And the road trip continues.....

The girls are asleep and I'm on my second cup of coffee here in Moose Jaw. We were disappointed in Calgary to learn that the pool was closed...so we watched two movies in the room and ordered pizza. 17 Again and Race to Witch Mountain. Xtine contacted us on Facebook to invited us to breakfast...and we accepted.


It wasn't easy, but we did finally get everybody into the picture and looking in the general direction of the camera! The pancakes, strawberries, blueberries and cherries held us until Medicine Hat...and Warner read to us from a Dragon Lance book. We stopped at this place in Medicine Hat which, unfortunately, didn't have a bathroom...but we eventually got everything taken care of!





Back into the van for the drive to Moose Jaw...Warner read aloud to us to the end of the book--about 4 hours worth. Obviously, I was the driver!

I am watching my breath in the dawn, at a picnic table close to the transmitting antennae hoping that the internet connection holds....trucks are going by on the highway, happy that no tourists are in their way, taking pictures of wildlife. Warner, Abby and Liz are sleeping in our little cabin, but in the distance there is an ancient chinese couple, wandering their campsite. We met in the bathroom at 5:21 a.m.

Here is a picture of Abby on our swing right after we checked in on the 21st:


and here are the girls in their bunks...


Warner happy in the camp kitchen:


Our first sighting of the local fauna--across from the coal mine on the way to Cadomin:


It's hot in Jasper...

but the girls find a way to cool off....


I love these flowers:


and the girls love the Miette Hot Springs...


I just lost the photo of Athabasca Falls I was about to post, but my fingers are too cold to keep typing and I just saw Warner poke his head out of the cabin...we don't have coffee, but at 8:00 I'll be able to get a cup in the office...

Road Trip! Day 4

Checked out of the hotel and headed to St. Andrews....


Warner is about to meet with his faculty advisor...


Interesting trees on this campus!



Abby: "This place is inspirational outside, but too schooly on the inside."

While Warner has his meeting, we look for some place to eat...we meet a nice lady who shows us the way to the hospital cafeteria.

We want to leave for Edmonton, but decide it is probably a good idea to check out a couple of rooms for rent. The two within walking distance are already taken...but the third works out, and Warner writes a cheque for first and last months' rent.



And now, to Edmonton!



It's kind of windy today in Battleford! We stop in Lloyminster to buy topdogs and oranges, then stop in Mannville to pull out the coleman stove. Warner cooks them to perfection!




Two appreciative hotdog lovers and their dad:



When it is discovered that there is a spider on mom's side of the car, we pull over at the next rest stop: Inisfree. Dad takes care of the beast while the girls stalk prairie dogs for photos...


We are now safely in our room at the Westin...can't believe how much was accomplished today.

Lion King tomorrow!

Road Trip! Day 3

After a good sleep-in, we headed to the mall. We need to see Harry Potter!









"Three adults, one child for Harry Potter, please!"










Cool costumes from Shakespeare productions catch the eye...










and so does this candy store!








Then a good browse at Indigo, where Ellen buys a volume of Collins' poetry, Warner buys a copy of Saveur (Texas BBQ issue), Elizabeth buys Crank, and Abby finds a copy of the next Nicholas Flammel book The Sorceress, but decides to save her money for something else.




An early dinner, so we can see a second movie.

Elizabeth pronounces this the best cheesecake she's ever had.






Ellen declares this Ice Age movie the best of the three!



Home to the hotel after a drive around St. Andrews and the University campus so Daddy can see where he's going tomorrow...Abby reading The Magician...






while Liz ends the day with Archie.....and Warner is on-line dealing with bursary applications.








A good day, a good trip so far!

Road Trip! Day 2

Liz is excited--she has prepared a pot of coffee for the first time.

Thank goodness--this was the WORST place on the planet this morning to be served anything!








On the road again...after we FINALLY get a very mediocre breakfast from a frazzled and confused staff...






Bought some ham, cheese and buns in Russell, MB, then had a lovely picnic in Langenberg, SK.









And Warner calls Chris to tell him the (un)employment news.








Liz buys a special t-shirt with her birthday money at the tourist info centre.

"Saskatchewan: hard to spell, easy to draw."

Abby: "Here's where we're going." Liz: "Here's where we are." Liz falls in love with reading maps....Abby begins a brochure collection.


Classic Saskatchewan--view from the van when we stopped for a coffee and got it free of charge at a little gas station. (So we bought a chocolate bar and a package of skittles to go with them.)

Thank you town of Theodore, population 489.

The drive continues....
Finally, Saskatoon. After a tour up and down the highway, we locate the hotel and head out for supper. FANTASTIC pizza! Classic pepperoni for Abby... Chicken Cordon Bleu for Warner...

while Liz and Mom had 'for smaller appetite' plates of chicken, caesar salad, potatoes...










which meant that Abby and Liz had to wait a bit before heading to the pool.

Road Trip! Day 1

Drove under cloud cover for miles and miles and miles...then....sunlight on our faces for the first time in days....












...which made EVERYone happy, including Galadrial and Cutie-Anne....







....all to the sounds of Abby's 99 song playlist...featuring Taylor Swift, and then a little more Taylor Swift, and then Boys Like Girls, Paramore, selections from High School Musical and Camp Rock, Medieval Babes, the Cheetah Girls, K-Naan and, of course, a good rousing all-womenfolk-in-the-van-join-in-sing-a-long to Total Eclipse of the Heart!


Just past Portage La Prairie on the junction to the Yellowhead. Long drive to Saskatoon tomorrow.

Happy times!

The Threshold

A year ago, as we packed for our family vacation, I had no idea that we would spend an amazing afternoon in Archibald, Manitoba, moving through the rooms of two houses in which Nellie McClung had lived.

This front entrance to the McClung home leads straight to the small room in which Nellie wrote. She had a room of her own, within a busy household as wife, mother, and crusader for social justice.

A turn to the left takes you to the stairway to the bedrooms, a turn to the right takes you to the parlour.

We are at a threshold now. It will not matter which way we turn as we cross it--our needs will be met.

Who Knew?

Who knew, as I worked through the shift in my professional role, that I needed more than anything a lesson in letting go?

Who knew, when we arranged our family vacation, that my husband's job was about to disappear?

Who knew that our scheduled stop in Saskatoon would turn into an opportunity to meet with a faculty advisor?

Who knew that I would feel a sense of excitement, knowing we have been pushed out of our rut?

Who knew that our complacency would be shattered, as it should be?

Who knew that it would feel so right to be committing these plans to action?

Who knew?