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August 31, 2005
Meaford 2005
As promised, here are my blog entries from last week's vacation.
Friday, Aug. 26, 2005
Meaford is such a relaxing place! We arrived at about 5:30 and I was so glad to get out of the car. I started going stir crazy about 4 1/2 hours into the drive. It took us 5 1/2 hours to get there.
When we got there, we had dinner with Aunt Nancy & Uncle John. She made us whitefish and salmon with broccoli, rolls with peaches for dessert. That was really some of the best fish I've had in a long while. She made it so tender and tasty! But then, Nancy's a great cook.
As it began to get dark, we started the fire and had some margaritas and scotch. That's always my favorite part of the visit is sitting by the fire chatting away the night, staring at the stars. I tell you those stars are SO bright and luminescent up here. There aren't any big cities to drown them out. And you can see a lot of falling stars and satellites passing by. Tonight's moon was a fat crescent and it was redder than I've ever seen it. You could also see Mars which looked like a reddish star kind of low toward the horizon. Of course, I was the one stirring up the fire. Tom put a bunch of very large pieces on it and kept stacking them on top of each other. I bet him $10 bucks that it would fall as he added chunks of wood, but to my amazement, it didn't fall. At least, not right away. But I paid up, or at least, Don did...in Canadian money. Heh! The top piece did fall a bit later. And they call ME the pyro!
Mary, Amanda, Jon, Tom and Don decided to play Risk. Before I knew it, it was already past midnight! I couldn't believe how fast the time went by. I only noticed it was getting late because Karen had left to go to bed and I was getting tired. Were it not for that, I might have stayed out there all night!
Tomorrow, there are so many things to do. Not that we have to do everything in one day, especially because we'll be here till Monday. But I want to go horseback riding with Mary and Amanda. Plus Tom wants to take Don and me for a ride in his new boat. Uncle John also suggested we go into town for lunch since there are some nice restaurants. Then, of course, there's also swimming in the lake and playing in the canoes and kayaks. Ah, so much to do, so little time!
Saturday, Aug. 27, 2005
Today was kind of poopy. It rained all day pretty hard and didn't let up until late afternoon. We spent most of the day just lounging around and not doing much of anything. But I had plans with Mary, Karen and Amanda to go horseback riding at 4:30. I thought it was going to be spoiled by the rain, but it let up right about 6pm. So we went to this place called Pretty Horses which was only about 10 minutes away from the cottages. A woman named Christine runs the place and she was really nice. She took us out on her trail, which was really just through about 3 or 4 fields on her 40 acre farm. Amanda got this behemoth of a horse, appropriately named Sampson. He kept stopping at every opportunity to eat anything and everything he could. Mary's horse, Cruz, was a bit stubborn. He seemed to want to do his own thing and Mary would end up lagging behind and having to make Cruz trot to catch up with the rest of us. Karen had a pretty white horse with grey spots, named Fox, short for Miss Foxy Lady. I had a sweet palomino named Pinto Boy. He was a beautiful dark chocolate brown and white color and I could tell he really liked me cause when we finished the ride and I got off, he didn't want to go back into the stable. He seemed to want to stay with me. Even Christine said he was really taken with me. I liked him a lot too. Next time we come back, I'm going to ask for him.
Anyway, most of the ride was pretty uneventful and it seemed like it was going to be a bit dull, but then suddenly, the cattle from the next farm stampeded us. They were covered by the trees and the horses could hear them, but couldn't see them and got spooked. None of us knew what was happening, we were just fighting to stay on our horses, which we somehow managed to do. I thought maybe Pinto fell into a hole and was going to fall over. Amanda and Mary thought they were reacting to a gunshot and Karen thought there was a snake in the grass. Christine had trouble calming her horse down for a while, but managed to get us back safely to the barn. Ironically, she was going to have us do a little run, but after that little scare, she thought it best not to. Though I could tell the horses were really pumped with adrenaline and wanted to run. I kept having to whoa Pinto. So we finished riding and just as we got back into the car, it started raining. Seemed like great timing.
After dinner, Tom, JonJon, Don and Uncle John got together to play poker, a game called Texas Hold 'Em. Since I didn't really know how to play poker, I decided to watch. But after a while, I began to understand what they were doing and decided to join in. And whaddya know, beginner's luck struck again! We played tournament style and I beat out Don, JonJon, and Tom to go head to head with Uncle John. I ended up winning partly because I kept getting straights and flushes and partly because John gave in since it was getting late and we were all getting tired.
Sunday Aug. 28, 2005
Today was a much better day for weather. Mary woke me up to say goodbye, then Don and I headed over to John & Nancy's cottage for a waffle breakfast. After breakfast, we went kayaking. We rowed all the way down to the military base and back. When we got back, I went for a little swim. The water was a bit cold, but it actually felt good and it was very clean. You could see clear to the bottom.
