A TRIP TO THE 'WILD HOG' TODAY

After a few last-minute phone calls from Kelly's daughter in Cambridge this morning our travel destination changed from a Tim Horton's parking lot in New Hamburg Ontario to a place called The Wild Hog Country Market a few miles east of Stratford, Ontario.  It's roughly halfway between Bayfield and Cambridge so it was all three of us in the Subaru heading for the Hog.

 A CLOUDY BUT CLEAR DAY FOR A DRIVE OVER TO STRATFORD AND BACK

Kelly's daughter Sabra and husband Derek reached the Wild Hog minutes before we did.  There were several reasons for this meet-up today, one of which was that Kelly had won a gift basket.  Derek, a successful Re-Max Broker has his own team and every year at Christmas they select an area charity with the idea of giving back to the community.  They choose a person who has supported Derek's Facebook and Instagram on social media for the year and present them with a gift basket and a $250 cheque for a charity of their choice.  This year that person just happened to be Kelly.  Dereck wanted to present the gift basket to Kelly in person and that is what he did this morning.  Our meet-up was also a chance to see Sabra and Dereck before they and their two boys fly out to Whistler in British Columbia for a snow-boarding Christmas holiday.  

 THE WILD HOG'S MAIN ENTRANCE

 I HOPE DEREK'S PORSHE DIDN'T MIND A HUMBLE LITTLE SUBARU PARKING BESIDE IT

 DEREK PRESENTS KELLY WITH THE GIFT BASKET

 I LIKED THE LOOKS OF THIS STORE AS SOON AS WALKED IN THE DOOR

 KELLY, DEREK, AND SABRA CHECK OUT SOME FRESHLY BAKED BREAD

MOTHER AND DAUGHTER DOING SOME BROWSING

 THE HOG HAS TWO EATING AREAS WITH ONE BEING ON THE UPPER MEZZANINE SEEN HERE WITH THE OTHER AREA BELOW IT 

 A COZY FIREPLACE SETTING

Neither Kelly nor I or Sabra and Derek had ever been to the Wild Hog and I didn't even know it existed.   Kelly stumbled across their website early this morning while trying to think of a better place to meet Sabra and Derek than a Tim Hortons parking lot.  We all liked the ambience of the store but to buy anything there you had better bring an extra wad of money along.  But, you know me....anything in my world over $5 is rudely expensice!!  Kelly and Sabra did a lot of browsing, I took a bunch of pictures, and Derek was busy on his cell phone with incoming real-estate calls.  We were there maybe half an hour and Sabra and Derek had to get back to Cambridge.  Kelly picked up a couple Hog sandwiches and we grabbed a couple McDonalds coffees to go on our way out of Stratord.  Just as it was a real nice drive down, it was a real nice drive all the way home again too on quiet paved country roads with no traffic.  We were home ??

 THERE IS ALSO A GROCERY DELI HERE

Kelly's wrist is feeling better today but she is leaving the large bandage on it for another day.  Luckily so far there has not been any bleeding problem from the artery used for the wire catheter that was inserted.  She said the worst part of the procedure was the very tight clamp placed on her wrist.  She also said that on a black and white screen monitor she was able to watch the wire going up through her arm making its way to her heart area.  She said she could also feel the wire moving along in her arm and shoulder but felt nothing when it was in the heart area.  She also said that it was a procedure she would rather not have to do again.     

 THE FRONT ENTRANCEWAY REMINDED ME A LITTLE BIT OF CRACKLE BARREL IN THE STATES

And here's some more good and gooder news for the day.  First the good news.  Today is the shortest day of the year followed by the next gooder news which is that tomorrow the days begin getting longer.  So, don't forget to stand at your windows tomorrow night and gaze happily out at those extra few seconds of daylight.  Remember, we need all the good and gooder days we can get.  Who says I don't almost always think positively eh:))  

 PICKING UP A COUPLE OF COFFEES TO GO AT MCDONALDS

I FIGURE THIS MUST BE A LOCAL FARNER'S IDEA OF RVING

 EATING OUR HOG SANDWICHES ON THE WAY HOME I  OF COURSE MADE MY USUAL BIG MESS

 AFTER RIDING AROUND IN DEREK'S PORSHE AND OUR SUBARU THE GIFT BASKET KIND OF CAME APART BEFORE WE GOT IT HOME SO I HAD TO REARRANGE ITS CONTENTS FOR A PHOTO 

