Our Big, Bold, Beautiful Bus

MAY 27, 2008

LONDON, ONTARIO, TELEVISION AND RADIO

Another early morning television appearance. And from experience (when we are our own food stylists) that means preparing food for hours the day before as well as getting up in the middle of the night to drive to the show. It's a challenge not to disturb the neighbours beside the test kitchen when we start up the diesel motorhome at 4 in the morning. We thought it was a clever thing to face the motorhome in the direction we would be travelling and then hitch the towed car up the night before.

We have not only one interview, but three interviews while we are in London today. All before noon.
Our first interview is with A CHANNEL MORNING in London, Ontario, with hosts Cheryl Weedmark and Jeremy John.



Morgan Baker, the producer, meets us out front and directs us to drive the motorhome onto the cement pad of the market. We do this without hitting any trees. A great feat considering we have had very little sleep.
Cheryl and Jeremy are high energy and fun. They think that our broiled baby potato skins and creamsicle slushy make an excellent breakfast.
As the interview ends and the cameras shut down, Cheryl turns to leave the motorhome kitchen and her very high thin heel is caught in the furnace vent on the floor. In traditional knight-in-shining-armour-style, Jeremy kneels down, removes her foot from her shoe and wiggles the shoe out of the vent.

After our appearance on the A Channel we drive over to CJBK RADIO to the SHAUNA RAY SHOW.

We love radio interviews because we don't have to cook on air - except on the rare occasion (please see our June 2 visit to Sudbury for the exception).
For 30 minutes we join Shauna in conversation about life on the road, the incredible people we meet, and our upcoming Home Hardware store events for charity.

As soon as the interview is over, we dash off to AM 980 NEWS TALK RADIO for an interview with John Wilson. We talk about healthy food and favourite foods, cookbooks, useful appliances that make cooking easier, and our multi-career experiences. John names us "poster women" for women balancing lifestyle and careers.

ON THE ROAD 2008 ITINERARY AND EVENT TIMES

If you are in the area of any of these upcoming events, please drop by to see us during the times posted below.

THE COOKING LADIES ITINERARY “ON THE ROAD 2008”

May 28 (Wednesday) 6-8 Chatham, ON, Chatham-Kent Home Hardware Building Centre

May 29 (Thursday) 6-8 St. Thomas, ON, Geerlinks Home Hardware Building Centre

May 30 (Friday) 7-9 Kitchener, ON, Swanson’s Home Hardware Building Centre

May 31 (Saturday)2-4 Wasaga Beach, ON, Beach Builders Home Hardware

June 1 (Sunday) 12-2 Orillia, ON, Orillia Home Hardware Building Centre

June 2 (Monday) 4-6 Sudbury, ON, A&J Home Hardware

June 7 (Saturday) 12-2 Gimli, MB, Gimli Home Hardware Building Centre

June 10 (Tuesday) 11-1 Assiniboia, SK, Harvey’s Home Centre

June 11 (Wednesday) 11:30–1:30 Swift Current, SK, Swift Current Home Hardware Building Centre

June 13 (Friday) 2-4 Strathmore, AB, Strathmore Home Hardware

June 15 (Sunday) 1-3 Cranbrook, BC, Cranbrook Home Hardware Building Centre

June 19 (Thursday) 12-2 Penticton, BC, Penticton Home Hardware Building Centre

June 21 (Saturday) 12-2 Osoyoos, BC, Osoyoos Home Hardware

June 24 (Tuesday) 3-5 Aldergrove, BC, Pearce Hardware

June 28 (Saturday) 2-4 Sooke, BC, Sooke Home Hardware

June 30 (Monday) 12-2 Parksville, BC, Parksville Home Hardware

July 1 (Tuesday) 12-2 Campbell River, BC, Pioneer Home Hardware Building Centre

July 5 (Saturday) 1-3 Chilliwack, BC, Fortins Home Hardware

July 8 (Tuesday) 11-1 100 Mile House, BC, Century Hardware

July 12 (Saturday) 12-2 Houston, BC, Reitsma’s Home Hardware

July 17 (Thursday) 2-4 Fort St. John, BC, Fort St. John Home Hardware Building Centre

July 24 (Thursday) 11-1 Fort McMurray, AB, Fort McMurray Home Hardware Building Centre

July 29 (Tuesday)12-2 Swan River, MB, Valley Home Hardware Building Centre

July 30 (Wednesday) 12-2 Dauphin, MB, Dauphin Home Hardware

July 31 (Thursday) 5:30–7:30 Morden, MB, Morden Home Hardware

Aug 2 (Saturday) 12-2 Kenora, ON, Kenora Home Hardware Building Centre

Aug 4 (Monday) 12-2 Dryden, ON, B. Taylor Home Hardware Building Centre

Aug 9 (Saturday) 2-4 Cochrane, ON, Allan’s Home Hardware

May 9, 2008 - Continued

The Grand Opening at the Brantford Home Hardware newly expanded 6,000 square foot store was grand.

