Port after stormy sea

Barb and Norm left for the north early Friday morning. I had a leisurely breakfast, waitimg for rush hour to pass, locked up and left in high spirits around 10:15. I plugged the device Dana had given me into the place where a cigarette lighter used to go, attached my iPhone to it and prepared to be navigated along the route Barb and I had chosen on Google Maps the night before. All went well for a while. My mind slipped into its default mode, neutral. There wasn't much traffic, and I was taking in the scenery. Finally, I wondered why the female voice hadn't told me where to go lately. I glanced down at my iPhone and saw that the triangle representing my car was in the

middlle of a pale blue screen with no roads on it. Something was wrong. I began reading signs, HAMILTON!!!  Even I knew that I was heading in the wrong direction, but there was no hope of turning for quite a while. After travelling in circles, taking a toll road that took me even farther out of my way, asking twice for directions and narrowly avoiding being rear ended by a woman who was tailgating as I was driving irritatingly slowly while I looked for the correct exit, I finally got on the 401 East heading for Kingston. As all this was going on I slowly figured out why my iPhone had stopped working and got me in this pickle to begin with. Actually it's a miracle it carried on as long as it did because I have no phone plan. It had pulled wifi out of the air for quite a while before it faded out. 

I had about a minute to rejoice that I was finally on the 401 before I saw the mass of traffic ahead, CONSTRUCTION! I didn't break out of the jam until almost 1:00pm. I stopped around 2:00 for gas and something to eat, set the GPS for Pollock's and took the route it suggested, nothing scenic. When I arrived at Caroline and Alberts', rather frazzled, it was after 5:00pm. I had reached my destination, a motionless oasis of friends,good food and a comfortable bed.  What a relief after the hardest day of driving of the trip so far. 

Sunday was Caroline's birthday. We had Dim Sum with Gabe, Suzanna and their lovely baby Rhys and spent the rest of the day doing exactly what Caroline wanted to do, nothing. Since then we have gone for walks, shopped, biked with Micheline, watched the eclipse of the super moon and some Blue Jays games and relaxed in general. I have reached my destination. 

Albert and Caroline at the Yangtze Restaurant for dim sum on her birthday. 

Gabe, Joanna and Rhys at the Yangtze 

Me with Rhys after dim sum. 

Jay's new sleeve

You have reached your destination

Today I drive to the Ottawa/Wakefield area and Dick, the voice I chose for my Tom Tom, will announce, "You have reached your destination."  That is if I use Tom; I'm going to try my iPhone first. Barb and I found a route on Google Maps yesterday that she said was a good one, so I will start with it. 

I have just waved good bye to Barb and Norm. They're going to a charity quad weekend event about 21/2 hours north of Toronto. Norm spent yesterday afternoon and this morning readying all the gear. Barb made sure this morning just before they left that he had packed a half decent shirt for the banquet and that she had her Kindle and cell phone; she doesn't like too much roughing it in the bush. My only job is to lock up and leave the secret key under the canoe as I go. I'm going to wait until 10:00 to avoid morning traffic. 

Dad reminded me not long ago that when he used to warn me against doing something he thought was risky, but which knowing me never even approached extreme, I would say,"Sometimes you're lucky."  And I have been on this trip. Again in Toronto the fall weather has been perfect, sunny and warm. Barb, Norm, Jen their dog and I have gone on some wonderful long walks, around marshland, on the shore of Lake Ontario and along the Credit River. I saw the Toronto skyline from across the lake and from the top of the AGO. Barb and I took the Go Train downtown on Wednesday. We walked, took a trolley and the subway, had a tasty lunch at an Italian restaurant she and Kate go to and visited the AGO. We climbed the circular interior stairway to the 3rd floor to look at the Anne Colier photography exhibition. It's part of the AGO's Year of Photography. It presented her work from 2002 to the present. I especially liked some of the 'Woman with a Camera' works. Then we climbed to the top where you get a good view of the city.  I had mistakenly thought the Jean-Michel Basquiat exhibition was still on but it was long gone, so I was merely able to buy Jay a pair of Basquiat flip flops for half price. 

Barb, Norm and I have enjoyed wonderful dinners and evenings on their back deck. I hadn't spent as much time with Norm before. Now that we are all retired, we can relax and enjoy each other's company more, chatting and watching the moon fill and cross from behind the big pine into the clear dark blue between the trees. 

