Day 139 – Tuesday, November 12, 2013

Today, Julie and I were adjusting to life in a real house with real amenities and real friends. It’s funny how we adjusted to living in 172 square feet of RV (Julie notes “with few amenities and no friends, unless we count each other, which would be weird right?”) The transition to a real house makes us appreciate it even more. Julie notes “One of the things I do miss about the camper is being able to sit in the bathroom and rest my forehead on the wall while I ‘think’. I can only do this at Bill and Mary Ann’s if I sit sideways on the toilet. Note to self ‘Not a good idea.’ After living so long on battery powered dim lighting we are enjoying the feeling of 24 hours of daylight by turning on (and leaving on) all of the Smith’s lights. They sure have a lot! With the glow of their house lights in the background we sat around the Pearcy outdoor spool (spa pool) placing bets on what the final power bill will be. It was fun. Feeling enlightened this also makes it easier for our version of late night parkour (click the link if you don’t know what parkour is) as we jump between counters and furniture trying not to touch our feet on the ground. Don’t worry Bill and Mary Ann, we keep our shoes on for safety reasons and have moved any valuable items to the front driveway out of harm’s way.”

The girls planned a shopping afternoon at one of the outdoor mall areas. Julie notes “With Brenda at the wheel we took a bit of a scenic route to the outdoor mall. Apparently it had been moved since last time they were here and replaced by a condo complex or so she told us. Undaunted with a few more twists and turns the outdoor mall was located. I soon realized I had been drawn into to a semi-professional shopping competition. A map was routed, meeting places assigned, hydration and bathroom breaks sorted out, credit cards warmed up. I realized quickly I was out of my league. Maureen was first out of the gate with a purchase of several pairs of pretty summer shoes. She then pulled out her secret shopping weapon, Brenda, who apparently sidelines as a professional shopper in her spare time. Long story short, Maureen won the competition in all ways and came home with some awesome outfits. We were treated to a Maureen modelling show and all agreed that she was the rightful champion of the Shop til You Drop day.”

Dan helped me move the truck and camper to a storage facility before we headed to the same outdoor mall. Julie notes “Now wasn’t that just ‘Dan-dy’! (I told Dan I was going to have to use that joke. No-one has ever made that pun using his name before I bet.)” We will be storing the camper here over the wintertime and driving the truck home after a little 4000 km detour to southern Ontario. Julie notes “Yes we will be saying goodbye to our little casita after spending the majority of the past 139 days in our cozy little cocoon. (Literally there may be some cocoons in there.) The iTunes backed our Ontario bound decision by playing ‘This Old House’, ‘My Old Man’s a Dustman’, ‘May the Circle be Unbroken’, ‘Good Mother’, ‘Country Roads, take me home’, ‘I Wanna Go Home’ and many others. Decision made.”

Julie notes “The following is a brief summary of Brad and Dan’s man date. Once back home (and after a few drinks) we were treated to many more details of their time together. It was nice they had each other to bounce fashion ideas off of. All in all a successful first date.”

Dan introduced me to the Total Wine store. A huge outlet for beer, wine, and spirits. It is really amazing how much stock they carry from around the world. We checked out Dick’s Sports store (Julie notes “Notice I am refraining from the obvious big Dick jokes. So basically making this post Dickless. I know, I’m pretty proud of myself too.)” and then Barnes and Noble before heading over to Brio Tuscan Grille where we arranged to all meet for dinner. Harvey and Dale also joined us at the restaurant. It was a great meal with some great people. Julie notes “Delicious food and great service and the company was the best!”

Checking out the menu with a few cocktails.

The lab girls, Julie and Lola (Kelly M.) Julie notes “One of these gals was Miss Pipette 1979. And the other Miss Bunsen Burner 1978. It will take a real lab test to figure out who’s who.”

Dan, Brenda, and Maureen.

Harvey and Dale.

Some of the group.

Julie notes “Some of our favourite wildlife right here outside the door.”

…over and out, the muleskinner and his sidekick

Julie notes “The effect of Dan and Maureen’s spool, plus a few glasses of wine has unleashed some pent up adventure details. Turns out Brad and I may have not been on the same trip these past few months because a lot of our details don’t mesh. Hopefully we get that ironed out before we encounter the next group of friends/relatives. Rule of thumb though, when there is a discrepancy, my recollection is always the correct one. Thanks Arizona friends for being the first test audience.”

“Julie notes “Kelly M. vacation update: Kelly, you continue to have a grand time and are extremely appreciative of the beautiful accommodations and great weather and good friends. Your massage was great but you are carrying a lot of stress as you are extra naughty or was that knotty? Either way, you have booked a follow up massage for later this week. Have a good look at your before picture above because tomorrow you won’t recognize yourself in the mirror after your age rejuvenating facial. And after a day of shopping you are ready for the gym, the office and a nice little red or green number for the upcoming Christmas season. You did not find your perfect size 5 shoes after an extensive search but did replace your Portugal trip flip flops. Your petite tootsies have always been a curse.”