thoughts

Yesterday a member of our church was stuck and killed by a C-train.  He's left behind a wife and children.  He wasn't yet 55. 

This morning I watched a portion of a program highlighting the efforts of the SickKids Hospital in Toronto.  They profiled real families going through unspeakable pain and wondering, as world reknowned doctors do whatever possible to increase the chance of survival for these children. 

These two incidents caused a twist in my thoughts - almost a conviction in how I'd been feeling about preparing for Christmas.  While families sit bed-side in hospitals "holding on" or are today going to funeral homes to make final plans, perhaps many of us are busily running around hoping to cross items off of our to do lists.  I don't think I'm alone in my musings, this is a busy time of year!  But why?  Why do we put so much pressure on ourselves to shop and spend and plan and bake and clean and invite and send cards?  Is it satisfying?  I think if it were truly enjoyable we'd do it all year long; wouldn't we? 

I've noticed personally that this time of year is more about the 'getting it done', finishing the shopping and card writing, it's far more time stealing than celebrating the birth of our Savior.  Or if you don't want it that deep - when was the last time you spoke with that someone you're stressing over purchasing a gift for?  Actually sat down and looked at their face while they talked about real life? 

Sharing time, making memories.  I'm putting that on my to-do list and while we're doing that over and over again, I'm not crossing it off of the list.  The rest of the push, the planning, has little importance to me now.

Home / Stats

We pulled into the neighborhood around 4:30 yesterday and that meant we'd had a long day on the road - we left the campground in Moose Jaw at 8:15.


Here are some stats from our trip:

6 US States
4 Provinces
37 nights
9114 km
2230 litres of diesel
2 30 gallon bottles of propane
5 new tires
20 rolls of tp
3700 sneezes from Scott (ballpark)
A lifetime of good memories

Cheers!

chill-axing and trolley cars

It's been a low key day thus far with some organizing of the trailer and a trip on the trolley.  We did a tour of the City and learned about historic churches, schools, homes & restaurants, and learned about some of the 50+ murals.  Scott & Katie have headed off to the Western Development Museum which focuses on early transportation (trains, cars, planes and even the local snowbirds).  Emily and are I will be heading out shortly to play a round of minigolf here at the campground before coming back to prepare supper.  The play (Pirates of Penzance) begins at 8pm. 
We'll have an early morning tomorrow - we covet your prayers and offer our thanks to our God who has carried us in His hands. 

Added - Pirates of Penzance was good - three lead characters attended Briercrest, the same school I graduated from a few (long) years ago. During intermission I recognized a man whose son graduated from Caronport High School in the same class as I. It was nice to get caught up.

Tunnels, ghost stories and more

The campground we're at has it's own indoor waterslides (2 @ 200' each), a pool and hot tub which we checked out last night.  Much to our surprise when we asked Emily if she was going to go down the waterslide, she said yes, and headed for the stairs.  She's never been on a water slide other than those for smaller children - she wasn't comfortable with the idea.  For the next two hours that girl couldn't be stopped: climb the steps (with the rest of us of course,) down the slide, out of the water and back up the steps again.  More reasons to marvel.
This morning we visited the Tunnels of Moose Jaw.  There were 2 tours to select from: one about Al Capone and the prohibition and the other was about the Chinese immigrants to Canada around the late 1800's and early 1900's.  Both were good but the better was the one about the immigrants. 
When I lived in Caronport (15 minutes from here) an enjoyable location for cheesecake was Hopkins Dining Parlour.  Today I got to share that spot with the family as we had lunch.  Our timing was great in that most of the guests were gone when we finished.  That freed up the owner (since 1978) to tell us about the house and the stories about it having a ghost.  The lady whom the home was built for (by her husband) died while living in the home and her funeral was held there as well (that's just weird).  Anyways there have been stories of patrons and staff seeing apparitions and hearing footsteps.  To that I say pish-posh.  All the same, the restaurant has been featured on a television program highliting ghosts in buildings.  Our waitress showed us the 8 minute clip from the show.
The owner also told us about some of the details of the building - waffle ceilings, moved walls (to make room for a new staircase) and new subway tile in the addition added around 1986.  She showed us a very tall cabinet of sorts that dates back to the earloy 1600s, and showed off their player piano.  The kids hadn't seen anything like it before and Emily went so far as to check it for strings which may have been pulled by the unseen player of the piano.  Perhaps it was the late Mrs. Hopkins, was Katie's suggestion.  Anyways, after 24 years it was special to come back and enjoy the cheesecake again, and to share that with my family too.
We've decided to spend an additional night here which means Friday we'll be driving 6+ hours instead of coming just from Medicine Hat.  The plan is to wake earlier than usual, get dressed and out the door... to drive awhile then stop for breakfast and head for home. 
We have tickets for tomorrow night's presentation of the Pirates of Penzance, being done here in Moose Jaw, and we're really looking forward to it.  Aside from that we've not got other plans.  The weather has been cool today (17) with cloud and a breeze.  The wind overnight brought down branches off a tree a few rows from us but I don't think there was any damage.  Here's hoping it's warmer tomorrow: perhaps we'll take in the Trolley tour
Off to the pool...

