Lions and Tigers and Bears...

I have converted another one!  After spending the weekend with us, Haydon was suddenly in desperate need of a Build-a-Bear of his own, and so it was that Monday morning started earlier than any day since this trip began!  Of all the tourist sites to entice these people out of bed, it took a 17 year old boy's desire for all of them to be a part of his creating a bear, to get them up and out of the house by 9am!  In fact, when Di set the alarm on her phone, she titled it "OMG Haydon!!" (even with two exclamation points - I know because she just checked it).  But they did it, they got up and took him back over to the store in Kitchener, where he enjoyed the full-treatment and although he might be too proud to admit it, I think he loved it as much (if not more) than any child would.

With bear in hand, Haydon was dropped off at home and the rest of us returned to Toronto to spend the rest of the day in the zoo.  This was a personal request of Nate, as he'd learned that it is the largest zoo in North America (3rd largest in the world), and I guess he just had to see this for himself.  Of course, when you don't get there until 2pm its really hard to see that its the largest zoo because its impossible to actually see the entire zoo in that amount of time, so he'll just have to take my word for it.

Now, to my devoted followers, you will probably remember that I have been to the Hogle Zoo in Salt Lake City twice in this last year, and I want to tell you that there is no way to compare these two zoos.  While some might argue that the Hogle Zoo is small, I think its just my size!  Not only is it very easy to see in a day, but it is very accessible to a little bear like myself, who loves going right up to the windows and enjoying the interactions with the animals on the other side of the glass.  My time at the Toronto Zoo was bordering on overwhelming, and there were only a few places were I truly got to enjoy sticking my nose (and paws) right up to the glass!  And, even though we spent about five hours there, we only managed to see about half of it (if that).

Still, it was a beautiful day as Di can prove by the many pictures she took of the sky, trees, and well, anything else that took her fancy (occasionally taking a picture of an animal or two as well).  And yet, as irony would have it, the most beautiful sunset that we have witnessed on this trip was enjoyed while stuck in traffic driving through Toronto, and no real chance at getting a photograph.  Go figure!

Tim Horton's Count: 1 (Total = 41)
Whatever!

Do Nothing Days

Looking at my latest post would lead one to believe that we went to Niagara Falls on Friday, leaving my precious readers wondering what we did on Wednesday and Thursday.  Well, the truth is, we went to Niagara Falls on Wednesday and it took two days to get someone to actually write about it for me!  So, the next question would be; what was so all-important in those two days that would cause such a delay in my blog updates?  Nothing, I tell you!  Nothing!

Thursday was deemed laundry-day, although dedicating an entire day to a two hour laundromat run seems a bit extreme to me, but I didn't have much choice in the matter, so I just sighed and sat on my little counter by the door waiting for something more exciting to come along.

 Friday wasn't a whole lot more interesting, to be honest.  The highlight of the day was going to the mall to look at video games and new cameras, and then hitting a 24 hr grocery store on the way home.  Well, we didn't actually hit the grocery store, we just went inside it to, well... get groceries (imagine!).  Yes, definitely an exciting day.

Plans for this weekend have changed numerous times over, and I've kind of lost track of what is happening.  One minute we were going to some cottage, then we were having friends come over, then we were back to doing nothing again.  Nobody could decide on anything, and trying to co-ordinate things with teenagers on their last week before returning to school is harder than one might think.  As a result, we've continued the practice of sitting around early afternoon, staring at each other saying "I don't know, what do you want to do?"  *sigh*

Finally, something exciting happened!  We all got in the car and drove over to Kitchener to pick up Haydon so he could join us for the night (for those who may have forgotten already, he is the teenage nephew who was missing at last weekend's family gathering).  On the return trip we took a detour to the West Montrose Bridge (aka "Kissing Bridge").  I'm not quite sure why this is such a tourist stop, but the sign says its the only covered bridge still standing in Ontario (built in the 1800s sometime).  We stood around while Clare and Di took the obligatory photos that are required at all tourist sites, whether its something that you really want a picture of or not, and then piled back in the car to return home.

