Mon Feb 24 - Friday Feb 28 - Hanging out/golf/prep for visitors

Mon Feb 24 - Fri Feb 28 - Hanging out/golf/prep for visitors

Lakeway Marina... see the original water line!!

One of the things that I am told is, when writing a blog, it is better to say nothing than blog about the mundane happenings that inevitably form part of life 'on the road'. So I will try to avoid details of laundry and such except in dire circumstances... the Brisket we cooked in the crock-pot on the previous night turned out to be delicious, though somewhat salty... we puzzled about how that could be... when we never add salt to any cooking... until we took a trip back to Costco later in the week to discover it was actually 'corned beef brisket'... brined !!! Note  to self and others... beware of brisket that is brined... delicious but SO salty. 

Going going Gone!!!! ALMOST!!

Monday we headed out to explore Lakeway and the Marina. We were really shocked to see just how low Lake Travis is (not really a lake.. just a dammed area of the Colorado River.) It is 51 feet below its normal. A woman at the marina said that the last time it was at 'normal' was in 2009. 

Used to be a prime lakefront property!!!

The photos here are an attempt to demonstrate how desperate the situation is here. The Marina and Bar we went to last year in Hudson Bend (Carlos and Charlies) has recently closed for good... such a shame.

Not much marine traffic these days

The following day Derek was lucky enough to get another golf game in. He was thrilled with his game... he felt he played one of his best games ever. Today was 'Happy birthday' to Janice's brother, who she was able to talk to by phone... good to catch up with family. Janice was also invited lunch with about 20 other women from the resort.. went to The Black Walnut... nice cafe-style restaurant.. great salads and everyone had a great time. Wednesday it was back to physiotherapy at Texas orthopedics... my range of motion has improved, but still lots of pain and no ability to put any pressure on the hand or wrist. But baby steps are good! We also did another quick trip to Costco for supplies for visitors etc.  Thursday was clean-up and laundry... not a good blog topic, except we rented a carpet cleaner from 'Wallymart'... and after our carpet was soaked through we realized that it was leaking from the bottom as Derek was cleaning.. so we have a soaked carpet, but quite a clean one... it'll be nice when we can walk on it again!!!!! LOL.  Friday we finished our cleaning and went out and got supplies for the cabin we have rented for visitors. We got the key in the late afternoon and got stuff into the fridge etc. The cabin is nice, but much smaller than we expected in the main area, a result of having a queen bedroom at each end... Still it has everything anyone will need and I think it will be comfortable.

Imagine when it was at 'normal levels'... so sad...!!  They really need water here!

BLOG DELAY EXPLAINED - LIFE HAPPENS

Following this post will be some updates of a more regular kind, including photos and travel descriptions. But first I think it appropriate to explain my absence from the blogging world for the last 2 months.

Unbeknownst to me, life had some stuff in store for us over the Christmas holidays that we least expected. As a result the blog became stuffed into the back crevices of my mind and focus switched abruptly to dealing with life ‘writ large’.

It all started happily enough and truly, until New Years Eve, all was ticking along merrily. We left South Carolina, on Dec 10th excited about spending a month in Niagara on the Lake and then continuing our journey on Jan 11. The plan then was to take our time time getting to Texas, travelling through Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana, stopping to explore various cities and sites along the way. The upshot is we left Niagara on the Lake on Feb 3^rd, raced down to pick up the rig in South Carolina on Feb 4^th and then had a marathon drive through South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana and Texas, with short stops for quick sleeps and one 2 hour stop to visit an interpretive centre on the Montgomery-Selma Freedom highway.  I will now explain the reasons.

On Dec 31, while Derek was planning to go and pick up some new specs, I thought I would walk into the village of Niagara on the Lake for a bit of retail therapy (as if Christmas hadn’t been enough!!). As I walked along, a piece of ice, unseen through a light covering of snow, caused me to accomplish an unplanned Olympic-style double back flip, but I didn’t quite stick the landing.  Instinctively I furtively looked around for unwanted witnesses. Phew, not a soul in sight.  I am unsure to this day how I managed to stand up and 'try' to sweep myself of snow., when I realized that my arm was not co-operating, and my mouth was twisted in an agonized yelp… a quick stagger home to our rented cottage and a painful, but swift drive to the hospital (thank goodness Derek hadn’t left the cottage yet!). The upshot was a break in both the ulna and radius near the wrist, which were displaced, so they knocked me out and re-aligned the bones. … OUCH!! Cast from fingers to elbow. Travel plans in danger… I was not a happy camper to say the least. Especially as Santa had bought me new golf clubs!!!!

