June 1, 2005

June 1, 2005

West Hawk Lake day 15 of 113

DAY 349

 

DAMN, DAMN, DAMN, DAMN ! ! ! I just dropped a very nice walleye off the dock at Star Lake.

Today started out cloudy and cool, with light rain. It warmed up in the afternoon when the sun came out.

This morning I drained the holding tanks. It's the second time I've done this draining process using the 32 gallon waster tote. It was easier this time than the first time. I'm getting the hang of it. I did it without Joanne's help today to see if it's more of a one person job, or a two person job. It rained for most of the morning, so I didn't feel like doing any more outside work after draining the holding tanks. I spent the rest of the morning working on photos I had in the camera, downloading them to the computer, and working on them. I napped after lunch, then did some more outside work after the sun came out. I had to lubricate the tailgate latches, and in the process, I broke the latch on one side. What poor quality workmanship on this after market fifth wheel tailgate I bought right after buying the trailer. Now I need to pull the latch on one side with a pair of vice grips to open it, while I pull on the lever in the centre of the tailgate to open the latch on the other side. < sigh > And it's not really repairable. I'll just have to live with it that way. Oh, well, I rarely open the tailgate. I guess that may have contributed to the corrosion that resulted in the latch breaking. I sawed a couple of inches off the bottom of my Kentucky hillbilly walking stick. I used it on our hike the other day, and every time I use it, my arthritic shoulder hurts afterwards. I think it was a bit too long for my height. I hope I'm right, because I can't exactly lengthen it after cutting it shorter. I cleaned and waxed another section of the trailer. I really need to keep chipping away at this job, because I borrowed a step ladder from Bud yesterday to use on the upper part of the trailer. I'm about 3/4 finished the lower half of the trailer, and I want to be able to finish the upper half and return Bud's ladder in a couple of weeks.

Joanne went to do laundry, and make some phone calls. She made an appointment with a dentist in Kenora for each of us for an examination and cleaning. The charge for 2 dental examinations and 2 cleanings is $350. We discussed this over supper, and decided this is so outrageously expensive, compared tothe cost of dental work in the Mexican border towns, that we're going to cancel our appointments in Kenora. Like most other full time RV'ers, we're going to start having our dental work done in Mexico. What costs $350 in Kenora, is about U.S. $40 in Nuevo Progreso, Mexico, if my memory is accurate.

After supper, I drove to Star Lake to fish for a couple of hours. I caught a very nice walleye, the first walleye I've caught in over 15 years. I mishandled it pulling it up onto the dock, my line snapped, and it fell back into the water, with the hook still in its mouth. I lunged for it, but missed. I'm very annoyed ! That's what I get for not replacing the fishing line on my reel. It's probably about 20 years old. < FUME >

DSK