Wpg Beach to Saskatchewan

We are here in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan - we pulled in about 30 minutes ago.
Last night we were in a community campground in Redvers Saskatchewan and the cost was the best deal yet at $20 for power and water.  The community has about 1000 people yet behind our campsite there were 3 baseball diamonds and next door, a full recreation complex for curling, skating and an outdoor pool.  The family rate for swimming was only $10.25.  Money well spent.  The kids, well you've heard it before, they're amazing Scott & I every time we head to the pool.  They're both swimming to a depth of about 4 1/2' to retrieve items from the floor (with their eyes open - another new thing). 
Emily wasn't feeling well last night so we let her sleep in but Katie and I headed out to one of the ball diamonds where she and I took turns whacking the ball as far as we could.  She's a natural.
The 2 nights prior were spent in Sandy Hook Manitoba, just north of Winnipeg Beach.  The campground was, well, let's just say we won't be returning.  The site itself was large enough but the smell of septic at all hours of the day, no washrooms, no showers, no laundry and the fact that the pool only goes to 1.19metres...  Oh and the kids would also complain that the office was only that - no store items, no candy etc.  Course, the kids made friends within about 30 minutes of our arrival and thankfully those kids were there for the days we were as well. 
We did enjoy the beach at Winnipeg Beach though.  We had picked up some food and ate in the truck before entering a large park that bordered the water.  There was a very talented live band  playing to a crown of a few hundred - initially they came out as Elvis and his band then after a break they came back as the Beatles.  It was very enjoyable.
Through the course of this trip Scott & I have once again dreamed what it would be like to build and own our own campground.  It's something that would mean a move to another Province, likely BC.  I don't think that I could do that to the girls despite how much they say they'd love to be part of that.  We think we've got lots of experience and know what people like and certainly the things that we look for.  The little extra's like offering pie and ice cream.  And certainly not forgetting things like info about current goings on in the area (we fluked upon the live band by the beach - that was less than 10 minutes from the campground).  There are so many things but unless I take up home schooling and/or the girls do distance learning and/or we transfer them, it's going to remain a dream, at least for now. 
As for next year we're again considering renting an RV spot for the summer.  Now the question is where.
Tomorrow we plan on checking out the Tunnels of Moose Jaw, we're really looking forward to it.  They have a website if you want to check them out on line.  We're also considering another live band in a park - they're called "Desperate for Haggis", and may take a walk along the rive in the Wakamow Valley.  When I lived in Caronport (while in High School & Bible School) I used to come into Moose Jaw with my friends for cheesecake at Hopkins restaurant.  We're aiming on eating there tomorrow night.  We'd planned on spending just 2 nights here but there's talk of adding one (instead of spending our last night in Medicine Hat) as we heard about a play here on Thursday (Pirates of Penzance). If it's family friendly, like the version I was in while in junior high, then we'll consider staying the extra day to see it.
Tonights supper: beef shishkabobs with potatoes, peppers, mushrooms, onion and zucchini.  Yummmmm.  Perhaps Katie and I will have to offer up the next dessert surprise tonight too. 

Dryden Ontario - last stop in Ontario

As promised we got to dip our toes into the icy waters of Lake Superior yesterday on our way to our Provincial park campground at Kakabeka Falls Ontario yesterday.  Aside from the temperature (inside and out of the water) we weren't let down.  It felt like we were on a coastal beach. 
The campground last night was beautiful - clean, spacious, large, well treed sites, plus laundry facilities very close to our site.  And as the name suggests, a spectacular water fall.  Last night Katie and I surprised Scott & Emily with fresh baked apple turnovers and a fruit salad.  Mmmmmmmm.
We are currently in Dryden Ontario where we'll spend our last night in Ontario during this trip.  We're in a smallish campground which is very well kept - nice flower beds and water features and the lawn is immaculate.  Katie and I grabbed the badminton raquets and headed for the net which was up and ready for use.  A good time was had.  The girls both learned how to play a couple card games tonight as well - I think I taught Katie too well though; she beat me in war twice!
Tonight it was Scott & Emily's turn to create a dessert for us all and they baked chocolate chip cookies and even provided milk in cups for dipping cookies into.  Yum.  We better not let this sort of thing turn into a habit. 
Tomorrow we head out to Winnipeg Beach, Manitoba for a two night stay.  The forecast there is 27 and sun tomorrow but 24 and showers on Sunday so we're hoping to arrive early enough to enjoy some of that heat and the water before Sundays rain.
Usually when I decide to head west I can hardly wait - it means a trip to BC.  Knowing now that we're heading west doesn't carry quite the same amount of excitement cuz it means we're going back to regular life which includes the structure of work.  We'll be home in one week.

Penn Lake Park - beautiful!

We had a good day of driving and arrived at the campground after picking up some groceries, late afternoon.  The campground is small - 16 RV sites plus 8 tent spots and is on Penn Lake park - it's quiet & no where near full. 
We're not far from the north end of Lake Superior - WOW is it ever beatiful!  I remember crossing the international bridge from Michigan into Southern Ontario and how amazed I was at the color of Lake Huron.  The same can be said for Lake Superior - the blues are so unexpected.  Scott has promised that tomorrow we'll be able to 'dip our toes' but it's always tough as we don't know what sort of adequate road side pull outs we'll find but here's hoping. 
Tomorrow we move on to Kakabeka Falls, just past Thunder Bay.  These falls are Canada's 2nd largest according to a webpage but I don't know if that means in width, height or volume but I'm sure we'll enjoy them no matter what.  One more one night stay follows, this time in Dryden Ontario, and that will wrap up the Ontario portion of our trip after having spent 19 nights here.
Depending on wifi this may be our last comminuque until we're at Winnipeg Beach in Manitoba on Saturday and Sunday night.
Counting our blessings...

