May 21, 2017 - Bonne fete, Ryan!!!

20 May Putting on the miles now to get to Quebec as soon as possible. From Frankford we took a combination of black roads and red roads northeast and made pretty good time. There is a LOT of water lying around Ontario – in the north from all the lakes & in mid-Ontario from swollen rivers and flooded farmer’s fields. Once we hit Quebec there didn’t seem to be as much water around, although the St. Lawrence River is overflowing its banks in places. We drove through one town that had the army out doing clean up on the bank in front of some...

May 21, 2017 - Missing the Marathon

We got ready and had breakfast this morning. It was busier than usual, probably a combination of it being a holiday weekend and the marathon that was being run in Halifax. We finished getting ready and headed off to the car intending to go to Church with plenty time: 25 minutes to go a 5 minute journey. I thought I had researched the route and would be avoiding the marathon. I was wrong. It crossed several of the streets we wanted cross. I had traced a route avoiding the streets that were "closed". But did not realize that intersections on...

May 21, 2017 - Indian Head

I was going to do a tourist loop today but one of the places I want to see doesn't open until tomorrow so I stayed home. Did some forward planning, looking at what I need to see in Manitoba & booked on the 4 day train journey from Toronto back to Vancouver in October. That really sounds like an amazing finish for this adventure & so much more fun than flying.

May 20, 2017 - Day 08 || Out on the Town

Slept late - Timmy's - very strong coffee - library - mini fire station museum - samosas / Veg-in - park across the street - tall alien people bridge - exploring - Dragon City Mall - 100% Asian - Gundam - beauty - ginseng tea - too strong - regular mall - Devonian garden - Mangoland

May 20, 2017 - Indian Head

Nothing interesting. Played with the satellite receiver but can’t get the dish to rotate all the way so I’m waiting for someone from the RV Park to get up on the roof & see what’s happening. I could do it myself but didn’t think they’d like me crawling around on the roof. Went for a walk into town which is very small & very quiet on a Saturday, then sat in the sun & read my book.

May 20, 2017 - A Free Day and a Good Steak

May 20, 2017 Saturday Calgary This week has definitely given us a taste of what life will be like as a teacher. We have been up and ready to go almost every morning by 7 or 7:30, and on most days we haven't gotten back until around 4:00 in the afternoon. Today, however, we got to sleep late and explore the city on our own. Our day started with a late breakfast at Cora, a diner in downtown Calgary. I had a crepe, since this is a treat I don't often have at home. Then we shopped in the mall and on Stephen Avenue, which is a popular street...

May 20, 2017 - Immigrants and Disasters

We went downstairs again for breakfast then got ready and drove to Pier 21, the Immigration Museum. It is really a memorial to the immigrants who arrived through there from 1928 till 1971. We watched a movie which was a bit disappointing. It did not cover the arrival of immigrants at Pier 21 but appeared more a propaganda piece touting the benefits of multiculturalism. We then joined a very informative tour of part of the building. The guide was an immigrant from Congo via Thailand. After the tour we spent a long while browsing the...

May 19, 2017 - Garden, Cemetery & Waterfront

We were up and went for breakfast this morning. The room was busier than previously, possibly because it was Friday and a holiday weekend. A couple very kindly moved to a table for two to let the three of us sit together. We got ready and walked a few blocks to the Halifax Public Gardens. Christine and I had visited this from a cruise ship a few years ago and it poured. The guide had no alternative but to hurry us through and apologize for being unable to show us the park at its best. Today, like yesterday, was a contrast. The sun shone...

May 19, 2017 - Day 07 || Banff

6am - 7am - napping in lobby - bus - prairie - mountains - breakfast buffet - Lake Louise - small hike - Evelyn bus - elk - Banff - mountain - expensive gondola - hike - chipmunks - peak - back down - moose keychains town - Squish - souvenir shop - coffee, tea - Moose shop - socks, pajama pants, keychain - gelato - Banff tea co. - cucumber melon green tea - independent - rocky mountain soap co - First Nations shop - back to Calgary sleep

May 19, 2017 - Regina to Indian Head

A month today since I left home – it actually seems longer because I’ve seen & done so much in that time. I still miss Alexander though & hope he’s being good. No time for sightseeing today. Just a short 65 km trip up Highway 1 to the Post Office at Indian Head where my new satellite receiver was waiting for me. There was also another big box full of cables & stuff plus lots of instruction books for me to wade through. I decided to do some washing before I tackled the satellite & had 2 loads because I’d bought some new sheets & wanted to...

May 19, 2017 - Canadian Adventures!

May 19, 2017 Friday Lake Louise/Banff We finished our school visits Thursday, and today we drove about 2 hours west to Rocky Mountains. Mid-morning we arrived at Lake Louise. The temperature in Calgary has been relatively cool when I think about the weather back home, but Calgary was warm compared to the cold mountain temperatures. Even with knee-high snow on the ground in some places, the cold wasn't as biting as the cold of a Mississippi winter, maybe because the humidity is lower here. The views were nothing short of breathtaking....

May 19, 2017 - Home, very sweet home!

18 May I’m getting a little tired of these early mornings!!!!! It was a tedious drive from Manitoulin Island down to Brechin, a bit south of Orillia but the audio book Wayne had downloaded a few days earlier helped to ease our pain. The countryside is not as interesting as it had been around the top of Lake Superior – small scrub trees and little else. We parked beside a ball diamond in Brechin, which is about 40km from my Mom’s home town, Cannington. We have a “date” with my cousin tomorrow morning so will be able to get a look around town...