Later, Tom took me and Don to go get his new yacht, Kare's Away, out of the marina. Let me tell you, it is something you usually see in movies. It's a 37-footer that is built for luxury! It has a full bath with a shower, a television, computerized navigation, the works! We brought it back to the cottage and lounged around on it while we waited for Tom to bring the inflatable boat back so we could get back to shore. (It's much too big to bring to the dock at the cottage.)
He took us for another ride out to the cape to Vale Point where he went scuba diving and Don went snorkeling. Karen and I sat on the bow of the boat and chatted till the boys got done. Poor Don got a little queasy, even after taking the Dramamine that JonJon went to get him. (Funny story: JonJon took the Sea Doo out to the yacht to get the Dramamine and neglected to tie it to the boat. So it started floating away and by the time he realized it, he had to make a long swim out to get it. What a goof!) Anyway, it was really great to get a ride on the Kare's Away. Just riding on it made the whole world seem much rosier!
I'm hoping that the guys will want to play Texas Hold 'Em again. I really love card games and that one was fun...and not just because I won, either!
Tomorrow, we leave, but we decided not to go until about 4 or 5 pm. That way, we'll miss the traffic on the bridge and we'll be able to fit in a bit more activity. Maybe we can take the Sea Doos out or have another swim.
Monday August 29, 2005
Today was a very lazy day. Don and I slept in till about 11am. We were very tired from being out on the boat yesterday. Guess it took more out of us than we realized. I didn't even feel like going for a swim. I was too tired to subject myself to the coolness of the water. Don and I took a walk and looked at the other cottages along the shore. There were some very nice ones and some not so nice. One or two were covered in beautiful stone. There was even one that had a sign with the name "Prior" on it! I joked to Don that we should go to the people inside and tell them, "Get out! This is OUR cottage!" Ha ha ha!
Afterward, Don helped Uncle John pound stakes around the bushes so that Uncle John can put up covers to protect them from being eaten by the deer. We left about 4pm and took a nice scenic route Uncle John told us about.
I was glad to be home, but I would have preferred to stay there. Can't wait till next year to go back. Maybe this time, Jessica, Brian and Derek will be able to join us!
Posted by Amy at 09:10 PM | Comments (3)
August 30, 2005
More Posts to Come
I apologize for being somewhat remiss in posting to my blog. Don and I took a trip to Georgian Bay, Ontario for a long 4-day weekend. I'll have my entries from each of those days posted later, perhaps tomorrow. Tonight, I'm taking Don out to dinner for his birthday. I may have a post about that too. More to come.....
In the meantime, click on the image below to find out what your Cyborg name is:
Posted by Amy at 03:32 PM | Comments (1)
August 24, 2005
Another Star Trek Death
Yet another Star Trek actor has passed away. Brock Peters played Admiral Cartwright in Star Trek IV & VI as well as Captain Sisko's father in several Deep Space Nine episodes. He had been fighting pancreatic cancer and ultimately succumbed. One thing you may not have known, I sure didn't, was that he sang backup vocals on the song Banana Boat (Day-O) by Harry Belafonte, a testament to his beautiful and distinctive bass voice. He also played Tom Robinson in the original To Kill A Mockingbird with Gregory Peck.
I've been re-watching my Deep Space Nine episodes lately (by coincidence), so this comes as shocking and sad news to me. Especially because I've been watching the seasons that feature him more often. He's yet another brilliant actor who will be sorely missed!
Posted by Amy at 10:15 AM | Comments (1)
August 22, 2005
Not Today
*Sigh* Well, I guess this isn't a good day to buy a bike. Maybe that's just the fear talking or maybe it's Don getting into my head. For the last week, I'd been looking on ebay and watching auctions of some used motorcycles that I know I'd like. I even went so far as to email questions to the sellers. In the scheme of things they aren't all that expensive, but they are being sold for more money than I'm comfortable spending right now. Besides, storing it might raise a logistical dilemma.
Don is trying to encourage me to get my bills paid off and I know he's right...I should. But I was hoping to use some of the profits from selling our old house to do that. The only thing is, I have no idea when it'll sell. Plus, there's this little voice inside my head that keeps saying I should have an emergency fund.
I still dream of being able to ride someday, but perhaps that can wait. (Of course,
I say that begrudgingly.) I really feel like I deserve to splurge on myself for something super cool like that. Especially since I doubt I'll ever get that Z4. I had a chance to buy a bike a couple years ago and I regret not taking it before, as I regret not taking the chance now. But, I'm sure there'll be another time. Maybe next year, if I get a nice tax refund.