Ratter Lake & Sault Ste. Marie onward

On Monday morning we left the Hunstville area relieved that we were heading north and not south.  Traffic southbound was all but stopped as the long weekend came to a close and folks headed home perhaps in preparation of returning to work the following day.
We spent the night in a campground at Ratter Lake, at Hagar Ontario.  The lake looked so pretty with the smooth rocky edges sloping into it as we checked it out from the sandy beach.  It reminded me of Ellison Provincial Park on Okanagan Lake, in the Vernon BC area.  It was at this campground that we had our first campfire of the whole trip!  Out came the chocolate swirl marshmallows and the rest of the 'makings of a s'more'.  The stars were super bright and we had a good night out by the fire.
We're currently in a KOA just outside of the Soo.  We pulled in mid afternoon yesterday, prepared the trailer for the night (plugging stuff in and opening the slide etc), and then headed back into town (3-5 minute drive) as we wanted to check out the Locks.  Sadly no boats came through while we were there but it was good to see them up close anyways.
Today we're on to Marathon Ontario - Penn Lake Park.  Our hope had been to wake around 9am and to leave by about 10 but we had a noisy group camping across the path in front of us that were loud with their music and conversation until past midnight.  I complained about them to the camp host and was very happy with his prompt follow up. All that to say that I'm the only one up and while 10 is still achievable, sleep is more important right now.
I hope you're taking time to rest.  Thanks for your continued prayers.

Day 4: campsite & a fire lookout climb

The dog seems to have some allergy problems again as she wakes during the night to chew and/or lick herself and/or to shake her head (ears).  All of this disturbs the sleep of Scott & I so again today we slept in until 9:30.  We had breakfast then gathered up our 4 loads of laundry for the non-enjoyable portion of life on the road.  Actually at the last campground (Milton, Ontario) washes and dry's were $1.50 each and the whole process was complete in an hour (4 washers/dryers available).  Here, not so good with a wash cost of $2.75 and the dryer runs for 5 minutes on a quarter.  The process here was about 2.5 hours... ick. 

The blessing in this is that not only do we have clean clothes and towels etc, we also made it back to the trailer with our clean and folded stuff about 15 minutes before the skies opened and the downpour began. 
After lunch we chilled for oh, about 4 minutes before Scott was convinced to take the girls to the pool.  I followed a bit later (trying to talk some reason into a migraine held me back).  The swim was nice and again, the kids amaze us as they gain more confidence in the water.

The kids have set into some crafts for about an hour or so before I convinced the masses to get out the badminton rackets and football.  This led into a hike of sorts and once again I'm fairly confident we had a moose not far from us - I heard what sounded like a cow and did indeed see a hoof print along the trail.  We're sitting down to supper now (steak, mashed spuds and edamame beans followed by apple turnovers ala Katie and her mom) then hope to climb the Dorset fire tower yet tonight.  I'd hoped to enjoy the sunset from up there but the tower closes at 8pm.  Oh well, it offers a 360 degree view and edges Lake of the Bays, the lake we played on all day yesterday. 

Tomorrow we move on to Sturgeon Falls, Ontario, a 2.5 hour drive.
Best run if we're going to make it in time. 
Hope it's sunny where you are!

