Our “silver” anniversary is on Wednesday November 2.  How can that be when I only feel like I’m 35?

Since the Airstream insurance flips from road insurance to storage insurance tomorrow at midnight, we decided to have an early celebration.  What better way to celebrate our 25th anniversary than in our silver clubhouse!  

Paul turned on the furnace to warm it up while I put together an appetizer plate.  Earlier in the day, we had chilled the wine.  Then, we took the girls outside with us and spent an enjoyable few hours before having a late dinner.  

The wine

  
Years ago, Paul encountered a couple discussing a certain wine in the liquor store.  He asked them about it, and taking their recommendation, bought a bottle.  It was truly the nectar of the gods!  That wine was probably our introduction to good wine, though it wasn’t expensive.  It was back when Wolf Blass wasn’t the commercialized wine it is today. It was back when Chardonnay was “buttery”, not “crisp”, as it is today.  It was a 2002 vintage.  Later, when our liquor store was clearing it out, no doubt for the “crisp” Chardonnays, we bought all that they had.  

We enjoyed all the bottles, but saved one for a special occasion.  However, we kept forgetting about it on each special occasion: when we bought the Airstream, when we celebrated our 20th, when we found a place we wanted to call “home”, etc.  Yesterday, we decided that today would be the day. 

Was it worth the wait?

  
Look at that color!  My tumbler is vintage smoke glass, but you can still see the rich Amber.  The wine was so smooth and rich.  It reeked of caramel and slipped down like butter!

Why is the trend in favour of crisp Chardonnays?  Crisp = sour.  There is nothing like a buttery Chardonnay!

The girls couldn’t care less about the Chardonnay.  They were eager for the nibbles.

On the weekend, it is supposed to be 17C, but sadly, we will not be able to use our silver clubhouse.  

We eagerly await spring.  Till then, have a cozy winter!

“Getting an inch of snow is like winning 10 cents in the lottery.” — Bill Watterson

What a difference a day makes.  This is what it looked like out my bedroom window yesterday morning:

 
Every one of the trees against the fence is taller than the fence.  The poor tree behind the chair, flattened, is my beloved smoke tree.  It is about 1 foot taller than the fence.  I don’t think it will make it.

Before I left for work, I hastily sent a message out to the membership of our Airstream club — the Free Range Rally was cancelled.  I was filled with deep sadness.  When I got home from work, I called the clubhouse we rented for the event to cancel.  By late afternoon 25 cm had fallen.

As I was calling to cancel everything, I got an email message from Paul.  He had skidded off the road, but was fine.  Never, in all his years of driving, had he lost control.  The snow had been accumulating and blowing, yet there wasn’t a snow plough to be seen. 

While he was waiting to be pulled out by a tow truck, a Toyota Tundra hit the same patch, and ran off the road too, narrowly missing Paul by a few inches.  When he saw the truck heading toward him, he thought he was a goner.  Later, another car lost control near him.

Then, it was time to go outside and shake some trees.  Our Japanese garden is a mess.  Paul has been training a limb on the maple to spread over our patio.  The limb snapped.  

We can usually walk under the limbs of the maple, but only Poppy can fit now.  She’s the only one who found joy in all of this.   
This Evans sour cherry tree may survive; however, it had a shock this year already when we moved it a few feet to the left.  Look at how much snow is on the tops of the lanterns.

A casualty in the front garden:

  
The flamingo tipped over from the weight of the snow.

By this morning, 30 cm had fallen.  We broke a record that was over 100 years old.  It’s still snowing. 

However, the weekend is not a whole loss.  We might not be camping, but we are still going to hold some of our events for the rally for those who are here.  One family will be coming in from Alberta and they are going to have a sleepover at our house!  Mom, dad, 2 boys, and 2 big dogs.  We will have a great time!  Poppy loves her big boyfriend, Chester.  Chester is an enormous Labradoodle.  He looks more like an Irish Wolfhound.  Poppy will be ecstatic to see him.  He was the first friend she ever met when she came to live with us.  She met him at her first Airstream meet about 2 weeks after we got her.  Chester’s sister is 9 years old, but she just came to their family this past May.  I’ve mentioned Chester and Janie before in earlier posts.  Janie is a rescued Golden-doodle (or is it Goldenoodle?) She’s sweet and timid and having the best life imaginable since she found her new family!  Daisy and Janie have a lot in common:  sleeping, getting love, and living out their golden years.

 Daisy and Janie at the Dolls & Dogs campout in August.

There is always a silver lining when you own an Airstream.  I won much more than $1.20 when I met my Airstream friends.

We’ve been fortunate to camp most weekends in September. Unfortunately, I keep forgetting to bring my camera, so I have only a few iPad pictures. 

Two weekends ago, we went to Douglas Provincial Park with our friends, the Krols. There are three of them in a Taylor Coach Bobbie.  It’s only 12 feet long!  Their daughter is almost 11, so she is still willing to sleep on the bunk above mom and dad’s bed. The Bobbie has a rear door, which creates a spacious interior. This little unit even boasts a wet bath!  Taylor Coach is produced in Ontario. 

 This weekend, we came to Pike Lake Provincial Park. The website said that only group camping with power was available, but the water would be shut off, as it was at Douglas. Well, weren’t we surprised to discover that the campground was still open, as well as the shower house!

Site 39 is jinxed. We camped at this site when the Airstream was still new. I had been doing some work at the dinette. My work bag was next to me, and when I looked down, I saw my blue pen had leaked through my bag and onto the cushion!  What a fright. I got the cover off and soaked, and the stain came out. I can’t say my bag faired as well. This morning, the girls were swarming me with excitement as I prepared their breakfast. Poppy was practically doing backflips, and she jumped on the sofa to get a better view, and her tail sent my coffee cup sailing off the table and onto the sofa cushion!  As I was walking to the laundry room, memories of the leaky pen came rushing back. I love our light sofa fabric, but sometimes . . . Anyway, I’m thankful that Airstream chose fabric that doesn’t disintegrate when washing, and I’m thankful the service centre at the campground was still open. 

What wonderful fall weather we are having!  Last night was probably one of the most perfect prairie nights we’ve had all summer. There was no wind, and it was warm. We could start our campfire early. Today, we walked along the lake, did some geocaching, and then walked a nature trail that passed through 3 ecosystems: woodland, wet woodland, and sand dunes. Poppy loves water, so she jumped into a green pond in the wet woodland. She likes a complete experience. Well, back to the lake we went for a romp to clean her coat. 

 Views from my Airstream door:  
As you can see in the bottom left, Poppy’s tail is in perpetual motion: 

Along with forgetting my camera, I also forgot my ukulele. I realized I had forgotten to pack both just as we hit the highway. Since the campground is nearly empty, I could have played it outside without feeling nervous about anyone hearing me.  Imagine my delight when I opened Airstream Life magazine to discover an article on Airstreaming and ukuleles!  My favourite quote: “What could be cooler than camping with your Airstream, admiring your pink flamingos, sipping an adult beverage with an umbrella, and strumming your ukulele?”  What could be cooler indeed!

While I was reading, I heard a cacaphony of geese nearing us. Within moments, about a thousand geese flew overheard in three waves!  Such a sight to see!  Are the geese trying to tell us something?

Next weekend will be our final campout. It’s the Thanksgiving long weekend. I know I’m thankful for all the camping I’ve been able to enjoy this summer. 

    
Shh!  Poppy’s tail isn’t moving. Sleep tight!