Although we have not gone down that far again, it has still remained pretty cold lately and we have had snow although not as much as usual. One day we had freezing rain which was horrible. These are photos of the car after driving 75km in it.

Ice rain

Yesterday we had snow and heavy winds which caused havoc on the roads and made for a very slow journey home. Whilst sitting watching TV last night it was snowing outside but we also has thunder and lightening. How weird is that?

Because of the ice and snow I have been using the Tuscan to drive in as it is better in these conditions than our new Veloster. It is a shame as since we got it we have only done 1300km. I’m sure it will make up for it during the summer.

We arrived mid day on Friday 15th July 2011 and parked pretty close to the fairground – parking was free. We had to walk over a walkway which crossed over the main road to get the the fairground area where the event was taking place.

The entrance fee was $17 and I was a little frustrated that they did not offer multi-day tickets. We had to purchase tickets for this day then come back the next and buy them again. We purchased a program too which was $5 but every hour a number was drawn to win $100. Our program number was 10041 and 10033 got drawn – so close yet so far!

We decided to use this afternoon to wander round and get to know where everything was and the come back the next day to take photos etc. The heat was almost unbearable – well into the 90′s, so we drank plenty of water and had several ice creams. The prices for food, beverages etc was very good and did not seem to be inflated for the show.

Anyway, this is a car show and boy did they have cars. Apparently there were over 6,000 there and I can well believe it. I have never seen so many custom cars, hot rods, classics etc. They came in every style and every colour.

I was hoping we would win the lottery whilst we were there so we could buy a few, but it was not to be. A good proportion of the cars on show were for sale, so if you are in this market it was definitely the place to be.

In addition to the cars were hundreds of vendors selling everything a car enthusiast could want from engine parts, to t-shirts. There were some odd vendors there too selling baths and windows – but they didn’t look busy!

We did not get around the whole site during the first afternoon as it got too hot and we decided to go to our hotel and come back the following morning.

The Saturday was busier as we had expected as more people were off work, but because we got there early the heat was almost bearable. We went row by row through the cars and I think we saw pretty much all of them. It was an amazing couple of days and we cannot wait to go back again next year.

There was a also some special guests from Happy Days, signing autographs etc. Joanie was there as was Henry Winkler aka Fonz. He was definitely the most popular and people were lining up for ages to see him. I didn’t other but managed to get a very good photo of him anyway.

Henry Winkler - Fonz at Syracuse Nationals

A brilliant show for car fans, even if like us you know nothing about the actual vehicles, you just admire their beauty.

More photos can be seen in my photo gallery:

We set off on Wednesday 29th at around 8:30am and took a steady drive to Boston. We stopped off a few times en route and had dinner before entering the Boston area. We reached our hotel at about 7pm and checked into our king room which was very nice.

The following day was our anniversary so we set off in the morning for Boston. As promised the hotel provided a shuttle bus to the local T station which is the subway into Boston. It took ten mins to reach the station, then we waited five minutes for the train and then another 15 mins into Boston. Very easy journey.

We had decided to try to get a ticket for the Duck Tours to get an overview of the city before trying to get around ourselves. The Duck tours are amphibious vehicles that drive you around the city then enter the water and become a boat. We had to get tickets from the Museum of Science and got there at 9:50 am and managed to get tickets for a Duck tour at 10:30.

We waited outside for the tour where several ducks were waiting. When the time came we had our photos taken and boarded the duck. There are about 30 different ducks and we were on one called Arbourway Alex a white flowery one. Every duck is captained by men and women who act our different personalities and themes. We had Jason the Argonaut who dressed in a short white toga.

Jason was a very funny and entertaining guy who narrated throughout the tour pointing out all the sights. Every so often someone on the street would quack at us and we quaked back. The tour took us all around the city from the commercial district, financial district, Copely Square, USS Constitution, Prudential Centre, Boston Common and then into the Charles River.

Once we got into the water Jason let some of the children on board drive the duck and took pictures of them driving. The tour lasted 80 minutes in total and was fun and entertaining.

When we got back to the museum we decided to go back to the Copley Square area as it looked nice from the duck, we also wanted to go up the Prudential Building to get a view from the top. As it was so hot we decided to get the T to Copley. Once we got there we wandered around, took photos and then strolled round to the Prudential Building.

