Kitchener Blues Festival 2019

On August 13, 2019August 13, 2019 By Widow BadassIn Good Times, Music44 Comments

This post was supposed to be created last night (Monday) but unfortunately the author crashed hard after work because she can’t party-hardy for an entire weekend anymore like she used to. C’est dommage! Yes, it was that great of a Blues Festival and I am going to sorely miss attending it when I move to Vancouver Island.

This entire festival (after the fund-raising opener on Thursday night) is FREE. And there is even an app you can download to see the schedule and stages, and highlight the performers you want to see (which then automatically inputs into your Google calendar, with alerts on your phone an hour before the performance. HOW COOL IS THAT?!?)

Volunteer-run and sponsor-supported, it is truly a great one and next year it will be its 20th year of existence! That is quite an accomplishment. I did what I could to pour money into this event to support it and the artists, coming home with a bunch of purchases and then buying music when I got home. If I wasn’t moving, I’d be volunteering next year when I’m retired.

Of course, I made sure to attend the Thursday evening fund-raising show – Misty Blues Band and Tom Cochrane & Red Rider. My pal Kath gifted me with a ticket because she felt bad I was cheated out of Roxodus. So sweet!

Misty Blues Band – what a voice this woman has! So warm and lovely in person too.

Tom Cochrane and band gave a great show. He is great at connecting with the audience with his stories of his long career playing across Canada. Life IS a highway, dude!

Friday afternoon selected performances started with watching the Grand River Blues Society Youth Camp performers put on a show. These kids really rocked!

I wonder how many will make a career of performing, eventually?

At the conclusion of their show, all the performers marched through the audience playing their instruments. I thought that was so cool. But apparently not everyone (cough*Jimmy*cough) shared that sentiment. More on that later…

Next up (for me) was catching Wild T and the Spirit’s set. The man could play a guitar!

After Wild T, came Erja Lyytinen from Finland. Another great artist.

After these 2 artists came a tribute to the 50th anniversary of Woodstock, with various performers including Wild T doing – of course – Jimi Hendrix. I was too busy singing and rockin’ out to take pictures by this point.

My friend Kath (and my host for the weekend) and I rockin’ our Friday night at Bluesfest, with our Bluesfest T-shirts on.

Saturday’s picks started out at noon for me – with Bill Durst – thanks to a recommendation from Kath and George’s friend, Jimmy. How had I never heard of this man before??? I became an instant fan of his music. Plus, you gotta love any man who can rock a beard/pony/braid thing.

Susan (Mrs. Jimmy) and I with Bill. One of the great things about this festival is getting to meet the artists after their shows.

Bill’s wife (also named Susan) was selling these bracelets she made from used guitar string ball-ends. Blessed by the music, she said. Shut up and take my money, I said.

Later, I stayed at the Clock Tower Stage to watch The Northern Pikes put on a killer show including mashing together AC/DC and Aerosmith with their hit “She Ain’t Pretty”. What a really great band! Jimmy and Susan meandered off to watch some other artists.

I guess I should talk about Jimmy now. I don’t like saying negative things about people on ye olde blogge, especially if I like them. But since I told the same stuff to Jimmy’s face I will say them again here. And it’s kinda funny. At least, he made me smile. 🙂

Jimmy is a blues aficionado – he really knows his stuff (and disclaimer: I do like him!). Jimmy also has strong opinions on just about everything and is happy to share whether you want to hear them or not. When I told Jimmy (and everyone else) how wonderful I thought it was that the Blues Camp kids marched through the crowd playing their instruments, he scoffed at me and said “everyone does that”. I told him to quit raining on my parade.

Spoiler: He didn’t quit.

L-R: Jimmy, George and Susan at the Vanessa Collier show. George was my science teacher for grade nine and is Kathy’s husband. My career is all his fault. 😉 And this is Jimmy. Jimmy is a buzzkill.
Don’t be a Jimmy.

Big Dan and the Topsiders. I thought Big Dan was fantastic and had a great voice. Jimmy thought his playing was “pedestrian”. Ahhh, Jimmy…

Darby Mills growled and rocked for almost 2 hours, and she’ll be 60 in a couple of months! Susan and I were thrilled and amazed. Jimmy said nothing to me about her, thank goodness. For his sake…

Vanessa Collier is another artist I fell hard for. Woman writes, plays guitar, sings and blows a killer sax. And makes eye contact with everyone in the audience. EVERYONE.

Vanessa walking through the crowd during a 10 minute sax solo.
Jimmy to me: See, I told you they all do that.
Me to him: Jimmy, does the term “buzzkill” mean anything to you?!?

Of course I had to buy this T-shirt, referencing the lyrics to one of Vanessa’s songs – one inspired by her mother.

We saw one more act on that amazing, music-filled Saturday – Cedric Burnside, who played authentic, hypnotic “hill country” blues, according to Jimmy. He was great, but the music reminded me of how damn tired I was by this point, so I couldn’t stay for his whole set.

Cedric Burnside – wonderful, talented yet humble performer

Sunday morning brought the last act I had any stamina left for – A Beautiful Noise – the annual gospel breakfast by various artists.

The amazing Michelle White at Sunday’s Gospel Breakfast. She doesn’t want to be lost when Jesus comes – no thank you, ma’am!

After the gospel breakfast it was time to pack up, thank my wonderful hosts, and head back home (and collapse on the couch, truth be told). I barely had the strength to go onto iTunes and purchase the music from the artists I saw…sigh!

Here’s something that bothers me – people were saying that artists aren’t paid by iTunes and you should buy the CDs at the show if you want to support them. But I don’t want to buy a bunch of physical copies of the music (especially since I am moving AND my only CD player JUST died) – I’d prefer to have all my music in my iTunes library at this point. Is this true, that artists don’t make anything from iTunes? And how can that be? Why would anyone agree to have their music on iTunes if they weren’t being paid, or paid properly for it?

I bet Jimmy has an opinion on this. Too bad he left before I could ask him. 😉

Rock on,

The WB

Moving Thoughts #1: Rent or Own

On August 2, 2019August 2, 2019 By Widow BadassIn Goals & Dreams, Move to Vancouver Island, Retirement53 Comments

Even though my impending move is still many months away, I am already consumed with THOUGHTS and FEELINGS about it. So I created a special place to put them in – this 18 month Moleskin journal:

I found a package of stickers at Michaels that seemed appropriate. And went appropriately to town on the cover.

The fact that the fountain pen ink is reddish and looks kinda like I am writing in blood may or may not hold appeal for me. Just sayin’.

So, as can be seen from this journal entry (made in early July), my plan is was to rent for a bit (up to a year) while I search for a new property to buy on the Island. I say “was”, because I had a bit of revelation this week.

I realized I was quietly stressing about the whole “renting for a bit” idea and decided to dig deeper on those feelings this week when I was at home recuperating from heat exhaustion – earned on my birthday, at WTFest.

(I still got to enjoy most of the festival but had to lie down in the shade during The Beaches’ set so I wouldn’t pass out, from overheating. 1 alcoholic drink and no food all afternoon/evening. What a rock n’ roller, eh? 😉 From badass to candyass in one afternoon – that’s me alright!)

I recovered enough to see these guys (Ubiquitous Synergy Seeker aka USS) put on a lengthy, satisfying set of all their great songs – they were the main attraction for me, at WTFest.

During a conversation with my daughter she brought up a concern that she may have to move around the island for work as she is at the start of her career, and didn’t want us to end up too far apart. I said: no worries, gonna rent at first anyways but that got me thinking. And with thinking came a bunch of fears and assumptions that needed deeper exploration.

I was raised by homeowners – people who believed 100% in the wisdom of investing in property vs. renting space. My goal as an adult was to rent the cheapest place possible until I had saved enough for a downpayment and could afford to take the plunge into home ownership myself. Why pay my landlord’s mortgage when I could be paying my own – was my rationale. Renting was a stop gap; something you did until you could do “better”.

I soon realized I was actually kinda scared of going back to renting again. It brought up all kinds of fears about: “wasting” money on rent; living in “suboptimal” conditions (when did I get so fucking bougie???); hating (already!) not being able to improve/decorate the living quarters I was paying for, to my satisfaction. And it brought back all my feelings about some of the yucky places I lived in over the years, with no money to fix them up. And how much I love the space I am living in currently, that I designed and decorated to my satisfaction (finally!!!)…A whole lot of feelings going on, yessirree.

Friends of mine recently went from homeowners to renters and spoke positively of freedom that comes from renting but I wasn’t convinced…I needed more information. Hard numbers, facts, figures!

As one does, I hit the interwebs looking for articles on renting in retirement. One especially spoke to (the MBA in) me – this enlightening article and embedded video, is worth a read/watch. Take your time. I’ll be here when you get back.

Long story short, I have a whole ‘nother attitude about renting. In fact, it is not out of the realm of possibility that I may never own a home again. Instead of tying up (and tying myself down with) funds in another property, I will invest what I clear from the sale of my current abode. What I earn from this could be applied to rent – against those pesky unrecoverable costs – leaving more of my capital intact, for a future home/hippy van/trip around the world/whatever else might strike my fancy purchase.

My friends were right. Renting can be freeing.

You know, I figured these anticipated life changes (retirement, moving) were going to spark some revelations for me. But I didn’t think it was going to happen quite this quickly. Or be quite so HUGE.

What about you? Thoughts on renting vs. owning, especially in retirement?

Rock on,

The WB

A Celebration of Many Things

On July 25, 2019July 25, 2019 By Widow BadassIn Goals & Dreams, Good Times, Health Transformation, Retirement43 Comments

Updating the months of my life lived on my painting. Click on the *3rd phase of my life* link, below, to see my post discussing this piece.

Knock, knock.
Who’s there?
Orange.
Orange who?
Orange you glad I’m not going to talk about Roxodus anymore?

Well, actually I am going to talk about Roxodus for one hot second and then shut up about it (hopefully forever). The latest: the organizers have now filed for bankruptcy. No surprises here, folks!

For those of you who don’t follow me on Instagram (and why the hell not?! I’m FUN – above photo notwithstanding), here is me pouting at the site where Roxodus ~~WOULD have~~ SHOULD have been held, on the weekend it SHOULD have happened. Luckily, I’m not bitter. At all.

So here’s what I REALLY want to talk about: tomorrow is the 3rd anniversary of my second (and hopefully LAST) mini-stroke aka TIA. All has been good on the cerebrovascular front ever since July 26, 2016 and I sure as hell hope it stays that way.

And here’s WHAT ELSE I really want to talk about: I turn 60 YEARS OLD On Saturday! Yep, about to fully enter the 3rd phase of my life (and my wish is that I do get another 30 or so happy, healthy years in this phase).

AND I am RETIRING FROM WORK at the end of this year. YES! I am so excited to enter this next phase of my life as a retired person and see where it takes me. I’ve been carefully taking mental notes of all the retired bloggers I follow (Y’all didn’t know you were role-modelling, did ya?) so if I screw it up, it’s all YOUR fault. Nah, just kidding…I don’t need any help to screw things up. 😉

AND I am MOVING TO VANCOUVER ISLAND in 2020! Expect many more posts on this topic as I plan and scheme and dream and realize this next big adventure of mine.

If you’ve been reading ye olde blogge for a while, you know that I was heart-broken when my daughter moved to Vancouver Island last August. Well, I got over it…sorta. But things have never been the same around Chez Badass since that time. And although I love my place (NOW, that I’ve spent the past 3-4 years renovating and decorating it), it has lost some of its appeal for me since my daughter became more than just a few minutes away from me. (Like a 6 hour flight away!)

And when I visited her last winter (here and here), that really sealed the deal for me. I can’t think of a better place for me to spend my free time (and by golly, that would be ALL OF MY TIME soon now, wouldn’t it?) and still be able to say I’m living in Canada.

To commemorate my actual anniversary of the day of my birth, I am spending Saturday at a rock music festival that IS actually going to happen – WTFest in Brantford, with my concert buddy, Dave. I can’t think of a better way to enter my 7th decade than rocking it out to some great live music. And to celebrate all the good things in my life, now and in the future.

I know you’re laughing right now. Don’t think I don’t know this. Also, no promises.

Whew, that was a lot of announcements for one blog post. I think I’ve worked up an appetite for a big ol’ salad. Luckily, I have one waiting right beside my laptop.

