Project Completed and Overdue Campfire.

Our Location today is McGregor, Ontario, Canada. 

Once we had the trailer all warmed up last night after having to fill two empty Propane Tanks it took us a while to feel warm again. Under the covers we both managed to sleep soundly through the entire night and only woke when the sun began peeking along the edge of the blinds. Since there was no cloud covering last night the temperature was reading 34 F (1 C) when I got up. Looking outside there was no sign of the frost that had been forecasted for our area. 

Brighter this morning but cooler.

We discussed what we wanted to accomplish in preparation of our departure at breakfast. Kathy had more research of things we would be doing and places we might visit as we traveled. Even though I had finished welding yesterday I wanted to complete the Bicycle Carrier and get it painted today. With the outside temperatures being so cool after doing my morning reading on the computer I manage to complete a couple of minor tasks inside before heading out. 

The outside temperature was 45 F (7 C) at 10:00 this morning but there was no breeze to be felt. Having dressed as I’d needed to yesterday it would only be minutes before I had to remove a layer. In my haste to weld the brackets yesterday afternoon I had put two of the pieces upside down. It wasn’t a big issue because I simply drilled new holes where they should have been and where the incorrect hole was had to be trimmed off so in the end I’m the only one who knew about the mistake. 

I was in the process of making square holes in the brackets when Kathy called me for lunch at 12:30. She actually had me come in so I could relax a bit before eating so I wouldn’t be rushed. She is trying to use up as much of our food stocks from the freezer before we leave next week so we don’t have issues crossing the border. We had Perogies for lunch and they were more than enough to fill us up. 

Carrier Mounting Brackets freshly painted.

As mentioned above I needed to make four square holes in the two brackets where the Carriage Bolts will fasten them to the rear bumper. Since I have no vise to use I simply clamped it to the plywood that I have used as a welding table then using hand files created the square holes. Looking at the Bicycle Carrier I’m concerned it may stick past the bumper more than it should so after drilling two pieces of material I welded those on the carrier so that taillights can be added as a safety precaution at a later date. 

Bicycle Carrier nicely painted.

You don’t worry about the time when you’re not wearing a Watch so you just make use of every minute you have. I thought the sun was about to set when the sky started to darken so I laid the plastic tarp on the grass and started painting the brackets and the carrier itself. The next thing I knew everything was painted and the sun popped out from behind a bunch of clouds. 

Since I had offered the use of our Air Compressor to our neighbour last week when they were leaving to go back to Sarnia the other day they gifted us with some Firewood and since the paint needs more time to cure when it’s 52 F (11 C) than when it’s warmer so I thought we could enjoy a fire tonight. Kathy had cooked up Spare Ribs and Butter Nut Squash for supper and it all tasted so good. When I mentioned about having a Campfire she was all for it. 

Having gathered any small twigs that had fallen from our trees I put them in our Firepit & only needed to add a sheet of newspaper to get it all burning very quickly. It was then just a matter of adding the right amount of wood at the right time. Kathy brought out the Marshmallows for me to toast as we enjoyed only our third fire since we pulled onto our site back in April. Two of our neighbours stopped by to briefly talk but by 8:00 the temperature had dropped to 45 F (7 C) and we were both starting to feel chilled. 

Since the weather is looking to be very damp tomorrow we’ll get things done while trying to stay dry. Thanks for following along and feel free to leave a comment. Be Safe and Enjoy! 

It’s about time.

Krackers 

Words of Inspiration 

We are all visitors to this time, this place. We are just passing through. Our purpose here is to observe, to learn, to grow, to love…and then we return home. 

Australian Aboriginal proverb