Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Canada. Campobello Island. Preserve The Battlefields. Fulltimers Busy? Misty. Cargo Trailer. Kitty Condo.

For Travel Tuesday, I would imagine you would want to think about somewhere cooler, like Canada:

"The world may scratch its collective head when it comes to listing facts about Canada, but—at the very least—most know it’s a lot bigger than the spot they call home.

The Netherlands can easily fit into Lake Huron—with ample room to splash around.

There’s plenty to explore—Canada’s cities are new, dynamic, and evolving—but it’s the beauty of the massive forests, towering mountains, pristine lakes, and the land’s sheer breadth that enthralls many visitors.

Emerald Lake, Yoho National Park, British Columbia (Credit: citypictures.org

This year marks the 100th anniversary of Parks Canada and Alan Latourelle, chief executive officer of the Parks Canada Agency, is inviting visitors from around the world—to enjoy the nation’s 42 national parks, 167 national historic sites, including nine canals, and four national marine conservation areas that stretch from British Columbia on the West Coast to Newfoundland on the East.




Cape Breton Highlands National Park, Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia. (Credit: Parks Canada)


“Canada! We have more square feet of awesomeness per person than any other nation on Earth,” the beer commercial shouted over and over during last year’s Vancouver Olympics Games, to a steady backdrop of national park scenes. And the locals all raised their glasses, for Canadians love their national parks." "
____________________

Campobello Island, New Brunswick. DSC_0158

"Campobello Island was the summer home of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt.
The cottage is now the centerpiece of the Roosevelt Campobello International Park, which is funded by both the US and Canadian governments.

Although in the Canadian Province of New Brunswick, Campobello Island is accessible by land only from Lubec, Maine, which bills itself as the easternmost town in the United States. During July and August there is ferry service to and from Campobello from Deer Island, NB and another ferry from Deer Island to mainland New Brunswick.

DSC_0165The Roosevelt cottage contains furniture and artifacts original to the Roosevelt family including many photographs of the family enjoying the wonders of this beautiful island.

Campobello Island is largely a fishing community, and since it is located in the Bay of Fundy, it experiences those extreme tides the Bay is known for. The 30 square mile island has several picturesque lighthouses, several restaurants, and a usually cool summer climate.
 campobello map
Herring Cove Provincial Park on the island has a campground and golf course. There are also two private campgrounds in nearby Lubec, ME.

Campobello Island may be a bit difficult to get to for RVers who don’t live in New England, but it is well worth the effort."
Map Courtesy: NewBrunswick.com
Photos: Lew Pinsker

http://www.rvshortstops.com/2011/06/campobello-island.html
_________________

Experience the Canadian Maritimes by RV


Happy Birthday Parks Canada!



Just the Facts.   National Parks by province/territory

British Columbia: 7
Alberta: 4.5*
Ontario: 5
Northwest Territories: 3.5*
Nunavut: 4
Newfoundland and Labrador: 3
Quebec: 3
Yukon Territory: 3
Manitoba: 2
New Brunswick: 2
Nova Scotia: 2
Saskatchewan: 2
Prince Edward Island: 1
* Wood Buffalo National Park straddles the Alberta-Northwest Territories border
For more information visit parkscanada.       http://www.pc.gc.ca/eng/index.aspx  Canada Parks.
___________________

Help Preserve the Civil War Heritage.  Help Us Protect 10,000 Acres at Vicksburg NMP.

http://my.npca.org/site/R?i=e0eMhD0U4qBjn3NrtwGM7g..
Vicksburg National Military Park



http://my.npca.org/site/R?i=GkUb8oDXbHGDteG51Tnjsg..

"In the hot summer days leading up to July 4, 1863, Gettysburg, Pennsylvania and Vicksburg, Mississippi were scenes of decisive Union victories that brought the Confederacy to its knees. While the war continued through 1865, the Confederacy never recovered from these dual defeats.

Today, these sites are protected as national military parks in the National Park System. Sadly, however, many of the Civil War sites preserved in the National Park System only protect a portion of these battlefields.
This spring, Senator Thad Cochran (R-MS) and Senator Roger Wicker (R-MS) introduced S. 265, which would authorize the National Park Service to acquire approximately 10,000 acres of property significant to the preservation of the historic battlefield sites, and would include core battlefield lands at Port Gibson, Raymond, and Champion Hill, for addition to Vicksburg National Military Park.
 Emily JonesTake Action: Please contact your Senators today and ask them to co-sponsor S. 265. This legislation is scheduled to be heard in the Senate in late July.     Thank you for speaking up for our Civil War heritage."
Sincerely, Emily Jones, Sr. Program Manager, Southeast Region
_____________________


How do full-timers keep busy?

