Diary published weekly since 2001
_________________________________
Hi All: Sure hope most of you are away enjoying the long weekend and probably will not read this till at least Tuesday. Since this is the last blast for the summer most RV Parks are busy and the majority host dances, BBQ’s, special kids activities and much more so everyone can celebrate the holiday weekend. Cool
John and I are having a bit of a quiet weekend, but the park is quite busy with a number of events taking place. Since we have a slight bitter taste in our mouth with this park we will continue to do our own thing. We only have another month till our paid for season is over and then we move on to new horizons. When we RVers are dissatisfied we can leave by turning the key. Cool
________________________________
THE ORIGINS OF LABOUR (LABOR) DAY
I was curious to know how this holiday began, so thanks to the web I discovered it apparently started in Canada (in 1872) with parades, picnics, strikes and meetings along with displays of uniformity – events continued into the 1880’s. The idea of a combined holiday effort quickly moved to the USA. Its origin was part of the advance of unions that dealt with strikes and a fight for a 9-hour working day etc. This is one of a very few holidays that is celebrated the same day in USA and Canada. Although almost every country in the world celebrates Labour Day, in many European countries it is commemorated on MAY DAY (1 May). Cool
JUNE 28, 1894 - The U.S.A. Congress passed an act making the first Monday of September of each year a legal holiday in the District of Columbia and the territories including all Federal workers in all states. The individual States still had to enact their own legislation, which 31 States had done already by this time. JULY 23, 1894 - The Canadian Government enacted legislation making Labour Day, the first Monday of September of each year into a national holiday. Cool
One interesting story I found on the USA Origins of Labour Day begins over 100 years ago - www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/business/september96/labor_day_9-2.html
It was conceived by America's labor union unrest as a testament to their cause when President Grover Cleveland was in power – it was a reluctant election-year compromise. Cool
I found two more interesting sites that offered a different Canadian perspective on how this most appreciated holiday began in Canada – Prime Minister Sir John A MacDonald was in power at the onset. The history is somewhat sketchy but for a detailed explanation go to www.geocities.com/Heartland/Creek/9369/project7/labor.html or
www.calendar-updates.com/info/holidays/canada/labour.aspx Cool
____________________________
WHY WE EAT OUT?
During several email and phone calls this week, friends/family relay that it seems as if we eat out a lot. We have a perfect explanation for this. Numerous Canadian RV parks charge visitors approximately $3.00 to come visit – for an hour or a day – with or without kids. We would love to drop in on friends for an afternoon visit, but we would rather not pay $3.00 each just to touch base – soooo it makes more sense to give it to the waitress to say thanks for good service. Plus if we meet in a restaurant, no one has to work at preparing a meal. The general purpose of the get-together is to socialize and touch base with our friends. Cool
By joining buddies for a meal in a restaurant we each can order what we want. Since many of our friends are on some kind of diet anyway and we all like to stay with our specialized foods, it usually works better to dine out. The overall cost is probably about the same. Also if we dine at someone’s house, we feel obligated to retaliate. On a nice day if we can eat outside that is great but before many of us RVers can set a table for four we have to reorganize the table – maybe move the computer or the craft projects etc. Cool
In the sunny south we frequently host enjoyable Patio Happy Hours with newfound friends, neighbours and wonderful snowbird buddies who also winter locally. But in those parks things are different. We spend time socializing when we take part in park activities, which also leads to fellowships. Also we eat out a lot for no other reason but entertainment. Plus Snowbird parks generally do not charge for visitors to stop by and secondly the climate is usually more adaptable for early afternoon gatherings. Cool
_____________________________
OUR WEEK IN REVIEW
For entertainment, besides shopping and picking up mail – Thursday we enjoyed a scenic relaxing drive to the St Thomas area. Neat city and we have not spent a lot of time there. Thought we may find some other campground options but most are too far from London – since we are in the city several times a week we want to be within 30 miles. However we did find another new to us super restaurant called the WAYSIDE at the corner of Highway 3 and 4. We met good friends Doug and Bonnie for lunch – they spent this summer near Chatham and St Thomas was halfway for both of us. What an awesome place!!! Menu prices were definitely on the low side, plus they featured a super buffet and everywhere we looked, the entire place promoted a touch of class, including cloth napkins at lunchtime. This tasteful image was even evident in the washroom where each stall was behind a decorative solid wood door. It is so much easier to catch up on conversation in a restaurant than it is through email. Cool