Life was not finished with me yet however. A few days later, a call came in from my doctor. Some routine skin tests that I had not been in the least concerned about, and which I thought frankly to be unnecessary at the time had revealed that I was now going to have to deal with a malignant melanoma on my neck. Sometimes things actually do happen to you that you think only happen to others, and quite frankly it sucks!!

It is amazing how, and I know many of you will have already have experienced this, one’s philosophy on life changes when cancer decides to take ride on your body. I am fortunate. This malignancy had not spread, as far as they could tell, and local surgery later that same week appears to have removed it all.

It is only recently, and since arriving in Texas, that I have fully digested what happened and, quite frankly it is scary. I would like to take a moment to encourage all of you reading this to go to your doctor if you have any marks on your skin that are new, or changed in any way, don’t hesitate. While many skin cancers do not spread readily, malignant melanoma is the worst kind, and is very aggressive.  It spreads easily and quickly. So please take my advice… don’t delay!!!!

Now back to the arm… one of the unfortunate realities is that, along with such a bad break, one has to deal with damaged and torn ligaments in the hand and wrist, so driving is out of the question. I am now over six weeks in and the pain is still impressive, but far improved. After 4 weeks in the cast we explained to the surgeon that we were hoping to get back to our ‘condo’ in South Carolina, so he agreed to remove the cast early and put a removable splint on instead. And so it remains… slowly healing. I feel so very lucky, and indeed I am. Poor Derek has had to cope with me - a caged type-A personality, while he is driving, cooking, dressing me and dealing with my mood swings (well .. he is used to that part, I guess!!!).

So the Christmas holidays were quite an eventful time. The wonderful part was staying in a fabulous cottage in Niagara on the Lake and spending lots of time with two of our boys. We also had the opportunity to see many friends and are so grateful for all the support we received during some of the tougher moments. We did in fact have an extremely joyous time in so many ways.

I am going to start on the blog again now, and will compose some updates, which will describe our travels, with a few photos, from when we left South Carolina on Dec 10^th until we arrived here in Texas on Feb 6th. So check back over the next couple of days and you will see some postings dated earlier than this one... but they will be new posts. In the meantime stay in touch everyone. 

“start today, use what you have, do what you can”.

Thurs Feb 20 – SUN Feb 23rd 2014 – RV show/more party time/ Olympic Gold

Feb 20 – Feb 23^rd 2014 – RV show/more party time/ Olympic Gold

Half a pound of sausage as an Appetizer???

The last few days has been low key but fun. We watched the women’s hockey final on Thursday against the USA and loved watching them get a well deserved Gold Medal. Both the men and women got Gold in Curling and by today we were bathing in gold when the men's  hockey team also won Gold this morning against Sweden. On Friday we drove into Austin to have a look round the RV show at the convention centre. We thought that we would see some units to trade up to… but no..! For the price and the design, ours still shines out better than most, so we are content to keep it for a while longer. Of course we saw a great  motor-home with heated flooring etc etc .. but at over $350,000 we thought better than to do any more than drool over the luxury.  Who needs it??  LOL!!

Happy anticipation and a cold Shiner Bock Beer

We had planned to eat in Austin but the crowds were large and parking difficult, so we hightailed it back toward the RV Park. We were driving passed a Texas BBQ restaurant and decided that we would try it out. We have never experienced one before and …. Holy moly… the food was quite overwhelming, both in taste and quantity. True Texas smoked BBQ. We left with full stomachs and with plenty of food left over for tomorrow’s lunch. Derek had smoked prime rib.. it was cooked to perfection .. pink throughout and Janice’s lean brisket and smoked chicken was fabulous. Homemade bread, beans, coleslaw, potato salad etc etc.

Back home we had a Downton Abbey extravaganza and finished watching the rest of series 4 including the final Christmas Special.

Cheers Lisa - Happy Birthday!!!

Saturday we did some local shopping and some much needed housework before heading out with Lisa and Mike to celebrate Lisa’s birthday. Went to Nik’s Italian restaurant and met a bunch of other people there. Great evening. I gotta tell you though that there are some strange ideas here when it comes to beer. Lis’a daughter ordered a draught beer and a side order of stuffed olives and dill pickles.. then proceeded to dump the lot in her beer. So after I spent a few minutes staring in shock at the insanity of what she was doing, she offered me a taste… Not sure who thought of the idea, but the taste was not too bad.. but the best part was when the beer was gone and I got to try the beer soaked olives and pickles… SO GOOD!!!