Rock on,

The WB

Shout Out to EventBrite (and other good peeps): The Roxodus Aftermath

On July 11, 2019July 11, 2019 By Widow BadassIn Hmmm?, Music33 Comments

In an alternate universe, I would be rocking out right now, up at the Edenvale Airport, instead of sitting in my dining room hammering out this post. My ticket money has been completing refunded as of Wednesday (thank you, EventBrite!) so I am not out any $$$ because of Roxobust, unlike many others who spent thousands on airline tickets and hotels, yet…

Here is a list of concerts I took a pass on because of blowing the entertainment budget on Roxodus: The Killers, Muse, Florence & The Machine, The Black Keys, Arkells, Cheap Trick (who played last month in a wonderful venue close to me BUT WHY WOULD I GO SINCE I WOULD SEE THEM SOON AT ROXODUS…ARGH).

Looking at the bright side (or is it more the Sour Grapes Department? No matter): I wasn’t looking forward to seeing Kid Rock – probably would have left early that particular night. Also on the bright side: I hadn’t transferred any money electronically for food, drink and other festival purchases onto my “bracelet” for Roxodus’s cashless system, despite their urging concertgoers to do so right up to “the end”.

I am so impressed by those that stood up for the cheated fans. Particularly EventBrite, who stepped in to refund money to everyone who bought tickets. They did not have to do this. They were not obligated to do this. Yet they did the right thing for the music fans while Roxodus promoters did…uh, nothing. Nothing except make lame excuses and blame each other for the fiasco.

Huh…what happened to the “festival grounds too wet” excuse? Seems to have melted away as quickly as a morning frost in May...

Shout out also to other music festivals, who stepped up to offer free tickets to Roxodus ticket holders – you guys rock! So far Slamfest (in Kitchener last weekend) and WTFest (in Brantford later in July) have offered good numbers of free passes to those burned by Roxodus. I passed on Slamfest and already have a ticket to WTFest. I won’t be taking advantage of these offers…I have my money back so I prefer to let someone else have the chance to one of the free tickets.

I’ll still be up in the vicinity of Roxodus this weekend – CJ invited me to come up anyways, and hang out at her place at the Beach. So that’s where I’ll be heading after work tomorrow. And I’m delighted to do so.

Taking pleasure in others’ misfortunes; that’s me in this particular instance.

I’m also delighted to see the shit raining down on the Roxodus promoters as the days go on. Bring. It. On. Yes, I am that type of person – call me The Widow Schadenfreude Badass. Not only is the OPP (Ontario Provincial Police) conducting an investigation, and EventBrite promising to aggressively pursue Roxodus for $$$…now the local conservation authority is investigating these guys for clearing hectares of trees off of the Roxodus property without the proper permits and approvals.

It’s kinda entertaining, to watch and read about all the blame-gaming and finger-pointing and mounting legal issues resulting from the collapse of this event. Not 4-days-worth-of-music-festival-entertaining…but one must take amusement where one can find it, in this ridiculous affair.

Perhaps this will result in a business school case study one day. Or a documentary. In the meantime, I am still mightily bummed and finding it hard to…

Rock on,

The WSB

Fyre Festival North: The Roxodus Debacle

On July 6, 2019July 6, 2019 By Widow BadassIn Hmmm?, Music49 Comments

Summer in Canada is a lot of things to a lot of people. One of the things summer means to me is the opportunity to attend music festivals. So late last December, when my friend CJ let me know that her family was buying VIP tickets to Roxodus (July 11-13, 2019) and that I was welcome to stay at her place nearby for the duration of the festival, I jumped on board too despite gagging a bit at the price – at $600+, by far the most money I have ever paid for a single event. For comparison, I plunked down $99 for another 3 day festival happening in August of this year: Riverfest Elora.

Initially the festival was running for 3 days but this spring they added a 4th day (Sunday) at no extra charge (with headliner, Aerosmith, one of my all-time favourite bands!!!!) so this got even better and I was beyond thrilled to be going. I had taken advantage of the early bird pricing; got onto the easier-to-swallow payment plan; it’s all good, right?

