July 19, 2005

July 19, 2005

West Hawk Lake day 63 of 113

YEAR 2 DAY 32

 

Today was sunny and very warm.

First thing this morning we headed off for Steinbach. We decided today would be a day of taking the "scenic route" back roads. We drove west on TCH 1 to Richer, then south on Hwy. 302 to La Broquerie, then west on Hwy. 52 to Steinbach. First stop was an electronics repair shop on Main Street. I left the trailer stereo for a diagnosis of why the CD player wasn't working. They said they'd have an answer within a couple of hours, so I could make a decision to have it repaired, or pick it up, before we left town. Next stop was the South East Vet Clinic, where Teddy had blood drawn for a follow up lab test, to assess how the hyperthyroid medication is working. He has gained a pound in the last month, so that’s a good indication. We stopped at a Dollar Store for Joanne to buy a few things she needed, then we went to MJ's Café, a Mennonite restaurant, for lunch. We had a very pleasant lunch, first sharing a bowl of cabbage borscht, then sharing plates of kielke, a German noodle dish, and vereniki, the Polish version of perogies. After lunch we returned to the electronics shop. They had diagnosed the problem with the CD player, and it wasn't worth repairing. The old German man who owned the shop gave me a recommendation and instructions for how to wire my Walkman portable CD player into the stereo, and play CD's through the trailer stereo system that way. Great idea ! Next we headed over to Clearspring Mall on the edge of town. I shopped at Radio Shack for some wiring and connectors I need, except that it's no longer Radio Shack, now it's Circuit City. They didn't have what I needed. From there it was across the highway, over to Canadian Tire for the same stuff. They had what I needed. We headed out of town, north on Hwy. 12 to Blumenort, then west on Hwy. 311, and north on Hwy. 206 to Landmark.

As we passed through Landmark, I noticed a GM truck dealership advertising a service special on radiator flush and fill service. That's one of the two remaining items on my truck maintenance to do list. I stopped in, and discussed what I need done, negotiating a change from their advertised special, to incorporate both of the service items I need done. The advertised special was a free oil change worth $32 with the coolant flush and fill. I negotiated a front brake inspection, cleaning, and adjustment worth$60 in lieu of the oil change that I don't need at this time. We struck a deal, and I made an appointment for next week. Nothing rusty about my negotiating skills. I still got it ! Thanks, mom !

We continued north on Hwy. 206, then west on Hwy. 207 through Lorette to the Danelak's to pick up our mail. We visited for awhile. Bud had just finished building us a sofa table that I had asked him to make for the trailer. A sofa table of this design was a raffle prize at an RV rally we attended in Arizona in March. We obviously didn't win that one, but I took digital photos of it, and send it to Bud by e-mail asking him to make one for us. He did a superb job, as he does of all wood work projects he undertakes. All he had left to do to finish it was varnish it. We can do that, so we took it with us today. Thank you very much, Bud. It's beautiful, and a great complement to the computer desk he built and installed in the trailer for us last year.

We left the Danelak's heading east on Hwy. 207 back through Lorette. We usually head west on Hwy. 207 back to TCH 1 at Deacon's Corner, but today we went the other way. We stayed on Hwy. 207 until it met TCH 1 at Dufresne. We got back onto TCH 1 heading east, until Richer. At Richer we stopped at a couple of roadside stands to shop for fresh produce. We didn't buy any produce, but we did buy some home made perogies and cabbage rolls. We continued east on TCH 1. A couple of miles before Falcon Lake, just where the highway changes from 4 lanes to 2, we stopped to check for blueberries. This morning on the way in, we saw a car stopped on the side of the road, and some people up on a granite rock outcrop picking something. WOW ! WOO-HOO ! Blueberry bonanza ! ! ! We didn't have anything to collect them in, so we will return tomorrow to pick some. We picked a few just to pop in our mouths. I'm salivating as I type this, remembering the sweetness of them. Ain't nothing like wild blueberries !

We continued on past Falcon Lake, and just before the turn off to West Hawk, I saw something in the ditch. I stopped on the shoulder, and backed up. Yup ... I did see it correctly. A young bear lying in the ditch. I got out and carefully went over to ensure it was dead. I certainly don't want to leave an injured animal suffering on the side of the road. It was indeed dead, although there were no visible injuries. I guess it got hit by a car, and was able to crawl off the road a short way before it died. We returned to West Hawk, and I reported it to Robbi, one of the Natural Resource Officers. She was visiting with the staff at the campground office as we got back to the campground. She was going to take care of it right away. The campground office staff were very concerned for Robbi's safety, in case the bear was injured but still alive. HEY ... I have enough animal skills to know a live bear from a dead one ! Please !

We barbecued a late supper, then I worked on this journal entry before tackling today's accounting, which is always quite a chore after a day of shopping and errands, paying with cash, credit card, and debit card. We sold 3 of our last 6 bundles of firewood. I guess tomorrow will probably be the end of our career as firewood sellers.

DSK