwasher in the rental house.  She wasn’t home but was going back before 3 and assured me she would get it.  Relief!  She will take it to work Monday and I’ll ask Dan to pick it up on his way to the house for the guys to finish up Monday evening!  I asked Kam to go to Lowes or Home Depot for handles and knobs for the cabinets.  Can’t believe I forgot those, but just too much going on!  Planning to have it cleaned on Wednesday or Thursday!  No idea on the outside as it’s rained every day! 

Lunch

So I put in my work hours before Bill got up for bacon and fruit this morning!  We both showered and headed out for the day.  First stop was McQueens Produce, well to be honest we really went for the donuts!  They had NO produce due to a late winter but they had donuts so we each picked 3.  Then we stopped at Sam’s, Walmart, Meijers in Maumee, Meijers in Rossford and Bed Bath and Beyond.  We saw a Packos restaurant and thought it might be a chain from Tony Packo’s in Toledo.  It was and we had lunch

Eric Trump bun

there.  It’s Hungarian food and I had the Chicken Paprikas and it was delicious.  It’s what my family calls rivels, a chunky noodle which is homemade, topped with a paprika gravy and chicken.  So tasty!  Packos is known for it’s hotdogs with their special chili sauce so Bill had a dog with a side of slaw.  I gave him about 1/3 of my dish and we were both full.  Saves us the drive into Toledo to go to the original.  They had a small collection of signed hot dog buns (it’s one of the things they are known for).  We saw buns signed by Helen Reddy, Eric Trump, Alice Cooper and other celebrities.

Bill wanted to visit one of the guys from yesterday who recently moved into a single story house that would accommodate him and his Great Dane, Emmett.  That is one BIG dog!  He likes ladies so he was gentle and nice to me.  Mike had a lot of the house redone and it turned out great.  I think the big challenge now is getting the yard in the shape he wants it. 

NIce puppy....

Emmett is his service dog.  Mike is 6’3” and has a neurological issue that causes him to fall.  Emmett helps him back on his feet, plus he’s a great companion.  We enjoyed our visit and the guys spent more time talking about what happened to this person and that person.

We didn’t leave there til 5 but had said we were stopping for ice cream at the Penguin Palace, which was there when Bill was in school back in the 60’s.  We each had a small Tornado (soft serve with a mix in) and it was huge.  Once we left we agreed we were not ready for dinner for a while.

Around 7 I cooked a chicken breast and corn on the cob and called it a meal.  We only ate half of the breast.  An hour later I had one of my donuts and Bill had the end of the rhubarb crisp and his last fried pie.

It’s pretty quiet in the campground. I think no one wants to do battle with the mosquitoes.  We’re listening to the radio and once I get off the computer I will read a while.

Moving down the pike to Maumee area

June 1 - Bill was up at 7:30 since we were headed to Maumee, well,  Whitehouse is where the campground is.  He made plans to lunch with his high school friends and we needed to get here and hooked up since the tanks are full and with the heat we’re getting a bit of odor.  It didn’t take long to eat cereal for breakfast and pack things up.  By the time we hooked up the car we were on the road close to 8:30.  Bill laid down as he didn’t sleep well (must have been the excitement of seeing his friends) and I drove in the nasty rain.  He got up just as I was exiting from the expensive Ohio Turnpike.  The West Virginia Turnpike was a much better deal!

Thankfully the rain stopped before we did and our spot was available!  Bill hooked up, emptied the tanks, showered and headed out.  I cleaned my disgusting floors, did 2 loads of laundry, changed the bed and walked to the office to ask about WIFI and low water pressure.  I discovered one of the bed sheets got left at home in the linen closet.  Good thing I carry a set for the sofabed!

This is a nice campground, Twin Acres.  Lots of trees, well kept, nice people!  Most of the lots are seasonal people.  There’s quite a variety of RV’s, park models and a few cabins.

Bill was gone 4 hours!  I was beginning to think he forgot where he left me.  They all met in

Bill and his high school buddies

Whitehouse as a courtesy to Bill for driving the farthest.  Two of the guys drove down from Michigan but it’s only 2 hours.  They had a great time catching up and reminiscing.  One of the guys has a service dog that came also.

It rained lightly on and off all afternoon, only increasing the number of mosquitoes.  They get inside every time the door is opened.  Not too many people out moving about!  The water pressure is horrible so to get a decent shower it’s better to use our fresh water tank and pump.  I also had a issue of the power shutting off and after 4-5 minutes it would come back on.  Strange!  I finally called the office after 3-4 times and a guy came by but couldn’t understand why it was doing that since no one else on our grid was having trouble.  I went from 2 AC’s to one and it still did it and I realized it was the dryer causing it.  Never had this issue before so will see how it goes at other campgrounds.

We finally had a light dinner of pulled pork and raw veggies.  The fridge is starting to look like at home, filling up!

We can’t get satellite under the trees and the antenna isn’t much better so we listened to some Sirius radio old time shows and read.