Jehan and her strange beer/olive/pickle drink

Weird people these Americans!!!! The meal was fabulous and we had quite a few laughs. Headed back to the RV parks and the group gathered around a campfire to share a few drinks and exchange stories … just a great night. We watched the news on TV until about 1am, when we discovered that the Men’s Gold Hockey game final was on at 6am… argghhh! Clocks set we dove into bed for a few hours sleep.

Up at 5:45 am this morning we settled down to watch the game…. Whoo hoooo!! Gold again. So Canada won both curling golds and both Hockey golds, and came 3^rd in Gold Medal count and 4^th overall medal count… GO CANADA!!!! So Derek and I donned red and white clothes, picked up our Canadian flag and did a victory lap around the RV park. Much to the confusion of most of the Texans down here!!! Hockeys not a big sport in this area. After all it is 27 degrees celsius today… Ice hockey is not a major … but we had fun and a few people did know what our celebratory air was all about!!

Mini -rocket in a Texas shaped tequila bottle

Set the crockpot going with a beef brisket and veggies ready for tonight… and that is it…!!!!!! FINALLY got the blog up to date. We are looking forward to getting visitors from home over the next few weeks and have booked a 2 bedroom cottage in the RV resort for the month of March so any visitors will be comfortable.

Excellent food... and company

Sunny and warm today 27 c

Fri Feb 7th – Wed Feb 19th - Settling in and healing

Fire lit for Karaoke night

A quick review of our first 12 days in Austin. The first day was spent getting water hooked up to discover a leak in the toilet… so after his usual thorough examination and research, Derek pin-pointed the faulty valve and went out to North Austin to get a replacement from a place that claimed to have sold 100 so far this year (guess this model of toilet doesn’t take well to cold weather… note to self!!!) The first Saturday we attended the usual Karaoke night at the Freddy Powers Pavillion in the RV park and reconnected with Lisa and Mike who we met and became friends with last year. No we didn’t sing… admired the bravery of others. It was great to see them and catch up on all the news and meeting their new grandson Brody… cute as a button.
Although we are in Texas, Janice is still not too keen on venturing out as the hand/wrist is still pretty painful. But Derek has managed a couple of golf games with a large bunch of people from the Park who have formed a regular golf group. He had a great couple of days and his golf was pretty good. We have not been taking many photos as we really haven’t been out exploring much… hopefully over the next few weeks.

Lisa- "The Wind Beneath my Wings"

Amazing Brisket and smoked chicken.

Red white and blue retirement from Military

   The second weekend we had a fun and busy time. Valentines day on Friday was spent relaxing, and in the evening we went to the Valentines dinner and dance here at the resort. Lots of fun with Lisa and Mike and a few others from the park. Very well attended. The following night we had been invited by another friend from last year to his retirement party … he had gone to great trouble to fly his whole family in and many of his Army friends were there to give him a ‘roasting’. It was a ‘red white and blue’ evening with a great meal of smoked chicken, brisket and lots of sides… yum… After the meal the ‘roast’ happened and we were all entertained with stories of his life, both as a family man and a warrant officer and his 39 years of army service… wow!! Quite the character, lots of laughs and a few tears. Karaoke afterwards with dancing… and even the two of us managed a valiant ‘rock n’ roll’ (very carefully)!!!

Retiree Travis (Center) with his Dad.

Mike... let the good times roll!!

As a ‘valentines’ gift for Janice, Derek booked for her to go to see a hand/wrist orthopedic specialist here in Austin, so we went on Tuesday… what a great gift… After x-rays the Dr. spent well over 15 minutes examining her hand carefully explaining the injuries and showing us the 4... yes! 4 breaks in the radius and 2 in the ulna… also explaining that the ligament in the thumb has taken quite a beating. He injected cortisone into her wrist and has given her a 6-day course of Prednisone and arranged for a physio appointment for the next day (today). Janice finally feels like she knows what is going on and what to expect (a long recovery!).
Today (Feb 19th) we drove back to the office for the physio session, and although we were not uber-impressed with the physiotherapist, she was quite thorough and we left armed with many pages of exercises and good explanations of what we can expect. It has been a quiet couple of weeks here, much of it spent with general chores, cleaning the rig, reading and visiting friends in the park… but it has been good to kick back especially as it has warmed up radically since last week … 75-80f most days… but variable. Just nice to be in shorts and t’s…

Head table - Listening to the 'roasting'

Looking forward to catching the USA/Canada Olympic women’s hockey final tomorrow … GO CANADA….  we are surrounded by Americans but we are known as 'the Canadians' in the park.. so I am sure no one will mind our enthusiasm. 
We will try to keep the blog up to date from now on... but maybe once a week until we resume our major adventures.