"Some, unfamiliar with the RV lifestyle, wonder just what fulltimers do to "keep themselves occupied." After all, there's no more lawn to mow, trim to be painted, or any of the other things that keep the sticks n bricks folks too busy to enjoy life.  For fulltimers, the adventures of the road keep them plenty busy.
But lest ye think it's not enough, here's a list of things that some RVers do to keep their mental juices flowing:
 
Be a Sport: Make a list and travel to visit all the major league baseball fields, football stadiums, and associated sport Halls of Fame. For golfers, set your course to play all the challenging courses in the country.
 
Explore History First Hand: Choose an American War and plan visits to battlefields, forts, and monuments. Become a fort buff, and check out all the sites of "used to be here," "still here," and "reconstructed" forts from days past. Or become a trail master and pick some of the old pioneer trails and follow them from start to finish. Park your rig near a trailhead for one of the nation's major hiking trails and walk a bit (or a lot), knowing you have a traveling home to come back to. Or pick a favorite historical personage and trace his life course by visiting every place they've been or lived.
 
Get Into Training: With the plethora of renewed historical and scenic railroads around the country, you could stay on track with this pursuit for a long time. From dining trains to mystery trains (and sometimes the twain meets) there's a railroad for every heart.
 
It's the Water: We've found trailing the Columbia from where it meets up with the Pacific clear back to the headwaters took us through amazing locales. There are plenty of big (and small) rivers to explore. Or visit all the Great Lakes--and don't forget the great salty one in Utah. Or make canal tracing your thing.

Ghost Hunters: We're not talking spirits, but ghost towns. The west is dotted with old towns that have gone back to the dust, and others that are pretty lively while still maintaining the moniker of "ghost town."

Go Natural: Visit all of the US National Parks and Monuments. There's a great "passport" book available at nearly all National Park bookstores. As you check into the visitor centers as you make your rounds, you can stamp your passport with a seal from each of them. How about a trip to visit all the country's famous trees? The largest, oldest, rarest.
 
We could go on and on. There are so many "projects" fulltimers can pursue. The Internet is a great resource for getting started with your planning process. Follow your mind and heart, and who knows where your fulltiming can take you."
____________________

Yesterday:Misty-T&C-haircut.24.Jul2011T-and-C-from-above
Misty in her new "Town-and-Country" hair style. 
She won't look up for a camera, I think it hurts her bad eye.
This is the pattern outlined from above.

Her hair is short and cool on her neck, back and tummy, and has 'poofy' legs so she still looks like the grand old lady that she is.  Yes, HAIR, poodles don't have fur that sheds like other breeds, that is why it has to be cut regularly.

Jay went to the dentist in Houston, so Ray and I fixed a few things around here.

The shade tarp in front of the cargo trailer had come adrift on one corner, so Ray fixed that.  Then he worked under it repairing some hail dents, and getting it ready for it's final paint job.
 
Checking-out-kitty-condoWhile he was waiting for the Spot Bondo to dry, we worked on a 4 storey Kitty Condo that I had picked up at a thrift shop last Saturday. 
Queen-of-the-castle
It had been on the front porch since then, smothered in disinfectant and sunshine, so we thought it would be safe to bring it inside.   Two of the four rope scratching posts had come undone.
 
We are used to fixing Bobcat's scratching post, as she doesn't like a new one, so we did the same thing with it.  We re-wound the rope and fastened it with staples driven in with the air stapler and compressor. 
When it was done we put it in the Grooming Room for the kittens.  I tied it to my heavy hydraulic grooming table, so it couldn't fall on them.
They checked it out, wouldn't even go in the 'cave' in the middle, and then went back to their smaller one in the Middle Room!  Later on, they were playing on it with gusto.  They just had to get used to it.

Bobcat's rope on her post was ready for a face lift, so we fixed that too. 
If I were a better 'Mom', I would be trimming these cat's claws more often, so they wouldn't need to get the bothersome dead ends off their claws on scratching posts.  It is easy to do, just snip the ends with some people toenail clippers.  Prime prefers her little plank of cedar that is screwed to the wall.  Patches had one, too, so it went with her to her new home.

Then we cut the memory foam mattress topper for the cargo trailer's twin size bed.  It will be glued to the bed foam that I already had.  But for it to match the height of the thick dinette cushions, in case they want to make it into one big king bed, it has to have one more layer glued on it.  I haven't looked for it yet, but I think I have some in my attic.

It started out being overcast again, but then the hot sun came out in all it's glory, and the predicted 30% chance of showers and thunderstorms passed right by us and went elsewhere, but I am sure they needed it too.

Maybe we will get some showers, as the same is forecast for today. 

No comments: