Well, I arrived home about 4:15 this afternoon and just now finished unloading the trailer ( with a few breaks). My final mileage was 6,969. My biggest expense was fuel - a little over $2500.00 and within about $100 of what I projected! It was worth every penny! The house seems huge and the dogs are dead. My wonderful neighbor Glenda brought over key lime pie bars to welcome me home, and my mail-lady, Julie brought the whole month's worth of my mail to the back where I was unloading when she saw the trailer had arrived back home. What a delivery service! Tomorrow is an oil change, grooming the mutts, a car wash, grocery trip and then an airport trip to pick-up baby Sarah and Patrick for a visit. YAY!

If you have a dream, go for it! All you'll have if you don't are regrets.
Ta-ta for now!

MY LAST NIGHT!

I'm in Joplin, MO and just finished a great Thai meal with Charles and Sherry Buchanan, my cuz, and it was much too short!

Tomorrow is only 7 1/2 or 8 hours as opposed to today's 11 1/2 (ugh!). But then, I have to get the trailer parked, unload, do laundry and get the trailer ready for my sweet son to wash this weekend. Patrick and baby Sarah will be here Friday while Erica has a spa day and a restful weekend.

I'll be just over 7000 miles when I get home, and on this last leg is the first problem I've had. When putting the tire chocks between the trailer tires (to prevent "rocking" while in the trailer, for those of you non-rv'ers), I saw the steel belt sticking out on one trailer tire. Uh-oh! I've called AAA and they will be here in the morning to change to my spare. I guess that's not too bad, though.

It's really quite sad to be going home. I could soooo do this! I planned for almost a year and it was everything I had envisioned and more. Life is out there, and we can choose to be a spectator or a participant. I am so glad to be a participant. My dreams of RVing have been realized completely with this trip and also the realization that it isn't about what you have, but what you do with what you have. I have been blessed and I intend to make the most of it.

I had a wonderful evening and great meal with James and Heidi Horton in Janesville, WI last night and then we left early this morning for Taliesin, the home and studio of Frank Lloyd Wright. What a great experience. His personal life was a mess, but he was an architectural genius. Here are a couple of pictures at the homesite he built in 1902-05 and his Romeo and Juliet windmill. Looks like 50s and 60s to me! Then we had lunch in a little town called Spring Green, came back and took the dogs for a long walk in a city park, and called it a day (all 5 of us!) Tomorrow, I need to leave really early - 619 miles to Joplin, Mo and dinner with my cousin Charles and his wife, Sherry. Here's a picture of James and Heidi.

The quaint little cafe we ate at in Laval and a picture of Jaycee, my Montreal friend.

Saturday, August 12
Jaycee and I had a great day - once we found the church marketplace that we were headed for! Neither one of us should be turned loose alone, and together, we were pretty dangerous. Good friend. Good times. We talked and talked and didn't solve a single world problem, except we both agree tha the province of Quebec needs to lighten up on the French thing.

Sunday August 13
I left early today and drove to London, Ontario, arriving at the house of one of my former student's grandmother (figure that one out!). My trailer and car BARELY fit in her driveway (I mean barely), but it did! What a wonderful evening with a wonderful lady. She fixed a scrumptious meal complete with Wisconsin cheddar from right near her island - she spends the summer there. Then we took the dogs on a long walk to prepare for apple pie! I retired to my private room in the driveway with the pups, and we got an early, early start Monday morning - leaving at 7:20 a.m.

Monday, August 14

LONG day again. We entered the U.S. of A. around 8:30 a.m. and the bridge was a wonderous site. I couldn't get a picture, though, as I was driving. Then the drive got quite boring, scenery-wise, but was lightened by some entertaining phone calls, since my phone was now turned on. I arrived in Janesville, Wisconsin about 5:45 p.m. and Heidi picked me up soon after. Their home is lovely! I had the honor of being the first DeSotoite to visit their home, although Fran and Peggy are not far behind me! Heidi fixed a delicious meal with veggies that were outstanding and we visited for several hours. I called an end to it, as I had been up early and had gained an hour. Tomorrow, we are going here and it sounds like a lot of fun! http://www.taliesinpreservation.org/ It is the home of Frank Lloyd Wright, who designed Dallas Theatre Center (with no corners!)

Then a very very long day - 609 miles to Joplin, Mo., where cousin Charles and his wife Sherry and I will go to dinner.

So far, almost 6000 miles.

Note to self #6, I think:

When your Garmin has lost it's voice AND it sent you through downtown Montreal instead of around it AND it's Friday afternoon at 4 p.m. AND there is construction everywhere AND you're on the route to the airport AND EVERYTHING IS WRITTEN IN FRENCH........ YOU'RE IN TROUBLE! Wow! What a drive! But I arrived safely and somewhat soundly on the west (that's ouest - I figured the directions out = nord, sud, ouest, est) side of Montreal and my friend Jaycee was there to meet me at the campground. We wre planning to go into Laval tomorrow to scout around,eat lunch and good off. Quite nice. So far 4,600 plus miles.

Note the different tails = like fingerprints, no two are the same.

Whales!

Tuesday was a remarkable day! One I'll always remember. I left the dogs in the trailer and drove to Briar Island to go whale watching. I chose www.oceanexplorations.ca as my company. Tom, the owner is a biologist and his work has been featured with Jaques Cousteau(sp?) Tom, luckily, was the boatman for my trip. We went in a zodiac rubber sided boat with an outboard motor that he said was the same size motor as in a Honda Accord. The advantage of the zodiac is that when a whale is spotted, it can get there fast and first to see the blowing and tail slapping. And boy, did we!! It was awesome and amazing how close we were. We saw at least 8 different humpbacks - their tails are like a fingerprint and you can tell the difference. It was so hard to catch them on camera, but I got 2 great tail shots and a video. Digby scallops were on the menu both yesterday and today and Fred, I found the gas station/restaurant and of ALL of the scallops I've had -(at least 4 or 5 times), THOSE WERE THE ABSOLUTE BEST! Thanks for the tip! The waitress had worked there for 21 years and assured me that yes, this was the place! Today I explored Annapolis Royal and Digby an walked the pups on the boardwalks in both towns. They are such people magnets! Tomorrow I leave this beautiful province. Very sadly, I might add. I'll make my way to Montreal on Friday afternoon for a visit with my friend Jaycee and then on to Janesville, WI to see the Hortons. I'll have my phone on again after about noon on Monday. What a trip. I'm coming back - I haven't seen Cape Breton Island or Newfoundland yet!
no pictures tonight! Won't work. I'll try tomorrow

Well, the pictures are in reverse order, but they are posted. I arrived in Annapolis Royal/Digby today and am in a nice spot surrounded by poplar trees and close to the Annapolis River. Today I went to Fort Anne Historical site and took the pups along the boardwalk on the waterfront. Then I got some scallops to bring back and have for supper. I have not tired of them yet! Tomorrow is whale watching in the zodiac! A full report tomorrow evening, assuming that I survive!

Today was a day of fishing villages and architecture. Tucker, Abbie and I left early – around 8:30 for a day trip down the lighthouse route to several small quaint villages established in the 1600s. Mahone Bay is a seaport with tiny old houses and lovely shops. ate a HUGE bowl of mussels cooked in white wine with scallions for lunch. The bowl of empty shells told the story! I am now quite a fan. Both times I’ve had them, cooked very differently were excellent. Going on around the coast we came to Lunenburg – a larger shipping port with huge mansion-like houses still standing from the 1600s. the architecture was impressive. Several inns are still open today that were established in the early days. Tucker and Abbie got a visit to a pet boutique for some baked peanut butter treats and walked nicely throughout the streets. We didn’t get back until 5:30 p.m. and I sat and enjoyed the evening sun on the ocean. Later, I visited the memorial to the crash of the Swissair plane that went down at Peggy’s Cove in 1998. it was impressive. The dogs climbed all over the rocks just before dark. The only environmental drawback that I have found to Atlantic Canada is the mosquito. The come in droves at dusk and bite like crazy! I have chunks eaten out of me! They are worse than in Houston!

Here is a picture of the 2nd oldest church still holding regular services in North America. The oldest is in Quebec City – I saw it last year on my cruise. Isn’t this beautiful? It is an Anglican church. The next picture is of a boatcrafter building a wooden whaling boat and the third is of one of the houses in Lunenburg.

Each day is full of new experiences and new friends. Today, my next door neighbors are from Ottawa and have been traveling for seven weeks. I’m jealous! I just have one more long stop before I start heading back west and south. Digby and the Annapolis valley is my last destination in the Canadian maritimes.

Hopefully, the heat will have lessened and Texas will be out of the hard heat of summer by the time I return.

Well, the pictures won't upload - I'll have to try later.

Here are sunsets. Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.......

here's the view from my Campsite = right on the Atlantic Ocean.

Here are pictures of Peggy's Cove lighthouse - totally on rock. Also, Peggy's Cove itself.

Here I am in Nova Scotia - Peggy's Cove, to be exact. This was my ultimate destination when i first put it all on google maps. 3100 miles plus. Actually, with my side trips, I've gone jsut over 3700 so far. Peggy's Cove was named after a little girl who was the only survivor of a shipwreck. A fisherman found her and his family took her in. Currently, only 60 people lieve full time in Peggy's Cove and no one can move into the village itself. I am camped RIGHT on the ocean - I will post pictures later. Just finished scallops, chowder and mussels and getting ready to walk it off. The dogs are passed out in the trailer after spending the morning jumping, running and playing on the rocks at Peggy's Cove.

Note to self #5: do not think that an all-you-can-eat mussels, chowder, salad bar, dessert bar and a whole lobster is a good idea. I was past full! Matt- I was miserably full! I sure enjoyed the lobster, though!

I didn't go on the PEI ferry to Nova Scotia - it was quicker to drive around rather than drive to the ferry and wait to cross.

My campground is owned by an 87 year old lady who is quite something. This morning, she was sitting on the window sill of her second story washing the outside of her windows! Ther are only about 50 spots in her campground and it is lovely - all grass.

I'm exploring all of the shops along the cove without pups this afternoon and will go to Lunenbourg and Mahone Bay down the coast tomorrow. Life is good!

Pictures later.

Here are pictures from yesterday - as I drove along, I'd stop and snap. the landscape is just beautiful.

Today, the dogs and I went on two trails in the Cavendish Green Gables National Park. They were lovely and weather is beautiful - 16 degrees (that's 64ish for you U.S. citizens). The dogs were happy! Tonight I go to the musical Anne and Gilbert in Summerside and since it's on a harbour, I'll spend some time before the play.

It's been a great day.