The Prudential has a shopping area on the ground floor, but on the 50th floor there is the Skywalk where you can see magnificent views of the city and many miles surrounding it. Take a look at my photo album to see the views.

We spent the rest of the day wandering round Boston and trying not to get too fried by the sun. We had dinner at the Beantown Pub which was awful and definitely to be avoided.

On Friday we decided to minimize our walking as our feet still ached from the day before. We got in the car and drove down to Providence in Rhode Island. We did not know the city so took pot luck in where we parked which ended up being in a shopping mall. We had a coffee there and then took a stroll along the river which was lovely. After a hour or so just wandering we decide to go back to the mall for lunch and then we left and drove down to the coast. We intended to drive into Cape Cod, but at one intersection the traffic going onto the only road which goes into the Cape was absolutely at a stand still, so we decided to change our plans and turned round and went up the Atlantic coast towards Plymouth instead. We forgot it was July 4th weekend and everyone in the area seemed to be travelling to Cape Cod!

We drove without too much traffic to Plymouth, found somewhere to park and wandered down to the beach. Here they have a replica of the Mayflower called the Mayflower II which you can tour. We had done this in 2004, so didn’t do it again but we still got some pics of the ship.

Once again the weather was stunning but very hot, so we wandered along the coast then went into town to see the shops. After awhile we got hungary so went into a restaurant called the Lobster Pot. It was not what we had expected but instead more like a fast food restaurant for fish. However we ordered our food and it was very nice – haddock & chips for Chris and fried shrimp and chips for me.

Afte wandering the town some more and having some very nice ice cream from a local vendor we decided it was time to make our way back to the hotel. By this time our feet were really killing us from all the walking we had done over the two days.

On Saturday we decided to have a driving day to save our feet a little, so we headed north this time. We went into New Hampshire and drove round a large lake they have there called Lake Winnipesaukee. The views were lovely, lakes on side and mountains the other. We stopped off at a place called Wolfboro which is a quaint little town.We had lunch at the Wolfboro Diner and it was very nice. We then strolled round the town and had ice cream whilst looking out across the lake.

Once we finished in Wolfboro we decided to travel across to Maine and drove down the coast. We then entered New Hampshire again then Massachusetts and drove to Gloucester, then after stopping for dinner here we drove back to the hotel.

Unfortunately Saturday night was our last night and in Sunday we had to drive home. Overall we had a great few days in and around Boston. Now back to reality….

More photos can be viewed in my photo album.

On Monday we didn’t do much other than catching up on things, doing washing and just hanging out. It was Victoria Day here so not much open anyway. On Tuesday we set off in the morning for a trip to the USA. We crossed the border at Thousand Islands and although Chris and I have our visa waivers the girls had to get theirs. It wasn’t very busy there and so we were through in about 20 mins and into the USA.

We stopped off at Syracuse and visited the Carousel Centre where we all spent a few hours shopping. Stacey found Abercrombie & Finch and was very happy. We left the centre late afternoon and traveled to Buffalo where we had booked hotel rooms for two nights. The girls had wanted to go to Canada’s Wonderland last week, but due to the bad weather at the beginning of the week couldn’t, so we suggested Darian Lakes instead. We planned to go the following day, however upon arrival at the hotel discovered it was only open at the weekends. We decided to go out for dinner and decide what to do after.

We went to a great restaurant a short walk from the hotel, had a fabulous meal which was very cheap considering the huge plates of food we got! We then all went back to our room at the hotel to discuss what to do the next day. We had always thought that the American side of Niagara Falls was inferior to Canada and so had never been, but decided as we were so close it would be silly not to.

So the next morning we met for breakfast and then travelled to Niagara Falls for the day. We purchased a Discovery Pass at the information centre for $33 each and off we went.

First we went on the Maid of the Mist boat ride. We had done this before, but it really is the best way to experience the falls so it had to be done. Also it was included in the ticket price. This is me and the girls in our best outfits!

After the Maid of the Mist we went to the Cave of the Winds walk. We weren’t sure what to expect from this but it was brilliant. Once again you are given rain coats (yellow this time) and you have to wear the footwear provided. They give you a plastic bag to put your own shoes in to keep them dry. You then walk along a walkway underneath the falls. This is also a nesting colony for gulls and so there are thousands of gulls in the cliffside. We saw lots of chicks in their nests which were really cute.

