Friday, Dec. 28 - The year is fast winding down, amid much uncertainty in the economic and political spheres here in the U.S. As you may gather, we're able to access t.v. programming again, after a very pleasant hiatus for most of the time we've been away. Now we're watching CNN, local news and MSNBC, and finding out how crazy things are. Troops out of Syria and Afghanistan by order of his Exalted Craziness. Close the entire southern border, or give me 5 Billion samoles for the wall. The pundits think the madness has increased exponentially, and wonder if the Republicans will finally see the light and do something. And the stock market bounces up and down as though on a trampoline.

Meanwhile, here we are in Schalamar Creek, looking after an 18 year old cat named Bailey while her parents are off to Costa Rica. There's a big storm whacking the whole eastern half of the country, except here, where it'll be 80F today. Lots of airport departure delays. Hopefully that's not the case in Toronto, where Dave and Evi have joined their family for the journey south. They had to go north to go south, because it's much cheaper to fly to Toronto, then to Costa Rica, than it is to fly directly from Florida. Go figure that.

We had a lovely Christmas dinner here, and enjoyed a nice Boxing Day with Dave and Evie before they had to leave early yesterday morning. Dave and I played golf, (Evie loaned me her clubs, which worked well...84 with 5 three putt greens), while the ladies did some shopping and park orientation. Yesterday, Gail and I did a big walk around part of the park, then rode our bikes another 11 kms around the rest of the park. It's quite sizable, as those distances would indicate, and has all the facilities the residents could ask for: two pools, hot tub, golf course, tennis courts, pickleball courts, library, crafts room, restaurant. A really active community of mostly northern Americans and a lot of Canadians, mostly from Ontario.

So this week will give us some insight into life in such a facility. Not that we're at a point of wanting to do anything but ramble in our r.v., but it does provide food for thought for future planning.

We hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas Day. From contacts we've had to date, looks like everyone had great times and will continue to do so for the rest of the holidays. Hopefully sister Marilyn will find a way to get over this infection that is knocking her back. We think of you all, friends and family, and wish you all the best for the rest of these quieter times. Let's hope sanity somehow returns to this part of the world, as the rest of the world needs more stability than we're experiencing at this time.

That's it for now. We will go exploring outside the park today, probably over to Lakeland. More later. Stay tuned.

Tuesday, Dec. 25 - We wish the world, our friends and family, a HAPPY AND PEACEFUL CHRISTMAS SEASON. We hope you have a wonderful day.

The top photo is our little outdoor Christmas tree, which we shared with the park. There are lights all over the park, with candles lit in old milk containers in front of every site. As well, as you can see from the third picture, Santa even finds people in R.V. parks.

Today we pack up to go to the Forsyths for Christmas dinner, and to stay while they head off to Costa Rica with their family. We've had nice days here in New Port Ritchie for the past two days, so managed to do some good biking. Gail set a new record as we did 52 kilometers on Saturday. She did some shopping yesterday while I did the same route yesterday. So we're in pretty good shape for our stay at Shalamar Creek.

Have a Happy Happy Day. More later. Stay tuned.

Friday, Dec. 21 - Gotta love computers. I just finished my latest posting, sneezed, the mouse went flying from the impact, and I lost the posting. So I start over again. This one will be much better (and shorter).

Weather has been the big news since our last message. On our way to the Gulf side, we hit rain, as reported, near Lakeland. And the weather has been the pits ever since. Tornado warnings, high wind warnings, heavy rain warnings. We got warned to the nth degree. And some of it came true. Great sheets of rain night before last and a good part of yesterday. Big winds that came in last night around midnight, and shook our poor little r.v. But thankfully no tornados.

We did get a break later in the afternoon yesterday, so did a good hike over to the shopping area about a kilometer from here. Toured the big Kohl's store, to see how the Christmas shopping was going (4 cashiers with a line-up...not like Beds Baths and Beyond in Stuart where there were 9 cashiers going with a big line-up). The economy doesn't seem to be suffering here.

Then we found the pub that we'd discovered last year, Beef O'Brady's, and had a beer. Good group of regulars who provided the entertainment with their kibitzing. Back at the park, there was the usual Thursday night music show, which we enjoyed, as it was a Christmas music sing-along, complete with some karaoke tunes. Everyone joined in with vigor.

So we managed to put in the day quite nicely. Today, however, the wind continues to blow big-time, and it's now raining. We go from sunshine to showers, and will probably have this most of the day. Fact is, we're getting some heavy rain and hail as I write. Crazy Florida weather. Not what you'd call a good day for biking. Wow! It's really coming down. Have to remember that this peninsula called Florida sticks out in the middle of two large bodies of water, so it's no surprise stuff like this happens.

Anyway, we'll put in the day, and survive quite nicely, as tomorrow is supposed to be clearer, but with temps only at 16C. Good for biking? Hope so, as we need some serious exercise.

I'll attach some photos from our time in Palm City, and hope I don't sneeze again. Hope everyone is well as school closes down for the holidays, and as final preps for Christmas are completed. Stay tuned. More later.

Tuesday, Dec. 18 - Tomorrow is our grand-daughter Clare's 21st  birthday. We are and will be thinking of her, and will try to get a call through to wish her a happy happy day.

We've had a fine time visiting Joyce and Lily since Sunday. We are staying a day longer than planned, as two days simply wouldn't have been enough. Lily is a great little pup, full of life, and very well-behaved, so it's been fun to get to know her better. Joyce dotes on her, for good reason, and truly enjoys the company that Lily provides.

We've had several outings, for dinner at a favorite place of Joyce's and the MacKays, a seafood house called Lola's. Excellent quality in an informal setting. Next day Joyce took us to an even more informal setting for lunch, Porky 'n' Beans, a BBQ set-up next to a Farmer's Market. Their pulled pork was excellent and plentiful, so we settled for a bowl of soup for supper. I had a great chat with the owner, who has a four-man crew working the operation. He described all of the equipment he has on his big truck...freezer, bbq cookers, and so on. He is doing this set-up only as a filler until the events bbq circuit begins. A whole new world to me, as he moves around the country with his crew, from Florida to California, back to Maine, and then to the south again. They criss-cross the country taking part in bbq competitions, which are tied to blues or jazz or other events. Their product is judged, winners declared, with the biggest prize being in Reno where the winners get 10 grand. Who'd have guessed. Some of the fairs get many thousands of people, so they have a huge set-up, able to feed hundreds, even thousands during the event. He has to add to his crew by hiring locals, and certainly has to have a firm handle on his supply chain. Quite a business!!

Today we did downtown Stuart, which we always enjoy. Lunch at Duffy's Sports Grill, which was very good, and then a shopping tour of the main street, followed by a stroll along the harbour. Stuart is a nice town, although getting busier with more people each passing year. Just like the rest of Florida, which now numbers 22 million. We'll have a nice evening with Joyce and Mimi.

I have to mention Saturday's events. Huge black clouds rolled in, so Gail said 'no' to a bike ride. I couldn't resist, so set out, only to get caught in the rain, forced to seek shelter under a bridge. The rain seemed to let up, so on I went, only to run into it again, forced to huddle under a tree. That happened three times, as I seemed to be following the progress of the rain instead of the opposite. Not the sharpest knife in the drawer, me. Could have turned around, but too stubborn.

That night, we decided a pub visit was in order, so we walked 40 minutes to the nearest one, called Atlantis Bar and Grill. It was like a true local, as it was clearly filled with regulars, most of whom knew each other, all of whom were at least as old as we are. An older woman comes in, and her drink is in front of her without her having to say what she wants. Then an older guy sits beside us...same thing. He was quiet, until I asked him how he was doing. "Not too good,", he replied. "Got a lot of issues to deal with."

Of course, the old counsellor in me let him open up, which was hopefully good for him. His wife is in the last stages of lung cancer (his fourth wife, he being her third husband). "How about kids? Any around to provide support?" "Yeah, I have two daughters and she has two. But not much help. One of my daughters lives in Houston, so I seldom see her. The other got into a cult 25 years ago, who convinced her that she had been molested by me (looking for money from me), and I haven't spoken to her in all those years. My wife's one daughter lives with us, but she's not much help, as she has little social skill...no boyfriends or girlfriends, no interest in others. And the other daughter is just the opposite, a lesbian street person who is not allowed anywhere inside our gated community."

So you think you'v got problems? a weird family? Poor guy! He's 83, with not much to bring any sunshine into his days. He told us he was trying some over-the-counter drug to lift his spirits, which seemed to work until late afternoon, at which point he crashes. We encouraged him to see his family doctor on Monday to get something more effective, as he thought the product was prednazone, which we found hard to believe was available without a prescription. Tried to leave him on a positive note, although hard to find something encouraging.

Anyway, that's it for now. We move on to New Port Ritchie tomorrow, having had a great visit with Joyce. More later. Stay tuned.

Saturday, Dec 15 - Today is our last day at Lake Worth, which is a little sad, as we like the park a lot. But it's time for the gypsies to move on, so tomorrow we'll head for Palm City and a couple of days with our good friend Joyce Brant. We'll have a great visit with her, and get all caught up on the latest.

