July 28 to 31, 2012; Drummond'ville & Visit from Quebec city

JULY   28, Saturday Visit from Quebec City
 Gilles and Lise came over this morning for coffee and as we were talking, my niece (Peter’s daughter) Caroline, husband Marco and children Elizabeth and Christopher arrived from Quebec City.  I hadn’t seen them in over 6 years so it was a big reunion.  We visited for the rest of the day but at 3 pm, we had to leave to go to Gaetan for dinner with Michel and Therese.  We had a great visit with Gaetan and Josette who made a marvellous dinner of Pork Loin and Gaetan prepared a great mixture of sliced potatoes and vegetables.  Christiane and friend Susan joined us too (They just live down the street).  Afterwards, Josette served everyone a great dessert and Gaetan got the fire going.  We finally got home around 11 pm and found Peter and friend Mona by the fire so Michel and I joined them for a while.  I went to bed at midnight.

JULY  29, Sunday,
Sunny with cloudy period; warm and humid!  Peter cooked everyone pancakes and toast for breakfast then we relaxed around the yard.  The kids played in the water of course; they have more sense than us the adult.  Michel and Therese packed up and left around 2 pm for their house in St-Hubert, a suburb of Montreal.  We spent more time with my niece and family; Gaetan and Josette arrived and visited with all of us.  Soon it was Caroline and family’s turn to leave for home so we said our goodbyes as we won’t see them for a while, they are leaving for China on Aug 18 to work and live for a year or two; maybe more!  The rest of the afternoon, we visited with Gaetan and Josette and had a very nice dinner prepared by Mona.  A fire finished the evening.

JULY  30, Monday
Sunny, warm and humid!  It seems strange not seeing Michel and Therese RV beside us anymore, that part of the yard looks empty.  Peter, Mona and us went shopping and banking then stopped at “Charlemagne Restaurant” for a drink and snack.  We came home and Val made lasagna then we walked over to Gilles to feed the dogs and let them out as Gilles and Lise are gone to Lake Magog for a couple days.  We came home and sat around having a drink or two.  We even got a surprise call from my son Jeff and brother Johnny from Vancouver.

JULY  31, Tuesday
Another hot and humid day, A/C is on!  We spent the day mainly in or around the lake, just too hot to do anything else.  I am baby-sitting Gilles dog while he is away so I go there 4 times a day to feed them and let them out to do their thing.  I did go to town to get some propane.
Mona cooked dinner tonight, a macaroni, pork and tomatoe sauce which was delicious.  That’s a dish my mom used to serve us kids when we were young.

July 22 to 27, 2012; life conitnues in Drummond'Ville

JULY  22, Sunday, Drummond’Ville
A hot and humid day again; the forecast was 30% rain but we didn’t get any.  Gaetan and Josette came for a visit and stayed for dinner too.  Peter went to get my brother Marc whom I haven’t seen in over 20 years.  He has changed a lot, quite roughed up and walking with two very sore legs, one of which was quite swollen.  Anyway, we had as nice a visit as we could and it was great seeing him again, even in his condition.  After dinner, we played games and swam then, too quickly, it was time to say goodnight to everyone as G&J have to work tomorrow.

JULY  23, Monday
After an excellent breakfast of buckwheat pancakes, we were invited by Gilles and Lise for a boat ride on the river.  We spent the afternoon checking out nooks and crannies, stopping for fuel, sunbathing and swimming in shallow 80*F water.  We had a great time, however around 5 pm the sky became threatening and we made it back home just in time before the sky opened up and a heavy rainfall poured on us; we ordered an excellent Quebec pizza for dinner and listened to the thunder storm around us (we were under the gazebo).  The wind came up for a while but did calm down as we went to bed.  Another excellent day!

JULY  24, Tuesday
Clouds, some rain and strong wind was the recipe for today!  Peter and I went to Gaetan’s house to pick up some fireplace stones and brought that back to his place.  Andre and his girlfriend Pierrette came out for the day and stayed for dinner.  Val cooked a big pot of chili and everyone enjoyed it with salad and Ciabata bread; Gilles and Lise joined us too.  We had a fire afterwards and told more stories and laughs.  We called it quit around 11 pm.