Day 2 hike / day 3 boat

Yesterday we headed east to check Oxtongue Rapids.  At the base of the trail there was a sign which identified the 'hike' as difficult with a steep incline/decline.  Since we had the dog with us we opted to skip the hike as she doesn't hike well while on a leash and she's in confined areas.  Next we went to Ragged Rock Falls which were quite something.  The girls and I hiked down along the side of the falls to get a better look - unlike when we were at Wells Gray Provincial Park with Auntie Mel, we weren't able to walk behind these falls. 
Next we were on to Algonquin Provincial Park to take in more splendor.  We stopped at Canoe Lake where we ate lunch lakeside.  It wasn't long before we understood the meaning of the lakes' name - in the 45-60 minutes we were there we watched about 30 canoes get dropped into the lake and groups begin their paddle.  Some spoke of multi-day trips so the girls and I schemed that in maybe 4 years we'd come back so we could do a 2-3 day canoe trip, camping along the shore.
When we paid for our lunch the gal took the money but excused herself with one of our $10 bills for a moment.  Upon her return she explained that it was a counterfeit bill.  Interesting thing though is that we got the bill as change when we paid for our park pass.  Another memory from the trip. 
Next we were off to Peck Lake for what was thought to be a 1.5 hour moderate hike but it was closer to 45 minutes, including all the time the girls spent screaming at the sight of snakes.  We saw 2 of them but we don't know what type they were.  We also saw frogs and salamanders and I'm pretty confident the animal sounds we heard along the lake just ahead of us where those of a moose.  According to the Park literature chances of seeing a moose were pretty good and that there are so many black bears that on average they'll be 1 in every 3 km squared.  Apparently they're more evasive though - no evidence of those along our walk yesterday.  (I went for a walk on Wednesday night here in the campground and found a pile of berry filled skat which apparently was left by a black bear the night before.  His hiking route doesn't happen to pass by our campsite which is very good news.)
Today we rented a 15' boat with a 90 horsepower motor, good enough to pull the tube.  Get this - for those of you who knows what people in Shuswap or Kalamalka Lake charge for a boat rental, we had the boat for the whole day (until 6:30) and paid a mere $200.  We had barely pulled away from the shore and, you're not going to believe this, we got stopped by Ontario's finest, the OPP (Ontario Provincial Police) with blue lights a-flashing on their decked out boat.  There were a couple nice guys just making sure that we had the right safety equipment and that Scott had his boat licence.  All was good and we headed off into the 32 degrees heat.  We had an excellent day with many opportunities seized for jumping into the water.  We went to Dorset, a very small but thriving town at least along the water, where we pulled the boat up to the dock and had lunch on a patio.  We thought we were pretty cool until a float plane landed, pulled in to the dock, and got ice cream.  Trumped us I guess but we've got no regrets.
We are amazed at how great the kids are doing when the swim now.  Emily is completely free without the use of anything to hold her up and Katie is almost there.  Sometimes especially in deeper water (100' plus in spots,) it's just more comforting to have something to help you stay above the water.  Even I took a life jacket in with me and sat on it - we were calling them a close relative of the adironack or muskoka chair but actually the "Lake of the Bays" chair, since that's the lake we were in.
Tomorrow the forecast calls for showers so we're contemplating checking out Bracebridge, a town about 50 minutes away.  Not sure yet though.  We should find time to do laundry tomorrow too as on Monday we're into a series of 1 night camp stays x 5 nights.
Hope you're enjoying the summertime wherever you are!
Enjoy today - it's the only one you get until tomorrow is here.
Oh - here's a quote that Emily found: "I don't need a Prince, I just need a guy who thinks I'm his Princess."  I thought that was sweet.

Day 1 Muskoka country

We all slept in - it was 9:30 when we got up; I hate that when there's things to see but obviously we all needed it.  I think our transition back to Alberta time is going to be a challenge.

We headed into Huntsville late this morning to check things out, we did Main Street, the docks & ate on a patio alongside the river.  We also went to the Pioneer Village pretty much only because we have a tie to it.  Scott' paternal grandpa's grandparents have a pioneer home there in which they raised 14 kids.  This place was much smaller than Heritage Park and there weren't anywhere near the amount of visitors but that made it better in some ways.  We arrived in time for school held in the 1870s school house and the kids also made candles, did laundry and carded yarn.  We took a ride on a steam engine which went into service in 1901 (Scott used to take it to school in those days and remembers it well!  :))   It was an enjoyable day. 

No plans for tomorrow yet but we've talked of a beach, a waterfall (Ragged Falls) and a set of rapids (Oxtongue Rapids).  Roxy has had lots of exercise thanks to (at least) twice daily walks but it would be nice to have her along with us too - maybe if we head for Algonquin Provincial Park. 

Muskoka!

I gotta say everytime I think of the word Muskoka it reminds me of muskeg and I wonder why we're going.  Course, I'd seen pictures and today as we drove in I saw the real thing.  I know already why people cottage here.  While a place like Shuswap Lake may have homes on it there seem to be more shoreline here and therefore more waterfront homes.  We'll begin our touring tomorrow.

Firstly, a shout out to Milton Heights Campground.  The sites are nice with huge trees and we had full hook ups.  It's quiet at night and even until about 9am most mornings.  The owner rides her golf cart around ensuring kids are back in their own campsites by 9:30 - it's dark shortly after 9 so we were more than good with that.  Oh, I should qualify the "quiet" comment - we weren't far from the 401 so we heard that traffic but honestly I blocked it out the first day.  I went for many walks in and from the campground and the countryside is just gorgeous.  The campground laundry was excellent ($1.50 wash or dry), the pool was always warm (28-29 degrees) and the deep end is 9'.  Speaking of the swimming, the kids abilities and confidence levels continue to improve.  Katie is learning to dive now and Emily finds the deep end & swimming lengths to be no challenge.

Scott popped into Milton yesterday to order new tires for the trailer.  Turns out the tires that came with our trailer have a life of between 5-7 years and we're at 5 now.  With one tire blowing while we traveled through Saskatchewan a few weeks ago that was warning enough for us.  Also, the tire immediately beside the one that blew can't seem to hold it's pressure.  We pulled out of the campground this morning (sadly - I really wish we had more time there) and to the tire store where they put on the new tires. 

We were hungry when we left the tire place it was lunchtime but the decision was made to leave Milton and look for a lunch location roadside.  I thought I saw a good spot but as we turned off the highway it became evident that access to the location wasn't going to work so we continued driving away from the road we came in on knowing the GPS would recalculate our route.  That's when it happened.  A bell went off in the truck and alerted Scott to the fact that our engine was low on power.  We were still able to drive but on flat roads at no more than 50kmh (floored) while the uphills maxed out around 20kmh.  We weren't sure we'd make it up some but God is good and answered my prayer in the way I asked. 