The final comment on the day has to be the excursion to Walmart after dinner.  I only mention this because I'm impressed with the fact that this is the first time this crew has set foot in the store this entire trip!  Unlike my last adventure in Utah, which had me going to two different Walmarts on the first day, they have managed to go a week and a half without entering one at all.  I had begun to wonder if we could actually make it the full two weeks without visiting one.  I guess not.

So ends another nothing-day in the life of this little bear.  Perhaps tomorrow will bring something new.

Tim Horton's Count (all 3 days): 8  (Total = 40) ... and we have yet to enter a single one!
Whatever!

Getting Wet in Niagara Falls

Deciding that we were more interested in an evening at the falls, than a full day (in order to enjoy the lights on the falls), the alarm was set for 1pm.  Yes, I'm serious, they actually had to set an alarm to assure that they could be out of the house by 2pm. 

They didn't do too bad, and managed to get to Niagara by about 4:30.  While searching for a bank machine in order to have the required exorbitant fee for parking, Clare decided to introduce them to Clifton Hill.  For those of you familiar with this atrocity, I apologize for allowing this to be their first site in the town of Niagara Falls.  For those of you not familiar with it, it's, well, a street of tacky side show stores with even tackier storefronts.  Clare and I had tried to prepare Nate and Di for what they would see, but their shock was still apparent as we drove through the intersection and they were able to see down the hill at the spectacle before us.  Di even blurted out something like "This is the last thing I would expect to see in Canada!"

We drove straight through that mess, alongside the river to find an incredibly good parking spot near the Horseshoe Falls.  I guess there is some advantage to sleeping in, going late and taking the parking spots of those early-risers who had already left for the day.  I am with Clare in saying that seeing someone's first reaction to The Falls is about as satisfying as it can get.  It's always fun to see them stare in wonder at the speed and vastness of the river before they've even seen the falls themselves, and then having to pull them along saying, "Come on, there's more!"  They say that a million bathtubs of water go over that falls every minute.  I didn't see many bathtubs, but I did see one heck of a lot of water, enough to say that is not a place I'd like to try river-rafting!

After the first fifty or so photographs were taken, we started moving down the river towards the entrance for the Maid of the Mist, but just then the sun hit that optimal place in the sky and a huge rainbow appeared over the river, and while more photos were taken, the second rainbow appeared faintly above it.  I was so excited as, while The Falls is a popular place to see rainbows, it is not guaranteed, let alone a double one!  Of course, the appearance of these rainbows also made it a very slow walk to the boat... very slow walk... but hey, a LOT of photos were taken!

Eventually we made it to the Maid of the Mist, where there was surprisingly no line.  Everyone was handed their very fashionable blue rain-capes and then Di had to assist both Nate and Clare with getting them on (trust me, this was a very ironic moment for all).  I donned my own rain gear (acquired in Newfoundland), and then we walked straight to the top level of the boat and secured a place right at the bow of the boat before it started filling up with other blue-cape wearing, camera holding passengers.  The wind was fierce and we were getting sprayed by mist long before we even reached the Horseshoe Falls, yet Clare held her determination to photograph as much as she could, even if it meant getting soaked herself, and constantly trying to find a dry piece of t-shirt to wipe the lens.  But photograph it she did, and well worth the effort (of course, I could say that as I was kept nice and dry under the rain-cape).  I do think I was the only one that came off that boat dry though!

Naturally, the path from the dock led us straight through a rather large gift shop, which my three companions perused extensively.  Normally I would complain about, or at least make sarcastic comments about such things, but this time I think I made the biggest haul.  Not only did Clare find a small teddy with a blue cape with the Maid of the Mist Logo that would fit me, but Nate found me the greatest clip for hanging onto backpacks (I was using a long one with maple leaves).  I could waste precious time describing it to you, but that's quite silly when I know there's a photo here somewhere mixed in with the million photos taken between the three of them, so I'll just insist Clare find it and include it (it is MY blog after all).

