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Celebrating Canada’s 150 birthday means parties and special events this entire year. I mentioned in an earlier post on Nova Scotia’s National Parks & Historic sites that I’m doing my best to get to some of these.

During Rendez-Vous 2017 Tall Ships Festival such an opportunity presented itself.  George’s Island was opened for tours, a concert and a Taste of Nova Scotia event were held there.

What could I do-I bought tickets to the tunnel tours and hopped on the ferry.

Continue reading “George’s Island-More than Just Snakes”

Camping old school-gotta love it.
Some of us still use tents for camping. Maybe not as luxurious. Maybe a bit more  weather dependant.  Maybe more caution must be taken so your snacks don’t get pilfered by racoons.

But still, if you are into that kind of thing-and I am, it can be a whole lot of fun.

We assume you have done your research and chosen a date and maybe even booked your site-spots such as Kejimkujik National Park as usually very busy Thursdays to Sundays.

Further to that, we assume you have planned a menu with easy to carry and cook foods and have a shopping list.

And that you know what clothes you need.

Because this list is for equipment you will need to take for camping:

I recommend

• Set up tent to ensure all the necessary components are there and that it hasn’t sprouted any holes since last use.
• Try out stove before leaving- you don’t want any nasty surprises when you are ready to cook supper at the campground.

Also: Pack food in a  cooler that you can store safely in the car at night.

And now, the basic camping equipment:

1. Tent (make sure you have the tent poles  and pegs  along with a hammer/hatchet to drive pegs into the ground )
2. Duct tape (fixing broken tent poles, covering holes in tent, etc)
3. Tarp(ground cover for under your tent)
4. Extra tarp or canopy Of course, it won’t rain, but…..
5. Thick foam pad or air mattress( with pump) and sleeping bag for each camper
6. Pillow
7. Extra blanket
8. Lawn chairs for around the campfire
9. Bug repelling candles
10. Flashlights (extra batteries) needed for nighttime bathroom forays..and checking out noises in the dark
11. Lantern
12. Lantern fuel or batteries
13.  Camping Stove
14. Fuel for camping stove
15. Pot holders
16. Waterproof matches or lighter
17. Firewood, kindling AND paper plus said hatchet (burning paper plates to try to get your fire started will only get you so far.) Most campground will have firewood for sale-some even forbid you bringing wood with you. This campgroundwood is often not so dry.I would still bring dry kindling. Don’t even think about using the trees around your campsite. No.No. No.
18. Frying pan
19. Pot with cover
20. Portable coffee maker( or boil water in your pot and have instant coffee)
21. Large water jug (you’ll need water for cooking and to put out that fire)
22. Plastic tablecloth and pegs to keep it from blowing into the campsite across the way
23. Roasting sticks for marshmallows and hot dogs.
24. Resealable food-storage containers,
25. Sandwich bags, water bottles for hikes and stuff
26. Large garbage bags good for stuffing wet tent in upon departure, also makeshift rain coat.
27. Several yards of thin rope and clothes pins.
28. Cooler
29. Plates, mugs, cutlery,corkscrew, can opener, bottle opener
30. Paring knife, spatula, cooking spoon
31. Cutting board
32. Foil
33. Biodegradable dish soap
34. SOS pad,  dishcloth, dishtowel, dish pan.
35. Paper towels

Want to print the list and take it with you?  Click the link.  Camping List

Ok,so let’s assume you are not going to be packing a stroller and diapers, nor squeezing your vacation within the two weeks your grandson gets off work-although you could do either of these.
But for the sake of this blog, let’s say these grandkids are old enough to dress themselves-out of diapers and without a driver’s license of their own.

You do know what that means, right? It means  at that age,they will have opinions, expectations and  unique tastes.

Ignore this at your own risk. Seriously.

Now, you may be lucky enough to see your grand babies on a regular basis and from that, you know them pretty well. However, all bets are off when you are on the road.

Continue reading “Traveling with Grandkids This Summer? 10 Things You Need To Know”