July 2005

We celebrated the Civic weekend quietly. It is the busiest long weekend of the summer. We have had a great many extra busy Civic weekends, so we just sat back and enjoyed watching everyone enjoying the St Clair river, the St Clair Parkway walking trail and the beautiful weather.

August 4th and 5th found me working at First Class Actions in Chatham, while my previous employer-Henny, took a couple of much deserved days off. Basically, I just answered the phone and checked voice-mail. Nothing like what my previous position was. I also had to pick-up legal documents from the court office, and also check the mail for any legal documents and prepare them for the process server to serve to the respondent. The two days went by quickly.

We continued to work on the coach to prepare it for the trip to Saskatchewan. We flushed our fresh water tank and put some fresh water on. We were getting close to our departure date.

Doug checked all the fluids, batteries, tires, air bags, and anything else that needed checked. All was well. Nothing needed replacing.

We invited Jody and Rachael out for a bar-b-que on Aug. 14th. We all ate to much, and enjoyed the visit. Next weekend we will be somewhere between here and Saskatchewan.

Soon it is Aug. 16th and Doug's sister Marg is supposed to be here by 6 p.m. today. We haven't went anyplace all day, waiting for her to come. Six p.m. came and went and still no Marg. Doug went to bed at his usual time of 7 p.m. He got up at 2:30 a.m. for many years, and has never been able to break the 7 p.m. bedtime. Marg knows he goes to bed early, but ........ Just before he went to bed we had visitors. Larry and Adele, campers from the front row, came to say they hoped we had a good trip. We really enjoy our chats with Larry and Adele. Through our conversations this summer we learned that Doug's Uncle, who we are going to the birthday party for, and Doug's Aunt, were taught to play piano by Adele's Mother. Doug's Father also worked for her Grandparents, on their farm in Southern Ontario.

Adele and Larry left about an hour later and still no Marg. We had stressed to her several times, since we had invited her, that she must be here before 6 p.m. Like usual, she sets her own time schedule. Doug went to bed, and by this time I wanted to also. It was close to 9 by this time. I decided to go also, because we were getting a real early start in the morning. We wanted to be across the Blue Water Bridge before the morning rush of cars and trucks. We didn't want to be sitting at the bridge for several hours, when it wasn't necessary.

Finally, after I had gave up on her ever arriving and had gone in to get ready for bed, I hear their van pull up. I didn't rush out to open the door. All the lights were off in the front of the coach by then. I knew I wouldn't sleep until she arrived, but at the same time I wasn't going to sit up waiting, and welcome her with all lights blazing. She had enough baggage with her for a whole year. We had told her we only had room for two suitcases. She had two HUGE suitcases and enough cloths on hangers to fill our closet all by herself. You have to see the humor in the whole situation, because Marg is Marg, she will do as she pleases.

It was a very short night for us. I had set the timer on the coffee, so it was already being made. We were up before 3 a.m. We had a quick coffee. Found places to store the suitcases, pulled under a street light in the campground and hooked up the car. We were on our way. We were very quiet. Everyone knew we were leaving early, and we didn't see any lights come on. Hopefully we didn't wake anyone up.

The crossing at the Bluewater bridge went as planned. We just breezed through. Marg was nodding off, but I wasn't going to let her catnap. Every time she started to doze, I would point out something for her to look at, and asked her a question, so she would have to answer or at least become more alert. 8}

We took I69 in Michigan and drove through Flint to 475 North. We were early enough that we didn't have traffic in Flint either. Soon, we were on I75 North. When we reached the Standish exit, we left I75 and turned onto 23. Soon we were at one of our home parks called Saginaw Bay, an American Campground membership park. We will stay here for the night. We are here early, but we had an early start and six hours of driving is enough for the first day.

Aug. 17- We didn't leave quite as early this morning. We were through the worst of the traffic and could take our time. We only hooked up shore power, so it didn't take long to be ready to leave. We hooked the car up and were on our way, heading north on I-75.

The Mackinaw Bridge had high wind warnings, but we crossed with no problem. Rain was with us off and on all day. It was a damp start to our trip, but our spirits weren't dampened at all. After crossing the bridge, we started heading west along State 2. This is a very scenic route. We ended our day by staying at Sunnyside in the U.P. It was a nice, friendly little park with pull-thru, so we didn't have to unhook. Marg was ready to get out and go for a walk. She is not used to motor-home travel, but now seemed to be enjoying it. When bedtime rolled around she was ready for it. She said that she didn't think she would get so tired, sitting doing nothing but site seeing, but now realized how tiring it can be traveling.

