Home!

We arrived home after a nine o'clock start and constant driving in grey skies, threatening snow, freezing temperatures and wet roads.

Pennsylvania is very hilly country which is great for scenery, especially Fall colours, but not good at all for radio reception.  Our favourite network, NPR, does not have the high-powered radio stations that the religious stations do, so Joan had to keep hunting around for the station as one faded into static, and the other wasn't quite strong enough.  It would have been another great time for an audio book, but I didn't plan ahead very well...

New York state became less and less hilly, so NPR programs like Car-Talk kept us laughing and entertained.  By the time that station faded, the CBC from Kingston was quite good so we listened to Quirks and Quarks, our favourite science program with Bob MacDonald: always a source of interesting interviews.

Snow had been predicted in the Watertown area which can be quite serious due to the lake effect off of lake Ontario.  Fortunately for us, no snow fell during our transit through that snow-belt.

Canadian customs was a quick and pleasant experience and the remainder of the trip was uneventful under grey skies and over wet roads.  I'm sure the car will dry out to become a white car, due to the heavy salting of the highways.

A major concern was trying to remember to turn westward when we reached the 417: downtown is right, Stittsville is left.  Once that was over, we found the house behind huge snow-banks, and it took less than a half hour to empty the car.  Joan's just finishing the final sorting and storing of all the stuff, then we can tackle the cubic foot or two of mail.  ...or maybe that could be Sunday work...

Our home phone is hooked up and working, as is the internet; please feel free to contact us, we always enjoy your news.

Until the next trip: au revoir!

Moosic Pennsylvania

Today, we managed an early start and hit the road before 8am.  That has to be very near the crack of dawn, don't you think?

The time prior to our departure was not without incident; after hints of impending doom last night, I managed to pass the biggest, meanest kidney stone of my 30+ year stone passing career...  Fortunately, last night's warning signs were far more uncomfortable that the actual main event.  No drugs were used even then.  I just have to be one of the luckiest stone-passers in existence, pain-wise.  But I'm off-topic...

Most of the day was dreary with very little sun, and a high of 5ºC [41ºF] which is not warm enough for us, really.  Joan and I are just getting over colds, and we could use more sunshine and heat, but again, I digress.

Traffic was fairly heavy most of the way, but the audio book from Jan made at least 6 hours pass quickly.  I just wish it hadn't been such a chick-book...  ... but the price was right.

We ended up stopping in Moosic PA, where we're staying at the Marriott TownePlace Suites.  At the desk, we asked for 'just a room', not a suite, or anything fancy. A single king was just fine and we moved in.

We do have a single king, and an on-suite bathroom with dressing room and closet.  We also have a microwave, two element stovetop, bar sink, full sized fridge and freezer, dishwasher, fully equipped kitchen with pots pans, dishes for four, etc. and clothes closet at front door.  There's also a very large and well designed computer station, sofa, 40" flat screen, and everything is clean and fairly new.  The pool is small but has a separate hot tub, and there's an exercise room for some reason or other.  If we end up being snowed in, this would not be a bad place to hunker down...

Ruby Tuesdays was a 5 minute walk away, and a bitterly cold, uphill, blustery, miserable walk back. [I have been know to exaggerate or embellish at times, purely for effect mind you...].  The internet access is fast and seems reliable, and the parking lot paved: what more could a person ask for?  ...an excuse to stay longer?

Whatever: weather permitting we should be home tomorrow.

Nick is recuperating nicely and got home this afternoon.  Boy, they sure don't keep surgery patients in very long, do they?  At any rate, he seems fine, just tired.    Plus: Okotoks will have a high of 7ºC while Stittsville will be -2ºC, how fair is that?

Fair enough if it helps you get better, Nick.