PICTURE THAT

 Toronto Trip September 2022

We are driving to visit Maegan and Ryan in their new house. It has been quite a while since we have been in Ontario and are looking forward to seeing Maegan in her natural habitat. 

I remember when the kids were young and my mom and dad came out west to visit us. They were always welcome of course but there was always some stress. Anytime that more than two adults shave a home the dynamics get very complicated. I missed my parents and couldn’t figure out why they visited so seldom. I mean, it was much easier for them to come to us than for us to load up the kids and travel to them. Now I understand.

I have become the age they were and find that my world has condensed and continues to shrink. I suppose that my world will eventually consist of memories and pain control. I am very comfortable in the world I have created and resist change. At home I don’t have change, but travelling is change by its very definition. I don’t particularly enjoy driving and paying hundreds of dollars for gas and lodging over days just seems crazy. However, this trip is the right thing to do and I am trying to enjoy it.

We just drove thru Winnipeg for the first time in fifty years and I now remember that fifty years hasn’t been nearly long enough. The only plus is that it isn’t winter or mosquito season, meaning that I have managed to hit a two week window.

Also for the first time in fifty years we are driving the trip entirely within Canada. Our last trip left  a bad taste in our mouths and the rest of our bodies. Yes, it is a very beautiful country but it is also a very large beautiful country. I wish I could say that we have gotten the worst of the trip done, but that would be a lie. The worst (and most beautiful) begins tomorrow and carries on for the next two and a half days. 

I am excited by the possibilities the trip will bring me.

Oh, I have somehow forgotten to bring my two camera battery chargers so there will come a time when that perfect photo presents itself and I will be holding a dead camera. Thankfully, I do have my cell phone camera and Louise did remember to bring her charging cables.

Picture that.