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 A bittersweet day … a day of contemplation, thinking about my Dad and the lessons he taught me. Father’s Day.
Dreaming of my Brother. Gone from us today for 23 years. He is so dearly missed. An Anniversary.
Both tremendous male influences in my life. Without them both, I would not be nearly the brave little girl that resides within me, who has blossomed beyond the realms of a tortured soul (as a teen, I was just that).
I’ve learned from them both:
- music and art are synonymous in both magnitude and beauty
- by trying to never incur debt, I have freedom beyond any boundaries. This has proven itself to be priceless in my nomadic travels.
- if I were to have debt, I should pay it off immedicately or as best as possible with the least amount of impact
- I can accomplish anything that I dare to dream of
- fierce independence
- road trips are the spice and education of life
- take calculated risks on my own terms rather just following the crowd
- I will forever be indebted to Mother Earth. A debt which I continue to pay off in my daily actions through honour, gratitude and servitude, making as little impact as is possible.
“My father didn’t tell me how to live; he lived, and let me watch him do it.” ~ Clarence Kelland
What life lessons has your Father and siblings taught you?
Happy Father’s Day Dad!!!
 Verona, within a historic region of Eastern Ontario, has a population of about 1,800. It lies at the southern edge of the Canadian Shield, where the friendly mix of farmland, rocky-shored lakes, and mixed woodland make it the ideal place to visit with our Airstream. It kind of feels like cottage country, and with Verona being so small, the lovely mix of wildlife, vast expanses of nature, clean fresh air and peacefulness has me feeling right at home in the country. And when it comes right down to it, I’m a country girl at heart.
Agnes and Wally have a lovely older home with a big backyard, large lovely trees, a lake just a stones throw away and a humorous gaggle of Chipmunks that squabble for food amongst each other. I can say that I’ve never hand-fed or petted a little Chipmunk. They’re really quite sweet!
Typical of many small towns and cities, a Farmer’s Market was in full swing early Saturday morning. I really love to support local farmers, especially when they opt for environmentally friendly practises in their food production. It’s interesting to find myself so instantly at home in this small community. I can walk everywhere quite easily. Parking our Airstream on the front lawn was not an issue either (which in larger communities, this can pose a problem). Seems that as long as I have Wifi, space to stretch, breath and move, and readily available healthy eating options, I am happy to settle down wherever we may wander. Life is good!
      
  Making our way from Lindsay towards Verona Ontario (30 minutes north of Kingston), I marvel at the feeling of expanse and raw nakedness that is apparent with the lakes, quarries, miles of towering trees and rocks, reminiscent of Northern Ontario. We’re taking the road less travelled, and I am struck by the ominous sense of deer and moose presence. Although sight unseen, signs are apparent everywhere of note. I am thankful for the speed slaDE is cautiously following. Unexpected animal meanderings on to the road that we’re travelling is something which I desperately do NOT want. The thought of us hitting a deer or an animal running in to us (55 feet is a good length for a target) is a very real possibility, at any moment, especially with tree-lined roads at day’s end! Upon closer examination, I am slowly realizing that this journey through the backcountry is synonymous with our life at the moment. It’s full of winding roads with sharp turns, breathtaking speed bumps, unanticipated hills and abrupt interruptions along a road less travelled. So much is unknown, and at times vastly overwhelming in its magnitude. But we’re trying to navigate the roller coaster with our hands up, open to the vulnerabilities of possibility, releasing to that which we cannot change and negotiating that which we can, slowing down enough so that at least we enjoy and savour the ride. Learning to breath and smile through it TOGETHER is key. One step forward, two steps back. A dance of sorts. Wild, passionate, carefree and without abandon.
 Arriving in Verona, I feel all at once both home and welcome. It’s been about a year since we last saw Agnes (slaDE~s Mother) and well over 2 years since spending any time with Wally, her partner. Having never visited this home, I am able to look upon their amazing property with the eyes of a home-buyer — they’re in the market to sell, and they want our opinions. I was tickled pink to find out that Mama Dawson and Wally hope to buy a motorhome and spend a good portion of their time travelling and exploring a whole new world of lifestyle options. I am SO excited for them! I know how intrinsically life-changing our journey has been in the Airstream, and because of this, I urge anybody with a heart and sense for adventure to explore the realms of RV travel. All the doors of perception on nomadic living are blown open (from my experience) to amazing choices and potential. Navigating life’s backcountry can be such an exciting challenge of change and opportunity. I’m really excited for them, and I further come to realize how much I love our life!
