Summer of 2017
Morning Julie &
Derek...
And everyone else who has
been waiting patiently for an update..First, I want to sincerely apologize to
the people we did not manage to see this summer. I was looking forward to
meeting the other Susan Erwin, my second or possibly third cousin [I really
don't know how that works]. I wanted to see my aunt and cousins in Kenora, but the weather crapped out. My other cousin,
John and former work mates from Thunder Bay; my childhood friends were all
people I wanted to connect with this year.
We barely had time to
spend with the grandkids, because we were working this summer...so starting at
the beginning...
We got back to Canada in
June and went to see Rick's boss, who had been sending text messages all spring
about WHEN he was coming back. Last year we lived with Jack in Alvanley, and
Rick drove 200 km to work and back every day. Not good, so Jeff [boss, not our
Geoff] gave us a 35 ft 5th heel trailer that was left for him to dispose of. We
found campground 30 km from Tobermory and it turned out to be a great place to
"camp". He trailer was charming...great appliances full functioning 3
pc bathroom, and a furnace! We
immediately made it ours by decorating and adding as much assorted
"Stuff" as we could get out of the storage unit. Now its as cluttered
as the boat so we feel right at home.
I managed to secure
employment at one the busiest motels as a housekeeper. OMG by mid-July I was
going home in tears I was so tired and sore! I was ready to quit but was determined
that the kids working there were not going to beat me! I was old enough to be
their grandmother [all of them] but would not let that hold me back. It turns
out that I cannot wear shoes anymore! The bones in my feet have so spread out that
i can't stand wearing regular shoes. So as long as I can work in sandals I am
good to go!
We worked every weekend
and had a couple of days off during the week, most of which were spent running down
to Owen Sound for groceries and other stuff we needed.
We worked until October
14th and then spent 2 days winterizing the trailer. After that we moved down to
Jack's house and managed to get our doctor appointments, CAA, and other stuff
organized. Then we got Todd ready for the trip.
The school wasn't very helpful but we are able to find all we need to
get started on the schoolwork.
We left Owen Sound on
Saturday October 21 and got to SSMarie late in the day. We stayed with Chuck and Marilyn until Monday
morning and then headed to Thunder Bay. We stopped in Nipigon and spent the
night at Sue & Les's camp in Kama Bay, then went to Thunder Bay on Tuesday,
where it proceeded to snow for a couple of days. We were watching the weather channel
[windyty.com] and the systems moving across from the west and so we decided
that with no snow tires and a flimsy trailer we should not attempt the extra
1000 km.
This morning we left Thunder
Bay and headed south. There was a lot of snow down the shore of Superior...much
more than the City received. There is snow
all the way down to Minneapolis. The roads were a bit slippery and it was tense
sometimes running up the hills pulling this little trailer, filled with
hundreds of pounds of chain, anchors, sails and assorted other boat flotsam,
and a fully inflated dinghy proudly bouncing on the top of it!
We are currently in
Cloquet, Minnesota. No issues at the border with Todd. Probably wondering why we would bother to
take on the responsibility of a teenager [again] but we had the proper papers
so...
Tomorrow we are heading
for Minneapolis and Mall of America...Todd is a Lego kid, and that's were the
best Lego stuff is!
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| Reference for height! |
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| Hwy 6 heading to Owen Sound |
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| S.S.Marie Lake Superior |
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| Wawa has a new Goose |
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| THIS is why we didn't go west! |
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| Across the border |
