Christmas in Costa Rica

Our 15th Christmas together was certainly a great one!  We spent the morning and part of the afternoon talking to many of our family and friends via skype.  What a great way to talk to loved ones; and we were even able to see some of their presents!  Thanks Dave! 

Then, late in the afternoon, we walked down to the beach.  It was by far the busiest day on the beach so far.  Lots of families playing, swimming, surfing and just plain old having fun!

We found a nice place to sit and watch the activities going on around us.  Lots of dogs playing in the waves too.  Many of them chasing… coconuts!  That’s right coconuts.  At home, people throw balls or Frisbees, but here, there’s so many coconuts on the beach, that that’s what people throw. 

There were also lots of people surfing; as the waves were plentiful; and I’m sure that one or more of those boards were Christmas presents. 

We sat and watched an incredible sunset; and then strolled up the beach and then along main street.  I was surprised at how many shops were open.  Our friend Herman was out selling tours, and wished us both a Feliz Navidad.

We continued on up main street until we arrived at Lemon Zest.  We met Nellie Lemon, the owner of this restaurant at the bank a few days earlier.  She is from Florida and was able to ask a few questions on our behalf.  She also told us that she and her husband ran this restaurant.  We had seen it advertised; and that’s where we chose to have our Christmas dinner.

And boy, was it ever good!  Mike had a yellow fin tuna steak; and I had filet mignon.  Both accompanied by a fruit smoothie.  And Mike had his all time favorite desert… crème broulee.  Although it wasn’t a traditional turkey feast with all the trimmings; this certainly was a yummy second choice.

A few friends have asked if we miss having a white Christmas.  And the answer to that is an emphatic NO!  I was born and raised in Northern Ontario; and have had my fair share of white Christmases.  In fact, the past 2 have also been white; and I much prefer being in the tropics.  This is in fact our first tropical Christmas (you can’t really count Florida as tropical, can you?)  And it was very different. 

Not many decorations up; and so many of the shops being open; it seemed like just another day.

Mike and I haven’t exchanged presents for a few years now; and enjoy the stress free Christmas that we have carved out for ourselves.  It works well for us; and don’t miss any of the pressures for a perfect Christmas.

Then on boxing day, sitting out on the balcony, I spotted a couple of scarlett macaws flying around in the trees just up the road from us.  Grabbed the camera, and off we went. 

There were two of them in this tree; and we had a pretty good vantage point; as we were above them.  Ended up watching them for about an hour.   The last shot that I took, the macaw moved as I was snapping.  So it’s not the greatest picture.  Just then, my camera lens closed; and the “change batteries” icon was displayed.

And at the exact moment when I was changing the batteries, that’s when the macaws decided to fly off!!!  The timing couldn’t have been any worse!  We had a beautiful vantage point; and they were spread out from tip to tail in absolute beautiful colours!  Hopefully, I get another chance to take a full shot of them.

And mother nature gave us another absolutely beautiful sunset last night.  We made it up to the road just in time to take a few shots of it.

All in all, Christmas in Costa Rica, was just absolutely perfect!  Hope that all of you had just as perfect a day.

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First Pacific Sunset

Not sure what has happened to this past week; but poof, just like that it’s gone.

Last Thursday, or maybe it was Friday; we decided to make an effort to watch our first sunset on the beach.  We headed downtown later in the afternoon; and ended up having dinner at… you guessed it… Rustico’s.  The food is so good there; and after looking at a few menu’s along the way; Rustico’s it was.

We then headed to the beach to watch the sunset.  Lots of people walking along; and some people up from us were having a bonfire on the beach.  There’s lots of burnable wood that’s on the beach; and it’s a good way to clean things up a bit.  The clouds helped add to the colours; and it was a nice way to spend another day in paradise.

Saturday and Sunday were pretty overcast, rainy days.  But on the brighter side of things, we talked to my family via skype on Saturday.  They were all together at my folks to celebrate Christmas.  Then it was another skype call to Mike’s family on Sunday.

We got up in the early hours on Monday to watch the lunar eclipse.  The “best” time to watch according to NBC was about 2:40 est.  We got upstairs to the road at about 2:30 and just the very bottom of the moon was still visible.  Most of the moon was red; and we watched for roughly half an hour; before the neck muscles started to hurt.  Did get to watch the whole thing on the news the next night; and it was pretty neat to see.

