The Little Caravan That Could: Day 46 - From the Busy City to the Quiet Country

Day 46

Figuring that a good stiff shot of whisky was not the best option, (if I even drank the nasty stuff) and since pop and chips were becoming old, a lovely hot flask of camomile tea sounded like just the thing to ensure a relaxed drive to Alberta. Mug in hand, extra tea bags tucked in my pocket, and a borrowed traveler mug as back-up, we said good-bye to Karen and her family. For my girls, meeting other Ethiopian children has not yet become more important than acquiring new friends, but at some point in their future, I am sure they will appreciate the fact that they have met others who share the same roots.

I was thankful that I wouldn’t be heading back into Saskatoon traffic before being led towards Edmonton. It was an easy drive onto quiet freeways and highways and the day crept past at a pleasant pace. After a solid start with the Irish Rovers keeping us company, it was time to sit back, relax and listen to the unforgettable book, "Unbroken", a saga about one man that refused to be broken while enduring a crash into the Pacific Ocean during World War II, followed by weeks lost at sea, and later internment in a Japanese prison of war camp.

As a child, reading books was a passion. Such a love that I actually found myself grounded numerous times from the elementary school library, simply for having the audacity to read under my desk instead of doing mundane spelling lessons! Can you imagine. Grounding a child from books!

The irony about me finding books more interesting than spelling and ending up punished for my actions, is that today I consider myself a pretty decent speller, and grammar used inappropriately by my children irks me incredibly. I am known to mercilessly correct them or other visiting victims with “Speak English!” when they drop commonalities such as ‘like’ or ‘thing’ and other meaningless vocabulary. I just can’t help myself. Must be the perfect grammar of my mother’s Grammar School example coming out in me! You can imagine, however, how ludicrous this sounds, when two of the children in our home originate in a country where English is not the first language! This causes even them to giggle.

The children kept themselves busy as the miles rolled by, as is typical for them. Some wrote journals, others pulled blankets over their heads while they dozed, and my front seat navigator, Courage, methodically circled towns as they passed by. My small companions have been anything but difficult travelers. When opinions were asked for regarding going home or continuing on with our excursion, the vote was unanimous: keep moving! The idea of heading home ranked about a 2 while the thought of seeing Dad, A.K.A. the Framer, scored a big 10.

Before long we were in sight of the bright lights of Edmonton, and as seems to be my habit, we hit rush hour. I sure was looking forward to parking our little home on wheels and spending a restful evening chatting up a storm with a friend I had not seen for five years. We had much to catch up on, and I knew without a doubt we would be up til the wee hours.

Meanwhile, Courage was working madly to keep up with all the texting he was having to do. He was trying to get directions from Erin, inform his father where we were, reassure Renee, in Ontario, that we had arrived safely, and let Karen know that her tea had worked it's magic. We weren't doing too badly until I accidentally shot past a turn I should have made, while talking to a child. It wasn't all for naught though, as it did afford us an opportunity of seeing a herd of bison grazing in a pasture near my friend’s home.

A few more country roads and we were there. I wasn’t sure if I would be able to turn the caravan around, so I sent Isaiah running up the hill to assess the situation. A wave of his arm quickly assured me that all was well. I pulled slowly forward and was met by Julianna and baby, Nathaniel. I hadn’t seen her since she was a wee mite of girl. Now, she was a lovely young lady nearly Courage’s age, and quite clearly a big help to her mother.

With a sigh of relief, I stepped out of the van. I knew that with the genuine hospitality of my friend, Erin and her husband, Les, the sure friendship of the children, and the idyllic setting of the ranch, that this would turn out to be the most restful few days of my trip. I might not want to leave and go home!