tales from the chyc: there and back

there and back: July 31-August 9
~ or the post that I've plugged away at for days ~

Herein lie the details of our vacation. You're welcome to read on, but don't feel obligated to absorb it all. It's a way of thanking those people we did see, and making excuses for our behavior to those we didn't.

We enjoyed our vacation in Manitoba! Our itinerary was not precisely set in stone, but because James had not seen his parents since March 2007 (and my family visited us in May), we'd decided we'd spend the majority of our time with his family.

some of the loot we brought back
(missing from photo: a 2nd can of Good Host Iced Tea, 4 pkgs of farmer sausage,
pickerel fillets, and 1 lb. of New Bothwell fresh "squeaky" cheese)

A week goes by so quickly! Here's how it played out:

Thursday, July 31 - raced home (not that the word "race" really applies to my public transit experience) after my final Intermediate 1A French exam (which I expect I did miserably on), and threw the last few items in my carry-on. We were graciously carted to the airport by Dave & Ci. Our flight left on time, but arrived a few minutes late at the Winnipeg airport. As it turned out, all incoming flights to Winnipeg that same day appeared to have been scheduled to arrive between 10 and 11pm, so just a few moments after Mom & Dad greeted us, we were able to turn around and greet Gwen and Wraith, back from a European tour. That was the first bonus encounter. We stayed in Rosenort for the night.

Friday, August 1

• We slept in, had breakfast, and took off to UM, where we enjoyed lunch at Degrees with Randy H.
  
• James then hung around ENGAP for a bit, while I ran over to the Mauro Centre for a quick gab session with Gayle and Pauline.
  
• Then off to see Diana & Ken, where we enjoyed a Black Forest parfait before
  
• dinner with Jacquie at Applebee's, Grant Park. (Sadly, there are no Applebee's restaurants in Ottawa at present.)
  
• Of course we had to make time to browse in my favorite independent bookstore of all time, McNally Robinson. After all, a trip to Winnipeg without stopping at McNally Robinson is like a day without sunshine or a fish without a bicycle.

Saturday, August 2

• My dad and his siblings and their spouses get together for breakfast in Winnipeg the first Saturday of every month. We joined them this time around. My cousin Shauna met us there, too. (Thanks, Shauna!--in case you're lurking.) I'm so glad I got to see everyone again.
  
• Afterwards, we headed to St. Vital Shopping Centre, where I searched (in vain) for a new bathing suit. Really, it was just a new swim top I needed. (The elastic on my old one is giving way.) Wal-Mart had fantastic prices but pathetic selection, while the Swim Store had slightly more selection, but there was no way I was paying $72.99 for a suit of which I wasn't particularly fond.
  
• However, our trip to the mall was not a total washout. I did remember reading about Team T-Lo's Saturday morning routine. I checked my watch, and lo and behold, it was 11:30am, so I hurried over to the Playpark, and what to my wondering eyes did appear but Tawny and those two guys she holds dear! That was another one of those unplanned bonus encounters.
• Soon after that we sped off to Duane & Celina's, where we spent the better part of the afternoon nibbling on snacks, spinning around the block in a fast, flashy car at warp speed, and dining at The Country Burger. They also presented me with a package of goodies: the Barrel of Monkeys, the Burt's Bees pack, the Barbie stickers, the stories by Miranda July (yellow book), and the gel pens which made it into the photo, as well as the Love's Baby Soft spray which did not. All items had been carefully selected so that I could recapture my fleeting youth. (Thanks, you two kindred spirits! Seeing you again was way more fun than a Barrel of Monkeys!)
  
• Our next stop was Church of the Rock. The newlywedded Hamm-sters were leading worship (and a very cute couple they make); Derek was on electric guitar, which he had taught himself to play just that week (add that to all the other instruments he already plays and, seriously, the guy is a one-man band); I recognized Brenda & Ray, but the other musicians were unfamiliar to me; and Chuck was on audio. Assoc. Pastor Duane M. all but confessed his addiction for everything Coca-Cola, drawing on the former slogan "It's the real thing" as inspiration for his message.
• Following that, Derek, Tim & Marcia, Cindy, Chuck & Wendy & kids, and James & I headed over to (warning: annoying intro at following Web link) Tony Roma's lounge for a round of appetizers and iced tea, where we were served by my stunning cousin Andrea--a third serendipitous encounter. (As I told Cindy, I don't make a practice of hugging restaurant servers, but I hadn't seen Andrea for a couple of years at least.)
  

Sunday, August 3

• We left for Dauphin late morning, arriving at Michelle & Brian's at about 3pm. Dad C., James, Joshua, Nathan, and I walked over to pick up Baba from the Care Home, where our fourth unplanned encounter occurred. Baba's sister's daughter, Liz, and her husband Terry and daughter Tasha were in town (from Toronto) to visit other relatives, and had stopped by to see Baba. The three of them walked back to Michelle & Brian's with us for a short visit. We had a great supper and headed to the farm for night.
  