We were planning on heading to Manuel Antonio (big National Park) on Tuesday; but we were pretty tired from the night before.  We also needed to pay our rent; and that pretty much took care of Tuesday and Wednesday.  Long story, but we keep on being told that things happen differently in the tropics.  And I’m starting to believe it.  After 4 days of trying; we were successful by Wednesday afternoon. 

We also had 2 walks back and forth to downtown; and it was really hot here on both days.  By the time we got back yesterday; I was pooped and the idea of heading to the park today; was totally out of the question.  We’ll try again next week.

When we arrived home from the sunset on the beach; we had taken a cab; with lots of bags of groceries. Turns out that we had a “freeloader” sitting on the sill of our door.  Mike had put down his bags to unlock the door and reached in to flick on the lights.  I was right behind him; when I heard him say “Oh, wow, look at this”.  My first thought was that we had been robbed.  But nope, it was just a 3 inch scorpion.  Yep, you read that right… he came in with us.  And was heading into the apartment.

We put a pot lid on top of him; and took care of the groceries.  A few minutes later, Mike tried to get him into a plastic container; but no go.  He started to get away; on with the lid again.  Now what?  That’s when I suggested the tongs.  Mike got him in a tight hold; and as I was getting the patio door open; the little bugger got free; and was gone just like that!

Not sure where he went; and needless to say; for the next few days; we walked around inside with our heads down. 

We have seen lots of critters around here.  We have a couple of resident lizards inside our condo.  A couple of tree frogs that like to hang out on our balconies overhang at night.  Lots of birds that fly by; including a couple of macaws.  Almost every night at the same time; you can hear them coming.  They always fly in pairs; and are really noisy as they fly.  A pair of them flew by the other night; fairly close; and then turned and flew past a second time.  Up to this point; we thought that they were only red.  But on the second time by; we saw not only the red; but blue and fuscia yellow and green.  Pretty cool.  Hope to be able to get a shot of them real soon.  Haven’t seen the Tucan’s lately; but with spending the day at Manuel Antonio (real soon); we should be able to get some good pictures.

We would like to take this opportunity to wish all of our family and friends a very Merry Christmas.  Feliz Navidad everybody!

Please click here to look at our pictures.

Beautiful Sunsets and Sunrises

Last Friday was the first day that we had our toes in the Pacific.  And much to our surprise, it was a lot warmer than either of us thought it would be.

We headed down to the beach in the afternoon; and found a nice little quiet spot; and sat on a log and watched the waves.  There was a man up the beach from us a bit; and he had 3 dogs with him.  The 2 bigger ones had no problems going into the ocean; but the little one wanted nothing to do with the water.  It was fun watching the antics. 

There doesn’t seem to be any dog laws in Jaco.  We have seen countless dogs walking around the streets.  Some with collars, but a lot without.  We haven’t had any problems with any of them being aggressive.  And it was nice to see the dogs on the beach.  At home, there’s a lot of places that you can’t bring your animals.

We continued strolling up the beach; and then headed for our favourite smoothie place.  We had also been told about a grocery store downtown.  Much bigger selection and the prices were comparable to the other place.  This time, no overcharges, and the cab ride was $5.00. 

A few weeks before arriving in Costa Rica; there was a big storm that went through.  Tore up parts of the highway; and did lots of damage.  Glad that we weren’t here for that.  The road leading up into our complex was in pretty rough shape.  Big gouges in the road; and the drive up with a cab was usually pretty interesting.  The other day we walked down; and it had been graded.  What a big difference, not only for walking on it; but the last cab ride home was way less bumpy than usual.

We also found a new way to walk to the grocery store.  We don’t have to walk on the highway anymore.  But we do have to walk up the hill to our place.  Thankfully, the road levels out just as your legs are at the screaming point.  Then as you’re getting closer to the condo, one more hill to go down, then straight up to our place.  Like I’ve said before… no need for a gym membership here.

Last night, we were entertained by a beautiful sunset.  The sun lit up the clouds over the mountains; and it made for a nice photo op for a while.

Then early this morning - 4:15 am to be exact, we got up to watch the meteor shower.  We had a nice patch of open sky above us; and after watching from the balcony for a few minutes; we headed up to the road.  Ended up seeing about 25 in total. 

We also noticed for the first time since being here; the big dipper.  Mike had thought that we wouldn’t see it because of being so far south.  But turns out, we just weren’t up late or early enough.

Mike went back to bed shortly after 5 and I sat on the balcony; listening to nature and the waves hitting the shore.  And just as the colourful sunrise started; I woke Mike up; and the two of us were once again entertained by mother nature’s magical beauty.

