FROM Y'ALL TO EH!!! Day 88 – 90 August 16 – August 18, 2010 Cleveland, Ohio to

We left Hudson early Monday morning and jumped on Hwy 71 which headed south through Columbus and down into Cincinnati. We then turned southwest, still on Hwy 71 and followed it into Kentucky towards Louisville.

Welcome to Kentucky

We stayed on a southwesterly direction through Kentucky until we hit Tennessee and came to Nashville. We passed through Nashville and decided to stop at a little place called Buffalo, Tennessee after 600 miles of driving.

We did not get away as early on Tuesday but we still had a good driving day. We left Buffalo around 10:30AM, got back on the I71 and followed it through Tennessee to Memphis. We passed through Memphis and entered Arkansas by crossing the mighty Mississippi.

Mississippi River

The Mighty Mississippi

At which point we turned a little more south and headed to Little Rock and then Texarkana. We were going to go into Memphis and take in the Elvis Presley Museum at Graceland but decided against it. We carried on into Texas and finally stopped at a little town named Mt. Pleasant where there is a KOA campground. We did a little over 460 miles today which will leave us a very short jaunt into Grapevine.

With only 150 miles remaining on the trip we decided to sleep in and have a relaxing day. We arrived back in Grapevine early in the afternoon and set up. Tomorrow we start with our appointments and visits.

Texas Sky

FROM Y'ALL TO EH!!! Day 81 - 87 August 9 – August 15, 2010 Toronto, Ontario to Cleveland, Ohio

The plan was to leave Toronto Monday morning for Buffalo so that we could get the paperwork done for our visas. We were also planning to spend a couple of days in Ellicottville just relaxing and enjoying the area, but such was not to be. We had ordered something from the bank that was scheduled to come on Monday but in fact did not arrive until Thursday morning. We had returned the rental car so we just stayed close to the camper and enjoyed (not) the heat and humidity.

Thursday morning we headed for the bank, picked up what we needed and headed for the border.

 

The line up at the border was heavy but it moved pretty quickly and it was to long before we left Eh and crossed over into Y’all.

We stopped in Buffalo to send a FedEx package and then headed straight for Hudson, Ohio which is a small city about 20 miles south of Cleveland. In making the drive we crossed through New York State, touched the north end of Pennsylvania and then entered into Ohio. We followed Lake Erie until we came to Cleveland where we turned south to Hudson.

We arrived at the Johnson’s (Kathy’s older brother and family) just in time for supper and spent a quiet evening catching up.

Sister In Law Shirley

Neices Camille and Grace

Brother Bob

Friday was a busy day. Bob and I hit the links for 18 at a nice course not far from their home. It was here that I learned the Ohio Scoring System. It seems I lost the golf came because in Ohio the high score wins.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
We got back from the golf course with enough time to have a little rest before getting ready for dinner. We ventured downtown to a restaurant called “The Tomato Grill” and had a very nice dinner. The food was good, the company was excellent and Bob treated, how do you top that. Thanks Bob.

After dinner we walked down the street to the town square where they have a bandstand. The band was already playing when we arrived and it was crowded. We strolled around for awhile before making a stop at the ice cream store, Stone Cold Calories, sorry Creamery. I was introduced to a particular flavor in Oakville (it was Nancy’s fault) and now it is becoming a habit.


We stayed and enjoyed the band for a period of time and we also met a group of the Johnson’s friends and neighbors. Once the socializing was done we headed home and called it a night. It was a really nice evening.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 






Sunday morning we headed for the farmers market on the outskirts of Hudson. It is located in the field of an old farm. They was a bunch of stands set up with vegetables, fruits, baked goods, crafts, you name it. We looked at everything and bought a few things. It was a nice morning.
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 










 

 

 

 

We left the market and headed back to Bob and Shirley’s house where we spent the rest of the day visiting. We haven’t had the opportunity to spend much time with the Johnsons over the last few years so it was nice just chatting. They have a lovely house with a large back deck and I spent a lot of time there

We all had an early night as Bob had a flight in the morning and we wanted to get an early start on our drive back to Grapevine. So we said goodbye to the girls (Camille and Grace) as they wouldn’t be up in the morning and headed for bed.

