A Whole New Wine Country

July 24, 2011
Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, Canada

After several years' absence (I looked it up and I'm sorry to say it was the summer of 2006!!), we're headed to visit our Ontario friends this summer. Our first stop was with Brian and Jeanette, and their poodle, Suzi. The last time we visited, we stopped by their place in Mississauga. This time, we were able to spend a little more time at their "weekend place" in the quaint little town of Niagara-on-the-Lake. The fact that this is HQ for one of the fastest growing wine regions in Ontario (get it, "growing"?) turned out to be a big plus.

We headed across the border yesterday morning and met them at their place. After "the tour", we were off for entertainment. Brian and Jeanette are consummate tour guides, having already worked through the stops and activities. First up, we attended a concert as part of the "Music Niagara" music series, held at Stonechurch Vineyards. After the music and a tasting there, it was off to Ravine vineyard for lunch in their bistro, followed by a driving tour of the local area, including the Niagara Escarpment and the village of NOTL (as it's locally abbreviated). We then made a quick trip back to the coach on the New York side (it's about a 25 minute drive, plus time for the border crossing) to get the puppies so they could come back with us to enjoy a nice barbeque. We ended up getting home right around midnight. No queue at the border at that hour!

Today, we headed back to NOTL for a few more wineries. We started at Southbrook (lunch followed by tasting), then Stratus (tasting at a very modern facility) and ended up at Peller, where we did our final tasting of the day.

We had a great time and enjoyed the time with Brian, Jeanette, and Suzi, and are psyched to return in the future and spend a little more time in "wine country".

When we got home last night, we were surprised to see Wayne and Eva's coach parked a few doors down; they arrived from Maine a day early. We caught up with them a little bit this morning and afternoon, as they are doing Niagara Falls today and tonight. They are headed to Michigan and Wisconsin like us, but they'll go via Cleveland and Toledo while we're going around the North side of Lake Huron via Sault Ste. Marie. We'll catch up again around August 1 at the first Monaco Rally.

Geri, Jeanette, and Brian are ready for lunch and tasting at Southbrook.

Barrels behind glass - Mmmm...

Ultra-modern Stratus Winery

Had to stop for local fresh garlic on the way home!

"We Miss You Guys"

July 22, 2011
Four Mile Creek State Park, Youngstown, NY

With all of the tasks on the list completed and everything packed up, we were right on schedule for departure this morning. We were up early and on the road by 8:15, with an easy driving day ahead of us. Geri and Alicia did a great job of directing me as I backed out of the driveway, making sure we didn't scrape the hitch on the way out. We got "we miss you already" messages from everyone during the day as we traveled.

Our route was pretty simple: I-91 North to Springfield/Holyoke in Massachusetts, I-90 West to Buffalo, then North to Lake Ontario. We did have an interesting diversion near Albany where I-87 and I-90 converge when I thought the GPS told me to take the ramp to the right and Geri asked me "Isn't that I-90 to the left?". She was correct, of course, and we did a quick loop around a few side streets to get back on track.

We started getting "Call EZ-Pass" messages at the toll booths, so I checked our account online ("good") then called. It sounds like our transponders are getting weak. The batteries aren't user-changeable, so they're sending new ones and we'll deal with any missed payments later. The new ones will go to South Dakota, of course, so we won't see them until our next mail sometime in August. Not that I want to see how much the tolls are, either; it's expensive but better than burning a lot of fuel to take an alternate route.

Speaking of that, we stopped for fuel late in the day (first fill-up since May), and did our annual propane purchase at the same time, since Flying J Truck Stops have a convenient process for that. Since the coach has a 37-gallon propane tank (equivalent to almost 8 of the 20 pound cylinders) and we only use propane for the stoves and, when "off the grid", the refrigerator, we end up filling the tank about once a year. This time, it took 16.4 gallons; not bad since our last top-off was 8/11/2010.

We arrived at our destination, Four Mile Creek State Park, just after 5:00 and were soon set up in a nice 50 Amp site. The park has 275 campsites but only half have electricity and, of those, only a small number have 50 Amp circuits. Like many public facilities, this one was designed years ago when RVs were very different. That said, by reserving early we were able to get the site we needed. This week's heat wave has made having good electrical service a necessity to keep the pups comfortable. OK; to keep us comfortable as well. Actually, it was warm enough today that we ran the air conditioners (via the generator) all day as we were driving. Ah, the comforts of travel...

This park is located right along the shore of Lake Ontario, at the mouth of (duh) Four Mile Creek, which is a couple of miles east of the mouth of the Niagara River which forms the US-Canada border here. While nearby Fort Niagara is the main historical focal point, the area where the park is was used as a launching point for various forces all the way back to the French and Indian War (1756-1763).

We're here for three nights, so I'll continue this over the weekend...

