January 26, 2025

A Spotted Rooster For Breakfast

As I mentioned in an earlier post I am an early riser.  When I worked I unfortunately got into the trap of getting up and having some yoghurt and a piece of toast while I waited for the coffee to finish percolating and then was out the door early.  I didn’t have much of a breakfast at all and it never really carried me through to lunch.  When I retired I started to look at mornings differently and now that I know what I have learned I wish I would have started to eat like this earlier.  I have always known breakfast is probably one of the most important meals as our body has been fasting for eight to ten hours by the time we awake, and proper nourishment is important to get things started, but you get into a routine sometimes that is hard to break.

Some of you will be playing little violins for this but I have always had a hard time with weight management.  I once went to a weight watchers meeting for some advice but they thought I was a graduate from the previous course so wouldn’t let me in.  Today, I weigh within five pounds of what I weighed when I graduated high school and humorously prefer to think of myself as having an athletic physique rather than being tall and skinny.  I know, I know it is awful not to have to worry about the number of calories you eat, but I have learned to cope.   Despite all of this, as I have aged I have become more aware of the types of calories I am eating because I know you can easily start to have problems if you are eating a lot of the wrong kind.

I began to do some research on what kind of breakfast I can eat that is nutritious and has enough of the right kind of calories to carry me through until lunch.  I have always had a fairly large lunch which likely came about because I didn’t eat enough for breakfast while I was working, but found with most breakfasts I would run out of energy mid morning.  In my research for balanced nutritious meals I came across a recipe out of Costa Rica that features rice and beans with salsa, onions and garlic.  Eaten with tortillas it has proven to be a great start to my day and is the first breakfast meal I have found that is nutritious and carries me through to lunch with no hunger pangs. 

I have refined it somewhat over the last few years, but find it enjoyable getting the individual components prepared and trying to find ways of having all the ingredients be something prepared at home versus buying.  Essentially this is a variation of a Costa Rican breakfast called Gallo Pinto.  Gallo means rooster and Pinto is spotted, so spotted rooster.  Not sure why the rooster as there is no chicken in the recipe but google says it is spotted due to the white rice and black beans making it look spotted.

There are tons of recipes for this on line but this is what I have come up with as my breakfast.

Gallo Pinto

  • 1 Tablespoon butter
  • 1/2 inch slice of purple onion diced
  • 1 to 2 cloves garlic chopped
  • 1/4 cup or to taste Shredded Mexican blend cheese
  • Black Turtle Beans or equivalent (see below)
  • Basmati Rice or your favourite (see below)
  • 6” diameter Corn or Flour Tortillas (see below)
  • Salt, Pepper and Sazon Spice to taste (see below)
  • Salsa (see below)

Using a cast iron skillet or your favourite fry pan, melt the butter to bubbling.  Add the onion and garlic.  While this is cooking, put the cheese into the bottom of a bowl, top with the Salsa and set aside.

After about five minutes or so add the beans and rice.  Stir to mix in the pan and continue to stir gently, coating with the butter.  Add seasonings to taste.  After another five to ten minutes and everything is warmed through, put the ingredients on top of the cheese.  Add more Salsa and stir to gently mix together.

Return the pan to the stove and add tortillas, one at a time, toasting until they bubble up slightly, flip, repeat and make a wrap with the contents.  Enjoy.

Black Turtle Beans

  • 2-3 cups Uncooked Black Turtle Beans or your favourite bean
  • Enough water to cover the beans about 1/2 to 1 inch deep

Rinse the beans, put them into an InstaPot and cover with water.  Put pot onto High pressure setting and cook for 27 minutes.  I tried Navy Beans but found they were way softer than the Black Beans and tended to mush up somewhat so stick now with Black Beans.  After the session is complete drain the beans and place onto a cookie sheet with parchment paper to dry.  Once dry, divide them up your favourite way for freezing or fridge storing.  I put mine into 12 ounce plastic Tupperware containers so I can freeze them in a container that provides enough for two or three breakfasts.

Doing beans this way are apparently more nutritious than canned, but they do not come with that black sludge you always find at the bottom of canned beans.

