There are certain events that will enter into our cultural baggage. The moments that we will drag out for years (a lifetime) to come. Last night, for better or worse, will be one of them.
posted in media, travel | Comments Off on A night for the history book | 359 words
I’m not a fair weather tourist. You know who I mean. The ones that have already rolled up the awnings on their mobile palaces and left the campground. Just because it was pouring rain this morning is no reason to despair. It can’t rain for too long, or this would be a couple of high spots in a very large gulf. We’re dry, we’re calm, we’re goin’ to ‘town.
posted in travel | Comments Off on I’m not a fair weather tourist | 348 words
If you are nomadic, and you wander through the same territory often enough, the rules of the game require that you see the same people from time to time through time. Campgrounds are like that. Our neighbour from past years is back, with Bill the dog. Feels like home. We don’t have to spend a long time getting acquainted; we both “live here”, but our schedules are not always coincident.
posted in travel | Comments Off on Transitory neighbourhood | 274 words
I now know how to replace a can. Useful knowledge, in case I ever own my own electrical utility. I even approached this impromptu learning situation properly, with a camera, questions and all the time I needed. I’m not so sure the two fellows with the spurs and really cool truck had come prepared to be the “show and tell” of the morning, but sometimes things happen. Now, for the curious, a can is an electrical transformer that sits on a pole, and in the real world they don’t turn off the power first. Things to know before you climb to see what the small print says.
posted in travel | Comments Off on Only halfway through the day | 336 words
Some communities are simply bigger than others. Not in area, or population, or strategic location (if such a distinction still applies in our post-explorer society). It takes a visit or two and then you realize: this is a big town.
posted in travel | Comments Off on When small towns think big | 349 words
The trick with campground cooking is to get very hungry before you start. Forget the restrictions on ingredient lists. Be improvisatory. But, above all, play to a hungry crowd. With enough pangs, even the simplest of fare will be praised by the critics.
posted in travel | Comments Off on Hints from my kitchen (of fortune) | 216 words
A good start to the day (any day, said my grandmother) is a trip to church, where we can join in community with our neighbours, if they happen to hold a similar set of view to our own. The real communal experience is outside, afterward, when the assembled multitude gather to exchange with their kith and kin. In the absence of a local coffeeshop, this is where the news is passed along.
posted in travel | Comments Off on Can’t find my way home | 245 words
If a second day in a row can indicate a trend, then summer has arrived. In time for us to be tent people. This is good. We were able to enjoy a hot coffee and the newspaper of the day before heading in to town to do what else; drink coffee. Not our real reason for going, as son #3 wanted new shoes and Corney’s was open for business, but we did have the opportunity to sample a new restaurant.
posted in travel | Comments Off on Just checking out the changes | 385 words
After closing up the cottage and wishing a good road to the rest of the family, we set off through the morning mists (when does mist become downright thick fog, I wonder?) to see what greener pastures lay at the end of the road. A quick stop in St. Peter’s saw us unable to connect to the ‘net, so we hid our dismay from the local population and went on to Souris.
posted in travel | Comments Off on It’s all about radio | 238 words
We’ve been out on some back roads today. Our fault; we thought that the destination was simple to find and left all our clues at home. With no white pebbles or breadcrumbs to lead the way, we used the GPS to drive in progressively tighter circles.
posted in travel | Comments Off on When signs are confusing | 294 words