The next stop on the agenda (yeah, there was an agenda for this day, or at least an attempt at one), was none other than Build-a-Bear.  I know, you're probably wondering what on earth would be the draw to such a store, but there were rumours that they had special items at this particular location specifically for tourists so I just HAD to find out what items I could find for my furry friends back home.  Sure enough, they had little tourist t-shirts for bears, but my personal favourite was a fabric barrel that the bear could wear (like the ones idiots have used to go over the falls in the past).  Very cute, and while it was not an item anyone else seemed interested in, it did require a picture.  While there Di & Clare each got Niagara Ts for the bears they bought together in Utah, and Nate decided to connect with his inner-little-boy and made himself a wolf with a Jedi outfit (Star Wars sound effects and all).  Oh yeah, I'm gonna convert everyone to bear-lovers yet (even if it was a wolf).

Dinner was enjoyed in a restaurant on Clifton Hill.  Yeah, I hate to admit it, but I just had to take them back there and let them see it all up close.  Besides, that's where Build-a-Bear was :).  With cell phones that take pretty good night-pictures, we were able to collect a number of shots of this wonderful street to share with all of my fans who I know are just dying to know what I've been going on about!

By the time they finished eating it was gone 10pm, but Clare decided to drag the rest of us through the Lego city exhibit that she's been wanting to check out for years.  Turns out it was nothing like she expected (I guess once you've been to Legoland everything else pales in comparison).  The place was empty and we even tried to get some of the staff to assist us in some fun shots with me in the Lego town, but none of them seemed interested in paying any attention to us whatsoever, so we left.

Since the exhibit was upstairs with no windows, we were not expecting to return to the street and find a torrential downpour.  Now, the weather report had said that thunderstorms were expected in the evening, so this wasn't a huge surprise,  In fact we'd all just been grateful it had held off as long as it did.  However, now that it had arrived, it was holding nothing back!  It was coming down as hard as if it had been standing on a boat directly under the falls.  Thankfully they'd kept the cheap Maid of the Mist rain-capes and quickly pulled them out to cover backpacks and the teddy bear box, as well as tucking me away safe before the lengthy walk back to the car.

The lightning was incredible, and had us all jumping more than once as thunder cracked a little closer than one might like.  We walked like drowned rats along the river to the falls and gave in to soaking feet as they quickly stopped avoiding puddles, splashing in them instead.  I think my dear friend KayRena back in Utah would be very proud of all of them!  I mean, once you're wet, you're wet, right? 

Some might feel this was a sad way to end what had been an amazing day at the falls, but we refused to let it get to us, and as a result we were treated to one of the most amazing things any of us had ever seen.  For those of you who don't know, both the American and Horseshoe Falls are lit up every night by some serious heavy-duty flood lights on the Canadian side, changing colours every ten minutes or so.  Well, with the rain so heavy, these floodlights were creating strange arcs of light across the sky above us, which was cool enough on its own, but when the main lights to the Horseshoe Falls switched to white, suddenly we were staring into a true, seven-colour, DOUBLE rainbow against a black sky, disappearing only by the bright flashes of lightning that were inundating us with almost-daylight power.  Deciding that a photo of this had to at least be attempted, Di pulled out her camera, and a few seconds later a squeal of excitement was heard over the thunder.  It turns out, that she managed to catch a bolt of lightning as it streaked sideways across the sky right between the rainbow.  Sure, maybe the rainbow doesn't show up as well because of the lit sky, but come on, what are the chances!!!

While it was a long drive home in wet clothes (well they all had wet clothes, I was quite dry actually), I really don't think anyone minded, having experienced the falls in so many wonderful ways.

Tim Horton's Count: 16 (Total = 32)
Whatever!

A Step Above (Or Two, Or Three)

They did it! They actually got themselves up, dressed, and out the door by 11am. Aren't you proud of them!

