Carman MB to Swift Current SK - Day 4

Something To Sing About (Michael Mitchell) with lyrics

I have walked 'cross the sand and the Grand Banks of Newfoundland,
Lazed on the ridge of the Miramichi;
Seen the waves tear and roar on the stone coast of Labrador,
Watched them roll back to that great Northern Sea.

From Vancouver Island to the Alberta highlands,
'Cross the prairies, the lakes to Ontario's tower;
From the sound of Mount Royal's chimes, out to the Maritimes,
Something to sing about, this land of ours.

I have welcomed the dawn from the fields of Saskatchewan,
Followed the sun to the Vancouver shore;
Watched it climb shiny new up the stone peaks of Caribou,
Up to the clouds where the wild Rockies soar.

I have heard the wild wind sing of places I have been,
Bay Bull and Red Deer and the Strait of Belle Isle;
Names like Grand Mere and Silverstone, Moose Jaw and Marrowbone,
Names of the pioneer, named with a smile.
 
I have wandered my way to the wild wood of Hudson's Bay,
Treated my toes to Quebec's morning dew;
Where the sweet summer breeze through the leaves of the maple trees,
Tell us the story I'm singing to you.

Yes, there's something to sing about, tune up a string about,
Call out in chorus or quietly hum;
Of a country that's young with a ballad that's still unsung,
Sharing the promise of great things to come.

From Vancouver Island to the Alberta highlands,
'Cross the prairies, the lakes to Ontario's tower;
From the sound of Mount Royal's chimes, out to the Maritimes,
Something to sing about, this land of ours.
Yes, there's something to sing about, this land of ours!

The Oxbow Inn in Carman. 

This is the only day we got some rain, it really slowed the truck down since the winds were high too.

At a certain point the most interesting things on the prairies were Andy and Albert in the truck:)  We would follow, pass,  race on ahead again for a while, then slowing down to follow again.  Meanwhile the men were so involved in their own chatter they mostly didn't even notice our white van playing on the road!

 We stopped in Moose Jaw.  (I'd heard about it from the fun song as posted above - and so I've always wanted to go there! You?)  There was a new tourist office right off the Trans Canada Highway, which was a perfect place to rest a while.  We also ate supper at the truck stop eatery so we could make the leg to Swift Current with full happy stomachs. 

Time for a bit of sillyness:)

THE MOOSE!!

Thunder Bay to Carman MB - Oct 10

~ Day 3 in Pictures ~

By day three, Tristan was already napping in the morning... nothing better to do I guess:)

Marina had a Subway craving and the rest of us thought that was a fantastic idea!

We found a beautiful sunny spot to pull over and enjoy the view over lake Superior.

At the edge of the Manitoba border. Finally. Out of Ontario!

The boys were getting so exhausted from doing nothing that we could hardly get them to wake up in the mornings!

Rowan too...he turned around and fell right back asleep.  Poor little boys. 

Sault St Marie to Thunder Bay - Oct 9

~ Day 2 in Pictures ~

Leaving the Fairfield Inn. Fitting everything back in (pack and plays, snacks, Dvd players, suitcases)

 was a big job!

Seth and his newest addiction - Angry Birds! He was in the truck with the dads, this was their way of occupying him.

Marina and I were in the lead today, and cruised along enjoying the sunshine and scenery.

We stopped for a break with our little men to let them run around a bit.

At a certain point none of our phones had reception so we found this lighthouse in Kenora which offered free Wifi. Guess who stopped:)

Rowan and Niko. Our little cutie-pies :)  Only 1 week apart in age.  They were incredibly good! 

We managed to flag down the guys while they were driving past and we had a nice coffee break together.

Or chocolate milk break... whatever:)

Family shot!

By the time we reached Thunder Bay, Marina and I had very restless kids so we passed by the historic Terry Fox statue in desperate search of our hotel. Thankfully Andy and Albert stopped to snap me a picture. :)

Elora to Sault St. Marie - Oct 8

~ Day 1 in Pictures ~

 

All of us together just before pulling away!

Albert, Marina and Niko led in the van the first day.

Canadian Shield - beautiful and fascinating.

Content little guys. So thankful they like driving!

If you can't play... you may as well sleep.

The best part of the day!  A hotel with a pool:)

Synopsis

We are happy to say we are here in the Municipal District of Taber, Alberta and hard at work making it home!  
Seriously we had such a good time driving with our dear friends Albert and Marina {Niko} words can't do justice.  THANK YOU SO MUCH for taking to time off work and out of your busy lives to help us move!!!!  It was such a special time spent together, for us and for the kids.  

Albert wrote a little email to the parents every evening to update them on our adventure.  I'm going to put that here so you get a brief synopsis.  :) 

Day 1.
We arrived safe and sound in Sault Sainte Marie. It was just after six pm when we found the Hotel and checked in.

