What?

Bruce went to the dentist this morning to have his permanent crown put in. After reviewing Dr. Nick's submission of what the new crown would cost, the work had been pre-approved by the insurance company. When Bruce went to pay his part of the bill, it was $100 more than the original cost. Not happy about this, Bruce spoke to Dr. Nick who tried to talk his way out of it - but in the end said in order to keep a good relationship with his patients, he'd reduce the bill back by $100. Every time we go to the dentist for the same procedures, they have gone up since the last visit!! I've got a new name for the doctor, but I won't put it here. He's always trying to talk me into replacing my fillings or having some of my teeth crowned - but that's NOT going to happen.

Getting Ready for Fall.

For his Sunday project, Bruce cleaned the gas stove in our TV room. My project was taking pictures!

I should check out the motels at the Cape - maybe go there for a mini-vacation while in Massachusetts. The last time we were at the Cape, we found a neat restaurant near the water - Spanky's Clam Shack! I'm thinking lobster dinner or lobster anything, YUM!

It's a Jeans Day!

This morning, the temp was 54F degrees. Where has summer gone? For goodness sakes, it only arrived a few weeks ago.

This morning, Smoky wanted out of the house at 1:30 in the morning. That didn't happen. He tried again at five, then again around 6:30. At that time, he finally got out, but when I opened the back door at 8:30 to see if he was there - he about fell in the door. It's raining and nasty. His meows sounded as if he was cussing at me for leaving him out there that long.

Later, he was tired and curled up on the couch to take a nap! I wonder if that means he will be rested by the time we're ready to go to bed.

Bruce had a project - putting an on/off valve on the plumbing in back of the toilet. I was worried he'd burn the house down. Finished and house intact - good job, Bruce!

We're Going to Have the Best Looking Trailer . . .

At the club when camping in Granby. Bruce is busy putting on new stripping.























Smoky is waiting for some unsuspecting critter to cross his path! Such patience.









Isn't he one handsome cat?

Counter Project

This morning, I cleaned off my counter tops so that the representative from Home Depot could get the correct measurements for our new counters. He arrived around eleven, took the measurements and told us that we should hear from the store within a few days. I'm getting excited!

Jack and the Sunflower Stalk?

This morning when Bruce turned on the TV - the message on the screen indicated we weren't getting a signal. A sunflower perhaps blocking the satellite dish? I went outside and move the flower aside.









Over the last few weeks when summer finally arrived, these plants have grown by inches each day.









If we dry the seeds right in the fall, the birds will have a great feed.









Maybe next year, we'll also plant some tomatoes. It would be nice to step outside your back door and pick a couple for a salad or maybe a sandwich.









I think we'll have to tie back the one in front of the satellite dish - otherwise we'll again have the same problem - no signal!









Bruce waxing the trailer - it's a perfect day for the project - only about 65F degrees!

A Perfect Day!

Bruce washed the trailer - camping can't be that far away. I think he plans on waxing it tomorrow.

I have most of my stuff done - bed is made, towels have been laundered and put back in place - just have to scrub the floor.

Just Another Day!

In order to get a part for our faucet, we had to go back to a hardware store that we vowed never to step foot in again!!! They didn't have the hose in stock, but the salesperson went into the backroom to check returned, defective faucets and came back with a hose that we could have.

After that, Bruce took me out for breakfast. YUM - I had waffles with bananas, strawberries and whipped cream. Today is my birthday! Our meals were way more than what we usually eat for breakfast, but it was fun.

Some inside photos of the restaurant. Old moose horns?


































Bruce finishing my orange juice.












After our breakfast and grocery shopping, Bruce tackled the faucet - it's all back together with still a slight drip. Since we will have new counters, sink and faucet in a few weeks, we decided to just leave it - with the help of a little bucket under the sink!!!

Uneventful Day . . .

But we're looking forward to working on a plumbing job tomorrow - under the kitchen sink! It appears the cold water connection is leaking.

The Rain Came Down!

We had some severe weather last night - We heard on the news that Toronto had tornadoes earlier in the evening. Around ten, we were getting heavy rain as it passed over us. The lightning wasn't a bolt, instead the sky lit up to a pink color and the thunder that followed, rumbled on for over a minute. Smoky must have been afraid, he jumped on the bed and curled up next to us.

Around three in the morning, our motion light came on in the backyard. I got up and looked out - for a second, I didn't see anything. Then I saw two figures came out from the shadows, moving slowly toward the house. There were two medium size raccoons with another trailing slowly behind. How neat! They must have been heading for Smoky's outside water bowl.

After the storm - today is very humid - and we have a severe weather warning for the rest of the afternoon.

Thursday Already!

Bruce had a doctor appointment this morning and came home with a scheduled appointment for me in September, plus paper work for blood work. Since the doctor knows I'm not one to seek him out, he's doing the seeking. But, I guess that's a good thing. I take my iron pills faithfully, so I know my hemoglobin should be OK.

The weather has finally cooled and we've had quite a bit of rain today. Noticed some leaves had fallen off the trees yesterday - can fall be that far off?

And what about Big Brother? Have you been watching? Just a little tense in that house! Still cheering for Jeff!

Yesterday . . .

We drove to a neighboring town for Bruce's appointment. Since I had my camera, I took some pictures to reacquaint myself on how to use it. The time between pictures is much faster than my Kodak - I shouldn't miss so many pictures the next time we are on vacation and driving across the country.

We drove along the Ottawa River -

Not too much activity!

Entrance to the river park.

This town has many murals on it's buildings!

The start of the rain . . .

The restaurant where we had a late lunch. I had soft tacos, rice and refried beans - Bruce a huge, huge burger and fries.

R

Right next door was a Mexican store - I saw a cement pig flower pot - really cute! It would have been perfect for the steps at the front of the house. I almost bought it.