The drive was uneventful, which is always a good thing when you have places to be at a certain time. I think the adventure really started for Di and Nate when we passed the airport and the highway became 16 lanes wide! Then, they both enjoyed their first-ever ride on a subway in order to get downtown without the hassle of parking. I'm not sure what they really thought, but hey, I liked it and that's all that really matters, right?


There is something to be said for eating at the 360 Restaurant, but I'm not going to say it!

Ahhh I think my typist and proof-reader are getting giddy. Anyhow, I digress. While many consider the restaurant over-priced, there are definitely a number of perks, especially when its busy. The most obvious is that it includes the ride up the elevator (which is about $25 a piece). It also allows you to avoid all the lines and go straight to the private elevator (those lines must have been at least an hour long). Then, you get to sit by the windows and not fight for the view with hundreds of other visitors, while you wait for some pretty amazing food. Finally, you can go down and visit the observation deck, glass floor and so forth, then return to the restaurant level and again avoid the long lines waiting to return to ground level. Yup, I'd say its a pretty sweet deal.

While my companions were happily filling themselves with food, I enjoyed checking out the view as the restaurant slowly rotated, giving us full view of Toronto, Centre Island, Lake Ontario, and even the shore of New York State in the distance (only with the help of binoculars of course). After they ate, I just had to drag them downstairs to the infamous glass floor, where we fought for space between children and adults all trying to pose on the floor for various typical photos, including looking like you are skydiving. Hey, I'm not too proud to do the typical!

Eventually we came back down from the clouds, and since it was rush-hour decided to check out PATH, a huge network of tunnels connecting many blocks of businesses. Di and Nate didn't get it at first, so Clare found a map and showed them just how big it is. For those of you who like random tidbits of info that have nothing to do with anything important; "PATH is a 28-kilometre (17 mi) network of pedestrian tunnels beneath the office towers of Downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada. According to Guinness World Records, PATH is the largest underground shopping complex in the world with 371,600 m² (4 million sq. ft.) of retail space." (thank you Wikipedia for that enlightening experience).

Did we explore 17 miles of PATH?  Absolutely not. We ventured through one small corner of the map, found yet another Tim Horton's, and then jumped on a subway to return to Northern Toronto, the car, and eventually, home!

Tim Horton's Count: 7 (Total = 16) I have a feeling this number would have been much higher had we driven downtown instead of hiding underground, but... well...
Whatever :).

I Win!

After waking up at noon (yeah I guess that's kinda early for this crew), much discussion was had about trips to either Niagara Falls or the CN Tower. Of course, that "discussion" really just meant a lot of "I dunno, what do you want to do?" It was a beautiful, clear day so at some point things started leaning towards the CN Tower.

Having stage one of the decision-making handled, they then went on to determine whether they were going to pay to go to the top, or have dinner at the 360 Restaurant up there. Finally it was agreed that it would be fun to have dinner at the top, and it sure saves paying to get to the top and then buying dinner somewhere as well. On further investigation (procrastination) it was learned that there were no available tables for that evening's dinner, or the next's for that matter. It was too late for lunch, but Clare finally picked up the phone and made a reservation for Tuesday lunch (well 1:30pm because that was their latest time for lunch - I mean, we wouldn't want them to have to get up too early now, would we?)

So... now they'd killed another hour and still no decision was made for the day! Oh yes, they now had plans for the NEXT day, and spent at least another half hour planning how early they had to get up to get to the Tower on time. 10am was the final decision for those of you fascinated by this groups' sleeping patterns, and this they considered EARLY.  Boy, they would not survive with Rissa coordinating their trip at all!!

At this point it was decided that Niagara Falls was not a possibility because they would get home late, and it was going to be hard enough to get up early as it was (no, I'm not kidding, this was actually said).  Now its almost 3pm and yet no decision has been made on the day (*slaps paw against forehead wondering if they'll ever pull it together). However, once it was agreed that we were not going to Niagara Falls NOR Toronto, I suggested St. Jacob's a little village that specializes in Mennonite creations (and a whole lot of non-Mennonite stuff for sale just because people think its all Mennonite stuff). Of course, by the time they got their act together, got out the door and drove over there, it was only an hour before the stores closed. Still, St. Jacob's isn't what it used to be and really that was plenty of time for these three.