We had to change sites yesterday, as we were only able to get 5 days on the nice site we'd negotiated upon our arrival. So we took advantage of the fact that we had to uproot to head off to a couple of wildlife centers not too far away from here. Both are located at water processing areas run by the county. They have created rather large areas that allow for the treatment of both fresh and recycled water, at the same time providing a home for a wide variety of wildlife. This also provides a great spot for we humans, as there are extensive boardwalks that allow us to get very close to a variety of bird species. Something we should be doing more of in Canada.

The second picture is quite hilarious, as a large iguana (about 6 feet, Gail reminds me, to reinforce my earlier error in saying they only grow to 3 feet...forgot about their tails) had climbed to the top of a tree normally 'reserved ' for nesting herons and other large shorebirds. How he got there we don't know. Maybe he's going through a personality change, thinking he's a bird. How would that fit in on the LGBTQ scale?

Next is an anhinga, drying out his/her feathers, since they are not oiled (like our cormorants). Then, a mother heron fluffing up her feathers while taking a break from tending her eggs. And finally a grand-daddy gator.

Good fun for lots of people yesterday. We also found some new guys, which I won't bore you with. Except to say we think we saw a Louisiana heron, which we'd never heard of, a purple gallinule, and a couple of warblers we'd not seen before. We don't keep a life list, as we're too lazy. Just enjoy.

Last night we watched the Christmas parade of boats go by. About 20 of them, decorated for Christmas with loads of lights, follow a fancied-up barge from which they blast off all kinds of fireworks. They do the perimeter of the lake, and have a great time. We should do the same in Picton Harbour. Except we'd have to do it in early October, which is rushing the season way too much.

Finally, Gail tried out her new Instant Pot on Thursday. It took a lot of work to get an instant dinner, about two hours worth of heavy labour. She wasn't totally happy with the results, but the male consumer of the household was quite content. It's a learning situation, and an interesting diversion from the usual camping meals.

That's it for now. We move tomorrow. Should mention that after we visit Joyce, we're going to the other side, to New Port Ritchie, where we were for a week last year. Then we go to our friends, the Forsyths, for Christmas, and stay on while they go to Costa Rica with family. We'll house-sit and look after Bailey the Cat. After that, Homosassa for a few days, then see what the weather promises for heading west. No moss on these rolling stones. (Can't believe we've scheduled ourselves so far ahead.) 

Stay tuned. More later.

The top two photos are friends of Gail, part of the clan that she has adopted during out stays here in Lake Worth. Cedric is on the branch, while Sydney is checking out the food supply. They don't eat anything but vegetation, apparently, so need to worry about being attacked.
The middle pic is one of nearly 2 dozen white-tails we saw as we drove along the Skyline Trail in Virginia. Well worth the drive if you get a chance, as there are wonderful views, too many to take in along the route. The bottom two photos are two of many taken.
Hope this posting works. Stay tuned. More later.

Tuesday, Dec 11 - Cool today, sunny with a strong north-westerly wind, temps not likely reaching 20 today. Yesterday was quite fine, so no complaints, as it's supposed to get warmer and less windy again tomorrow. Minus 1 is the high at home, so we aren't complaining one little bit.

Yesterday was good for riding, so the writer did two circuits, plus a trip down to the local convenience store for a 6 pack. Total: 46 kms, as the circuit around the lake is very close to 20 kms from our site. Gail did a full circuit and most of another for close to 35 kms. Along the way on the first run, Gail counted 25 iguanas. They continue to multiply at what may eventually become an alarming rate. They're not a nuisance yet, but we met two folks today along our route, who had visited a large cemetery in Fort Lauderdale to do some birding, and found the place overrun with iguanas. The lady said it was creepy, as you'd step into the grass and there'd be furious activity as several of the creatures darted hither and thither. There are so many of them there, that there are apparently plans to do some culling to keep the numbers under control.

Gail finds them fascinating, which indeed they are. We have one in our back yard, and he doesn't bother us at all. Most of them are quite shy, so that if you get near them, they scuttle off at great speed. But we did meet a couple of large ones today that were sitting quietly on the sidewalk, not interested in moving even though we were right beside them. Size? They range from a foot to 3 feet, and can be quite chunky, as well as beautifully colored. I'll have to post a picture or two.

Today, because of the strong wind, G opted to stay home to try to figure out her new Instant Pot. I did my circuit, sailing along when the wind was behind, struggling to stay upright when facing it. At one point, with the sun behind me, I saw the shadow of a cyclist before me, leaning aggressively into the handlebars, lean as a greyhound, legs pumping effortlessly, clearly an elite rider out for a little run in preparation for a championship race. Wait! That's me! My fantasy was quickly snapped when a grey-haired guy clearly older than me went whipping past on my left, leaving me in the dust. Funny how you can feel like you're doing great and then something like that brings you back to reality. Can't hit a golf ball as far as I used to either. But what the hell? Still swingin'. Still pedaling.

This afternoon we set out to try to find a Publix grocery store. The nearest one is a considerable distance away, so by the time we'd walked for 45 minutes along busy streets, we reached the far end of our cycling path, still some distance from the store. So who needs food anyway? We headed back down our trail around the lake, and two hours of trudging later were back to our site for the last rays of the weakening sun. Just a little weary, but feelin' good. Time for a drink.

One other thing. In certain parts of the park, there are a lot of homeless people. We did a short-cut on the way home, and came across about a dozen of them, sitting around a picnic table, or sleeping under trees or in the shelter of the outhouse building. Their stuff was all over the place, a real little community of lost souls. Obviously the local authorities don't chase them away, as their piles of stuff looked somewhat permanent. There's another group that hang around a corner on our trail, and each time I've gone past, they are sharing humour with large peals of laughter. None of them ever bothers anybody. And there are always a few folks, mostly black or Hispanic, just wandering the trail, some looking pretty lonely, of varying ages, mostly male. Thank goodness most have their own communities for company and support. Count your blessings, every day.

That's all for now. Thanks for listening. More later. Stay tuned.

Sunday, Dec. 9 - It's been awhile since our last posting, mainly because we've been off the grid. We got away from the motel scene, thankfully, on Wednesday, settling in for a three day stay at one of our favorite parks, Skidaway State Park, just outside of Savannah GA (no easy access to internet in the park). Fourth time we've stayed here, as we like the trails, and the bike paths that wind through a very exclusive housing district just outside of the park. Thursday we walked all of the trails, and then over to the 'village' to get a few supplies. Total mileage: about 8 miles (not kilometers). Good walking day

On Friday, we hopped on  our bikes, and did a total of 27.5 kilometers, winding all around the island's housing district. It's quite a confusing area, as the roads go hither and thither, so we managed to get quite lost. Hence the distance travelled, trying to find our way home from the opposite end of the island. The homes are beautifully set on large lots, and are of greatly different styles, but traditional, with two golf courses winding throughout. Pretty exclusive place for lowly campers to enjoy some time. Dodging golf carts careening around corners on the cart path is half the fun of cycling there.

After that, we did a couple of the walking trails again, and met an interesting older couple from California. John's son is doing his Ph.D at the University of Georgia, so the couple were enjoying some camping (they still tent at their advanced ages) before going to see him. We talked politics, believe it or not, feeling it okay to do so since they're from California. We shared the same concerns and apprehensions. John summed it up by saying, "At least he hasn't gotten us into a nuclear war...yet".

We then walked over to the village to the local pub for a well-deserved beer. Happy Hour. Two bucks a beer. Doesn't match Doug Ford's  buck-a-beer nonsense, but it did the trick. Total walking distance: about 4 miles. Total for the two days: 12 miles on foot and 27.5 on the bikes. Felt good after four days of driving.

A big storm was heading east, so because the track of it was uncertain, with a good chance it would hit Savannah, we headed south on Saturday. Back to another park we really like, this one located on the inland waterway south of Melbourne, just off the A1A highway. We got a nice site right on the water, just in time to enjoy a lovely sunset. The weather was also a nice surprise, 29 C, so we opened up the rig to air it out, with the temps lovely all night. Great for sleeping, with the waves slapping the shore just in front of us. This morning I did 20 kms on the bike while Gail did some organizing. There was a stiff breeze, so she was glad to stay at home.

The park was pretty full, with many families there to enjoy a week-end of camping.The area is well known for good fishing, so there were lots of nice boats and big rigs to be seen. No sign of economic hard times, for sure. As we've driven along, we've seen many signs saying "Now hiring", or "Applications wanted", for truck drivers, construction workers, warehouse workers, and service jobs. Trump's policy re immigration may backfire on him when all kinds of jobs go wanting because there's no one to fill them. Employment rate is less than 4%. And of course, Trump takes the credit.