Scott could tell on the GPS that we were coming into a town and that they had a Chev dealership.  Turns out the "town" was Barrie, a City of 200,000 and resources were available.  We were in and out of the dealership lickety split and were only charged for the air filter, not the labor. 

So, now we're in a very pretty campground in Dwight Ontario.  We don't have a lake but an indoor pool.  We're about to have supper (it's 8:30!  Yipes) so I'll sign off.   Wifi is great here and maybe we'll get a chance to figure out how to add photos to this new system blog.  Here's hoping!

Southern Ontario

Again, our apologies in not posting more often.  The campground we've been at x 6 nights charges for wifi and since our Iphones are self capable we've not bothered to request their service.
We left Illinois and drove through Chicago on our way to Durand, Michigan.  An impressive skyline for sure but I sure wouldn't want to have to drive those roads on a daily basis.  I'd have time to knit a sweater in the time it would take me to drive from one side to the other - and I don't knit so that's not saying a lot!  We spent one night in Durand, Michigan, backed onto a swimming/fishing lake.  The girls fed fish out of their hands.  Another highlight was the peanut butter and chocolate Bugels.  Yup, those Americans are sure capable of creating yummy snacks.
We arrived in Milton, Ontario last Monday and have been busy since.  (Oh, Lake Huron is BEAUTIFUL from the bridge over it which takes you to customs on either side of the border.  If I didn't know otherwise I'd think I'd crossed the Ocean to someplace tropical.) 
We spent a day at Niagara Falls (both the falls and the town), as well as a drivethru Niagara-on-the-Lake.  It's amazing how many wineries are in this area - I think I spotted 13 of them on the map. 
Another afternoon/evening we had supper with Scott's Uncle Blair and Auntie Anna and their kids, Daniel and Samantha, in Mississauga.  We had a good visit and it was neat to introduce the girls to their 2nd cousins. Emily and Sam are only 3 weeks apart in age but when they last played together Emily was only 17 months old.  Katie was 'on the inside' when we were last together.
Another day we dropped Roxy off with Aunt Mary (Toronto) where she puppy-sat for the day allowing us the opportunity to be away from the trailer longer.  We went to Casa Loma (a massive castle in Toronto - ahem... 39 bathrooms?!?  If you're not familiar with it please google it), and the CN Tower.  Okay, many people are impressed with the view from the Tower but I gotta say that while the view was available, I had no idea what I was viewing other than "City" or "Lake Ontario".  There weren't any signs letting me know what so many spectacular buildings were.  Oh well, no need to return.  We returned to Marys for a visit, supper and fresh baked cookies (and a care package!).
We had a very special visit with Grammee on Friday.  She is such a beautiful lady and one we all love catching up with. 
Yesterday we went to Waterloo to Scott's Uncle Ron and Auntie Dianne's.  We chilled there for about an hour before heading to St. Jacobs for their market.  YUM!  If I lived close to this place I'd be there every week for sure (they're market runs Saturday, Tuesday and Thursday and is HUGE).  Feel free to google that place too.  Oh, it's a mennonite community - as in horse drawn carriages complete with lanterns, as in homes without electricity (no computers, telephones or tvs), as in living off of the land and making what you need (from furniture to clothes to food etc).  From the market Dianne and I 'hit the town' of St Jacobs and visited some unique shops while Scott, Ron and the girls headed back to Waterloo.  We returned to Ron and Dianne's home for a BBQ complete with fresh veggies bought that day at the market.  It was all so yummy!  Shortly before we needed to leave, Dana and her boyfriend, and Kyle and his girlfriend, stopped by.  I'm so glad we had the chance to see/meet them all. 
Today we were back in Mississauga for some shopping.  We found a few good deals but honestly, with the extra tax (13% harmonized) you have to weigh the purchase carefully.
Scott and the girls have been in the market for the new Nexus tablet.  They too are hard to find but no doubt the search will continue.  Perhaps by the time we return home they'll be some in stock there and we can avoid all the other Provincial taxes.
I'll apologize again for not writing more often but now I'm more frustrated that I can't figure out how to add photos.  I think I've taken close to 700 so far and that doesn't include those with our Iphones. 
We leave here on Wednesday as we head for Dwight Ontario, near Huntsville and therefore in the Muskoka area of Ontario.  Those 5 days are all about relaxing while we'll throw in a bit sight seeing. 
Thanks for your continued prayers.  We trust you're all doing well.

Illinois

I'm so sorry that I've not been able to post sooner.  We've not had wifi since Minnesota (been in Wisconsin Dells x 2 nights until yesterday and now are in Illinois). 

So I told you we were going to check out Mall of America and we did.  We didn't see it all and didn't even do the amusement park area but I think West Edmonton Mall may have been better.  Course, WEM doesn't have Macy's.  Scott and I witnessed their Loss Prevention Officers 'take down' (okay, gently re-direct,) someone who'd already made it out of the store.  Well done!  Our campground there was nice, we enjoyed the pool and I had a great run one morning with Katie biking alongside me.