Some of you know that I wear a red-tinted sun glass; and boy does it ever add beautiful colours.  I’ve shared that with a few of you over the years.  Well with my glasses, the sunrise looked like hot lava.  What a great way to start the day.  Of course, I went back to bed and got up at a more reasonable hour… well for me anyway.

We were back at the pool for a few hours today.  The rain seems to have come to a stop; and the past few days have found us at the pool.  It’s a great way to cool off.

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Escaped Just in Time

From the looks of things at home; we got out of there just in time!  It’s been snowing in London, Ontario since Sunday; and as you can see in some of the pictures being sent to us; they’ve got waist high snow; and it’s not over yet.

It sounds like the city has been almost shut down.  I’ve been seeing the “cheers” about no school or work for many on Face Book.  With this much snow, it certainly does help one get into the upcoming Christmas spirit.  So look on the bright side of things… an extra short work/school week; more time to bake all those Christmas treats and decorate the inside for the holidays. 

Saturday night, we watched quite the fire works display off our balcony.  We finally went up to the road, just in time for the finale.  Huge bursts of red, white and green fireworks for at least 10 minutes.  Then about 10 minutes later, it started up again.  Not sure what the celebration was, but it was nice to watch.

We were back at the grocery store on Sunday to return our blender.  And apparently the “Taurus” brand that we bought, turned out not to be such a good product.  Another lady was standing in line to return a Taurus coffee pot. 

We also found out that the cashier overcharged us for our bottled water.  We buy 2 cases of 6 bottles at a time.  Instead of charging us for 12 bottles, she charged us for 24.  Hope that was the only time.

The only reason I noticed this is because we needed to return the blender; and the water was on the same bill.  I got looking at it; and realized the overcharge. 

When we arrived at the customer service desk; a man came over and started speaking Spanish to us.  I told him, that I only speak English.  He said no problem; then turned back and asked if we were Americans, I said no, Canadians.  He then smiled; and said he’d be right back.

He sent Ricardo over to us; and thankfully his English was way better than my Spanish.  I explained that the blender started to leak within a few seconds of use; and then a piece went flying off.  No problem he said, we could get another of the same or upgrade to a better one.  I also then explained about the water overcharge.  Without hesitation, he also refunded the overcharge on the water. 

We upgraded to a much better blender, bought a loaf of bread, a container of milk; and the difference was about $2.20.  We’ve made fruit smoothies every day since; and the new blender works like a charm.

Sunday, there were Mayoral elections being held.  And for most of the day; people were driving around, honking their horns, waving their flags, playing music; and just plain old celebrating. 

A couple of times there were parades of cars going up and down the boulevard in front of us; and also along the highway.  Lots of happy cheers.

And today; as London was being dumped on; we took a walk around our complex again; and took some pictures of some of the beautiful foliage around here. 

Hopefully, it’ll help with some of our family and friends.  They can dream about the tropics; and hopefully warm up a little.

To warm up, take a look at our pictures

Still Raining

Another week flew by in Costa Rica.  I would recommend to anybody who wants to vacation here, to wait until after the rainy season is done.  We have had rain everyday since arriving on the coast.  So far we’ve only been caught in it once. 

It’s usually sometime in the afternoon; and it’s very refreshing to have the humidity let up while it’s raining.  We aren’t complaining though… cause it’s way better than snow.  Looks like we escaped just at the right time.

We have our own washer/dryer in our condo; and it was an added extra bonus.  I've been using a laundry mat for 4 ½ years; and it’s wonderful to have on-site facilities.  So that’s what we did on Tuesday, some laundry and some cleaning.  And a relaxing day for the rest.

A few weeks back we needed to get some money out; and it was our first introduction to the banking system here.  Very small bank; with an armed guard, who opened the door for us.  He then asked us to remove our hats.  There was only one teller; and he was behind bullet proof glass.  We were the only ones in there.  Only problem was, they wouldn’t let us take money out of our account, only off the credit card.  And they didn’t have a bank machine.

On Wednesday, we needed to get some more cash out; and stopped at the first bank that we came across.  This time there was a bank machine; but you can only get US funds or colones.  You get more colones for a USD than a Canadian dollar.

So into the bank we went.  This time, as the 2 armed guards were pointing at our hats, we were one step ahead, and the hats were already in the process of being removed.  Guess a hat obscures your face too much; if you were ever stupid enough to try to rob a bank here!