Feb 3rd – Feb 6th 2014 Ontario to Texas- 3200km

Feb 3^rd – Feb 6^th 2014 Ontario to Texas- 3200km

Our journey to Texas took us from Ontario through New York, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina… to pick up the rig… then through Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana to Texas… a total of over 3200km in three nights (4 days driving). This was quite the feat considering Derek had to drive the whole way (due to Janice’s broken arm), we normally switch up drivers every 2 hours. Janice did her bit by staying awake the whole time singing and chatting to keep Derek alert.  (no comments please!!)

The trip down to Columbia, South Carolina on Monday was long. We wanted to get within a couple of hours of where the condo was being stored so we could pick it up early enough on Tuesday to make some headway across South Carolina and Georgia.

Fortunately we sailed quickly through the border, and were fortunate not to hit any really bad weather, just a few snow squalls in New York and Pennsylvania. We drove through the day and evening and finally stopped at about 11pm at the Comfort Inn and Suites in Statesville, North Carolina… note to self… great place to stay for a nights rest en route… cheap, clean, King room, great hot breakfast included ($79 US for both of us).

We got up and had a good hearty breakfast before heading back on the road arriving at the storage facility in Columbia, South Carolina before noon on Tuesday to find all well. The condo was waiting patiently for us. We decided that, because of the freezing weather they had had in the area, we would not fill or pressurize the water system until we hooked up in Texas.. just in case we need to do some work (turned out to be a good decision!!). So we commenced our journey to Texas and on Tuesday drove clean across South Carolina and Georgia and into Alabama, stopping for the night in a campsite north of Montgomery, Alabama called Auburn RV Park At Leisure Time Campground. We arrived after dark and, after a little fidde-faddlin’, we parked in a nice spot by a river… we didn’t hook up the water but at least we had electricity and were warm and safe. Another good RV park for a short stay. Economical and good facilities.  We were up and out just after 9 on Wednesday Feb 5^th having gained an hour in time, so we had a great sleep. We stopped for gas and Derek just couldn't resist the mound of fried chicken in the gas station, so he came back to the truck with a guilty but happy face carrying two authentic southern fried chicken pieces... Immediately sharing one piece... Oh my... Naughty but delicious crunchy chicken!!! 

On the road again we headed for the Freedom Road between Montgomery, Alabama and Selma, Alabama.

Hwy 80 - Freedom Highway

Photo of Freedom Marchers

Facing State troopers on earlier attempt

The March which happened in March 1965, was a major climatic event in the Civil Rights Movement and was led (though not original organized) by Martin Luther King Jr. The marchers went from Selma to Montgomery. 8000 people started, but only 300 were allowed to march on the 2 lane section of the highway. 
The rest went by car and bus to meet them further along the road and by the time the Marchers reached the State Capital at Montgomery (54 miles away) 25,000 people had joined.  The march was the third attempt as the first ones were stopped by State Troopers and much blood had been shed. The third march started on March 16. They covered about 10 miles (16 km) each day along U.S. Route 80, known in Alabama as the "Jefferson Davis Highway". Two Thousand soldiers of the U.S. Army, 1,900 members of the Alabama National Guard under Federal command, and many FBI agents and Federal Marshals, were called in to protect them (ostensibly from their own state police). The Marchers arrived at the Alabama State Capitol on March 25 to demand their rights to be registered as voters. 

Statues depicting marchers

Outside centre in location of 'tent city'

Map of the route

Derek and I stopped at the Lowndes County Interpretive centre about halfway along the Historical Route and were fascinated by the story and the informative movie we saw there. As we continued west, it gave us much to chat about; how far civil rights have come and how far they still have to go.  At the Lowndes Centre we came to understand the importance of the March in the landscape of American history.... Very interesting and in many ways awe inspiring.

