Month: July 2022

This morning we had a lot going on in the backyard. Both grandchildren had great fun playing on the slide, TBall, using the pulley system I rigged in the tree and splashing in the pool. They even managed to hit the ball in TBall!

Chris, Tonya and Max left just after lunch, while Steve, Sara and Roxana are staying for another night.

Jane and I will sleep in the tent again tonight. We both had good rests last night in there.

First thing this morning I had a visitor outside the tent. Turns out it was Max along with Grandma.

He brought in his excavator and the gathered up a bunch of rocks from the backyard.

It was fun watching him play and listen to his chatter.

I had a great sleep out there in the fresh air and it got better when we had a short rainfall. The raindrops on the tent lulled me to sleep.

Later in the day, Sara, Steve and Roxana arrived and we headed up to Honey Harbour after they had a bite to eat. We all were able to park at the Town Dock. I made two trips over to Cedar Springs on Beausoleil Island where we had a picnic and the kids played on the beach.

This afternoon I decided to have a little nap in the tent that I have set up in the backyard.

It was very pleasant out there and I was asleep in no time with the breeze blowing lightly through the trees and fresh air.

Tomorrow night Jane and I will probably sleep out there when everyone is here rather than anyone using the pullout couch downstairs. This way I can retire early if i find myself getting sleepy.

Method in my madness.

This morning, while Jane was out grocery shopping, I set up our tent in the backyard. With the grandchildren coming this weekend, I wanted the tent available for them to play in if it rains.

In addition, Jane and I may sleep out there for one night so we can retire early if people are staying up later.

Yesterday, after checking out Shenanigans, I undertook to scope out parking availability this coming weekend. Because it’s a long weekend, it wasn’t looking good.

However, in talking with the owner of Joes Parking, next to the General Store, he kindly agreed to keep three parking spaces available for us this coming Saturday.

Otherwise there would likely be no spots available.

This morning I took a spin up to Honey Harbour to do a check on Shenanigans and pump out the bilge.

Everything is looking good so I took Shenanigans over to the Honey Harbour town dock to check on parking availability.

There is a two hour time limit at the town dock.

This morning I moved the crib/toddler bed from the downstairs guest room to the upstairs guest room.

It was easier to just leave the double bed pushed against the wall rather than taking it apart and then having to store it.

So we are in good shape for having the whole gang together.

In order to accommodate sleeping arrangements for full family gatherings, we have decided to modify the furniture layout in the main floor spare bedroom.

I will be replacing this double bed with a toddler bed and possibly later on, another crib. This will allow for all the adults to socialize in the downstairs family room when the children are asleep,on the main floor.

Eventually there may be bunk beds installed.

We have not yet decided on what to do with the double bed.

This morning we headed off to Steve’s newly purchased house in Toronto to help with his move.

We first dropped off our portable fridge and Coleman stove because Steve is going to be staying at the new place while kitchen renovations are happening. This photo is what we call the “solarium”; an outdoor “room” that is half enclosed. We hope that they will fully enclose it in the future and put in a heat source so it can be extra living space in the winter.

We then went to the old place and picked up some smaller items while the movers were there.

The new neighbourhood is quite lovely with mature trees and quiet streets. They are on a crescent with the backyard facing a playground and schoolyard; it’s perfect for raising a family.

It’s a splendid day today and perfect weather for a picnic on the deck. My Jane has decided that it’s also perfect for a summer libation!

A simple meal of hot dogs and fries along with some great company.

Doesn’t get any better.

The weather forecast highlighting a tornado watch didn’t materialize yesterday. We had a bit of rain and some wind gusts but that’s it.

Jane is down at Steve’s new house because the cable company is coming to install the new cable today. There is also some renovating going on. The move is this Saturday.

For the past few days I have been watching YouTube tutorials on using the Microsoft Flight Simulator Instrument Landing System on the Diamond duo-prop.

This feature duplicates the Garmin 1000 Avionics navigation system which is pretty sophisticated and, in real life, costs about $50,000.

There is a lot to learn.

The climbing rose bush in the backyard flowerbed is struggling whereas one of the two beside the garage is flourishing.

And the hydrangea is flowering

It’s coming.

Early this morning, the rain began. Lightly at first and then turning into a steady drizzle.

It didn’t deter the unwanted pigeons from roosting on our bird feeder, though. Had to shoo them away. You can see the fallen leaves beneath the big maple, a sure sign that it needs water.

The radar shows that the rain will be around for a few hours. Hopefully this will help all the plants in our backyard.

We are looking forward to having Chris, Tonya and Max come to visit us in Barrie in a couple of weeks. So, today I converted the baby crib into a toddler bed for Max.

We will probably be setting the backyard up with a tent and getting toys ready for when he’s here.

It’s possible that Steve, Sara and Roxana will be coming too. That would be great!

Jane spent over 5 hours at RVH Emergency yesterday and the Doctor confirmed that she had pneumonia in her left lung. He prescribed antibiotics which she began taking yesterday.

