Monday - 29 Feb/16

It's LEAP DAY!

The idea is nothing new; in fact it dates all the way back to ancient Egypt. The Egyptians were the first to realize the need for a leap year, but it was in fact the Roman's who first brought it into practice in Europe. In 46 B.C., Julius Caesar (Julian Calendar) introduce a leap (day) year.

The problem is that an Earth Year, the time for the Earth to make a complete rotation around the Sun, is 365 days 6 hours (365.2421 days to be exact).

Today a Leap Day (Feb. 29th) occurs in most years that are divisible by 4. However, as the solar year is only .242 days longer and not .25, this actually adds an extra 11 minutes to every year. Years that are divisible by 100, but not by 400, do not contain a leap day. 3 out of 4 "Centuries" are not leap years. This adjusts for the extra minutes and keeps the seasons in place.

Computer timing chips automatically allow for a leap year; however, if you want a mechanical watch that does the same function without having to manually (heaven forbid) adjust it every 4 years get a Patek Philippe Grand Complication Perpetual Calendar. It has a wheel that rotates once every 4 years to trigger the 29th day.

This hand crafted masterpiece (it takes a year and a half to make a watch) only costs $69,000.00 - $229,000.00 (U.S.); but I suspect it does not make the century adjustments (remember those pesky 11 minutes?).

I was thinking of ordering one; however I hate to wait for things. The 2 day shipping fee put it out of my price range (grin).

This calendar adjustment was introduced by Pope Gregory XIII (Gregorian Calendar aka Western/Christian/Business Calendar) in 1582. After 1500 years under the Julian Calendar the seasons were now out of whack. The Catholic Church wanted to bring the date for the celebration of Easter to the time of the year in which it was  celebrated when it was introduced by the early Church. Easter Celebration was originally tied to the Spring Equinox.

Leap Days (Years) have spawned a number of local traditions around the world.

Clearly no one really knows when a woman could propose to a man. Pick one:

     A) A Leap Year
     B) A Leap Month
     C) A Leap Day

It keeps changing.

According to an old Irish legend, or possibly history, St Brigid struck a deal with St Patrick to allow women to propose to men  (not just the other way around) every four years.

Sometime later (it's anybody's  guess) Leap Year Parties originated. A number of newspapers from the late 1800's indicated (with amusement) that dances where being held whereby the traditional roles were reversed and a lady was allowed to ask the gentleman to dance.

This is not to be confused with Sadie Hawkins Day which is an American folk event, It is a pseudo-holiday that originated in Al Capp's classic hillbilly comic strip "Li'l Abner" on Nov. 15,1937. This inspired real-world Sadie Hawkins Dances, where girls ask boys out which occur yearly on the date of the cartoons introduction (Nov. 15).

In some places, leap day has been known as “Bachelors’ Day”. A man was expected to pay a penalty, such as a gown or money, if he refused a marriage proposal from a woman on Leap Day. During the middle ages there were laws governing this tradition.

Queen Margaret of Scotland brought in a law setting fines for men who turned down marriage proposals from women on a leap year. Like many European countries, especially in the upper classes of society, it dictated that the man refusing had to buy the spurned lady 12 pairs of gloves. The intention was that the woman could wear the gloves (a new pair for every month, eh!) to hide the embarrassment of not having an engagement ring.

GLOVE is defined as coming from the Middle English (from Old English) "GLOF". I think it came from the question arising from a lady wearing gloves (whereby a ring could not be seen) ... Got Love? (grin)

In Scotland, akin to Friday 13th in many parts of the world, it used to be considered unlucky for someone to be born on leap day.

Greeks consider it unlucky for couples to marry during a leap year. Getting hitched on Leap Day was a "Double-Whammy".

Finally, it is National Frog Legs Day! I don't want to "LEAP" to conclusions; but I think somehow there is a connection? (grin)

I wonder when National Bacon Day occurs?

After all that... I hope you had a Great LEAP Day!

Last night was my worst so far. .Charlotte is showing a little more improvement. I hope we are now on over the hump and on the road to improvement.

Charlotte felt well enough to head off to Crafts today. We actually changed lots as an economy move to save fuel. She is now a block and a half closer to the Craft Hall (grin).

I had to just close my eyes and rest while she was gone. I woke in time for Jeopardy.

Charlotte made great meatballs and sauce for spaghetti. It was so good. I needed comfort food!