JULY  25, Wednesday
Cloudy, windy and cool!  We went to town today for more groceries and met Peter afterwards at “The Rock” for a drink.  Very expensive @ $6.50 to $9 for a pint of beer...bloody ridiculous!  Anyway, we also searched for English card and couldn’t find any so bought a blank one for condolences to Kevin’s mom who lost their grandma and mother.  We came home and Peter and I went over to Gilles’ place to help him move his shed.  We had a drink there after then came home and had dinner.  Back to Gilles after to finish the job then home and bed.

JULY  26, Thursday
We went back to Gilles to do some more work around the shed then I came home and drove to town to pick up the CD of the X-Ray for Tucker.  I stopped at Cdn Tire for some parts that Gilles wanted then came home.  We had a quiet day then after dinner, we all went to Gilles’ place for a drink.  We proceeded to empty a bottle of tequila, a bottle to Tia Maria and Kalua.  Thank god they were only one quarter full but we did get a good buzz out of it.  We came home around 10 pm.

JULY  27, Friday
Sunny and very comfortable!  We took off cycling late in the morning and did some Geo-Caching.  We found two and missed three.  We continued cycling to the village of Wend hover where the LEMAIRE cheese factory and restaurant is situated.  Of course we stopped for poutine and a hamburger then we took scenic Hemming Road back to Peter.  It is a very scenic route with lots of trees and branches over the road and very nice houses and lawns.  We got back at 3 pm and found Therese and Michel had returned after going home for three days.  We had a few beers to cool off then it was dinner time...chicken thighs, mashed potato and a salad, delicious! 
We had an early night as everyone was tired from their day.

July 17 to 21, 2012; Drummond'Ville

JULY  17, Tuesday
We had more rain overnight and most of the morning but it finally cleared late in the afternoon!  We went grocery shopping then stopped a few other stores for items not found at Super C.  We came home and found that my sister Therese and husband Michel had arrived with their trailer and were all set up by us.  After hugs and more hugs and putting the groceries away, we got down to serious business; beer!  We all had dinner together outside, spaghetti with sauce that Therese made...It was delicious.  We stayed up until 11 pm, talking and laughing then it was time for bed.  Tucker seems to be more like himself which is a relief for us.

JULY  18, Wednesday
More rain overnight but now the sky is cleared; the forecast is for 25*C today but actually reached only 22*C!  We all stuck around the house and yard today.  Peter did go out for a while but otherwise, it was a quiet day.  I tried setting up the satellite without success but will try again tomorrow as it is too frustrating right now.  We cooked our bag of pickerel fish for dinner and everyone enjoyed it.  We had a fire in the evening and called an early night at 10 pm.

JULY  19, Friday Geo-caching and town run
After breakfast, we all went into Michel’ struck and drove to town.  On the way we stopped to find two ‘caches” but had no success.  We went grocery shopping, picked up our dry-cleaning and stopped for a beer at a local bistro.  Peter saw friends who were at the house when we arrived so invited them to join us.  We finally left two hours later and came home.  We had appys and that became our dinner.

JULY  20, Friday
Sunny and cool this morning!  We have made it a habit to get up and take our coffee to Peter’s balcony and sit with him and chat.  Even Therese and Michel joined us.  We relaxed most of the day waiting for the adjuster who showed up at 3 pm.  He took notes and pictures of the damage caused by the blowout then we all went to my sister Christiane and her friend Susan.  We had a marvellous dinner called “Bird Nest” which consisted of dried Chinese noodles in the form of a nest filled with chicken and vegetables cooked in a wok.  It was delicious.  We had a fire afterwards and came home around 10:30 pm.

JULY  21, Saturday
Sunny!  Gilles is home and on holidays for 2 weeks so came over for coffee first thing this morning.  He found out that it was dirt in the carburetor that prevented his boat from starting so he got that all fixed and will pick it up today from the shop.  We basically sat home again today and swam in the lake.  Therese and Val took the kayaks out and went for a paddle.  For dinner, we had steak and pear salad which everyone enjoyed then a fire to end the evening.  We even had fireworks from across the way.  It was a sunny day and warm evening.

