MyDailyDistraction

As I emptied my Mother’s closet after her death five years ago, in the back I discovered a thick and hearty maroon housecoat that I had never seen before. It was big, beautiful and new. The tag on the back said L.L. BEAN.

The only reason I can think of it being in the back of the closet and unused was that she was more often hot than cold in the four years that she lived in her little apartment…

On the day we began our drive up the Dempster highway we were up at a leisurely 8:00 a.m.

“What’s the rush?” I asked myself.

Then I thought about it…

In the middle of town lies the famous MILE 0 signpost where all tourist head for the obligatory photo op.

Would it be busy? I wondered.

Both of us were anxious to hit the Dempster and in no mood to wait in a crowded parking lot for our turn to take…

Black Cloud Chronicles ~ Part 11: Discovering The Dempster

And so we worked our way slowly west through the Rockies. From Bow River to Canmore, from Banff to Jasper, we made our way to British Columbia.

On June 3, our 42 wedding anniversary after a great deal of discussion and contemplation, we embarked on a last minute destination that promised adventure, incredible scenery, danger, mosquitoes, dirt and mud like we had never encountered before.

Yes,…

And so it came to pass that on the morning of May 24, which was day fifteen of our journey, I received a message from Koodo, my cell service provider that I had used fifty percent of my allotted data for the month. I had only 3072 MB left until the end of my billing cycle which would end June 11.

That was nineteen days away.

What to do?

First thing I did was delete apps which continually and…

Travel day fourteen brought us oil rigs, more salt flats, long trains, buffalo and even some dust devils skipping their way across the prairie fields.

After a long day’s drive just before 3:00 p.m. we pulled off the highway and made our way to the Eagle Valley Park in Maple Park, Saskatchewan.

We were told by the front desk to drive around the park until we found an acceptable sight.

Our drive…

By the time I awoke in Moose Jaw at 8:00 the next morning, Frank was nowhere to be seen. It didn’t take long to figure out where he had wandered off to. Besides, what harm could he do?

Plenty.

On the brighter side, the coffee was hot, and thankfully enough, the camper still had a morning coolness about it. All was well except for the explosion of coffee grinds from my pretty new blue enamel…

On our last morning in Winnipeg, Frank and I were out of bed by 6:00 a.m. and on the road by 8:00 a.m.

We filled the tanks for $1.23 a litre.

By10:00 a.m. we were 161 km. from the Saskatchewan border. The terrain is all flat and farmland. To my surprise I see lots of birch trees, far more than in Ontario.

We passed by many road signs with big letters stating…

“Turn In Poachers @1-800-….

At long…

Our arrival in Winnipeg was a happy one. Plus there were many introductions to go around. My youngest daughter Aria and her husband had never met Ginny, their new niece.

Since we visited them last summer they had adopted a beautiful dog and called her Nymera. There was a whole lot of lip smacking and tail wagging and everyone was happy.

Our camper fit easily into their backyard and we were…

One of the perks of traveling within the confines a camper as opposed to staying in a hotel/motel is that all your stuff generally follows you wherever you go. The chances of leaving something behind is smaller. So, when you have someone like me who has tendencies to panic over missing items whether it be prescription pills, lipstick, cellphone or wallet, one find solace in the fact that…

Our first full day of camping in Sault Ste. Marie was a busy one.

Frank was up at 7 AM for the sole purpose of hitting the camp showers early.

Why not use our own showers you may ask?

Well, these KOA camp showers are really exceptional. It’s like a country club or pretty close to it I imagine, not that I’ve ever been in a country club before.

These showers are big, shiny, modern, clean and…

Woke up at 7 AM, left the park by 9 o’clock and pulled into Tim Hortons for breakfast.

Goodbye Parry Sound.

Today was Mother’s Day. Actually, it was a very special Mother’s Day because Jen was celebrating her very first one.

For the very first time I wished my daughter a very happy Mother’s Day.

Later, at about one in the afternoon, my interest was piqued when we drove by a very scenic resort…

Our first night in the camper for this journey across Canada went by peacefully. Jennifer didn’t seem to mind the kitchen table made into a bed once it was covered in a sheet and paired off with a pillow and blanket. She said she slept well as did the baby beside her in a portable bassinet. The usual 4 o’clock a.m. feeding went off without incident. Later, Jen would tell me that her bed in the…

Day One

At 11:47 a.m. on May 10 2019 we loaded up our Jayco C Class motorhome with groceries, clothes, camping chairs, various stoves, ovens and barbecues, pots, pans, cooler, kayak, propane tanks and bear spray as we launched ourselves into the trip of lifetime that we had been planning for over nine months.

Finally, husband Frank, Bobby-Dog and I were heading out west, as far as the road,…

All these smiling faces are brought to you courtesy of Oma and Opa’s love of photography and their fore site to ensure that there was always a camera at the ready.

“Wit müssen knipsen!”…

Or in English…

“We must photograph”…

was always Oma’s rallying cry when she found herself surrounded by family and friends.

Which happened quite often…

This is how we are able witness their legacy from the 1920’s…

The address of Grandfather’s church was 257 Euclid Avenue, Toronto.

In the top left corner you can see Oma, another church member then Opa standing by the entrance of their parsonage.

Looking at all the dresses and suits, this photo gives me a keen sense on how serious the men and women of the church were about being part of a sharply dressed congregation.

The photo in the middle is, left to…