The weather looked threatening by the time I got back from the bike ride, so people were packing up en masse and heading for home. Gail had us all organized and tucked away, so we hit the A1A heading south, which is generally pleasant driving, the ocean on one side and the inland waterway on the other. We arrived here at the John Prince Park in Lake Worth, another of our favorites. We were given a pretty poor site, so a little negotiating with the office landed us on the water with a nice big site. We may have to move on Friday, as this sit is tentatively booked, but moving to another site for a couple of days is no big deal. A whole lot of people come in next Friday for the Santa Parade, which we enjoyed last year. A flotilla of local boats, all decorated with lights and Christmas music, does a parade right past our shoreline. Should be fun.

For the next few days, we'll do some biking in somewhat cooler weather (low 20s), and will also have a visit, we hope, from Joyce Brant, who lives up the highway in Palm City. We'll get to see her dear little Lily, the apple of her eye. Meantime, stay well, everyone, and keep in touch. Messages are welcome. Just click on the message icon on the bottom of this posting. That's it for now. Stay tuned. More later.

Tuesday, Dec. 4 - A few things of interest to our devoted readers. First, the cost of gas. In Pennsylvania, we paid $2.75 per gallon. In Virginia, $2.25. Here in South Carolina, we've seen prices in the $1.90 range. Makes quite a difference when loading up 40 gallons at a time. And oddly enough, diesel gas is a dollar a gallon more than regular stuff.

Secondly, the weather: we are in a motel for the 3rd night in a row, mainly because it's going down to plus 2 tonight, and we're not quite ready to deal with that. But we will be tomorrow, as we've booked in at one of our favorite parks, Skidaway State Park, just over the Georgia border. We're booked in for three nights, despite the fact it will be zero C tomorrow night. We'll hunker down and hope the furnace works. A big storm is coming in on the week-end with lots of rain, so first things Sat. morning, we'll head for as far south as we can get, to avoid the big rainfall. Good thing we decided to come this way, as the weather in New Orleans is not at all promising.

Third, I continue to fumble my way along the route. This morning I turned the wrong way out of the motel parking lot, and after a couple of miles, realized my error and turned around. Later today, we pulled into the S. Carolina Welcome Center, and I chose the 'car' side of the entrance instead of the 'truck' side. Lo and behold, there was no room for an r.v., so I had to maneuver up the wrong way out of the truck exit, holding up a big transport while doing so. By then, I wondered where the hell my head had gone.

Tonight, we had a very traditional southern dinner in a little restaurant across the street. No beer. Fried green tomatos. Mac and Cheese, and excellent fried chicken. Loved the tomatos. Our server is a gal who has a 4 year old child, is in her third year of  Nursing, maintains an A average, works in the restaurant in the evenings, and spends two week-ends a month looking after a 95 year old patient. Talk about a motivated young lady. Who says there's no hope for our young?

Her colleague, a cute tall young thing, had the eye of a little Hispanic guy, who is obviously a regular customer. He was gazing at her with love in his eye (or lust?), and after he'd left, she told us after I'd pointed out the obvious attraction he has for her, that he's proposed to her 4 times while paying his bill. Not going to happen. Poor guy!

CNN is front and center. We watched some of the Fox news channel last night, with Lew Dodds. One is as bad as the other. Lots on the Bush funeral, with much positive feeling expressed for his contribution. So far we have had no political discussion with locals. Good thing. We'll keep it that way, but always with an ear to the ground to get a sense of how people are feeling about things.

That's it for now. The journey continues. Stay tuned. More later.

Monday Dec 3
Here we are, back in the saddle again. Thus begins what could be a 4 month ramble, so if you have the patience, follow along with us, and we'll be glad to have you here to keep us company.

We had such a nice time with neighbours, family and friends before we left it was somewhat difficult to leave all of that behind. But off we went, and after two days, we've hit our stride, and are looking forward to this trip and all it may involve.

We had originally planned to go straight down to New Orleans, and then west from there. But there was an urge to go back to Florida to start off with, so here we are, in Virginia, on our way to the South-east. So far so good weather-wise. We ran out of rain around Watertown, after getting through the border in no time flat, so had a nice day for driving the rest of the way. The border thing was nothing...not even a question about whether we use marijuana or not, which was a little surprising.

We (I) decided to drive on in the dark after we got to Scranton-Wilkes Barre, because I really don't like that area. So on for another while to Hampton. We pulled off to find our motel of choice, and here's where the frustration of travel begins. It was a very confusing intersection, in the dark, and there were no clear directions to the Hampton Inn, which we could clearly see not far away. We made a right turn, (a wrong turn, as it happened) and ended up on the ramp heading back up the I81 to the north. Five miles later we got off on 80, went another 2 or 3 miles before being able to turn around. Then back to the 81 for the 5 miles back. End result...an extra 15 miles that we didn't really need at that time of the day.

However, no gaskets were blown, although a few colorful comments were made by the driver. We had a very nice room, and there is a good restaurant on site, so the evening turned out okay.

Today, we got to Virginia under nice blue skies, and decided to do the Skyline Drive, as a little side-trip. One of the good things about having no particular agenda. There had been a lot of damage done by an ice storm a week ago, but the first two sections of the Drive are open, so we had a lovely tour in the upper reaches of Virginia. Many beautiful views of the valleys on both sides of the ridge meant numerous stops to take it all in and snap a few photos. Also a total of 18 deer were spotted along the route, feeding quite gently, eyeing us with only a little curiosity. This is a drive we highly recommend, as it's a great break from the perils of the 4 lane routes.

Once down from the heights, we settled in to a nice motel in Harrisonburg. Mexican tonight. And G and I started our Rummikub contest, with yours truly eking out a narrow victory. A running score will be tabulated. Las Vegas odds have now been posted, so check if you want to place a bet on the eventual winner.

Tomorrow we'll hit the Carolinas, perhaps for our first night of camping. Hopefully we can find a site early enough to allow time to do the necessary organization of a chaotic r.v., as we left with lots of stuff in piles but not sorted. Next day, we'll see if there's room in Skidaway State Park, just south of Charleston, a place we've enjoyed a couple of times in the past. So stay tuned. More later.

Thursday, Oct 4 - A rainy, windy day here in the North East. Watching a weather prediction is like watching someone trying to predict the winner of the Kentucky Derby. There's a lot of local stuff, and one side of England can be totally different from the other side, or the north can be very different from the south. And the forecasts can change by the hour.

We had a pretty good feeling about the forecast for today, so decided to tackle Cat Bells, a peak above Durwent Water. It's at about 450 feet, a good vertical from the lakeshore, and promised to offer fine views of the lake and the countryside. So we took a ride into Keswick, and booked the 11:30 ferry over to Hawse End, where we could start our assault on the peak. It was drizzly, but no wind, so had promise of improving. Didn't happen. The further we were into our ascent, the worse the weather got. To make matters worse, a good part of the climb was over slippery rocks on a very steep slope, so we really had to be careful, watching where every foot was placed.

But we persevered, and reached the top after an hour of hard slugging. Found out that someone had been injured on the way up, and the Mountain Rescue team was hauling the person down. We headed down the other side, making it a circular route, and saw the team proceeding down through the bracken. We made a good choice, as the descent was somewhat easier than it would have been had we gone back down the same way we'd come up. A longer walk, but more pleasant. We were soaked by the time we got back to the ferry pick-up point, as the rain really intensified and the wind howled considerably. But we arrived 10 minutes before the ferry, so timed it just right, as the ferry only comes to that pier hourly. Result: cold, wet, but happy we'd done the hike.

Once home, we dried out, went to the center for a hot tub and an ale, and felt just rejuvenated. So there you go, a little adventure to finish off our time in the Lake District. Tomorrow we'll have a relaxed morning, then set off for Glasgow, to check into our hotel in readiness for our flight on Saturday. It's been a great trip, and we'll have happy memories as we head home. One final report, perhaps. More later. Stay tuned.

Wednesday, Oct 3 - Cloudy, somewhat drizzly, with brief spots of respite today. So given that it's mid-week, and that we had trudged more than 18 miles over the past two days, we decided to do  a grand tour today. Not too much walking, and a little bit of sight-seeing. So that's what we did.

But before that, we did a long walk yesterday around Durwent Water. It was a very good walk, some ups and downs, but mostly just fairly long, as it was a little more than 10 miles around in total. The lake is surrounded by lovely hills, the waters relatively quiet, and it wasn't overly crowded. There were a fair number of walkers, but not enough to make it uncomfortable. There are lots of people here in Cumbria despite the fact it's now October, but a lot of them probably come because it's off season, and shouldn't be too crowded. Sounds like our County.

Near the end of the walk/hike/stroll, we came upon Lingholm Estate, which was a summer favorite of Beatrice Potter. We saw Mr. McGregor's garden, stopped to enjoy a cup of tea in Peter Rabbit's tea house, and had a lot of old memories return. I hadn't read the story of Peter for years and years, so found a little book on the shelf, and quickly reminded myself as to why it was such a favorite of mine when I was a wee lad. Good memories.