July 13 to 16,2012; Drummond'Ville and Tucker arthritis

JUL  13, Friday, Drummondville
A very hot and sunny day!  32*C!  I finished setting up BEAR and putting some of the stuff out, took the bikes and kayaks off and unloaded the spare tire which is ruined.  The rest of the day was spent visiting and relaxing.  Peter took his friends back to town around 4 pm and upon his return, we had steaks and potatoes.  Gilles and Lise came over in the evening and we were in bed by 10 pm

JULY  14, Saturday
This was the hottest and most humid day yet...40*C!  Peter and I went over to Gilles’ place down the road and worked on his yard for a couple hours.  After lunch, Gilles hooked up his deck boat and we went to the river for a ride.  We swam in 79*F water then when it was time to leave, the motor wouldn’t start no matter what we tried so we flagged someone with a powerful boat but he didn’t want to pull us back to our launching site so we flagged someone else, a small boat with a 15 HP motor and he pulled us all the way back.  Needless to say Gilles was really upset as we just had it serviced and this is a new boat!!! 
Anyway, back at his house, Lise cooked us hamburger and then we all walked to Peter’s place to have a small fire.  Gaetan and Josette came over and we had a nice evening.

JULY  15, Sunday
Cloudy but very warm and humid!  We (Peter and us) were sitting by the lake when Brother Andre and girlfriend Pierrette showed up.  We were having a nice visit and then brother Gaetan and girlfriend Josette also showed up.  It became a double whammer for me and lots of laughs were passed around.  We enjoyed good company and a good swim as it was very hot and humid all day.  Everyone stayed for dinner and Val cooked her famous hamburger meat balls with gravy and potatoes joined by vegetables.  Everyone enjoyed their dinner and Peter took some sugar pie out of the freezer and served it to everyone.  It looked very good but I turned down any pieces due to my diabetes.  Just as we finished dinner, the rain began so we all moved in the house.  More stories then it was time to call it a night as most have to work tomorrow.  A great day!
As a foot note, Tucker has really been having major problems with his joints in the back legs the last couple days.  We think it may arthritis or something like that.  We finally got him to take some aspiring stuffed in cheese and that seemed to help but we need to take him to a Vet tomorrow.  His back is hunched and he really has a hard time walking or lying on his sides due to the back legs.

JUL  16, Monday, Vet for Tucker

It rained overnight and early this morning; rest of the day was cloudy and humid!  After showering, we took Tucker to the vet.  $250 later and an X-ray, we were told he has arthritis and the humidity and heat makes it worse for him.  We got a prescription for him then picked up Peter 1.5 hrs later at a coffee shop.  We came home and Val did some laundry and I went to LUCIEN RV to check about the repairs on BEAR.  They will do the work so I phoned the insurance company and now we wait for the adjuster.  We had dinner together and went kayaking and boating on the lake.  It was to bed early.

JULY 9 to 12, 2012; Geraldton to Drummond'Ville, Que.

JUL  9, Monday, Geraldton
Cloudy/sunny!  I checked my blood sugar this morning and it showed 7.7 (it’s supposed to be below 7) which is excellent for me. After walking Tucker, we went into town to the Post Office then to the grocery store.  We had lunch in town then went to Dori’s place to say goodbye to niece Ashley who is leaving tonight for Medicine Hat.  We came home, read for a while then had dinner and watched the tube.  Kathy and Marty came over for a while.

JUL  10, Tuesday, last day in Geraldton,
Sunny with clouds, 20*C!
I was up very early this morning, don’t know why!?  Couldn’t sleep anymore! Anyway, this was packing day: bikes, kayaks, chairs, cooler then a drive to the Husky to fuel @ 1.37 and filled one propane tank.  I hooked up the BEAST to BEAR and we are ready to go, sort of!  At dinner time, we all went to a local restaurant and met the family for dinner.  Afterwards, we came back to the house and so did Dori and Kathy and Marty who brought a bag of frozen pickerel.  After saying goodbye to everyone and Val shedding some tears, we went inside, watch the tube for a while then I went to bed.

