A couple of culinary shots from this week that are of interest. OK ... you say ... that sure looks like fajitas below but you guys are still in Canada, eh.

 

Well they just opened a Texas Lone Star bar and grill in Barrie and we thought we'd try it out to get us up to speed on this treat when we do get to Texas. And really to see how authentic they did the chicken and steak fajitas.

 

 

 

Well it was a success with the tortillas really nice and the condiments exactly as they should be. The only comment is that they are using a better cut of meat than the skirt steak we would use in Texas ... but otherwise a real shot of Tejas far from home.

 

Another treat is always fish and chips but like fajitas often what the restaurant calls a dish is far from the real thing. Well here is what fish and chips should look like when it arrives at the table ... no substitutions ... nothing different than this picture.

 

 

 

We went to Danny's Fish and Chips here in Barrie as it had a high rating on Trip Advisor and it was perfect. This is a five inch slab of halibut about a half inch thick ... if that's not what you get served ... they don't know fish and chips. This is a beautifully flaky soft white fish with a gentle beer batter. Accompanied by great chips and a small Greek salad and a glass of Syrah ... that's it!

 

Below is one of the camping cabins here at the KOA. It is familiar because the kids stayed here when they visited earlier this summer. The reason we rented it again is that the Flying Scotsman was at the Hitch House RV dealer nearby again having the propane leak checked .... again!

 

Yep, still plagued by the ol stinker that has haunted us since the day we bought the bus over two years ago. The bus spent the day at the dealer so we decided to rent the cabin for a place for us and the animals to crash for eight hours or so during the day.

 

 

 

And at the end of the day the leak was finally found ... in addition to a lube and oil change. The bottom line though is that the propane tank is defective with a pinhole in the tank wall and the thing must be replaced.

 

Unfortunately you just can't take the tank over to Walmart and have it exchanged. This thing is huge and embedded between the frame members in the center of the coach. We could have the thing replaced here but the recommendation was to take it back to the Factory in Elkhart. Oops ... on our way up here didn't we say we would never go to Elkhart again. Never say never.

 

The bottom line is that this process will control our trip home as the appointment at the Thor/Damon factory in Elkhart is on the 11th of October. So we will depart here on the 9th, stay over at Port Huron, and arrive in Elkhart on the night of the 10th. After that we'll regroup and plan the rest of the trip back to Texas, seeing how long that process takes.

 

 

 

 

And lastly as I went by this sign for a local car dealer I glanced quickly and thought "cars and trucks ... " but then the second glance revealed that it really said cows and trucks ... hey only in a small town!

 

One more of the home improvement issues was the dinette table. It was a pretty cheap Formica thing that we haven't liked from the start. After the good experience with the bath granite installation, we went with the same folks and had a new table made, this time of quartz. Pretty neat piece of rock and it fits in nicely with our black and tan theme, eh.

 

 

 

And then one of the maintenance aspects of this machine. Here I'm cleaning one of the two roof a/c units. YUK! We are really taking advantage of the nice facilities in the park here and this one was really needed. Even after only two years these units were pretty nasty inside ... hard to believe we were breathing in that air.

 

 

 

And finally for this post a bit of animal interest. Here's the neighbor driving his Harley with the pet pooch in the trunk. The black carrier is placed on the ground with the end zipped open and the dog runs in and then the little head pops out of the hole in the top. Then the carrier is strapped on the bike and off we go!

 

 

Here's a nice shot of "Lake KOA" the pond at the park we are in. It was about 46 in the morning at 7am and the fog on the still lake was really neat.

 

 

 

 

And a nice small maple tree highlighting the tables put away for the winter.

 

 

 

And then our faithful buddy posing on the lawn. It's hard to believe we picked up Buster at the shelter in New Braunfels 12 years ago this month and he wasn't a puppy then. He's logged a pile of miles with us and is still doing great. He gets his insulin shots and a pill every day and has not needed the diaper that he had this winter; and he still gets in a good chase of the chipmunks from time to time.

 

 

 

 

 

Happy 40th for Jo-Anne and Bruce!!

