don't it make you smile....

Dear Dad,

Here we are, three provinces, five states, seven beds and multiple iced coffees later, we are home! We made it, we did it, 4,500kms, didn't get lost once, didn't run out of gas or get stuck for a place to sleep. We survived the CSI motel with the red bathtub in Niagara Falls, Whitby, the strip-mall capital of Ontario and I survived the pain of having to leave beautiful Burlington, VT. We even survived the dog/house sitter.

We left Mum's house in the country and her two pooches with a trusty rusty sitter. We felt pretty good on day one heading down the highway knowing someone was holding down the fort, someone that was close enough to us to know the sensitive nature of our trip, someone in her mid-fifties. She arrived like Nanny McPhee with her straw hat and sewing box, her first aid kit in a Rubbermaid container and various other things to keep her occupied for a couple of weeks in the country, exercise bands, self-help books, a laptop computer. We left the house stocked with groceries and my car in case of emergency.

On night one we called to check in with "Nanny McPhee" and there was no answer. After 10:00pm, dark country roads and she was out. She finally called back long after I was in bed for the night, she had been out for a joy ride and missed the driveway upon her return. This put me in a tizzy but the further away we got the less I thought of home, hmmm, maybe you can run away from your troubles, leave them far behind.

We checked our email each night looking for an update from home, I think by Tuesday we may have gotten one. Finally at our rest stop at the Grandmother's we called. A week into our trip, the last leg being our scenic route to savour when suddenly the needle was lifted off the record. "Nanny McPhee" is heading to the airport in the morning (in my car) to pick up a guy she met on the internet, he's flying in from Saskatoon for the week!

After a lot of cursing and plotting and fretting, we decided to stick to our route, we weren't going to let this ruin our vacation. We went through all of the quaint towns you took us through, Winooski, Skowhegan, Saranac Lake. I suppose we would have stopped at the giant can of maple syrup if we didn't have thoughts of a serial killer in our house.

We arrived home late Wednesday night, 10:15ish and were relieved to find she and Mr. eHarmony had fled the scene in a rental car, we haven't heard from them since. The house was in order, the only evidence that anyone was here is her straw hat left on the lampshade.

As I write this, I have just spent the day mowing and am a little sun burnt and I smell like grass. So while a piece of my heart remains in Grand Bend, a piece of you remains in me. When I close my eyes I see you as a boy hunting golf balls at the Oakwood Resort and selling them back to the golfers, I see you as a young father taking us to the beach for the day and now I see you at peace.

Many lessons learned on this journey, for one, the pooches are coming with us on the next trip. They are small enough to sit in the cup holders, we'll just have to drink our iced coffees faster.

Love Poops

I miss you always...

small towns

Dear Dad,

As promised, Green Mountain Coffee in Burlington, VT, oh what a beautiful morning! We took the ferry from NY at 9:30 and arrived at the Church Street Marketplace at 10:30 before the heat and the crowds. It was just like I remembered, I love Vermont! Not only the quaint shops, good coffee and Green Mountains but no tax on clothes, have I mentioned that I love Vermont?

To say that the drive today was really beautiful would be an understatement. From the Green Mountains of Vermont to the White Mountain region of New Hampshire, to the state of Maine, I have never seen so many life sized fake moose in my life. We even found one for sale that was very tempting, it would look great at Christmas with lights on the antlers or on the mini-golf course we plan to build when we get home. The mini-golf course will go right next to the dairy bar we are also opening to raise money to send the Kid to the University of Vermont!

We drove Route 2 most of the day from Burlington to Montpelier to St. Johnsbury to Rumford and Mexico, ME. So many neat places to stop that it would take us 5 months to get home if we did. I wish we had of stopped at the giant maple syrup tin though, that seemed too good to pass by.



All of these little places we've been to before with you. The drive to Nova Scotia from Ontario when we moved we had two cars so we followed you, you were our GPS. On this trip we have used an actual GPS which we affectionately call Richard. Richard has been doing a very good job keeping us going in the right direction, although I started to have thoughts of him leading us into the woods and getting us lost amongst the fake moose....

As we drove through each place I could hear you calling out the name of the town and if anyone wanted to stop you stopped, it didn't matter if it was every 5 minutes. For most of this trip the Kid has watched movies in the backseat. While I wish he would take in more of the scenery it was a blessing today when we passed by Santa's Village in New Hampshire. It was a winter wonderland of fun and water slides on both sides of the highway, we didn't want to stop but he's been so good in the car it would be hard to say no, what to do, what to do? We inched by, his eyes still on the movie, if this were a cartoon the car tires would have been tip-toeing, a little further...a little further...and...we made it, eyes never left the movie!