Following that, we headed over to the St. Jacob's Outlet mall, so Clare could show Nate the Lego store (I'm sure Di was thrilled). The store was empty so Clare and Nate spent a good amount of time building race cars for Thomas (the wolf) and me to test drive on the track they have there. I think this set-up is for kids, but nowhere does it say its not for the kid-at-heart, so much fun was had by all. As for me, it was definitely the highlight of the day, partly because I won (I shouldn't say that too loudly because Thomas might argue)!

After a few sunset stops on country roads for sunset photos, we made it back to watch a video before agreeing all should go to bed, as they had to "get up early".

Tim Horton's Count: 1 (Total = 9)
Whatever!

I'm Singing in the Rain

Well maybe not singing, partly since I have no vocal chords, and partly because I was tucked safely into Di's inside pocket while she and Clare went for a walk to photograph the backyard in the rain.  Since this was the sum total of the day, there isn't a whole lot for me to say about it all.  However, they took some pretty cool pictures between them so I thought I'd let the pictures speak for themselves, except that pictures can't talk (mostly because they don't have vocal chords either).  So, umm... well make up your own story.

 

That's a Long Way to Go to Adopt a Family

Ok, lets just cut to the chase here.  The focus of the day was getting to introduce my tourists to the family!  As scary as it is, Clare set up a family dinner.  Sadly, Haydon (Clare's 17 year old nephew) had made previous plans and could not attend, but my dear traveling companion Rissa, her husband Olly, and then Liv & Bryan (Clare's sister and her husband), not that any of you really care about the names unless you are those people in which case you already know your names, so its irrelevant now isn't it?

The afternoon started well in my opinion as Clare, Nate and Di sat on the swing in the backyard and the family sat inside watching the end of a NASCAR race, which they repeatedly said was almost over.  In fact we were even informed that there were only Few minutes left, more than once.  I'm not sure how long a Few minute is, but there seemed to be an awfully lot of them.  I will give credit to Rissa for attempting to sit outside and be sociable but even she took off inside when it got too exciting to ignore. 

Upon completion of the race (no, I don't know who won, nor do I care), dinner was prepared with marvelous made-to-order steaks, barbequed veggies, and what has been renamed "Clare salad" (note: no Clares were harmed in the making of this salad, and for those who are familiar with Rainbow Pepper Salad, they are one and the same).

I could go to great lengths to describe the entire experience but perhaps it would be more fitting to just share some of the quotes that really defined, not only the dinner and conversation, but the nature of the family as a whole...

Getting To Know You:
- "Liv, Di;  Di, Liv"
- "I assume you have names, but I don't remember if I was told what they were"
- "I can stop talking long enough to listen if they have something interesting to say" (So, if she won't stop talking...)
- "Nate and I are bonding over Transporter 3," says Olivia as Di sits down between her and Nate.
   "Yup," adds Nate
   "Wow, I feel kinda awkward sitting between you two now," Di replies.  "Shall I move?"

The Missing Link:
(In other words, don't miss a family party or you WILL be the brunt of all jokes)
- "You realize Liv, all that I know about your son is that I've seen photos of him in a Sailor Moon outfit, golden shorts, and that he loves to watch Toddlers in Tiaras.  It leaves me wondering just how people raise their kids in Canada"
- Discussing Haydon's ability to help around the house and/or get a job, Liv quoted a conversation she had with him that ended with him saying "Mom, I'm not stupid; you know that.  I can do all those things.  I'm just lazy."