I'm going to try and stay awake long enough to watch Scorpion and CSI Los Angeles tonight; but I have my doubts.

Sunday - 28 Feb/16

Still Sunny and clear with the temps rising about 10F to mid-70's today.

Ma Nod Ish Aw Stuffed Up!

Charlotte's throat is still very sore. We are both miserable with the same (yet different) cold. The common part is we both ache from head to toe.

That's it for today.

Sunday will truly be a day of rest!

Saturday - 27 Feb/16

Still the same sunny, clear and cool weather today.

To say today would be a "Crash" day was an understatement! "Sometime in the night the Nasty Cold Bug" snuck in and bit us. We both woke early in the morning in distress. Charlotte had a very sore throat and my nose was extremely stuffed and dripping continuously. We went back to sleep and didn't get up until just before noon. We will rest until it is time to go to the "Rascals" concert at 5 p.m.

We are just like McD's. We can serve Egg McMuffins any time of day using our Hamilton Beach Breakfast Sandwich Maker our daughter Kat gave us for Christmas (in November) We were here at OMS by late November. Charlotte has the McD's down perfect!

We rested until after 3 p.m. then departed for the concert. We parked behind "The Sharon" (L. Morse Performing Arts Center).  A family of Mallards were having a great time in the babbling brook that passes beside the theatre.

We decided to go to Kilwins for an ice cream to tide us over until after the concert.

Small World Item:

While in line a gentleman (Tom) ahead of us noticed my Honda hat and asked if I worked for Honda. I said I did not. I told him I was wearing it because I drive a 21 year old Honda. He asked if it was an Accord. When I said "Del Sol" I was surprised to hear that he was part of the original Del Sol design team. Kudos to him.

Since 1985 Kilwins has been making their Original Recipe Ice Cream. Today there are over 40 flavors.  Their ice cream is then frozen into specially designed tubs that protect their superior quality.  Finally the ice cream is super cooled and stored at minus twenty degrees and shipped only on Kilwins’ own trucks, ensuring quality at ten degrees below zero.

Charlotte ordered a scoop of Traverse City Cherry (Natural cherry flavored ice cream with black cherries and cherry brandy sauce swirled throughout
) in a waffle cone. To my waffle cone I added Traverse City Cherry to a scoop of New Orleans Praline Pecan (Vanilla ice cream with pralined pecans in a rich caramel sauce swirled throughout). We sat and devoured our treats at one of their small tables in the store. Scrumptious!

We still had "time to kill" so we walked up to the Spanish Spring Square to sit in the sun and listen to the music played by today's featured group. Each of The Villages Town Squares has live music (5-9 pm) every day of the year. While there Charlotte had to dig for a Ricola lozenge for her sore throat.

We headed to "The Sharon" for the show at 4:30. Doors opened at 4 with the show at 5. Our seats were in the Mezzanine Section.

My last contact with "The Rascals" was working as a "Roadie" at a June 1967 show played in the hockey arena in my home town. Myself and a few friends were always playing "Scrub" baseball or some other sport at the park. We were asked to help with the stage setup for the show. In those days (before unions) teens did a lot of the odd jobs around the park and arena in exchange for "Time". In the winter the "Rink Rats" got free ice time (late at night) when there was no bookings. The other times of the year we often acted as ushers to events like wrestling or concerts. We got to watch for free once the show started.

We didn't get paid for setting up the stage for The Rascals. We did get into the show through a door that "Magically" opened.

I was thrilled with the performance. They were my favourite group at the time and "Groovin' "was #1 on the Hit Parade. I can remember during the concert being totally amazed (despite the old hockey barn's atrocious acoustics) that they sounded "just like the record".

Felix Cavaliere, the "King of Blued-Eyed Soul", has been making great music for over 50 years. A classically trained pianist, Felix is a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Songwriter Hall of Fame, Vocal Group Hall of Fame, and Grammy Hall of Fame. He helped define a generation and a musical style.

Early in 1965, FELIX CAVALIERE formed the "Young Rascals" with Dino Danelli, Eddie Brigati, and Gene Cornish. The name soon change to just "The Rascals". Their mega hit “Good Lovin’”hit #1 which was followed with a string of hits:  “I’ve Been Lonely Too Long”; “How Can I Be Sure”; “A Girl Like You”; “A Beautiful Morning” and “People Got to Be Free” (#1 in 1968). The Rascals are considered the best ‘blue-eyed soul’ group to come out of the 1960s, as well as one of the groups with the most record sales.

