Swan River, Manitoba

I think Swan River is about the halfway point, geographically speaking, of our eastward journey. It's taken us over a week to get here, though, what with staying two nights in Burnaby, three at Fairmont Hot Springs, plus losing time over the brakes and tire. We are now moving freely and, best of all, stopping whenever we want to, just by pressing on the brake pedal.

We spent last night in Ituna, Saskatchewan. It turned out that we had missed Mike's eightieth birthday party. It was on Saturday. Even if we had got the date right, the delay for repairs would have made it impossible to get there on time.  The bright side was that we got to eat the leftovers -- dolmades, borscht, plum cake, poppy seed cake, perogies, sour cream, mushroom gravy made with morels. Also, I'm much more comfortable in a small group of people than at big parties, so I was happy. Our hostess (Beatrice) and I exchanged knitting stories and played at show-and-tell with our various projects. When we left this morning, I was carrying a big bag of frozen perogies and containers of borscht and gravy. I just managed to fit everything into the Turtle's freezer compartment.  I fully expect to arrive in Ontario having gained another five pounds.

Now we're in Swan River, visiting more friends. This is our last scheduled stop before we get to my daughter's house. The next two or three nights, we'll  be winging it -- which is more like our usual style.

Thunder and lightning...

I finally have wi-fi, and now there's a thunderstorm threatening/happening/threatening again, so I may have to be more succinct than I had planned.

The trip is going much better now that the brakes have been fixed and the left rear outside tire has been fixed for the third time on this trip. Traveling through the Rockies is so much more exciting when the brakes are failing than when everything is working correctly.

We left Burnaby (Vancouver) on Monday morning, the last day of Labour Day weekend. Traffic was no problem, probably because while everybody else was going home to the city, we were leaving. Nonetheless, there were logistical problems. One of our party had to stay behind for a business meeting, so it was after suppertime when we finally all got together at Nk'mip RV Park in Osoyoos. We had dinner together before children and grandchildren headed up to their suite at Spirit Ridge Resort, just up the hill. When we started out again in the morning, it felt as if we had barely stopped at all.

The grandchildren took to Turtle travel with great enthusiasm. I was delighted. They seldom fussed at all. Instead, I got to drive happily along, listening to their chattering and giggling. At one point I heard their mom singing "99 bottles of milk on the wall", which set me to giggling.

The grandchildren's favourite spot was my over-the-cab boudoir. As long as they managed not to hit their heads on the ceiling, they had themselves a perfect hiding place, complete with a curtain they could pull across the front. Whenever I wanted to sleep, I had to make a space for myself among the toy cars and colouring books. It was great.

When we finally arrived at Fairmont Hot Springs  (I'll skip over the drama -- suffice it to say that we arrived safely) the kids released some of their energy on the jungle gym while the rest of us admired the wildlife that had come to join the party. It wasn't until the following morning that we hit the pools. In the course of our visit, Jujube (that's our four-year-old granddaughter) became the star of Fairmont Hot Springs. Jujube seems to be part seal, and everyone who saw her swim (she swims underwater for long distances, coming up for air and then ducking right down again -- and she is completely fearless) --  everyone who saw her was amazed.

Then there was Jumping Jack, who is two and a half years old. He can't swim, you see -- but he greatly admires his sister, and anything she does, he wants to do, too. The upshot of that is that when Jujube goes swimming, J-J gets excited, leaps off the side of the pool or out of the arms of whoever is holding him, goes head-first into the water, and sinks like a stone. Whoever is trying to care for him then has to reach into the water and haul him out. He emerges grinning, wiping the water from his eyes, and squirming for a chance to do it all over again. He simply will not believe that he can't swim. It's a joy to behold, really it is, all that fearlessness and joie de vivre, but it's also terrifying. I'll be glad when he does learn to swim. He will be a force to be reckoned with.

It was all over too soon, the mini-holiday with the grandbabies. Yesterday, we headed off in our opposite directions. I got a text this evening saying that they had arrived safely at home. Meanwhile, Robin and I spent a night in Sparwood, B.C. at Mountain Shadows, a very simple and quiet campground -- they did provide firewood, in case we wanted to make a campfire and toast marshmallows or something, but what with the pouring rain, we opted for rummy at our kitchen table. Afterward, I listened to a Norah Jones cd (with earphones, not to break the silence) and knitted.  I was thinking about my children's grandmother, who knitted and knitted when she was younger, but now can no longer do it, because her eyes are failing her. I'm teaching myself to knit with my eyes closed, to put off the day when I'm deprived of that simple pleasure, the click of needles and the feeling of wool moving across my fingers. I closed my eyes, knitted, listened to the music, thought about Mom, and squeezed back tears.

Today, we drove right across Alberta (eight hours) to Swift Current, Saskatchewan, and we've settled for the night at Trail Campground. Tomorrow, we have a four-hour drive to a birthday party in deepest Saskatchewan.

Meanwhile, I'll go back to my knitting.

It's a bit chilly in here, and there's an air of neglect -- but now that I'm on the road again, snugly tucked into the Turtle, it's high time I wrote something. During my exile, I have made a good deal of progress on a blanket I'm knitting for a grandbaby that's on the way. I have also designed and knitted a sweater for my daughter, a four-week project that reduced me to tears only once. I'm proud of the result, and when I get to Ontario and present my gift, I'll post a photo of the sweater -- and the daughter, too!

Meanwhile, we are in Burnaby, spending last night and tonight here. I had breakfast with my son, took new measurements for his sweater-to-be, and bade him farewell again. We always seem to be saying good-bye. Tonight Robin and I are to have dinner with the grandbabies, their parents, and their maternal grandparents. It will be a Chinese feast, so my mouth is watering in anticipation.

The grandbabies just came out and explored the Turtle. They most enjoyed climbing up to my bunk, the big bed over the cab. Jujube took to it just as I do -- as a wonderful cave, a refuge. Jumping Jack took a look around and promptly came back down to examine the cab itself.

The plan is to leave first thing tomorrow morning, a two-vehicle convoy, and head for Osoyoos, where we will spend one high desert night. The youngsters have booked a hotel room, and we'll take a site at a nearby RV park. Then we're all off to Fairmont Hot Springs for a two (three?) day stay before Robin and I head east and everyone else heads back home. The Turtle is packed with crayons, colouring books and stickers, apple juice and Goldfish crackers, to make it a welcoming place for the grandchildren.  This is a very different adventure for us, and I think it's going to be great fun.

p.s.  I discovered this video this morning, and it just fits.