Food Glorious Food:
- "Wanna see what they look like before I dump them in a bowl?" Rissa exclaims holding a large foil pack of food from the barbeque under Di and Nate's nose and then pulling it away.  As she runs back to the kitchen, Di looks bewildered and says "What was it?"
- "Do you like your steaks more crispy?"
- "Di, de-do-dah those strawberries"
- "I'm a banana!" announced loudly from the kitchen for no apparent reason whatsoever, quickly followed by giggles.

From my little observation point on the coffee table, it seems to me that these two friends from Utah fit into this family as if they'd always been a part of it.  Is that a compliment or not?  You be the judge!

Tiim Horton's Count: 0 (Total = 8) Today's count only limited by the fact that we didn't go anywhere we had not already been earlier this week.
Whatever!

Your Sky is So Big!

"Good morning!"  Yes, they could actually say those words and mean them, as they were up before noon.  Granted, it was 11:30 but I guess that still counts.  This was followed with a few hours of deliberation and many comments like "I don't know... what do you want to do?"  Oh my, where is my detailed, minute by minute, planner Rissa when I need her?  Clearly I should have sat down with her last week and had her create an entire itinerary for these three so that they could appropriately disregard it.

Since Clare needed to take one of her computers in for service, Nate jumped at the idea to check out a store called Future Shop (does this mean you can buy your future?).  For those not in the know, it is a store for geeks, gamers, oh and the occasional person looking for a washing machine.  Believe it or not, our two resident geeks actually left that store without spending a dime (or a penny even), and Clare's computer was still under warranty.  I think everyone should be quite proud of them both (Di rolled eyes and gave them both a * Gold Star for their foreheads)!

Next stop... another store!  At least this time it was one I actually enjoy.  You guessed it (ok maybe you didn't, but I can think of a few friends who already have)... Build-a-Bear!  They have so many more outfits for small-frys now (in other words it's a "just-my-size" clothing store).

It looks better with snow!

Upon leaving the mall, I just had to share with my tourist friends our equivalent of Park City.  I mean they'd showed me this beautiful town in the mountains with ski lifts popping up like daisies, so it only seemed fair to show them where the locals go to enjoy the same type of winter recreation.  Yes, my Ontario friends, I had Clare drive us to Chicopee Ski Hill.  Di's first response: "Wow... that's... um... some ski hill!"

Between these various store trips, I had Clare drive the scenic routes.  Now, I'm sure those of you from this area are sitting there wondering what the scenic route could possibly be when these two tourists are from an area surrounded by beautiful mountains.  But, as we skirted the city of Guelph, driving country roads, the constant sound from the passenger seat was "Wow!  It's so flat!"  "You can see the bottom of the clouds!"  "How do the trees grow that close together?!" "Look!  They have real cows in Canada!"  (Ok so that one was a joke, but it WAS said).  "Honey, they have wildflowers growing on the side of the road!" and last, but certainly not least: "There are just flat fields forever and then, poof, there's a forest right in the middle of a field!"

For all the teasing and laughing we did over the comments made during these escapades through the Ontario countryside, I can only say that it truly takes new eyes to make you appreciate what's right in front of you.  Just as Clare was overwhelmed with amazement at the mountains, while Utahns stood around thinking "they're just mountains", Di was equally breathless with awe at the simplicity of the landscape.  As Clare drove, I could not help but try and look at my surroundings with the same wonder that I only recently felt in the mountains of Utah.  What an interesting new perspective.

Wait!  It can't end there!  I gave these two girls four hours to update my blog and there are still 15 minutes to go!  Oh well, I suppose if I keep them up then I won't be able to make fun of them staying up and talking, not to mention they said they were getting up early to go to the St. Jacob's Farmer's Market.  Yeah, I'll believe THAT when I see it!

Tim Horton's Count: 3 (Total = 8)  Keep in mind these are UNIQUE stores, and does not include ones we've passed on previous days, nor does it include billboards, advertisements or other methods of coffee-based brain washing.
Whatever!

Pass the Chips, Please.

