The Babysitting Job

This Saturday my sister Kim and my brother-in-law Mike left for Aylmer to attend the wedding of Mike's cousin. They were not planning on taking their 5 month old daughter Jolene with them and had asked Tom and I if we would be willing to babysit Jolene Saturday through Sunday meaning that we would be caring for her overnight. We agreed and arranged to stay over at Kim and Mike's house in order to minimize any disruption to Jolene's regular schedule.

We arrived at Kim and Mike's place on Saturday morning about noon. Every time we see Jolene she is a pretty happy baby! Lots of smiles and giggles and it seems (at least when we were caring for her) that she mainly gets fussy when she's hungry...but really, who doesn't?

I had planned to get a whole bunch of wedding stuff done over the weekend but realized soon after Kim and Mike left us alone with Jolene that my weekend was going to be consumed pretty much with watching Jolene play, sleep, eat etc. I certainly have a lot of respect for Kim who is at home with Jolene all day while on maternity leave.

I think we were pretty successful as Jolene's caregivers for the weekend. We did have a little bit of a struggle getting her to fall asleep on Saturday evening, but once asleep she slept right through the night and we hardly heard a peep out of her. Of course since Tom and I don't have children yet - I was a bit nervous with the whole overnight thing. I think I checked on Jolene almost once every hour to make sure everything was okay...and of course it was :).

Babysitting our niece for the weekend sure allowed Tom and I an opportunity to evaluate our readiness for having kids...let's just say that it definitely is a full-time job and we plan on waiting a few years yet before starting our family.

Our niece Jolene and nephew Adrian are both beautiful babies and we will continue to learn from them and spoil them like crazy - that will be enough to keep us occupied us for the time being!

Jolene's happy hour.

Corvettes are Cool!

Just a snapshot of some Corvettes heading down Franklin Boulevard in Cambridge as we were heading to Kim and Mike's to babysit Jolene. It was pretty neat to see all the different colours. I certainly appreciated the convertible style. Interesting that they have car clubs similar to motorcycle clubs in which regular rides (or drives in this case) are scheduled just for fun!

(Tom's note: The Corvettes were part of the Charity Corvette Show which supported the Cambridge Coping and Bereavement Centre)

All Corvettes, all lined up.

Fry Guys Rally '09 - Day 4

So, the weekend is over and it's time to head home. Today turned out to be a warmer day than both Saturday and Sunday. One of these years, the whole weekend will be full of sunshine. While it was only 5 or 6 degrees when we woke up, the temperature would rise quickly throughout the day and go well past mid-teens. Anyways you look at it, anything was better than last year when we woke up to nearly freezing temperatures and snow.

Looking out on Madawaska River on a cloudless Monday morning

We all had a small breakfast and, after saying our goodbyes, we were on the road not long after 10am. Having filled up with yesterday, Heather and I would only need one stop to get home. That one stop was in Orillia after following the same route as we did on Friday. From Orillia we made a slight change in the route and headed towards Midhurst. Just like last year we would stop for lunch at the Midhurst Coffee House. That Spanish omelet was fantastic.

Getting ready for the final stretch of riding home

From Midhurst, we rode down various highways, encountering traffic in a spot or two, to Orangeville and finally home, where a warm dinner prepared by my mom was waiting for us.

SEASON STATS
Today's trip: 399 km
2009 goal: 8,500 km
2009 to date: 1,517 km (17.8%)
To obtain goal: 6,983 km


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Fry Guys Rally '09 - Day 3

Sunday’s weather wasn’t going to be much different than Saturday’s. But while it didn’t rain, I don’t think the temperature moved into double digits all day. And just like yesterday, the plans for a group ride fizzled. We started the morning by having another family breakfast, this time consisting of the classic B&E (bacon and eggs). Later in the morning we all said goodbye to Kim and Mike who decided that two nights away from home was enough for Jolene. Plus, Jolene wasn't ready yet to experience a full-blown fireworks show that was going to happen at night.

Just before noon we decide to go for a family ride despite the cold weather. All that meant was that we had to wear an extra layer or two. As some of you know, it was exactly one year ago that Heather and I became engaged in the nearby Wilno. Jim decided that we’d go to Wilno through some back roads, then to Barry’s Bay, then back to the lodge. We also thought that it’d be a good idea to take a short cut to Wilno from Quadeville. It turned out to be less than a good idea as the road was a little rough and full of potholes. I even managed hit a deep one that sent me flying up but I managed to keep everything upright. I didn’t like the road but I was focused on doing my best until we hit smoother trails.

After almost an hour, we finally arrived in Wilno. And just like last year, we went to the Wilno Tavern. Unlike last year, we were accompanied by Sandy on today’s trip. At the tavern, Jim selected the Polish buffet, while everyone else chose entrees from the regular menu.

Then as we were about to leave, I encountered another problem. After a couple of unsuccessful attempts at starting my bike, all electricity was lost. Jim quickly traced the problem to the battery and after taking off the seat, he discovered that the wires were loosely attached to the battery. I figured it was either poor maintenance on my part or riding through potholes that caused the problem. Somehow, adventure always seems to find me. Anyways, Jim quickly tightened the screws, re-attached the seat and we were back on the road to Barry’s Bay.

At Barry’s Bay we stopped for gas to be ready for tomorrow’s ride home and also stopped by the historic water tower which is only one of two such wooden structures still standing in Ontario. I’m still researching the location of the second one.

At the water tower in Barry's Bay

When we got back to the lodge, we again tried to pass some time by staying warm before supper which again was great. There was another hour or two of downtime after supper before the fireworks display was set to begin.

