Well this story started on Saturday, the day with all the shots for my birthday celebration, the day before all of my self inflicted pain, and to our delight it is still going strong five days later. So just to recap, I’m three quarters in the bag (some would say nine tenths), tossing back Birthday shots, and Robert and Susan just casually drive into the park totally unannounced, so to say Laurie and I were caught off guard would be a major understatement.

So in reality they did not just venture all the way from Newfoundland to help me celebrate my birthday, but had to return to Ontario for some warranty work on their new “B”van, and decided to stop by to surprise us, well mission accomplished, they actually didn’t realize it was my birthday until just moments before pulling in. Now if you have been reading my blogs for a while Robert and Susan were featured back near the end of May when they came to Ontario to pick up their new rig. And then ventured to Lake Huron Resort to spend a few days with us before heading back east.

Back in May they had flown to Ontario to take ownership of the new camper, so were only able to bring what would fit on the plane in their luggage, so the camper was quite empty and they had a very limited supply of everything , so after returning to Newfoundland to load and stock their rig, they are so much better equipped this trip, but are even still battling with what fits best where and what we really need to have on board and what can we live without, They are full timers so this summer has been that learning process, and that balancing act where you battle between wants, and needs.

Their rig is a 22′ Pleasure Way wide body on a Mercedes diesel chassis, it is small enough to fit in most parking lots (about the same length as a big pick-up truck) so their maneuverability it pretty amazing, this trip has multiple missions, as mentioned some warranty repairs, visiting friends and family, Robert is a Detroit Red Wing fan so they have a couple of pre season hockey games planned in Detroit, and he has a couple of upgrades ordered that they are picking up before heading back to Nova Scotia to house sit for the winter.

So we are honoured to be on their list of friends to receive a visit, so with our couple of days off we have been playing tour guide for some of the local sites, breweries, shopping, some meals out, and of course some time at our beaches so Miss Susan can collect some beach glass, And throw in a few of the Lake Huron Resorts famous sunsets, a long with some great home cooked meals, in fact tonight is Thursday evening and Susan is preparing us an authentic Jigs Dinner peas pudding and all.

It was decided that because of the great weather, that they would spend a couple more days with us before heading off Friday to take in the hockey games. So today I got Robert helping me do my midweek pump outs, he drove the tractor as I worked the hose, he also helped me repair some of the baskets of rocks along the beach walk. So we have had lots of time for some enlightening conversation, catching up on adventures, and the discussion of upcoming travel plans and adventures. As always there were long sad faces as they headed off but we have come to learn it just makes our next encounter even sweeter….

It’s always great to have a visitor, it’s even better when it is not planned in advance. My son Matt sent me a text to see if we were at the park as he was going to be driving right by the park and would like to stop by for a quick visit. When the visit is an unscheduled, spur of the moment visit it can really change and brighten your day, he was heading to Point Clark just a few miles north of our park to meet Sarah and spend a couple of days with friends at a cottage on the Lake Huron.

What made it even better, it even was our day off as well, so we could sit and visit without any guilt or pressing tasks, not that our schedule is so demanding that it won’t allow some time during any day for a visit, but it’s just easier when your off the clock anyway. As you can tell from the photo possibly there could have been a craft beer or two sampled as well, which has became a bit of a passion for me. Matt and Sarah have a plan, and it is a plan that is both obtainable and pretty smart, while they are not totally minimalists, they certainly live a more minimalistic life than most, they seem to have a solid idea as to what they really want and are driven to get there.

I think Matt calls it “not working for the man” while I understand what he says, I also know it’s very hard to get away from, but they have a plan and if they work the plan I’m pretty sure they will get to the goal. While we did not get into details, travel, and more time just to enjoy life are high on the list. They both have good work ethics and I sure have always been valuable employees, Matt is a licensed industrial electrician, the kind that play with the big voltage power in commercial building, while Sarah has take over her fathers business, servicing the automotive industry, with tire equipment, brake lathes, and alignment racks, it is a tough business in a male dominated industry. But no doubt in my my mind that she can handle herself, as she is a very capable young lady. I had been using her dads services for many years, and as I sit here thinking about it most likely since the mid 1970’s for my first brake lathe when I opened my first automotive repair shop.

Anyway back to the visit, it was only couple of hours, but it’s so great to have these discussions and to see that while so many are just money driven (and I was one of them) he truly understands how to enjoy life and family, he must have got that trait from his mother as I’m just starting to learn and understand those values…

Matt and Sarah live in Stratford Ontario a quaint little town known for its theater and their Shakespearian productions that are second to none, They have a completely renovated bungalow on a quiet street in a mature part of the town and a cottage on a small lake where they try to spent much of their summers. They are a young active couple who just finished a three or four day hike in Algonquin Park with another couple, a hike not for the faint of heart or the old and feeble. Matt has embraced a vegan diet and life style, being and old farm boy I struggle with it but to each their own, it is not something that I can see in my future, I enjoy vegetables as much as the next guy, hell maybe even more than most. I just don’t understand trying to make something taste like something you don’t want to eat…like the new beyond meat burgers that everyone is pushing…I guess some more discussion will be needed to sell me on that concept.

But again it always is great to see Matt at any time, even if its just for an hour or two, I was just remembering it was just a couple of years ago he helped me replace the cooling unit on our coach refrigerator, a task I wasn’t quite prepared for, just didn’t know how heavy a coach fridge was…so the young lad had to came to this old mans rescue! He is presently on the last one hundred days of a year long photo shot, posting one picture everyday on Facebook for the year a task that sounds simpler that it actually is, as many are candid with a little sarcasm missed in…I certainly had been enjoying them and look forward everyday to see what pops up…