This time we were also wanded down and I was asked to open my bag.  There were lots of people in the bank, but the air conditioning felt sooo good after a long walk; that we decided to wait.  The guard directed us to a machine; where we got our number.  Then he pointed to chairs; and indicated that we sit.  Kind of reminded me of waiting at the passport office, or to renew your drivers license.

It’s a good thing that there were chairs and that it was cool in there, cause it took us 45 minutes to change some US funds to colones.  Also, nobody stands in the bank, except if your already at the teller.  Like I said, you’d have to be a “few bricks short of a load” to try and rob a bank here.

Mind you, you also have to be very patient.  The tellers and slow and even our simple transaction took the better part of 5 minutes.

We then continued on to walk the rest of main street.  We were hoping to stop and get a fruit smoothie, but they were closed.  So onto the post office we continued… which was a the opposite end of town.  Off the main street, in a dilapidated old building.  Costs more for 8 stamps then it did for 2 smoothies.  Then off to Rustico's for another delicious dinner.  $8.00 for both, and that includes a huge plate and a drink! 

And today we headed back to the grocery store for a few more things.  We decided to buy a blender to make our own smoothies; and don’t you know, the thing broke within the first few minutes.  Guess we’ll be back there tomorrow to get another one.  We did manage to puree the fruit enough, but something else was missing; and it wasn’t near as good as the place downtown.  But we’ve got 5 more months to master making a smoothie.  Any suggestions out there in blog land for a fruit smoothie?

Take a look at our pictures.

Living in Paradise

Well, we’ve been on our own for an entire week.  And so far, so good.

We ventured into town last Monday, and took in the sights and sounds of downtown Jaco.  Very reminiscent of most beach communities.  Lots of shops selling their wares on both sides of the street.

From our condo to the edge of town is roughly a half an hour walk.  Once on the main street, we slow down and just stroll taking in as much as possible. 

That first afternoon, a man was selling adventure tours.  We said no thanks; and continued on walking.  He then asked if we were from Canada.  Which we responded yes to.  He had noticed the Canadian flag pin on Mike’s Tilley hat.  Turns out he lived in Vancouver, BC for a few years.  Herman already asked for the pin; which we will give him, but not until we leave here. 

I do get a kick when people ask where were from and we respond Canada.  They then ask where in Canada; and we say London, Ontario.  Which, usually brings on a response of “London, England, I thought you said you lived in Canada?”  Much easier just to say we live in Toronto.  Everybody knows about Toronto.  And this isn’t just people here… many Americans have asked the same thing.

On Tuesday, we walked around our complex just checking things out.  We live up a hill; and there’s a few more complexes, plus a couple of fancy hotels all in the same area.  By the time we got back to our place, we were in desperate need of a shower.  Everything seems uphill around here; plus throw in high humidity; and boy oh boy the sweat just pours off of us!

Wednesday, we hiked to the grocery store.  It’s only about a 20 minute walk from here.  Found a nice short cut, down the stairs for our pool; down a short hill and then it’s only another 700 metres up the road. 

Thursday, we spent some time lounging at the pool.  It’s three condos over from us; but 65 stairs down a switch back concrete staircase.  Can’t see a need to have a gym membership here; you get quite the work out just opening the front door.  It’s 3 levels up to the road.

Friday, we discovered an unsecured internet connection at the complex across from us.  Posted the blog; and then made some Skype phone calls.  It was wonderful to talk to so many of our family and friends. 

While on the phone to Dave, Mike’s youngest brother, a Tucan flew right past us and landed in a tree.  But unfortunately the camera was at home.  It’s the second time we’ve seen Tucan’s over at that pool complex, and I’m sure we’ll get a shot sooner or later.

Saturday, we walked back downtown.  We stopped and talked to Herman again, and asked him where the locals ate.  He told us about a place called Rustico. 

We continued on down the main street; stopping again for a fresh fruit smoothie.  This time pineapple, banana and strawberry… boy what a refreshing drink after a long, hot walk.

We then continued on til the end of the main street and headed towards the ocean.  Watched a few surfers and families playing on the beach; and then found our way to Rustico.  Discovered very quickly why the locals ate there.  The food was amazing!!!  It was about 4:00 in the afternoon, there wasn’t a seat to be found; and a line-up out the door.

Mike had a bowl of seafood soup that was enough to feed a small family; plus he helped me eat most of my dinner.  Rice, beans, beef, fried plantains and salad.  The portions here are huge; and so far we haven’t spent more than $10 on a meal and that includes your drink!