Elora is spectacular. Our current home away from home, where the village is perched on the edge of a dramatic gorge. Elora Gorge is a conservation area where the Grande and Irvine Rivers nestle the rugged terrain and rolling hills, making this area a magical and picturesque dream hideaway. The perfect spot for us to decompress after our crazy past month. And with the generosity of our friend’s 35 foot driveway, we were able to squeak our trailer snugly into a precise fitting refuge meant just for us, savouring in this moment. Yay for kind neighbours and a township that allows for driveway parking.
My favourite memories of our week in Elora? There are SO many … may the photos accompanying my thoughts create a wonderful picture of the beauty found here.
Having Jennifer read her 1.5 hour one-woman play to us in an Irish accent throughout.
Walking with Jen, Roger and their animals.
Savouring the freshly blooming flowers and transcendant in Lilac heaven
Escaping for walks along the Gorge.
 
Enthralled by the beauty of Nature and evening campfires
 
Spending an evening with Silver family friends in their gorgeous Elora home, sharing yogaFLIGHT and talking in to the wee hours.
   
Loads of quiet time to contemplate, take photos and read.
One of my favourite tips for healthy eating on the road involves the task of sprouting. Sprouts are real living foods that are abundant in food enzymes, providing exceptional amounts of protein, easily assimilated vitamins A, C and D plus antioxidants, anti-carcinogens, minerals, nucleic acids, plant antibiotics and plant hormones – a whole of lot of stuff which works together to give us amazing health benefits. In fact, sprouts are widely recognized as a ‘wonder food’. As one of the most nutritious foods that exist, sprouts make an exceptional addition to any healthy lifestyle plan. According to Paul Talalay, MD, in the American Cancer Society NEWS, “broccoli sprouts are better for you than full-grown broccoli, and contain more of the enzyme sulforaphane which helps protect cells and prevents their genes from turning into cancer.” From the humble beginnings of a seed, sprouts are incredibly easy to grow and taste amazing. I use a wide-mouth jar closed with screen mesh and a rubber band to secure it closed. Listed below, from the International Sprout Growers Association, are a few ideas on how to serve up sprouts:
- Add to tossed salads
- Sprinkle with nutritional yeast and sunflowers
- Use in coleslaw (cabbage, clover, radish)
- Try in potato salad (mung bean, lentil)
- Try in wraps and roll-ups (alfalfa, sunflower, radish)
- Stir-fry with other vegetables (alfalfa, clover, radish, mung bean, lentil)
- Blend into fruit shakes or juices (cabbage, mung bean, lentil)
- Blend with vegetable juices (cabbage, mung bean, lentil)
- Replace celery in sandwich spreads (lentil, radish)
- Mix with soft cheeses for a dip (mung bean, radish)
- Grind up and use in sandwich spreads (lentil, radish)
- Top grilled cheese sandwiches after grilling (alfalfa, clover)
- Stir into soups or stews when serving (mung bean, lentil)
- Mix into pancake or waffle batter (buckwheat)
- Eat them fresh and uncooked in a sprout salad (salad mixes)
- Top omelet or scrambled eggs (alfalfa, clover, radish)
- Combine in rice dishes (fenugreek, lentil, mung bean)
- Add to sushi (radish, sunflower)
- Saute with onions (mung bean, clover, radish)
- Puree with peas or beans (mung bean, lentil)
- Add to baked beans (lentil)
- Steam and serve with butter (mung bean, lentil)
- Use in sandwiches instead of lettuce (alfalfa, clover, radish)
Here’s a lovely recipe to perhaps spice up your salad routine!
Delicious Healthy Bean Sprout Salad
- 2 cups sprouts
- 3 grated carrots
- ¼ cup chopped walnuts
- ¼ chopped red onion
Dressing
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 2 tbsp white balsamic vinegar
- 1 tsp whole grain mustard
- ½ tsp salt
Whisk up the dressing, pour it on the salad and mix it up. Serve on a leaf bed of lettuce or cabbage.
Click here for the document handout which I extended to those at the Alumapalooza workshop on “Healthy Living on the Road”. Also, download this document on the health benefits of sprouts, as put out by the ISGA.
 
One of the concerns of late about sprouting has been the concern about contamination. Here’s a great article from the University of California that addresses food safety. And here are some great tips from the nurtureyourown.com blog on growing your own sprouts:
1. Use certified organic seeds.
Organic certification means that the seeds were grown and handled in such a way that minimizes possible sources of contamination.To cite one example, manure used on organic fields must be composted for a long period of time. Composting reduces or get rids of pathogens in manure. Furthermore, licenced organic farmers are required to use rodent and bird proof storage for seeds meant for sprouting or eating. As far as I know, organic sprouting seeds have not been implicated in any outbreak of food poisoning.
2. Consume same day after harvesting
Best to eat the sprouts on the same day they are picked. However, if you can’t finish them all, pack them in a box and refrigerate them. Treat sprouts and foods containing sprouts just as you would any food – refrigerate until use.
