OtherGoose: Summer of 2017

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!