On Sunday I will be with Caroline and Albert to watch the supermoon eclipse, if I drive carefully out of Toronto. 

A moose in Oakville

Punk cedars in downtown Toronto near the Italian restaurant where Barb and I ate lunch

Barb and Norm heading north. 

Fellow Travellers

I do not regret the decision to drive across Canada, from Vernon to Wakefield. It seems as if the family back home is making real progress with the basement bathroom and bedroom, starting school and harvesting the fruits of the Okanagan, while I am experiencing the joys of reconnecting in real time with friends and family in the east. It's one thing to keep in touch through phone calls, emails and my blog but it's much better to be with people, talking, eating and doing things.  I discovered that recently when Jay, May and the girls came home and now again as I return to the east.

I do like driving. It's a slow but sure way to learn about things as varied as the landscape of Canada and the best fast food latte, McCafé's is better than Tim's. I discovered the latter today. Cathy sent me off with a lovely little Shoefly Boutique bag containing an orange, an apple and 2 of her butter tarts.  She also gave me clear instructions for how to drive to Orangeville. Had I followed them, I'd be in a Tim's now but I stopped at Tiviotdale to set the GPS for Barb and Norm's. What a mistake. It went right into its pattern of directing me down shortcut sideroads. I ignored many of them and stuck to Cathy's route, but I weakend too soon and ended up on a ringroad around Orangeville which meant I missed Cathy's Tim's. The road became 4 lanes, there was hardly a house to be seen, and I had to pee in the worst way. Fortunately a PetroCan station appeared on my left. It had a McCafé attached to it, where I am sitting now, much relieved, in the car, in the sun with the windows open, drinking a latte.    

When I thanked Cathy this morning for all she had done for me, she said, "Nothing's too much for a fellow traveller".  I was sad to be leaving after such a good visit with their family. Neither of us said much more, but as I drove out of town, the word 'sojourner' came to mind and I realized that she's right, whether we go from place to place or not, we are all equally on a relatively brief journey through time. We are 'fellow travellers', and I feel lucky to have this opportunity to share a bit of our trip with friends and family. 

The part of Fall that I spent in Walkerton was lovely, warm and sunny, aside from 11/2 days of rain. Cathy, Dana, Alex, Zach and I even spent a day at a beach near Port Elgin. We didn't actually swim but when we walked to a sandbar Alex and Zach got up to their necks. Mark picked me up early one morning to drive with him and Dave to a cider press. They had a truck loaded with bags of apples. The press was impressive. I had a great time. Brian, Cathy and I had good long talks on the deck in their back yard. Cathy and I went for some walks, and her meals were delicious as usual. I stayed long enough to eat all the treats: one of their big chickens, a standing rib, vegetables from the garden, fresh eggs, sausage, green pepper and pineapple skewers as well as 3 different pies. I was worried that I wasn't going to get butter tarts, but I have 2 beside me now. Perfect!  

Cathy on their back deck with her giant colious plants. 

Mark and David at the cider press. 

The final cider filter is a woman's knee high nylon. 

Mark and Jen's kids, Evan and Emilie, at Brian and Cathy's for one of Evan's 3 four years old birthday parties. 

David, Dana and their kids, Alex and Zach, in front of Brian and Cathy's house. 

Back to the future

It’s 8:20pm, Sunday, Sept. 13, and I’m in Algoma’s Water Tower Inn and Suites in Sault Sainte Marie, Ont.  I arrived at about 5:00pm and have had a sauna, shower, hot tub and dinner.  What luxury.  It was a long but wonderful drive today from Loon Lake.  The red and pink rock cuts, evergreens and spectacular views of Lake Superior accompanied by National Public Radio, CBC, Leonard Cohen, Tina Turner and Dire Straits kept me ‘mindful’ most of the way, so time often passed enjoyably and quickly, sometimes too quickly.  I was cruising along east of Wawa when I realized too late that the approaching car was an OPP.  After it passed, I looked in the rear view mirror, just in time to see him make a 'U' turn and begin to follow me.  I slowed down to about 110km, in a 90 zone, but too late.  He had his blue and red flashers going.  I pulled over and stopped.  He said he had clocked me at 117km.  He asked for my licence and went back to his car.  I waited in mine, but I had a hopeful feeling because he was young and he had been very pleasant and only asked for my licence.  He returned with a smile and a warning.  I thanked him and carried on to the Sault, a little more mindful of my speed.  A friend of Ross and Liz’s mentioned this hotel, and I’m glad he did.  