Monday, August 4

• We spent a leisurely day at James's parents' place. Mom C. hosted a BBQ on their enclosed deck for supper. The food was excellent, and the whole family was there. We hadn't seen Stephen or Sean for ages, so it was great to see them again, and we finally got to meet Stephen's girlfriend, Nicole. (It's easy to see why everybody's smitten with her.)
• Supper was hardly over when "de boys"--James, Glenn, and Sean (who got the seat that wasn't really a seat)--took off in the truck to go fishing at the cabin. "De girls"--Kim, Bailey-pup, and I--followed in Glenn & Kim's vehicle. It's about a 45-minute ride. We had reason to be proud of our fishermen: the guys caught 4 pickerel. We ended off the evening playing dominoes and devouring tortilla chips accompanied by Kim's yummy homemade salsa.
  

Tuesday, August 5

• The sun had barely risen before Glenn and James returned to the water. I was only too content to hang out with Kim on the deck, talking and reading. Michelle, Breanne, and Nathan drove out for the afternoon. (Joshua stayed behind with Grandma & Poppa and the dogs.) Diane, Kim's mom, made her appearance, too; I think we'd last seen her at Christmas 2006. It's always good to see her, and somehow she never shows up without a stash of her famously delicious butter tarts! We swam, snacked, and sunned--three of my favorite "s" words. The guys ended up catching more fish, so Kim treated us to a supper of pickerel, rice, and Caesar salad. Nobody fillets fish better than Glenn--literally, not a single bone to pick with that meal. Dessert was a banana split cake, something Nicole had whipped up on the weekend. With the exception of a quick rainstorm right around suppertime, the weather was perfect.
  

Wednesday, August 6

• Another day of R&R in ideal conditions. The whole camp was quieter than usual, because we visited during the week, and things tend to pick up on weekends. No complaints from us!.James & I headed back to the farm for supper.
  

Thursday, August 7

• Off to the Dauphin mall, where James's Mom took me shopping for a crisp new "birthday suit." No, I didn't get botox injections. It consisted of denim capris, a cami, and a white blouse. I wore the latter two with shorts (it was too hot for anything but) on our afternoon excursion to
• Selo Ukraina and Clear Lake. Some of you will know that Selo Ukraina Memorial Park and Ukrainian Heritage Village is the home of Canada's National Ukrainian Festival. It also serves as the site of Countryfest, which began as the brainchild of my parents-in-law. They were intensely involved in organizing it for many years, and James likes to tell stories of how he worked as a stagehand, thereby meeting the likes of Michelle Wright and Carlene Carter, among others. We took a few minutes to tour around the site and note the number of new bleachers and buildings that have been added recently. The FCA National Archery Tournament (Aug 7-10) was just getting underway; we left before we could be mistaken for targets.
  

Chychotas & Chitas

• Upon our arrival at Clear Lake/Wasagaming, we had snacks, browsed the stores, breaked on the benches at the beach, and enjoyed supper at T.R. McCoy's. This restaurant review sums it up quite nicely, although I myself always order pizza. Two things disappointed me since my last visit: 1) they only open at 5pm (they used to open earlier, so that James & I could have lunch when we took the scenic route to Dauphin); and 2) the prices have increased significantly. The food, however, was scrumptious.
  
• We ended the evening watching the sun go down from Brian & Michelle's deck.
  

part of my birthday suit

Friday, August 8

• We left the farm around 8:30am, washed the truck and grabbed a Tim Horton's coffee in town, then headed back to my parents' place. We got there around 1pm. Of course, I always feel obliged to accompany my mom on at least one trip to the Rosenort Co-op, to say hi to Steve the butcher, who grew up in Aylmer, QC (now part of Gatineau), across the Ottawa River, and anyone else we might meet. Perry drove out for supper (my pre-birthday bash) and stayed at Mom & Dad's overnight. Otherwise we wouldn't have seen him this trip.

Saturday, August 9

• We left for the city around 11am, Dad acting as chauffeur. James had arranged to meet Stevie T. at Tim Horton's/Wendy's on Kenaston at noon. Gwen met us there, too. We had a nice visit; before we knew it, two hours had flown by, and it was time for us to be off to the airport. Kenaston traffic presented me with a few anxious moments (I thought the underpass was supposed to fix everything), but we boarded on time. Unfortunately, our plane's flight schedule had "disappeared," so we had to wait 15-20 minutes longer than anticipated before takeoff. Good thing I had the newspaper and my book to keep me occupied, because I dislike sitting in a stationary plane.
  

Thanks to everyone that hosted us, especially our families!
If we didn't get to see you, or if we did see you but not for long enough, my apologies. Let's see what we can do next time around.