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The ... ahem.. Big City 8/13/07 |
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Written by Jane
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Friday, 17 August 2007 |
Halifax!
August 13, 2007
OK – this is full time on the road. We’re camped out for a week just outside of Halifax in a suburb called Dartmouth. Miles gets up in the morning, has his coffee and puts on business casual to attend his talks in the City, and Kell and I drop him off at the Buddhist retreat in our diesel guzzling truck like the good housewife and obedient son. I’m becoming a gypsy stepford wife.
The good news is that we’re camped out right on the banks of the Shubenacadie Canal, which was once used by early settlers and the Mi’cmaq to cross from Halifax Harbor to the Bay of Fundy. Very cool. There’s a city-owned beach just across the canal accessible by walking trails and Kell and I had a nice afternoon there yesterday. He’s taken another big leap in the swimming department by learning how to swim underwater for a few strokes at a time. I think that just must be a much more natural way for people to swim – or at least it is for him.
Today, while Miles had his first day of retreat, we went off to the more kid-friendly destinations in Halifax, the Museum of Natural History and the Discovery Center (read science museum for kids). Kell had a ball and so did I. And he finally got to spend some time with other kids in an organized setting (i.e., reptile classes and science experiment labs with other kids). The best part of the science museum for me was the distortion mirrors, the one that made me look skinny to be precise – oh those days … will they ever return?
We also did a little bit of city shopping. They actually have a coop here for outdoor gear – totally cool. I joined for all of $5 and plan on going back to check out their winter gear with Miles on Wed. The main shopping event, and the cause for our explorations, was getting a trailer bike for Kell which I found! I’m so excited to get it on the back of the bike and have visions of touring the N.S countryside with Kell behind me. Of course, no sooner did we squeeze it into the back of the truck and head home than I heard the weather report bemoaning the end of summer in Canada … specifically the coming of frost to Saskatchewan and other prairie provinces --- ahhhhh! I’m already having visions of the doors and windows freezing shut and the water pipes bursting already. Be here now!
Despite the fact that I could spend all day in a funk of foreboding about the coming winter, somehow, I continue to find ways to fill up the entire day (and ignore the growing laundry pile). It’s funny how even when all you have to take care of is a 7 by 31 foot space, the tasks at hand seem to fill the time at hand. So, tomorrow, after a quick hair cut for me downtown (Did I mention that my hair is falling out? Seriously.), I’ve promised that we’ll spend some time in the trailer – Kell doing some “school” type activities that I’ve found and me working on improvement projects (finishing trim, hanging pictures, doing laundry).
It was our second rainy day today and I think tomorrow is going to be the same. Hopefully that will work out well – and we’ll all truly experience the contentment of suburban camping! |
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Last Updated ( Tuesday, 04 September 2007 )
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