We really enjoyed our time in Hudson and it was nice seeing the Johnsons again. It would be nice to catch up with them more often.

FROM Y'ALL TO EH!!! Day 71 - 80 July 31 – August 8, 2010 Toronto, Ontario

We spent the August long weekend at the Indian Line RV Park in Brampton. We tried to rent a car but left it too late, everyone was sold out. As a result it became a very relaxing few days, we just laid back and enjoyed life.

On Wednesday we had arranged to meet up with Tom and Ruth Smith one last time before leaving the country. Tom and I spent the morning chasing around a little white ball at Silver Lakes Golf Club which is north of Newmarket. The course was very nice, in very good shape and I thoroughly enjoyed myself. Neither the heat nor the humidity could dampen our enjoyment.

After we finished playing golf we went back to the Smith’s for a look at their new house and to spend a little time with them. Dawn and Avery dropped in while we were there so we had a nice farewell visit.

I did have to go to the Walk In Clinic on Thursday to get something for my bronchitis but spent the rest of the day and Friday resting up for Kathy’s reunion with some of her old Ryerson classmates.

On Saturday we headed over to Jim and Pam Jeffries who were hosting the get together. They were terrific hosts and our gratitude and thanks goes out to them.

Jim & Pam Jeffrey

It was a fun day as a lot of old adventures and tales were dragged up and rehashed. Kathy had not seen some of these people for 35 years, while some she had seen in recent years. I have come to know several of them over the years so it was also a fun day for me. I do believe everyone had a grand old time.
 

  

Jim Jeffrey, John Valenteyn

Mandy

Janet, John, Ian

We had a wonderful meal and then sat around and continued with stories, picture viewing, picture taking and just catching up in general. The day came to a close at around midnight as some people had long drives ahead of them. Overall it was a tremendous day spent with old and valued friends.

After a very leisurely morning we headed back over to Pam and Jim’s for a little one on one visiting. We really hadn’t had a chance to spend much time with them the night before so today was nice. We just sat around their lovely back yard and chatted. We did take time out for a swim in their pool before sitting down to dinner. Overall it was a great day and we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. We said goodbye around 9:30 PM and ventured back to the RV Park. Tired but very contented.

Tomorrow we plan to head over to Buffalo for a couple of days before heading to Cleveland to visit Kathy’s brother and his family. The trip to Ontario has been phenomenal; we got to see our new granddaughter Ashley. We were able to visit with our daughter Mandi and her husband Gary for an extended period of time. We even got to take Ashley on her first fishing trip at 5 months old. I was able to play Glen Abbey. More importantly we caught up with friends and relatives that we regrettably hadn’t seen in a long time. It is things like this that have certainly made this trip memorable.

FROM Y'ALL TO EH!!! Day 61 - 70 July 22 – July 30, 2010 Peterborough, Ontario to Toronto, Ontario

As Kim and Kathy had a lot of catching up to do, John and I were able to golf a number of times. John belongs to a very nice club in Peterborough and we got in three rounds there as well as one round at a course called Black Diamond.

Terry and  Howie

For a little guy, he hits the ball a long ways

                                                                       

John, Dennis, Juan

Saturday night the Kasperski’s had a BBQ ( good ribs ) and invited a few people over. We had met some of them on previous trips and some were new to us. It was a very nice night and we ended spending most of it either on the back deck or the front porch. That is until the bugs got too bad.

On Sunday we headed to downtown Peterborough for “The Taste of Downtown”. We were able to enjoy a little fresh air while sampling the wares of various downtown restaurants. It was a fun way to spend an afternoon.

Kim, John, Linda, Terry, Kathy

While we were at Kim and Johns we met two of the loves in their lives, Bella and Bernadette. Bella is their dog who really tried to be my best friend. Even though she is a cutie we did not spend a lot of time together as I am allergic to dogs.

Bella, Bella, Bella

The other love is Bernadette. First and foremost she is a camper van but she also doubles as the golf mobile. You don’t see very many of this classic on the road anymore.

