IT WAS A TRAIN KINDA DAY, WENDY’S OPENS, AND PHEEBS AND I WERE THERE……TWICE

A DREDGING BARGE ON THE MAITLAND RIVER WHERE IT MEETS LAKE HURON AT THE SIFTO SALT MINE 

Had it in mind to be at a grand opening in Goderich this morning and despite a steady rain Pheebs and headed off to be a part of the new Wendy's first day.  I was especially interested to see if they brewed a good cup of coffee.  Been a bunch of years since the last time I was at a Wendy’s so I had no idea what to expect.  I remember Wendy’s was one of the favorite places a fellow RVing Blogger used to like before he passed away.  I thought of Rod Ivers this morning.

NICE TO SEE THESE CROCUS FLOWERS BESIDE OUR HOUSE TODAY

The route we generally take to Goderich crosses the same railroad tracks 4 times and this morning we encountered the same freight train at all 4 crossings.  We then came across the train again down at the north side of the Goderich harbor.  Guess it just turned out be kind of a train day.

CROSSING NUMBER 1 ON PORTAL HILL LINE (I’M THE ONE SITTING ON THE CROSSING)

CROSSING NUMBER 2 AT BLACKS POINT ROAD

CROSSING NUMBER 3 ON ORCHARD LINE

CROSSING NUMBER 4 ON BLUEWATER BEACH ROAD AND HOLY SMOKES I HAD BETTER GET GOING

Passed our usual coffee stop at McDonalds and rolled a short distance up the road to Wendy’s.  I was surprised at the empty parking lot figuring there might have been a skad of people already there.  It was 9 o'clock when I walked through the two doors and immediately heard someone inside say 'oh-oh'.  Almost before the staff member was upon me I knew they must not be open yet.  And they weren't.  I was pleasantly told to come back at 10:30 when they would officially open.  I was back at 10:36 but in the meantime Pheebs and I headed  back to McDonalds for a coffee to go and then down to the harbor we went.  Still raining.

DIDN’T KNOW AT THIS POINT WENDY’S WASN’T OPEN YET

ON MY OUT I DECIDED TO DO A DRY RUN THROUGH THEIR DRIVE-THRU AND CHECK THE MENU

“I’LL BE BACK”

At the harbor we did manage a short walk in the drizzle before driving back up through Goderich's northwest end and following highway 21 north a few miles to see what kind of progress was being made at a housing development at 'Huron Haven’ called 'The Bluffs Of Huron'.  Been kinda watching them work on this development for the past couple years.  I don't mind the type of houses they are building but we could never live in a development like that soooooo close to so many other people.

PHOTO TAKEN FROM THE SOUTH SIDE OF THE HARBOR

NEADING DOWN TO THE NORTH SIDE OF THE HARBOR

IF I COULD HAVE SEEN A COUPLE AIRPLANES FLYING BY I COULD HAVE ENTITLED THIS PHOTO ‘TRAINS AND BOATS AND PLANES’

NOTICED THE COAST GUARD CUTTER CAPE DISCOVERY HAS RETURNED FROM WINTER HIBERNATION TO THE PORT OF GODERICH

WORKMEN IN THE RAIN AT ‘THE BLUFFS OF HURON’

We diddled and dawdled around before returning to Wendy’s in the south end of Goderich and this time there were about a dozen cars in the parking lot.  Ahhh,  a good sign so in I went.  Well, the brand new staff were having quite a time with themselves as I stood behind two people at the counter.  I'm sure I had a wee smile on my face knowing full well the jitters everyone was experiencing.  I remember when I managed the Colormat One Hour Photo store on Wellington street in Stratford Ontario back in the mid 80’s and how we once muddled our way through an opening day as well.  In line at Wendy’s I could see there was already a problem at the cash register.  The person on the other side of the person ahead of me had tried to pay with a credit card and all the computerized cash registers had froze up.  There was a lot of frantic senior staff activity going on around that register on the counter.  The person in front of me finally turned around and walked out but I was Okay because I wasn't in a hurry and I sympathized with the staff and their unexpected glitch.  I'm a people watcher at heart and I enjoyed watching the kitchen staff scurrying about.  They were kinda going around like the Keystone Cops but I knew it wouldn't take long for the folks to iron out the bugs and begin to gel as a finally tuned team.  The fella in front of me finally got his stuff and off he went.  I stepped up and quickly said I would be paying by cash whereupon I may have heard a collective sigh of relief.  Took them a bit to get my 'Dave Burger' organized and the lady at the till had to break open a few rolls of coins but eventually I had my burg to go and so out the door I went.  Pheebs and I ate our burg in the Jeep outside in Wendy’s parking lot as more cars pulled in.  We were about half way home when I realized I had forgot to get a coffee.  Oh well, I'm sure we will be back.  All the best to Goderich's Wendy’s and their new highly motivated Keystone staff:))

INSIDE THE NEW WENDY’S IN GODERICH ONTARIO

VERY SPACIOUS AND I ESPECIALLY LIKE HOW NICE AND BRIGHT IT IS

It was one month ago today we arrived home from our winter travels in the South.  Still feels good to be home and I haven't had my usual urge to get back on the RVing road again.  Could I be talking a bit of contentment here??  If so I am welcoming the feeling for a change.  Way to early to be thinking of next winter's travels but must admit my mind is still in a seemingly hopeless muddle about all that.  Haven't even got this past winter's dirt washed off the rig yet.