Jacqui Lyons and her co-workers made us feel right at home. They cooked up meatballs and a pork roast to serve with our demonstration samples. Our presentation area was directly below a 50" video screen where we could look up and see ourselves driving the motorhome down the highway.

Sandy Jordan, Sue Benner, Jane Wall, Ray Gabel, Joel Marks, Paul Strauss, and others from Home Office also attended the event. We even got to say Hello to Dale MacPherson whose mother, Helen, and grandfather, Harold Cress, were two of our best customers when we owned the Melting Pot Restaurant in St. Jacobs.

After the event, we drove the motorhome to the Home Hardware Paint and Home Products Division in Burford. In exchange for a tour of the motorhome, we got a tour of the plant. We had used their Natura spray cleaner the day before when hydraulic fluid sprayed all over the back of the motorhome, turning our beautiful wrap into an oily mess.

May 9, 2008

We get fan email. A new batch arrived after our appearances on CHCH Morning Live (Hamilton) and City TV Breakfast Television (Toronto).

One email was from MaryAnn Truckle who just happens to live in Brantford where we were to do a presentation on May 9 at Brantford Home Hardware's Grand Opening. The last time we saw MaryAnn was 23 years ago when she worked for us at one of the restaurants we owned in Waterloo. Our business partner, Susan, was alive at the time and we remember the two of them were always giggling because they both saw the funny side of everything. Their laughter was infectious.

At the Brantford Home Hardware Grand Opening, MaryAnn pitched in to help us prepare food for our appliance demonstrations. It soon seemed like only days since we'd seen her last rather than years. Her laughter, her smile, her postitive attitude hadn't changed. The only thing missing was Susan.

May 8, 2008

We all know that it pays to leave early for an appointment. Sometimes leaving the day before is not early enough. We find this out on our way to the Brantford Home Hardware Grand Opening.

It is a three hour drive from the test kitchen to the Brantford Home Hardware store. We leave at 4 P.M. on May 8 which is the day prior to the event so we can park the motorhome in their parking lot overnight and be ready early the next morning to set up for our presentation.

It is Lamont's turn to drive the motorhome. We take turns to be fair because we both really enjoy driving it.

Just past London on the 401 Lamont announces that the motorhome is almost impossible to steer as she stuggles to pull it onto the narrow shoulder of the road. Then we do what we always do when the motorhome gives us trouble. We call Patterson RV in Dutton. We bought the motorhome from them 10 years ago and they have saved our sanity many times since. James says, "Go back to the engine and open the cover and see if the fan is going around." Going back to the engine means walking along the side of the motorhome for 40 feet while trucks whiz past at the speed of light rocking the 15 ton motorhome from side to side.

Once at the back, we lift up the huge engine door and look for a fan that isn't spinning. We can't find it but we notice an oily substance pouring out from under the back of the motorhome. We know that this is not a good thing.

Back inside the motorhome, we call James again. "Hydraulic fluid," he says, "You lose your hydraulic fluid, you lose your power steering and your engine heats up."

The exit to Aylmer is in sight. A truck repair shop is 20 kilometers away in Alymer. James gives us the phone number. We call. They are open. James tells us that we can drive it until the engine overheats. "Shut it off, wait for it to cool, and try again." We learn that if we turn on the heater full blast, it helps keep the engine cool. We crawl off the 401 at the next exit and limp into Aylmer. When we get to the main intersection of town, it takes both of us to turn the steering wheel to get around the corner.

We arrive at Unger Repair Service in Aylmer at 7 P.M.

Cornelius Unger works on our motorhome until after midnight. He does not take time to eat. He does not go home to his wife and 10 kids. He does not rest until we are safely on our way.

We arrive in the Brantford Home Hardware parking lot at 1:30 in the morning. Neither rain, nor snow, nor hydraulic fluid, keeps The Cooking Ladies from ... well, you know what we mean.

Upcoming Events for May

Upcoming Home Hardware Events for May

Friday, May 9 - 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. - Brantford HHBC- Brantford, ON

Wednesday, May 28- 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. - Chatham Kent HHBC - Chatham, ON

Thursday, May 29 - 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. - Geerlink's HHBC - St. Thomas, ON

Friday, May 30 - 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. - Swanson's HHBC - Kitchener, ON

Saturday, May 31 - 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Beach Builders HH - Wasaga Beach, ON

May 3, 2008

Saturday, May 3, we arrived in Elmira for our second store event. We parked the motorhome next to the Farmers' Market at the back of Elmira Home Hardware. It was raining but it didn't stop Krista McBay and her staff, in their bright yellow t-shirts and Cooking Ladies buttons, from being enthusiastic.

