Wordy Wednesday - a trip review

My visit with friends, S and P, was wonderful. The drives there and back, not as much. On the way there, my windshield took a rock hit from a passing semi causing a decent sized chip. I'll be taking it into the auto glass shop to determine if the chip can be filled, or if I need to replace the entire windshield. On the way home, I ran into heavy rain about two hours from home. There a a lightning storm to the north as well. By the time I reached the turn-off to the secondary highway (about 45 minutes from home), the sun was breaking through. 

Our visit made up for all of that. I arrived about 5 p.m. on Thursday, and after a tour of their lovely home, and some catching up, we headed out to East Side Marios for dinner. I haven't been to that chain for a number of years and we all enjoyed our meals. After dinner, we stopped at Walmart while P ran in to pick up dog food for their shih tzu pup, Bop.  Back at the house we watched some television, before we all went to bed early. S takes a pain reliever around 8:30 p.m. and is ready for sleep by 9.

Despite the early bedtime, I slept in until 7:30 the next morning. I hadn't slept well the night prior and coupled with the long drive, I needed the extra sleep. After our breakfast (toast and tea/coffee), S and I did some laundry and tidied up the laundry room. They recently purchased a new washer and dryer. These things have more bells and whistles than some automobiles! The dryer had options for refresh and steam, as well as about 5 settings for heat levels. S changed the load between the two machines, I folded and hung the laundry the laundry, then P was responsible to put it away.

I had brought along some yarn for a crochet project, but quickly discovered it wasn't the appropriate weight. S and I went to Dollarama where I found what I needed, then the two of us went on a walk about through Home Depot and then Walmart. She and P are looking to replace the upper portion of their deck (floor and railings) so she was checking prices at HD. Let me just say, I'm grateful I'm not the one who will be buying! Over at Walart, I found a pair of outdoor cushions for our bench for $3 each, and two t-shirts and a pair of shorts for Eli, also on clearance. 

After lunch (leftovers) we watched television, and I crocheted, until about 4 p.m. when we took our cold drinks out to the front deck. P built it a few years ago because their back deck faces south and it gets very hot throughout the day. The afternoon temperature reached 28C (82F) - sitting in the shade of the house was pleasant. Bop thought so too.

That evening, P made us dinner, panko breaded chicken with roasted veg, and a garlic mayo sauce. Included in the vegetables were yellow tomatoes he grew in the garden. Oh my, were they delicious, as was the rest of the meal. 

On Saturday, S and I drove out to Ol' MacDonald's Resort near Erskine, Alberta. It's an amazing campground with beach access, several playgrounds, an arcade, movie theatre, a mini-golf course. In addition there is a small convenience store and restaurant. It pretty much has it all! There are group sites where families and friends can gather, with access to a dining area, a fire pit and close to showers and restrooms. It also hosts a farmer's markets on summer Saturdays. S has been a vendor selling teas for a couple of years. She was able to catch up with several people. I picked up a jar of slime for Eli and S bought coffee for P. We stopped at the restaurant for lunch, as P had recommended the burgers. Sadly, they are no longer made fresh so it was a bit of a miss.

We were back in Camrose about 3:30 p.m. just in time for a Happy hour on the front deck. P had made a decision we were going out for dinner again that evening. We went to a local restaurant owned and operated by a former cruise chef and his wife. I certainly wasn't disappointed with my salmon, rice and vegetables. After I had eaten, I headed off towards the ladies room but tried to go the front counter to pay for our meal first. That darned P - he saw where I was headed and got there first, though he did let me contribute the tip. I can thoroughly recommend the Monte Carlo for the food, the service, the ambience, and the reasonable prices.  

Sunday I was up early, packed and out the door by 8:30 a.m. I had thought I might stop at a landslide site about 90 minutes out but changed my mind once I was on the road. I did stop in Saskatoon at Michaels to pick up some DMC cotton. That was a bad idea because of the ctonstruction! But I eventually I made it out to the highway and headed for home. By this point it was beginning to rain, but lightly. That changed just over an hour later when it started coming down in sheets. Visibility was poor so I kept my speed a little lower than the limit. The best part of the rain is it cleared the front of my vehicle and windshield of the bugs. I arrived home just after 5 p.m. Bedtime came early that night too.