JUL  11, Wednesday; Geraldton to Rouyn-Noranda, Quebec.
We were on the road by 8:30 am after saying our goodbyes to Dorothea.  Of course, Val shed a few tears but she was pretty good.  We stopped at the Prov. Park to dump the tanks then on our way East on Hwy 11.  We stopped in Hearst for fuel @ $1.25 and again in Cochrane @ $1.22.  We stopped for lunch at “Smooth Rock Falls”.  We watched for niece Christine who was coming from Sudbury but no luck!  The ride was quiet and uneventful.  The sun was behind clouds most of the day which made our drive much more comfortable.  We turned on Hwy 66 East which took us to Quebec and but it was very rough until we pass Kirkland.  We are now in Rouyn-Noranda and it is 94*F out there but still comfortable as there is a breeze.  It is 5:30 pm and we are parked in Wal-Mart campground!  A long drive but I am glad we are here; Val wanted to stop sooner but I put my foot down and got my way!!! (Yeah, right!)

We travelled 701 Km ( 432Miles) in 9 hrs at an average 54MPH and were stopped for one hour.

N  48* 14.634’
W 079* 02.523
Alt: 432 feet

JUL  12, Thursday, Noranda to Drummond’Ville, Que.
We left Walmart at 7 am under sunny sky and stopped down the road at a TIM HORTON for a breakfast bagel and coffee.  We soon left on Hwy 117S and stopped in Valdor for fuel, $1.26.  About an hour south of there, BANG, another blow out, this time it was the old spare tire which was still on the axle.  Within a half hour (Val timed it), we had the tire changed and were on our way again.  We fuelled in Mt Laurier @ $1.26 and had lunch here.  In Mont Tremblant, I fuelled @ $1.30 and we decided to go all the way to Drummond.  Of course, we were in Montreal in time to enjoy the rush hour and an hour later we were through and on Hwy 20 to Drummond’Ville.  There was an accident on the highway which caused us more delay.  We stopped for a diner at a St-Hubert Restaurant and I had my “Hot Chicken Sandwich” with lots of delicious gravy.  We arrived at Pierre’s house around 7 pm, 12 hours later and very glad to be here.  After squeezing between bushes, I unhooked and then it was time to visit.  My brother Gilles was also there and his wife Lise.  Pierre had some friends over so it made for a late night.

We travelled 464 miles (752KM) in 10.5 hrs @ an average 49MPH and were stopped for 2 hours.

N  45* 51.641’
W 072* 23.193’
ALT: 385 ft

July 5 to 8, 2012; Geraldton

JUL  5, Thursday, Geraldton
A cloudy, hot and muggy day!  Temperature reached 28*C with a humidex of 32!  We spent most of the day inside except for walking the dogs, some shopping in town and mailing a rebate claim to Verizon.  Dorothea cooked a roast and we made the salad or I should say, Val did!  After dinner, Dori came over with a bag of clothes which Val promptly tried and kept some then gave some of her old stuff away for Sally-Ann.

JUL  6, Friday
It is funny how each morning begins cloudy but soon clears and becomes sunny, however today was an exception as it rained on and off most of the day.  I forgot to mention that we DO NOT have cellular service here or in town so we use the house phone to make calls.  I uploaded more pictures this morning in the latest folder in Picasa.  Val and her sister Kathy went into town to do some shopping (oh, oh!) and I read for the most part.  I did fix the lock on the closet door in the bedroom and the crank for the spare tire.  It is temporary and I will have to get a new one soon.  I also taped the rip in the material under the living room slide so it wasn’t a complete wasted day!  For dinner, Chris and Dorothea went out to a local restaurant and we went to Marty and Chantal and had pickerel fish and french fries with salad too.  YUM, YUM, YUM!  IT WAS SUPERB!  It has to be one of the best fish I’ve ever tasted, I can’t get enough.  We came home around 10 pm and went to bed

