July 13, 2005

July 13, 2005

West Hawk Lake day 57 of 113

YEAR 2 DAY 26

 

Today was sunny and hot.

This morning we headed off to Kenora. In addition to shopping chores, and Joanne's ongoing cancer screening tests at Kenora Hospital, we were planning to return Teddy to Kenora Vet to have a blood sample drawn. Their previous instruction to us was to return with Teddy after he had been on the new hyperthyroid medication for a couple of weeks, so that they could draw blood and send it to a lab for analysis to assess whether the medication dosage was correct or needed to be adjusted. They said to just phone an hour before we brought Teddy in, there was no need for an appointment just to draw blood. As soon as we had passed the park gate, and had a good cellular signal, Joanne phoned Kenora Vet to tell them we were on our way. They refused to accept Teddy today and required us to make an appointment. Joanne was unable to convince them otherwise. I pulled off the road, into the Manitoba Border Information Centre, and I phoned them back. I forced the issue more strongly than Joanne did. After a lengthy period on hold, the receptionist had the vet come to the phone. She spent a lot more time arguing with me, refusing to accept Teddy today, and demanding that we make an appointment, and demanding that Teddy undergo another billable examination, than it would have taken her to draw blood from Teddy once we had arrived there. I advised her that we would be taking Teddy elsewhere for veterinary services. We had a lot of professional experience with veterinarians when we owned our stores. We found that, unfortunately, as in all providers of goods or services, I guess, some vet practices are interested only in how much money can they wrangle out of a client's pocket. Since Kenora Vet is the only veterinary practice in Kenora, I think they believe they can get away with such behaviour because they have a monopoly on the provision of vet services locally. We turned around and returned to West Hawk Lake to return Teddy to the trailer, then we continued on our way to Kenora.

Once we got to Kenora, I dropped Joanne off at the hospital for her final series of cancer screening tests. I went to the Post Office to mail our malfunctioned mattress warming pad to Mississippi for repair or replacement. Then I went to Mark's Work Warehouse to pick up a couple of pairs of jeans I had ordered a few weeks ago, and to buy new swim trunks. From there it was back to the hospital to pick up Joanne. We went downtown, and had lunch at Quizno's. After lunch, we went to Wal-Mart. From Wal-Mart, I took Joanne to Safeway for groceries. I dropped her off at Safeway, then went to fill Dee-Dee with diesel, then back to Safeway to pick up Joanne. Then we headed back to West Hawk Lake.

Back at the trailer, we unloaded our purchases from the truck, and while Joanne put everything away, I drove back to the Border Information Centre to get online, send and retrieve e-mail, update my blog, renew our Camping World membership, and retrieve updated investment data. As I was leaving the Border Information Centre, I overheard a conversation between one of the staff, and a couple of tourists with thick German accents, who were having trouble conversing in English. The staff lady was trying to give them understandable directions to West Hawk Lake Campground. I intervened, introduced myself, and offered to escort them back here to West Hawk. We chatted as we walked across the parking lot to our vehicles. They had recently flown into Chicago from Germany, rented a car, and driven here for a 3 week vacation in Canada. They followed me here back to West Hawk, and I left them with Kristin in the campground office.

We decided to take Bo for a walk to Miller Beach, and let him cool off in the lake. As we walked to Miller Beach, we checked with the German couple who were just setting up in their site, to ensure everything was satisfactory. They seemed amazed at my / our friendliness and helpfulness. Yeah ... I can understand that ... I've been to Germany ! Bo splashed around in the lake. He loves cooling off that way. We walked slowly around the campground, noting what sites were available for late arrivals tonight. Wednesdays are now the only evenings that the campground office is not open, and we look after late arrivals.

Ann came by when she came into the campground for her nightly tour around to sell firewood, to tell us that she had just sold her farm, to a neighbour. She was so very pleased. We know how exciting it is to get over a hurdle, on one's way to a "new life".

I had a very busy evening, dealing with late arriving campers, and a pair of young drunks drinking beer and breaking beer bottles in the picnic shelter behind our campsite. While I was walking Bo I saw a couple of young, drunk men wander into the campground with beer bottles in their hands. I thought they were campers returning to their campsite. Then I saw them drinking their beers in the picnic shelter. Okay ! Then ... I heard glass break. WHOA ! Not in my picnic shelter. I stomped over there, chewed them out, then made them clean up the broken glass by providing them with a broom and dust pan. I was going to escort them back to their campsite, so I asked what site they were in. They weren't even camping here. Well ... boys ... THEN YOU'RE OUTTA HERE ! ! ! I escorted them to the road, and sent them off staggering down the road. My last late arrival of the evening was a bicycle camper from Australia who was bicycling from Australia to Britain via Canada. Okaaaaayyyyy ! He had cycled here today from Winnipeg, a distance of about 150 km. / 90 miles. That’s a pretty long, tough day on a bicycle !

DSK