Al's Music Box:)) White Christmas is an Irving Berlin song reminiscing about an old-fashioned Christmas setting. The song was written by Berlin for the 1942 musical film Holiday Inn. The composition won the Academy Award for Best Original Song at the 15th Academy Awards. Bing Crosby's record topped the Billboard chart for 11 weeks in 1942 and returned to the number one position again in December 1943 and 1944. His version would return to the top 40 a dozen times in subsequent years.   The version sung by Bing Crosby is the world's best-selling single (in terms of sales of physical media),  Accounts vary as to when and where Berlin wrote the song.  One story is that he wrote it in 1940, in warm La Quinta, California, while staying at the La Quinta Hotel, a frequent Hollywood retreat also favored by writer-director-producer Frank Capra, although the Arizona Biltmore also claims the song was written there.  He often stayed up all night writing. One day he told his secretary, "I want you to take down a song I wrote over the weekend. Not only is it the best song I ever wrote, it's the best song anybody ever wrote."

 AND THE WINNER IS.......:))

GROANER'S CORNER:(( A terrifying explosion occurs in a gunpowder factory, and once all the mess has been cleared up, and inquiry begins.  One of the few survivors is pulled up to make a statement. "Okay Simpson," says the investigator, "you were near the scene, what happened?"  "Well, it's like this. Old Charley Higgins was in the mixing room, and I saw him take a cigarette out of his pocket and light up."  "He was smoking in the mixing room?" the investigator said in stunned horror, "How long had he been with the company?" "About twenty years, sir."  "Twenty years in the company, then he goes and strikes a match in the mixing room, I'd have thought it would have been the last thing he'd have done."  "It was, sir."    

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- I’m aware that the voices in my head aren’t real. But their ideas are just awesome sometimes!

- My Parents said:  You'll understand when you are older.  Well, I'm older now and I understand absolutely nothing!!"

Hearing voices in your head is normal. Listening to them is quite common. Arguing with them – acceptable. It is only when you lose that argument that you get yourself in real trouble.

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WE GOT TO SEE BOTH A SUNRISE AND A SUNSET TODAY

GRAND BEND'S BEACH

It was all three of us in the Subaru this morning rolling out of our driveway at 8:15 heading for London's University Hospital.  Roads were bare under a semi-cloudy sky and we made good time getting there despite London's morning rush.

 WE CAUGHT US A RARE SUNRISE THIS MORNING

 DESCENDING INTO LONDON

 DROPPING KELLY OFF AT THE HOSPITAL ENTRANCE

Dropped Kelly off at the main entrance of the hospital at 9:18 a.m. and then headed back north out of the city.  Of course, our first stop was the Medway Cemetery on Ten Mile Road for a leg stretch and a big drink of water for Pheebs.  From there it was a few miles northwest to Tim Hortons in Ilderton, Ontario for a small decaf coffee to go.  Our slow meandering travels with sometimes sunny skies took us through Ailsa Craig on a continuing northwest route which led to Grand Bend where we grabbed a breakfast sandwich at McDonalds.  

 OUR USUAL LEG STRETCH STOP AT THE MEDWAY CEMETERY

PHEEBS TANKS UP ON SOME WATER

 SLOWLY ON OUR WAY HOME

 CAUGHT A LUCKY BREAK HERE...THIS ROAD GOING DOWNHILL WAS SHEER ICE AND HAD I BEEN COMING THE OTHER WAY I MAY NOT HAVE BEEN ABLE TO MAKE IT UP THE HILL EVEN WITH ALL-WHEEL DRIVE

 HOW GREAT IT WAS TO BE DRIVING ON A ROAD I HAD NEVER DRIVEN ON BEFORE

 SO NICE TO SEE MORNING'S SUNSHINE CASTING THIN SHADOWS ACROSS THIS FIELD OF GREEN

 SPOTTED THIS BODY OF WATER AND DECIDED TO GO HAVE A CLOSER LOOK

 IT'S A GOOD THING THIS SLANTED SLOPE TO THE WATER'S EDGE WASN'T ICY OR PHEEBS AND COULD HAVE FOUND OURSELVES SUBMERGED

 HERE WE ARE IN GRAND BEND AT McDONALDS SHARING A BREAKFAST SAUSAGE AND EGG McMUFFIN

From the Bend, it was a twenty-minute drive north to Bayfield where we stopped at the car wash and the Bayfield Garage for gas.  Pheebs got two treats at the gas bar.  We were home five minutes later.  I had planned on heading back to London about 1 p.m. but Kelly called just before 1 saying she was still in the waiting room.  Her procedure slated for 11:30 was already an hour and a half behind.  Not having any idea when she would be done she said she would have the hospital call me when they knew how much longer it would be.  She had very little sleep last night and said she was contemplating lying down on the floor and going to sleep.  Knowing Kelly as well as I do she would be just likely to do that too.      