This trip is starting its wind down and we will soon be back in Canada declaring our Bath & Body Works products. Like this entire journey, the end will be bittersweet, we miss you more than ever but we are so proud of ourselves for what we have accomplished and I know you're proud too. We've learned a few things about travelling and will be that much more prepared for the next trip, like pack light to ensure you have room in the car for moose and maple syrup.

Love Poopsie

around the bend

Dear Dad,

We've been around a lot of bends on this trip...the first being Grand Bend. As with past trips, this is a place I could live. The beach life is for me...beach all day, mini golf in the evening and the most amazing sunset to finish the day. From the top of the main strip you could see the ball of fire starting to sink into the lake a sliver at a time until it disappeared completely. I ran from the mini golf course to catch a few photos of the spectacle and I'm glad I did, the next night was rainy and foggy.

I was glad it rained on our last day or I may not have been pryed from the Adirondack chair of the Boonie Doone Manor. We browsed the shops and I saw a t-shirt that said "dual airbags doesn't mean your wife and your mother-in-law", you would have liked that especially since our next stop was at the Grandmother's in Whitby, ON. We visited the cemetery one last time and while sad to be leaving, at peace.

We arrived at the Grandmother's at dinner time and stayed a couple of days to recharge our batteries. Unfortunately, no internet, being in Whitby cut off from the world is a little rattling, its a drive around another type of bend. The Kid loved it, he's an 80 year old at heart, he had a hot tub with some old geezer the first night then watched the lobby on TV making fun of everyone that entered or left the building.

Mum and I spent an afternoon touring around our old hood, went to the beach and wondered what if...can you ever go back? We had lunch at the Big M Drive-in and the onion rings alone are enough to make me want to go back!

Once recharged we got back on the road for our scenic route home, we travelled through the Adirondacks and passed some really breath-taking scenery, some of the places you've taken us. I was hoping to spend the night in Burlington, VT, one of my favourite places. I had visions of eating pasta and having a glass of red wine at the outdoor courtyard under the twinkly lights. We got as far as Plattsburg, NY and had spaghetti in the room of the EconoLodge, we missed the ferry to Burlington. Maybe breakfast in Burlington...or a coffee?

One of the things I have learned on this trip not to put off until tomorrow what you can do today. Like the almost missed sunset at the Bend, there may not be one tomorrow. If you can take the scenic route on the way there instead of the way home, do it, you never know what you may have to rush home for.

So my dear dad, I will drink a toast of Green Mountain Vermont coffee to you and see what is around the next bend.

Love Poops

setting forth and riding the waves

Dear Dad,

We set forth last Saturday morning, not exactly into the universe and not exactly morning either but before lunch. We made it as far as St. Stephen and called it a day. Clams at Ozzies and smores cooked on the backyard fire pit were enough for us!

Sunday morning we officially set forth into the wild and gained an hour in Calais making our departure from Dunkin Donuts 7:30 rather than 8:30. With breakfast sandwiches and a large coconut coffee under our belts we'd be good for a while. Our first stop was Pete's Pretty Good Ice Cream and would you believe it was closed? How does expect to be better than "pretty good" if he's not even open?

We were really looking forward to doing some factory outlet shopping in Freeport and Kittery but it was too hot. We gave it the old college try at LL Bean and managed to buy a few things.

We stopped for the night in Hampton Falls, NH at the Hampton Falls Inn. It was a lovely looking inn from the outside with a lovely looking lobby and a lovely owner. We were proud for by-passing the Best Westerns and Super 8's and giving our business to the Mom and Pop shop. Apparently Travis Tritt just stayed there the night before. There must a special wing they keep clean for such guests because our room looked like it hadn't been cleaned since...well, since Travis Tritt had a hit. The room did have Wi-Fi but other technical difficulties prevented me from accessing the blog account to write an update.

Monday we became Ninja Road Warriors and drove straight to Niagara Falls. We got there in good time but spent over an hour at the border, I wanted the Kid to see the Falls at night anyway. We had a room waiting for us at the charming Howard Johnson's Express, how bad could it be after last night? It was the drive-up type of motor inn, very CSI. You know you're in a classy joint when there is a bottle opener on the bathroom wall and a bright red bathtub! Needless to say, no Wi-Fi,therefore, no updates.

We left the charm of our Ho-Jo room to walk the main drag to the Falls, it was a little scary to say the least. The street was packed with people, you couldn't move and it was still hot at 10:00 at night. The Falls were beautiful, the one thing about the place that hasn't changed.