Project Time Continues

July 16, 2011
Broad Brook, CT

The pre-departure projects continue! I thought we'd done a lot of stuff before we left AZ in April, but that was so long ago, it seems. Over the past couple of days I replaced the leaking axle hub cover on the tag axle, padded and tacked in a couple of pieces of plywood under the new (2" wider) mattress, re-programmed one of the MCD blinds that needed adjusting, installed a backing panel so the DVD cables don't get caught up in the MCD blind (again), replaced the Velcro on the sunscreen on the entry door, built a new bracket to fix the support for the charge-air cooler pipe where a weld had broken, built an aluminum bracket to hang the old bedroom TV outside, and replaced/expanded the non-skid strips on the shower floor. Whew!

On Thursday, we treated ourselves to dinner at one of Geri's favorite restaurants, Cavey's in Manchester, CT. Pat and Al joined us and we had a very nice dinner, with the prix fix menu honoring Bastille Day. I wish I'd taken pictures of each plate so we could try to reconstruct some of them. Pricey, but worth it; there goes the dining out budget for the rest of the trip! :-0

Today, we'll try to tackle the remaining tasks where I need Al's help. Over the next few days, I'll finish off a few more to-dos, wash the coach, and pack up all the stuff we've deployed while we've been here.

Starting the "countdown projects"

July 13, 2011
Broad Brook, CT

So, where did the time go over the past month+? I sure don't know. I had a good-sized to-do list and seems to get some things done most days, but time has (once again) seemed to slip away faster than expected. Oh, well; at least we're having fun!

Yesterday, I ran a few errands, picking up a battery and charger for Al at Harbor Freight. He bought an 18v Impact Driver (one of my most-used tools) last week, but neither of us read the box: "Battery and Charger Sold Separately". And they meant it, since the battery and charger were, indeed, separate items. Phui...

I picked up a few more items for various projects, a SPST switch at Radio Shack, some aluminum at Lowe's to make a shield for the audio/visual cabinet so the cables don't interfere with the blinds, etc. I stopped at the local truck repair shop to get an air filter (haven't changed that since Alaska in 2009)and an axle cover (has been seeping oil for a couple of years now), but they couldn't get either one for about 2 weeks. Of course, this wouldn't have been an issue if I'd stopped down there a month ago, but we'll be heading out on the 22nd. I spent some time (too much time, I suppose) when I got home searching the Internet before deciding to call the Freightliner shop in East Hartford. The axle cover will be in tomorrow and the air filter by Monday. Should have gone there first.

Today, I got an early start, taking the Pups to the local Doggie Park around 7:00. Back home and fortified with the morning coffee, I started on the project list. First up, literally, was some roof work, cleaning out one vent cover and fan then adding some sealant around the skylight in the shower. I'll have to save the other fan vent for Saturday when Al can help, since I couldn't get the bolts loose (one of those need 3 or 4 hands items). I checked fluids after last week's maintenance and decided we need to tighten up the fuel line (another Saturday job). As it was getting warmer, I moved inside, cleaning the inside of the aforementioned fans, then changing the seal on the toilet (didn't do that when it was replaced by decided it was a good idea). Later, I hung Alicia's TV and ran a new cable coax to her room. Not a bad day's work.

Tomorrow, I'll knock off a few more to-dos, then head to East Hartford for the axle cover. If I get that changed plus the majority of the remaining tasks done Friday, Al and I can clean it up Saturday and next week will just be the air filter, plus giving the whole coach a bath inside and out before we shove off. Whew; I'm tired already!

Still kickin'

July 11, 2011
Broad Brook, CT

OK, OK; I've officially become a Blog Slacker. After a couple of gentle prods, we're back. Things will pick up later this month when there is actually some travel-related stuff going on. I have posted a couple of Blog updates to our travel schedule and map, but nothing substantial. Maybe life is no longer of substance? It seems like when we're just "living life", Facebook is a much more practical way to shoot out quick updates. Maybe if I eventually get that nice iPad I've wanted, I'll do more Blog updates. Hmmm...

That said, the past six weeks have just flown by. We're still at Pat & Al's in Connecticut, enjoying the summer weather. OK, we've had a few warm days and the mosquitoes have been joined by flies and now Japanese beetles, but overall things have been generally nice. We've had a few storms pass but quickly and often at night.

We've done quite a few family things with Pat/Al/Alicia/Britt and Melisa/Paul/Jesse, as usual, often including local friends (Lynne and Mike, John, Ted). Geri's son Pete/Val/Josh/Belle had us over for dinner one evening at their place in Marlborough. We made the trek to the Westbrook Elks on Independence Day. We've done our traditional cooking "nights": Wing Night, Rib Night, Pinot Noir Night (excellent Oregon and California Pinots), Mexican Night (Dos Equis and 'Ritas). Al and I cooked 100+ steaks for Ted's annual Golf Outing to support the local Athletic Boosters. We had Lobster Rolls down at the Shore and decided Pat could do better at home - and she did!