Wisconsin Dells - heat continues but we're loving it and limiting our exposure.  We did however spend an hour in the blazing sun on the North Wisconsin River (looks like a lake) as we'd rented a couple sea doos.  That was GREAT fun. 

The drive yesterday to Illinois was good - only 3 hours or so.  Most of our driving days have been like that but there are some longer ones coming.  I find myself killing time checking out my surroundings and specifically the crops.  I hadn't seen soy bean plants before so that was a new one for me.  Corn seems to be their main crop.

Today we enjoyed Six Flags.  It's an amusement park / water park with a side of Looney Toons, as in Bugs Bunny, Tweety Bird, Yosemite Sam and a few of another variety: Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, Scooby Doo etc., oh, and 14 roller coasters!  We've not firmed down plans for tomorrow yet but maybe we'll head to Chicago.  Because we've not had wifi we've not been able to search out cool places to go/see/do.  Perhaps we'll have a chance to do that in the morning.  It's about 10pm here and the mosquito's are feeding on my tanned flesh so it's time to sign off.  Hope you are all well!

Minnesota

It's so nice to get up this morning and not to have to close up the trailer for yet another day of driving.  We get to spend another night here in Minnesota and today we're checking out the Mall of America.  I didn't know this thing existed but many people I've spoken to have been here and think it's amazing.  It's the largest mall/amusement park in the USA - wonder how it compares to West Edmonton Mall.  Course, this one is 4 floors high but doesn't have a skating rink or mini golf - go Canada!  :)

I was up at 8 this morning and checked the temp before heading out for a run.  27 degrees - at 8AM!  Yowza, heading for 37 today. 

Katie found a tick in her hair yesterday; still very much on the move but clinging to a strand of hair.  I have to admit though it's been so long since I've seen one (ummm, maybe never?) that I thought it was a spider.  I remember thinking they were hard bodied dark grey or brown things that you can't squish.  This guy was brown with some markings up his middle.  I googled it and sure enough - a deer tick is what the officials call it - we just call it ICK. 

In the previous blog I mentioned we'd had a tire blow out.  I'd love to get a picture here for you to see just how bad it was but my iphone is having technical difficulties in sending the picture to my email so I can post it.  I'll try again later.

Enjoy the day!

Travels

What a ride so far!  We left home 2 days ago spending the first night in Medicine Hat.  We stayed at Gas City Campground which was fairly nice and didn't have a SINGLE mosquito - they were all married with families!  Yesterday morning I got up in search of a place to power walk or jog and I wasn't let down.  Scott's guess was that I did about 6-7km... it the HOT out and there was no reprieve from the sun but man it felt good to get out and move like that. 

We headed for Caronport Sask yesterday and about 30km before arriving, a passerby on the highway gestured madly at our trailer.  Scott got us stopped and headed out for a look noticing that we'd had a tire blow-out.  We had no idea when that might of happened but we definitely have some damage.  Not only did we need a new tire but we needed someone to repair the wire that got snapped by the flapping rubber.  We have many reasons to express our gratitude to God for even this incident; it could have been so much worse.

We spent the night at Latrace's farm last night and it was GREAT to connect with them again.  They live 2 miles outside of Caronport- she was my Counselor when I attended Caronport High School in grade 12 (one or two years ago) and we hit it off.  I haven't seen her or her husband in about 25 years, though we've stayed in touch and it was so nice to reconnect with them.  Emily said she wants to spend the whole summer there next year - something about great company, kittens and the Latrace grandsons who live in another house on the same yard. 

We're in Brandon Manitoba for the night and tomorrow we head south for Larimore North Dakota.  Good thing Scott remembered our passports!

Birthday plans

Emily's birthday will soon be upon us and her hope is that we have a Mantracker party. We decided that it would be quite cool to take her and her friends to K-Country to pull this off... and why not throw in a night of camping while we're at it?  Here's my game idea.

Since my thought of Mantracker is that it's a treasure hunt (trying to get to the X) while playing Hide N' Seek (not getting "tracked"), I came up with this. 

It's like a treasure hunt where they'll be given a clue which will lead them to the next and so on.  The hitch is that at each spot they will also pick up a puzzle piece.  When there are no more clues they need to put their puzzle together and flip it over where they'll find an "X marks the spot" sort of map.  When they figure out where the X is they'll find the prize.

Em would like the girls divided into teams and that may be the best plan... we've got some tweaking to do first.  Any suggestions?

Canmore

Canmore here we come! Thank you airmiles for giving us free accomodations at the Best Western Pocaterra Inn! My bag is the carry-on one on the left while Scott's is the full sized suitcase on the right. Need I say more? :)

I couldn't help but think of Scripture when I looked at the mountains. I thought of Matthew 17 when a man brings his demon filled son to Jesus. He was upset that he'd not been able to free his son from the demons and neither had the disciples. In frustration Jesus tells the father that because his faith is small, he'd not been able to do it. He said, "if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there' and it will move." That's a mighty tall order hey? And how do you measure an amount of faith to know it's even the size of a mustard seed? I read that while it's not the smallest seed known now, it was in Palestinian times and in the right conditions could cause a plant to grown 10' tall.

This bundle of mountains is named Three Sisters and since I have 3 sisters too I think it's especially cool.