Once More . . .

Another hot day - too hot to even venture outside. Bruce did have a dentist appointment, so he was gone for awhile. He's getting a crown put on one of his teeth. Don't envy him for having that done. I'll keep my old, silver fillings. Activities for the day - NONE! Smoky is out there in the heat, sleeping under a tree.

HOT!

I was outside for almost an hour - I'm done - couldn't breathe so came back inside. Poor Bruce, he is tending the BBQ. Humidity is really high. Did I say it's 97F degrees????

Yesterday we had a good day - went to the Home Depot in Kanata to check out items needed for our kitchen redo. We got an estimate of what our counters would cost, then went over the the sink/faucet aisle. The display of kitchen faucets were almost overwhelming, but after much thought, we decided on one - a stainless steel Price Pfitzer. Then we decided to order the sink. I had done a lot of checking on that and quickly found the one I had decided on - a black Blanco Silgranit double sink. Everything seemed to be falling into place, so we got an estimate on the counters, and put the request in for someone to come to the house to take measurements.

The only think left to decide on was the tile for the backsplash. A helpful HD representative showed us exactly what we needed - travertine natural stone. I'll get the stone after the counters are installed. It's all coming together and I'm so excited.

We stopped at Montana's for a late lunch - YUM! All in all, it was a very productive day - and fun, too!!!!

All Did Not Go According to Plan!

Bruce decided to head out for an ATV. As he was leaving, he packed up some soda, his camera, wanted the phone, but it needed charging. A couple of hours later, he was walking back in the door. What happened? He was way out in the middle of nowhere, when the ATV overheated. Steam pouring out everywhere. He had to wait until it cooled down, then he headed back to the truck. On the way home, he dropped it off at a mechanic's shop and told them to fix it. He didn't even get a picture. I was hoping he'd get some great shots of the area so that I could post them.

Another time, I guess. The next full moon is September 4.

Who Was Waiting for Hot Weather?

Well, it's here!! Yesterday the temperature reached 93F degrees. Today is supposed to be another hot one. Not much going on in this heat - just trying to keep cool.

A Quiet, Hot, Humid Day!

Hot and Humid!

No outside activities today - it's 81F degrees and feels like 86F. For excitement, I've been playing Scrabble with Shirley (Texas) and Brenda (Alberta)on Facebook and answering emails.

What To Do Today?

There's absolutely nothing to write about. I've been waiting for another moon so that Bruce can get a picture with his camera - last night the sky was clouded over. I'm thinking with his new ultra zoom lens, we should be able to see every hill and crater. Maybe I'll just have to wait until next month when the moon is full.

Kids are starting school in a couple of weeks. So glad the brats who waited on our corner have been moved for bus pickup to the front of their own house. Maybe we can put some forest faces back up on our trees.

Last night we watched the finale of "Dirty, Sexy Money." What happened there? No story lines were wrapped up - the episode just left you hanging! Oh well, isn't that what all the networks do when a show is cancelled?

I've been researching kitchen counter tops, sinks and faucets. The more samples I look at, the more confused I get. In reality, I'm still searching for 'the one' counter finish that I'm envisioning - black with a subtle pattern and smooth to the touch. I thought this was going to be easy!!!

Big Brother tonight - have only one favorite on the show - Jeff.

We tried . . .

But weren't able to get a shot of the moon with Bruce's ultra zoom conversion lens. Somehow, again the setting wasn't right. So off we were this morning to try and figure out what we should be doing! Finally Bruce was able to get some shots, none of which were worth keeping. I sat in the truck, checked the area around me, and took some pictures.

Awesome Moon!

Yes, last night I got my moon shot. It's pretty much the same as the previous picture posted, but only fuller.









My new camera is a Nikon Coolpix P90 - 12.1 MP with a 24X optical zoom. There are a few features that it doesn't have that I would have liked. The first, when a vertical picture is taken, the camera doesn't rotate it. Second, panorama assist doesn't stitch the photos in the camera - you have to use your computer and the software that came with the camera to get the finished shot, and the flash has to be popped up manually. As for the photographs, no complaints there - they are great.

There's a Moon Out Tonight!

This morning at one o'clock, I looked out and saw how bright the moon was, but I was too tired to set everything up for a shot. Before I hit the sack tonight, I'm going to set my camera on its tripod for another photo opportunity. Tomorrow, August 6, the moon will be at its fullest at 12:55am.

Bike Ride to Quebec!

Yesterday, Bruce asked if I wanted to go for a bike ride. Of course!!! Plans were to cross the Ottawa River on the Quyon ferry. It only takes a few minutes to cross and on the other side, we stopped at a convenience store for some water. The store was packed! I guess because one side was filled with beer, the other liquor. Down the middle were a few grocery items. The weather was perfect so the ride was very enjoyable. Back home, we grilled some steaks - YUM.

August Moon!

Last night after the lights went out - I looked out the window and saw a huge, beautiful moon shining down at me. Since I bought my new camera, I've wanted to try getting a shot of it. When I did my research, someone had posted their picture of the moon taken by the camera in their review.

I grabbed my tripod and camera and set it up in the dining room. I was pleased with the shots, but I'm thinking if I had been outside, the shots might have been better.

Update!

Barbecued turkey was excellent. Would we do it again? Bruce says, "Yes." I'm not too sure - I probably would now that we are more experienced!









After dinner, we drove out to Ryan's house to let the dogs out.

Start of the Long Weekend!

We decided to try barbecuing a turkey. Getting it thawed and strung up was no problem, but having a heavy bird on the rotisserie turned out to be too much for the motor.









Taking the bird off the grill!









We've never done this before - anxious to see how it's going to taste! I'll let you know later.