We hooked up shore power, had the satellite working for the TV very quickly and had dinner. We were getting closer. We enjoyed our drive today because we had not traveled this route before and it was all new to us. We saw a parade in one town. I should have marked down the name of the town, because I can't remember it now. You might recognize the buildings. Let me know if you do, Thanks.

We called a Passport America park in Bimidji, MN called Hamilton's Fox Lake Campground. They said that they had space for us. We followed the directions in the Passport book and when we went up the road, we saw a large sign saying "Road Closed" and an arrow pointing to the detour. We had come up on the sign so quickly we made the turn as indicated then called the campground. The woman I reached said to turn around and come past the road closed sign. They should have told us when we called to reserve that there was a "Road Closed" sign and the directions at that time. Anyway, we needed a very large area to turn our coach around, especially with the car in tow. We kept looking and driving, trying to find a spot. We ended up going miles and miles out of our way. Over an hour later, we came around the lake and in on east County 22. We were tired to begin with, but what a long, unnecessary way around. I will have to remember to ask if there is any detours, when I call for reservations at other parks. They have nice pull-thrus and the lake is beautiful. It would be a nice park to spend a few days at.

We finally were able to settle into our site, after an extra long days drive, had a snack, un-hooked the car and Marg and I headed back to the local Wal*Mart. We bought a few groceries and looked around for something else that we couldn't live without. I didn't really find anything (always glad when that is the case) except for a new HP printer. I was just going to purchase ink cartridges, but the printer and cartridges was cheaper then just the ink cartridges. I hadn't finished Uncle Joe's birthday present. I was printing him photos we had been able to collect of family, his Aunts and Uncles and other family members, plus one of himself, many years ago, in his new suit. I also wanted to print off his ancestor tree to place on the back of the photo tree. Marg found a few souvenirs for her grandchildren.

When we returned to the campground we had trouble finding a person to pay for the site. Finally the office opened. It is their policy to pay in the morning, after they know if you have used the air-conditioner or a electric heater. We wanted to pay tonight, so we would not be delayed in the morning. We managed to do so, and we were all set to leave in the morning, early, as we had planned.

Today is August 20th and we are ready to see our Uncle Joe. We still have many miles to go. It is a short distance as the crow flies, but for us it is 600 miles or about 1,000 kilometres. More then a days trip, the way we travel. We got back on US 2 and kept heading west. When we reached Minot, North Dakota. We turned onto US 83 and were on our way north. When we reached Renville, ND we turned left onto US 5. We were heading for the border crossing at North Portal. We reached it before the border closed for the night. We crossed without any delay and were in Saskatchewan. We drove for miles, just like we had in North Dakota, without seeing any traffic. It was like we were the only ones in the world. The highways in northern North Dakota and southern Saskatchewan are very lonely, but the scenery is beautiful in a desolate way.

We had drove enough miles for one day, but there isn't many campgrounds around. We wanted a good nights sleep, so we needed shore power to operate the air-conditioner. We wanted to get all the butterflies and bugs washed off the front of the coach also.

We followed the signs in a little town on Hwy 41, that said camping. We turned down a residential street and followed it to the end. The sign said to go straight through and we found ourselves in a grassy parking lot of an arena and baseball diamond. There was a couple of park model trailers already set up. A sign on the bathroom door said to hook up and someone would be around. There was four other sites. We made a wide circle and came in sideways to the one power post. We didn't put the jacks down. We would have probably pushed holes in the ground by doing that. It was nice and quiet and peaceful. A great place for the night. We hooked up our water hose, got out the bucket and wash brush and went to work on the front of the coach. We finally got all the bugs off. We had dry brushed the grill to remove the butterflies, before we started washing. We knew from past experience that it is easier to do it that way, otherwise the butterfly wings become glued to the exterior.

After we had the front of the coach washed, we settled in and made a quick supper. No one wanted very much, because it had been a very long day and we all wanted rest more then anything else.

It was after nine and still not completely dark, when a lady came around to collect the camp fees for the night. We paid $15.00 for electricity and water. She gave us a brochure and was real friendly. It was a charming, quiet place for the night. I am sure that there are many nosier nights, when everyone is here watching and cheering on the baseball players.

Morning came and we were back on the road heading north. We knew that we would be in Craven, SK soon. Craven is just east of Lumsden, and is the closest campground to where Uncle Joe lives in Lumsden. We circled Regina and turned onto 11 north. Lumsden is very close to Regina, so it didn't take long for us to reach Lumsden and Craven on 641. Both are in the same valley, just at opposite ends of the valley. Very pretty area. We turned right to go to our campground. A couple of miles down the road we were at our home for the next week.