The walkway takes you right under the falls and you do get very very wet, but it is awesome. This is Stacey & Amy getting wet.

We then wandered around the area as there is some beautiful parkland and of course stunning scenery. You can stand on the edge in between the American Falls and the Bridal Falls and literally be part of the waterfall. We felt that this side of the falls was in fact much better than the Canadian side as you get to be a real part of the whole thing.

We also went to the Niagara Aquarium, which to be honest was pretty poor and not really worth the effort, but again it was included in the ticket price. All in all we had a brilliant day in Niagara Falls, NY and I would recommend anyone in the area to visit and not miss out on what the American side has to offer.

We ate again at the same restaurant that night and after a terrible night at the hotel (Do not stay at the Comfort Inn University it is terrible) we then went across the border at Rainbow Bridge and back into Canada.

We then spent the day in Niagara Falls again, but this time in Ontario. When we got there it was very misty and the falls were almost invisible so we decided to go to the Butterfly Conservatory first to let the mist clear. There are thousands of free flying butterflies here and we always love to visit. It was the girls first time here and they loved it too. This is Stacey with one of the butterflies.

When we came out of the Butterflies we drove down to the falls and parked in the car park then wandered over to the falls. Took lots of photo of the Canadian Falls as well as the American/Bridal Falls from Canada. Then we walked down to Clifton Hill.

The girls wanted to go to Ripley’s believe it or Not, so we all went. It was very interesting with lots of interesting facts. Our ticket also included the wax museum and the movie theatre, so we did those too. The wax museum was hilarious. Every wax figure had a name tag on, and believe me they were needed. I have never seen so many bad models in my life. Having been to Taussauds in London many times, this place is just a laugh and needs to be viewed that way. The 4D movie experience was pretty good though.

This is Chris auditioning for Star Trek. Yes that really is Spock and Captain Kirk – honestly!

After wandering round town we went to Bird Kingdom and spend an hour admiring the many birds here. It had changed from the last time we went and there was another room with some parrots and lizards etc. Worth a visit if you like birds.

After this we went to Planet Hollywood for dinner. The girls loved their lasagna but Chris and I were very disappointed in our meals which cost twice as much as the restaurant in Buffalo but nowhere as good.

When we left the restaurant it had been raining so we walked back to the car (approx. 2km). During the walk it started to rain again and by the time we got to it we were all totally soaked. After this it was a drive back to home via Toronto which turned out to be a doddle, traffic-wise. We sailed through and got home in about 3.5 hours.

Friday we went into Belleville so the girls could spend the last of their money and then went home where they cooked us lasagna which was vey nice.

Saturday was the last day and as their flight was not until midnight, we were able to spend the day together before setting off at about 6pm for the airport. Once again traffic was great and we arrived at the airport at 8:20. The girls checked in their luggage to get rid of it then we all sat in the restaurant and had drinks before they had to leave. This was the worst bit – the goodbyes. Lots of hugs and tears and we finally had to say goodbye at around 10pm. The drive home was very sad and quiet.

Sunday the house seemed deserted and we already missed them being around. We hope that they can come back soon, although work commitments for them means it will not be until next year unless we win the lottery before then.

Phoned my aunt and uncle on Monday morning and told them all about the visit. They were very happy for us all but also jealous that they were not here. Once again we are all awaiting that lottery win!

Final photo of Chris & the girls.

On Sunday our daughter Stacey and her girlfriend Amy were due to arrive from the UK for a long-awaited two week trip. On Sunday morning we started the day with a phone call to my aunt and uncle in Spain who seem as excited as us regarding our visitors although I think they wish it was them coming here. Soon I hope!

Anyway, we set off for Toronto having looked on the web at traffic conditions to see everything was moving great and with it being a Sunday we hoped it would stay that way. Well, traffic was great up until we got right into Toronto on the 401 when it stopped. Apparently there is construction along the route and lanes were closed and everything was getting snarled up. At one point we were only a few km’s from the airport but at a total standstill and wondering if we would ever get there.