______________________________
Funny thing happened while we were in Wal*Mart before lunch. John had his RCN (Navy) hat on and a guy stopped to talk to him stating that he had spent 28 years in the Air Force. When they really looked at each other they both almost flipped, because it was Terry – our good friend and Emcee at our wedding 25 years ago. His wife Sharon had been kinda staring at me saying to herself “I know that lady from somewhere”. These two now live in St Thomas but we did not know that, since we have been out of touch since the early 90’s. Definitely a small world isn’t it? What a pleasant surprise!!! Cool
_______________________________
WINTER PLANS
FYI I keep forgetting to share this info. We are leaving Canada approx 19 October and stopping for a few days in Chicago to visit John’s sister Marilyn and hubby Arnold and the family. Our leisurely trip will continue with relaxing stops (not all set as yet) along the way plus we hope to stay a few more days at SHILOH RV PARK, our Home C2C Park in Monroe, LA en route to the Rio Grande Valley. We are booked into the CASA DEL VALLE RV Park in Alamo, Tx from 7 Nov to 7 Dec. It is a Sun RV Resort and they have a special on their website for a month at any of their many parks in Florida and Texas for $189.00 (for every month but Feb). These resorts are posh so even if you book a park blind it should be a great stop. www.sunrvresorts.com Cool
_________________________________
FINAL THOUGHTS
Although there are only very few tourist places in this area that we haven’t already seen, we are having a great summer. I’m in the process of adding new columns to my website – my latest www.rvliving.net/RVLivingForumQuestionsAndAnswers.htm On the 16 September we will be heading to the Ottawa area for 10 days to visit friends, family and to attend a NAVY REUNION for John’s last ship (5 years) he was on – the ‘HURON’. It was taken out of service and sunk off of Vancouver Island last spring. He hopes to touch base with many of his sailing buddies. Should be fun times!!! Enjoy the rest of your weekend everyone and please travel safe. Take care P&J Cool Cool Cool
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
TIPS OF THE WEEK
(Marianne and John sent me this tip by email. I share it now but they will also be in my next Packing Tips E-book. I still do not have enough input for another ebook as yet, but if anyone feels like sharing their favourites - please do. All contributors will receive a copy when it is in print.)
#1 Marianne relays a tip she heard while attending a recent rally in Alberta. One of the campers told us about a safety measure with respect to VISA or MasterCard. She had not checked it out, but it sounds like a good idea. This couple sharing the tip lives in a seniors complex in British Columbia and on several occasions during banking seminars presenters suggested that it is not wise to SIGN THE BANK OF YOUR VISA AND MASTERCARD! In the space for the cardholder's signature, it is suggested that owners should write, "See Driver's License for signature". Then, upon request from the merchant the owner can shows a personal photo ID – It also has signature on it, Maryanne felt that this was an interesting piece of advice to share!
_______________________________
#2 Her next hint should make RV Living a little easier. We have a small, 30 foot, Class C motor home - very comfortable and our home for eight to ten months each year. We have been going South for seven winters and have learned a few things - many of them from you, thanks so much...
Our shower/tub stall is very small, but I insist on taking my showers "at home". There is no door, only a shower curtain to keep the bath water in "its place" - in the tub. When showering I open the ceiling vent, which entices the "oh-so-cold" curtain toward the centre of the stall, where I stand. To remedy that situation I have taken a spring-loaded curtain rod, placing it between the curtain, and me - as far out as the shower stall will allow, with the curtain on the "other side/outside" of the rod. The bottom is still inside the tub. That gives me at least another 6 to 12 inches of additional room to move about. Best of all it works. Thanks Maryanne for sharing.
__________________________
GOOD SAM OUT OF COUNTRY MEDICAL INSURANCE
Everyone who travels out of country NEEDS medical Insurance to cover unexpected emergencies. This same advice applies no matter what country you call home – even if you are going across the border for a daylong shopping trip. During an emergency situation - without insurance -you will have to pay the price up front and medical services can be very costly. FYI - John’s stay in the hospital last November ended up costing our insurance $45,000.00
Good Sam provides all members with two days of multi-trip TRAVEL HEALTH INSURANCE at no cost. Simply call 1–888–237–1177 to activate your coverage. Need coverage for more than 2 days? Call our friendly Licensed Insurance Advisors to "top-up" your coverage for the length of your trip. Do not leave home without it.
Your benefits include:
s Up to $2 million for the emergency treatment of an injury or sickness.
s Emergency Air Ambulance – evacuation to the nearest hospital.
s Emergency return home – gets you home in case you can't drive.
s Vehicle return home – returns your vehicle home if you can't.
s 24 hour, toll–free assistance.
NO PROMOS THIS WEEK – POST IS LONGER THAN NORMAL
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment