Home again, home again!

After a wonderful couple of weeks together, Sharon and I headed home yesterday. The 3 ½ hour drive was made slightly longer by my enjoyment of the scenery and thus missing a turn. Oops! First I noticed a sign for ‘G’ (why were we heading towards G?) but I didn’t really pay any attention and just kept driving. About 15 mins. later I realized that I could no longer see any Highway 10 signs but only Highway 6. I’d missed the turn about 20 mins. earlier (when I initially noticed the ‘G’ sign!) so we quickly figured out a new route, laughed about my driving and kept going. Note to self: Next time take this with us!

Guess it was only right since I’d made a similar error on my trip to join Sharon. She’d gone ahead to ‘B’ a few days before me. The day I was to join her my friend Deb picked me up at home, loaded my luggage into her car and then drove me to work. After work she picked me up and drove me to the train station. Since there was no direct train from ‘O’ to ‘B’ I needed to go to ‘T’ first and change trains. ‘O’ to ‘T’ went well. Had a 40 min. stopover so grabbed some supper, a snack for bedtime (mmmm…love these Soft Pretzels) hit the loo (no easy task with 2 suitcases plus my carryon bag. Still need to work on traveling ‘lighter’) and all was good. When I exited the bathroom I noticed that my train had moved to the top of the board so I quickly checked what track it was on, headed for the elevator and then boarded the train. Ahhh…time to get comfy. Settled in, got out my book and prepared for the 1 ½ hour train ride north. About 2 mins. before we were to leave the main station the conductor says over the loudspeaker, ‘This train is east bound….east bound? (my ears perk up!) for x, x, x and ‘S’! Oh no!!! I’m on the wrong train! I quickly get myself and stuff together, exit the train, take the elevator downstairs, run and check the board (to realize that they’d ‘flipped’ the order of the trains so I’d misread the board the first time) found the new track number, raced to the elevator, rode it up only to reach the platform in time to watch the train slowly pull out of the station! Too funny! I laughed to myself as I waved to the train as it pulled away and thought of the people who were probably wondering about the crazy, out of breath chick waving to the train as it pulled away.

It was on to ‘Plan B.’ A quick call to Sharon to tell her my story and revised arrival time, a 3 hour bus ride north and I was in ‘B’ Oh well, it and it was a story to tell! Just glad I realized my error before the first train pulled out of the station or I would have been in real trouble!

One of the weird things Sharon and I saw yesterday during our travels was a ‘wind farm.’ It was huge and kinda creepy! We drove for about 5 mins. past what we guessed to be a hundred or so wind turbines. I’ve seen 1 or 2 in my days but never so many of them all clustered together. For as far as the eye could see it was wind turbines.

Once safely at home I chuckled as I checked out my mail. Yes…Carol had been ‘helping’ with my mail. She kindly divided it into categories for me:
- Junk mail
- Mags
- Fun mail (gift packages!)
- Not so fun mail - bills :o( and
- Uh oh – Gov’t mail! (Phew...just Income Tax return)

Thanks for your help Carol! I really appreciate you picking up the mail and watering my plants while I’m away. Also, for stopping by last night when you saw my neighbour’s car in my driveway. We sometimes park in one another’s driveways while the other is away to help give a house the ‘lived in’ look. My neighbour didn’t realize I’d be arriving home in the middle of the week and since my car was still in the garage, she had parked in my driveway last evening. I would have been stumped (and shocked) this morning when I opened my garage door only to find myself facing my neighbour’s car. It did give us a good laugh last night though!

Sharon, thanks for another wonderful couple of weeks together! We’ve often laughed as I’ve said, ‘I think this will probably be the last time we can do this before Hannah comes home.’ Well friend, I’m good for January and won’t count out next June either. Just pleeeease don’t let it be Winnipeg in January! Brrr!