Basmati Rice

  • 1 Tablespoon butter
  • 2 cups of your favourite rice
  • 2 cups of water
  • 3 bay leaves
  • Curry or Turmeric or your favourite seasoning to taste
  • Salt and pepper

I got this rice recipe online and have modified it somewhat, but it is supposed to be the way restaurants can almost always guarantee fluffy rice that does not stick.  I cannot vouch for the restaurants but I can tell you it makes a perfect non-sticky rice.

Using a cast iron skillet or your favourite fry pan, melt the butter to bubbling.  Keep the pan on medium heat, add the uncooked rice and stir gently to coat as much of the rice as possible.  Keep stirring the rice for five to ten minutes depending on your heat setting and pan, or until the rice takes on a caramel colour.  While this is cooking put the water, bay leaves and seasonings into the rice cooker.  Stir to mix.

The original recipe I found said to add the seasonings to the rice as it was cooking but I found it would very easily burn as it mixed onto the rice and came in contact with the pan for too long.  I tried Turmeric first when I started doing this because of the beneficial qualities of it, but found over time I preferred the finished taste of the rice when using the Curry.  Your results may vary.

When the rice is toasted to your satisfaction transfer it to the rice maker.  Stir to make sure all is coated and turn the cooker on for the regular cycle.  When the cycle is finished immediately transfer all the rice onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper to cool.  This is especially important as apparently you should not store rice in the fridge if it is wet for longer than a day or two.  Two cups of rice yields enough for about five days of breakfasts and a couple of salads so five days for me.  Transfer the cooled rice to quality storage containers and refrigerate.

Tortillas

The recipe I use online says to use corn tortillas and I have tried that, but find it very difficult to find good quality fresh corn tortillas that don’t have the consistency of thin cardboard and fracture when you roll them as you would a burrito.  So I have found flour tortillas are way better and have a smoky taste as they toast in the frying pan.  Down in the US there are all kinds of good quality tortillas and I have found WalMart in Canada does carry the same in the International aisle.

Sazon

Goya makes a great powdered product and you can buy it in just about every grocery store in the US, and I have found it at WalMart in Canada; but I found a great recipe for it on line and after taste testing both I can hardly tell the difference.  I make up enough to fill a spice container but you can mix and match depending on how much you want to make.

  • 1/2 Tablespoon Coriander
  • 1/2 Tablespoon Cumin
  • 1/2 Tablespoon Turmeric
  • 1/2 Tablespoon Garlic Powder
  • 1 Teaspoon Dried Oregano

Please note the Oregano is only a teaspoon and not tablespoon.  I messed up the first time and went with a tablespoon and it was overpowering.  Most recipes on line and the packaged product have salt, but I am not a big fan and you will be adding salt to taste anyway so I don’t use it in this mixture.  You may adjust your ratios depending on taste.  Mix all ingredients thoroughly and store in an airtight container.

Salsa

  • 425 Gram can Tomato Sauce
  • 2/3 Cup water
  • 2 Tablespoon white vinegar
  • 1 Tablespoon cumin
  • 2 Teaspoon onion powder
  • 1 Teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 Teaspoon garlic salt
  • 1 Teaspoon garlic salt
  • 1 Teaspoon chili powder
  • 1 Teaspoon smoked paprika
  • 1 Teaspoon cayenne pepper

Bring all ingredients to a simmer over low heat and cook until slightly thickened, about 20 minutes.  Cool slightly before serving.  Store in air tight containers in the fridge.  I use squeeze containers that used to have honey in them and they work great.  Lizano Salsa is available in most grocery stores or the International aisle at WalMart and is very good, but I have not found one that is not too hot for my taste.  Also, the online recipes for what I show above likely have slightly higher quantities of the hot stuff in the list.  I am not a big fan of overt spice so have modified the recipe to my taste.

I usually eat this breakfast for about a week to ten days then switch to one with a yoghurt and cereal base.  I will post something on that breakfast before too long and explain the rationale for the variation.

If you try this out, enjoy and thanks for reading.

January 21, 2025

Getting The Morning Going

I am not a night owl and typically have a hard time staying awake after 2100 or so, but with eight hours of sleep I am good to go again by 0500.  That is early to get up but I learned long ago trying to get back to sleep is not the best thing for me.

