Vacation Day 17 - August 15 - Hanover to Desboro
Our destination today is to go to visit my brother on his farm. We don't want to arrive too early as he has just arrived from out of town himself last night. We need to be out of our lodgings by 11 a.m. So we got up and walked to a local restaurant for breakfast. The morning is already very hot and humid. It's oppressively sweltering as we walked across a newly paved parking area. The heat was just reflecting back up to us through our shoes and from the ground. As we ate our breakfast, we planned our day. We decided to be fair to my brother and not arrive there until after lunch. So we decided to go looking for geocaches in Hanover before climbing on the bike and taking the back roads to my brother's farm. After leaving the restaurant, we walked across to the raceway to find 2 geocaches. One was a quick find although we were out in the open and I'm sure we were watched by the trainers sitting outside the barns while one of their horses was put through the paces on the track. I'm also sure that customers from the racetrack dining area were able to see us look for the one geocache. The other geocache was trickier. We decided not to go into the woods to look for it. We were wearing shorts and short socks. I did not want to accidentally walk into a patch of poison ivy or get some ticks on us. So we walked back to our lodgings, loaded up The Goldwing and checked out.
Our next stop was to find a geocache nearby. Hubby looked and looked. I figured it out pretty quickly because I had seen one like this in North Carolina a few years ago. We hopped back on the bike and made our way to our next geocache location. We spent a good hour or more here as we enjoyed the peacefulness and shade. We did see a white caterpillar that we recognized from a news article as being labelled as poisonous. We were sure not to touch it. It was beautiful but there are spines on it that are poisonous and can cause swelling, pain and itching similar to bee stings. Finally it is time to hop on The Goldwing to continue our trip.
Our back roads trek to the farm was beautiful. The fields look good and healthy. We rode through a Mennonite area and saw a farmer with his big wagon full of hay bales being pulled by a couple of horses towards his barn. We saw women and children working in their gardens. We saw a young man driving his horse and cart along a side road. He waited for us to go by on The Goldwing and he waved as we went by. Then we arrived at "The Farm". My sister-in-law welcomed us with warm smiles and enthusiasm. My brother was out in the field working hard to bring in the harvest before the forecasted rain for the next day.
My sister-in-law visited with us and then included us in her travels as she had some errands to do. She showed interest in our geocaching hobby and so on the way, we stoppped to find a local geocache around the corner. She seemed to be hooked. We went into Chesley to do the errands and she took us to a beautiful little memorial park with an old railway trestle. Lo and behold, there was a geocache in the park! We really enjoyed learning about the history of the area with the display that was set up. In the park, we also saw a van and driver who had brought some Mennonite young people to the park. They were from the Kitchener area and in the Chesley area for a wedding. Before we made our walk to the railway trestle, we looked for the geocache. I had the GPS but my sister-in-law saw the little cache before Hubby or I. She was so excited to see it. We enjoyed our walk through the park and the visit with my sister-in-law. When we climbed back into her car, she took us with her as she picked up a couple of items from the grocery store. Then on the way back to "The Farm", she took us to a beautiful lake that I had no idea was in the area. There was a small public access park that she knew about. She used to take my nephews here when they were little boys. After spending some peaceful time wading in the water, it was time to climb back in the car and return to make dinner.
We enjoyed a lovely dinner with my sister-in-law and nephew while my brother continued to work a very long day getting his grain in. We did see him and visit briefly with him when he came in after 9 p.m. for his dinner. He was very tired and I had great sympathy for him. We all headed to bed as we all were feeling tired but my brother was exhausted.
Vacation Day 18 - August 16 - Desboro to Kitchener
I awoke around 7:00. I realized my sister-in-law was not up yet and my brother and nephew were most likely in the barn doing the milking and chores. I quietly read some farm magazines and then got myself dressed and went upstairs to the kitchen. My sister-in-law was up and we spent time on the front porch with our coffee. Hubby joined us a little bit later. It was warm and muggy but there was a nice breeze. It was decided to have a fully cooked breakfast and treat my brother to this when he arrived in from the barn around 8:30-9:00. My nephew had already been in, changed and left for his day at the office. It was great to see him. I saw my other nephew briefly as he had arrived from a business trip late the day before. He dropped in on his way to work just long enough to say hello. We enjoyed our breakfast with my brother but he was still so tired. The skies were full of cumulous clouds that looked like they could build up to a thunderstorm. After my sister-in-law and I had cleaned up from breakfast, my brother went for a nap and Hubby treated my sister-in-law to a ride on The Goldwing. She was full of smiles when she arrived back about a half hour later. While they were gone, I had continued to clean up from breakfast and get our things packed up. Once The Goldwing was back in the laneway, Hubby and I loaded up the bike and said our goodbyes. My brother had been up and away on the ATV do check on something but he was back and we were able to say a brief goodbye. Off we went back onto the roads leading to Kitchener.
Due to the construction season, our ride down to Kitchener took us along roads that I had not been on in over 30 years! It was wonderful and a ride down memory lane for me. As we approached the area of Waterloo Region, we could see the sky getting nasty looking. Not far away were two systems of clouds that were very dark and threatening. We were still riding in sunlight but it wouldn't be for long. Hubby was looking for a place that was safe to pull over and we could put on our rain gear. He finally found an intersection where both roads were paved. He pulled over to the side on some pavement and we quickly donned our rain pants and coats. Thank goodness we did! The wind picked up and the sky went black. Then the rain pelted us so hard it felt like hail but it wasn't. Visibility was terrible. Hubby had his hands full trying to keep the bike upright. The wind was so strong, my helmet felt like it was being pulled upwards. I'm sure if it wasn't a good fit and the it wasn't strapped on, it would have been gone. We were so glad to survive that storm and arrive at my brother's home in Kitchener! We stripped off the rain gear and had to hang it to dry. The rain had even managed to make my seat wet where I had been sitting! But our rain gear did its job and our motorcycle jackets and our clothes were good and dry. Hubby had made an appointment while in Desboro to have his front tire replaced at the Honda dealership in Kitchener. So he and my brother went off to drop off The Goldwing and bring Hubby back home. The bike will be picked up in a couple of days.