Wrong. With a week to go, the organizers pulled the plug on the festival, citing wet grounds as the ~~absolutely bullshit~~ reason. The first day of the announcement, there was a statement on the website that information on refunds would be available soon. The next day this statement disappeared. And I got pissed. And I (and 20,000+ other ticket holders, vendors etc.) had no direct means to contact the organizers, who were incommunicado. With no other outlet for my frustration, I took to social media with this meme, as this particular moment in this particular film represented my mood:

For those of you not familiar with the film, The Big Lebowski, it refers to this scene:

And if you’re not familiar with this cult-classic movie, I urge you to immediately get your hands on a copy and watch it. It’s a great movie that has launched a thousand t-shirts, memes, bumper stickers, social media groups, and even a religion, based on the character of The Dude (the victim of the toilet dunking) as well as other characters in the film.

There are developments happening every day with this Canadian “Fyre Festival”. And the story is still unfolding. I won’t go into the details here – if you are interested, just google Roxodus and you will see it all as it is happening.

On the urging of Mimi (another blogger friend to the rescue – goddess, how I love this community!), I had contacted my credit card company to report my purchase as fraudulent and to see if they could do anything for me. I was told they would start a file with my details, and to call back after 15 days (once the festival dates had passed and the ~~slimeball jerkface~~ promoters had been given every opportunity to make restitution).

Then this morning I received an email from the ~~wonderful amazing~~ good people at Eventbrite (who handled ticket sales), saying that they “set up an Eventbrite-funded Fan Relief Program to make all Roxodus ticket holders whole while we continue to aggressively pursue the return of funds from the festival’s creators.”

Current mood: Much less ~~orange is the new~~ black

And also in the email they let me know how much they were refunding. One teensky weensky problemo: in the email I noticed that they were refunding me the money only from my second-to-last payment on the payment plan. No mention of the rest of the money owing to me.

I emailed them back to let them know that there were still 3 other outstanding transactions that also require repayment before I would be “whole”. And now I wait, confident that Eventbrite will continue to step up, and make good on their promise.

I still hurt for those that invested much more than me into this event – people who booked flights, campsites, hotels, arranged their summer vacations around this event…I hurt for all the businesses small and large that also invested heavily into Roxodus happening.

The only people who aren’t hurting are the bands that were scheduled to play – apparently they were paid 100% upfront.

I used to take certain things for granted. One: that when I bought a ticket to an event, it was most likely going to happen. Two: that if it didn’t happen, I would get my money refunded immediately. I don’t think it is unreasonable or naive to think either of these two things when plunking down hard-earned $$$ for a show. I (and other concert-goers) deal in good faith and expect the same in return.

I will never think this way again. Thanks ~~shitheads~~ Roxodus.

If you’re still reading, thanks for letting me rant. Has something like this ever happened to you? Do tell, in the comments.

Rock on,

The WB

Newfoundland Trip: Cod Tongues Edition

On June 26, 2019June 26, 2019 By Widow BadassIn Adventures in Food, Good Times57 Comments

Imposing entrance to The Rooms – a large complex consisting of 4 floors of all things Newfoundland: artifacts and art that speak of the land, the people, and their lives here. Definitely worth a visit. Plan at least 1/2 a day here. And plan to eat at the Cafe. Get the cod tongues!

I wanted to try cod tongues while in Newfoundland but Joanne wasn’t having any of that. We were at The Rooms in St. John’s (mere steps from our apartment), and sitting down to eat at the excellent cafe there when I spied them on the menu. I didn’t want to eat a whole order by myself as I had my heart set on the Fisherman’s Bake (which sounded filling) so I asked Joanne if she wanted to share. She said no.

Then I thought maybe if our server described them to us Joanne would change her mind. This is the exchange that followed:

Me to server: I’d like to know more about the cod tongues appetizer. What are cod tongues like?

Server: Well, they’re not tongues, exactly. They are glands.

Joanne: OK, this is not helping.

Me to server: You are really NOT helping.

Me to server while Joanne placed her order: And can you throw a cod tongue on top, you know, for decoration?

What I imagined our server was thinking: Spare me these CFAs*!

Needless to say, Joanne did not get a cod tongue on top of her chowder. Also: I didn’t get any either.