1987 Volkswagon Van

We thoroughly enjoyed our time with Kim and John and will definitely be back to visit in the near future. We spend a fair amount of time just talking and catching up and enjoying each other’s company. As they both like to travel we just might meet up with them down the road.

On Wednesday morning we said goodbye to the Kasperski’s and headed back to Toronto and the Indian Line RV Park. We spent a leisurely Wednesday evening and Thursday just doing nothing. It was nice.

Friday afternoon we packed up the Camper and headed to North York. We were in the camper because we could not rent a car as they were sold out for the long weekend. Our destination tonight was the Toronto Center of the Arts as we had tickets for Jersey Boys.

Jersey Boys is the story of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons presented live and on stage. I cannot tell you in words how much we enjoyed it. It was tremendously cast, the acoustics were phenomenal, our seats were perfect (row 5), it was a fabulous night. If you have not seen it, you have until August 22 in Toronto as that is their last performance. I would highly recommend it.

Once we left the theatre, we found the camper and headed back to the RV park. Another excellent day.

FROM Y'ALL TO EH!!! Day 57 - 60 July 18 – July 21, 2010 Oakville, Ontario to Peterborough, .Ontario

We packed up this morning and headed for Oakville and parked the camper at Dennis and Nancy’s Place. They have a big driveway so it was not a problem. Upon arriving we were given the tour, had brunch and then went for a ride along the Lake Ontario Waterfront. They have done a marvelous job of making the lakeshore a fun place. We rode up and around Bronte Harbor before heading back to the Clarke residence.

Dennis and Nancy were having a dinner party on the Sunday night and we were going to get to see a few people we had not seen in a long time. It was a wonderful night and really fun to reconnect with them and find out what been going on in their lives.

Our Hosts:  Dennis Clarke & Nancy Osberg

Jim and Irene Ecclestone

Dale Cholik and Carla Hanna

Pam Fallow

I eagerly arose on Monday morning, early Monday morning as Dennis, Dale and I were playing golf. That in itself is exciting but this morning we were playing Glen Abbey, home of the Canadian Open. Fortunately Dale was able to get us a tee time (Thank you Mr. Cholik) at a very respectable price and to make it even better, Dennis treated. Thank you Mr. Clarke. It looked like it might rain when we first got there but it turned out to be a glorious day. The sun we shining, the course was in excellent shape, the company was exquisite and we were playing Glen Abbey. Enough said about our golf scores. Actually we all played quite well on the front nine but my wheels fell off on the back nine, but who cared, I was playing Glen Abbey

After enjoying a nice lunch on the patio overlooking the 18th green we headed back to Dennis’s for a little nap before going out to dinner. We ended up going down to Bronte Harbor and sitting out on the patio. The evening ended with a short walk and a stop at Tim Horton’s for ice cream. It was a good day, a very good day.

On Tuesday we headed towards Beamsville as we had plans to visit Marc and Chrystine Seguin later in the day. We left the camper in Oakville as Dennis had graciously lent us his car for the day. This gave us the opportunity to take a leisurely drive through the Niagara Wine Region before stopping at the Seguins. We stopped at a couple of Wineries and even bought a bottle or two before arriving at the Seguins. Marc, Kathy and I all worked at GWG for a short period of time and Marc and Kathy worked at Levi's until Kathy retired in 1999. It was fun catching up and finding out what had been going on in their lives the last ten years.

Chrystine had prepared an excellent meal and we had a very nice evening with two very nice people. The time passed very quickly and before we knew it was past midnight so we said our goodbyes and headed back to Oakville.

The next morning we were heading to Peterborough but we enjoyed a cup of coffee with Dennis and Nancy before heading out. We had a magnificent time with the two of them and their hospitality was beyond compare. They are two very special people who have hearts of gold and we will miss them. However the road is calling and Peterborough is next on the agenda.

We arrived at the Kasperski’s in the early afternoon and managed to get the camper backed into their driveway and plugged in. Kathy and I as a couple have known John and Kim Kasperski for over 20 years. However Kathy and Kim have been friends since the 10th grade and I am not allowed to tell you how long ago that was. Naturally they had a lot of catching up to do and that relegated John and I to just being eye candy.

Kim and John Kasperski