Another State on the list

Trying to get within driving distance of our final destination the next day we motored through Mississippi and into Louisiana. Along the way we noted how very poor this area is... Endless miles of seemingly sparely inhabited, sporadically farmed rural landscape.. It is humbling to see such poverty in this relatively wealthy country. I did enjoy the drive but still feeling  bad that Derek has to do all the driving. Loved the discount store called simply "DIRT CHEAP" in big red letters on the front of the store.

Just a great name for a town in Mississippi

Well after dark, we pulled in to a Pilot truck stop in Greenwood, just West of Shreveport. We gassed up and parked in the parking lot in the truck stop for the night.  Not having unhooked or used any facilities we were able to get up and get back on the road on Thursday 6^th Feb, refreshed and excited about reaching our final destination in Texas, where we would settle down until the end of March.

The drive was straightforward and we chatted merrily about how we looked forward to being settled and have a hot shower. Our only regret has been that our original planned journey had to be cut short. We enjoyed seeing the topography of the states we traveled through, but regret not being able to fit in a longer stops in the places along the way or spend any time in New Orleans… maybe another time!!! We arrived at La Hacienda RV Resort in Austin mid-afternoon and were so happy to be there. Derek parked like a pro with little guidance in our spot (C58), which is actually a tough spot to park in because of its shape. My hero!!

Unfortunately the cold weather meant that the water was not available… and it was below freezing overnight…. What the …….???? TEXAS??? Sheesh!!! 

Home until the end of March (C58, La Hacienda)

Jan 1 - Feb 2 2014 - Niagara-on-the-Lake

January 1 – Feb 2nd  2014 - Niagara on the Lake

Derek made scrumptious scones

Without going to too much detail and complaints, January was a bit slow in the Taylor family. Janice spent most of the time trying to contain the constant pain in her arm and hand and getting frustrated with the lack of good medical help from the orthopedic surgeon at Niagara General. While the staff were polite and wait times were not overly onerous, the actual time spent with the orthopedic surgeon was minimal and frustrating to say the least. We won’t go into more of the details about lack of care, but will continue expounding on our activities.

The first week was spent cancelling visits from friends who were planning to come and visit us… Janice was in too much pain. Then another bombshell came in the form of a call from Janice’s dermatologist… diagnosis of Malignant Melanoma on her neck which required immediate removal. So Jan 10^th local surgery was performed in Burlington. It is a very scary experience being told that you have the worst and most deadly form of skin cancer … another push towards re-evaluating plans.

Farwell meal together at the Angel

Bon Voyage ... we'll miss ya!

The happy dishwasher/cleaner uppers

Hard at work with the reward waiting

Setting the table

We won't miss the ice!!!

We will miss the Artists Cottage

Other than the health issues that attempted, and failed, to dampen our spirits, we managed to find much enjoyment during the month. We had visits to and from family and friends and were thrilled to be able to spend some time with them... it was a bonus of the extended stay we were forced into. Fortunately the cottage had not been rented out for the month of January so we were easily able to extend our stay, they were very gracious about it. Despite the town’s terrible snow clearing, we fell in love with NOTL, meeting lots of locals who went out of their way to give us advice on finding a possible property there in the future, when we finally decide to settle down. The health scares over the holidays has made us both think more seriously about finding a home base of bricks and mortar, which has been far from our focus during our year+ adventure.  NOTL is a distinct possibility if we can find a place within our price range. Unfortunately, the beauty of the town, the theatre, restaurants, stores etc, all contribute to property values that are sky-high anywhere within decent walking distance to the town centre. We will continue to keep our eye on the market there as we travel around.

Almost cleaned up

Spending extra time with two of our sons, Braden and Grant, was also a bonus, and they were kind and helpful, for which we were both very grateful.  We went to the Festival theatre twice during our stay to see movies… they have a movie and documentary movie series throughout the winter and we saw a couple of great movies. Derek and I went to see Philomena on Jan 25 and Grant came with us to see Nebraska on Feb 1^st. Both movies were excellent and filled the theatre to capacity.

W enjoyed a few visits to the Angel Pub and got to know the lovely manager there. She is a wonderful young woman who is driven and intelligent and an excellent manager. She also kept us apprised of properties in the area.