On the coach front, Al and I did all the routine maintenance and then some, spending the better part of a day changing the gaskets on the roof-mounted air conditioning units before we had major leaks (they should be done every five years or so as preventative maintenance). Oil and filters (oil and fuel) changes for the engine and generator are done, the chassis is lubed nicely, and the air conditioner filters are nice and clean. I have a few more maintenance items to do in the next ten days before we hit the road again, and I'll give the whole rig a bath before we go as well.

We did a couple of interior upgrades this summer as well. I finally found the price I was looking for on a replacement TV for the front of the coach, swapping the old 30" Sharp out for a 46" LED-LCD Samsung that's so slim it didn't require any custom cabinet work (it mounts flush to the front of the existing cabinet). While I was at it, I upgraded the DVD/surround sound box to a new Blu-Ray version, plus swapped out the rear TV for a similar/smaller LED-LCD version. We'll have the roof dish upgraded later this summer for full HD all around. I even picked up a wireless transmitter that will allow us to use the old rear TV outside without having to run a cable from the DirecTV box.

We also finally got rid of the original mattress, upgrading to a Sleep Number Bed specifically sized to fit in the RV. We'd tried everything to make the old one comfortable, with various pillow-top and memory-foam add-ons, but it just wasn't going to be acceptable. We're so much happier with the new mattress, we know we should have made that change before.

Yesterday, we had a surprise visit from our friends Wayne and Eva, who stopped by with their coach on their way to the Boston area. Al figured out a way to get them parked in the side yard off the street, and we had a nice visit, including dinner featuring more of Pat's Lobster Rolls.

Tomorrow's supposed to be a rainy day, so I'll work on mapping out our route when we leave here and update our music playlists so we have some tunes (since I refused to continue paying for XM Radio). Along with some updates to the to-do list for the next week+, we'll be in great shape. And, back to Blogging!

And now, back to our regularly scheduled programming...

June 1, 2011
Broad Brook, CT

Yes, things are getting back to normal. Geri's finished her meds and is definitely on the mend. Not 100% yet, but that'll take some additional time. We've been taking it easy, running a few errands, getting some routine maintenance done on the Rover (belts and spark plugs), and generally hanging out. By next week, we should be back in the swing of things.

On Friday, most of us (except Geri, for obvious reasons) went to the services for Paul's father, followed by what we dubbed "Gordiefest" in the afternoon, a catered affair at the Rockville American Legion Hall where family and friends gathered to celebrate his life and maybe hoist one or two. It all worked out very well.

Saturday, Pat and Geri made Lobster Mac and Cheese; Mike and Lynne had brought some leftovers from a party, and Al and I picked the meat; the ladies did the rest. That's some good stuff, right there. Sunday, we did some barbeque, grilling some chicken and a couple of tri-tips that Geri and I had brought. OK, so this was Costco tri-tip, not authentic Santa Maria Style done over red oak, but it was tasty all the same. Monday being Memorial Day, it was time for the annual pilgrimage to the Elks in Westbrook, CT, right on the beach. Geri and I stayed home since she wasn't up to the exertion just yet. We can tell she's better, though, by the increase in appetite.

Yesterday, I got a call from American Express that they had some suspicious charges on my account. Since this sometimes happens where we are traveling, with charges in multiple states, I figured it was a false alarm. Well, think again, bucko. They had $370 for Eurostar (train tickets), $300+ for some German Internet service and, oddly enough, $1.97 at a paintball shop in Houston. So, somebody snagged my card info, either with a hack or a skimmer at a business. I'll never know, of course. But, it's been fun to spend most of this afternoon updating various businesses where things are automatically charged. Complicated by the fact that my Outlook contacts are a bit messed up since I synced with my new phone. It never ends sometimes...

The weather's been quite a mixed bag since we've been here, with over a week of cloudy and sometimes rainy weather initially, followed by some nice days, then some severe thunderstorms on Memorial Day morning, and now hot and humid for the past couple of days. Weather Underground showed a line of storms early today that missed us and headed out to Cape Cod, and now most of western Massachusetts (we're only a few miles from the CT-MA border) is lit up with strong storms. There's a tornado warning until 8:00 PM, but the radar doesn't show anything heading our way, so I think (fingers crossed) we've dodged another one.

The good news is that we're supposed to have a couple of nicer, cooler days coming up. I'm not sure that'll do anything to reduce the mosquito population, which has been driving us inside morning and night. We don't have "bug jackets" here like Dave and Sandy in Ontario, but we probably could use them. We'll tough it out, though!

Home from the "Spa"

May 25, 2011
Broad Brook, CT


[Catching up from what has already been on Facebook...]


OK, nobody likely called Johnson Memorial Hospital a "spa", but at least Geri's home! We knew she was feeling better when she started complaining about the food. She's feeling better, but that's relative, of course, since she felt awful before. The hospital provided various discharge instructions and prescriptions for extending the medications she's been on. She'll finish the meds by the end of the month, then have follow-up blood tests and a doctor's visit on the 2nd and 6th, respectively.