While I may have mentioned in my last post that we all got safely home to Clare's apartment at 4am, I did not mention that Clare and Di continued to talk until 8am!  Now I happen to know that these two email each other several times a day, and they'd just spent almost four hours in a car together, so what they possibly had to talk about for another four hours is completely beyond me, but that's how it happened!

As a result of their late night (or should I say morning), their first real day in Canada was a day off for me.  I mean how can I be a tour guide to a bunch of people lying in bed!  Still, they eventually got around to wakefulness, mostly due to intense hunger and a lack of food in the house, not that Clare didn't TRY and prepare for their coming, they just kept telling her they'd go shopping with her the first day.  I bet they regretted that decision.

When hunger prevails, a restaurant always seems to be the first choice, especially given that fast food places tend not to cater to Celiacs very well.  Since they had always been fighting to find restaurants that understand (or even know of) gluten while in Utah, Clare was eager to introduce my friends to Swiss Chalet, a place known for its chicken and ribs.  What Ontario has to do with the Swiss or Chalets is beyond me, but the chain does very well, and all were impressed with their willingness and ability to work with both Clare and Di's dietary needs.  I can't help wonder what Clare would eat if we were to return to Peru now!

Once their bellies were full, we took a drive over to Riverside Park, but never actually parked.  We just drove through, but I'm not sure why except maybe to follow the strange van that had "CAUTION SCHOOL CHILDREN" written on the back of it.  A discussion followed about the various interpretations of the three words, depending on where you put the stress (or comma if you were to use punctuation)...
- caution; school children
- caution, school children
- caution school: children
Whatever!  You figure it out! 


The final chore of the day was to obtain groceries.  One would think this would be a fairly simple task.  There are grocery stores in the United States after all!  However, what started as a simple drive to a store known to have a good gluten-free variety, ended up a tour of three different grocery stores, in two cities (two of which were the same store just different location).  Here are just two examples that might give you some idea as to why a simple grocery store run became a major operation;


While looking for milk, Di and Nate stare blankly at the 1L carton, the 2L carton, and the 4L bags, ask where the 1 gallon jug is and then question how one is expected to drink from a bag!


At the till Di attempts to pay with her credit card and the cashier asks if it has a chip.  Di, bewildered, can only respond with "No, we didn't buy chips."

Finally we acquired enough grub to last a few days, returned home where I appropriately introduced them to the wonderful Canadian singing group "Arrogant Worms" by entertaining them with a recorded concert.  I may live to regret that showing as we've listened to nothing but Arrogant Worms in the car ever since.

Once the video was over, Nate smartly went to sleep while Clare and Di continued to talk (is anyone seeing a pattern here?).  I'm not even going to comment on when they went to bed this time, but I will say they were proud to inform me they went to bed "early"... I suppose 4am is early if its when you are waking up.


Tim Horton's Count: 2 (Total = 5)
Whatever!

That's a Long Way to Go for a Coffee!

Ok, ok I'm sure you've all been waiting to find out if my friends even made it to Canada, let alone if they are having fun with me as their tour guide.  Well, I lay complete blame with Clare and Di who never seem to stop talking long enough to serve me as they should.  Well, tonight I put my foot down (ok paw) and since it is only midnight, and they seem to like bedtime around 4am, I've given them plenty of time to update all my fans on our most recent adventures.

But I'm getting ahead of myself.  As always, my adventures begin in airports and although I might not have been present, this adventure started as any true Whatever adventure should!  My good friend Di, the same friend who took a lot of convincing that she could indeed brave an airport and make it to Detroit where Clare and I would safely see her across the border, was the fortunate recipient of the random full body scan at the security desks in the Salt Lake City airport, where she stood with tears streaming down her cheeks in a glass box and then had some weird wand thing passed over her open palms.  I have been on many planes now, and Clare even more than I, and we have never received the honour of such a dedicated security process. 