Upon arrival into Canmore we headed for a favorite hiking spot named Goat Creek. It's located just south of the Nordic Centre and will lead you all the way to Banff. At this time of year you share the trail with snowshoers and X Country skiiers alike - we opted for the road less traveled so Roxy could run amok.

I was surprised to see/hear so much running water given the amount of snow that was on the ground. Course, we didn't realize how much snow there was until we stepped into an area that hadn't been patted down. It was up to my knees in spots. I love the ice formations over the creek.

Hey Mel, I took this picture with you in mind - you need a new puzzle?!

You fellas ready for the ride of your lives? I suspect with the look on their faces they're asking the same of me. I made our reservations with Snowy Owl Dog Tours in Canmore - we met at their office, got checked in, hopped onto their coach and we headed up to Spray Lakes campground area. I think at this point we're all looking forward to this but when I saw all of the dogs I became overjoyed. The dogs greeted us enthusiastically as if they'd been waiting for us all day. Way cool!

I believe the owner said there were 16 teams which we'd be using, each with between 6 and 7 dogs. We had the option to mush our own team either with a guide or on our own. We were sized up and given the option to have a team to ourselves - no guide... as in one family potentially whisked away with no chance of return. Was I up to this? Katie said, mom, if this is how God wants to take us, I'm okay with that. Smart kid! (Gets that from her mom's side.)

Our instruction lasted about 15-20 minutes and then we were directed to, and met, our team. There was Hendrix, Harrah, Moon Raiser, Harley, Indian and one other (I'm sorry I can't remember!!). I had heard that they only use husky dogs but I didn't realize that there are 6 varieties. I expected the great big dogs with blue eyes but these didn't fit into that definition. They didn't look like the ones in the dogsledding movies but it didn't matter - when the command HIKE was given, they were off. Did I mention WAY COOL?!?

Us girls got onto the sled and were zipped up nice and toasty. Scott was going to be the musher. (I welcome all goofy terms that this can become for my husband.)

Indian and Harley (named after motorcycles) are ready to go!

Click on this picture - check out the dog over the right side of our sled and the howling dog toward the back. The dogs bark and bug each other, similar to children. What we were unsure of it when the dogs are running and carrying on like this. Ahhh, puppies, you're attached to each other, get along!

This pictures was taken at the 1/2 way point, 4km into our adventure. We had a chance to take a couple pictures and were encouraged to pet the dogs (like anyone had to tell us). This is also the spot where Emily stayed out and joined Scott as co-musher! Sadly it wasn't a longer trek or we'd all have had a chance. Maybe next time...

I'm hoping you'll be able to view a video which I took while Emily & Scott were mushing. The link is at the bottom of this post.

Isn't he beautiful!?

Destination Mount Norquay - skiing / tubing

The snow at Norquay was most excellent; by far the best I've skied on in a long time. It was not as packed as I've been used to and this added to the challenge for the girls. They did stellar though, working on their skills and gaining more confidence. Can't wait to go again!!

Tubing at Mount Norquay is always a good time. The sun was shining and we were together. The only negative was that other people decided that this would be a good day to go as well... and the line up to get the tow up was lengthy. The option is there to walk up and we did, but it's a tough steep trek.

It's too bad the chair lift was in the way but this picture shows the steepness of the run. That's Katie and her dad.

And the two of them again (same run) - this one lets you see the speed (check out Katies hair - the wind must have blown Scott's hair clear off his head!). You can also see a little of the ice that made the runs so quick. People were coming down too quickly so staff laid burlap at the end of the runs to stop so many people from going through the snow fence!

Yes, this is at Norquay. And yes, it's facing the sun... but still!!! It was a beautiful day.

The deal that I'd signed us up for came with a hot drink and while the weather didn't really call for something hot we enjoyed it anways.

Back at the hotel the girls begged to go swimming regularly and enjoyed each opportunity they got.

TADA!

Chill-axing... I hear the water was very cold course the girls didn't seem to notice. Scott was glad for the hot tub. I hadn't been feeling well so I stayed out of the water and bundled up on the 'sidelines', catching pictures for a blog such as this.

All fixed and looking good.

I just realized I'd not posted an update after our water damage so I'll get that done once I've taken some pictures. Stay tuned.

Our water damage

It's been a week since we realized we had some 'water damage' and today the pipe was fixed and the construction began. For the past week I've washed dishes in a bucket - sometimes it was sitting in my bathtub and I was bent in half getting the dishes clean. After 90 minutes of that last Friday I found the paper plates, plastic cups and cutlery and washed dishes more often. Scott thought he'd be able to fix the pipe himself but everytime he grabbed the pipe it would break.
The plumber came today and said he'd never seen anything like it, the pipe essentially disintegrated in his hands. No worries though, it's fixed all the way from the sink/dishwasher into the kitchen floor/basement ceiling and into the basement floor. Here's hoping that's the only pipe in our house that's like that!

drip drip drip

On Tuesday evening Scott was relaxing while engaging in Flight Simulator and he heard dripping. He came upstairs and asked what was dripping - nothing noted. He went back downstairs and asked for me to come listen. I couldn't hear anything. The wall behind where he was listening was shared by a washroom and we'd had water on the concrete under the cabinet before but we had thought it was due to the grading outside. I'd personally taken buckets of dirt to change the grading this past summer so we thought the issue was fixed. Not so. I listened again and heard a steady drip drip drip drip drip. Oh oh.
A little more investigation was needed so Scott cut a hole in the wall. Click on the photo to enlarge it.
Scott called the insurance company who said they'd send someone out the next day. I gotta say, when I brought Katie home as she was unwell on Wednesday morning and saw the text on the van in front of my house... I started to wonder if things went sideways.


