Spring Is Here!!!

 

Well, not by looking at the next few pictures, but today it is cloudy and 55 degrees and not a mention of below freezing temps for at least the next week or so as we plan to move to Barrie on the 1st.

 

On the 14th I took off to attend Mom's funeral in Bryan, Texas. That morning the temp was 28 and it was cloudy and windy. This is the view from the observation deck of the Flying Scotsman.

 



At the airport I boarded a flight for New York's JFK airport on the way to Austin. We sat on the ramp in Toronto as the rain began and the temp continued to fall. We taxied over to the deice ramp, spent a half hour getting squirted and then as the weather was really bad, taxied back to the gate to take on more fuel.

Another half hour later we again taxied back to the deice ramp and in an hour were ready to leave in wind, rain, snow, and ice that was piling up on the runway. Needless to say my next flight was toast and I had to wait at JFK until 5pm to get the next one to Austin. Got into Austin at just about 10pm and brother Bill picked me up and we motored the 2hrs over to Bryan and the motel ... long day!

But Jo-Anne's weekend was just beginning as well. When I got to JFK she called to say the gray water system was not emptying properly and she was unable to shower. Here's her view out of the front window during a blustery 17 degree onslaught. She had plenty of fresh water, propane for heat, and all of the other systems were functioning properly so she and Bandit wrapped up in the electric blanket in the bedroom to weather the storm til Monday and my return.

And I did return to Milton on Monday to a buscicle ... check out the nice icefall off of the roof.

 

Fortunately I taken the time to weather proof the RV prior to my departure as we knew what was coming and while we had been in short periods of cold in Texas, we knew this would be much worse and of longer duration.

I got some of the Pink Panther fiberglass insulation and stuffed it in all of the holes that lead to the basement area of the bus ... this has always been an irritant as the wind whistles through there just below your feet.

I also put large pieces of the stuff in the water service area on the driver's side and turned on all of the lower compartment lights for a tiny bit of additional heat.

I did the same thing on the passenger side as well to protect the water tank and pump. I also got two electric tape things, one 10 feet long and one 30 feet long, and ran them all around the water compartment, pumps, valves, and tanks.

Below you can see the main water tank with one of the orange/black electric heater tapes. The gray object at the upper left of the picture is a remote temperature sensor and the basement stayed above freezing the whole time; wouldn't want to but could weather much colder events.

Jo-Anne's problem slowly began to resolve itself during the day as the outdoor sewer hose got some sunshine but then froze up again at night. In one of the pics above you can see the bucket of hot water I used to pour over the sewer line to thaw it out totally when I got back. Ahhhh, plumbing 101.

After thawing everything out it was time to goof off a bit with the handle of the entry door awning. It had developed a really neat icicle so I became The Iceman of Milton defending the Flying Scotsman against the evil Ontario Lord of snow and wind!

And finally below just to highlight the Canadian sense that life goes on no matter what the time of year or weather may bring.

We snapped this picture of the local golf driving range on April 20th with more than a foot of snow still on the ground and the sign says: The Range. Spring Is Here. Opening. Friday April 6th. And believe it or not the place was open the weekend of the 6th ... golf must go on eh!

Bye Mom

 

As I said in the last post my mom who has been my guidance for the last 73 years passed on April 4th at 99 years. Dad had left us a couple of years ago, also at 99, and between them they produced 4 pretty neat boys.

 



She started with a degree in guidance with a teaching certificate and taught middle school while raising the four of us. All that while Dad spent a 100,000 miles a year on the road with MSU extension, so she was left with this bunch to educate, be a moral example, feed and groom, and make sure we got what was needed to go off into the world. Later while Dad was at Texas A&M she also got her masters while two boys were still at home and she was teaching full time.

Fantastic lady; gourmet cook, event planner, teacher, unbeatable bridge whiz and any other game that came up, and absolute solid rock of patience, intelligence, and moral support.

The burial took place in Bryan Texas on Sunday afternoon the 15th of April. Brother Richard managed everything because the other three of us were all far from Bryan and in the next post I will lay out my grueling trip from Canada to Bryan and back. Prior to the funeral on Sunday we met at Rich's house and had a sip of wine and toasted our guiding lady.