Learning this story after the fact, explained why Clare and I did not receive the expected email informing us that they had made it to their gate and were waiting to board.  You may feel this an unnecessary piece of information, but you see, Clare and I needed to leave at the same time as they were to board their plane in order for all of us to arrive in Detroit together.  How crazy is that!  So, off Clare and I went, going on the faith and hope that Di would have found some way to contact us had they missed their plane.

For those of you who remember my last adventure with these two, Di is very proficient at taking photos out of windows of moving vehicles, and this clearly includes airplanes.  Her fascination with clouds on the ground was multiplied ten times over as she found herself above them, but the reason I bring this up at all was the most interesting camera angle of the plane's wing, which does indeed look something like a fish (or shark) out of water.



Well, to keep this from becoming any longer (well not really), I will inform you that the plane landed about the same time that Clare and I pulled into the airport parking lot.  Could that have been any better timed?  I think not.  My friends were last off the plane, so I was there waiting for them when they came through the doors.  My only gripe is that they hugged Clare first - how rude!

The drive home was long and uneventful.  Even the border crossing was bordering on boring.  While Nate fell asleep in the back seat, Clare and Di talked and I smiled as Di marveled at the silhouettes of many varieties of trees against a moonlit sky.  What Clare had aptly described as 3 hours of straight, flat road and nothing to see but farmland and trees, was something completely beautiful to Di.  Talk about perspectives.


To finish this wonderful first day (although it was actually 4am on the next day but who's counting), I must share with you a story from before Di's departure.  She was informed one night, that should she go to Canada and not partake of a Tim Horton's coffee, she would be an outcast.  Di had no idea what this meant, and upon informing Clare of this she received only laughter.  So began the quest to find said Tim Horton's...

Now, to those of you who are from Canada, you can stop laughing and be patient while I explain this to all my non-Canadian readers (yes, I do too have fans outside of Canada!).  I will not bore any of you with the history of the place, but simply explain that it is the most common donut and coffee shop in Canada.  When Di responded with "I'll have to remember that", her friend simply said "Oh you won't have to.  They will be on every corner, every billboard, on the radio and every commercial break."  He's not far off I'd say.

So, when finally arriving in Guelph, Clare kindly pointed out the first Tim Horton's she passed, and then the second, and the third (and she hadn't even left Woodlawn Road!).  So began the "Tim Horton's Count", referring only to new stores seen over the course of the trip.

Tim Horton's Count: 3 (Total = 3)
Whatever!

On the Road Again

Ok, well not exactly...

If you were in the least interested in my last journey you may recall some fun stories of standing on snow and sand in the same day, checking out shoe trees, seeing a ski lift that started in the middle of a town, huge arches, a home built into the side of a rock, and many other stories with my friends Nate and Di, oh yeah, and Clare was there too.  If you remember that much, you might also remember that these two were not experienced travellers like myself, in fact it was quite an adventure in itself to get them out the door to drive 5 hours down the road to Moab for one night!

Believe it or not, these same two of the friends are now braving their own fears of travelling, and heading outside of their comfort zone, as well as their country, to visit ME (they just said they're visiting Clare to make her feel good, and well, they might still be a little shy about admitting they are flying across the country to visit a teddy bear).  Now I know, you're probably asking yourself why on earth am I writing if I'm not going on an adventure of my own... ok maybe you aren't asking, but I'm going to tell you anways.  I'm going to be a tour guide!  Can you believe it?  I know, who wouldn't want me as their personal tour guide - come on, admit it!  Yes indeed, they will see Ontario like none other!

Step One - go get them!
Yes, so in my determination to get them here, I convinced them that they would not have to change planes or even deal with customs on their own.  Of course, I might have been kind enough to forewarn Clare of my clever plan because now she has the joy of driving the three something hours to Detroit Michigan to go get them.  I don't think she minds though since it meant the difference between them coming and not coming, and they are her friends too you know (or so they say).

As usual, I have no doubt there will be a story or two to tell just in the airports alone, so you can all look forward to that tomorrow.  But for now, Clare is getting on my case that she needs to sleep if she's going to drive, so I have to go.  Whatever!!