We had the fun - yes it really was fun - of a trip to Canadian Tire. They do sell tires / tyres but loads and loads of other stuff too. Proper place for sad folks like the captain to wander around and spot useful things. We went to get some oil and a couple of filters for the Dodge RAM truck which had been whimpering gently and then less gently for an oil change on the last couple of days of our Airstream trip.
As the weather was not being kind, we took the truck to the Cessna's hanger and nosed it in, under the wing of the plane. Good spot to do the oil change. Only the height of the running boards prevented anyone bar an anorexic gibbon from reaching the oil drain plug. So, back to Canadian Tire, a couple of ramps were purchased and we were then tooled up for the job. Oil and filter changed, air filter changed, we felt that we'd earned lunch. Men of a certain age can easily convince themselves black is white if they try of course.
Our morning and evening routine at the house was very wildlife focussed. These guys regularly roamed through the garden, keeping the grass tidy:
and well fertilised too. The highlight was watching the hummingbirds at the special feeder, stocking up on the sugar and water combination ready for the winter. This video was typical of their antics:
They amused us for ages.
We had a trip to the shops for critical supplies and saw another example of the anti-Trump feelings being put into action:
Returning to the house we stopped in a local pub place for lunch - which was good. The crew needed a pit stop and found the strangest ever solution to having a small space, a normal sized toilet and a large door:
When it closed, not everything was on show but....
A visit to a very special forest area let us see some very elderly trees:
that varied between huge and enormous:
The crew, of course, is sylph like. Where they have fallen in storms, you get some terrific patterns and shapes:
It was a most atmospheric walk, sights, sounds and smells. Very special. As was dinner that evening (another Martin masterpiece) topped by the carrot cake that he produced in parallel. Our assistance was limited to ingredient prep stuff, he had rightly assessed our skill set. The end result was pretty wonderful:
That evening, Inge returned from work and although she was tired from a long day of flying and being flown, she managed to stay awake for long enough to catch up which was most kind of her. We put most people to sleep way quicker.
The next morning we were off on further travels. A stop at the Airstream dealership to check on some warranty work that was planned resulted in looking at a different trailer with a nicer layout. The salesman called it "3 foot-itis" - the benefit of the extra space a slightly longer trailer gives and the flexibility in layout that offers. Not to mention an extra axle. Temptation indeed. Martin and Inge left the place with lots to think about. We, on the other hand, were sold on the idea of a swap - spending other folks cash is so easy it seems.
We then headed to see their new boat. Having sold Malaspina, their Nordhavn 47 that was UK based, they found a well maintained Selene that lived in a boathouse which was also available. Yes, a private boathouse in a marina that was just big enough and we do mean just:
Perfect for winter weather protection. Here are the happy Selene owners:
with a little bit of the rail mounted BBQ intruding into the picture. Apologies, we were all in a bit of a hurry to get to the next part of the adventure.....