The Rascals disbanded in 1972. Felix continued on as a solo artist, songwriter and musical collaborator. Today he calls Nashville home base.

Small World Item #2

The opening act for the show in 1967 was a band that played mostly in the Ottawa, ON area. The Characters formed in 1964 under the name the Imperials which was then changed to the Imperial 5 because of the American band by the same name. Imperial 5 didn't quite "cut it". While trying to find a new name someone said they were "a bunch of characters". That settled it.

Ironically, this event in June 1967 was their last concert.

Meanwhile, back at today's show... it was excellent! The 80 minutes passed by too quickly. All the hits were played. As usual, the audience participated enthusiastically singing along to several songs.  Remember, we are from an era when the words made sense (except for "Louie, Louie") and the songs were heard on our media (Radio/TV) and memorized by all.

Small World Item #3

Perhaps I should ad "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida" to that list of "What?". Evidently, "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida" is what "In the Garden of Eden" sounds like after consuming a gallon of cheap red wine. After hearing then-lead singer Doug Ingle (Iron Butterfly) slur the words, the lyricist (Bushy)thought it was catchy and wrote it down that way. Rock's first heavy-metal classic was born (1968).

But, I digress (grin).

The trip back to OMS was a carbon copy of yesterday. We left with 2 minutes of the yesterday's time, took the same route and arrived just before dark.

Charlotte's throat is still sore and I am now in the "Sneezing Fit" phase.

We will be taking it easy for the next day or two.

Friday - 26 Feb/16

Still cool and breezy with clear blue skies and sunshine. This site will be cooler because it is virtually totally shaded. It will be more to heat on the colder days and less to cool when it gets hot. I will only have to put out the awning to shelter the patio from rain.

We have been really busy since arriving. Today will be a "Crash" day - at least for the morning.

After dinner we headed to Harbor Freight in Leesburg, FL to return the step stool I purchased yesterday. I thought the step would fold flat. It did not so we could not use it as a short step that we required for the motorhome at the new site.

We continued on to Spanish Springs to purchase tickets for tomorrow's (5 p.m.) "Felix Cavaliere's Rascals" concert. I would have purchased the tickets sooner; but when the concert was announced we didn't know if we would be back in Florida in time for the show.

We were able to get tickets for this show; however "Willie Nelson and Family" was sold out. (Actually, there is 1 ticket left - in the front row). Online resale tickets are going for 2 and 3 times face value. We may go the night of the show in case someone had to cancel.

We decided to have supper before heading back to OMS. We went to Outback's in Lady Lake, FL. There wasn't an empty seat; but the wait was short. Charlotte had ten ten...der (thought I was stuttering, eh! - grin) slices of Ahi Tuna and I had the 9 oz. Victoria's Filet (medium rare). Sadly, we were too full for dessert.

Being it was almost sunset we decided to take the 2 lane "Backway" to return to OMS. The clear skies meant we had enough residual light (dusk) to make it all the way back before it became totally dark.

Back to "Crash" day status in the motorhome in time for Jeopardy.

We will extend the "Crash" status through tomorrow until it is time to leave for the concert.

Thursday - 25 Feb/16

Cold front came in bringing the temps down to the mid-60's F. It was also quite windy. The good news is that it will be sunny for the next week and it will slowly warm up to high 70's F.

Bonus: Charlotte was able to wear the shawl Diane made for her this morning with the cool weather.

She was up and off to crafts for 9 a.m.

I really like our new site. We are on the "main drag" (St. Lawrence). With the Black Privacy Screens on the front windows we get to see all the action as folks are continually walking, jogging, bicycling, golf carting and driving by. They don't even know we are here. We can also get a distant view of the entrance road as well. We probably see 75% of the residents at some time or other as they pass.

We are at the end of Wabash so the view is open right down that street.

From the living area windows we get to check out the main street looking towards the craft hall and "Rally Area".

We get to view almost all the motorhomes, 5th Wheels and trailers as they go by on their way in or out of the park.

This is part of the park is a "No Dogs" section. That means dogs cannot even walk by in this area. No paws are allowed on the ground. Dog size must also be small in the area of the park in which they are allowed. We do get to see them occasionally as they go by in a bicycle basket or on a golf cart seat.

YAHOO!!! I'm grinning from ear-to-ear! I just discovered how to use my iPhone as a Wi-Fi Hotspot. This allows me to use my phone internet service data (unlimited) on my laptops.  No more Wi-Fi problems or delays. This is GREAT!!!