JUL  7, Saturday
Dorothea and Chris left early this morning for a kayak lesson, we didn’t get up until past 9 am; a first for me in a while!  Sunny with cloudy period and warm!
After some discussion on our part, we have decided that we will leave this coming Wednesday, the 11^th.  The family is back to their jobs and regular routine as of Monday and there isn’t much for us to do here.  We had the left-over pickerel fish for breakfast with eggs and toast.  Val did the laundry and I started cutting the lawn.  I took a rest (it is a huge yard) and we went to town as Val had to pick up some meat for her stew for dinner.  I continued cutting the lawn and Val cooked her stew.  We had dinner by ourselves and Chris and Dorothea finally arrived home at 7 pm.  They had already eaten so we put the stew away.  We watched some TV then went to bed around 10 pm

JUL  8, Sunday,
It rained overnight but became cloudy with sunny period; what a weird spring/summer this is becoming to be!
Chris made everyone porridge for breakfast then I took the dogs for my usual long walk.  Afterwards, Val and I took our bikes and went to find the two geo-caches around Geraldton.  We dropped off two “travel bugs” and picked up one.  As we cycled back, we had to cross a field and Val walked across but I decided to ride...BIG MISTAKE!  I ended up ass over head and flat on my face which required three bandages to cover the cuts after cleaning all the blood.  We made it home without any further incidents.  Of course, everyone had a chuckle at my expense and it was well deserved!  After dinner, Dori and her grandson Dallas came over so that we could say goodbye to him.  After they left we watched the tube and I went to bed early as I had a slight headache (wonder why?).

July 1 to 4, 2012: Geraldton, Ont.

JUL  1, 2012, Sunday; HAPPY CANADA DAY in Geraldton, Ont.
We had a cloudy and sunny day, warm with a slight wind keeping the mosquitoes away.  Chris & Dorothea and we went to a local hall where we had breakfast, proceeds going to local charity.  Afterwards, we came back home and prepared the food for the family get together that took place at 4 pm.  Everyone showed up except niece Ashley.  Hamburger, hot dog, salads and dessert were on the menu.  Chris even took the kids for a swim and a boat ride then built a fire but Dallas  wasn’t interested in cooking his marshmallow and ate it raw.  We had a great family reunion with lots of laughs and stories.  It petered out by 9:30 pm.

JUL  2, Monday
A warm sunny with cloudy period.  We went to friends in the latter part of the morning and watched home movies of the Walterson’s Val’s family) and their dad who passed away at their early ages.  Afterwards, Chris took for a drive in the country side and to the airport to check out his plane and the new one he’s building (amphibian).  We came home and the all the girls in the family decided to go out for dinner and left us to our demise.  We fooled them, we went out too!  Everyone met back at the house and we told more lies then it was time for an early bedtime.

JUL  3, Tuesday
Cloudy day but the sun did come out eventually and turned pretty hot...30*C; we also had thunder and rain overnight!  I washed the BEAR finally; it took me over 2 hours, what with two weeks of bugs and dirt on it.  Now I feel better!  The girls went into town and so did I later to pick up some beer and a couple of batteries for our alarm clock.  I stopped at Louie and Kathy and said goodbye to Marcel and Audrey as they are leaving early tomorrow for Saskatchewan to their son’ wedding then home in Alberta.  I came home and had a snooze!  After dinner, Marcel and Audrey came over to say their goodbyes and stayed for a few beers.  After they left, we watched TV for a while then it was bedtime

JUL  4, Wednesday, Geraldton
Another very nice day.  We learned this morning that Marcel and Audrey didn’t leave as planned for Saskatchewan but stayed an extra unscheduled day.  Val went for lunch with Dorothea and I went to the grocery store to check out on some sunglasses and bought a pair.  I went to Louie and Kathy and found all four sisters sitting there talking away.  I visited with Louie for a while (Marcel was at a friend trying out whisky) then came home and read and had a snooze.  At 4 pm, Val and Dorothea decided to go for a kayak outing on the lake and I visited with Chris until they got back then we had dinner.  We watched the tube for a while then it was beddy-bye!