Speedboat at Niagara Falls. Grooming Muffie! Shepherd's Pie with Bisto.

Here are some of the pictures of Pamala and Nigel at the speedboat at Niagara Falls:



And everyone got wet!!
This is Pamala's account of it:
"There were four ‘had to do’ things on our trip and the Jet Boat was one of them.  We arrived in time to get kitted out, all the kit was wet from the jet boat trip the day before, not nice but with the excitement of the upcoming trip and the fact it was a lovely warm day, didn’t seem to matter. 
All aboard, we headed down towards the falls, this ride does not get near the falls, it sails to the whirlpool area where the swirling water makes for some interesting rapids, some dips were several feet deep.  We sailed gently for about 20 minutes before the jet boat was allowed to go at speed due to the banks of the river getting washed away and also the owners with the big houses overlooking the river would be none too pleased.
The excitement among us reached high proportions, especially when we hit some of the small rapids, but when the pilot did a 360 degree turn, that’s when the screaming started. We were warned that we WOULD (not might) get wet, and I can assure you, bras, knickers the lot, it missed nowhere, especially when the water comes in torrents over the whole of the boat, not missing anyone.  
It took my breath away, and not in excitement, the trouble is as soon as one lot hits you, there’s another one.  I don’t mind a bit of spray, but I can tell you now if you are just a little shy of water, don’t even try it, as much as I enjoyed it, I was glad when the last dunking was over.
Nigel, well, he couldn’t get enough of it.  Glad we had the camper with us, as when we got out, it was nice to be able to go inside and change.

We then headed down towards the Niagara Falls town and the falls themselves.  We were surprised to say the least that the falls were so near the road, we thought we might have to do a bit of walking and since one of my feet was giving me a bit of trouble, I wasn’t looking forward to the walk.  But we found a car park nearby and we sat outside and had some lunch in the glorious sunshine, the sun was so nice we even hung the wet clothes out to dry before we took a short walk to the falls.
We were so impressed by the view and closeness of the falls that we didn’t feel the need to take a trip on the other boat ‘Maid of the Mist’ which sails close to the bottom of the falls.  We were mesmerized by them, and spent a good couple of hours just watching them and the rainbows they were making right in front of us.  Quite often we would feel the spray from them too."
______________

They don't let you take pictures of the speedboat, but one of the crew takes pictures of you taking the ride, and you can get large 8 x 11" copies when it is over.  BUT, to get them, Pamala and Nigel also had to buy the UBS stick about the ride for $46!  We are in the wrong business, again!
_________________
Today:

Muffie, and Maddie, the Yorkie came to be boarded until tomorrow evening, while their respective "parents" took Jay to a casino for his birthday.  These are the two dogs that I don't really board, I let them stay in the house as if they were my own. 
I could see that Jay was already a bit loopy before they even left, so I hope he doesn't give his mother, Claudia, too much hassle.   All that booze there at a casino will be too much temptation for him, and once he starts he cannot stop, then he becomes unbearable.  I wouldn't be surprised if they come back early tomorrow.

Nigel was up on the roof of his truck camper, taking off the regular roof vent, and replacing it with the remote-controlled Fantastic Fan he bought yesterday.   When he gets the truck camper back to England, he will swap this Fantastic Fan out with the non-remote Fantastic Fan that is too high to reach in their fifth wheel.  Just a way of getting it across 'The Pond'.
While Nigel was all set up with tools, and an intercom, up on his roof, I was doing the first part of Muffie's groom.  The last time she was groomed her "Dad" had her done at Petsmart, and they had to sedate her.  He hated to see what she would do to me, so that is why he took her elsewhere.

She always was the worst dog I have ever groomed in 46 years!  The only reason I have always done her is that I didn't think anyone would have the patience or time to mess with the spoiled little bratkin. 
I would came out of it the worse for wear as she would suddenly bite, but today she was a perfect little angel, and even let me clip her face without bruising me with her teeth, or drawing blood!  (Shorter than it is in this picture)
As a house guest here, she is really good, and she always wants to see me, just wagging away, when I am down at their house.   So her "Dad" knows I have never been rough or mistreated her when I was grooming her.

We made a quick trip to Sam's Club and Walmart to check on the availability and prices on tires for Nigel's truck.  When we returned, the weather was ideal for sitting outside. 
Then it was time for us to make real British Shepherd's Pie with real Bisto gravy.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bisto   But we made it a little bit differently, we cooked and mashed sweet potatoes in with the white ones.  So that the potatoes don't sink, I strain some of the cooked meat/onion/carrot/pea mixture in a colander, before assembling, and save some gravy for the gravy boat.  We did the traditional marking of the mashed potatoes with a fork, so that the little ridges browned nicely, too. 

Tomorrow, things might be different when I try to finish Muffie, but I hope it is just a repetition of good behavior, like today.