30May12
Yes, indeed, there was some rearranging in order once all the equipment was loaded but...the only thing we left behind was the sleeping wedge and we figure we’ll find a new one in ON. The drive to Ottawa was good in general, no real traffic problems (in fact we crossed Montreal inside of half an hour). Our departure was over 2 hours later than originally planned and the consequence was that we missed the barbeque that Danica & Matt held in our honour!
We did arrive in time to have a short visit with Steve & Val who were on their way home, then got hugs and well wishes (and delicious chicken & salads) from David, Hayley, Jen, Pam, Richard and Tim before they had to hit the road as well. We were so happy to see them all - a great surprise and good wishes on our trip!
29May12
Well, the packing is done, the house is ready for our house sitters and Mom is bringing dinner (including paper plates, etc.) to our place. After dinner Tim is going to charge and run the bike for a bit since it won’t be on the road this summer :o( and I’ll have many hands to stage the load going into the Tiguan. I’ll load most things but will likely have to rearrange much of it once the equipment all gets loaded in the morning - at least we’ll know what’s going to fit and what will have to stay behind. Tim helped me load the tank of liquid oxygen - a heavy beast of a thing. The E-tanks are easy to load (so light Paula thought they were empty) and the concentrator is manageable if you get it lifted high enough the first go.
As the evening wound down and Dee and Neil prepared to leave, he had a little incident we’ll call “Neil vs. the jacket”. A small tear in the sleeve lining allowed his hand to slip in between the lining and the outer jacket, instead of going down the sleeve. It appeared to have been a one way ticket though, as the hand was stuck when he tried to pull it back out! No amount of tugging would release the hand and Neil finally resorted to stepping on the jacket and giving it all he had. The lining tore a bit but the hand stayed locked in until he gave a final tug, removing most of the sleeve! As the rest of us are having an endorphin overload at his expense Paula calmly said “Neil, I think you have grabbed my jacket by mistake...”
Well, the silence that followed her comment was quickly interupted by gales of laughter as her joke settled in. Nothing like tears of laughter to send us on our way!
21-27May12
While I joined the Quac ladies for my last Tuesday round of golf with them for this season, Carman called our friend Neil to serenade him on his birthday. Now this may not sound like much to the average person but consider that:
- Neil is a fantastic singer, performing in barbershop, choir and a band;
- Carman couldn’t carry a tune in a musical bucket; and
- Carman is breathless while sitting...So... Well done baby!
We did our last coffee hour with the neighbours on Thursday morning and will miss these weekly visits with Gil, Nancy, Ross, Shirley, Peter, Joyce & Joye. While we don’t see each other in the neighbourhood every day, we know we’ll be getting the scoop on the street at least weekly!
We spent a lovely evening with the Farmers and Edmondsons on Saturday, when Gil grilled some beautiful tenderloin for us. Teamed with parmesean asparagus, potatoes and a scrumptious cheesecake that Nancy prepared. It might be sounding like all we do is eat...and that’s correct; at least three times a day and we do enjoy sharing a meal!
On Sunday, Mom pulled out all the stops and prepared Carman’s favourite...turkey dinner with pie for dessert. Pour Paula was tortured by smelling the turkey cooking on Sautrday and not being able to indulge until the next day...(her favourite dinner also). Julia and Mandy (our house sitters) were able to join us as well, which gave everyone a chance to meet.
19May12
The organizing and packing continues - here we are at Victoria Day weekend and it promises to be a beauty. A trip to the Market for breakfast with my friend Nancy gives us a chance to catch up, as she and Gil have been away; get some great eats and pick up a few items to bring with me to ON. My sister, Penny hosted a barbeque for us. Our nephew Tyler manned the grill; our extended family members Helen and Sharon helped in the kitchen; Courtney, Mom & Dad visited with Carman; and I got to play in the garden. This is the third season for the plants I brought from ON and they are starting to fill in Penny’s planters nicely. Another season or two and we’ll divide them so I can plant some at our place as well. The feast of salads, chicken, sausages and fudge brownie sundaes was delicious and fun ensued at clean up time when Paula discovered that the spray nozzle on the kitchen tap turns on perfectly but has a mind of it’s own when it comes to going off...you let go of the trigger, put it back in place and it promptly sprays you! Needless to say the dishes got washed and so did the floor...and Paula! Doing dishes is always and adventure and a few laughs with this group!
We had such a great visit, before we left Mom asked if we could come to her place next weekend to do it all again...
On Sunday we made the trip to our neighbour’s cottage - about an hour’s drive to the lake. It was so nice to be able to look out over the water and visit with Bev & Randy. Carman supervised while Randy grilled the steaks (with some firm instruction from Bev on timing), and Bev and I kept busy boiling green beans and fiddle heads, steaming mussels (which had required a call to Jill in London, to get her special recipe) and placing out the salads my sister had sent with us. It was a wonderful feast as the sun was setting over the lake. Carman and I both felt renewed by the day and blessed by our friends (and did a good job of calculating the O2 requirements for the trip as well).
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