If your natural body rhythm is telling you to get up I believe you should listen to it and manage the rest of your days cycle around that.  Until I understood that, trying to get back to sleep for a few hours would usually involve weird dreams and feeling more tired when I did get up; and waking a sleeping bear is rarely a good idea.  So I started getting up when I woke up.  When I was working that would mean getting up, making that pot of coffee so Pat would get up at some point, and leave for the office around 0700.  Now that I am retired I still wake at the same time, but now do some exercises, have a cup of tea while reading the news, play Connections and Wordle, send the results to my sister to find out she beat me again, and wait until about 0700 to make that pot of coffee.

My grandfather used to drink fresh lemon in hot water every morning and he lived a good life.  He also drank Guinness with a raw egg so I am not sure which one helped with his longevity.  I have tried the raw egg trick and so think it was the fresh lemon. 

Guinness and Raw Egg

  • One Guiness glass
  • One egg cracked into the glass (it doesn’t matter if the egg breaks or not)
  • Open a can of Guinness and pour slowly into the glass
  • Consume in one or two gulps because I can almost guarantee you wont like the feeling of the egg sliding out of the glass if it stayed whole

So about the time I retired, I didn't have to head off to work and started drinking hot water with lemon juice and honey.  I had read something about taking local honey to ward off allergies and such that are prevalent in different areas.  With our travels being to various regions I began buying local fresh honey and using it in my hot water.  When we first arrived in Arizona my Southern Ontario honey was just about gone so I bought some mesquite honey.

I had never seen that before so was intrigued to try it out.  It is an amber colour with a slightly smoky caramel flavour to it.  I am just about finished that jar and found a vendor at the Quartzsite RV Show selling local honey from their farm in Blythe, California about twenty miles from here.  I have found that a lot of farmers have ‘flavoured’ honey, but most of that is just regular honey infused with flavouring.  If you can find it, the price might be a bit more but you can find honey that is made from the specific flower components they list on the label.  This supplier has honey from bees that harvest pollen from desert wildflowers, cotton, fruits and vegetables and almond trees.  $20 for a 3 pound jar.

I also began adding little chopped up bits of fresh ginger as well and found that provided a great zing to the taste.  Getting reliable sources of fresh ginger is not always possible and some of the ginger in the stores looks like it was picked a year ago so I started looking for a substitute.  I use Turmeric in a rice recipe that I make a few times a week and have found since including it in the preparation of the rice I have experienced less finger joint pain.  If I stop eating the rice for a week or so it doesn't take long for the tightness to return in the finger joints.

So, I tried to add some to my hot water and lemon and honey in the morning, but it doesn't work.  Regular Turmeric is not really soluble enough to make it an appetizing drink first thing in the morning.  We did find however a supplier of Turmeric that is water soluble and is formulated as a dietary supplement.  It does have some other additives but is turning out to be a great substitute for the ginger.  It tastes great and with its purported health benefits for the inevitable inflammatory type issues that are creeping in, I will give it a go for a while to see what difference it may make.

Honey Lemon Ginger Tea

  • One slice of lemon squeezed or 1 teaspoon of a good quality RealLemon juice
  • One teaspoon of your favourite honey
  • One quarter inch chunk of fresh ginger chopped finely
  • Hot water to fill mug
  • Let stand for about five minutes or until the ginger sinks before consuming

Honey Lemon Turmeric Tea

  • One slice of lemon squeezed or 1 teaspoon of a good quality RealLemon juice
  • One teaspoon of your favourite honey
  • One half teaspoon of Turmerix Dietary Supplement
  • Hot water to fill mug
  • Let stand for a few minutes before consuming




January 20, 2025

Hanging With The Boys

After the disastrous flight that resulted in the retirement of my AeroScout, I ordered the replacement fuselage and main wings and got them delivered a few days later.  It came pretty well assembled but there were a few minor pieces that had to be salvaged from the crashed aircraft, which is typical I guess for these types of radio controlled aircraft.  If something happens to this one I will definitely keep whatever salvageable parts there are for future use.