We capped the day off with a stop at the local Sportsman's Pub for a pint, and called it an evening. Speaking of which, our usual routine after our pub visits is to return to our place, have a wee nip, and settle down for the evening watching British mysteries. We even keep up on the news of the day on occasion. Glad to see that NAFTA is now USMCA, with some pros and cons. Hope Trump continues to receive disturbing news, and that the nominee for Supreme Court goes down. Sad about Indonesia big time.

Today we did the big tour around both Windermere and Coniston waters. This is the main center of the tourist industry, so the villages along the east side of Windermere were loaded with people. We did a nice hike up to the top of Orrest Head, and had a lovely view of the lake and the surrounding countryside. It is truly a beautiful area, with deep valleys, crags and fells disappearing in the clouds, waters nestled in the bottoms of the valleys. The hills are of many shades, green to russet to brown, mostly bare, with stone walls climbing up even the steepest slopes. Sheep everywhere, grazing to their heart's content. All you can think of when you consider the Lake District.

Coniston was home to Ruskin, the artist. It was also the lake where Malcolm Campbell died trying to set a world speed record for watercraft. There were memorial plaques honoring both. Coniston is a lovely little town, one of its neat features being a steam yacht gondola. The 'boat' does cruises for tourists, has the shape of a gondola, complete with figurehead at the prow, and is powered by a steam engine. Quite a creation.

The roads in some areas were so narrow it seems a wonder that we got through without scraping the left side of the car off, or ramming into an oncoming car/lorry/bus. The oncoming vehicles are often just over the center line, and the stone walls and hedgerows on the left seem only inches away as you squeeze over to miss the traffic. And if anyone gets behind you on these roads, they drive with an urgency, pushing you despite your best intention to only go at a speed that feels right. It's a little nerve-wracking, to say the least. But we got through it.

After our long drive today, we stopped at another local pub, and were invited to join a couple sitting enjoying a drink. They were wonderfully friendly, and also so full of knowledge of the area, that they were a treat to spend time with. Their son joined us a little later, and told us of his challenge to do all of Wainright's fells, all 235 of them. These are peaks that were chronicled in amazing detail by a Mr. Wainright, who spent years meticulously detailing all of the information known to man about each of the high spots in Cumbria. It took 7 volumes to do so, one of which we were shown. A most amazing little book it is, full of minute detail, sketches, contour lines, immaculate descriptions of the route to be taken to get to the top of each fell/tor/peak/hill The father, Jeff, has done all of them, and his son has done about 112 of them. Quite a challenge to undertake.

Tomorrow will be our last full day here, as we've decided to go to Glasgow on Friday afternoon in order to avoid a Saturday morning rush to the airport. We'll do a good hike tomorrow, and maybe find a smaller one for Friday morning, then say good-bye to a wonderful time in northern England. It's been a great time. More later. Stay tuned.

Ocr 1 - We're happily in the Lake District, where lakes aren't really lakes. There's only 1 lake, actually, although there are lots of bodies of water that might look like lakes. The thing is, they don't tend to call them lakes around here, they call them 'waters; except for Bassenthwaite Lake, which they call a lake. There are also reservoirs that look like lakes, but they call them 'reservoirs' oddly enough. They could call the district the 'Waters District', or the 'Reservoir District'. But no, they call it the Lake District, because the bodies of water truly look like lakes...even though only one of them is called that. Trust the English!

Today we did a 'water' walk. That is, we drove to a 'water' and took a ferry on the water to a little wee spot called Howtown, where we started a walk along the south shore of Ullswater. The 'water' (lake) is a beauty, surrounded by high hills, that might actually be called mountains in some places, as they're high enough. But they tend to call them hills here. Trust the British!! We walked up and down and all along for nearly 6 miles, and thoroughly enjoyed it. We would normally call it a hike, but one woman who we met on the trail said "yes, it's quite a nice stroll", which we found rather odd, almost offensive,  in view of the ups and downs we were involved with. We call it a good 'walk', or preferably, a 'hike', not a 'stroll'. Really!!! What's in a name, after all. Only the English!

Once we started back to our place after the tour around the 'water',  we came across Air Farca, which is a very pretty waterfall (not a Canadian comedy..remember Air Farce?). Even though we'd walked 6 plus miles up and down and all around the 'water', we struggled out of the car and went down a million steps to find a lovely water fall, which they usually call a 'spout'. It was a fine spout, a double one, actually. Again, what's in a name! Spout? Waterfall? All in the name, I guess. Main thing is the water came down quite prettily. But I don't mean the lake which isn't called a lake, I mean the stuff that comes down over a precipice in a tumbling manner. It's very confusing to holiday in England.

We had done a 5 kilometer walk last evening out of our village, down a quiet road towards a place called  Greystoke. We had seen a sign that said there was a pub there, so decided today to try it out before going home. And what a find it was. The pub is called the Shoe and Boot, going back to 1511, if you can believe it. And most interesting of all, Greystoke rang many bells in my head, but only when we read some of the history they had posted in the pub did we connect the village to the story of Tarzan. He was the long lost son of the Lord of Greystoke, if you recall the Edgar Rice Burroughs saga...23 movies later...and here we were in the village that inspired the story. Most interesting to be in a pub more than 500 years old connected with such a famous story.

By the way, the name of the pub came into being because the Lord of the Manor had gout, so went about the village with a shoe on one foot and a boot on the other. What's in a name! Only the English!

We'll no doubt go back, as the menu looked pretty inviting, and the Guiness/Tennants was very well received. More later. Stay tuned.

Sept. 30 - Back again, for a very short post. I finally noted comments at the bottom of my posts from son Jeff, three of them I hadn't accessed before (always in a rush when posting in a library as opposed to our own digs). He finds my reports of interest, but keeps harping about the fact I haven't said much about the pints we've been enjoying. He wants more details.

Mostly we try to sample local products when we have our late afternoon pint. There are very good dark ales in each place, none of which I have noted as to name brand. Suffice it to say they're all good, although not famous, being local. Gail also likes Tennant, and I have often been reverting to good old Guiness. When we ask about the local beers, they give us a sample, and if we like, they pour. Good to the last drop.

For the next week, I guess I'd better do better at keeping track of what we imbibe, as there seems to be a lot of interest on the part of person named above. Thanks for the interest, Jeff. Bare mention of how we're surviving, how we're coping with our dreadful colds. All he wants to know about is the beer and ale. Oh well! We raised him.  More later. Stay tuned.

Sept 30 - We have now moved to new digs, over in the Lake District. We're in another time share located out in the country, but this time it's very different. There is a very nice restaurant and bar, and there are considerably more units, all seeming to be full. Apparently there were 50 check-ins yesterday. Quite a contrast to our last place where hardly anyone could be found. But a very nice facility, with all of the amenities...pool, hot tub, etc. And we have wifi, at the bargain price of 25 pounds for the week. They haven't caught up with the rest of the world in terms of offering free wifi. Them's the breaks.

We've done an awful lot since our last post. Castles! Hadrian's Wall! Northumberland National Park. A one woman show in Wooler Friday night, performed by a Canadian actress, which was fun. Our focus has been primarily on building a good walk into each experience, where possible. For example, Hadrian's Wall was at least a 10 mile hike up and down the hills, through sheep and cow pasture lands. We started at the wrong place, thanks to a bit of misinformation from a rather disinterested information person. "Is this the best place to do a walk along the wall?", we asked. "Up to you, really." "Where does it start?" "Just walk along the road for a mile and look for the acorn sign." So we did. And it was probably an hour before we saw the first remnant of the wall. Then it was fields again for another mile before we found another stretch of wall. By the time we were at the half-way mark to our proposed destination, the mist and wind were heavily in our face, so rather than carry on and wait for a bus to take us back to our starting point, we turned about and retreated. We both hate to do that but the weather wasn't at all pleasant, so we gave in. Total of 4 hours of hiking, which was fine, but had we gone to the next 'station' to start our walk, we'd have been much better off. We drove there, found the remains of a large Roman Fort, and found the wall stretching off to the west, which we would have enjoyed hiking along. My fault for not researching better. Such are the perils of planning.

The castles? We saw a great range of them, from ruins to modernized spooky haunted to modernized classic, including the one where a lot of the Harry Potter filming was done (Alnwick, pronounced Annick). There you could get a lesson on how to ride a broom, and take a tour with a young lady who explained all of the films that had been done in the castle, and the lengths that producers go to in order to get the effects they want. That was a very good 45 minute tour. The castle is still lived in by the Duke of Northumberland, whose possessions are immensely extensive and in many cases priceless. The family moves out to Scotland for the summer tourist season, then moves back into their lavish digs in the fall for the winter.

The haunted castle was derelict until an adventurous character took it over in order to restore it. It is full of stuff that he has collected from all over the world (he's a leading antique expert known world-wide), it has a cool dungeon and torture chamber, is just crammed with stuff because he can't bear to throw anything out. He's climbed Mt. Everest, taken part in the big dog sled race in the north, is a friend of Prince Phillip...would be neat to meet this guy. His castle is a bit of a mess, but very interesting, with a lovely tea room next to the dungeon, where we had home-made tomato soup and bread (not in the dungeon). 