So as the end of the month approached, 4 weeks after the dreaded fall on the ice, the orthopedic surgeon wanted to put a new cast on for at least another two weeks. After explaining our dilemma about not being able to go back to our ‘home’ until the cast was off, he agreed to put a splint on instead, providing I treat it as if I were in a cast, or even more careful. So splinted and smiling we left the hospital on Jan 27^th and planned to leave town in a week. The week was filled with trips to storage, visits with family and packing up. Braden and Grant, our lovely sons came on the last weekend and were invaluable in helping us pack up and clean the cottage, which we were determined to leave in as good a condition as we found it. We tearfully said goodbye to them on Sunday 2^th February after a final meal at the Angel.. and we set our sights on leaving Monday morning to head down South and leave the endless snow behind for a while. We left Niagara on the Lake as planned, grateful for the time we spent there, still a little angry at the town for their contribution to my fall (ie: not clearing ice or fixing their faulty sidewalks that gather water and freeze over, to catch people unawares!!) but we also left excited to continue our adventure for a while longer and distinctly more aware of the precious gift if life and health. 

Thur Dec 13 – Dec 31 Beautiful Christmas to New Year

Thur Dec 13 – Dec 31 Beautiful Christmas to New Year

Niagara on the Lake Christmas Parade

Christmas in Niagara on the Lake was EVERYTHING that we hoped it would be and more. The first Saturday was the NOTL Christmas Parade and on the Sunday we were joined by Braden and Grant to attend a Christmas choral concert at the Festival Theatre. The concert was festive, but a little tame for our extreme party-mood group of four so we followed it up with a supremely enjoyable pint at the Angel Inn (our ‘local’). Janice got to enjoy the Silversmiths Black Lager (local brewery) while Derek was especially attached to the draft Innis and Gunn beer (Scottish).  

Niagara on the Lake Christmas Parade

One of the wonderful benefits of being here for Christmas was the memories we made with our two sons… we enjoyed many meals together, some great nights at the Angel, beautiful snowy walks through town and a fabulous Christmas around the fire in the cottage. We kept as many of our family tradition as we could and even enjoyed card games… but we eventually graduated from our usual tame game of Newmarket when the guys taught me and Derek to play poker… and things got much more spirited. Although I must add that Derek and I cleaned up!!! Beginners luck I guess!! Looking for a rematch next year!!

During our stay over the holidays we went for check-ups at the doctor and dentists and we also managed to see many friends and family, most joining us for a drink at the cottage followed by a walk and meal in the old town. One of the things we enjoyed most about our stay in NOTL was the ability to walk into town for all our needs and entertainment… which brings me to…..

New Year’s Eve…. On the morning of New Years Eve Derek got a call saying his new glasses were ready for pick up in St Catharine’s, so Janice decided that she would walk into town to peruse some of the clothing stores. On her way there she walked up Regent Street. A light snow was falling and a dusting on the ground covered up the pavement. Unfortunately it also hid some treacherous patches of ice. The town of NOTL is not very good at clearing sidewalks (their responsibility). Upshot… Janice ended up with a spectacular fall. Followed by the swift realization that all was not well with her arm/wrist. A long afternoon at Niagara General and armed with a cast and pain killers, New Years Eve was spent feeling a little sorry for ourselves by the fire. Grant and Braden came over to cheer us up, but we encouraged them to go to some friends and have some fun. They were reluctant to leave, which was flattering and sweet, but we are glad they went and did have fun. We brought in the New Year and were in bed only minutes after midnight. And so ends 2013… overall an amazing, fantastic, adventure filled year that we feel privileged and extremely lucky to have enjoyed together. From extensive travel across the US, mountains, deserts and canyons, to the cruise in the Caribbean to an extended trip in UK, our son’s wedding and our trip back across Canada, down to South Carolina and finally an amazing Christmas in Niagara on the Lake… and so we enter 2014 knowing we have some plan changes in the offing. We hadn’t planned on Janice being in a cast for the next 6-8 weeks. 

Some scenes and memories from our Christmas holidays:

Outside the Cottage on Gage St.

Outside house on Regent St

Statue of G.B, Shaw in town... festive garb!

Artists cottage on left

Coffee with Baileys on Xmas day

NEW ESPRESSO MAKER FROM B and G.. YEY!!

Santa and elf discussing chimney dimensions

Walk through the village

Our small but festive tree

 

Latte from our new machine... thanks guys!!

Back Garden

Front step

Happy on Christmas Day

The spot I slipped... that water froze solid!!!

Grant decides its time for Braden to wake up!