ON THE ROAD AGAIN

OK it is day four of my trip and I have a wee bit of time.  Actually I had quite a bit of time booked to scribble a few notes, but a “gun nutz” buddy whom I had never met dropped by the campground and we shot the breeze for a couple hours........

So when you are about to embark on a three month trip, the night before what should you do?  PACK, maybe?  Nah, that is for organized people.  My wife Suzanne, our youngest son Marc and I went out to visit a bunch of friends from the USA who were up at Desert Lake cottages, where we rented a cottage for many years.  And so we had a delightful fish fry (fresh bass!) and chin-wag.

So Saturday morning I did not get away quite as early as planned, but eventually got on the road, with Marc, and went via the cursed 401 to London, where my parents and one of my brothers and his family live.  That night we went to a buffet at the Mandarin Restaurant, my folks’ favourite and had a delightful pig-out.  The prime rib was spectacular, and it has to be said that I ate more than my fair share of this.  Hey, everybody goes to a Chinese buffet for the roast beef, right?  Sunday we attended church with the folks  for a “Christmas in July” service, which I would not be in a hurry to repeat, and that evening my sister-in-law Sue put on a beef tenderloin FEAST for Dad’s 87^th birthday.  THANKS SUE!!!!!

Monday saw me travel to Gowanstown to meet high-school buddy Gord for a visit and lunch, then I worked my way up to Owen Sound, where I met up with a couple dear friends whom I had not seen in years.  Gary and Cheryl have a gorgeous house right on the water and it was a beautiful night, lots of laughs and memories, hardly any bugs, and a peaceful night’s sleep at the shore in my camper.  We had whiting from Texas for our dinner, and it was very tasty indeed.  I do not recall having eaten this type of fish before.  And I had the opportunity to meet Karen and Bob, friends who were also visiting, and they are very nice, sociable, interesting folks.  The next morning I also dropped by to see Drew at the Tackle Shop, shot the breeze for a bit and recalled a couple fun memories, then it was time to get back into the saddle.

So I started my day in Owen Sound (actually north about half an hour), and the day’s journey was allegedly going to be six hours.  HAH!!!  Half the freakin’ province is under construction.  I left there around 9, and got here to Serpent River Campground, south of Elliott Lake, after 5 pm.  It was a very long day in the saddle and I sorely needed the shower I had upon my arrival!  Supper was the same as my last few meals on the road, which is to say a sandwich, but tonight I had a MICROWAVED sandwich with melted Gouda cheese, a real gourmet meal if ever there was one!  I had just booted up the computer, sat down with a glass of vino to type up some thoughts, and a knock on the door summoned me to meet with an officer of the law.  Fortunately, that was my aforementioned buddy Marty, whom I have finally met after ten or fifteen years of doing gun deals back and forth.

Tomorrow the plan is to drive to Missinabie for a few days at a fishing lodge, where I hope to catch a bunch of walleye (and whatever else might be biting), and then update this blog again in a few days.  And maybe with some photos!  Although I have not yet loaded any photos onto this laptop and am not 100% certain I know how to do this.  Technology................