Generally, some common sense precautions and good cleanliness habits will go a long way to ensuring that you will enjoy a healthy diet. This applies not just to sprouts, but also to any other raw foods that you take, for example: salads, fruits and nuts.
Additionally, here’s a great video on how-to grow your own sprouts.
As a safety side-note, it is still advised that people with weakened immune systems, the elderly and children not eat raw sprouts. If there is a concern, consult a doctor or health practitioner.
  The last few days have been wonderful hanging out with our Ohio friends. But alas, it is time to head back home to Canada. With a weekend in Elora first before heading to Kingston and then Montreal, I was in need of some quiet time amidst the flurry and business of visiting with friends and family. I’m all for downtime and alone time. I can find my inner balance and sanctity best in those moments. But at the same time, I want to savour the time spent with our good friends and family. It’s an interesting balance, and one that I’m finding interesting as we travel and shift. One thing is for certain, I will always have the Airstream as my base, my centre and my core. I feel very blessed to have this sacred space to call home.
The last week has featured such brilliant sunny weather, apart from a brief thunderstorm on our last evening of Alumapalooza, that the flood of darkness that quickly encompassed us with hail the size of a dime took me by surprise. Ohio is known for its extreme fluctuations in weather which could change in a heartbeat. Yet that didn’t make me feel any easier knowing that slaDE was on the road with the Airstream, limping it to a nearby town for a complete tire change (he left with the sun shining). The onslaught of rain was torrential. Driving the trailer with the tires in the condition that they are was dangerous enough. Add flooding rain and pelting hail: my nerves were on edge, to say the least. So to keep my mind off the fate of slaDE and Airabella, I went with Lou and Loren to run some errands plus get my eyebrows threaded.
 I have always had bushy eyebrows, and if I don’t keep on top of their curvature, I look rather scary (IMO). Advice for the wary, if you’ve never experienced the art of Indian eyebrow threading, wait to have it done at the hands of a well-practised ‘artist’ from an Indian culture. I’ve always had luck with their expertise. The mall where we went had a brow specific salon (name already forgotten). Unfortunately, the young girl who groomed my brows had only learned about a month prior. As a result, to say that the experience was tortuous is an understatement. Plus, her consistency in matching my brows was skillfully inept. I came away feeling rather lopsided and discontent, but in this scenario, I wasn’t willing to have her keep whittling away at the shape only to leave me with pencil lines for brows. They would grow back soon enough and I could pluck to my heart’s content. 
slaDE and Larry arrived back at the house later in the afternoon with new tires and a warranty exchange of sorts. It wasn’t a complete warranty replacement with the tire dealership, but we would follow up on that at a later date to see what we could do.
  We spent a good portion of the morning trying to figure out whether our Carlisle tires were covered under the 2 year warranty, and then sourced out a dealer that could adjust our current tires under said warranty with new tires (still undetermined until our chosen dealership, North Gateway Tire, looks at the tires). I was relieved that this task was relatively painless and easy, considering the possibilities of what could have happened. With favourable weather on our side, slaDE began the laborious task of retrofitting a Fantastic Fan in the rear portion of the trailer. Two Fantastic Fans, one in the front and the rear, will allow for the venting and circulation of any stale or hot air (necessary when we don’t have access to our air conditioner — i.e. little or no power). With the Fantastic Fan, when a vent opens up more than an inch, the fan kicks on by itself and offers two ways of ventilation (in/out), controlled either by the thermostatic control or a rocker switch. I’m still in debate over whether we should have bought the fans with the rain sensor feature (this automatically closes the vent at the first signs of moisture for an extra $100 per fan). We purchased 2 of these fans at Camping World over 5 months ago and we were waiting for an opportune time to install them. Visiting the Woodruff’s seemed like as good an opportunity as ever (especially after the incredibly hot week we just had at Alumapalooza)!
While I ran some errands with Lou and Lauren, the men worked on the fans (with slaDE hunkering down and putting in major efforts to ‘McGyver’ where he needed). slaDE worked late into the evening and although he came close to finishing the install, the forecast of sketchy weather for the week ahead had me questioning whether both fans would actually be completed on this trip. The Classic Rides youTube video that I had found online in searching for installation tips made the addition of a ventilation system look quite easy on their 1970 Airstream Overlander Land Yacht Restoration. Two hours in total for an install was their estimation. Funny how Professionals in their field make everything look seamlessly easy and fast (I understand this totally, having been a Professional Parachute Packer for many years ). But I was proud of my hubby for taking on the task and skillfully placing the new ventilation system with great success.