Sunday, we did a whole bunch of nothing.  In fact I didn’t even get out of my p.j.’s yesterday.  We had been on the “go” since before leaving home; and a day of doing nothing was much needed. 

There was some kind of street party going on downtown.  We could hear music and drums from our balcony.  But the day was very overcast and had been raining on and off since getting up.

Last night we had our clearest night so far.  And there are some beautiful constellations in the sky.  Don’t know what any of them our.  Guess we’ll have to get out a star chart so that we know what were looking at.

And today, we were up and out the door shortly before 10; heading to the grocery store for a few things.  We had worn our bathing suits under our clothes; and stopped at our pool on our way back.  Again we were soaked from the sweat; and the cool pool felt wonderful!

We have turned into morning people since being here.  Mike and I have always been night owls; and we find by 10 pm, we can hardly keep our eyes open.  Most mornings, were up and ready to face the day by 7 am.

And today, we got our cable and internet.  Most of the stations are in Spanish, but there’s a few in English. 

Oh, yeah, and for a cab ride home from either downtown or the grocery store, is $3.00.  Don’t think you can even open a cab door at home for less than $5.00.  And it’s well worth the price, for the cab to take us and our groceries up the long hill from the road!

Take a look at our pictures

First Week in Costa Rica

It’s hard to believe that we’ve been in Costa Rica for over a week already.  It still feels like we’re dreaming.

Mike’s brother Ken drove us to Toronto on November 15th to begin our Costa Rican adventure.  It seemed fitting, as we drove Ken and Calen to the Toronto airport to begin their adventure summer of 09.  We were up bright and early and headed to the airport shortly after 4:00 am.

We sailed through customs and security and then flew out at 6:30 am.  I had never flown over Toronto with the city lit up; and it was quite pretty to see.  Within a few minutes we were over Lake Ontario; and then a short 2 and a half hours later in Atlanta, Georgia. 

We barely had enough time to get to our connecting flight.  In fact, they had already called the final call by the time we got there.

The flight went well; and we were greeted to a warm, sunny afternoon upon arriving in Costa Rica.  Mike’s luggage got lost somewhere along the way; but it was delivered to our hotel the next afternoon.

We stayed at the Best Western Irazu and it turned out to be a good choice.  On the first afternoon, we started walking around; and found a small mall beside our hotel.  In the mall was a realty office; we were looking at some of their properties, when Tom from Georgia came out to say hello.  We told him that we were looking for a short term (3-6 months) condo rental. 

He had a couple for us to see.  And one of his agents, Merari, was asked to show them to us.  This young lady, turned out to be more help then we could have possibly hoped for.  Her English was very good; and she was quite eager to help.  She had a couple of places in mind; and was confident that we would take one of them.  Having found a agent to help us so quickly; freed up the rest of our time in San Jose.

Wednesday, we took a cab to Sabana Park; and enjoyed strolling around for the afternoon.  We stopped to watch some locals playing soccer.  We then had a glass of fresh squeezed orange juice from a vendor.  And we just took in the sites and sounds of San Jose. 

After walking back to our hotel; we had an hour or so before happy hour started in the bar.  That’s where me met Jeff and Cathy from Port Elgin, Ontario.  We shared all kinds of stories and ended up joining them for dinner.

After dinner, we headed down to the hot tub; and soaked away the days walk.  Also met Canadian Gilles, who turns out to be renting not far from us.

Then early Thursday morning; Merari, our agent picked us up; and off to the coast we went.

The drive was very beautiful through the country side of Costa Rica.  And I was glad to be a passenger and take in the scenery. 

The first rental that she showed us turned out to be the one that we took.  It’s in a little beach community of Jaco (hawk-o).  Our condo is owned by a Canadian named Mike - how ironic is that?!? 

We have the lower unit; of this 2 story chalet.  We’re on the side of a hill; with a private balcony looking directly into beautiful, lush green foliage and a mountain.  Pretty nice! 

The town of Jaco itself is about an hour walk from here; but it’s nice to be away from the noise. 

Merari ended up staying for the weekend; in the unit upstairs.  On Friday we took care of the rent details; and she helped get the cable/internet ordered for us.  It was supposed to be here by today; but looks like that’s not going to happen.  Another neighbour in the complex is also waiting for his; and said a week here isn’t like a week back home.

Merari also took us to the grocery store and made us dinner on our first night here.  She made us a local delicacy, ceviche.  Which is fished “cooked” in lemon juice with spices and vegetables.  The fish is only cooked by the acid of the lemon.  A little different for my taste buds.  She also went shopping for us; and got us a TV, a slow cooker (to cook beans in, which she also showed us how to do); and a patio table for our balcony.  Of course, this was all on Mike’s (owner) nickel.