There needed to be a number of checks carried out to make sure the control surfaces were aligned properly and so a few days ago I went out to the field to check everything out.  It has been quite windy here lately and the wind generally starts to pick up about 0900 or 1000 or so.  As we go to the field for about 0800 we can get a good hour in before it is too windy for me to fly.  First task was just taxiing up and down to see if controls were correct on the ground.  After that it was a short flight to check everything in the air.  The aircraft took off okay but I was having to put in almost full deflection on the ailerons to keep it going straight.

Wayne is the local instructor for the club and assisted me with a few things to align the control rods properly and all seemed to be good.  One of the main tests to check the ailerons and rudder is to fly inverted.  If you read my post on the crash, I have become somewhat proficient in flying the aircraft inverted, but to do the checks you need to test the control surfaces, it needs to be kept there for a longer time that I am capable of doing.  So, Wayne assisted and helped set everything up.

With the controls aligned I landed, changed the battery to a new one and took off for  another flight.  All went well and I was pleased.

It was still bothering me how it came to be that I crashed even though I switched it to Safe Mode.  So, before I landed on the second flight I climbed up high and began to invert the aircraft and put it into a spin to simulate losing control of it.  As the aircraft began to fall I switched it into Safe Mode and the aircraft righted itself and continued flying straight and level.  So, it is clear to me I waited too long trying to fly it out of the sun to recover and should have immediately put it into that mode to allow continued flight.  Lesson learned.

Photo Op

On the way home from the field I decided to stop by the local community park and let the AeroScout hang out on the fence with the two McDonnell F-4 Phantom II aircraft that are permanently located there.


I did some research on these two aircraft as there is no signage or other to indicate why they are there.  However, there is a commemorative plaque in front of them for a local soldier from Quartzsite who served admirably in the US Army in a variety of roles.  I did find the aircraft were assigned to Quartzite by a US military group called Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group.  Their main reason for being is to warehouse and store surplus or retired aircraft.  They store some in order to be able to make them operational again if needed, or assign some to local communities, or send them to be recycled.  I would think they assigned these two aircraft as a commemorative gesture related to the service provided by M/Sgt Markestad


Thanks for reading.


January 18, 2025

Sharp Tastes

I am beginning to add some posts that revolve around cooking.  Not that we consider ourselves foodies and are really good at what we prepare; but both Pat and I really enjoy cooking and it might be interesting for readers to see some of the recipes we have come to love.  We don’t typically experiment with exotic foods but do like a wide range of different foods.  We have always felt if there is a way we can learn to cook a healthy meal at home we can spend a bit more on the ingredients, spend time together cooking and get joy from the experience.

Pat comes from a large family with six children and as she was growing up there were always boarders in the house, so she was involved in the kitchen from a young age.  She learned a lot and enjoys many of the things her mother prepared for the family.  She is especially good at soups and cakes, but enjoys preparing a lot of the meals that were economical to prepare for a large group.  I come from a relatively small family with three children and my experience and love for cooking was developed watching how my mother prepared and served up a variety of meals based around meat, potatoes and vegetables, with a dessert of some sort at every meal.

Our parents grew up in an era where things were not wasted and you almost always cooked at home.  On the occasion when a meal was brought in from a restaurant as a treat it was likely either Chinese food or a couple of buckets of Kentucky Fried Chicken (white meat please), fries, gravy and Cole slaw.  That was when eating KFC was not considered a laxative.

I think most readers can relate to how their mother would have prepared pastry for fruit pies, meat and potato pies or desserts, and found thrifty ways to make an economical meal.  In Pat’s case there were often eight to ten people around the dinner table so there was a lot of commotion digging into the potatoes, meat and vegetables.  There was always a full loaf of bread piled high and already buttered to supplement the meal.  If there were leftovers they were put in the refrigerator for another meal or someone’s snack late at night.  With only three children, my mother always made just enough for everyone with no opportunity for seconds, and no leftovers.

I suppose this difference in cooking style is reflected in the fact Pat rarely if ever measures anything and readily substitutes something for something else if we don’t have it.  Her meals always turn out excellent however and other than her love of salt they are always tasty and nutritious.  I almost always follow a recipe as it is written and try to duplicate the ingredients to a T.  I can remember when I first met Pat I was always taken aback by the difference at meal time, as she was when we visited my parents house.  We still have lots of laughs at our different styles of cooking, but the end result is what is important.