The congestion is now beginning to break up but she is still feeling very fatigued. Rest is the best thing.

In the meantime I am keeping busy with flight simulator and watching YouTube videos.

Jane’s situation has not improved despite all the rest and cough medicine. After consulting with an online doctor, we headed up to RVH emergency at his suggestion.

With COVID still around walk in clinics are by appointment and they’re all booked up.

Hopefully it won’t take too long.

After getting all the camping gear stowed away, we are taking it easy today. Jane is slowly on the mend but not yet 100%.

We will be doing a BBQ tonight with a marinated pork chop that I picked up at Burnett’s Butcher store, our go-to meat store.

I had to run the car through the car wash yesterday because it had become coated with some kind of sap from being parked under a tree at Brandy’s.

My Jane slept right through the night, after arriving home and did not look well this morning. I also had the camp gear to retrieve from Tonch East. The weather was also questionable. I decided to head up to get the camp equipment home but didn’t waste any time getting back home.

I finally got back at about 7pm, just in time for Swiss Chalet chicken that Jane had ordered.

Today, I stowed all the gear back in the garage loft.

Yesterday, after our trail walk, Jane was experiencing significant shortness of breath and coughing which we attributed to the heat; at one point, I thought she was going to faint; I got her back to the tent and she fell into a deep sleep.

After letting her sleep for three hours, I woke her, thinking that I better get her back home; she was very confused and flushed and didn’t know where she was. I knew that getting her home quickly would be best; we had cough medicine and a more comfortable bed and doctors nearby, if need be.

It was an easy decision because a thunderstorm was predicted for later in the evening and we could beat it if we left late afternoon.

I will return later today or tomorrow morning to get all our camping gear when everything is dry.

After breakfast and a refreshing swim, Jane and I took a little trail walk over to Tonch East. After that, we decided to walk to Tonch South. On the way, Jane spotted a deer in amongst the trees.

It watched us as I took a video and then ambled off further into the bush.

I didn’t know there were deer on the island.

We left Barrie around 10am and loaded the dinghy up with all our camp gear. Headed out to Tonch North, arriving around 1130.

Got unloaded and had the tent set up by 1:00pm after which we had lunch.

I then had a short nap and chopped some kindling wood in preparation for a campfire tonight.

We’re all settled in.

We started loading the car this afternoon in readiness for our camping trip beginning tomorrow. We are going to Tonch Point North for 5 days.

We have been very careful as to what we are packing because everything has to be transported in our dinghy, Shenanigans in one trip.

We have been selective in choosing our menus because of lack of refrigeration. We plan on doing a little grocery shopping on the third day at the nearby Honey Harbour store.

Today, at Jane’s suggestion, I took a trip up to Midland to visit some friends. My first stop was at Bayport where I popped in to see my boating friend from years back, Larry and his wife Marge. Had a nice visit with them, then headed over to see Birdie.

He was just getting up even though it was around Noon. Had a little chat with him then dropped in to see Doug Peutz Jr. at his store, The Woodworks.

I picked up a Timmy’s on the way home. They were only accepting cash there because of a major Rogers internet outage.

Back home around 2PM.

It’s too nice to be sitting in the house, so I decided to grab a Timmy’s and head down to Minetts Point to have an afternoon coffee and enjoy the breeze off the lake.

It’s nice to see so many people taking advantage of the playground and beach.

This morning Jane and I took a spin over to the nearby Dollar Store to purchase some food items for our upcoming camping trip. We found several non perishable items that will be handy for transporting because of their light weight and compact packaging.

While we were there we bought a few toys and stickers for the grandkids. Jane is going down to babysit Max later today and will be staying over tonight.

Today I went out to the Dollar Store to see if they had a cast iron skillet for camping. I want one that is no bigger than 7 inches in diameter because that’s what will fit in our two burner Coleman stove.

They did not have any cast iron so tomorrow I will check out Canadian Tire and Walmart,

What I did notice at the Dollar Store, though, was the wide assortment of food pouches with everything from soups to rice to noodles which will be great for camping because they are light and compact. Better than canned stuff.

We left for Beausoleil Island after breakfast to check out our campsite which we have reserved for next week.

There is a tent platform on site and there is a dock at which we can unload our stuff.

The weather forecast is shaping up to be nice for our five days.

Today I tackled the job of doing a deep cleaning of our BBQ. It’s been a few years since it was last done and it really needed it.

I removed the grills and diffusers and everything that wasn’t screwed down.

The other day our neighbour, Lawren, mentioned that flowers were now half price over at Zehrs. So this afternoon Jane bought a few to add some colour to the back flower bed.

The splash of red certainly does enhance the view.

We are enjoying our time on the back deck and later I’ll BBQ a whole chicken for supper.

Today I went to Cabellas to see about getting a new sleeping bag for camping. They were closed but I was pleasantly surprised to see this display. In front of their store.

Happy Canada Day!