THIS TRAINMAN BLENDS RIGHT IN WITH THE MOVING TRAIN ENGINE

WE RACE THIS TRAIN TO THE NEXT CROSSING AND CAN YOU FIND THAT SAME TRAINMAN IN THIS PHOTO??  LOOK CLOSE

YEP THERE HE IS RIDING ON THE FRONT OF THE ENGINE AS THEY PULL HALF A DOZEN HOPPER CARS UPHILL FROM THE HARBOR

LOOKS LIKE THE TRAIN BEAT US TO THE CROSSING

I HAVE NOW TURNED AROUND AND AM HEADING BACK

TRAIN HEADS UP A STEEP GRADE

‘BYE BYE MR. TRAIN’

With the cold, cloudy, and wet Spring this year my Kindle sure has been a mainstay in keeping the blues away as I have finished several more great books and especially so with the last one which I finished Wednesday.  Awhile back looking for a book entitled, 'A Piece Of Cake' about a Halifax bomber pilot in WW2 I stumbled across a similar titled book, 'Life Is A Piece Of Cake' by Donald Wright.  I almost passed this book over but luckily clicked on and downloaded it.  It's a true story of course about about a young boy’s life and dreams on an eventful journey to finally becoming in his adult life a high flying U2 pilot.  Here's the book's description. : : : :  ‘Pilots who have flown the U-2 high-altitude reconnaissance aircraft have two things in common: The courage to take her up and the skill to bring her home. This is the story of Captain Don Wright, U-2 pilot 192, and his journey from South Buffalo, NY, at the depth of the Depression to the stratosphere at the height of the Cold War. At 12 he traveled alone to post-war Europe, at 15 he learned how to survive in the wilds of Mexico. Three Continents and 20 schools later, he finished high school in Japan. In between, he dreamed of becoming a fighter pilot. He joined the U.S. Air Force at 21, earned his wings and flew the F-86, the jet of his dreams. In 1965, after serving as an instructor pilot on the T-33, T-37, and T-38, he was chosen to fly the U-2.   At 70,000 feet, Don has seen the earth from a unique perspective. In this engaging memoir he offers a different perspective – the tale of one man’s life against the backdrop of history.  Don Wright went on to be a successful Airline Captain flying for American Airlines and also as an instructor on the MD80 and 727 as well as the Airbus 300/600’………… I know I have a few aircraft buffs as readers and I think they might enjoy this book.  Lots of aircraft info and history to boot.

DINING ON ‘THE CATCH OF THE DAY’

If we southern Ontario Snowbirds complain about coming home to Winter's snow sometimes you should see what IVAN came home to again this year way out there in that Alberta Canada place.  We're talking snow shoes here.  Big ones too!!

DUCK’S ON OUR PARK’S POND THIS AFTERNOON

‘EH WHAT DID YA SAY’

A PAIR OF DUCKS AND A CANADA GOOSE KEEP A LOW PROFILE AS THEY TRY TO BLEND INTO THE BACKGROUND

I BELIEVE THIS TO MAYBE BE A BELTED KINGFISHER

Surprisingly, on our way home from Goderich earlier today the Sun pushed it's way through a solid overcast and brought an overall sense of Spring with it.  With warming temperatures I even saw small whiffs of mist overtop melting patches of snow along the road.  Arriving home around 11 I soon had myself out in the front yard on the end of my lawn rake, pitch fork and wheelbarrow.  How nice to be outside finally working on our Spring clean-up but after an hour I was disappointed in myself when I had to stop because of tiredness and sore muscles.  Darn this aging thing but I've got nobody to blame except my very own self for not keeping this aging body of mine in better shape………...

GROANER'S CORNER:(( Ponderings::

- I couldn't repair my brakes, so I made the horn louder.
- Why do psychics have to ask you for your name?
- How do you tell when you run out of invisible ink?
- What happens if you get scared half-to-death twice?
- When I'm not in my right mind, my left mind gets pretty crowded.
- I intend to live forever -- so far, so good!
- Ambition is a poor excuse for not having enough sense to be lazy.
- Eagles may soar, but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines.

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“People are choosing cremation over traditional burial. It shows that they are thinking outside the box.”

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A husband and wife were shopping when the wife said, "Darling, it's my mother's birthday tomorrow. What shall we buy for her? She would like something electric."  The husband replied, "How about a chair?"

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