We both developed a love for cooking, eating and the joy of sharing the days experiences with each other.  Throughout our lives with our two children we always made an attempt to eat at the dinner table as a family and enjoyed sharing those same experiences.  We are especially pleased to see this trait carried on with our children and their respective families.

So, this first entry will be finished off with a bit about how we start our day - a good cup of coffee.  Both Pat and I love coffee and always start our day with a strong cup fresh from the percolator.  We have tried drip, French press and the Keurig style, but really have not found anything that brings out the flavour quite like coffee that has been made with a percolator.

Our coffee is taken black with no sugar so we can taste the coffee.  We love a good strong dark roast and only ever have the one small pot each day.  It is a bit of a standing joke that Pat will not get out of bed until she smells the coffee.  That is true and fortunately for her I am up long enough before her I can get a fresh pot ready for when she drags herself out of bed.

We don’t have to search for coffee as our daughter and her husband own and operate a coffee house that roasts fresh beans on premises and has a wonderful assortment of popular fair trade coffee available.  We get our beans ground for a percolator and carry enough with us for the time we are travelling away from town.  Twiggs Coffee Roasters is a family owned and operated business in North Bay with franchise operations in Sturgeon Falls and Sudbury, all in the province of Ontario.  You can order beans or ground coffee on line and have it shipped to you if you like, or better yet, take a trip to North Bay and experience one of the stores and the warm ambience of a local coffee establishment.


Thanks for reading.   

January 16, 2025

Will That Be One Hump Or Two

I have not written much lately as both Pat and I picked up something that has hung on for way too long.  It was between Christmas and New Year’s and although the initial sore throat, headache and flu like feeling passed about a week ago, a dry cough perisists.  We are both feeling better, although Pat has had a harder time of it than I.  It hasn’t helped much that it has been unseasonably cold and windy, so sitting outside and getting the warmth of the sun on your face is a bit tricky.

But we have been slowly getting ourselves back in business and getting out to do things.  Recently, Bill and I drove to California for an auction of radio controlled aircraft and accessories being put on by a local club from there.  It happened to coincide with the annual Hi Jolly Parade.  Another word for this parade is CamelPalooza.  So Pat and Patritia decided to pack up a few chairs and head to the parade route to get a good viewing spot.

I won’t write a lot about Hi Jolly or the significance of the camels, but save it to say this was a man with an interesting past as a camel breeder and trainer.  The Wikipedia link above tells a lot about what he did and how he came to the U.S. On some of his adventures with the US Army he passed through this area and eventually decided to live his final few years in Quartzsite.  He had quite the history built up in the area and was buried in the Quartzsite cemetery in 1902.  Given his history and contribution to the Army, the governor of Arizona dedicated a monument to Hi Jolly and the Camel Corps in 1934.  I suppose that is when the interest in his life and the link to camels became well known.



Camels have become the de facto symbol for Quartzsite and you see them everywhere.  Well not actual camels, but symbols.  There is a Camel Express transportation service, camels on just about every commercial building, camels made out of iron that decorate residents yards alongside iron donkeys and iron cacti.  In January each year, a company from Oregon called Pacific Northwest Camel Company brings a caravan of camels in to town for CamelPalooza.

The parade is well attended both from the standpoint of participants as well as spectators, and you can see how this nurtures the carnival atmosphere that permeates everything in Quartzsite in January.  There were a lot of participants from out of town, and the camels stay in town throughout the rest of the month to provide rides and entertainment to all.


Now back to the title of the blog.  Camels with one hump, like the two in the lead on the picture above are camels from Africa and the Middle East.  They are taller and not as heavy as their cousins from Central Asia.  The two humped camel is a Bactrian Camel.

Thanks for reading.



January 09, 2025

Blinded By The Light

The last three days or so have been incredibly windy so there has not been any flying.  This morning started fairly calm and I headed to the field for a few flights.  Bill had other plans today so I made the trip alone.  There were a few others there but no-one was flying.  The sky was bright blue with a slight breeze out of the East.  It was supposed to pick up again by 10 or 11 so I figured getting a few flights in before it became windy was a good idea.