This brings us to Tuesday and our arrival in Grand Bend. I knew this trip would be full of laughs and tears and up until now it has been mostly laughs. Mom has a new nickname, she's "Mother Trucker", for various reasons, mainly her fearless driving skills. The closer we got to Grand Bend the harder it was going to be to accomplish this mission because suddenly it was real. The long country road with endless cornfields on either side that led us into the Bend brought waves of tears. It didn't feel right coming here without you playing piano on the dashboard of the car.

We had the evening to explore and while a lot has changed, the essence of the place hasn't, its a beach town and it welcomes you and during your stay you're a beach bum without a care in the world. Walk the main drag, buy some fries, lay on the beach for an hour or four, I can see why you loved it here, and now you are home.

We didn't come here without you, you've been with us every mile of the way, I knew when "Footloose" came on the radio, and we won't be leaving here without you either.

Love Poops

just breathe....

This time last year I was getting ready to go on summer vacation with my son and my Mom and Dad, a week in a lighthouse on Prince Edward Island...bliss! Tonight I am packing to go on summer vacation with my son and my Mom, but no Dad. Sadly, we lost him 10 months ago.

We didn't expect he would be taken away from us so soon, he just turned 67, so as he was taking his last breath in the hospital my Mom told him he couldn't go yet, she hollered at him to "JUST BREATHE, JUST BREATHE, JUST BREATHE". So he did. She has a way of making people listen, even on their death bed. I am very grateful he listened because he kept breathing long enough for me and my son to get to the hospital, long enough for my brother and his family to arrive from New Brunswick and then for two full days so we could be together and accept what was about to happen, we were going to lose one of our own.

Just breathe is my mantra. It started with my Mom yelling it at my Dad. It is also the title of a Pearl Jam song that came out at the very same time as he was lying in the hospital. The words fit so eerily perfect, they could have been his, "I'm a lucky man to count on both hands the ones I love..." Pearl Jam have been the soundtrack to my life for the past 19 years, in fact I had just seen them in Toronto a month prior. Their music gives me what I need when I need it. I was fortunate enough to see them perform "Just Breathe" live this year in Hartford, CT, it was so beautiful and surreal, for that moment the 15,999 other people in the arena disappeared and it was just me and Mr. Vedder...

In a couple of days we will be loading up the car and setting forth on a road trip to take my Dad's ashes back to his hometown of Grand Bend, ON. The road will be paved with a lot of tears and most certainly, a lot of laughs. The three of us are pretty tight, I've been a single mom since I was six weeks pregnant, but that's a whole other story! My Mom was in the delivery room with me and has been my rock every step of the way. Although the purpose of this trip doesn't really scream fun, fun will be had, how can you not with an 8 year old that will be seeing Niagara Falls for the first time?

I can't wait to show him Grand Bend! I have such fond childhood memories of spending summers there. We would stay with my great-grandparents and spend the whole day at the beach. I can still hear the waves sashay in to lick my toes then crash out while I lay on my belly and drift off with the sun warm on my back. Then we'd peel ourselves off the sand, make our way back to the house for a home cooked meal (even though we'd stuffed ourselves with french fries and ice cream at the beach) and I would sleep on the couch on the screened porch, the passing cars lulling me to sleep.

My parents were the king and queen of road trips. As kids we were always going on a big summer adventure. One summer we drove the Toyota Corolla from Ontario to British Columbia. Right after Elvis died we piled into the Plymouth Valiant and drove to Graceland. We didn't seem to have a time deadline at all, we would drive until we found a nice place to stay with a decent pool then stop for a night or two or three, whatever.

My Dad was always the pilot on these adventures, he always seemed to know where he was going, we always felt safe with him at the wheel. One of the last big trips we took as a family before he got sick and couldn't drive anymore was the exact same route we will be taking on this trip. We cross the Canada/U.S. border at St.Stephen into Calais, Maine and drive through Vermont, New Hampshire, New York. He drove us through Lake Placid and the White Mountains, the scenery was breathtaking and every town we stopped in was a place I wanted to move to, like Burlington, Vermont. He had a way of making it seem like we just stumbled upon these amazing places when in fact he had carefully prepared the route well in advance of the trip, knowing exactly what little back road he would take and where it would lead.

My Dad started calling me Poopsie many many years ago...just to bug me. I wasn't and still am not really a morning person and he knew it would drive me nuts. The name stuck and I found myself responding to Poopsie or Poops and it became odd to hear him call me by my name.

So, my dear Dad, this road trip is a tribute to you. I've packed light, well somewhat light and am armed with great memories, funny stories and hopefully your sense of direction! I will keep you posted along the way and I will remember to just breathe....

Love Poopsie