Stacey & Amy’s plane was due in at 5:10 and we eventually got to the airport just before this. We knew it would probably take them an hour to get through customs so had plenty of time in the end, especially as the plane actually landed at 5:22. As it was they didn’t come through arrivals till 7:10. We were beginning to wonder if they were even on the plane!  Lots of hugs and kisses and we were finally all reunited and ready for the long drive home. Although traffic was congested on the way home we didn’t encounter too many delays and got home late evening. After a little more chatting we all went to bed exhausted.

Monday rain was forecast all day and as the girls were still a little tired we decided to pop into Belleville, especially as Amy had never been before so Stacey wanted to show her the lay of the land. We also went grocery shopping for things the girls wanted. The rest of the day was spend just chatting and general stuff.

On Tuesday more rain was forecast which put paid to our plan of going to Toronto Zoo. So instead we went to Kingston for a little shopping and a drive round the city and a scenic route drive home.

The weather for Wednesday was again rain for Belleville and Toronto, so we decided to go east to Ottawa for the day. Stacey had loved Ottawa last time she was here and was eager to show Amy all the sights. We took the scenic route via highway 7 and encountered showers, but by the time we got to the city it was warm and dry. We all ventured over to the canal, then Parliament Hill where lots of photos were taken. This is Stacey (right) and Amy outside the Parliament buildings.

We then went across to Byward Market and at this point we decided to split up and meet later. We wandered around the mall for a couple of hours and then the market and had dinner at The Exchange which was very nice. After some more walking we decided to get a Tim’s at the food court and came across the girls. They had eaten at the Hard Rock Cafe. All of us had done what we needed to do and so decided to head home once beverages had been consumed. As we left Ottawa it started to rain, so our timing was perfect.

On Thursday we drove the girls to Toronto as we had booked them into a hotel for a few nights so they could explore the city. In order not to waste the day we all went to Toronto Zoo as the weather promised to be a bit better. As it turned out the weather was magnificent. Bright sunshine, temps in the 20′s, in fact almost too hot. I know it sounds silly but I had really forgotten what it felt like to be out in the heat.

The drive into the city after the zoo was pretty uneventful, but the DVP leaving the city was like a car park, so we decided when we returned home we would take a different route. We dropped the girls off at the hotel after checking them in at around 4:30 and after a detour though the city, hit the 401. Guess what – standstill again. After we got past the main toronto area it thinned out and we picked up speed, but then near Ajax it stopped again. In the end we didn’t get home untill 8pm, just in time for the last episode of The Big Bang Theory.

Yesterday (Friday) we didn’t do too much. I went shopping to stock up the cupboards and Chris tried to fix Stacey’s laptop for her. Alas it seemed it was a futile attempt and he decided it would be easier to give her one of our old laptops. So he spent the rest of the day transferring stuff from one to another etc.

Today Saturday, I have been spring cleaning and Chris is on his tractor mowing the lawn. Once again the weather is stunning, lets hope it stays like that for next week.

I feel so bloody useless. I am trying to offer as much support as I can to Chris whilst coping with my own feelings, neither of which I appear to be doing very well. Neither of us knows really how we feel or how we should be coping. This is so different to loosing a parent or grandparent and it seems so senseless. One minute you feel reasonably okay, then bam it hits you all over again.

The autopsy did not reveal a cause of death and so far it is looking like she simply went to sleep and never woke up. The best possible way for anyone to leave this world, but all the more devastating to those left behind as we cannot see a reason for it. A few more tests are going to be carried out which might shed some light, but who knows.

It is at times like this though when friends and family really show their true colours and ours have been wonderful. We have had so many people expressing their sympathy and support  in many different ways. It doesn’t make anything better but it certainly helps.

There have been lots and lots of phone calls to and from the UK and to make everything worse a volcano erupted in Iceland spewing out volcanic ash and grounding all air traffic to and from the UK, so we cannot get there at all. More than anything we want to be able to give support to Stacey, Chris’s other daughter who is suffering badly. Hopefully she will be able to come over to us for a couple of weeks in the future. She is being amazingly strong for her mum and we are very proud of her and love her to bits. All in all this is a really bad time for us all.