In the last few weeks I have progressed to doing all my manoeuvres in Advanced mode and am feeling quite comfortable with rolls and spins.  The last few flying days I have even been able to get the plane inverted and keep it in that configuration for a short period of time while flying straight and level - upside down.

Today was going to be a normal day and I typically do ten minutes of flying, with eight minutes of aerobatic flying and the last two doing approaches to land to get myself set up for the final approach at the ten minute mark.  Flight number one went off without a hitch and I was feeling pretty good about things as I taxied out after a battery change for flight number two.

The takeoff was routine and I climbed up to my usual altitude of about 200 feet to carry on with some aerobatics.  The wind was starting to pick up a little bit more and I could see the aircraft drifting so compensated a bit and did a wider turn at the East end of the field to my right.  That worked great until I rolled out directly between me and the sun.  There was no way to see the aircraft at all so I think I kept it on the same heading it was on and hoped I would be able to see it on the periphery.

I switched the controller to Safe Mode remembering my close call a few weeks ago, but at this point I could not hear the aircraft at all, and certainly could not see anything.  I began walking toward where I last saw it in hopes I could catch it without the sun behind.  Too little, too late and the plane was lost.

I got in the car and drove out to the road to a point roughly where I thought it would be in a straight line from where I was standing.  As I got out of the car I saw the aircraft immediately.  It had likely come straight down as the wing had separated and there was nothing left of the fuselage from the wing forward.  I gathered the pieces and have salvaged whatever can be salvaged for a possible spare kit.

In the meantime, we are heading to California for the day this weekend to an auction so perhaps may find a replacement aircraft at that time.  Otherwise, the company that sells these little aircraft does sell replacement parts so I could be flying again in another week or so.


I have had a great time with this hobby over the last month or so and count my blessings I have made it this far without incident.  The club has an award that is handed out each month to the guy with the most, or most spectacular crash, or crashes.  Thankfully the award for the last month was awarded at the monthly meeting already so there is a good possibility my mishap will not make it to the top of the list for next month.

Thank you for reading.  

January 04, 2025

Check It Once, Check It Twice

How comfortable would you be if the pilots flying the next aircraft you may be sitting on did not use a checklist?  How about the bus driver on that Greyhound bus?  Or what about driving with me in our RV?

Countless accidents have taken place because checklists were either not used or used incorrectly.  The repetitive nature of many of the tasks leads to a false sense that memorizing the steps is all that is required.  Now you may wonder why I am drawing a similarity between checklists for an aircraft, a commercial bus, and those to drive an RV.

Checklists are used for all kinds of things, some routine and some for emergencies.  It is obvious you can’t just pull over in an aircraft while you sort out what to do next in an emergency, so thorough checklists provide a solid foundation for safely operating whatever it is the checklist is designed to help you manage.  It is also obvious, in almost all cases in an RV, you can safely pull over to the side of the road to resolve whatever event just popped up.  However, if the event is a brake failure during a three mile long steep descending grade, you will have to deal with the outcome on your own, all the while remembering you became distracted during your morning checks and now can’t remember if you checked the brakes or not.  The fact remains however, if you use a checklist to positively check off those critical items before you depart you will minimize the chances of something happening that could ruin your day.

When I took the driver training course in Brantford for my Class D licence I was provided a checklist comprised of twenty-three items that are required to be checked each day at the start of every trip on every commercial vehicle that operates in Ontario.  This is an Ontario Regulation for every commercial vehicle, and I suspect other jurisdictions use a similar checklist.  It includes items such as the brakes, lights, steering, suspension, tires, wheels, load securement and so on.  Any driver finding a minor defect on any topic is allowed to drive the vehicle, but must record the defect in a log and report it to their company dispatch before departure.  Any driver finding a major defect must keep the vehicle parked until the item is resolved.  Given the complexity of the checklist, the inclement weather conditions that may be present during the period when checks are carried out, and the pressure to get on the road by some, I am not sure how many vehicles are thoroughly inspected each day.  You can see why there are so many government inspection stations across the country.  When I studied the checklist for my driving test, I learned a number of new things and so made a point of incorporating the appropriate items into our pre-existing checklist.

