There was a curious loon coming closer as we showered in the cold northern Ontario lake. There were bike rides in sooty black bare feet, the obligatory fairy garden, and tofu quinoa tacos and cherry blueberry crumble over the fire. There was a toast to this amazing new life that we get to live every day now. And the loon that sang late into the night.
One of the things I love about living on the road is discovering the local farmers' market. We love our greens and sprouts and supporting local organic farmers is very important to us, so wherever we go, we try to shop at health food stores that carry local produce or at farmers' market when the timing is right. This is a great site to find the farmers' market in every town we visit.
The other night, we stopped to make dinner at one of our usual spot near Pancake Bay Provincial Park (Ontario) and the girls swam in cold Lake Superior while we sat in the soft sand. We looked at them jump in the waves and scream with glee and smiled in silence.
Things felt more right than they had in a long time.
As we drive on, I understand why everything is carpeted in our bus. Since the engine is sitting between the driver's and passenger's seat in what is called the dog house in Bluebird lingo. The engine noise is louder than our old '77 Westy, in which puttting on music was like trying to have an adult conversation surrounded by toddlers: pointless.
So we crossed Canada without talking much, our huge stinky St-Bernard sitting between us, just where the bus' dog house sits...
And now, since we cannot talk without screaming, we simply look at each other and smile our giddy smiles. Happy as clams.
“It is so hard to leave—until you leave. And then it is the easiest goddamned thing in the world.”
― John Green, Paper Towns
We have camped in garage parking lots most of the week and tried to kill time in the crazy heat during the day. Humongous slugs had found the only spots of grass in the shade before we did and the cold cement blocks that looked appealing as make-shift tables and chairs to play Uno were infested with mosquitoes and rolly pollies. We played charades in a stinky waiting room, dripping with sweat while JF tried to finish a rush translation.
And then, there was this. A little oasis of nature and friendship for the girls and I while JF spent another 24 hours in mechanics parking lots.
The girls kept picking wild strawberries for Jacob who was delighted
And finally, as the sun was setting, he arrived with the bus, with a kick ass solar system and pulling the Westy, ready to leave. We said our goodbyes and started driving west under the full moon. The adventure had begun.
It was not the great weekend I was hoping for, but it was quiet, the lake was warm and we made roasted cinnamon apples in the dutch oven over the fire. And we made some progress. Slow and painful one step forward, two steps backward kind of progress.
But sometimes good enough just has to be enough.
I am still learning to be OK with that.
It is our last days at my mom's (or so we think...) and we have been busy doing last minute stuff:
Testing the new coffee machine before hitting the road (you should have seen his smile!).
Watching movies on my mom's big screen TV
Having a painful tooth pulled
Taking care of an abandonned kitten that lives in my mom's condo parking lot
But mostly, packing up all the goodness that comes with sharing our daily lives with loved ones.
Transitions are never easy, especially when the departure date keeps being pushed back and you don't have a place to call home (and a painful tooth), but I can truly say that we have made the best of a tough situation. My mom is nothing short of amazing for having put up with the 5 of us in her 3 bedroom condo.
We are finally moving into our bus for good tonight and will leave for 2 days of camping to regroup and connect with the joy of simply being together. Then, we still have some little things to get done as well as the solar panels installed on the bus next week and we should be good to go!
Even with the popsicles, the pool visit, and the sunshine, it ended up being a very hard day. I think we all needed the after-library silence badly.
What are the odds that a new part being ordered arrives defective? Well, I guess *someone* does not want us to leave right away (you know who you are!!). The unexpected extra time we have here allows us to linger a bit more with family and friends, in the garden and around a great meal. And we're not complaining!
Archery lessons, happy children running in the fields, slugs in sandals, warm summer light flodding the kitchen, a fire in the BBQ. And laughter with great friends that I will dearly miss. I wish I could bottle the magic.
When children fight, go to the forest.
When children have mischievous ideas, go to the forest.
When children are bored, go to the forest.
When you feel out of sort, go to the forest.
Again and again. Go to the forest. It is so very healing.
While the bus sits at the garage, waiting for the power steering pump to be fixed, we are enjoying our friends' and family's company for a little bit longer. We participated in Steph and Dave's water garden project, ate amazing Chinese food prepared by Vic, Nini's Chinese helpexer, went to visit Carmen's farm and got some fresh crunchy lettuce from her garden and tasty dandelion for our juices, swam at the lake in front of the boys' house, and much more. Good times, I tell ya'.
Now that we are homeless, we thought we would move right into the bus. Well, it was quite an optimistic thought to be able to hit the road only a few days after closing on the house sale. The bus and Westy needed some work done before leaving for such a big adventure and you know how a missing part leads to an order that has not yet arrived to discovering something else that needs attention... to crashing at my mom's for a week.
It is a lot of fun to have all this unplanned time together and as we are tying up loose ends before hitting the road, we are making the best of our time with Mamie and our family and friends.
We are getting the solar panel installed on the bus next week as well as more battery power for our electricity needs. We hope to be ready to leave soon... but all we can do is surrender.