And guess what I found out today while putting together this post? Cod tongues are neither tongues nor glands. They are muscles – like steak. Or pork chops. And a delicacy that tastes like scallops!

Next trip to the Rock it’s gonna be cod tongues at every meal, Joanne. 😉

For more stories about our trip, please visit Joanne’s blog here, here and here or mine here and here.

Rock on,

The WB

*CFA or Come From Away – a term used to describe those not born in Newfoundland. Also: a hella fine musical production and true story about the hospitality and humanity shown by the town of Gander when many planes were grounded with passengers stranded there by the events of September 11, 2001.

Newfoundland Trip: Food and Drink Edition

On June 24, 2019June 24, 2019 By Widow BadassIn Adventures in Food, Good Times45 Comments

Warning: Do not read this post if hungry (or thirsty). Believe me, it was tough to write on an empty stomach and without any delicious beer in the house. But no one can say I don’t suffer for my art… 😉

If you think Newfoundland cuisine consists only of deep-fried everything washed down with Screech, you are in for a big surprise. Joanne and I ate like queens and drank like ~~fishes~~ princesses during our recent week on the Rock. You can read my earlier post about this trip here.

One of our early meals (and favourites) was brunch at the Mallard Cottage. This highly recommended restaurant is in the old-time fishing village in St. John’s known as Quidi Vidi. You’ll be seeing a lot of this name in this post as it also hosts a damn fine brewery.

The menu board and sweets table at the Mallard Cottage, Quidi Vidi

I started off with a High Tea Cocktail. Gin made out of icebergs, people! Oh yes.

Joanne and I split the fish cakes and the Chef’s Plates (a series of dishes the chef dreamed up). We were seated at a communal table, which was the most fun as we got to chat with locals as well as fellow travellers. I would say yes to a communal table any time!

Of course, we had to try some cod and chips one night for supper! Ches’s was only mere steps from our AirBnB apartment in St. John’s.

And what goes better with fish and chips than Quidi Vidi beer? “Mmmmm…beer” – H. Simpson

After our boat trip and hiking Witless Bay, we were starving. We stopped at the Irish Loop Coffee House just minutes before closing. They graciously fed us anyways. Such a cool little place, completely furnished with retro-style dinette sets.

Joanne had the sweet potato pancakes and I inhaled the brie and bacon croissant. Sorry, no pictures were taken of our mains due to hands being occupied shoving the food in our pieholes. But I did snap the following:

Is there anything better than a cold Quidi Vidi after a hike? It’s becoming a thing with us.

I did manage to regain my blogger’s wits enough to snap a photo of the most amazing lemon bread pudding that Joanne and I shared for dessert, though.

Just so you know, not every drink on this trip was alcoholic….LOL! After a jaunt up to Signal Hill – where we froze in the bitter wind – lo and behold a Newfoundland Chocolate Company Cafe conveniently located partway down the Hill…oh those canny Newfoundlanders and their delicious hot chocolate! Note Joanne’s restrained pose while I took the picture. Atta girl!

One evening we were invited to dine at my brother-in-law’s sister’s house where we were introduced to this bad boy. Newfoundland Distillery is a business started by a niece of this lovely couple and we would just happen to be driving right by on our way to Harbour Grace the next day, to visit with BIL’s other sister. Kismet, I tell ya!

Yeah, we parked in the next door church’s parking lot. Well, it was empty-ish and we didn’t stay long. Just purchased some delicious seaweed gin and went merrily on our way.

After touring Harbour Grace, we took another of BIL’s sisters out to dinner at The Stone Jug, in nearby Carbonear. Which has a rich history involving a princess and a pirate. The green, white and pink flag (see also NFLD Chocolate Cafe, above) is the flag of the former Republic of Newfoundland. Newfoundland became a province of Canada only in 1949.

We ~~inhaled~~ enjoyed delicious Quidi Vidi iceberg beer with our equally delicious burgers. Beer made out of icebergs, people! Oh, yes!

Even our last meal (at the St. John’s airport, in the YellowBelly Brewery Pub) was delicious. Here are Joanne’s steamed mussels (with curry sauce).

