07.25.08
Are you a winner?
Winners are made when nobody’s watching.
07.24.08
Camping Part Deux
Camping part two was a little different of an excursion than the first time. We decided against going up on Friday due to the massive thunderstorms that were forecasted and the fact that I was completely unprepared to leave! I spend the Friday shopping for fishing supplies, food etc. and trying to get everything we needed into the garage. The weather got steadily worse and the thought of being in a cabin for the night with no prospect of a fire or in fact anything remotely warm or comfortable was just not floating my boat so to speak. So Nicole came back from work and we spent the night on our warm couch watching the non existent storm out of the window!
Saturday came and we left fairly early to grab coffees and get on the road. The drive was not too bad, the place is only about 90 mins away and since it is on Rice Lake, the same lake as 2 weeks ago, we knew where we were going. Despite the fact that Gill took us a completely different way than last time we arrived with the dew still fresh on the ground.
The site was a place I recognized because we had been to a family reunion there last year. We were not staying in our tent this time, but rather in an Eco-cabin which loosely translates to an unfinished shed with a hole in to the ground for a toilet. The cabin had a small table with 4 chairs, a loft which was barely big enough for a double mattress (covered in a thick plastic – eww!) and 2 futons in the main room which folded out into reasonable sized beds. The day was already getting hot and we decided to go for a stroll around the park to see who was about. The other 4 cabins were occupied, however there were about 10 tents in the entire camp! Last year we recall that there were tents all along the opposite side of the road from the cabins. This year, not a single one. This could have been a direct result of the alcohol ban which was put into effect this year meaning no drunk teenagers and college students throwing up on each other.
We wandered around the park, did a spot of fishing, however this side of the lake is the lee side and therefore gets all the weeds and crap blown against it. The other side where Golden Beach is fairs much better in the fishing aspect. We set up our stuff, had some lunch and eventually some dinner. I went to get some firewood, an exercise I would repeat later since their idea of a bundle of firewood is more like a handful of kindling! As the light faded we started the fire and settled in for a quiet evening with our new friends the neighbours.
Yes, the neighbours, who could have sworn that they recognized us from somewhere and it didn’t take long for us to figure out that they had kids at Vaughan Gymnastics on Thursdays and had seen us coaching many evenings. Yes, it is indeed a small world but don’t try walking around it!
So we gave our camping a real try, but as the evening passed into night the sound of rain and thunder gave notice that our trip was to be a shortened one. We quickly realized however that the sound that we thought was thunder was actually raccoons who had waited until we went to bed to come up onto the porch and open the garbage can. I went out and locked the lid and as I did I saw a little raccoon head poke out from between the steps as if checking for a clear coast. I have to say, the one raccoon who actually came up onto the porch was the fattest raccoon I have ever seen, he was seriously the size of a dog, although much shorter and as he tried to rush down the stairs he actually wobbled like a furry American making his way down the steps to the $3.99 Vegas Prime Rub buffet.
It was not much longer after this that the thunder and lightning arrived and as we rose in the morning we were greeted with torrential downpour that had turned the road in front of the cabins into a shallow stream. There really was nothing else to do but pack the car, rescue the waterlogged chairs and head to Peterborough for breakfast. We went to the Piccadilly restaurant and I will spare you the gory details. Suffice to say that it was only marginally better than the camp food we had the day before and after the morning that I had, burned toast and frozen potato squares were just fine. Any other day and you would be reading a rampaging diatribe about the pathetic service, the disgusting furniture and the smell of burning bacon. The only saving grace was a really cool bathroom sink. Not enough to warrant a return however. I had already managed to take a chunk out of my leg on the car door and run over the fire pit with the truck which in turn made the whole car vibrate all the way home. I am assuming the tire is unbalanced, we shall see. If not, there may be some suspension work in my future.
So we arrived home early, to a very wet and grey day but with another camping rip under our belt. Thank God we had not been tenting it since the winds were incredible during the night. I guess it really pays to pick your weekends (and your fishing spots) when camping around here.
07.23.08
Dreamers..
“There are some that live in a dream world, and there are some who face reality; and then there are some who turn one into the other”
07.21.08
Piccadilly Restaraunt, Peterborough
Breakfast – July 20, 2008
Order – Coffee, Cheddar Omelette, Homefries & Toast
What I really got was greasy coffee, processed cheddar cheese, frozen homefries and burnt toast.
The meal was hardly what I consider a filling breakfast, probably becasue I didn’t eat any of it! Our waitress wasn’t too impressed that we were there and it showed.
I had to clean the table myself after my arm stuck to it. The ketchup is in jars for everyone to stick their dirty fingers in.
My favourite part of the whole visit was the sink in the ladies washroom. Sad really.
Success & Happiness…
Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful.
07.18.08
Tom Newall♥
Yesterday we spent the evening visiting Trevor and Alleta at the funeral home for Tom’s visitation. I’m not very fond of either funeral homes or cemetaries, but it is part of life I have to get used to. I wonder if it will ever be easy? My heart goes out to those who have lost loved ones and I am so thankful that I haven’t had to experience many.
Tom had a great life, unfortunately I only met him once or twice, but after watching the video of “his life in review” I saw he had a really great one. He travelled the world, he had a loving family and some really great memorable experiences. He will be missed…
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NEWALL, Thomas 1933-2008
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NEWALL, Thomas Albert Passed away peacefully on Monday, July 14th, 2008 in his 75th year. Loving father of Russell (Cheryl Taylor) and Trevor (Alleta Thede). Fondly remembered by his brother David. Tom will be missed by his grandchildren Ben, Connor, and Evie. Predeceased by his parents Edward Newall and Elizabeth (nee Quinlan) and step-mother Margaret Newall.
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07.17.08
Your first cruise? A poem…
It’s the first cruise for you, but it isn’t for me,
The best time you’ll ever have, is the time you’ll have at sea.
You can worry about food, rain, excursions, and what you’re gonna wear,
But when you step foot on that ship, you won’t be left with a care.
You body relaxes, your brain come as alive as you start to view,
The beauty of the ship and all there is to do.
There is nothing like the wonders of cruising, this advice you must heed,
The people are friendly, and the staff is there to fulfill your every need,
The outside world goes away, and you will experience such a thrill,
Well that is up to when under the door the last night, you find your on board shopping bill.
You are not along in what you feel, we have all felt that way once too,
But you will never look back and regret your decision to go, we are all promising that to you.
Please know that you will positively love this experience, and will want to book another right away,
You will become a hooked like us all , and end up in cruisaholic AA.
Camping Checklist
A handy dandy camping checklist I came up with on our last trip…
Life lists…
I’ve been thinking lately how important goals are. At one point, I made daily goals, that lasted about 2 weeks. I find without a goal, nothing seems to really be accomplished. I am like that in my work and personal life. I actually love lists! I love being able to check things off lists when they are DONE! The sense of completion really motivates me to keep moving forwards. I’m going to spend some time on the weekend trying to come up with my “40 by 40″ Life List. (40 things I want to do before I reach 40) I hope Simon will plan with me!
Lets see what I can start with…in no particular order…size doesn’t matter…
1) Go on a roadtrip with no predetermined destination
2) Drink more water
3) Learn to surf
4) Save tons of money
5) Invest my tons of money
6) Learn another language – Spanish?
7) Have a baby or 2
8) Compete in a fitness competition (before and/or after #7)
9) Cruise again to a new destination
10) Take a creative writing course
11) Move into a *family* house
12) Save for our retirement fund
13) Be the *fun* “aunt”
…
So, what’s on your list?
www.43things.com is a great place to track your own goals…check it out!