I am sitting at the dining room table composing this post as we work through the days of a schedule (framework) for daily life during the COVID-19 pandemic. The arrival of spring break here in Dawson Creek and much of BC coincided with the acceleration of the pandemic and the responses to it. For me, on the last day of school, it was a very weird energy, uncertain, disappointing, and with an underlying unease of what lay ahead. That unease has not abated as the news cycle comes like a fire hose on full tilt and it’s painful if you try and drink from it. I think for the adults in our household, managing the flow has been one of the hardest things; you want to know what is going on in the world and in your location but need to balance that with some normalcy and routine. This desire for normalcy and routine is almost antithetical to the freedom, non-routine, non-prescribed way we typically approach the break.

There is a new normal now though. We are confined to ourselves, clustered together getting away from it all. This is a double edged sword for a large family such as ours; we have numbers, variety in who we play with and what we do. But, we have numbers, and despite spaces we can all go to for some quiet respite, things can get a little intense with four young boys!

Back to the schedule. Also a colouring page, apparently.

We are just trying to get by. Honestly, Catherine and I tell each other to go easy on ourselves and we try and manage expectations for what can and should be done. The schedule has been a good anchor, Catherine pointed out more so even for us than anything! Julian thrives with it, plans how he operates, mostly tries to negotiate how more Minecraft time could be a chore, quiet time, fresh air related etc. The other boys go with the flow and we gladly interrupt any part of the schedule for more outside time.

To start our pandemic spring break we actually had Grandma Ronnie up here, visiting to see Russell’s skating show that unfortunately was cancelled. So that meant more tea and walks than previously scheduled. As things became more locked down we were thankful to have Ronnie here as this allowed a last supper with friends for Catherine and I at the new brew house in town and also one last day on the mountain with the older boys.

We were worried about Grandma getting back to Vancouver but luckily her flight from FSJ departed as scheduled and she is now back home with Grandpa Dave. Extended family is isolated all over the country and this has meant redoubled efforts and more digital connection through Zoom, Skype, and FaceTime. We had all on the go for Dominic’s birthday celebration with family tuning in from three different provinces!

We keep managing to figure out different things to do, mostly rolling with the boys’ inclinations. One day the boys set up a retail effort to rival the Dawson Creek mall in our basement. Catherine and I shopped till we dropped! Came away with a collection of dinosaur toys, a 25lb weight and some matchbox cars!

We are all hitting up our preferred TV and movies and working our way through the fourth Harry Potter installment every night. As spring break winds down and I go back to work soon, we are trying to set ourselves up to keep the routine, keep the distance, and keep connecting with friends and family in the digital world.

Felix! He has crushed it for year one! He brings so much energy, love, determination and competition into the house. He smiles constantly, giggles non-stop, gets into mischief all the time. He is following in all his brothers’ footsteps. He observes keenly and weighs in always. He can be found trying to somersault, back down the stairs, forward down the slide, getting in on the water fight and generally being in good spirits. We know when he’s moving by the clomp clomp clomp as he hits his stride. We know when it’s quiet he has found the top bunk or the dog’s dish! As he gets to know the world, what better way than to have his people introduce him. So, please allow me to introduce Felix, a boy of stealth and grace. He’s been around for a long long year and stole many hearts in that space.

Myself

My brother

My nephew

Captain one brush

My master

Our tour guide

Our cousin

My son

My great grandson

My left leg

My brother

My nephew

My son

Our friend

My brother

My little monkey

My grandson

My cousin

My grandson

Well Russell has turned one. He is growing like a weed. He is eating like a horse! He walks. He dances! It seems he has determined that he will need to gain size and energy as quickly as possible in order to keep up with his brothers. He is in there like a dirty shirt (which explains why he is often without one); he wrestles, jumps, climbs and attempts all that his brothers do. He is a man of mischief, getting your attention and cocking a sly smile with narrowed eyes, just before dropping his food plate (after he’s had his fill) to the dog. He gives the best hugs – head tucked in, arms holding you tight, happy.

Love that Russell Guy!

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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.

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!

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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.

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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.

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.

Dominic is determined, persistent and commited to going it alone. He decides what he wants to do and how he will do it. If it does not go his way, any alternative suggestion is met with feirce resistance. He wants to work through whatever the challenge. This is at once a wonderful and frustrating exercise in patience and and problem-solving. “Hey Dom, let me put your helmet on.” He responds “No,” also his favourite word at the moment, “I do it.” Time to get dressed, let me put your shoes on, let me help you with that, walk the dog, put you lifevest on, take that lifevest off – “I do it” ALL!

I do it.

I did it!

A short day of travel to finish the journey was actually a six hour affair, but we made it! We hit our stride right away and Catherine went with Jules, Gramma Yolo and cousin Carter to the market and a play in Wakefield. The rest of the boys settled into the patio and got the long term camp set up.

It has been swimming everyday, visits to the markets, campfires, sunsets, trampoline time and all sorts of adventures for the family and our four legged companions.