We stopped off at Perth for the obligatory Tim’s and on route we stopped off at an outdoor shopping area, visited an outlet centre and had dinner. We then drove to our hotel which was the Hampton Inn where we have stayed a few times before. This hotel is very nice and although not in the centre of the city there is a bus which stops just along the road which takes you straight into town in about 20 mins. The fare is $3 each person each way which is cheaper than paying for all day parking in the city – and easier to navigate.

Here is a quick snap of the hotel room I took with my little pocket camera.

We stayed at the hotel that evening and didn’t really do much at all. The following day after a nice free breakfast we got the bus into town and spent the day wandering round the mall, the street and of course around the Parliament area. We also wandered around the locks and took a nice walk alongside the water. Eventually we had dinner in town and then went back to the hotel with very sore feet, then chilled.

The next morning after breakfast we made our way back home via Ikea. All in all a very nice weekend. The weather stayed lovely. It was warm and dry and since our visit we have had cold, wet weather, so good timing.

The first cache was along a country road running along side the lake which meant we had great views as we travelled. It got very exciting as we neared the spot and then pulled over to the side of the road to investigate. Because of geocaching etiquette I can not give anything away which would disclose the position of the cache. The only thing I will say is the exact co-ordinates were slightly off and hubby went off to the left to get closer to the coordinates and whilst he did I found it pretty much where we had parked. Very easy. Here is a close up pic of me with the cache. I have cropped it a lot in order to avoid giving away the position.

This is therefore our first ever geocache find.

Next we followed our way to another cache which was in a graveyard. Clues led us to a certain spot then we had to find the cache. Once again I was the one to spot it – again I cannot reveal where – I like all this cloak and dagger stuff! Two caches down.

Next we went to another graveyard for the third cache of the day. This one however was not so easy. We had to find a certain point in the graveyard from which to find the cache. We could not find the actual point and when we used the exact coordinates given it led us outside into the road. We assumed that whoever set the coordinates did so from their car outside and not from the actual cache point. After a long time searching we gave up and put it down to our inexperience – we can try it again another time.

Next we went off to our fourth geocache of the day – another graveyard. This took a bit of searching but once we realized  where it would be I found it quite easily – yes me again. OH always says that I am not very observant and could pass him in the street and not notice. This is probably true, however I do seem to have a knack of finding small camouflaged 35mm film canisters hidden in strange places!

After all this treasure hunting we went to Montanas for dinner and then home. Hubby registered our finds on the geocaching website once home.

I definitely now have the geocaching bug and immediately went to the website to download even more caches – trouble is it has rained pretty much constantly since our first trip, so we are having to wait for the next one.

We finally ordered and received our new geocaching GPS unit and even have a book – Complete idiots Guide to Geocaching – so there is no stopping us now. As we tend to go on drives to no where in particular during the summer we thought we may as well go geocaching as we travel. For anyone not aware of geocaching it is like a high tech treasure hunt which is now really popular all over the world. So now we will drive aimlessly with a purpose!

We are just getting used to the GPS unit and looking into the etiquette of it all and we will get started. We have to buy some bits and pieces to leave in the caches etc, so we will soon be on our way. I will no doubt bore you all with tales of what we find as we go along!

Talking of tales or tails – most of the squirrels in our garden seem to be pregnant – well the females at any rate. The males just have smiles on their faces! None seem to be nesting in our bird boxes yet as they did last year, but no doubt we will soon be seeing tiny squirrels in the garden.

The killdeer look to be having another set of chicks as only one is patrolling the front garden – the other is presumably on the nest. We have observed them having gratuitous sex in the garden – for all to see – they have no shame! So hopefully all the x-rated stuff will produce some more babies who will hopefully fare better than the first batch.

Here is a pic of the bridge which goes from Belleville to Prince Edward County.

And some more of the waterfront area.

Last night I happened to be looking out of the window into the garden when I spotted the male grosbeak and his wife. Then I noticed another male and then another on the feeder. This is the first time we have spotted more than one male at the same time. So now we know we have at least three males and two females although I suspect we have three pairs. They all seemed to get on okay with each other, no bickering etc.

In this pic you will see two males in the tree and one on the feeder with one female also in the tree.

Here are the two males and one female.

And the third male on the feeder.

They all have slightly different red chest markings.