Then off to the Restever Cemetery in Bryan for the funeral. We got a last look at the lady that had been so much a part of our lives.  Here's Rich and Kerry paying final respects to the matriarch on a pleasant yet windy day. In the background is Patti Wade with the Trevino Funeral Home who has made this process so easy for us with respect and dignity for both Mom and Dad.

And the four of us (Bill, Rich, Bruce, Tom) who are not the "children" any more with the passing of our parents; odd feeling.

After the ceremony we again went back to Richard's house where he and Kerry hosted the remaining friends and relatives with food good remembrances. Brother Bill supplied the wine from his vineyard (Jodar) in California.

All in all a really neat day both filled with remembrance and humor and I'm glad we could all come from the four winds to spend this final day with her.

Commuting To Barrie

 

From our snowy/muddy (depending on the temp) lot in Milton we began to address the work we have before us here: make sure our apartment here (where Rick lived) is cleaned, given notice, and disposed of, same with his car cleaning and prep for sale, income taxes for both Rick and Jo's Dad complete and mailed in, as well as the health and welfare for both of the senior guys we are here to help.

 

To get from our temporary place in Milton it is 72 miles and about an hour commute which we have been doing every other day depending upon snow squalls, ice pellets, freezing rain, and wind; lot of driving. The route is fairly easy though on the 401, 407, and 400 freeway system which is excellent. April 27 we will move to our normal lot in Barrie but it isn't open yet for the year.

 

The apartment will be a continuing challenge to dispose of a huge amount of personal stuff and many months of neglect when Rick injured himself and will never be the same. Still dealing with many case workers, gov't officials, and hospital staff to find a suitable place for his future, as well as helping Dad out at his independent living residence in Barrie.

 



OK another change in Bruce's life. On April 4th his mom of 99 years passed away. It was fairly quick after she broke her hip at the Manor. I'll fly to Bryan Texas this Saturday the 14th to attend the funeral and I'll give more detail and pics of that after I get back on the 16th; so much more, eh.

On a rare sunny day in Barrie here's a nice shot of the Canadian Forces recruiter with the remnants of the latest snow storm. This was right across from the H&R Block tax office who we have dealt with for several years now.

And to relieve the busy commuters' hectic lifestyle, of course we sought out a local pub to plan the next mandatory event.

We Googled Milton and hit upon the Ivy Arms pub smack on the main street of the nice little town.

Over a couple of Harp beers we check out their very authentic pub style fare; really nice place and in looking around you could very well be in Ireland or Scotland

Typical dark wood, friendly service, generous pints and great food. We picked the pulled pork burger and the mushroom-onion flatbread to share and were definitely not disappointed. Both were melt in the mouth and soaked in a whiskey, bacon, maple sauce of some sort .... oh yeah.

And lastly another snowy shot of downtown Barrie while up there showing the ice on Kempenfelt Bay and the really distinct metal dragon sculpture on the shore. Barrie's a great mid-sized town of about 200,00 with a very walkable (in the spring and summer) downtown and many top eating places.

I will be sure to be thinking of our new friends at our new apartment in Flower Mound as I pass overhead on Saturday and Monday and give a high five salute as we miss them and the place quite a bit.

Arrival in the blizzard

 

Wow, April in the northern part of this continent. We arrived in Milton Ontario a couple of days ago and the temps plunged and the wind and snow started. We are in the Milton RV place which is kinda like the Carrollton one in Dallas; really taking advantage of the RV public by offering substandard places because they are the only one around to give you a place ....mud, poor maintenance, no park interest ... yup.

 

 

Today it was 28 for the high with a 50 mile wind whipping the RV. In the pic below it actually peaked at 57 mph and the wind and snow was going straight sideways.

 



Then the tree which was already dead was blown over along with much damage in the area including a construction crane and a 50 car smashup in Barrie a block from where Jo's dad lives ... spring?

And lastly for today this guy just working for a living. This bird was working with over 50 mph winds and ripping snow and still soaring to the point we thought his wings would rip off ... nature at its best/worst, eh.