So far, the hottest part of the day is first thing in the morning.  Our balcony is facing East and we get the early sun.  And boy, oh boy, is it ever hot!  Seems though, that that is the hottest part of the day so far.  By mid to late afternoon, the skies open up and the rains come.  Since being in the condo, it has rained at some point everyday. 

We’ve also had ourselves a few really nice lightning shows.  Our balcony is perfect for storm watching; and we’re nicely protected from the rain.

On Monday, we walked into town; and spent the afternoon looking in shops.  We also stopped and had ourselves a fruit smoothie; and watched all sorts of people on the street.  And so far, we’ve been able to get along with just English.  A lot of people that we’ve had to communicate with, have some degree of English.  Hopefully, we’ll start to understand some Spanish as the time goes on.

Please take a look at our pictures

Decisions... Decisions

By now we should have already been long gone.  We were supposed to have left Ontario back on October 31st.  Destination was supposed to be Oklahoma City first; to meet some new friends of ours; and then we were supposed to head to Texas.  This is the second time that we've planned a winter in Texas.  And this is the second time that that isn't going to happen.

We've been having some problems with our truck; and decided to have it looked at one more time before heading out.  Boy, was that a good decision.  It turns out that we need a new engine!  But that's not all.  We apparently have a blockage of some sort in the coolant system.  Because of this, we had too much pressure, which in turn messed up our torque converter; which in turn messed up the crankshaft; which in turn messed up the engine.  Kind of reminds me of  "the ankle is connected to the shin bone, the shin bone is connected to the..." well most of you would remember that.  I have learned more about diesel trucks and engines than I ever cared to in this past while; and know that any way we choose to go equals expensive!

If we choose to only put a re-built engine in, then we're back to square one.  So that means fixing everything; and the cost of this is astronomical.  We've been quoted up to $12,000 to do this - yikes!  Our other options are to  trade our truck in and hope that the next one is okay; or to buy brand spanking new. What to do, what to do.

So... after much consideration, we've decided to go and bury our heads in the sand for the next six months.  Literally.  We're heading to Costa Rica this Tuesday morning; and we'll figure out what to do with this truck in the spring. 

As I write this blog, the rig has been winterized; the truck has been parked; and our bags are packed.  We are house sitting in London for the weekend; and will leave on Monday night to head to Toronto.  We fly out bright and early on Tuesday morning; and will arrive in Costa Rica by early afternoon.

We can hardly wait!  We even stopped at Chapters today and bought ourselves an English to Spanish dictionary.  Might come in handy, as neither of us speaks any Spanish.  But the name of our blog is Adventures with MnM and we are about to go on one heck of an adventure!  This feels like Molly's last gift to us; the freedom to go and adventure abroad.  Wish us luck.

Thank You

Mike and I would like to take this opportunity to say thank you to all our family, friends and strangers that have sent heartfelt messages to us about Molly.  It has touched our hearts to know that she touched so many.  I was in tears by the time I finished reading each message; but it's all part of the healing process, and it's helped greatly.

We would also like to thank the staff at Abbeydale Animal Clinic in St. Thomas.  Molly's very first visit was there; and although the staff has changed over the years; the care that we have received over the years was great.  A special thanks to Dr. Yvonne Ennis for helping Molly (and us) make the transition to dog heaven a little easier. 

Even today when we went in to settle the bill and get her clay paw print, they showed nothing but care and concern.  I would recommend this clinic to anybody.

Now for a few more "fun" facts about Molly.

When she was a year old, we found out that Molly was the most popular name for female dogs in 1999.  We met at least a dozen Molly's over the years.

She was small but mighty when she first came to us.  And Mike loved to do his magic tricks on her and tease her.  She loved to tease him right back but when she had enough she had no problem letting Mike know.  Whoever said that dogs can't talk never owned a dog.

A few of you asked about Molly's nicknames.  Mollygirl, cause that's what she was... our Mollygirl.  The Mollster, cause that suited her.  Pita stood for Pain in the ass, which on many occasions she was.  Houdini because she was great at disappearing into the night.  Snorty Snorterson was because she would snort if she didn't like something.  And Mutt... well she was a cup of lab, a tablespoon of shepherd, a dash of collie and a pinch of husky... add it all up and she's 100% mutt.  You should have seen some of the looks people gave me when I called her that.  But she was our mutt and we loved her.

