Ok, for all of you that know Jo-Anne, you know that she and fish aren't a very close thing. In fact it is a rare occasion that she will eat any type of fish related food. Well ... here is the proof of an exception. One of our favorite places in Meaford is the Captain's Corner restaurant where they do the best halibut fish and chips that we have ever had (yep worldwide) and the testament is Jo-Anne forking down some of the wonderful fishy stuff.



We share two planks of beer battered halibut, a Greek salad (fresh and wonderful), and a side of poutine. Whoah, the poutine. Good ol french fries smothered in gravy and cheese curd ... this is the absolute definition of comfort food. Total bill was about $40 with a couple of Creemore Ales.

Speaking of money the Canadian dollar and the US dollar are about even, making any conversion easy ... not cheap, but easy. Diesel fuel is about 1.19 CAD for a liter making it about $4.50 a gallon US. While that is important, we haven't driven the Flying Scotsman far and still have half a tank of what we bought in Michigan prior to coming into Canada so it goes a long way.

Tonight as I write it is about 55 degrees with a 20 mile an hour misty rain ... yuck; time to walk Buster.

We accomplished the residence hunting mission in Barrie in fine form and had a great time as well. Here is a good shot of the KOA RV park in Barrie which we like so much and wouldn't mind a seasonal slot here for the summer. We stayed here while Bill was in the Whispering Pines residence for a couple of days to see if he would like it.

We booked Bill into the Whispering Pines as they offered a couple of days free to check out the place and he seemed to like the surroundings and amenities. While here we also had RV repair work to be done at the Hitch House so it seemed like a good fit. We'd like to see Bill move to Barrie to be near his son and granddaughter and have a comfortable, safe place to enjoy life from.

Above is a shot of the Barrie waterfront from our favorite cafe on the main street showing a good view of the central city park.

In a couple of weeks, in conjunction with Jo's next root canal in Barrie we will give Bill another expeience in another residence called the Waterford.

This was a really great trip and we got more super service from The Hitch House for the RV and some neat advice and help from the Whispering Pines residence and Sheilagh the manager.

Tomorrow we unplug the Flying Scotsman, stop by Farrar Street to pick up Rick and Bill and then head over to Barrie. Jo's dad has agreed to go to Barrie to see a couple of the retirement homes we scouted a couple of weeks ago. We'll stay at the KOA and Bill and Rick will do a motel for Sunday night and then Bill will go to one of the homes to spend two nights ... should be an interesting orientation. Here's a fairly new cute shot of Ev hamming it up for the camera.

And then one I couldn't resist. This jay is hanging on the woodpecker block upside down trying to bang out some of the treats ... ingenuity!



The rains have finally stopped and the weather is looking more like summer ought to. The highs are near 70 and some nice clear days predicted for the next week. Humidity is about 30 percent making the 70 degrees still feel cool. As the RV is pretty exposed to the sunshine the AC units have replaced the furnaces and it is nice to have the 50 amp service.

On another note Jo-Anne was bothered by an apparent impacted tooth so we went to the local dentist. He examinined and took X-rays ($60) and gave her an antibiotic and sent us over to Barrie to see an endodontist. That doctor prepped her for a root canal. He's doing a two step process; first they drill out the old crown and inject antibiotic right down into the tooth ($440), then in a couple of weeks they'll go back and actually do the root canal ($1200), then back to the local dentist for a filling. Hopefully most of this will be covered by the Tricare dental plan just as if we were in the States ... we'll find out.

Today we woke up to a rainy 39 degrees but here's a nice shot which we have done before of the Thornbury marina. Beautiful day and some nice boats in the water. More boats are being added to the water each day as the weather gets nicer. The building in the background is the Royal Harbour condo where the kids stayed while here; nice place and a nice view of the water.



In Meaford a new little bistro opened with an egg-centric theme so we had to try it out. I don't have their exact name but will get it. Here is a sampling of their breakfast ... served all day. Jo-Anne is enjoying a Florentine Benedict and I have the Salmon Benedict which was excellent as well. It's great to see small places (5 tables) like this able to prepare world class meals in small towns.

Then we were off to Barrie to scout retirement homes for Jo's Dad. While there we stayed at the Monte Carlo Inn. Here is a shot of the electronics involved. Let's see the wireless LAN, the laptop and charger, the cell phone, and of course the I-reader ... way too few plugs in this place for all the stuff.

As the evening progressed we went over to the local pub and sampled some of their wares. At the Bull and Barrel Pub in Barrie here are a couple of dishes which were excellent. Jo has the steak pie with mashers and I have the Shepard's pie with salad. Hers came with a pastry crust which was beyond excellent. And of course a couple of Harp beers to wash it down with.

And then after dinner, our room at the Inn ... let's see, Roman bubble bath, fireplace, USA Today, Creemore Ale, and extraordinary companionship ... retirement ain't so bad!