I was just trying to think of what to make for dinner today for when Charlotte returns from crafts. BRAIN DEAD! I just realized this is "Canada Day" in the Rec Hall from 12:30 - 3 p.m. and it is catered!

YAHOO!!! I just had to do that again. I am so happy I now have Wi-Fi that works. It took 3 hours last night to get on to do the blog. It took me 10 seconds today to do the same amount of picture uploads. Now it is almost instant. No more "Did Not Save" or "You Are Not Connected"  Messages.

Charlotte returned from crafts with a pair of Napkins. The semi-circle is folded into the napkin shape. Neat!

We left shortly after and walked to the Rec Hall for the Canada Day festivities. There were over 70 attendees mostly from Ontario. New Brunswick and Saskatchewan were also represented. There were some Canadians in the park that did not attend making the park population between 20-25% from Canada.

Instead of singing "O Canada" the event started with all rising and accompanying a "Highway of Heroes" video to the tune (subscripted) of Lee Greenwood's "God Bless You Canada". A few tears were shed.

When a member of our Canadian Armed Forces falls, his or her final journey is over a leg of Ontario’s Macdonald-Cartier Freeway, better known as Highway 401. This is the main transportation corridor linking Windsor with Quebec City. It crosses through some of the most densely populated areas in Canada. In 2007, a 170 kilometre portion of the highway stretching from CFB Trenton to the Don Valley Parkway (and later Keele Street) in Toronto was designated the "Highway of Heroes", reflecting its use as the route for funeral convoys carrying fallen Canadian Forces service men and women from CFB Trenton to the coroner’s office in Toronto. This designation honours those men and women who have made such a vital contribution to our way of life, and offers a wonderful opportunity to tell the story of Canadian Veterans.

The catered lunch serving went smoothly. The mashed potatoes and gravy were beyond excellent. It reminded me of a Diner we stopped at on Long Island, NY years ago. Several people came in and ordered Mashed w/Gravy to go. This was as good. The dessert (cupcakes) were killer good as well.

After the meal the drawings (must have been about 30) for door prizes took about a half hour.  The 50/50 draw proceeds will be "Seed Money" for next year's "Canada Day".

At crafts this morning Charlotte heard that JoAnn Fabrics was having a "Fat Quarters" sale (50% off). We headed there after Canada Day and (Surprise, Surprise) we met other park crafters buying Fat Quarters. Charlotte bought several as well as the remaining "Route 66" fabric that they had in stock (just in case).

My mission was to go to Harbor Freight to get a folding aluminum step stool. Levelling the RV on the cement pad on our new lot raised the last step too high off the ground to be "natural".

A quick stop on the way back to OMS at Publix for spaghetti and sauce ingredients and we still made it back in time for Jeopardy!

Charlotte made hot dogs for supper. I like "natural casing" style "dogs" w/Sub (Sandwich) buns. The "Sub" buns are tastier, a better fit for the "longer" dogs and cheaper as well.

A relaxing TV evening rounded out a busy day!

Wednesday - 24 Feb/16

I called Wally (Wally's Garage) first thing this morning to make an appointment to get the Del Sol fixed up. Wally is always so busy (it comes with giving good service). I was able to get an appointment in a week (next Wednesday at 8:30 a,m,). Until then I will use my "Heater/Rad" to keep the car "Cool" (Heater on full blast and all the windows down). I try to time the traffic lights so that I can keep the car moving. The air moving through the radiator keeps the Del Sol at the proper operating temperature. Being stopped for more than a few minutes without a functioning rad fan (electric) causes the temperature gauge to rise towards the danger level even with the heater on full blast.

Charlotte unpacked items we brought from home this morning while I spent set up the TV's. Same for the computers, emails, updates, etc. etc.

A little after 1 p.m. I dropped Charlotte off at the Rec Hall to check the craft material list for tomorrow's session.

I went to the office to pay for our site and get our new P.O. Box Key since we are at a new site (#81 on St. Lawrence). As usual, the help was friendly and fast. Linda helped us reserve this site for next year (Jan/Feb/Mar).

Our New Mailing Address:

1000 N Central Ave
Site #81 St. Lawrence
Umatilla, FL 32784
USA

While at the office we asked about purchasing "Canada Day" tickets for the event (tomorrow). They informed us that it was organized by Howard Simpkin and gave us his site number so that we could check on availability. The Simpkin's were away. We left a note with our phone number. We do hope we can purchase tickets to attend "Canada Day".