Supper at...., well, we rather not say, but they have this play structure that was great for the kids to play in. Additional fun when Rowan got lost in there and all the grown-ups instructing Seth and Tristan to find him and get him out again. :-)

In the hotel there was a pool as well, which was well used, especially by the overworked drivers.

Now we are all off to bed, as tomorrow will be another early start. 

 Day 2.
Today we arrived in Thunder bay. It was a long drive, but it all worked out.

Andy and Albert drove the truck in turns, while Marina and Felicia and the kids drove ahead, so they could have long breaks as we caught up with them. This became really hard when cellular services stopped working (Rogers has trouble with it, I just read the news about it, as data is not a problem).

We're really tires now and the extra hour tomorrow (time change) is quite welcome for the 3rd leg to Carman.

2 days of driving 80km/h, 1450 km total.

...stay tuned.

Day 3 

Forgot to send the email last night. Guess it was busy :-)

We ended up in Carman and had dinner with family of Felicia's, which resulted in coffee and cake and several hours of good company.

When we got to the motel, we all went to bed.

Today we are attempting to get to Swift Current (SK), leaving only a morning drive on Saturday to get to Purple Springs (AB).

When we get there tonight I will send another email...

 ...Regina it is.  We made it and enjoyed another pool in the hotel.

Today was the day of straight roads only. The word straight really gets a whole new meaning.

The benefit is that if you happen to travel anywhere along that road, there really is no shorter way to your destination.

Piece of our navigation transcript in full detail:

- Turn left on MB 2 and drive for 70 km;

- ‎Turn right on MB 10‎ and drive for 750 m;

- Turn left on MB 2 and drive for 228 km;

- Turn right and drive for 139 km;

- ...

That 228 became ~300‎ km, as we decided to change the route a little. This road was about 99.5% straight as an arrow with only few long corners. It was a secondary road, allowing us to drive the speed we wanted, without being dangerous slow pokes.

Strong northern winds and rain caused us to drive 70 km/h for quite some time to avoid trailer sway.

‎...good thing Andy and I switch driving, while Felicia drives the van.

Tomorrow another 3 hours for Felicia, Marina and most of the kids. 4 hours for The truck and trailer.

Albert.

...we're actually in Swift Current. Too many places in too little time. Hard to keep me all straight.

We actually completely bypassed Regina.

Albert.

We arrived at the new farm. Trailer is already emptied for about 2/3. 

Now Andy and Albert are on their way to Lethbridge to pick up a washer and a dryer.

Will be a busy day still, so we are looking forward to a day of rest.

 Pictures will be another post.

Ode to Librarians

This group of lovely {classy, enthusiastic, heartwarming and... stylish!} ladies hold my highest respect.

Tristan and I, Seth, Mrs Joanne holding Rowan, Mrs Bep and Mrs Nanda (missing Mrs Sandy).

 When I first met this team at the old Drayton library downtown they were immediately warm and friendly.  They made me feel right at home, like my many questions were not too many and so we quickly became friends.  They were enthusiastic about my babies and watching them grow, they helped me find countless books for all our little obsessions (Mrs Joanne even lent her personal binoculars when delving into birds!).  We also had this common bond of Christ as our Saviour, and a strong dutch heritage. Seth and Tristan loved attending the lively programs Mrs Sandy offered, and I found it a great way to meet people in the community.  
I will be the first to tell you that even if all the land taxes we had to pay in Drayton went straight to the library, we would still be in debt for the amount of items we borrowed!  Fiction, non-fiction, magazines, board books, Cd's, Dvd's, Play-aways... you name it, they had it or could get it. 
So often I said to my mom "Have you read...." and she would say "where did you find that?"
Leave it to a small town library :)
The library in Taber will be one of the first things to check out... and even if the resources are similar to those in Drayton, the Librarians are going to have a lot to live up to!
Thank you.
We love you all!!!!!
 God Bless.

p.s. we'll be back sometime:) 

Chudleighs Apple Orchard

What time is better to go enjoy bright sunshine and fresh air then Autumn? 
Going to Chudleighs Apple Orchard in Halton Hills was something we had never done before but with such beautiful weather and friends who asked us to accompany them... we went!  All I can say is, it was amazing fun for everyone! The kids loved the big huge slides which landed in straw, the animals, and of course the apple picking. (I did have to buy all the apples my kids picked.. but that's part of being a mom right?) 
In the Autumn, I always want to sing the song my dad used to sing to us when we were little.
So I'm going to write it here... and sing it to my kids:) 


“Come, little leaves,”
Said the wind one day,
“Come over the meadows
With me, and play;
Put on your dresses
Of red and gold;
Summer is gone,
And the days grow cold.”