I had to throw in a Sudbury pun to get us started!
My question to you is: does Ontario ever end? What a beautiful monstrosity of a province! We left Pembroke shortly before seven this morning, and Roberto has been running the roads all day. And I have loved every minute (I write that I have, as I’m not sure Dave has loved every minute, being that he has been driving the entire time)! Beautiful scenery, a quiet highway, and great company – what more could I ask for? Before we settled into the town of Marathon for the night, I looked back on the day that was.
Some of the highlights of today include:
1. Dave getting the friendliest of welcomes at the McDonald’s in Pembroke – both the workers and the customers could not have been nicer. Apparently, the Ottawa Valley accent was audible in how the young worker pronounced the word bagel. “Enjoy your bag-gull,” she cheerfully said. Perhaps she noticed a Seaway Valley accent in his speech – is there such a thing?
2. Being sure we saw Michelle Guertin-Cadieux at a stop sign in Deep River. She lives in Deep River, so it must have been her? No dice, she told me later in a Facebook messenger chat. Darn, we were so sure – and that would have been so cool to have spotted our former co-worker!
3. Discovering some of the interesting names of landmarks and businesses we drove past today: “White Fang Motel” (no thanks!), “Shady Pines Motel” (all I think of is Sophia’s hellish retirement home from Golden Girls), “Yellow Brick Road”, “Rabbit Blanket Lake”, and “Big Bird Inn” all come to mind.
4. Getting a kick out of the sign we drove past immediately after Dave and I had discussed age – I think Mother Nature was trying to tell me something when I saw the turn for “Old Woman Bay”.
5. Seeing lots of 4-Runners and Jeep Cherokees – reminders of Liz and Steven as well as Sheila and Darcy everywhere! Four-wheel drive must be a necessity around here. Can’t imagine winter driving around these parts!
6. Noticing orange everywhere – not just in the foliage of the deciduous trees among the coniferous majority, but also in the colour of most of the election signs we have seen thus far!
7. North Bay looks nothing like it looked in my mind from when I was at Nipissing (but yes, I know, that was almost twenty years ago)!
8. Everyone is dressed for fall. Except for Dave and me, with our flip-flops (and my capri leggings).
9. Thinking constantly of the Group of Seven as we drove along the mighty Superior. Windswept rocks with stubborn trees making roots – both a sign of beauty and symbol of resilience! So much inspiration for Canadian art!
10. Being reminded of “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald” by Gordon Lightfoot as we edged along the mighty Superior. I think it was Mr. Irwin who introduced our grade eight class to that powerful ballad. “The legend lives on from the Chippewa on down of the big lake they called Gitche Gumee…”
11. Savouring the world's best apple fritters from Batchawana Bay - Dave and I split one of these deep-fried, sugar-coated delights, which means we have one more to share tomorrow! Soooo good.
Off to bed. Maybe I will dream about that apple fritter. And hopefully not about my fleeting youth. Sleep well, all!