Molly was a very kind, submissive dog; and we're proud to say that in her lifetime she never once snarled, bared teeth, nipped or bit a human or another animal.  She was just a happy well tempered dog.

Over the years, people would cross the street or a park to come and comment on her.  And although people seemed to line up to pat her, unless you had food, she wasn't much interested.  If you did have treats or food, then you had a friend for life.

Her favorite time of the year was the fall and winter.  She would walk off trail through piles of leaves and romp in the snow til she looked like a snowman. 

She brought a lot of pleasure into our lives.  And she will be greatly missed by both of us.  It's already way to quiet around here. 

Again, thank you to all for your comments,

Love and hugs, MnM

A Tribute to our Molly

I would like to take this opportunity to tell you about the life of our wonderful dog Molly.

The week before Christmas of 1999; we had the chance to rescue a puppy from a not very good situation. After some discussion; a little brown bundle of energy came into our lives. She wasn't quite 6 weeks old and weighed about 5 and a half pounds. Barely old enough to be weaned. Molly was the first name that came to mind; and after an hour or so of tossing around names, she became our Molly.

She answered to many names over the years; Molly girl, the Mollster, Mutt, Pita, Houdini and Snorty Snorterson; just to name a few.

The first few weeks with a new puppy was a lot of fun. She was the runt of her litter; and was used to being pushed aside at feeding time. That wasn't the case at her new home; and it was quite comical watching her eat. She was so little that she would end up standing in her bowl to get to the pieces that she had pushed with her nose. Little sips of water in between. She was so dainty. Of course, that changed over time; and she would gulp her food down pretty quick. She always came over to both of us afterwards to thank us.

The first lake that Molly swam in was Lake Erie. That would be the first of many swims. She is the only dog I know that has been in 3 of the Great Lakes - Erie, Huron and Superior. She has swam in the Gulf of St. Lawrence and the Gulf of Mexico. Also along the way, she swam in the Bay of Fundy and the Colorado River. And she has had her paws in both the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. Plus many lakes, rivers and streams in between.

Mike and I were avid campers; and the first time we took Molly camping, we weren't sure how it would go. We headed up to McGregor Point on the long weekend that first May; and she took to camping like a duck to water. This is where she received Houdini as one of her nicknames. The first night; we had just gotten all tucked in and turned off the lights. Within a few seconds it sounded like a huge animal or person was walking close to our tent. Got up, turned on the lights, and Molly wasn't in the tent?!? Unbeknownst to us, she had put a hole in the side of the tent; and had gone back outside. Because of her dark fur, she also blended into the night and many times sitting around a campfire, we had to really look to see her.

In all the years that we interior camped with our canoe; she only ever tipped us once. Mike had gotten out to look for a well camoflaged portage and Molly jumped out to follow. Over the canoe went, with all of our stuff and me! But thankfully we were on a small lake, at the shoreline.

The first time in the canoe, she was snoring along with her chin resting on the gunnels, when all of a sudden, she spotted a couple of deer on the shore. She never did bark at them, but did a low, gutteral growl instead. It was pretty funny, she was a tenth of the size of the deer.

I can't begin to add up the kilometres that Molly has put on over the years. Whether it was from all the drives for the many camping trips, plus the last 4 years of full time rving; or from all the hikes that she went on. For the first 7 years of her life; most weekends we took her to a conservation area. The walk took us about an hour; and she did it 10 times to our once. From the start of the walk, she was either running full tilt after her frisbee, which she loved; or chasing squirrels or rabbits. She was great at catching the frisbee, but never did catch a squirrel. But I gotta give her an A+ for trying.

Molly came nose to nose with a Massassauga Rattler and a tarantula, but luckily nothing bad happened. And in all the years that we had her, she never got sprayed by a skunk. Came real close to that happening this past spring, but lucky for us, the skunk went a different way.

The first time that we had Molly in the desert, we hadn't gotten more than a few feet away from the truck, when she came back with half a dozen cactus "bulbs" stuck in her fur. I had holes in my fingers for weeks after I pulled them out of her.

Molly was always an avid traveler, and as long as we were there, she didn't care where we were. Over the years, Molly has been in 8 Provinces and 29 States. When we first started this lifestyle; she would get really anxious when it was time to leave. But once she was in the truck; she was a happy girl. She knew that she was coming with us; and wouldn't be forgotten.