Posted by Amy at 04:16 PM | Comments (4)
Day at the Lake
Don and I spent Sunday afternoon with our good friends, Pablo and Sue. They live in West Bloomfield on a very small, but very pretty lake. They invited us over to hang out with some friends and have some yummy authentic Mexican food. I apologize that I forgot to take a picture...I guess I was having too much fun.
We sat and talked the entire afternoon, enjoying the beautiful sunshine. The weather was PERFECT! We also spent some time listening to music on Pablo's kick-ass sound system. Music really does sound better on his system! His 3 boxer dogs also wanted in on the fun and they barked a lot. Being such big dogs, they had a big bark that kind of scared me, so I was kind of glad they were locked up.
Sue made us something called Carnitas which is a standard meal for Mexicans, kind of like burgers are for Americans. You fill a tortilla with chicken or whatever meat you want and put guacamole and salsa in it. They also had corn which the Mexicans eat with mayonnaise and chili pepper. Sounds weird, I know, but it was actually good. And we had yummy ice cream cones for dessert.
Unfortunately, Don got indigestion from the single-malt scotch and a headache from being out in the sun. (I think he burned his scalp a bit.) So we left around 9:30. I think we're going to have to have another barbecue before this summer ends.
Posted by Amy at 10:00 AM | Comments (0)
August 18, 2005
Bad to the Bone
I think it would be really cool to have one of these, new or used. It's a Honda Shadow VLX, almost a 600cc engine. Best thing about this bike is that it has a really low seat height, which would probably fit my short legs.
I once took a motorcycle rider safety course up in Grayling. It was cheap! Only $25 bucks for an all-weekend lesson. And the instructor was a really good teacher. Except because my legs are so short, the only bike they had that I could ride was a really old, really beat up 200cc. Practically a scooter. It was kind of hilarious that right in the middle of the riding exam, it pooped out on me and I couldn't get it started, so the instructor had to push it and pop the clutch. But I finished the class as one of the better students, got a 98% on the written test! Now, I'm certified to ride motorcycles. Except because it was about 4 years ago that I took the course, I don't remember much and I haven't ridden since. I'd have to take it all over again to refresh my memory.
But wouldn't it be awesome? I think the best part is that I believe motorcycles can go the same distance on a tank of gas as a typical sedan, but on only a 3 gallon tank! The savings on gas during the warm months would be tremendous, considering how expensive it's getting! We're approaching $3 a gallon! Yikes!! Even if that happened, it would only cost $9 bucks to fill up the bike whereas it would take $60 to fill up my Jeep.
But, of course, I'm dreaming and drooling. Seems like a great idea, though, doesn't it?? And I still have my helmet and motorcycle jacket!
Posted by Amy at 12:20 PM | Comments (4)
August 17, 2005
Kung Fu Dork
In the proud tradition of the Star Wars Dork video, I secretly videotaped my new neighbor across the street practicing his fancy book-learnt kung fu in his front lawn. It was obvious he was trying to show off for everyone to see, but he had "wannabe" written ALL over him! Too bad for him no one else cared.
I hid behind one of the posts on my front porch and put the camera on the railing. Personally, I think he's been watching too many episodes of Xena: Warrior Princess.
Click on the picture to view the video. Enjoy!!!
Posted by Amy at 09:00 AM | Comments (2)
August 15, 2005
Visit From My Cousins
Sunday night, my cousins and aunt came to visit to see the new house. Rosie, Oak and Gino, Gracie and Joom, and Aunt Pimphun. I knew Oak wouldn't have any problem getting there since he's got a great sense of direction. He once helped me move into a house in Dearborn and on the way got separated from me, and SOMEhow managed to find it anyway! Unbelievable!! But, as I expected, Gracie got a little lost. She managed to find the neighborhood, but drove down the wrong street.
I still can't get over how CUTE Gino is!! He's absolutely adorable and SUCH a sweet and good little boy! But he was scared of our cat, Gabriel. Poor guy! It's something Rosie passed on to him. She's always been afraid of cats, not sure why. But it was the first time I'd ever heard Gino cry...and he wasn't all that loud. Interestingly, Rosie and Oak are teaching him both English and Thai words.
We took them all to the Creekside Grill restaurant near our house. Gino had a very good appetite and eats a variety of things from carrots and fruit to anything else Rosie gives him, including butter! He eats butter straight and LOVES it! Weird, huh? But I could tell he was very tired from visiting his cousins, Sara and Tessie. I bet they wore him out. But I was very excited to have him and everyone come visit. Aunt Pimphun says she's going to come back in December with my uncle. I can't wait to see him too!
Posted by Amy at 10:45 PM | Comments (2)
August 10, 2005
ISMI Reunion Photo
Here's the photo I promised you. Charly took a great photo of all of us with the timer on his camera. It was so great to see the Caldwells! Too bad Josie couldn't be there. But I got a great big hug from Paige-E. Perhaps we'll have to go down to Ft. Myers to see the all of them! Wheeee!