And here is my scrumptious cod burger with side salad, liberally doused with candied nuts. Not pictured – our yummy YellowBelly beers. *I don’t know why.*

Oh my, this was a tough post to write – but now I’m ready to ~~wipe the drool off my chin~~ find something to eat (and drink) in Chez Badass. Hope you enjoyed our culinary adventures in Newfoundland!

Rock on,

The WB

Answering the call: Newfoundland

On June 23, 2019June 23, 2019 By Widow BadassIn Goals & Dreams, See the Beauty, The Great Outdoors52 Comments

Way back in March I answered a phone call from blogging (and now real life) buddy, Joanne from My Life Lived Full. “Listen Deb”, she said “I’m going to go to Newfoundland to do some hiking and I thought you might like to join me…no pressure, I’m going regardless but in case you were interested in joining me…”

Well, I gave a qualified YES right away but needed to check if my ever-diminishing stockpile of vacation days would allow it first #workingsuckssometimes. Once that was out of the way, the booking and planning began in earnest!

And almost before we knew it, the day was upon us and we landed in St. Johns’s! I could (and probably will) write so many posts about this wonderful week spent in Canada’s most easterly province, but this one will focus on our adventures outdoors. We hiked most days, and even took a boat trip out to the Witless Bay Ecological Reserve.

The weather: much cooler than in Ontario (and we are having an unseasonably cool spring!). Leaves were just beginning to emerge on the trees when we first came to the island. We had researched this and packed accordingly.

Joanne’s grand plan (now mine too) – to hike parts of the East Coast Trail. Mission accomplished, just about every day of our stay!

First day hike – thankful I was prepared with warm base layers, gloves and wet weather gear. Photo by Joanne Sisco.

Don’t like the foggy weather obscuring the fantastic view? Wait 15 minutes.

Joanne admiring yet another spectacular view.

One of our goals for this trip was to see icebergs. Newfoundland did not disappoint as we spied them on our adventures most days. We got up close and personal with one while heading out to Witless Bay Ecological Preserve with Gatherall’s Boat Tours.

Immediately the boat made for an iceberg, so thoughtfully placed in our path. To say Joanne was thrilled would be the greatest understatement of 2019. 🙂

Joanne sees an iceberg up close. She’s good, I tell ya! Alas, I never saw a single whale on our NFLD trip, despite calling for them from the cliff tops.

One of the islands we passed. SO. MANY. BIRDS.

Puffin! I had to really blow up this shot as these birds are tiny and fast. Hard to capture.

And now, back to hiking!

Apres boat trip, hiking around Witless Bay

Joanne spots an iceberg from the shore. This woman is insatiable! 🙂 Note: The weather improved and we were able to shed some layers.

Another day, another hike. Smiling faces from Holyrood and the Great Trail.

Stop the car!!! Iceberg spotted in Bay Roberts.

Another view of “our” Bay Roberts iceberg.

Last day hike. We started out in Flatrock.

View from the top of our hike. Wall of fog fast approaching.

Joanne watching the fog wall come in. Don’t step back, Joanne!!!!

What an amazing week of stunning vistas, wildlife (sadly, no whales though), and all the weather one could think of. Except snow and ice, thankfully. I can heartily recommend Newfoundland to anyone who loves nature and hiking. Bring along a like-minded adventurer (cough*Joanne*cough), for the best time possible!

Rock on,

The WB

My First Year Driving My Prius Prime – Edward III; Long May He Reign!

On June 5, 2019June 5, 2019 By Widow BadassIn Home Improvement, Roadtripping44 Comments

On May 25th, 2018 I picked up my 3rd version of “Edward the Sparkly Prius“. This one is a plug-in Hybrid, meaning it can be charged via an electrical outlet and also uses gas as fuel.

The shiny new Edward the Third. Long may He reign.

It shouldn’t come as a surprise then, that I love Priuses (Priuii?) and the (non) colour Blizzard White, and Toyota products in general. (Before my current Prius phase, I was a Matrix gal). I already benefited from good gas mileage with my other Edwards (I and II). With Edward II, I was refueling about every 10 days or so at an average cost of $90 per month (Canadian fuel prices were higher then: 2017/2018). Not bad, right?

