I think I left off on Wednesday afternoon (oh yes, it was a beautiful day and I was just about to make mojitos for a bunch of people). Several of us sat at our place, sipping our summer drinks and chatting about trips and other adventures. We didn’t linger into the evening though as the farewell dinner was that night.
We drove into Gananoque to Maple Leaf, a Czech restaurant with schnitzel on the menu. We sat with a few people we hadn’t visited with much which was great. Doug & Sue are full-timers and Jane & Paul might as well be as they are gone so much. We spent lots of time with Andy & Edna and consider them to be good friends. Everyone is an ardent traveller, some taking 3 or more trips a year. We’ll have to catch up!
After supper it was back to camp for the final fire. It was a good turnout and the circle was large. All things come to an end though and before I knew it the time for bed had come.
We were up early for leaving day which was a good thing. There was much to do to break camp plus we had friends that were following us home. Mark & Marilyn were ready much before us, but they waited patiently for us to lead the way.
It’s funny how a drive that doesn’t normally seem that long can seem like forever when looking through the eyes of what you think someone else might see. KM after KM of trees and bush line the highway, and wide fields of brown dirt (the crops are very slow this year) line the side roads. The green is overwhelming. Black & white dairy cows add some colour to the landscape.
Then came the laneway… it was our first time in this year and it took us a few tries to get lined up right but we made it without any (loud) yelling. Then it was Mark’s turn. He took direction well, especially since it was coming from many different places… and got through the gate with no yelling. His big rig and truck took up a good length of our laneway.
Lunch, some CNN to catch up on the Comey testimony, and lots of good conversation completed the afternoon. Mark was a professor of Entomology at the University of Guelph and as luck would have it I had a carcass of a ‘tick’ that I’ve found crawling up the walls. He got out his eyepiece so he could have a look. Hurray! They are not ticks but are ‘pseudo scorpions’. I was so relieved.
Supper, more conversation, and a walk down the road filled the evening.
This morning they left for the long drive home. We hope they will come back again soon. At the beginning of the rally they both proclaimed that they are not animal people, and certainly not dog people. Hummm? I’m not so sure. Kabira loved Mark and would go to him for a pets (which is totally out of character for her), and Bella got long pets from Marilyn. Grace was thrilled by all the attention she received from Mark. I feel certain she will be singing some of his song.
Now comes the hard work: grass cutting for Carm, emptying the trailer for me (and maybe a nap). It seems so long ago that I was loading up for the trip, and yet how could the rally be over so quickly. This was the best rally yet for us, I think because we became closer friends with some people.
I wish I had a photo of all of us to attach, but alas :-(
“I don't make friends based on how big their pockets are or how well connected they are; rather I make friends based on how positive their minds are. It is hard to end up with a very complicated lifestyle if you are always surrounded by positive minded individuals.”
~Edmond Mbiaka
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