Here’s a synopsis as described by the website usedairstream.com featuring the above youTube video positioning a Fantastic Fan:
 To replace the ventilation in the living area, Kevin removes the screws, taking out the old ventilator from the bottom side first. He removes the wire nuts and disconnects the wires. Next he puts the wire nuts back into the source wire.- He moves on to the top of the trailer to remove the ventilator, using a scissor lift to get up. He points out the rivets which show where the braces are. According to Kevin, you have to be careful when getting on top of the trailer, making sure that you do not put too much weight on the areas not covered by the braces as these are very weak.
- He starts by drilling out the rivets that hold the cover to the vent bracket. Now he can remove the cover. Then he uses a hammer to center punch and strike each rivet head. Then he goes back to drill each rivet out. He loosens the vent gasket seal using a putty knife.
- The new vent is slightly larger than the original, so he uses the gasket as a template. He traces the corners that he needs to cut out. He says it is surprisingly easy to cut out the aluminum with metal shears.
- He cleans the gasket surface area. Using Vulken 636 Polyeurethane as a sealant, he fills the rivet holes and lines the area to seal it. Vulken 636 Polyeurethane sealant is highly recommended by Airstream according to Kevin.
- He sets the center gasket into place and runs another nice, even bead of Vulken around the perimeter. He sets the vent in place. And voila! It sits right at home. Using a drill, he drills through the roof panel. He squeezes the panel with a gun. Going back inside the trailer to work on the bottom flange now, he strips the wires as necessary. He attaches the wires and secures the connections using electrical tape.
After dinner, slaDE and I were whisked away for a glamourous ride in Al’s antique  1948 Chev mint green convertible. This vintage was before the days of seatbelts, and riding with the wind blowing through our hair with no belt restraints felt completely foreign but unencumbered. Us ladies in the house ended the evening dancing up a storm with a Wii-Fit session of Just Dance 2 and Zumba. What a blast!
  It’s always a bit sad leaving a large venue where tremendous connections with friends have been made. Such is my feeling in leaving Alumapalooza this year. So many new and wonderful friends made with the bonus of reconnecting with lovely friends from last years rally. However, we’ve had such a full month of activity and I’m ready for some down time! Packing up, we managed to beat the throng of the parade folks and made our way to LaGrange Ohio, happy campers per se.
 Thankfully we arrived safe and sound at our friends Lou and Larry’s house. Why might you ask? When we arrived, upon backing up the trailer into the driveway, Lou and slaDE discovered that all of our 6 trailer tires were at the point of complete failure! In fact, 2 had failed (we lost about 12 inches of belt in the front tire somewhere close to LaGrange and the rear tire had a bubbling big hole). We are incredibly fortunate to not have blown them on the way here. It’s actually quite amazing that we didn’t. Luckily, there was no damage apart from the tire loss itself. Someone was certainly looking down upon us today. That really would have sucked to have blown 1+ tires, especially if we were travelling at speed. Eeek!
  With more research and the advice of our friends, we decided to switch to Radial tires shifting from our current failing Bias Ply (cross-ply) tires. Radials are safer in that they are steel belted rather than nylon based. Theoretically this in turn means that they will last longer and hold up better. Well, when you spend over $1000 in tires, I was kinda hoping that they’d last for the expected 3-5 year minimum life expectancy. Too much to ask??! What are your thoughts?
Another potluck this evening. Fabulous fun with food and yogaFLIGHT by the campfire.
What a full big day! With so many interesting opportunities to pursue today, I was torn between teaching our morning yoga class vs attending the SWAP Meet (think large flea market / garage sale, oriented towards RVers). slaDE was happy to lead the morning class through an hour of breathing and stretching. He even made the morning batch of smoothies, which was fabulously successful and tasty (see recipe below). I spent the day wandering around, photographing trailers both inside and out in conjunction with the trailer open house. I love this part of a rally. People letting me into their Airstream and in turn I come up with ideas and a new appreciation for people’s creative spark in enlivening their trailer.
The afternoon was such a blast! Airstream hosted a Rivet Master contest whereby teams would get a trial run at 3 practice rivets on an aluminum sheet with a multitude of lines to be riveted within a set time of 30 seconds. Which ever team riveted the cleanest and nicest looking rivets would win 2 chairs from Zip-Dee Awnings. Sweet! slaDE~ and I tried our best with 9 rivets and a 94% score, but Shinim and Al won hands down with 11 rivets and a perfect score. The teamwork aspect worked well for us anyway .
Vitamix Smoothie Recipe Day 3: slaDE~s Fruity Delight
- 3 large pieces of watermelon
- 2 cups of pineapple
- ½ mango
- handful each of kale and spinach, stems removed
- 1 tsp cinnamon and cardamon
- 2 oranges
- water and ice to taste
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