Enough about castles. On Friday, we got out into the park and did two hikes, one up a vertical to get a view of the surrounding beautiful countryside, back down, and then on to do another hike up and down to find a lovely spout (waterfall). That was about 6 miles total. So close to 16 miles in two days meant a pretty good effort on our part. We're feeling good with all of the exercise, and have managed to subdue our colds pretty well (Gail totally, me partially).

Some other things to mention. Brexit Brexit Brexit. That's the big issue here, and dominates the news. The Labour Party had their big conference last week, and came out with some unity as to what their options are, although their leader is under some stress for claims that he is anti-semitic. He made it clear he isn't. The Conservatives start their conference today, with Boris Johnson accusing Elizabeth May's plan to leave as 'demented'. Should be an interesting conference.

Sports? Football, football, football. And Ryder Cup. Unfortunately we don't have Sky TV in our quarters, so will have to go to the bar to watch today, but that's okay. They'd best have the golf on rather than football, or I'll be upset.

Food costs? We don't see a huge difference in quite a few items, when calculating the pound to the dollar (5 to 3 is a rough guide, so what costs 3 pounds is 5 Canuck bucks). Grocery stores in smaller towns are usually Co-op, but in larger towns big supermarkets are very good. And you can always pop into a bakery to get meat pies and other goodies. We've been eating in most days, as we have good kitchen facilities, so that saves the routine of looking for a place for meals, which is such a pain.

Pubs? They are central to life for a lot of people, so we've joined the routine by trying to finish each day with a pint. We found three different ones in Wooler, each with its own character, and generally friendly patrons and staff. Nice way to finish a day before heading home.

Driving? I've talked about it before, but it's still a challenge on the small roads, as you can't take your eyes off the center line for a moment, winding along up and down and all around as they go. The motorways are a totally different story, as there appears to be no speed limit. Coming here yesterday part of the way on the A1 I was doing 75 mph, with cars zipping past me on the outside lane. Drivers are generally courteous, but they always seem to be in a rush to get to where they're going.

This area looks very appealing, as some research last night revealed many interesting areas to go to for some good hiking. We'll let you know how it works out. But looking back at our week in Northumberland, we would recommend it highly to anyone looking for an interesting and varied place to spend a week. We very much enjoyed our time there.

Time for some breakfast, then over to the bar area to hopefully catch the key moments of the Ryder Cup. Thanks to those of you who follow this rambling nonsense, and for sending along comments. More later. Stay tuned.

Sept 25 - It's been awhile since our last posting, because we've been very busy, but mainly because we don't have wifi where we're staying. Odd that we don't, in that we have a very nice unit, 2 bedroom, living room, kitchen, etc., and all other amenities, but they haven't put the bucks out for wifi. We're about 3 miles west of Wooler, next to the Northumberland National Park, and central to the area, so it's a great location. And Wooler is quite a nice little town, complete with several pubs. So all is well in all regard.

The weather has been spectacular for the time of year. Here we are, Tuesday, and sunny again. Temps around low to mid-teens, so great for hiking. But I'll go back a bit, to our last day in Scotland, and I'll be brief about it. We spent the day with large crowds in Edinburgh, lining up to get into the castle, then lining up to get into the points of interest therein, but despite the masses, we enjoyed the tour, and would recommend it, as it's loaded with history. We even saw the Scottish Royal treasures...scepter, sword and crown, handed to each king upon coronation. When Cromwell came in, the practice was discontinued, and the treasures were hidden away and forgotten, only to be discovered again in the early 1800s by none other than Sir Walter Scott, the famous writer and inventor of the historical novel. And now all can see these treasures, contained in a huge safe, within the castle.

The rest of the day was spent on the Royal Mile, with a stop at the Writer's Museum, where we learned about Scott, Burns and RL Stevenson. The street is lined with shops selling tartan goods, as you might imagine. We ducked into a nice little cafe during a shower, then went down to the end to the Scottish Parliament, which we toured ( a very modern and beautifully designed Debate Chamber, where the members sit, all facing the front...not confrontational seating like we have). And we saw the Hollyrood Palace, where the Queen stays when she's here. She wasn't home, or we'd have been in for tea.

From there, on to the city of Peebles, where we stayed in a very nice old home, then on to Wooler next day, to check into our place. There's hardly anyone here, as it's end of season, so if we decide to make use of the pool and hot tub, there shouldn't be a problem.

Two days to summarize. On Sunday we did a 3 and a half hour hike up to the top of the Cheviot Hills, then along the St. Cuthbert trail through the sheep and cattle fields, and back down to Wooler. It was  a fine day, with a mix of sun and clouds, so very enjoyable. The sheep were a little shy, but didn't seem too bothered by our presence. Down into Wooler, and into the Black Bull pub for a well-deserved pint. This is a local for many people, so was busy and noisy, but just fine once we had a pint in front of us. Taxi back to our place, as we weren't up to another 3 miles of walking along a busy road.

Yesterday, we did three things: went to Holy Island (pronouced Holly) which was first settled in the 900s by a monk who was charged with bringing the heathens to the word. Must have worked, because he is still honoured to this day, being of the same name as our hiking trail. St. Cuthbert's work also led to the establishment of a large Priory, which is now in ruins, but delightful to the eye. We walked out to the castle, but didn't go in, as it's empty of furniture, having just been renovated over a three year period. We saw the 6 large lime pits that were housed on the property,  in which limestone was heated at 1,000 degrees to create lime, which was shipped to Dundee. We bought a bottle of mead on the way back to the car, watching the time, as the tide was scheduled for 1::20 p.m., at which time the causeway is covered with sea water. If you don't make it off before that time, you have to wait for the tide to recede at 7 p.m. in order to get off the island. We made it. People have been known to get on the causeway too late, and either get stranded on a little bridge that is just high enough to avoid the flood, or get inundated (a picture is posted of a car well submerged, to remind you that this is serious business).

The second activity was to go to Berwick Upon Tweed. (Berrick, for you Canadians). Here there is a very fine wall that encompasses three sides of the main part of town, the Tweed River covering the other. It was undertaken by order of Queen Mary, and then Elizabeth, and was the largest engineering project during the reign of Liz. They ran out of money, and there was even some mismanagement, so it wasn't totally completed. But it looks to have been well able to serve its purpose, although the cannon that were there have been removed. If the Russians try to take the town, they'd be quite able to do so. But it's a lovely walk of about a mile, with a garden or two and a playground down around the lower areas., the town below, and to the east, great views of the North Sea surf, and Bamburgh Castle in the distance.

The third thing was to do a seashore walk, so we were able to find a parking place south of the town and did a nice long walk along the Northumberland shore, both on the beach and above on the trail that runs for miles north to south. We met a lovely older couple along the way, who were out birding, and who surprised us by saying they have a son living in, of all places, Labrador City. He was RAF, stationed in Labrador for three years. Found his sweetheart there, and since reetirement, has there remained. Almost everyone we meet tells us of a Canadian connection, someone in the family, or a friend, who lives in Canada.

So lots of hiking again. We finished off the day with a pint at the Tankerton Arms, which was much quieter and very pleasant, with very friendly staff. (They gave us a brownie for being such good customers). They've had a very busy season, so were enjoying a quiet day, prior to a busload of Hungarians coming in next day.

All is not smooth in this journey, let me tell you. Quite often we can't follow the signs that point to where we want to go, somehow missing key corners, and having to back up and turn around in tight spaces. Happens frequently. The driving is now more comfortable, as I can now careen around corners dodging lorries with the best of them. And last night, we had a major power break-down. Gail was doing a washing, when the machine started to dance up and down, and killed a whole series of circuits. Refrig, stove, many of the lights, the t.v., all gone. But to make a long story short, Ian, the maintenance man, got us going again this morning, but for the washing/drying machine, which may be toast. We used machines in two other units to finally get the job done.

Finally, both of us have caught a cold, Gail first, who kindly handed it on to me. We have found meds that seem to help, so will tough it through. Today, rather than hours of hiking, we'll do a drive to two or three castles for a look, and no doubt end the day at a pub. Supposed to be plus 18 tomorrow, so maybe we'll head down to Hadrian's Wall for a good long walk along the top of it.

So that's enough nonsense for this post. Quite something that Tiger won on Sunday. The big event this week-end should be quite interesting, so hope we have a t.v. in our next place. That's all for now. More later. Stay tuned.

Sept 20 - We started the day with our typical Scottish breakfast. Have I mentioned this before? Just in case I haven't, the day starts with eggs, sausage, bacon, hagus, blood pudding (if you can handle it), toast, beans, tomato, and potato, plus juice, cereal if you choose, and tea/coffee. Good for most of the day, so only a little bit of lunch is quite adequate until dinner.

On we went into St. Andrew's, to the Old Course and the British Golf Museum. The first thing we saw upon arrival was the destruction of the tents set up for the upcoming  Dunhill Cup, out just to the shore side of the 1st hole of the Old Course. Storm Ali did a number on everything that had been set up, with winds up to 101 miles per hour, to the extent that all of the tents and framework were a total write-off. We talked to one of the techs, who was quite matter-of-fact about it. They did the set-up for the Ryder Cup last week, in Paris, and are part of a large company that does this sort of thing. So once the insurance people do their thing, they'll have all new replacement equipment ready to go in time for the tournament.

