In February, we visited with your Friends, David & Eric in Florida and had our usual great time. This time, I didn't fall on the first day and fracture anything for a change. BUT... the night before we were to leave, we had an ice storm here at home in Canada and we lost our power around 8:30 pm. We waited for a while for it to come back on, but by midnight, it still hadn't. I went to the basement to check the sump pump only to find that the battery backup pump failed and we had a half inch of water on the floor. The only way to make the pump work, was to lift the float manally. We stayed up all night doing this till 3 am, then took turns getting a couple of hours sleep. In the morning the plumber arrived as did the cleanup crew. At 10, we left for the very treacherous icy drive to the airport and left the mess behind.
We arrived at the airport and our flight left on time for Toronto. However, we were supposed to leave for Orlando at 9 pm and ended up sitting IN the plane, NOT moving until 11 pm when they finally cancelled the flight. They were waiting for a crew member who was arriving on another flight which was late, then, US customs closed at 9 so he couldn't get cleared. We all had to fill out customs declaration cards and go through Canadian customs, even though we hadn't moved an inch. Then the fun began as everyone (including screaming babies) had to line up to get a boarding pass for a 7 am flight and a hotel voucher. We arrived at the hotel close to 2 am and had to get up at 4 to be back at the airport by 5 for a 7 am flight. We arrived in Florida about 1030, exhausted. Then, if that wasn't enough, I got a sinus infection and the flu Friday night and was sick most of the first week. But, we did make the best of it and had fun despite everything.
It seemed strange not to be organizing FurFest this summer. Even though it was a tremendous amount of work, it was always a blast to have old friends come for a visit every year and nice to be able to raise some money for AIDS New Brunswick. We decided this year to take a week for ourselves. After 12 years with FurFest, we figure we earned it.
We met two wonderful bears online from Tennessee. Scott & Jason were just online friends until July, when we inivited them to come for a visit. So we weren't bearless during FurFest week. It helped fill the void. We had a wonderful time together and showed them a little bit of our province. Scott took a load of photos of everything that moved and didn't. But a great way to remember your trip. We went to St. Andrews and stayed a very nice hotel. We went out on a huge sailboat for a whale watching trip and were lucky enough to see a couple of Minke whales, lots of seals, and even a bald eagle near Campobello Island. We also drove across the bar when the tide was out to see Minister's Island, the summer home of Sir William Van Horne who built the railway. We picked Scott and Jason up in Bangor, Maine and drive them back to catch their flight. We decided to go down the day before they were to leave and spend the night in Bangor. We had a lovely time in the hotel outdoor pool in a huge downpour, but decided to get out when the thunder and lightning began. We really hated to see the guys go home. We'd like to have kept them. Hopefully, we can get to visit with them and see Tennessee sometime soon.
We have so many places we want to visit, and friends to see. But money, time, and airline schedules sometimes make it impossible. We have been trying to go to Wisconsin to visit our friend Jay (Topper) but we can't use our air miles to fly into his city and buying a ticket is outrageous! The price is huge. We're working on that trip too and have opened a vacation account to save some money for a ticket. I want some of that famous Wisconsin cheese! We'll get there in time.
This fall has been a hard one, health wise. Jason has had trouble with his back and neck and has lost time at work because of it. Sunday I had to take him to the emergency room because it was so painful. By midnight, when the meds weren't working, I took him to another hospital where we sat from midnight until 6 am before we saw a doctor. This time we got some good stuff which helped with the pain. The doctor sad it was probably caused by his job which involves working on a computer all day. Jason is going to have to do stretching exercises to keep it loose, even if it hurts. Hopefully, it will clear up soon.
I have been working all summer for CBC Radio but that ended last Friday. The weather is still nice with warm days and cool nights so I can enjoy some time off. But from now until Christmas, I'll be busy with my own business, Sight & Sound.
Wow. Can't believe I've rambled on so long. Guess I needed to get it out of my system. I'll try to post more often so it doesn't look like a trilogy.
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