The fireworks are usually split in two spots: on the beach and on the adjacent dock. Each location was handled by a team of two.

The lighting crew: Andrew, Matt, Jim, Marc

This year’s show was very well done and probably the best I’ve seen in my three years attending the rally.

Matt firing up a box of fireworks amidst the debris

The evening ended at the Roundhouse, where everyone converged after the fireworks display.

SEASON STATS
Today's trip: 90 km
2009 goal: 8,500 km
2009 to date: 1,118 km (13.2%)
To obtain goal: 7,382 km


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WATER TOWERS

Fry Guys Rally '09 - Day 2

Based on yesterday’s forecast of morning showers, we weren’t surprised when we woke up to a gloomy and a wet day. For once, the weatherman was right. The annual Saturday ride, scheduled for 11am, was cancelled. As is always the case, the riders will try to regroup on Sunday. With a forecast for a chilly Sunday morning, the odds of a ride happening were very slim.

On the positive side, we were all treated to great meals. The brunch consisted of an apple/oatmeal creation courtesy of Kim, and the supper consisted of a store-bought lasagna with salad. Both meals were fantastic. Overall, the day was spent mostly in a cabin, be it ours or somebody else’s, or the lodge doing anything to stay occupied, like reading, chatting, playing with Jolene or solving this year’s Rally puzzle. Once again, Heather and I were back in our cabin before 10pm discussing various issues.

Jolene is staying entertained with the help of Heather, Kim and Jim

Fry Guys Rally '09 - Day 1

Today marked the beginning of yet another Robinson Family staple – the Fry Guys Rally in Combermere, on the outskirts of Algonquin Park. The rally takes place every Victoria Day long weekend and this year’s was its 21st edition. For the second year in a row we will be accompanied on our ride by Heather’s parents. Jim and Sandy made it to Waterloo on Thursday evening where they visited us during our soccer game (more on that in future posts) before heading to the Daily Grill for coffee with the Waterloo Wings. Heather and I joined them later for dinner at the same restaurant. We all went home after dinner where Heather and I still had to pack before Friday’s ride.

Friday morning started with the news of an ammonia leak in a factory located in a industrial area just across the street from our condo. Apparently, police had blocked off access to the area while crews were working with the issue at hand. To me, it sounded like another reason to get out of town. We loaded up the luggage and other necessary supplies and went to pick up the bikes which are continually being stored at my parents’ place. It took several minutes to get organized but by 9am we were on the road.

We took the usual way out of town when we travel east. That is through Fergus and Orangeville. Once there, we continued east on Hockley Road until we hit Highway 27, which is just west of Highway 400. We stopped on Highway 27 at a familiar place – Pete’s Donuts. There we filled up our tanks and stomachs. We wouldn’t need gas for at least another 200km.

In the parking lot of Pete's Donuts

As the day was approaching noon, we headed north on 27 until we hit 400. Once on 400, we stayed there a short while, then continued on 11 to Orillia. From Orillia, we found our way to Monck Road/503 for a stretch of about 65km. While Monck Road isn’t in the best condition in some spots, most of it is quite enjoyable. The route up to Norland, where Highway 35 intersects 503, was very similar to last year’s ride to VROC Meet in the Middle, which took place last August. Back then, we headed north on 35 to Minden, while today we continued on 503 to 118 and then to 28. From Pete’s Donuts, that was a solid 2.5 hours of non-stop riding, and on stock seats it wasn’t very comfortable at the tail-end of that stretch. Minutes after getting on 28, we stopped at Bow Lake for a second pit stop.

Filling up at Bow Lake

From there, it was only a short ride to Bancroft. After passing through Bancroft and its busy local traffic it was on to Highway 62 and finally Combermere. We arrived at Stevenson Lodge just after 3pm. We found out our cabin assignment and after little re-arranging, we all ended up very close to the main lodge, though in different cabins. Not long after settling in, Kim and Mike arrived with Jolene, who was ready for her first great outdoor experience. Sandy, Heather and I then piled in to Mike’s van and made the short drive to Barry’s Bay to pick up groceries for the weekend. Jim came along as well, but with seating in the van limited to three, he rode his Gold Wing. After getting back, we mingled at the lodge and enjoyed the traditional chili and hot dogs. Heather and I called it an early night while the party continued.

In front of our cabin at Stevenson Lodge

SEASON STATS
Today's trip: 394 km
2009 goal: 8,500 km
2009 to date: 1,028 km (12.1%)
To obtain goal: 7,472 km

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More Planning & More Riding

It was another beautiful day in Waterloo so Heather and I decided to go for a short ride. We had to keep it short because of other obligations we had today.

We set off at 9am with a gas station our first stop. Once we left the station, we started on our way out of town through a gauntlet of traffic lights. Being on a motorcycle makes it tougher to stop when the light turns yellow. And after a slight mis-hap at one of those lights, Heather and I had a discussion and we decided on a game plan for the future.

Our goal was to ride around for a couple of hours before heading to a Moore's clothing store in Cambridge which opened at noon. Moore's is where we went last weekend to set up all things needed to be able to rent tuxedos for our wedding. Heather and I wanted to go today just to make a couple of changes to our selections.

With that in mind, we passed through Paris and St. George on our way to Cambridge, where we stopped at Tim Hortons before heading to Moore's. We arrived at the store shortly after noon and spent about thirty minutes discussing the necessary changes. After we were done, we went north on Hwy 24 to Guelph and then finally home where we quickly changed before going to another dance class.

In front of Moore's in Cambridge

SEASON STATS
Today's trip: 165 km
2009 goal: 8,500 km
2009 to date: 635 km (7.5%)
To obtain goal: 7,865 km


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WATER TOWERS