From there we went to the first tee, which is very open to the public. Took me back 38 years, to when I teed off there. The burn across the front of the first green, the old bridge, the road hole, all within easy vision. The wind was howling, so the urge to play was less than it might have been. Also, when I played the course, it cost 12 pounds. Now it's 180. So that's a bit of a disincentive as well. But there were players going out, despite the cool and the blowing wind, so more power to them.

Then we did the British Golf  Museum. It was a little like visiting Golf Mecca, not unlike the visit we made to the World Golf  Hall of Fame in St. Augustine, Florida. In this case, the story was of the development of the game from the earliest days, back to the 14th Century. And all the way up to the modern period, with focus on the Championship, to the development of course construction, the development of clubs and balls, and even the progression of clothing. Champions are highlighted, going back to Old Tom Morris and up to Francisco Molinari.

All in all, it was a grand visit. A few souvenirs were purchased, and a little tour of the main street followed. St. Andrew's is a much a student town as it is a golf town, as their famous university is right next to the golf courses. We stopped into the student's tea shop, called the Chrichton Room, after the Admirable Chrichton, and shared a table with a German young lady who is doing her second year of Masters study here. She was charming, and gave us some insight into the life of a grad student here. Two classes a week, one three hours, one an hour, and some structure, which is quite different from her experience in Germany, where there isn't much guidance or supervision. Her responsibility is to do a lot of research and reading, then write papers on selected topics. So the onus is on her to do the work as required in order to get her degrees, one here and one at her home university in Koln.

From there we went on to do the Fife coast road, down through a series of towns and villages along the North Sea and the Firth of Forth. We stopped for a good while at the town of Crail, and had a fine time walking about, exploring the area, finding the harbour, speaking to a piper who was taking a break during the photo session of a wedding, having a scone in one of the tea shops. Old town, hundreds of years of history. A hotel that still operates after opening in the late 1700s. Substantial buildings, narrow streets, winding alleys, sharp breeze, lovely old gardens. A good stop it was.

We wound our way along the route: narrow roads again, playing chicken with oncoming cars and large vehicles on tight corners, ducking into the other lane to dodge around vehicles parked on our side of the road, following the GPS, which has been a god-send. Things tightened up as we got closer to Edinburgh, with heavier traffic, tight roundabouts, and the usual speed demons dodging around whenever they got a chance. But we made it to our hotel, the Davaar, in Dunfermline, and were pleasantly pleased. This building was a home, at first, then converted to a hospital devoted to the delivery of babies. Now it's a lovely guest house with a beautiful dining room/lounge. We went to the local pub, the Glen Tavern, and got a great meal. Stuffed we are, and now we recline, watching the telly outline how tough things look for the Prime Minister. She's in trouble trying to work out a deal.

Tomorrow we go to Edinburgh for the day. Should be interesting. Stay tuned. More later.

September 19 - First item of business is to wish my dear sister Marilyn a Happy 75th birthday. We hope you have a nice day, and a great cruise to celebrate within a few days. We are thinking of you today, and hope you have a great time.

Today was Storm Ali/William Wallace/find your place of rest day. To begin, there has been an orange alert on all day, with huge winds blowing in from across Ireland to Scotland and northern England. The rain had begun already when we went down the road to a so-called Scottish Knitting mill. Turned out to be a tourist trap, with most products definitely not made in Scotland. Even the plaids were not marked 'made in Britain', and after asking a clerk, she told me there is no requirement here to indicate the country of origin for products they sell. There were a few things that were Scottish made, but not much, so we left.

On the road, playing chicken with the mad Scottish drivers. We weren't too clear about where we'd go, other than to St. Andrew's, where I'd booked an inn for the night. As it turned out, we came to a sign pointing to Bridge of Allan, a small town near Stirling, where the William Wallace Monument is to be found. So that's where we went.

Upon arrival, we learned that the path up to the monument, a rather steep incline, was not deemed safe because of the high winds, so it was go at your own risk. We risked!! The wind was howling, especially when you reached the base of the monument, where it nearly blew you off your feet. The topmost section of the monument was closed off, as it's too exposed to the elements. But we made our way up to the other sections, after listening to one of Wallace's soldiers, who gave an animated account of the battle that made Wallace famous. He did his character to perfection, so well that I only got about 2/3 of what he had to say, his brogue was so heavy. But we understood enough to get the drift of his story.

Up the spiral staircase we climbed, with the wind and rain howling. (We just learned on the news that 2 people died in Ireland in Storm Ali.) Wheb we  hit the west side, the wind whipped through the slot openings, rain spraying through in abandon. But we slogged up, and found the Arms Room, then up another level to the Heros of Scotland level, and finally the the level that explained the creation of the monument. It was truly enlightening, and gave us a good impression of the early days of Scotland's struggle to remain independent. Wallace, who rose from obscurity to become the Guardian of Scotlad, was a remarkable character, not overly well regarded during his lifetime, but later immortalized through story and song (and movie). He met a rough end, when the British king insisted on his arrest, and saw that he was first dragged through the public streets by horse, then hung, then cut down, disemboweled, then drawn and quartered. Not a good end for an heroic figure.

We had tea and a scone in the tea shop, learning that they were shutting the monument down at 3:30 to allow staff to get home safely. Then we hit the road toward St. Andrew's. Not much trouble getting to our destination, although we had to dodge fallen tree limbs and large branches, but there followed a big problem finding our spot reserved for the night. Turns out it is out in the country, in an obscure location, known to hardly anyone. We rambled around back roads, lanes, golf course entries, and around again, before finding a kind man in the local r.v. park who actually guided us to our destination. It took well over an hour from the time we left St. Andrew's until we found the place. Frustration big time.

However, after tidying up, and a drink of the favorite mood raiser, we were ready to head back into the city to find a place for dinner, as our remote inn has no  restaurant for evening fare. We managed beautifully, finding an Inn called 'The Saint', where we had a lovely light dinner and  pint. Best of all, we found our way back to our inn without a problem, and are now settled down for the evening.

Tomorrow we'll do a bit of St. Andrew's, maybe take in the Scottish Golf World Museum, maybe do a hike along the shore, and then head down the coast towards Edinburgh. Hopefully the wind and rain will have abated somewhat so we can do some outdoor activities. There you have it, the joys of travel. Stay tuned. More later.

Sept. 18 - We might have stayed in Glasgow, but it's a big city, and our inclinations are towards countryside and a good walk. So after an excellent full Scottish breakfast (eggs, toast, beans, tomato, potato cake, sausage, orange juice and tea...good for all day) we got info from the desk clerk and braved the streets of Glasgow. We found our way to Motorway A82, and managed to cope with busy streets as we made our way out toward Loch Loman. Getting used to a standard drive on the wrong side of the car driving down the left side of the road takes a little getting used to, but soon became pretty comfortable.

As we got closer to the lake, the road became 2 lane, and quite narrow in places. But we managed, and found a lovely little village called "Luss". We spent a good part of the day there, walking about, enjoying the lake, the lovely cottages, and the Fairy Walk. The latter is a trail that has been developed in honour of the little people, with 9 stations depicting aspects of fairy life. It was a lovely walk in the woods, complete with sheep in the meadow, fairy dust, little houses in the trees, and much imparted wisdom. Quite neat. Our grand-daughter Anna would love to visit here.

When we got back to the village, we met Ian Cameron, who had just come out of his house to go for a walk. We had a great chat with this 89 year old former shepherd. He was sent here when he was 15 to be a shepherd's helper, and stayed to do that work for more than 50 years. Bright, articulate, and totally delightful he is. Like us, he fears for the future of the world. Like us, he regrets the changes that have come to his little community, with busloads of tourists pouring in every day. He also regrets the disappearance of his trade. Whereas there used to be 15 shepherds in this area, there are now none, so the majority of sheep that are here are almost feral, confirming the shyness they exhibited when we encountered them on the trail. He also told us that Gail's clan, the Elliotts, were shepherds, who came to the Central Highlands from the border country of England to do their trade. Gail had no idea of this.

Later, we went to another spot on the lake called Fricken Point. There we met a couple from Vancouver Island. Like us, their rural community is being bought up by city people. Their community is being over-run by tourism. Their community is not the same as before, which they greatly regret. We had a lot in common.

We did a nice one hour walk along the shore, then drove along the A82 towards the north end of the lake. The road was very narrow in spots, and just a little scary when meeting a truck or a bus. There were many signs on the road saying "SLOW", and there were signs saying "oncoming traffic on center of road", which meant cars coming our way had to cross the center line to get around the curves in some places, meaning you had to brake, or really hug the left side, lined with rock walls. And speed...most of the drivers on this road were driving like they were in the Daytona 500.

But we managed, and found our way to Callandar, a nice little town on the way to Stirling. We had dinner in the local hotel, just around the corner from our very nice B and B. sitting next to 3 ladies who were having a great chat. We ended up joining in, and found that the eldest is about to turn 90, and was with her niece and great-niece. We covered many topics, discovering that the niece is still practising her Ministry at 85 years of age, loving it, and her daughter is a professional opera singer. all of them are worried about Brexit, especially the singer, as it may affect her opportunities to perform abroad once Britain goes solo. They are off to Glasgow tomorrow to have a nice birthday dinner for the aunt. But as they were leaving, the niece couldn't resist coming back to tell us a group of the family have planned a large surprise birthday party for the old girl. They were great fun to talk with...one of the bonuses of travel being to meet people this way.

Tomorrow a huge storm is supposed to blow in from the west, across Ireland, with winds up to 50 or 60 miles per hour, and lots of rain. So we don't quite know what to do tomorrow. Will have to wait to see how bad it is. We may just stay here, or we may head over towards St. Andrew's. Time will tell. So stay tuned. More excitement later.

September 17 - Some transition. Up at 3 this morning to catch the bus to the airport for a 7:30 a.m. flight to Glasgow. Said airport is located about 50 minutes from the centre of town, and because it's so busy in the morning, one is advised to be there with plenty of time to spare. Turned out we had quite a bit of time before we finally left, partly because we had to stand in line for what seemed like forever while they fixed the plumbing on the plane. But it's a nice airport/shopping center, with no end of food facilities and duty free shops.

The flight went well, although quite bumpy, and two hours later we landed in Glasgow. And now the adventure of the road began, as we have a very nice Skoda standard drive that they still insist you drive on the wrong side of the road. Furthermore, we had a very sketchy map as to where our hotel is located, so we did a fair bit of touring of downtown Glasgow, winding around narrow one-way streets, before we found our hotel. Just as we were about to give up, after asking for directions a couple of times, we turned a corner, and lo and behold, there was the hotel. And a nice old place it is, housed in a long block of Victorian mansions near Glasgow University. After a little relaxing, and lunch at the Big Slope pub, we had a nap and reorganized. Later we had a nice walk, and went back to the same pub for a very nice dinner. A cut above normal pub fare, so we were very pleased.

But more about Iceland. Gail reminds me to tell you how impressive it is that this island nation in completely self-sufficient re hydro power. They use thermal and heat from the hot springs areas to fuel virtually all of their electrical needs. Their water is also excellent, filtered as it is through lava layers in most areas. Despite the high cost of living, people are well paid for their work, and although taxed quite highly, health and education is free, with a minor charge for university. Kids are required to complete 10 years of elementary education and then can go on to 3 years of high school, then to university or technical training.

2008 was a major set-back for the country, but they have recovered quite well, and are now enjoying a building boom in the city, which contains about 2/3 of the country's population. Fishing was for many years the basis of the economy, but since the crash, they have rebuilt the economy, quite deliberately, on the back of tourism. People are flocking here from all over the world, particularly since Iceland is central between Europe and North America. IcelandAir offers free stopovers of 3 or 7 days as a way to entice people to come, and are building their airline to accommodate the increased numbers.

Anyway, it's a great experience for anyone looking for something quite different in terms of environment, breadth of activities available, and a safe friendly place to visit. We enjoyed out third day by simply wandering about, first to the Flea market, and then around the old harbour area, where we learned a lot about Iceland's marine history. Being an island nation, the sea and the industries that grow out of such a location are quite varied, so it was interesting to learn about the various types of shipping that have existed over the years. We ended the day with a good dinner of fish and chips, then wandered home to prepare for our flight. Early to bed, with hopes of a good sleep. Unfortunately, Gail only got a couple of hours, then couldn't go back to sleep. So she did not have a comfortable time on the plane. When she's really tired, the restless leg thing really kicks ind, a very unpleasante experience. Our flying days may be over if a solution for the problem is not found.

Planning out the week was central this afternoon, as we didn't really have an itinerary planned for Scotland. We finally decided to go to the Loch Loman area,  then up to the Trossach area, where we've booked a bandb for tomorrow night in Callendar. Look it up, and you'll see where we plan to go. Weather doesn't look good, as there may be storms for the next couple of days, which will affect our activities to some extent. But we'll do our best to get out and do some hiking tomorrow. More later. Stay tuned.

Sept. 16 - We're now in our third day in Iceland, and will finally take the time to put down a few notes. We've been blessed with good weather, which isn't always the case here, as conditions can change at the drop of a hat. It's been around plus 12 the first two days, with the only rain coming at the end of our tour yesterday. This morning is sunny, so we'll soon be out and about to enjoy the city.

Just a couple of words about the trip over. Start off with a little adventure, we like to do. Left the car at Park'nFly, and headed to the airport. Just as we started for the entrance, I realized I'd left my regular glasses in the car. Have to have them, so what to do? Fortunately, Park'n'Fly has a good number of shuttles running, so I hopped on the next one and went back to the check-in lot. Once there, I looked for my car, but it was gone, as we were in the Valet lot, and one of the attendants had already moved my car. So I explained my problem to several of the car jockeys, and they started a search. They move the cars to about 8 different lots, and because mine had just been moved, the jockey hadn't come back yet to post its location. So they called the manager, who put out a search, and they finally tracked down the car, brought it back, and I retrieved my glasses. Then back on a shuttle so we could check in.

That put us a little behind schedule, but, fortunately, we'd left home in lots of time, so were able to hasten a little dinner down before going to a transfer site, as we had to take a shuttle over to another smaller terminal. Iceland Air must be on the economy rate for airport fees, as from there they bussed us to the plane when boarding time arrived. Nice new plane with attractive staff (all tall blonds with hair tied back in attractive buns...no rules for hiring like Air Canada has, it seems) and a female captain. But the seats had only the bare minimum leg room, the plane was full, so it was a long 5 hours. Gail's pills didn't work, so neither of us had any sleep to speak of. No complimentary service either, except for a cup of tea. The pains of Economy flying. Can't say we enjoy it anymore.

We arrived at 6 a.m., to a very crowded airport. Looks like the majority of incoming and outgoing flights are early morning, so the place was jammed. Once we got through immigration and bag retrieval and customs, we were in the departure lounge, where the only food/coffee source was a very busy Dunkin' Donuts, if you can believe it. No seats available, so once drinks were obtained, I left Gail managing the luggage while I went to find bus transport into the city, which is about 45 minutes away. We had been told by Heida, our hostess, that we couldn't check in until mid-afternoon, but we could leave our bags at 9. So that worked out, as we were dropped off at bus-stop number 9 just before 9, not having a clue as to where to go from there. Turned out it was just around the corner and down the street half a block.

Heida's Home is a 13 room shared accommodation facility, so we have a kitchen and shared bathroom. It's been just great, as we are central, can walk to most places of interest in the city, and have met some nice folks in the kitchen, from Italy, Japan, the U.S. and elsewhere. Heida is a very nice woman, and helpful. So this has worked out well.

Once we dropped our bags off, we went a walking...all over town. I had already booked a tour for the next day, but we found an info center to get more ideas as to what to do, and were directed to a great bakery for breakfast...jammed with tourists, for good reason, as the offerings were just fine. From there, we headed over to a meeting place for a guided walking tour we had been told about at the info center. Our guide, Nanna, was just great, leading about 25 of us for two hours here and there with lots of stories, history, and insights into the life and spirit of Iceland.

Reykjavik is a very nice city, well maintained, clean, safe and interesting, with a fine waterfront and lots of neat streets. The culture goes back to the 10th Century, back to when the first settler came here from Norway in 930. (He escaped from his home country with his family and possessions in his boat after having killed two men.) Iceland also established the first true democracy in the world, which still exists, so there is lots of history politically as well, which I won't bore you with at present. Religion has been Lutheran since Martin won favour, bringing an end to the Catholic presence until recently, when a fairly large number of Polish people starting settling here, bringing their faith with them. According to our guide yesterday, 90 per cent of young people from 20 to 35 don't acknowledge any religious beliefs, claiming either agnosticism or atheism. So religion in general is in serious decline, similar to many other parts of the world.

Safety is part of the culture. There are no Armed Forces, police are not armed, and there has only been one recorded shooting of a person by the police, who then apologized to the family. In order to carry a gun and use it, an officer has to get permission from superiors. Guns, if any, are registered, and owners have to go through a serious course, and a demanding security check. Criminal offences tend to be of a domestic nature. So walking around the city is a very relaxed experience. Should also mention that Icelanders seem to be pretty heavy boozers, especially in the winter-time when there are only 3 hours of daylight, and depression can become a problem. All liquor is sold through government stores. But there are lots of bars to go to.

After we went back to Heida's and got checked in and settled, we hit the street again, wandering along the harbour, into the new and very impressive Cultural Center, and finally over to a market store that Nanna recommended for its reasonable prices. We bought a few things, including a couple of pizzas, and ended up back in our kitchen for supper. Restaurant prices, and all prices, for that matter, are very high, so we felt enough fatigue, having been up for 30-some hours, to want to have something simple for supper, then crash for a good long sleep.

Speaking of prices, my yardstick is usually how much a beer costs. Generally, it's 10 bucks here, but we found a happy hour pub that gave us two beers for 15 Canadian, which was similar to back home. A burger can easily be 20 bucks. Last night's dinner in a pretty basic but good restaurant was 100 Canadian. So best to forget about the cost of things and enjoy the surroundings, which is what we're doing.

Yesterday we did the Golden Circle tour, organized by Grey Line. Highly recommend it to anyone thinking of coming here, as it's well-priced in relation to many of the tours here, and was very well organized. We had a great guide, who gave us all sorts of insight into many aspects of Iceland, he being a retired older gentleman, a former Civil Servant in the Heritage and Education Ministry. We were about 9 hours on tour from start to finish, and as luck would have it, only had rain for the last small portion of the tour, the rest of the time quite pleasant with temps hitting plus 13.

What did we see? The first stop was to see the dividing point of the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates, plain as day in front of you, demonstrated by a significant cleft in Mother Earth. Hard to grasp that along this fault line is such a significant point of separation. On one side, you are in the North American side of the world. Walk over a bridge, and you're in the Eurasion side of the world.

This location is also the site of the original Parliament, dating back to the 10th Century. It was decided in the early years by the regional chiefs that laws were needed to maintain order, so a meeting was convened, and agreement was reached on a number of principles that governed the society of the island. This is still a place of significance, still a meeting place at important times, such as when Iceland declared independence from Denmark in 1944. For centuries, people trekked from all over the island for two weeks of meetings and celebrations and revelry in June of each year. It was neat to stand on top of a rise overlooking the tectonic area, the No Man's Land, where the assembled masses would gather to hear the leaders, learn of the laws, and hear the punishments for crimes that might have been committed during the year.

From there we went on to a wonderful waterfall, then to a hot springs area, then to a significant religious area, and then to a smaller waterfall, and finally to another rather primitive hot springs (in the pouring rain...short visit). In all, the tour was just what we needed, and when we considered whether or not to do another the next day (today) we decided we'd seen a lot, and didn't need a second, as we would prefer to wander the city again, maybe visit a museum or other point of interest. A long tour, considering we have to be at the bus stop tomorrow morning at 4:15 a.m. to catch our early flight to Glasgow, just didn't make sense.

Here we are, then, about to put on walking shoes and hit the streets for the day. Sunny and hopefully pleasantly warm, so it should be fine. We have really lucked out with the weather. More later. Stay tuned.

September 12 2018 - This is a  test post, to see if all is working before we head off to Europe tomorrow. The decisions about what to take are nearly complete, so the packing can now begin in earnest. This time it's a little harder to decide what to take, as we're going to Iceland for three days, and expect the weather will be quite cool. Perhaps not much better in Scotland, as projection for the next week have highs in the 10 degree range. England for the following two weeks should be somewhat better, even though we'll be in the northern part of the country.

We fly tomorrow night, so will try to post as often as time and wifi permit. Looking forward to a different kind of trip for us, with no r.v. home base. Should be fun. More later. Stay tuned.

Sept. 10 2018 - Preparing for Europe inc. Iceland!

busy!

Monday, March 19 - I mentioned in my last post that I might add a few statistics, just to provide a sense of what doing the r.v. thing is all about. Not too much, but enough to give you a sense of what our trip involved.

Total kilometers travelled: 11,850

Distance home from our furthest point west, Seminole Canyon, Texas: 3,418 kms.

Number of nights in various states: Virginia 1; South Carolina 5; Georgia 11; Florida 49; Mississippi 2; Louisiana 9; Texas 33; Arkansas 1; Tennessee 1; Kentucky 1; Ohio 1. Total - 114 days

Total liters of fuel consumed: I don't want to know, so not calculated.

Number of stops along the way: 39

Overall average cost of sites, per night: $32.15

Overall cost of transferring from Canadian to American dollars: don't want to know, so not calculated.

Total kilometers ridden on bikes: hundreds...would be more accurate, but my bike computer broke down, as did its replacement and its replacement. Need a new one.

Highlights: i) the freedom of being on the road and totally irresponsible;
                  ii) visits with Joyce in Palm City, Steve and Cathy in Champions Gate, and with Debbie and Ray in San Antonio;
                  iii) riding the trails in Lake Worth, New Port Richie, South Padre Island, San Antonio and Austin;
                  iv) finding a few new birds in the Rio Grande Valley area...just looking for them is fun;
                  v) getting notes from faithful followers of this blog, always great to receive;
                  vi) warm weather, when we found it, which was less frequent than in previous trips south;
                  vii) great performance from our faithful rig, with only a couple of minor glitches along the way.
                 viii) meeting a lot of interesting and friendly people as we travelled. American people are generally warm and welcoming.

Where to next? Maybe a little trip to Nova Scotia this summer. And for Gail's 75th, I've offered to organize a trip to the Lake District in England, as we haven't been to Britain for a long time. In 2019, we'll be heading west in the r.v. for our Lahr Reunion in Vancouver, and may build in an excursion to Alaska as part of it. We're getting older, so if we're going to do these things, now's the time.

All for now. Stay tuned. More some time later. Thanks for listening.

Wednesday, March 14 - We're home!! Man, it's a long haul from Austin to here. Given that I drive the rig at around 100 kms/hr, I figure we were on the road for about 40 hours. There are times when we got off the interstates, to get away from the massive number of transports that loom behind, pass closely by in the next lane, shifting our little rig to the side. Get on a good secondary road, and we can maintain generally our speed, except for passing through towns. Much more pleasant driving.

But for a good part of it, we were on the interstates. I have to say, the truckers are generally very courteous, and seem to have safety in mind. They let you in when they see you're entering the freeway, and they generally don't cut right back in to  your lane, unless they've got another transport on their tail. Always have to be vigilent, always watch what the other guy is doing, and you're okay.

Going back to my previous post about our overnight stay in Bardsville Kentucky, we woke up to 3 inches of snow on the ground. Made packing up quite a lot more challenging, especially since we had to drain everything before heading into Louisville for the winterizing I'd arranged. I also had to get up on the roof to sweep the snow off, and to clear the slide-out so it would retract. It was a lot of effort, but we managed; but given the time, we felt we should head into Louisville rather than go over for a tour of the Bourbon Center. A little early to be sampling good whiskey anyway.

We were awaited, much to my delight, at Louisville RV, and were told it would be an hour to get everything winterized properly. They weren't overly busy, so I asked about an oil change, and that was fine. However, it took ages for them to order in a proper oil filter. Not only that, they found that my inside right tire was deflated, and had been showing signs of wear. I hadn't felt anything different while driving, so it was a surprise to me. Long story short, they managed to reinflate it, so we were able to carry on, but didn't get away until early afternoon. So we only got about 5 hours on the road that day, as we tend to avoid driving at night.

During our waiting time, I had good chats with the owner and his main man. We talked about the impact of 2008 on his business. He went from 20 employees to just him and his assistant. He barely managed to keep the business going. Now he has a couple of other employees, so is okay. But it was tough going, and caused him to get out of sales of r.v.'s altogether, and simply do servicing and parts.

Another topic was the gun thing. He has two prominent signs in the store, which make it clear guns are on the premises, one of which says "We don't call 911...we call the morgue." I asked the guy behind the counter if he carries. "Nope, but I've got one right here under the counter.The boys are always after me to wear one, but I don't like to".  Later, I asked the owner if he carries. "Normally I do, but at the moment it's in the car." He took me outside and showed me one handgun on the passenger seat, and another holstered right beside the gear shift on the console. We got into the gun thing, and he agreed it's a shame things are that way, but it's not going to change. There are so many guns in the country; it's been part of the country's way of life for more than 200 years; and carrying serves as a deterrent. If the bad guys know you have weapons, they're much less likely to cause trouble.

It was an interesting discussion with a well-spoken and successful businessman.  Some change may come about because the kids are making lots of noise. But it will be only a little, and nothing significant, until those kids are in charge, if the impetus carries forward. Don't hold your breath. 90 people a day are killed with guns in the States. It's not going to change for a long time.

On to a place called Lima, in Ohio. Pronounce that Lye-ma, not Lee-ma. We motelled  it, as the van was winterized, so not convenient to use for the night. Gail was up early the next morning, surprised me, and off we went for the next 11 hours, through Detroit, onto the 401, and through about 8 snow squalls. The worst was just outside of Toledo, where things came to a standstill. The road was ice for about a km., because of a heavy squall, but the trucks slowed right down at the right time, and there were no pile-ups. After that, we ran into one squall after another, but nothing that slowed us down much until we reached good old Prince Edward County, land that we love. Heavy snow coming down, although not too much accumulation. So we climbed out of the rig at about 7:30, dead tired but glad to be home.

So there you go. Winter Trip 2017-18, all 115 days of it, have concluded. No "more later", although I may add some statistics and a few thoughts in one more post. Thanks for listening. Stay tuned. Who knows where we'll go next!?