Katie commented that of course it's a disaster, they didn't spell clean up correctly. The crew had begun covering everything in the rec-room (now looks more like a wreck-room!) with poly and then had a look in the boxed part of the ceiling (the painted part, not the stippled area).
Meanwhile, back at the office I asked our GM what he knew about this sort of thing. He said the crew would have a look, then the adjustor would come out, he/she would arrange for sampling to be done, our furnace and ducts would be cleaned and while the testing/repairs were happening we'd likely need to go stay in a hotel. (How about in the Bahamas?!)
What actually happened was the disaster guys found mould... the insurance gal said that they don't cover mould stuff as that's not an 'on-the-spot' concern - she said "it's maintenance". Okay, let me get this straight, we're supposed to randomly punch holes in our finished walls checking to be sure the pipes are holding?!?


Scott opened up the stippled part of the ceiling to begin the pipe repair/replacement. He held a broken end in his hand and when he took hold of a section a little further away it snapped. Faulty pipe perhaps? The adjustor will be here later this morning.

If you enlarge this photo you can see the mould on the 2 studs closest to the wall.

Scotts already been thinking about his letter of complaint if the insurance company doesn't accept the claim. It will go something like this: I'm a Paramedic in the City of Calgary and for the Province of Alberta. If we respond to your home because you are suffering from a heart attack kindly note that if it's this type, this type or this type we'll help you but if it's this type you'll have to look after it yourself. You shouldn't have been eating the greasy food and leading a sedentary life - IT'S MAINTENANCE and we don't cover that sort of thing.

UPDATE ADDED: The adjustor came, looked and agreed that they would be responsible to cover the repairs. Praise the Lord! The only downside is that they won't be able to begin rebuilding (new studs, drywall, paint & stipple) for 4 weeks. In the meantime Scott is just about finished repairing the pipe and then we'll be able to wash dishes again!

I Dream of Camping

Last weekend we headed out to Sandy McNab to scope out the 'new and improved' camp sites, not that it's time just yet, but it won't be long. This campground has added power to it's sites and has enlarged them as well. It makes it easier for parking as well as opening slides and awnings, not to mention giving more space for spreading out a little.

Happy dog... (all photos can be clicked on to enlarge them)

There's something animated about this tree and I couldn't pass by without capturing it.

Man and dog

Sliding down a hill sans a sled.

Lean on me...

Monkeying around

Me and my sister... ahem... my sister and I.

Skiing

The girls have taken ski lessons at Canada Olympic Park twice since Christmas and this was the first time we'd been out as a family since then. (I'm hoping the pictures on my phone will upload so we can get photos of Scott in here too!) There was some 'fussing' over falls but when we turned skiing into a game - tag - the distraction was great enough to cause great fun for all.

The girls did brilliantly, well we all did, just in different categories. Scott did brilliantly in tumbles!

A good day was had by all. Look, no mittens! Oh, and note the helmets on the girls. Emily and I went to this same hill this past Friday with her grade and it was the first time I'd been offered a helmet EVER. I'm glad for this though - I did accept - and thankfully didn't have any need for it. Better this way than not having had one and having needed it.

Bubbles Capuccino Crawford

In the second week of January the girls spent some Christmas money and added four feet to our home. Four very small feet. Introducing Bubbles Capuccino Crawford!

EDIT - Bubbles has had a name change... well, more of an addition really. She now shall be known as Bubbles Capuccino Panzerotti Crawford! :)

Jan 5 Skiing at C.O.P

Another great day! Because Katie is in grade 4 she qualifies for a Snowpass; an initiative which gives grade 4 & 5 kids a free ski pass ($22 administrative cost) valid until they're done grade 5. Canada Olympic Park adds a little something to that by offering a free ski lesson and rentals for the first 2 times the child comes to the park.
Mel and I took the girls to COP so they could have a lesson (more of a refresher for them; it's been a couple years since they've been on skiis). Both did well and we'll likely go back tomorrow after school for their 2nd lesson. I need to wear them out so they get back into a school routine where you go to bed before (at least) 11!

Gone are the days of tow ropes and t-bar lifts! This a crazy carpet which transports the skier up in a standing position. Nice!

Jan 2 Sandy McNab sledding

On January 2 we had a family reunion of sorts in K-Country. I'm not sure how comfortable everyone is in seeing their names on the internet (my blog) so I'll not go into details but 3 generations were represented. On the drive there I was looking for snow and it wasn't until we parked at Sandy McNab group camping area that I was shown the snow packed road (now closed) which had about a 60 degree turn at the 1/2 way point. Some made that turn successfully, others stopped and re-aligned themselves before continuing. A good time was had by all. We enjoyed a temp of about 8-10 degrees (yes, ABOVE zero), and the sun beating down on us. Glorious.