Around The Block & Home Again

My poor tired "Crabby Cabbie" never got home until 4:30 am this morning.  I, myself, had gotten to bed around midnight only to have the phone ring at 1:30 am.  That did it there for me between the pain going through the whole of my body and being woken up, I couldn't get back to sleep.   I had still been wide awake when my dear Rob came to bed.  *Sigh*  I finally drifted off just after 5:00 am sometime to awake again shortly after 7:00 am, as our "pack" had slept all night and needed some attention by then.

These are nights we could all use "less" or "more" of, however this is just the way the "cookie crumbles" sometimes.

"This should read 14x happy, as they left Children/Grandchildren and Pets out of the equation."

Our grandson, Aiden, is turning 8 years old this month on the 12th.  I always like to get Birthday Cards in the mail a little earlier then when the person's birthday actually is so they can enjoy the card a little longer.

"I had gotten Aiden's Birthday Card all ready this morning so Poppa could get it in the Mail today."

I must remember to get his gift all packaged up and ready for when they come up to see us next, or hopefully if we get down that way beforehand.  Something I had best be putting my never ending "to do" list.

Rob did get up around 11:00 am, showered and took off for work again.  Really in my opinion he should have stayed "put" in bed, the poor guy.  I spent some time doing some "Crabby Cabbie" bookwork since it was the month end again.

"Paperwork and invoicing took a little bit of almost two hours today, with still the July and August books needing done.  Ho hum, never done."

With the all the paperwork I was going to be doing today done, I spent some time outside with each of our Aussies, then got a load of towels washed and hung out on the clothes line to dry.  What a gorgeous day it has been.

Rob called me to say there was no business going on in the way of taxi business and he was heading on home.  Yippee !!!  I contacted our friends, Doug and Vicki, who were up visiting other friends over Owen Sound way to let them know we could get together with them today after all.

The game plan was to have a bit of a tour out and about on our bikes and lunch together, not necessarily in that order.

"The whole crew landed in the driveway all about the same time.  Why is it the guys make no time at all at separating themselves from the Women I wonder?  Please guys, don't answer that question."

My girlfriend, Vicki, reads my daily blog, most days I am sure.  She did read the one when Rob and I had tried out the "Hungry Bear" located over by Sauble Falls.  This is where we had decided a week ago we were all going to go to have our lunch this day.

"First order of the ride was to get ourselves right on over to the "Hungry Bear" as we were all hungry as Bears."

I had asked owner, Val, if her and Bob had received the link to my blog on the day I had first posted about the "Hungry Bear", just a week ago HERE.  She had told me "yes" it was over on the inside table and people had been reading all about it.

"Let me "Tell the World", it is a pretty weird feeling seeing something I had wrote sitting in full colour out in the "real" World right under my own eyes.   Val and Bob had printed off what I had blogged about their "Hungry Bear" and displayed it for all their customers to see.  Wowsers .... this "Just North of Wiarton & South of the Checkerboard" gal is really getting herself "out there"."

Let's just have a glance around while our six orders of "Hungry Bear" Fish and Chips are being prepared by owners, Val and Bob, themselves.

"This Bear here is both my and Rob's favorite.  Any idea who "chainsawed" this Bear? none other the Bruce County's "Chainsaw" gal, Bobbi Switzer of Switzer Studios.  Care for your own personal "chainsaw" piece of art, just *click" on the highlights and you can contact Bobbi yourself to do so."

"I am sure everyone looks towards this window frequently, as this is where the "Hungry Bear" Fish & Chips come out from."

"Outside seating taking in a view not far from Sauble Falls."

The moment we have all been waiting for ....

"The "Hungry Bear" Fish & Chips.  Hungry bears both Rob and I were, we ordered two pieces of fish each.  These were my pieces of fish."

"These were Rob's.  Huge, eh?" 

Nobody could believe I ate both those huge pieces of fish..  Owners, Val and Bob couldn't even believe I packed that all back.  Well when one meal a day is going to be all your having, a gal has to make good of it when she can ... Ha !  I showed them all I could do it !

"This would be Owner, Valerie.  Sorry I never got a photo of Bob, maybe next May 24 when they re-open I can capture him behind the scenes."

