Sitting at home this evening in the cold and rain I went searching for some summertime. Here are some of my favorites from the road and from the farm. My choices were colours, contrasts and some Canadiana. The beauty of our home and native land is unparralled.
Monthly Archives: August 2016
Let me tell ya a story ’bout a boy named Dom. From Dawson Creek, he really loves his mom. Then one day he went to the hills and made it be known, you can’t win a battle of wills. That’s Dominic alright, a determined, sometimes moody, always adventurous attempter of all that he sees and wants to do or say. He is actually quite the comedian and looks for your reaction to his stubborness and antics. He loves anything that moves, goes, digs, drives or has moving parts he can manipulate. A likely candidate for farmer, mechanic, motorcycle racer, builder… all of the above. Whatever it may be, you can be sure Domi is gonna give’er!
Dog days of summer!
We brought the whole family on our cross country journey, Blizzard came with. I don’t think after watching all the packing that he would have let us leave him behind. We didn’t know how he would travel over such a great distance and we didn’t know how he would get along with Rio at the farm. Well, he travelled amazingly well. He was patient on the leash, quiet in the car, cuddly with the kids and when we arrived he made a BFF in Rio. It seems they were kindred spirits, both happy wanderers, as was proven by semi-regular forest disappearances, a porcupine quilling and a never ending wrestling match. After three weeks they were inseperable and they were shredded, having probably lost 15 pounds between the two of them. While they could lead each other astray, I will paraphrase Fred Eaglesmith and say They were both good dogs.
River Days
We made it to the river almost every day. The boys exclaimed excitedly “The Gatineau River!” every time we made it down Woods road and the water appeared at the end of the last downhill. These were magical days and the best memories. Looking forward to the next time.
Good Days
I just cracked open my laptop to write something of our adventures. This enjoyable enterprise unfortunately gets pushed right off the to do list as we journey once again across the country. In fact, it was pushed off the list for much of the summer. This is not a complaint. I suppose it is more of a reassurance that summertime holidays are passing much the way they should, adventuring with family. There is so much to recount of this incredible summer and this incredible country. As we travel with three boys aged four and under there are many moments of meltdown and exasperation and the kids have some difficulties too! However, each day there is so much that happens that makes us smile, uncovers the magnificient beauty of the Canadian landscape and creates magical moments for our children, any stress of the journey is well worth it.
I am sitting now on the outskirts of Winnipeg in a prairie oasis under a crescent moon watching thunderstorms in the distance, warming myself by a cozy fire. There may be a marshmallow roasted tonight. It’ll be just for Catherine and I as the kiddies are all crashed out. These days are amazing, but definitely push them to their limits. They have been troopers and I thought sharing some of their experience this return journey should happen. It has been unpredictable. No two days on the road have been alike. Distance travelled, number of stops, time betweeen breaks, naps, food, you name it, it’s always a crapshoot.
We made it to North Bay on day one only after departing the Gatineau Hills well after lunch. Thought we could still get a full day in at that point. This was not to be. Three weeks of adventures free on 120 acres and in the nearby Gatineau river meant the boys were having none of the hours on end in the truck. We were of the same mind and called it as soon as we could. The boys were so happy to be out they ran in lock step with me as I drove the truck from the gate to our campsite. They’re pretty fast!
The next day saw us get going in a relatively efficient manner. It all unravelled from there. I needed a coffee so 3 minutes down the road we stopped. Everyone came along, we had breakfast number two and 40 minutes later we had made it 1.8kms! So long great start. At arrival in sudbury we needed fuel and toilet tank digester. Crucial items. We were headed for the infamous giant nickel though. This turns out is no easy task. Quick turns, small signs and sudden exits accompanied by pot holed roads and screaming kids meant that we missed the final turn off the first go and were on our way to Timmins. Thankfully a short trailer equals U-turn capability. Anyway, we got the picture. Canadian Tire was next. This was actually the second time rolling into that gas station on fumes, although in 2012 it was the middle of the night and we were just grateful it was open. Moving on we landed in the Sault at dinner time. Having learned from our mistakes on the journey east we found our picnic spot easily. Then it was stop kids from handling goose poop and jumping in fountains. Then KD and hot dogs plus kale salad and carrots and humus. Shovel it in. Change diapers. How Russell got poop on the outside of his diaper but not on his clothes during the change I will never know. Now, something enjoyable. We headed for the lakeshore and massive park. We walked the dog, Julian performed in the amphitheatre and all the boys hit the playground. Pheww, you’d think we were done, but this is a big country and we actually have to make some miles. So we pushed on and as we did, one child disappeared around a corner and the other two screamed bloody murder. We recooped and got going again. We wanted to really push on to perhaps Agawa Bay or further but we stopped at Pancake Bay again. Here we got to stay and explore another part of the campground. It’s massive and great. Our decision to stop was most well received by Russell Guy, who is always happy to not be strapped in. Trailer set up. Good night day two.
I’ll briefly touch on day three and come back to the writing when I can because I am missing my fire and moonlight. We made it from Pancake Bay to Thunder Bay. This journey saw us focus on moose signs and then we played spot the Highway of Hope Terry Fox signs as we got closer to Thunder Bay. It was interesting at Pancake Bay because this is where we first recognized that while no two days have been the same we have actually been hitting many of the same roadside rest stops, lunch spots and gas dispensers. In Thunder Bay we switched up last minute for access to laundry, wifi, a pool and showers. The KOA won out easily over Troebridge Falls after another big day.
A brief word about today, day four. We did Thunder Bay to Winnipeg. The boys entertained with their magic tricks (disappearing behind plates and boxes in the truck). We built an Inukshuk as we watched loons swim at a roadside stop just outside Kenora. We sang. We spotted trains and water and motorcycles. Julian taught us about electric eels. We played in parks and Dominic is now our official Canada flag spotter. Good days.
A Bit About the Henrys 