And she's baaaaack!

Okay, so I've been back since Sunday night, but I'm old...and it took me forever to get back to speed.  I used to hit the ground running...but this time, it took me a while to remember what to do next!  Ah, those fond memories of coming home from a week or ten days of camping with the boys, backing the van up to the basement doors and tossing the laundry bags down next to the washer.  It used to be a family tradition:  We'd camp for ten days, come home on Sunday night, I'd do 10 or 15 loads of laundry, clean out the camper and the van, reload and on Wednesday the boys and I would leave for a camping trip with friends. 

I couldn't do that now if I tried!

This year started out easier:  for financial reasons, as well as emotional peace of mind, we decided to explore the possibility of taking Mark's Honda to Canada instead of my Jeep.  Not only does he get more than twice the mileage than I do, but his '02 Honda is ten years newer, has only 80,000 miles compared to the 160,000 on my jeep, and it has a CD player. 

We started off thinking we could make it with a soft side roof top carrier as well as filling the cavernous trunk. 

Then we discovered those space saver bags!!!  Since we have to take pillows, down conforters and towels, those bags changed the way we traveled...for a bit...

I did have to promise Mark that if he cut back the amount of clothing he took by 50%, I would do laundry half way through the trip.  That's when we realized that everything would fit in the trunk...

For my own peace of mind, I asked that we take the roof top carrier...just in case the bags failed and popped the trunk lid open half way home.  I had visions of dirty laundry and goose feathers spilling out of the car as we headed south.

Going to Canada is a two day trip (coming home takes one).  We stop mid-way for an overnight visit with Mark's aunt and uncle in Geneva, New York.  After Aunt Ruth serves us a magnificent dinner, we settle in for a night of card playing.

Andy is not a card player, so he decided to wander down to the local Wal-Mart for entertainment.  Taking leave of his senses, he bought this:

It's a 1/6 scale, radio controlled, four wheel drive,rock crawler.  If you are having trouble visualizing what 1/2 scale looks like, imagine that the box was so big, it almost didn't fit in the trunk of the Honda.  Out came the soft sided carrier and into it went the "Crawler" and down the road we went!

Our first glimpse of 'the river' was from the bridge spanning the US and Canada.  We were so excited to see a ship on the main channel and I tried to snap a photo of it by sticking my camera out the sun roof:

Is that not cool?

We were so excited to see Patricia and Sandro, owners of River Queen Houseboating!  This was our fourth fall trip and Mark had been corresponding with Patricia for over a year before we finally got there.  They are not old friends, they are family now!

Whoopsie...will have to continue this later...please check back later today...It's good to be home!

 

 

 

Cheryl, the Luddite no more!

I gotta tell you this before I go...

Cheryl and I have been friends since about 5th grade...twenty odd years ago, she moved to Texas and we lost touch.  I missed her!

Once I got my computer (years and years ago), I tried almost everything to find her (you know how easy it is to find people when you are online).  Nothing...nada...just couldn't find her, even though I searched all those sites...

One day, about 3 years ago, I found an email address for her sister-in-law, who had gone to school with my sister.

I wrote, and she not only answered, but gave me Cheryl's phone number.  I called and found out that not only was she still in Texas, but that all the times I was in that wonderful state, we were very close to each other.

I also found out that her Technoligical advancement stopped with the colored TV.  Not only was she not online, but she didn't even use a microwave!  Yeppers, the domestic diva of the home ec classes that I failed, had no clue...

It didn't stop us...we managed to giggle our way, long distance...for the past three years.  We have shared all the good and bad...and I love that woman...even though she was a luddite...

Last week, she announced (with great pride) that she had finally gotten the courage to touch a computer...not only that...she liked it!

Yesterday, she called to share all kinds of wonderful quilting sites she had found!

Today I am going to send her an email and invite her to come and visit my home on the internet...

So...if you see an eccentric, bohemian luddite of the femail persuasion wandering around...just turn her around and send her back to Texas!

Welcome, Cheryl!

Now I'm really going...see you next week!

 

Today's the day...

Yes...today is it!  Finally...the big day!  Canada, look out, here we come!

It's been a long year, full of ups and downs, but the light at the end of the tunnel was always that trip, our fourth, on the River Queen.  Sandro and Patricia have become cherished friends of ours!

Since I'll be gone another week, I thought you'd like to see what I'll be seeing...here's a few high lights of last year's trip:

The River Queen...here she's docked in Gananoque at the public dock.  She's 38 feet of home to us!

The annual guys on the rock in Alex Bay photo.  I have a whole collection of the three guys on this rock...the first was taken when Tony was 3.  Lots of great memories!

A new rock photo...the guys on our new favorite island, Mermaid Island.  Our favorite changes from year to year...day to day.  Mermaid was great, we spent several nights on her.

It's not all fun and games.  Navigating the boat through those islands is pretty tricky.  In addition to fishing, kayaking, biking, chilling...the boys had to learn to read those navigational charts, plan our route and then get us there.  We have had several hair-raising moments.

But then always got us there.  Whoever said three heads were better than one was most likely riding on the River Queen!

Of course, we made sacrifices...imagine how hard it was to look at those sunrises...

...and sunsets...

No wonder some of us felt the urge to check our eyelids for light leaks!

Of course, we'll fish...

and dip our toes in the crystal clear but freezing water...

maybe we'll ride our bikes like Andy...

Of course, Mark will act like a dork...he always does...here he's put on on a show for one of the many tour boats that pass us every day.

But most of all, we'll just have fun...and in a week...we'll come home, rested, tired and certainly happy.

See you then!

 

 

Wazzup with dat?

First and foremost, I have not been silent.  My "Identical twin born to different parents in different years in different states and who doesn't look at all like me." sister, Jill (Another Quilt Block Another Day), has been doing enough talking (and saying just what I would have said) for both of us.  If you want to know what I was thinking but was too lazy to type, go HERE and read what Jill said for me while I was busy zzzzzzzzzz-ing:

Sheesh...other than the napping and the ranting and raving...you've missed so much!  Grab a cuppa and come on in and sit down...let's catch up!

Mark and Andy have been working on the new boat.  The original plans were to get it finished to take it to Canada on our vacation.  This is what it looks like now:

Since we leave for Canada in the morning, guess it isn't ready, right?

 

Oh, and while you were gone, Andy turned 19!

And both boys, accompanied by two friends, did a 90+ mile bike ride around NYC on 9-11!

That's John, Bill, Tony and Andy!

Tony rides again!