Trono (AKA Nirvana)

A couple of days of relax-time in Toronto. Our campground is quite near Toronto and very nearly nirvana. Well, near the Toronto airport, anyway, where there are no doubt several flites a day to Nirvana. And a fairly active freight-train track. But after several days in Northern Ontario, we are pretty damn ready for some urban (urbane?) noise!

And the campground is very nice…we have all the necessary services in-bound and out-bound concerning water and electrons and our domicile. We have good Wifi. We have a very nice picnic table. It doesn’t get much better.

While in Trono (though technically misspelled, this is how it is pronounced here), we have dinners booked with friends. Days more or less unfettered with responsibility. Time for Drone-practice!

The thing is devilishly hard to fly. If there is even a BREATH of wind, it is too light and is uncontrollable. I did manage several flights under reasonable control and captured a bit of video and a few pics. Don’t watch the video too carefully without Dramamine…

I am starting to understand why the “good” drones are a couple orders of magnitude more expensive. They have automatic features to hold the drone steady, maintain exact altitude, keep the camera steady and pointed straight even if the drone changes attitude, follow a pre-programmed path, return home by themselves if control is lost, etc. Still, Liz is right (even more-so than usual), best to learn with a toy that is quite a bit cheaper and actually much harder to master than the real thing…

Dinners in Trono, as mentioned, involved catching up with old friends. Each dinner began with cocktails in Nirvana – the goal being to drain entirely our supply of beer and other adult beverages so we don’t have to explain a surplus at the border (again). Fortunately, we have friends everywhere but especially in Trono who are willing to help with this task. And equally fortunately, the weather cooperated so we could sit outside and enjoy the cocktails. Then our friends picked and delivered us to local options for food and more conversation.

First, with Mike and Anne McCleave, a Sports-ish place called Earls that had a very nice, eclectic and broad menu…and a waitress that probably started her hospitality career that afternoon. Her first “mistake” was to bring me a BIG beer vs. the half-liter I had ordered. Needless to say, in the cosmic scheme of mistakes, this one made every other one she made pretty bearable! Even the Clam Chowder-confusion: Clam Chowder she brought for dessert. Maybe that is a local Canadian Custom…who are we to judge? Especially after a BIG beer! And especially now that we are retired, and getting really good at “going with the flow.”

The next place was a fantastic evening at friends Steve and Heshy Altbaum’s Club. When we were first arranging to meet, Steve may have misunderstood our transportation options. He was going to call the Club to see about dealing with the bus!!! Jokingly(?), I suggested we could set up near the 9th green as a Taco Truck… Pretty sure Steve (and for sure the Valet) was relieved to learn that the bus will remain in Nirvana while the Clown Car delivers the Tacos.

Liz with difficulty got over the predictable side effect of dining at the Altbaums’ Club – that Dutch treat was out. Not only that, for YEARS, Steve and I have traded shouting rounds at bars all over the world – it appears I would be building quite a debt in Trono. Going with the (ample) flow, we managed to fully enjoy Steve and Heshy’s hospitality as well as their company. Steve should be very nervous, though. “Dan and Liz’s Club” will probably never be an option, but Liz holds grudges for a long time, and there are ways to get even!

Leaving Trono, we are heading back towards the Chicago area, which will take a couple days of driving. Starting to see the pattern we are feeling and following? A couple days is the distance we travel between “destinations.” We plan a brief visit to Liz’s family near Kenosha, WI., then we’ll set up at 3642 Magnolia for our July 30 Block Party. Perhaps as a Taco Truck?!

On the way, we plan to stop for a meal with friends Wes and Betsy near Buchanan, MI.  Another pattern is evident: If we are anywhere near you or anyone we know, stand by your phone, email, text, etc… there could be a (dutch-treat) meal in our collective future — with or without Tacos.