I had a good visit in Winnipeg as usual with Danny and Rita.  I saw Dawn, Leno, Aidan and Livia one night and had dinner with Laurie, Steven, Robin and Charlotte another.  We drove to Pat and Joe’s place the next day.  Pat fed us mostly from her garden and Joe gave Danny and me a tour of the property.  He’s been working on it since 1986.  What he has done is impressive and entertaining to see.  Jin Hee would call it ‘unique’.  I had a good dinner with my cousin Barb and her husband Denis, and left mom and dad’s urns and papers with her.  Her daughter Shannon and husband Christian stopped by for dessert.  It was the first time I had seen them.  We were able to contact Lisa and arrange to meet her.  Danny took the three women to lunch at a place Lisa suggested near St. Boniface Hospital, where she works.  Just before I left, Danny checked the oil and filled the tires on my car and then took me to fill it up for the Thursday special price of 94.5 cent a liter at a local gas station.  I was well rested and prepared when I hit the road for TB on Friday morning. 

The GPS had a bit of trouble finding Danny and Rita’s place because of all the construction in the west end of Winnipeg.  I had to resort to my old solution of asking an East Indian cab driver.  As it turned out, by the time I did, I was within blocks of their place.  But it did much better finding West Loon, and as soon as it instructed me to turn off the highway I knew exactly how to get to Ross and Liz’s place.  It was as if I had been there recently. The entire visit with them was a flashback to the past.  Liz and I began as we walked along the beach road and continued over dinner the first night.  Then when Ross returned from the east we carried on through another dinner.  We started again this morning at breakfast.  One memory led to another with a clarity that surprised me.  Of course it helped that there were three of us, each adding a piece to the puzzle.  I finally had to force myself to leave much later than I had intended to.  To be continued on my return visit to TB.

The Boyce plot in Elmwood Cemetery in Winnipeg.  Only the headstone was clearly visible.  Danny found the buried marble name plates for grandma and grandpa Boyce and mom and dad.  In the years since dad had the grave site improved in 1992, they had been covered by sod.

Danny and Rita at The Forks on the day we walked along the rivers and toured downtown Winnipeg.

Liz preparing the table for our dinner at Loon

Ross doing his share

Lake Superior in all its glory at Agawa Bay

Sun., Sept. 6. Moosomin, Sask.

Today I left Brooks at about 7:30am and arrived in Moosomin, Sask. around 4:30pm. I could have carried on to Brandon, Man., but why bother?  It will be a comparatively short drive to Winnipeg tomorrow. When I started driving this morning, the temperature was 4c., it was raining and the wind was blowing furiously. In Moosomin it was still windy but sunny and 18c, so after settling my stuff in a room in the Hotel 6, I went for a walk. The wind practically blew what little hair I have off my head. But after a day in the car it felt good to walk into it. Actually, I was mainly stiff. The drive was not bad. I find the vastness of the prairies as magnificent as the mountains, and at least today the horizon was far away, so I could see miles of gold and green meeting the blue and white sky in the distance.  I also enjoyed listening to CKUA Radio as I went through Alberta and into Sask. 

Now I'm at The Red Barn Restaurant, close to my one night home in Moosomin, waiting for dinner. It must be the only place open in town because it's full. 

Moosomin, Sask. 

My favorite stone in the Moosomin Cemetery

The skyline as I walked home from the restaurant tonight. 

Back to the east

Saturday, Sept. 5

I hugged May and Jay goodbye in our driveway and started driving east at about 7:30am this morning. The girls were still asleep. I was sad to leave them all, but the house is in good hands, and I can't help but be excited when I begin a trip. It was a bright, cool morning as I left Vernon and continued so through the lightly snow-topped mountains around Revelstoke. But by Golden all had darkened, the temperature was 4c and the rain began pouring down. It didn't stop until just after I was settled in The Plains Motel in Brooks, Alberta at around 6:00pm Mountain Time. I walked to Gus' Restaurant next door without having to open my umbrella, had ministrone soup and a good Greek salad there, walked back and to the motel sauna in relatively little rain and then returned to my room just as it poured again.  I was happy because the shower in the sauna room hadn't looked inviting, so I was still 'glowing' in my bathing suit. By the time I got back to the room I felt really refreshed. 

This is all I saw of the Rockies. Oh well, I imagine they'll still be there when I drive through on my way home. 

This is what I listened to as I drove today. Perfect for a downpour.