We appreciated the help from the staff who carried our presentation equipment through the rain from the motorhome to the store. And a huge THANK YOU to Krista for being our assistant and preparing all those additional treats using recipes from our cookbooks. We're still serious about taking you on the road with us.

Goody bags and the Oster Blender and DeLonghi convection countertop oven raffle produced a generous donation to the Women's Crisis Services of Waterloo Region.

Sandy Jordan and Sue Benner from Home Office dropped in to say, "Hello."

Several of the Farmers' Market vendors joined us inside the store, displaying their products. Regular customers and event attendees joined with Krista to create a down-home-style social. People chatted, sampled our recipes, and shopped.

It continued to pour rain outside but no one cared.

May 2, 2008

After the event in Barrie on the evening of May 1, we drove back down the 400 to a service centre close to Toronto. We slept until 4 a.m. then unhitched the car from the motorhome and parked it in front of the Tim Horton's at the service centre. Driving the motorhome without the car made the early morning trip to City TV in downtown Toronto a lot less challenging.

On our arrival at City TV, Brad, the producer, had us drive around the block in order to park the motorhome, facing the wrong way, outside the windows of the television studio on Queen Street. A great tactic. Whenever Dina and Kevin, the hosts, were on air inside the studio, the motorhome was in the background.

The cameraman and producer came on board to check out lighting and space for their equipment. Camera and sound cables were brought in through the driver's window. The makeup artist arrived to powder our noses.

Our publicist, Nelson Hudes, arrived. Our food stylist arrived. We set up the recipe ingredients for the cameras, tidied the living room and kitchen one more time and then changed into our yellow shirts. At 6 a.m. we sipped City TV coffee, ready for Dina's arrival in the motorhome.

At 7:40 we prepared four recipes for Dina as streetcars whooshed by outside.

When the interview was over, Nelson jumped out and stopped morning rush hour traffic so that we could cross over to the proper side of the street and be on our way.

We accidentally took the scenic route out of town ... Chinatown ... Little Italy. People on the sidewalks waved and drivers tooted hello.

We returned to Tim Horton's and hitched up the car. And, of course, we had another cup of coffee. As we sipped, we checked our Blackberry. Already there were emails from people who had seen us on Breakfast Television just an hour before. How much fun is that!

May 1, 2008

At 4:30 in the early morning of May 1, we pulled out of our campsite at the Fifty Point Conservation Area, in Stoney Creek, as quietly as a diesel motorhome possibly could. Our neighbour in the RV next door had warned us the night before that he didn't want to be disturbed even if we were The Cooking Ladies heading off to early morning television.

Our GPS found the way to Bayfront Park in Hamilton for our segments on CHCH Morning Live with Lesley Stewart. We arrived in the dark at 5 am and discovered that our food stylist, Jill Snider, had been there since 4 reading her book and waiting for the action to start.

The camera crew, Nick and Luke, arrived around 6 followed by a bright and cheerful Lesley at 6:30.

Nick burned his mouth while sampling hot quiche on camera. Not to be upstaged, Luke made off with a plate of broiled potato skins filming his exit from the motorhome on the outdoor Live Eye camera.

By the time we finished filming the sixth segment at 9 am, the sun was shining in the windows and we were finally awake.

Our Cranberry Pineapple Stuffing Cups, Boiled Broiled Baby Potato Skins, Mini Sausage and Apple Crustles Quiche, Eggplant And Focaccia Fusion, Hot Pepper Jelly Brie, and Creamsicle Slushy made a great breakfast.

Later, en route to United Lumber Home Hardware in Barrie, for our first store event, we stopped at a service centre on the 400 for a few hours sleep. While most of the truckers around us slept with their heads down on arms crossed over their steering wheels, we had the luxury of our home on wheels.

The Ladies' night at United Lumber Home Hardware Barrie North was very successful. We parked the motorhome right outside the front door.

Store employees looked great in their yellow t-shirts & promotional buttons. It was fun with appliance demonstrations and lots of draws for prizes. Proceeds went to the Grieving Children at Seasons Centre.

Our road crew, Roger and Ruth Sholdice, joined us to set up our sound system and to help us prepare food.

Norm Rosen from RV Lifestyle Magazine loaded the basement of the motorhome with copies of the magazine. In celebration of the 10th anniversary of our Cooking Ladies' column in RV Lifestyle Magazine, we will be giving away free subscriptions and handing out magazines at "On The Road 2008" Home Hardware Store events.