We ended our day with a great visit with my brother and sister-in-law. It was good to get some laundry done and have clean clothes again. We enjoyed a sushi dinner at one of their local restaurants. I guess my son had introduced my sister-in-law to this restaurant when he had visited them earlier in the summer.
Vacation Day 19 - August 17 - Kitchener
I really enjoy visiting my brother. He is a morning person just like me and we always have a visit to ourselves while Hubby and my sister-in-law sleep in. I always look forward to enjoying my coffee on my brother's back deck in the early mornings with him. We just visit quietly and listen to the birds. Once we were all up on this day, we went for brunch at a restaurant called A Dish Called Wanda. This tickled my funny bone because I love the movie "A Fish Called Wanda"! It was very busy and we weren't in a hurry. We chatted and earlier we had decided to go the horse races this particular night. The longer we waited, we realized that we would not need to worry about trying to fit dinner into our race plans. This suited us just fine! I felt sorry for the poor server who was the only one serving a packed restaurant. We did enjoy making her laugh and give us brief smiles as she was run off her feet. Even one of the kitchen staff had to come out and help the server deliver food. It was good food though. After our "brunch", we returned to my brother's home and put in time until it was time to head to the races.
We all had a great time! My brother was the "big" winner of the four of us. Even he didn't win "big" but we all had fun.The ride back to my brother's home took us through a torrential downpour and thunderstorm. We had to wait in the car in the driveway for the rain to let up slightly so we could make the dash into the house.
Vacation Day 20 - August 18 - Kitchener
The rain from the night before finally broke some of the oppressive humidity and the morning visit on the deck was very enjoyable. It was decided to have my mother come for dinner at his house that evening. I love visiting my brother because it is always very laid back and I always seem to relax and feel refreshed. This day was no different. Once Hubby awoke and was coherent, my brother, Hubby and I went in my brother's car to drop Hubby off at the Honda dealership to pick up The Goldwing. Then my brother and I went off to do some groceries before returning to his home. I have always been close to my brother and we enjoy whatever time we have together. Once we arrived "home", we all settled down to watch the Blue Jays play baseball until it was time to make dinner. My mom arrived and we enjoyed a visit with her too until dinner.
For dinner, my brother barbecued some steak and baked potatoes. I made a caesar salad and my sister-in-law made some vegetables. My mom brought rhubarb pie for dessert. I opened my mead that I had bought earlier on in our vacation and shared it amongst all of us. It received mixed reviews. Hubby thought it was too sweet. My sister-in-law and I liked it. My brother thought it was OK but a bit on the sweet side. This was the semi-sweet mead. I liked it just fine. We enjoyed some coffee while we played a game of Hearts (cards). My mom won the game.
We were all tired and after my mom left to return home, we were soon in bed for the night. I didn't hear it but I guess there was a party going on behind the house that kept Hubby and my sister-in-law up until after midnight. I must have been very tired to not have heard it.
Vacation Day 21 - August 19 - Kitchener to Kingston
I woke up around 7 and made my way to the deck to visit with my brother. I was very surprised to see my sister-in-law on the deck too! She is not a morning person! This is when I heard about the party from the night before. We visited until close to 8 when I woke Hubby and we all went to my brother's regular breakfast spot. We enjoyed a full breakfast together and then returned "home". My brother had to head over to my mom's to do some chores so Hubby, sister-in-law and I visited a little longer. She took their dog for a walk while Hubby and I packed up our belongings and started loading the bike. We said our good byes after she arrived back home and we were on the road by 10 a.m. We chose to ride across country and avoid the major highway 401. Our big breakfast held us through so we didn't need to stop for lunch. We stopped for gas and a snack in Hastings. There was an antique car show going on and the little village was very busy. The roads were also busy probably due to the end of The Havelock Country Jamboree. Our son had gone there for 4 days and I half expected to see him on the road. The line up this year included Toby Keith, Tim Hicks and Dean Brody among others. We didn't come across our son but the roads were busy. Closer to Napannee, we were on a paved back road that we had never been on before. A small river ran along beside the road and I saw a turtle sunning itself on a rock in the middle of the stream. It must have been there for some time because the shell wasn't shiny and wet. It was alive though as I could see the head lifted up and looking around.
We finally made it home about 5:30. I am really tired. Our son was home as well and he was also tired. We had been in touch with him while we stopped for gas in Hastings. We had indicated to him that we would take him out for supper once we got home and unloaded. We kept our word and ended up at the local St. Louis Wings restaurant. They had a promotion for all you can eat ribs so we took advantage of that. I didn't realize I was so tired. I ate my ribs and just wanted to go to bed. It was an early night for both Hubby and I.
August 20
I am still very tired after a disrupted sleep. Our cat has obviously missed us. He did not want to leave me alone during the night. Today I will unpack and start some laundry. My garden is full of tomatoes ready to be picked. My beets need to be picked. My garlic needs to be harvested. My garden is full of weeds and needs to be cleaned up. I have some dog strangling vine has shown up in my flowerbed. I need to get it out of there. So today will be a busy day but at a pace that my tired body can handle. I am looking forward to seeing my chiropractor late this afternoon. The 3 week vacation has been wonderful! But sometimes the beds and pillows have not been as wonderful. I am really happy to back in my own bed and using my own pillow again. Life is fantastic and I'm physically feeling well!
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