We then headed off for dinner.

Ooops! Detour: We stopped at "Sew What" in Umatilla, FL. We promised to bring Norlina a "Loonie" and "Twoonie" (Canadian $1 and $2 coins). She was so helpful when Charlotte used the store's Long Arm Quilting Machine to finish a two quilts.

While there Charlotte picked up material required for the upcoming craft session (tomorrow).

Once again, we were off to lunch.

Ooops again! Detour #2: A quick stop at JoAnn Fabrics for matching and contrasting thread for tomorrow's craft project. Charlotte also found some black yarn (to knit me a pair of socks). Whoopee!

Now we were really off to have lunch! (again). Charlotte's choice today: Ichiban (Oriental Buffet) in Leesburg, FL. Charlotte likes the Sushi and raw ginger! I try a little bit of almost everything starting with the "Hot and Sour" soup.

After lunch we stopped at our usual Publix (Eustis, FL) to restock our pantry. We also bought a Powerball ticket. As they say... "You Never Know?" (Who couldn't use a few hundred million dollars?)

While there a voicemail message notice appeared on my phone. We rarely get an incoming phone call on our Roam Mobility service. Most incoming calls go directly to voicemail which appear sometime after the fact. We don't even hear it ring. Outgoing calls are no problem.

The call was from Howard Simpkin. He was responding to the note we had left at his RV earlier in the afternoon. We were "In Luck"! A couple had to cancel and we were able to buy their tickets to the "Canada Day" event in the Rec Hall (Tomorrow).

We went directly to Howard's site and were able to confirm our reservations for tomorrow. The "Canada Day" function is catered and requires tickets be purchased in advance. We appreciated Howard's effort to contact us. (Everyone also appreciates the organizational effort required for this event - it is always a lot of fun.)

We then returned to the motorhome and unpacked the groceries.

We started our TV evening with "Final Jeopardy". Then I spent more than 3 hours trying to get on the internet to do today's blog. I was able to type the info; however I was not able to upload pictures. It would just stall out! Suddenly, after 11 p.m. it began to function (for all of 5 minutes). I managed to load all the pictures except one. A half hour of changing Wi-Fi towers finally allowed me to finish uploading the last picture. Another twenty minutes was required to Save and Publish the blog.

Time for bed - Charlotte's had an hour and a half head start.

Tuesday - 23 Feb/16

Up and at the Super 8 breakfast area by 6 a.m. On the road by 6:30 a.m.

It was easy travelling with little morning traffic as we were going away from the greater Richmond area. It was raining lightly and this continued for most of the morning. There were a few heavier downpours for short periods. Most of the travelling was in a very light mist until noon.

As usual, we took the I-295 (East) towards JAX Beaches to by-pass Jacksonville, FL. Again, like Richmond, it is only a few miles longer; but actually quicker with less traffic.

We get off I-95 south of Jacksonville taking SR-207 to Palatka, FL. then connect to US-19 all the way to OMS. This is a really relaxing route for the final stage. Not much traffic and the shorter distance makes the time about the same (or less).

The lowest price for gas was in SC ($1.45 per US gallon). At an average of 70 mph the Del Sol was getting 40 miles per US gallon. The car was running perfectly; but that was to change.

In Palatka we noticed the temp gauge was rising sharply while we waited at the stoplights. The gauge would go back to normal when we got moving at a steady rate. It looks like the rad fan (electric) had called it quits. I can't complain - it's a 21 year old car.

The office was closed at OMS; however we knew our site number (81). This is a new site about a block from out last location. Ron was on night duty. I met him at the RV storage area and he expertly guided me to our site. We were set up at our new location before dark.

Once everything was set up we started the motorhome A/C as it was 80 F and humid. We decided to go to Chili's for supper.

To keep the car from overheating I put the heater on full heat (on defrost) and turn the blower to the top speed. This way it acts just like the rad by removing enough engine temperature to keep the car from overheating at the stop lights. Naturally, we had the windows down to keep from roasting.

We will be here at OMS for at least a month. We may stay longer. We will decided later this month. We always take a few weeks to travel and visit various destinations on out way back home.

Monday - 22 Feb/16

Up and on our way South to OMS (Olde Mill Stream RV Resort) in Umatilla, FL by 5:45 a.m.