Well, I hadn’t seen anything yet! My perception of “not bad” changed with Edward III (long may he reign!). Eddie came to me in May 2018 with a full tank of gas. My first fill up was at the end of July (!). Then the one after that wasn’t until November (!!!). Then I filled up again in December, then in February; and the most recent time I had cause to visit the pumps was back on March 30, over 8 weeks ago. I still have just over 1/2 tank of that fill. For a grand total of $155.47 for a year’s worth of fuel purchases. I drove a little over 13.5 thousand kilometres in that time span.

I couldn’t tell anyone what gas costs right now. I’m only aware of gas prices going up/down when I see long line-ups at the pumps. When Edward is down to 1/4 tank, I just go fill him up. The price of gas no longer holds sway over me.

I had to install an outdoor electrical outlet (just a regular one, not the more expensive, faster “charging station”), to feed Edward. That set me back a few hundred bucks, for an electrician. I haven’t seen a discernible difference in my electrical bills, although I was told at the dealership each full charge could cost $1. I program Eddie to only charge when the electricity is cheapest, so I can plug him in at 5 pm and know he won’t start drawing power until after 7 pm on a weekday. It takes 5.5 hours to fully charge Edward using the regular outlet.

My range, using electricity only, varies depending on the temperature. In the winter the lowest it dipped down to was 35 km on a full charge. As of this morning (June 5), I am up to 54 km per charge. Most days in the warm weather I can do all the running around to work and back, and any daily errands on a single overnight charge. In the winter I did find the gas engine had to kick in for the last few kilometres, in order to get me home every day. (I know; cue the world’s smallest, saddest violin…) I use the gas engine mostly only on extended, weekend drives.

Edward, in his royal benevolence, is teaching me to be a ~~better~~ more fuel efficient driver. Through positive reinforcement such as this;

And this:

Edward approves of not blasting the A/C in the summer time.

I am very happy with my new Edward. I do have to remember that he makes about as much noise as an electric golf cart when in EV (electric vehicle) mode (which is all the time, most days), and that pedestrians and cyclists won’t necessarily hear his approach. Or departure.

Last summer, at the KW Bluesfest, I surprised the slightly inebriated woman leaning on the vehicle parked beside me when Edward began to silently pull out of the parking spot. Her disorientation, double-take, and clutching of the vehicle behind her for support was priceless.

I think this type of vehicle (hybrid or all-electric) is the future. Until we can teleport ourselves à la Star Trek, that is. 😉

Would you/do you drive an electric car?

Rock on,

The WB

The Changing Seasons: May on the Move

On June 1, 2019June 1, 2019 By Widow BadassIn See the Beauty, The Great Outdoors45 Comments

Slowly but surely, spring is happening whether the weather (LOL!) likes it or not. Well, I like it and there was plenty to see on the Mill Run Trail this month. And I do mean ON the trail. I had to step lightly to avoid some turtles “on the move”.

Fiddleheads unfurling into fresh new fern plants.

What is May without the appearance of May Apple colonies?

Trilliums and violets (and garter snake) in bloom

Speaking of snakes, remember **these beauties from before**? Someone looks very full and has even more friends now. According to **this website**, this snake bears live young, so perhaps only preggers? Still, it begs this question:

Are all your family accounted for? Asking as a concerned friend…

Where my turtles at? Well, just about everywhere in May. I practically stood on a few on a recent walk.

I thought this was a smallish rock on the trail, upon first approach.

Then I thought it was dead, until I noticed the fuck-you glint in its eye. Message received. Moving on…

I thought this was a pebble! Toonie (Canadian 2 dollar coin) sized baby snapper, too small to effectively glare at me.

The turtle pond itself hosted a couple of sunning adult snappers.

These guys are also very good at looking and playing dead. I would not be so nonchalant encountering one this size on the trail. They can be quick to strike if they feel the need.

I didn’t see any adult females crossing the trail to lay eggs (only juveniles), but I think it is a bit too early for that. Perhaps for June’s Changing Seasons post…

The Changing Seasons is a monthly photo challenge hosted by the ever lovely Zimmerbitch. Please check out her blog and the other bloggers who participate!

Rock on,

The WB