In our case, this checklist is not just for mechanical items, it is also to make sure the inside of the coach is safe and secure as well.  To that end, Patty has items she checks and I have mine.  As new RV’ers, before we incorporated some of these items on our checklist, we left the fridge door unlocked, forgot to pick up all the loose items from the floor before retracting the slides, and forgot to secure the shower wand.  Now, before we start the coach each trip we go through the checklist from top to bottom and cross check each other to ensure we have not missed anything.  The value in doing this cannot be stated enough.

While we were on the training course at Spartan there was an entire segment dedicated to checking certain components before use, as there are a number of items required to be checked before each departure.  A number of participants in the class asked if it was really meant to do these on each departure, so it was clear to me some people do not check things to the extent they should.

When we had the boat in Florida we developed a shared checklist that we could run down on our iPads and ‘check off’ the items as they were completed.  I am sure PC’s have similar features, but we use the Notes app on our iPads.  It is a powerful app and there are probably things in it that I am not using as much as I could, but we have developed a bullet checklist for Pre-Departure with eight topics and a total of 99 entries as of this writing.  I modify it from time to time as we find something else to add, or change the position of an item in the list because of the logic sequence.

Pre-Departure Checklist Extract

You may still ask why we do this because the repetition of these tasks imprints on your memory and you should be able to do them without a checklist.  True enough to an extent.  After nine months of operating this coach I can say fairly strongly that I know the items off the top of my head.  However, without a checklist to validate, complacency becomes the norm and that is when something will be missed.

We still have a lot to learn about driving a vehicle like ours and I want to eliminate as many variables as possible that could turn a good day into a bad one.  So, we will continue to work our checklists and modify them as we identify different things that need to be validated before we depart.

Safe driving to everyone and thanks for reading.

January 02, 2025

Back To Green Acre Park

After the training was completed at Spartan we began the return trip to Green Acre Park in Waterloo.  It was quiet on the interstate and we made good time in good weather to a planned fuel stop just before we crossed back over to Ontario.  The difference in fuel cost is significant and by taking on full tanks now I would not need to take any more fuel until we were well on our way south a few weeks later.

On the return back across the bridge there was hardly any traffic and I elected to not try the Nexus lane and took the normal lane instead.  While I was waiting my turn to clear through I noticed a truck and travel trailer combination go through the Nexus lane.  Strangely enough, at an ONroute stop a few hours later I saw the same vehicle and approached the driver to ask about his use of the Nexus lane.  He confirmed he uses his card at all crossings, so I was at least encouraged about using it in the future at the Sarnia crossing.  We arrived at Green Acre Park mid afternoon where we would spend the next few weeks until we were scheduled to resume our trip south.  Green Acre Park is the closest I could find that was open and would give us relatively easy access to see my parents, and brother and sister.

My Mum and Dad live in Vineland and brother and sister live in St. Catharines.  There is an RV park close to where they live but like most parks in Ontario it closes in the middle of October and does not reopen until May 15th.  While we were in Vineland on this trip we spoke with the park manager and I think we will be able to stay there in the spring when we return even though the park will not be officially open.  That will be great as the drive from Green Acre Park to my parents house is about ninety minutes if the traffic is not bad, and only ten from the park in Vineland.

Kitchener-Waterloo is a beautiful area and I mentioned in an earlier post the St. Jacobs Market is close to the RV park.  If you have not been you should try to find the time to go and see.  There are a number of buildings housing local meats, cheeses, food courts, eclectic knick-knacks all packaged into a real festival type atmosphere.  Outside in the parking lot are all kinds of vendors selling fresh local fruits and vegetables and more knick-knacks.  This is such a vibrant area for tourism I believe there are five brand name hotels on the property.  The Mennonite/Amish community have done an excellent job in detailing some of their history and culture.

While we were at the park we travelled back and forth to see my parents as often as we could; and both my sister and her husband, and my brother made trips up to see us.  The weather could not have been better for the duration of our stay and we had a great time.

My sister Carol and her husband Rod enjoying the Market

Soon enough it was ready to pack up and get ready for the start of our Arizona Bound trip referenced at the start of this blog.

Thank you for reading.