Hwy 401 from home to Ivy Lea Bridge to the USA. I-81 to I-66 (East). US-17 through Warrenton, VA (using the By-Pass then the "Flyover" to Fredericksburg, VA) to I-95 South.

Clear travelling all the way to our planned destination at the Super 8  (S. Crater Road location) in Petersburg, VA. Easy on and off. We like Super 8 for the 6 a.m. (serve yourself) breakfast.

I choose to travel longer today in order to get past Richmond, VA. This way  we wouldn't be in a morning rush hour through Richmond. Going around Richmond (I-295 East towards I-64 direction) is the best way to by-pass Richmond.

We walked across the parking lot to Pizza Hut for supper.

We were asleep by 9 p.m.

Sunday - 21 Feb/16

With a big storm arriving mid-week our current plans are to leave tomorrow morning (Monday) at 6 a.m.

Friday - 19 Feb/16

We really know how to pick 'em. We got home to -40 Below Temps and the most snow EVER in a 24 hour period (over 50 cm).

It is not like we had a choice. We had to be home at least 24 hours in our home province for our "Out-of-Country" Medical Insurance to re-new or we would have been out of coverage. Our 95 days was almost up. After a 24 hours stay it recycles and it is good again for 95 days in a row. It is cheaper to return home than pay thousands to extend it the same length of time.

Nothing could be done until Tuesday of the next week at the earliest. Monday was "Family Day" in Ontario and all stores, etc. were closed. During the week I had to do banking and place an order for the medicine needed for the months we will be south again.

We have no home phone, cell phone, TV or internet while at home as all is shut off until we return in May. I went to Liz's to use their Wi-Fi and Kat has lent me her cell phone until we leave. Thankfully our kids are close (in all ways).

My cousin's wife, Diane, graciously came and helped Charlotte solve a knitting problem (a 5 needle sock pattern). Charlotte was thrilled that Diane got her on the right path.

We also had a chance to go out for supper at the Cornwall Legion with our good friends Helene and Ron, who we also missed dearly while away.

Another day for banking and returning to pick up our medicine and soon a week had past.

Now it is a matter of checking the weather to make a safe trip back to Florida.

We are not sure if there will be a spot at the park when we return and take the motorhome out of storage. Otherwise, we will be on the road to somewhere;

I will try to start up the blog when we return and have Wi-Fi.

Until then....

Friday - 12 Feb/16

Breakfast and on the road by 6:30 a.m. again today.

We were glad to be on our way as a storm would be coming through later in the day. (We found out later that I-95 was closed later due to a 40 vehicle pile up in a whiteout.) We are glad we decided to go all the way to Fredericksburg the first day.

Our route from Fredericksburg was through Warrenton, Va then on I-66 West to I-81 North which we followed all the way to Canada. All was clear (roads only - the sky was cloudy) until Watertown, NY. Highway signs from Syracuse, NY to Watertown warned of  "Lake Effect Snow and Whiteouts possible until Saturday at 7 a.m."

All was fine until Watertown when it started to snow heavily with the occasional whiteout. I had hoped it would get better once we crossed the St. Lawrence River into Canada. It just got worse.

Hwy 401 Westbound was closed and Eastbound was only moving a 30 kmph (less than 20 mph). We followed a bus in the slow lane. It, like us,  had it's 4-way flashers on. It took us more than 3 times the normal travel time for this section to make it home. We arrived safely at 6:06 p.m. Happy to be home safely.

Thursday - 11 Feb/16

We stayed overnight in the motorhome which was in storage. We were up and on the road by 6:30 a.m. Two 750 mile driving days will get us home.

On our way to I-95 we were delayed by a transport accident. The truck/trailer was on it's side and the driver was helicoptered to hospital. We were delayed about 20 minutes. No other vehicle appeared to be involved.

We were on the I-295 (Eastern side) going around Jacksonville when we spotted the highway and the on-ramp traffic stopped. Luckily we were able to exit and went north for a few miles on city roads before taking a route to I-95 Northbound.  The accident had just happened and emergency equipment was passing us in the other direction. We could have lost a few hours here; but were lucky to spot the backup in time to exit.

All clear (roads and skies) to our night stop at the Super 8 in Fredericksburg, VA. We pick Super 8 because they have a 6 a.m. self-serve breakfast which gets us on our way quickly in the morning. We picked Fredericksburg to get us past Richmond, VA and off I-95 for starting the next day

Wednesday - 10 Feb/16

This is the coldest week of the year; however with the clear skies and sunshine it is better than having clouds and rain.