The "Hungry Bear" Fish & Chips is open annually from May 24 until September 3rd; Contact Phone No 519-422-0169.  Well worth the drive to Sauble Falls.  Vicki, Doug, their friends, Paul and Linda, were not disappointed one iota, as either were Rob, nor I, being our second time around within a week.  Thanks Val and Bob, we will be back again along with our "Hungry Bear" appetites.

"Sauble Falls Provincial Park happens to be located right beside the beautiful Sauble Falls."

"We began our "Around the Block" Tour by heading back through Oliphant way."

"I do so LOVE touring on the back of our Goldwing snug as a bug settled behind my Best Forever Friend and Hubby, Rob."

"Hey there is my friend, Reenie's house.  Hey Reenie, that was us who honked !"

"There goes Wildwood Lodge.  This is where I had  my first job in their Kitchen when I returned to live back in Bruce County.  I weeded that front flower bed that same Spring."

"Just coming into Red Bay."

"The Bruce Peninsula has many beautiful and quaint B & B's to stay at while visiting the Peninsula."

"There is the Red Bay Campgrounds.  Always seems to be a very busy place any time we have driven by here."

"There is Joyce & Earl's place.  Joyce is Rob's first Cousin, retired up here now 18 years.  Hey you two, hope you had a wonderful Sunday !"

"Left turn at Howdenvale, heading towards Pike Bay."

"Rob brought me up to "By The Bay Resort" for a bike ride and a Poutine a couple of years back now.  Yummy yum yum, was their Poutine."

After driving through Pike Bay we headed back up towards Highway 6 North.

"A, what Rob and I call, "another broken down barn"."

"Even though this weekend has been a Holiday for some us, the farmer still has to "Make Hay While the Sun Shines."

"Here we have arrived at Ferndale.  This is where I turn right to head over to the Good Doctors in Lion's Head every Friday for my "shot in the arm"."

"We stopped here so Rob could gas up the Goldwing and everyone else could get an ice cream cone.  Rob and I had just eaten two pieces of "Hungry Bear" Fish each, how could I have possibly managed a cone, especially one of this size !  Vicki is demonstrating her ice cream eating techniques here for Rob.  Ha ! and this was a "small" cone."

"Awww how nice of you girlfriend to share with your Doug a taste.  Can you imagine one of these small cones for only a cost of $3.00 ?  that was a lot of ice cream."

"Next time I don't have my belly so full, I am going to try an ice cream myself at the "Chill Out" in Ferndale.  Lunch next Friday anyone?"

"... and so many flavours to choose from.  Where would a girl begin?  I believe they allow you to mix and match."

"Rob and I are bringing up the tail end.  Oh and there is a Ponytail directly in front of us!"

"My home away from home every Friday morning.  Hail Lion's Head."

"There it is as "big as life", a genuine Bruce County Tail gate party going on in the middle of a field.  A "Fact", not "Fiction" people ... hahaha."

"Hellooooo Barrow Bay."

"Another "broken down" farm."

"Grieg's Caves is a very popular place to take in on the Bruce Peninsula."

"Let's take a little detour down this way...."

"... is this not simply beautiful?  The Gateway to Hope Bay."

Before we moved up to live on the Bruce Peninsula, we took to camping at Hope Bay.  One of our son, Paul, my and Rob's favourite "to go" places.  All three of us still cherish our camping memories from staying here.

"Is that a "why are you taking my picture" look my girlfriend, Vicki, would be giving me here?  Nah, she lets me take her picture all the time ! "

"Speaking of Hope Bay Memories.  Rob and Paul still laugh about when we went hiking up on that escarpment way over there Yonder with me being in tears as we were up so high, and I so terrified of heights.  Oh man it was always those two against poor me back in the day."

"Way further up along Bruce Road 9, we are now in sight of Colpoy's Bay."

"... and its Government Dock."

"Look at here, will ya, "Home Sweet Home", Just North of Wiarton & South of the Checkerboard."

We made it "Around the Block and Home Again", safe and sound.

By the time we gathered up a few veggies from the garden to send back home with Doug and Vicki the time had gotten onto almost 6:00 pm.  Rob is exhausted from his work the past couple of days and has been sleeping since 8:00 pm, poor guy.  I have spent a bit of time catching up with a few people, given allotted time to each our our Aussies and here I am almost finished up with today's post.

It has been a wonderful day.  I am truly blessed to have such a great husband and friends.  On that note, I believe I will call it a night myself as that was one big "block" I covered today, "Just North of Wiarton & South of the Checkerboard".