A photo from our excursion to Lackawanna State Park on Monday.

I made a pit stop at Wal-Mart’s Vision Centre after visiting the state park to see if I could get a deal on toric lenses, but the cost of the fitting ($70-80, U.S. dollars) plus a long turnaround time equals a fair amount of hassle. The lenses themselves are cheaper, but factoring in the fitting cost and delay make a cross-border purchase more prohibitive. There are more brands available for toric lenses in the U.S. and I enquired about each to get a ballpark range for prices to compare with what I’d be paying in Toronto. Maybe what I can do is get the fitting, trial lenses, and first box in Toronto and if I decide to stick with those lenses long-term, stock up future boxes down south.

Today I ran some errands around town and one of the best things to come of that was not having to pay for a notary public to sign a document for me at AAA (American Automobile Association). I wasn’t sure if they’d honour my CAA membership (the Canadian counterpart of this organisation), but they did, saving me a whack of money. In Toronto last February I had to get a notary public to sign a document and I hadn’t yet bought my CAA membership, which meant I forked over $60 because I couldn’t find anything cheaper. Today I paid $8 to send the document by registered mail, but it was still much cheaper than paying for a notary PLUS the registered mail fee.

This afternoon I stopped by Lake Scranton to take some pictures. It’s in the neighbourhood of where I used to live, and the lake itself is owned by the Pennsylvania Water Company. The wildlife there is protected, guaranteeing a peaceful atmosphere and an abundance of species to photograph. Today I took a few snaps, remembering the times David and I used to walk around the lake, hand in hand.

I even drove by the house where we used to live for the first time in six months. I’ve driven by it on the freeway countless times and hesitate every time I pass by our exit, but I haven’t been able to bring myself to actually exit. After driving to Lake Scranton I took the back roads to the house, and that made it seem easier somehow. I noticed the new owners cut down the big tree beside the garage, probably because it was too old to weather the strongest storms that passed through the area and its felling was to preempt a potentially hazardous demise. But it still made me a bit sad to see the old tree hacked up and lying in pieces on the lawn.

After the errands were finished, I phoned a friend I hadn’t seen in a couple of months to make dinner arrangements and tonight we introduced Helma to Thai food for the first time ever. I did the ordering, so what arrived was a combination of some of my favourite Thai menu items: Tom Kha Gai soup, papaya salad, and the Chef’s Special — a seafood dish with scallops, shrimp, mussels, and squid. I asked for a milder version, but I think the spices took Helma by surprise. I hope I didn’t turn her off Thai food for life!

Technorati tags: Scranton, Pennsylvania, film photography, Pentax K-1000, digital photography, Canon A80, Lake Scranton, Lackawanna State Park, automobile association, notary public