 

Yep it's hard to believe but we met and married over 40 years ago. As you know we have celebrated our anniversary in many places, preferring Paris as we did for several including the 30th at La Tour d'Argent. Because our schedule and responsibility focused here in Barrie this summer we looked around for a local venue.

 

After consulting Trip Advisor among others we decided upon Gio's as they were the top rated Italian restaurant in Barrie ... and we weren't disappointed.

 

Here's the ol guys with the wine toast of the day ... both to ourselves and to a wonderful restaurant.

 

 

 

As we came into Gio's we were met by the owner, John Remmo and seated near the bar.  The picture above is actually when the main course arrived but we had already had the antipasti which was called Carpaccio di Manzo - Smoked Beef Tenderloin, Lemon & Herb Aioli, Truffled Baby Arugula, Parmesan Cheese, Garlic Chips. We shared this dish and it was extremely good, especially with some pieces of bread spread with an eggplant mixture.

 

From their website: “Un pranzo senza vino e come un giorno senza sole.”
A meal without wine is like a day without the sun

 

And so we had a Valpolicella Ripasso, Superiore, Italy 2008
Depth of flavor, magnificent, tasty wine. Located in the Negrar, the centre of the Veneto area. We have begun to enjoy this particular wine at home so it was really great that the owner imported some of the better ones for his restaurant.

 

Above we are having the main course. Jo-Anne is having the Veal Al Limone - Veal Scallopini, Lemon Caper Butter, served on on bed of mouth watering risotto. I'm having the European Sea Bream (Bass) - Palermitano Style, Capers, Black Olives, White Wine Pomodoro Sauce served on a bed of roasted white and purple potatoes. Both beyond excellent as some of the best ever dishes we have had.

For desert (dolce) we had their Marsala Wine Zabalione - An Italian Custard with Fresh Fruit in a Phyllo Bowl. This is their description. We had zabalione (zah-by-own) as one of our first deserts together in Ottawa and cannot get enough.

 

 

 

This is not your normal custard. The sauce on the plate is a frothed whole egg that has to be perfectly cooked at an exact temperature ... or failure ... trust me we have tried. It is then poured over and through the phyllo fruit cup. I cannot explain how difficult this dish is to make.

 

And eaten with a complimentary shot of orange liquor that the owner brought to us.

 

The bottom line is that while not in Paris we hit upon a restaurant and chef that rivals any we have been in either here or in Europe and we will be back. Ciao!

 

 

 

 

Earlier this year, Bill Martin, Jo's Dad, had developed a hernia and by the time we arrived it had become pretty annoying to him. He decided to schedule the repair operation later in the summer so we could enjoy the summer but still have time to help with his recovery.

 

That surgery then was set for the 4th of September. In the week prior he had to do some preliminary checks and the doctor detected what he thought was a heart murmur. In two days we were over to a private cardiologist for a stress test which Bill passed with flying colors. Did I mention all was free, scheduled with no waiting and with no questions asked.

 

Then on Tuesday we went over to the Royal Victoria Hospital here in Barrie for the procedure. This is a wonderful state of the art facility staffed with some of the most caring and professional medical folks we have met.

 



 

 

We checked into the day surgery unit on Tuesday at 1pm as asked and were the only people there in the waiting room ... other than this guy asking directions to the bathroom.

 

 

 

At two Bill was in the operating room and we headed to the food court in the atrium. There is a Tim Horton's, a Subway, a juice joint, and behind me is a wonderful deli with some really fresh sandwich stuff. Off camera further to the right is a place that had some awesome burgers and even advertised a full rack of ribs for $8.99.

 

 

 

 

Bill was out of the procedure by three and then we sat in the post-op recovery area till he was cognizant enough to take home to his apartment. There were 36 bays in the room and he was the only patient left at 4:30 when we left and there were 6 nurses and several volunteers always there to help out. The reason there are few people here is that the preventive care part is available to every Canadian for life freeing the surgical folks to do the job they are supposed to do when they need to.

 

Did I mention that there is no money ever mentioned and the service is first rate. Any Canadian (ANY) can walk in and get this care right now without question. This is how managed health care should be. This not national health care as they have in the UK. This is health care managed and run by insurance premiums while regulated by the federal government ... a super system that cannot be beat.