After we turned off of 641, we had a very old bridge to cross. Others had crossed it, so we figured that it would be safe for us. Doug took his time and we were over.

We decided to get the coach all hooked up to water, hydro and sewer, dump and flush our tanks. After we did that, we thought that we had better get all the bugs off of the coach, so out came the water hose, soap and brush. It took quite some time, but we able to get everything clean.

We called and left a message for Uncle Joe to tell him we had arrived. My Verizon cellphone, with the North American call plan, was only working now and again and when it was getting a signal, it was also roaming. I went to the pay phone and called Uncle Joe again. He had said that he would give us street directions when we arrived, so we had to talk to him, so that we would know where we were going. We finally reached him on Monday morning. We wrote down the directions, and were able to drive right to their door first try.

Uncle Joe and Alice were happy to see us and we were happy to see them. We had a good visit and then Marg and I volunteered to help Alice prepare for a yard sale. They are moving from Alice's condo to the seniors apartments. The apartment will be less work and easier to care for and the Retirement Home is right across the street. They have numerous friends living in the seniors apartments and also the retirement home. They can also go there for a meal several times a week.

Here they all are, in front of the condo.

from left to right they are Doug, Marg, Alice and Uncle Joe. I am usually behind the camera.

Alice is a very generous person and thought that Marg should take numerous yard sale items home with her. Marg thought she should also. Coats, slacks, blouses, you name it, it was bagged up and taken to the trunk of our car. Marg wears a size 6 or 7 shoe and Alice was giving her size 11's to take. Marg just kept bagging them. The trunk of the car was full, the back seat was full, and we sure didn't have any more room in the coach. Finally, I told Doug that he had to stop her. I had told her she would have to ride home on top of the coach, but one word from me, and she put another couple of bags in the car. Doug told her, no more, that's it. She was a little perturbed, but she always recovers quickly.

On Tuesday Doug and Marg went back to the condo. I had woke up very congested and didn't want to run the chance of passing on a cold. I thought that I was having allergy problems, but didn't want to take the chance of giving them anything, if it wasn't. Besides, I felt so bad, I didn't feel like going anywhere or doing anything. I took some allergy medication and rested. When they came back, Marg had more stuff with her. A lot of it ls musty and I am allergic to dust and mold. I think she is trying to kill me. :} It all had to be washed and stored somewhere, I don't know where we will ever find room for it.

On Wednesday Uncle Joe and Alice took us up to Elfros, SK to meet some cousins-Marlyn and Emer . They live in Mosart, SK, close to Elfros. They made us very welcome. Marlyn shared information with us about her Aunt and Uncle Swartz and her Grandfather and Grandmother Burch. I had taken my scanner and computer with us and was able to copy a great deal of information which she shared with us. Emer called the local eatery and reserved a large table for us. Emer gave us quite a chuckle when he phoned for the reservation. He said he wanted a table for 7 drunken Irishmen and a Icelander. We might have the occasional social drink, but usually the strongest drink we have is coffee and the Irish part is still under debate. You could tell that he was enjoying the joke. He has one of those faces that lights up with glee when he smiles. They are great people. Marlyn's brother Glen was also their. We had a great visit with them and are so happy that Uncle Joe took us up to meet them. They gave us their address in Yuma, Arizona and we hope to see them this winter.

Thursday we finished setting up for the yard sale and was ready to open the garage door on Friday morning. I had printed some yard sale signs for them and Uncle Joe took them around town and put them up.

Thursday afternoon we all went to the Retirement Home for a Birthday Party with a luncheon for Uncle Joe's 80th birthday. He had never had a birthday party before, so was quite overwhelmed with the whole experience. We were very happy that we had made the decision to be there for him along with his daughter-Louise, her husband Phil, and quite of a few of his friends. Here he is during the party. His daughter Louise is standing behind him in the white dress. He had waited way to long for his first Birthday Party, but he really enjoyed it. Happy 80th Uncle Joe.

Louise and Phil invited us all to their home on Thursday night for piazza and a visit. We enjoyed the piazza and the opportunity to visit with them.

Friday morning we were ready. Sales went quite well. Numerous items left in the first rush. Alice tired very quickly and we set her in a chair to look after the cash box. Marg and I did the inquiries and sent the buyers to Alice, while we boxed or bagged up the merchandise.

