Hello again from the nation's capital !
It is sweltering outside this afternoon. The clouds moved in at noon, it rained, the clouds disipated and the humidity became unbearable. The skies turned black a few minutes ago with loud thunder but only a few drops of rain. We won't complain as it is better than wind and cold.
We had a nice weekend camping at Sackets Harbour, NY. We watched Carters team play four games on Saturday. They lost, won, lost and won so they finished 2 for 4. Not bad for a team where most of the players have ever played field lacrosse before. We were quite happy with the turn out. Carter was pretty sad he couldn't play but stood with his team and cheered and coached. He hobbled along with his air cast. The weather was well over 30C each day. It is located right on the shores of Lake Ontario. A nice breeze cooled us off while we watched or waited for the next game. The games were short. Each game lasted only 25 minutes. The players also appreciated the cool breezes.
We got out of the city just in time to miss a big storm. We literally just got out of the city before it started to thunder, lightning and rain. The highway was busy but steady. We were lucky to be able to travel the speed limit as there was no wind. We made no stops until we hit the border. It seemed to take forever. We crossed in less than fifteen minutes and had no problem - go on ahead. We stopped for groceries at Walmart in Watertown. They sure have good prices. It is almost like shopping at Cosco: you just want to buy everything. We didn't of course and kept to our shopping list (why Randy went instead of Carter). Carter and Bob stayed in the RV until Carter got bored abandoning Bob. Needless to say we hustled through the till and got back on the road. Sackets Harbour was a 10 minute drive and the campground another 10 or fifteen minute past.
Our weekend became stressful when we realized we had grabbed an outdated copy of Bob's vet papers. We pleaded with the park to let us in and they agreed if we could prove the next day he was up to date on all his shots especially the Rabies vaccine. Then we had to go back to the highway to purchase fire wood. The website warned about bringing in your own wood so we never stopped at the million places that sold wood. Oh well... We headed to our campsite to find that it had no power. After maneuvering the RV to a flat spot on the site the camp manager was kind enough to find us a powered site. He called it 'special'. It was probably for handicapped campers. Who cares. We were glad to park, plug in the rig and turn on the air conditioning. It was a very hot day and being to cheap to use the cab's air conditioning we were anxious to feel some cool air.
After settling in and having a cold drink we enjoyed pulled pork on a bun and fresh coleslaw for dinner. Once again Paula was prepared. Carter hooked up his PS3 and played video games until bedtime. We roasted marshmellows (smores) around the fire. It was actually to hot to sit near the fire, can you believe it? It cooled down incredibly in the night. By morning we were bundled under all of our blankets and quilts. The fresh air let us all enjoy a good nights sleep. Bob had to stay in the trailer until we could prove his papers. Randy got up very early to take him out for a run. We had to be at the tournament for a nine o'clock game so after quick showers, in the RV, we were packed and departed. With luck we would get the same camp site Saturday night.
Saturday was gorgeous. We were very hot and slightly burnt. We were lucky to get the 'special' site. Our vet was nice and faxed the papers so we were good to go with the dog. We parked, plugged in the rig, set up camp and poured ourselves a cold drink. Some friends dropped over and joined us for the evening. We all went down to the lake and enjoyed a nice cool swim. We were only a block or so from the lake. The campsites were all very close together by the lake and had no power. The wind was incredible and we enjoyed some laughs watching some teenagers try to light their fire / cook their dinner. We returned to our campsite and did the same. Another couple and their two boys joined us after dinner. We sat around the camp fire and chatted and roasted the boys marshmellows / smores. It was another early evening as we were all spent. The other two families had to return to action the next day for the Novice group.
We managed to sleep in until 7:30. It was so nice getting those two extra hours of sleep. It was 30C by 8:30. We cooked up a hearty traditional breakfast, showered, clean up camp and were back in Sackets Harbour to watch more lacrosse by 11:30. It was a much more relaxing pace. We stayed to watch the Midget team play. They play an incredible game. All Carters teammates should have seen how they run, pass and manouver the play. It was so nice to see the game played the way it was intended. Field lacrosse is more of a gentlemens game in the U.S. Not as much hitting. There is more skill.
After the game we stopped in Watertown for a hearty home cooked meal. The three of us ate for $31.95 with taxes. Carter said 'you better give the waiter a good tip'. We had a nice drive home with no wind. The only hick-up was the 45 minutes it took to travel 8 kilometres for road construction just after the border crossing. We made it home just before dusk. We hustled everything we needed to the house then returned the RV to storage. A good nights sleep was had by all to prepare for another grueling work day.
As for Carter's foot. He had been complaining about it since he returned from Saints Lacrosse camp. He played on it the long weekend. The swelling was not subsiding. He went to lacrosse camp on Monday but we held him home the next two days. Paula called the Urgent Care facility in Orleans to find out if they could X-Ray his foot. They have all the services we needed so off went her and Carter. It took just over two hours for him to be registered, see a doctor, have an X-Ray and review it with the doctor. They assessed the fratured bone in his foot, taped his foot, put on an air cast and told him to rest his leg. They did most of the work after Paula paid the bill. It certainly beat waiting in emergency for six to eight hours to be sent to a separate facility for X-Rays etc etc. The service was well worth the $180.00 fee. His foot has healed since wearing the cast. We can now see veins in his feet and the swelling has subsided. He looks like he is wearing a ski boot. It keeps his foot in place. He needs to heal for provincials but especially for hockey tryouts at the end of August. Not to mention the hockey camps for which he has been registered. He has been very good at keeping it on and keeping the balancers in place. He day is pretty boring. He has to watch t.v. and play video games. How grueling for a twelve year old (sarcasm).
On another note. Our Wednesday evening was not only filled with Carter's visit to the doctor. Randy and Bob had been doing chores outside most of the evening. Randy decided he had had enough at nine o'clock, when the skies turn dark. Bob decided he wanted to stay outside as it was still quite warm. Bob loves the heat. Anyhow, when Paula and Carter returned home they could smell skunk smell through out the neighborhood. Paula opened the back door to discover our back yard had been sprayed. Poor Bob was the target. He took it right in the face. Paula researched the best remedy. Off to Shoppers Randy went to for the ingredients. Two hours later it was safe for him to come in the house. My god what a smell. If its not racoons or skunks or ground hogs or squirrels it is something obscure as a moose running rampant in the neighborhood. People have even seen coyotes in the city. Last night we saw three deer chomping down on the corn field just before our exit. We usually see wild Turkeys there houvering the ground.
It was another exciting week in Ottawa. It was nice reading your news and we especially enjoyed the pictures Roberta shared from Merv's Birthday. What a good looking family!
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