Charlotte completed the matching "Route 66" pillowcases for the T-shirt quilt. Really neat!

After checking the weather network forecasts yesterday we realize they had changed significantly and we had to move up our departure to get home.

We had made an appointment at Sew What to use the long arm quilting machine for Thursday morning at 9 a.m. Realizing we had to leave on Thursday because of the weather change we called Norlina to cancel our appointment.

Norlina, true to her helpful nature, said she would see if she could squeeze us in. She called back after 10 a.m. as the morning reservations (2 quilts) had been completed and if we came immediately we could do the quilt before the next quilter arrives.

In less than 20 minutes Charlotte was getting ready to quilt her "Scrap Quilt".

Charlotte guided the long arm quilting machine and finished the quilt just as the next quilter arrived. Now she will be able to take the quilt home instead of having to complete it when we return. We really appreciated Norlina going the "extra mile stitch" for us.

A quick meal at McD's and we were back at the park shortly after the noon hour. The rest of the day will be spent preparing the RV for storage. Since we will be there shortly the blog will be published before we go off "the grid". We will be "Dry Camping" in the RV overnight and leave early tomorrow morning for home.

The blog will continue when we return with a few weeks.

Tuesday - 9 Feb/16

Today is Mardi Gras (Fat Tuesday in French). The name reflects the practice of eating richer, fatty foods before the ritual fasting of the Lenten (Christian) season begins on Ash Wednesday.

Related popular practices are associated with Shrovetide celebrations before the fasting and religious obligations associated with the Penitential season of Lent begin. In countries such as England, Mardi Gras is also known as Shrove Tuesday, which is derived from the word shrive, meaning "Confess". In Canada, which is officially bilingual (English/French) it goes by either title depending on your language (Eng/Fr) and religious (Catholic/Protestant) affiliations.

We also called it "Pancake Tuesday" as this was a traditional meal for the day. Fried breads or pastries made with sugar, fat, and eggs are also traditionally consumed at this time in many parts of Latin America and the Caribbean. We use all three designations interchangeably.

Similar to New Year's Resolutions whereby folks commit to fulfilling a certain promised task, during the Lenten Season many promise to "Abstain" from certain pleasures through fasting as a form of penance.

Like my New Year's Resolution (Sustain Regular and Rhythmic Breathing) I try to set easily attainable goals. For Lent I will give up eating caviar and truffles. (grin)

If you get to New Orleans don't miss Blaine Kerns Mardi Gras World (any time of year). Here you will go behind the scenes and learn about the world of the Mardi Gras. This one-of-a-kind tour will let you experience an important part of the history and culture of New Orleans. We took the Canal Street Ferry and the Mardi Gras World Shuttle to the tour. It was a great time with lots of Yellow, Purple and Green (traditional colours).

In 1703 French settlers in Mobile, AL established the first Mardi Gras celebration. This was even before the area was even a part of the USA. New Orleans didn't have it's first celebration until 1837. Our favourite place to celebrate a Mardi Gras Parade was in Fairhope, AL. This celebration is totally family oriented without the mass chaos and rowdiness of the larger festivities. We had a lot of fun at their parade collecting an easy 10 lbs. of thrown beads.

Of course, Mardi Gras/Carnival is also an "Anything Goes" time of costumed celebration in many countries throughout the world. Party On, Dude!

The Wi-Fi was so poor that after running the computer all night it was still unable to get my iPhone updated. I got up at 6 a.m. and it still took 2 hours to do what would have been a few minutes work back home. I had to keep changing Wi-Fi transmitters when the signal dropped off and was eventually successful. This success was a mixed blessing - there was good news and there was bad news.

The good news is that I was finally able to update the interstate weather predictions. The bad news is that everything changed since Sunday. We thought we would be leaving and be home on the weekend; but now the best weather back to Canada means we will be leaving on Thursday. This also means Charlotte will have to cancel her Thursday appointment for using the long arm quilting machine at Sew What.

Today will be a prep day for going home. I went to the office and made arrangements to move the RV to the storage area tomorrow. We will "Dry Camp" there overnight and depart early Thursday morning.

Tonight's TV with Jeopardy, NCIS and NCIS NOLA will be our last. The blog will also be suspended until we return. No schedule for returning, It will be at least a week and most likely longer. Much will depend on the driving conditions.