THE ENTRANCE TO GRAND BENDS FAMOUS MAIN STREET......I WONDER  HOW MANY AMERICANS KNOW THAT MITT ROMEY ONCE HAD A HOUSE HERE

 HEADING WEST ON GRAND BEND'S MAIN DRAG AND IF YOU LOOK CLOSELY ABOVE THE CARS YOU CAN SEE LAKE HURON

 IT'S PROBABLY VERY PRETTY HERE AT NIGHT

 I WAS EXPECTING CAPTAIN NEMO TO STOP OUT FROM BEHIND THIS NAUTILAUS

The hospital finally called at 3:45 saying Kelly would be ready to be picked up at 5 p.m.  Pheebs and I were out the door minutes later and into the Subaru heading for London.  All the way there we had a nice slow sunset happening and I was able to grab a few pics out Pheebs window.

 WE ARE SOUTHWARD BOUND HEADING BACK TO LONDON

 A COUPLE OF SHOTS OUT PHEEBS WINDOW OF THE FARAWAY SUNSET

 DESCENDING INTO LONDON FOR THE SECOND TIME TODAY

I was at the hospital's front entrance at 5:05 firmly embedded in the usual chaos of cars, taxis and medical vans.  Kelly, with a nursing aide, came through the doors less than 10 minutes later and we were soon on our way home.  A stop at Lucan's Tim Hortons for coffee and sandwiches to go.  I went in with Kelly to carry things out because she had strict orders not to lift anything heavier than a fork with her right arm for the 48 hours.  It was in her right wrist that they inserted the Angiogram wire.  They didn't find any blockages but the Doctor did tell her that her heart is showing signs of aging.  This could compromise her liver transplant chance so now we wait again on pins and needles for probably another couple weeks to see what verdict the liver transplant committee arrives at with today's Angiogram results.  To say Kelly was feeling exhausted by the time we got home would be putting it mildly.  After a poor night's sleep, it had been a long day for her.  Like she said, we left in the dark this morning and came home in the dark this evening.  But hey, we got to see both a sunrise and a sunset today and the last time that would have happened was in the last year of our RVing days when basically we saw sunrises and sunsets almost every day............Tomorrow morning we will be on the road again heading east to New Hamburg, Ontario.

 THE USUAL TRAFFIC CHAOS IN FRONT OF UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL'S MAIN ENTRANCE

 A MALE NURSE ACCOMPANIES KELLY TO THE CAR

Al's Music Box:)) What A Wonderful World is a song written by Bob Thiele (as "George Douglas") and George David Weiss. It was first recorded by Louis Armstrong and released in 1967 as a single. In April 1968, it topped the pop chart in the United Kingdom but performed poorly in the United States because Larry Newton, the president of ABC Records, disliked the song and refused to promote it.  After it was heard in the film Good Morning Vietnam, it was reissued as a single in 1988 and rose to number 32 on the Billboard Hot 100. Armstrong's recording was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1999.  George Weiss says he wrote the song specifically for Louis Armstrong, as he was inspired by Armstrong's ability to bring together people of different races.  Armstrong was playing at the Tropicana Hotel in Las Vegas, so he chose to record the song nearby at Bill Porter's United Recording Studio. The session was scheduled to follow Armstrong's midnight show, and by 2 am the musicians were settled and the tape was rolling. Arranger Artie Butler was there with songwriters Weiss and Thiele, and Armstrong was in the studio singing with the orchestra. Armstrong had recently signed to ABC Records, and ABC president Larry Newton showed up to photograph Armstrong. Newton wanted a swingy pop song like "Hello Dolly", a big hit for Armstrong when he was with Kapp Records, so when Newton heard the slow pace of "What a Wonderful World", he tried to stop the session. Newton was physically removed and locked out of the studio for his disruption, which resulted in Newton later refusing to promote the song.  A second problem arose with the taping session: nearby freight train whistles interrupted the music twice, forcing the orchestra to start over. Armstrong shook his head and laughed off the distractions, keeping his composure. The session ended around 6 am, going longer than expected. To be sure the orchestra members were paid extra for their overtime, Armstrong accepted only $250 musicians union scale for his work.

 A QUICK SHOT OF PHEEBS AND THE SETTING SUN

GROANER'S CORNER:((  I have a smartphone, a smart fridge, smart water, a smart TV, and a smart thermostat.  So now I am officially the dumbest thing in my house. 

The teacher said: Tommy, this is the fifth day this week you've had to stay after school. What have you to say for yourself?  I'm certainly glad it's Friday, said Tommy.

I weighed myself today and it is clear I am too small for my weight.

If you dropped something when you were younger, you just picked it up. When you're older and you drop something, you stare at it contemplating if you actually need it anymore or even have the ability or the energy to bend down and pick it up.

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