Posted by Amy at 11:00 PM | Comments (3)
August 09, 2005
ISMI Reunion
Don and I threw a barbecue for our friends, Charly & Tara, so we could show them the new house. Charly used to own a company called ISMI in Howell, where Don used to work for him. Then Charly was bought out (by a not-so-nice company) and retired/moved to Florida. They came to visit us and their family this weekend and we all had a fantastic time. Seems like we don't get to see them nearly enough! I love hanging out with the Caldwells!! Plus, Jessica, Ryan and Danielle were also there, so it half an ISMI reunion.
They were able to bring Paige-E, their 3-year-old daughter who is just pretty as can be! Looks just like Tara Beth. Too bad Josie, the 1-year-old, is too young to fly. She's also a cutie. Paige-E just LOVED petting our cat, Gabriel, who was pretty well-behaved, considering how grumpy he can be. Not that he would ever hurt anyone, but he's just a cranky-puss. Paige-E also had a good time with young Derek who was just ENTHRALLED that he had a girl to play with! I don't think he could get enough of her. I think we'll have a player on our hands when he gets to be a teenager.
I don't have the picture downloaded yet. I'll post it when I do.
Posted by Amy at 09:00 AM | Comments (1)
August 08, 2005
Peter Jennings Dies
I'm saddened to hear about Peter Jennings' death due to lung cancer. He was very young, only 67. I remember watching him every night at dinner as a teenager. Dad would put on ABC News while we ate and it became something I looked forward to doing with him. I remember watching Peter Jennings all day when the Columbia shuttle exploded and when the Twin Towers collapsed. He provided a very comforting voice and somehow it made me feel better that he was there during times like those. One thing I always thought was amazing about him is that he became one of the greatest news anchors yet was a high-school dropout. I'll miss watching him.
Posted by Amy at 10:10 AM | Comments (1)
August 03, 2005
Mom & Dad's Anniversary
Last night, Don and I took Mom and Dad out for their 42nd wedding anniversary to New Seoul Garden, a Korean barbecue restaurant in Southfield. Coincidentally, my aunt was there with my cousins and some family friends of ours. They had arrived within 5 minutes of each other without knowing the other group was going to be there.
When Don and I pulled in, I saw someone in the parking lot who I thought looked a lot like the daughter of our family friends that were there. But I only got a glimpse of her and didn't even see her face. Whaddya know, I was right. It was her! But she was clearly having a heated argument with her boyfriend. We parked next to a car that was still running with the door half-open and no one in it. I assumed it was her car. But she must have been so upset that she must have gone home because I never saw her come into the restaurant.
Anyway, we had a very nice time and Dad almost refused to let us pay for dinner. But Don gave his credit card to the owner and I told him it was Mom & Dad's anniversary, which sealed the deal. Ha! Sneaky we are! I was happy that we could treat them. And I got to see my cousins and nephew, Gino (above) after not having seen them in a while. I swear, Gino is getting SO cute and handsome!! He can wave and say "bye-bye!" and blow kisses. He's adorable!! I almost couldn't resist leaving. I just wanted to stay there and enjoy being with the little guy and my cousins. (But we had to go back to Mom & Dad's house to pick up the extra bed they're giving us for our guest room.) We'll have to invite them over soon to see the new house.
Posted by Amy at 02:00 PM | Comments (0)
August 01, 2005
A Perfect Date
Don took me out on Saturday night and it was such a perfect date! We went to a new restaurant called Logan's, where Dr. Jay had taken us once before. The restaurant is pretty fru-fru, but the food is unbelievably amazing and the staff there is incredibly knowledgeable and most friendly. When you read the menu, you absolutely won't know what to order because everything is so exquisitely prepared and presented. The tastes are feindish! I had the Osso Buco, veal shank that had been slow-cooked for 6 hours and it was sooooo yummy! Plus, I got my creme brulee which was also very delicious! Not only was the food perfect, but we managed to get a great table outdoors when the weather was just right. Not humid, not too hot. Next time we go, I'm going to have the Thai scallops. Mmmmm!
Then afterwards, Don had made reservations at the Oasis Spa where you can rent a hot tub for an hour. He also managed to get one that was outdoors (in an enclosed patio, but with a view of the stars). I tell you, I kept wondering if we were celebrating something because everything was so romantically perfect. But it wasn't our anniversary; neither of us were having birthdays. Heck, it wasn't even our "first-date anniversary" (which isn't till this weekend). I guess celebrating for no reason with a very loving husband is all I need! (Ok, ok, quit gagging out there!)
Posted by Amy at 09:35 AM | Comments (2)