A few years ago, Molly had a bad injury to her back legs, and that seemed to be the beginning of the end. The past year or so has been hard on her; and despite giving her shark cartiledge and glucosamine, old age and arthritis caught up. She was having a lot of problems with walking and negotiating the stairs into our place had become a challenge.

On October 25th, Mike and I were both with her when she passed on to dog heaven. She will always have a special place in our hearts and we will both miss her greatly.

Please take a look at some of our favourite pictures of her

Summer of 2010

It just seemed liked yesterday when we arrived home from Florida. And here it is middle of October, and we leave in less than 2 weeks. Where did the time go?

The summer of 2010 just flew by for us. We have lots of family and friends in this area; and it seemed to be non stop visiting, parties, dinners... etc...etc.

We had Rob and Emalynn join us from BC for a few weeks; then a couple of our nieces spent a week with us. Lots of days at the beach during that time.

My long time friend Claudia and her kids came for a overnighter. And the list just keeps on going.

Don't forget the poker tournaments that we held at our park; plus lots of cards nights with Ken/Rosie and Tina/Randy.

Then just a few nights ago; I threw a early 60th surprise birthday party for Mike. He actually doesn't turn 60 until February, but by then we'll be deep in the heart of Texas.

To get Mike out of the house for a few hours, me and Mike's sister and sisters-in-law sent Mike and his brothers Ken and Dave out for a horse back ride. They spent an hour out at the Horseshoe J Dude Ranch in Iona Station.

Mike frequented the ranch for many years, and he figured that its been close to 40 years since the first time he went there. Like I said at the beginning of this post... where does the time go?

When the boys returned to the park; there were close to 20 family and friends waiting at the rec hall to help Mike celebrate. He was very surprised. It's always great when a surprise party is just that... a surprise. But then again, his birthdays not til February.

A great time was had by all. And mother nature made for a beautiful fall night to sit with good friends around a campfire.

Take a look at our pictures taken during this time

June til... Now

I know that's it's been forever since I wrote a blog; so I'll give you a quick recap of what we we're doing from the summer til now.

We set up home for the summer out at Trout Haven Park in Strathroy. It's a great park; and conveniently located to a lot of our family and friends.

We have a lot of family/friends in this area; and most of the summer was spent visiting and playing cards. Fortunately for us; lots of our family and friends are card players, and both of us got our fill. We spent a lot of nights at either Ken/Rosie's for pepper; or Tina/Randy for Blak-bone. Lots of fun.

We had a couple of nieces spend a few nights with us in July and both Megan and Jamana had a lot of fun. Mike's brother Ken and his son Calen, headed off on an adventure of a lifetime; and spent 5 weeks driving from London England to Ulaan Bataar Mongolia as part of the Mongol Rally. We had the pleasure of driving the first leg of the rally, by taking them to Pearson International in Toronto; and 5 weeks later, drove the last leg, by picking them up.

We also had a lot of visitors out to the park; and we managed to burn roughly 4 truck loads of wood. All in all, it was a great summer that went by way too fast!

At the end of October, we winterized our rig and moved into my folks apartment, downtown London. We really wanted to be in Canada to watch the upcoming Olympics, and their apartment is empty in the winter. I also had a girls weekend with some old friends from highschool. Reconnected with these girls through Face Book; and it was nice catching up.

December 5th, we got a phone call early in the morning; and our winter plans we're about to quickly change. My Dad was having some health issues; and ended up being medi-vacked home. He's doing great; but his insurance won't let him go back to Florida for the rest of the year. So... that's where this blog is being updated from.

Fortunately for us, we just "happened to be free" and we're more than happy to house sit for them in Florida. We arrived late morning on Sunday (Jan. 24th) to a balmy 78 degrees; and will be here until the end of April. Luckily we'll still be able to watch the olympics.

On December 22nd, my friend Jenn and I took part in the Community Olympic event in St. Thomas. There were 1000's of people who came out to take part in the flame relay. Then a few days later, on December 24th, Mike and I watched the flame come up Wellington Road in London, being carried by... Santa Claus! There was a pass off right in front of us; and it was pretty cool to take place in Olympic history. Can't wait for the Olympics to begin.

And yesterday, our niece Natalie, gave birth to a 7lb 10oz baby boy! Way to go Natalie! Can't wait to see the pictures. According to grandma; mom and baby are both well; and she should be home tonight.

Molly is still with us and doing great. Still a little slow; and completely deaf now; but she's still motoring along and doing just fine.

Well that pretty much catches up the past few months. Will try to do a blog more often.

Take a look at our pictures