The Ever Present Journey

Long fairy tales have a tendency to dragon.

Ode to Laura

I work with Laura - she is WONDERFUL!!! She's also super punny - for those of you that know Carla you will appreciate that they are kindred spirits. Carla is Diana Berry to Laura's Anne Shirley. Laura sends out daily puns and today I share them with you.

His wife loved pottery making but for him it was just kiln time.

She was only a whisky maker, but he loved her still.

as free to delight

Birds sing after a storm;
why shouldn't people
feel as free to delight
in whatever sunlight remains to them?
-Rose Kennedy-

Cream colored ponies and crisp apple streudels...These are a few of my favorite things.

Life on the road is a GREAT experience it can however get boring and repetitive and lonely. There are some things though that make such a wonderful difference in an average day...let me share:

1. A good rice pudding. I like well cooked rice, not grainy undercooked stuff. I love raisins in the rice pudding and if you top it off with some whip cream and cinnamon - WOW. Best RP this year was in Clinton, Ontario. Little, independent grocery store - the pick-up-and-go section next to sandwiches.

2. Good toilet paper. If I wanted to use my hand I would use my hand. A soft yet durable roll of t.p. can make all the difference. Think about it, you get to choose your brand, your favorite softness, the number of ply...I on the other hand get whatever toilet paper that doubles as gift tissue paper some owner thought would save them money. Don't worry; I'm a good hand washer.

3. A curved shower curtain rod. Let me explain - and please feel free to refer to your own shower curtain as the visual - most shower curtains have a straight rod - what this means is that the curtain hangs right next to you (or in this case, me) and it has the option of sticking to my body. Well, most places change sheets and towels every day, they don't however change the shower curtain. So that shower curtain that is sticking to my naked body acting as a second layer of skin has stuck to dozens of other bodies and has never been washed. I'm sorry for the visual but it is VERY true. Insert any sort of draft and there is not possible way, short of removing the curtain, to avoid that wet germ blanket from becoming my new best friend. Or is there?...enter the curved shower curtain. The rod is gently curved and thus the shower curtain hangs 1/2 a foot or more away from me. Hallelujah! Risk is decreased, shower joy increased.

4. A fair sized towel. While we're on the topic of bathrooms can we talk about the face cloths that are supposed to be towels?! I am not a slim woman but I'm not the biggest woman that has ever existed - these so called "towels have a couple of problems - length and width. So the length - can we talk about full wrapage - I would like to have the full circumference of my body covered in a towel...I have great legs but I don't want my thigh exposed and I don't want my towel exploding off my body because it is "just" holding on. Secondly, some mini-skirts work on some people - I am not one of those people. The only cheeks I want exposed are the ones on my face. Please, buy a proper bath sheet - not a pornographic hand towel.

5. Heated bathroom floors. The environmentalist in me screams NO, the warm feet on my body when I first get up in the morning says "Oh yes!" It's just like it sounds - warm ceramic tiles caressing the bottom of your feet. Nuf said.

6. A good bed. The components of a good bed are many...a solid mattress...not solid as in firm but a good mattress where you don't feel like the springs are providing you with a complementary acupuncture appointment. Also, a mattress with a "pillow-top" is a nice little hug for your body. Sheets make all the difference as well - this is everything from thread count to the comforter/duvet that's on the bed. Many comforters feel like they are made out of the same material as your grandma's 1960s industrial couch and they, not unlike the shower curtain, have not been washed in ages...it's like cuddling up with someone else’s dandruff without the inconvenience of their body...how thoughtful. Best bed so far this year was also the winner from the 2005 Best Bed competition...drum-roll please...is the Intercontinental in downtown Toronto. For the price you would hope they would win (a can of pop is $4.50) - thread count is at least 400 and there is a real duvet...the king size bed doesn't hurt either.

That's all for now. The funny thing is that once you're on the road for a while you start becoming a little bit elitist..."My toilet paper wasn't folded over when I arrived."...."The echo off the ceiling in the foyer rebounded towards my room and woke me before I intended to wake up."..."The television channels were fuzzy. I had to resort to watching Gilmor Girls season 3 on my lap-top, it was inconvenient." I'm not actually cranky about it, sometimes I provide feedback - constructive - you more just think those things in your head...and then laugh at yourself.

Huron-Bruce part Deux

North Western Ontario

It was a bus week again last week. We drove over 1800kms in a bus...bouncing across North-western Ontario. Really nice communities. There was already snow that has decided to stay in a number of areas. We flew into Thunder Bay - drove as far west as Kenora (it's only 1.5 hours away from Winnipeg) - back to Thunder Bay and then across to Timmins.

The Sleeping Giant in Thunder Bay

There was a huge forest fire years ago in the area - as you drive there are kilometres of remnants of trees. There is some new growth but mostly coniferous trees.

Heather got Married!

Many Heathers in my life - another one got married this weekend. This post is mostly so Heather (Johhny Mac) can see what Heather (the married kind) looked like. So, yes Heather, it was beautiful.

Cam did a skit with one of the bridesmaids about how Heather and Brian first met. Cam played Lifeguard Brian - this did mean that Cam came running into the hall in his Baywatch outfit while the Baywatch music played. It also meant that Cam did not want to take the wig sunglasses and zinc off for most of the night.

The church was packed with people. And yes Heather, it was beautiful and you probably would have cried.

Heather and Brian are now honeymooning in the Caribbean and they will be living in their new apartment in Mississauga when they return - though there are two rooms in Mary's house so I'm not sure why they don't just move there.