Uncle Joe was up in the kitchen of the condo, cooking a turkey for the dinner he was putting on at the Retirement Home tonight. He was running for President of the local Legion, which he said had 10 members. I think that they were all going to be at the Retirement Home for the turkey dinner, along with anyone else that wanted to come. After we closed the yard sale in the afternoon, we helped take the dinner across town to the Retirement Home. Everything was set up and people were being served in short order. We all enjoyed a very delicious turkey dinner with all the trimmings. Dessert was a wide variety of cakes, pies and crisps. Everything was mmmmm,mm good.

Marg and I helped with the clean-up and met numerous ladies from the Lumsden area.

We had a very busy week, but our days in Saskatchewan were becoming few. Somehow we had managed to work in a few trips to Regina. Uncle Joe had taken us to a great buffet for dinner because of all the yard sale help we had given them. We wanted to treat him, but he would have none of that.

We slept our last night at Craven World Campground. It had been a nice, quiet place to stay. The camping season was nearly at an end in Craven, so there hadn't been very many other campers there. We did have numerous humorous glimpses of prairie dogs and had also seen the occasional deer in the distance. It had been a great place to stay. Uncle Joe and his neighbor had been asking us to stay a night at the condo, with the motorhome. We decided that we could do that . We left the campground and traveled the few kilometres to our Uncles parking lot. We backed our coach in beside the neighbors. Uncle Joe's neighbor had a 30 amp breaker installed for his coach and had the 50 or 75 foot cable to hook it up. He brought it out to us and insisted that we hook up to his hydro for the night. We have found people to be super friendly here. What a great place to live or visit. We were hooked up and settled in for the night.

Marg and I went for a walk to the Lumsden Museum. It was around the corner and across the street from the condo. What an interesting place to visit. They had buildings, farm equipment, photos, books, you name it, if it was part of prairie life then there was a sample of it there. Marg said that she had never visited a museum before and found it quite interesting. I hope that she visits more museums and takes her family with her. I was amazed that she had never taken the time to visit a museum before. To me, they are a living example of our history and most interesting.

1860's quilt made by the Grandmother of Elizabeth Henderson and Lloyd Grierson

Marg at the entrance to the museum. You can see some of the buildings in the distance behind her. The residence of Lumsden have a great museum, please visit it if you are in the area. They support the museum through visitor donations.

Doug had also spotted some antiques that he enjoys looking at. You can see what he looked at here What is Doug doing? check it out, he enjoys looking at this type of stuff.

We had packed a great deal into our visit, but now it was time to head home. Monday morning, Aug. 29th we were back on the road heading south. We planned on staying in Estevan, SK, but missed the turn for the campground and decided to keep going, rather then stop for the night. We stopped just before the border crossing and ate our lunch at a restaurant. Numerous farmers were having their noon meal. One asked if we had the motorhome. When we said yes, he wanted to know why we weren't having lunch in the motorhome. I didn't ask him why he wasn't having lunch in his farm kitchen :} Sometimes we all need a change of scenery, or a chance to stretch our legs.

Soon we were back at the border. One problem-we had forgot to use or throw out the last three hamburger patties we had in the freezer. We can't take them across, so we told customs we had them and handed them over. All is well. It is best to declare and save a problem.

We traveled on south. There was a park in Minot, North Dakota called Rough Rider. We booked in and were told not to put our levellers down unless we had pads under them. We were told we could only take two minute showers and a host of other rules. The park has short pull-thru sites and nice farm land scenery. We will skip this park, if back in this area. We don't mind rules, but then there are RULES. We were not even allowed to take the bugs off the front of the couch. They will have to bake on for another day.

We left early and was back on Hwy 2 going east this time. We had enjoyed our stay at Hamilton's Fox Lake Campground in Bimidji, MN, after we had found it. We decided to stop on the way back. This time we weren't fooled. We just drove around the Road Closed sign and turned down the side road well before the road construction. Fuel prices continue to sky rocket because of Hurricane Katrina and Labor Day weekend. We have no choice. We will just have to pay it. We were fortunate that we were not in line with the hurricane, but thousands of peoples lives have been destroyed by it. We should consider ourselves lucky to only have to deal with the high gas prices. We were talking to our son, and he says that everyone in Ontario is in a panic because of the gas shortages. Gas and diesel is well above $1.00 a litre. That would be around $4.00 a U.S. gallon, we aren't paying that yet. August 30th we paid $2.63/U.S. gal., considering everything, it is a bargain.

August 31st and we are back in Northern Michigan at Sunnyside Campground. Tomorrow we will back in southern Michigan. Tomorrow is the first day of September, another month has come and gone, but what a great month. We really enjoyed our trip to see Uncle Joe.

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