Aylmer Express "MoHo" Extravaganza 2006

As I was driving through rural Massachusetts in early 2005 while on a business trip, I started to think about my life. You know what I am talking about. When you find yourself all on your own and you have the time to let your thoughts wonder and you start taking a look at where you are and compare that to where you thought you would be. I think they call that “looking at the big picture”. It seems that it is something that most of us don’t do as often as we should. Anyway, while doing this I started thinking about how I had always thought it would be fun to jump in a motor home with my family and cruise around North America and show them all the amazing things that this continent has to offer. As this thought bubbled to the top of my consciousness, I began to wonder when, exactly, this might ever happen. I had not really put much thought into this idea for quite some time but, for some reason, this time around I felt compelled to do some rough calculations. I figured if I ever did decide to actually do this, I would have to do it while the kids were at an age where they would enjoy it. Or to put it more succinctly, I needed to do it at an age where the kids would actually agree to come along with me. In other words, if they were 16 and 18 years old, I would probably have missed my window of opportunity. I think it was at that very point that it started to sink in that the concept of a “window of opportunity” for this idea was a reality and that it was starting to close. It was no longer just something that I could do when I finally got around to it. I only had a certain amount of time in which to make up my mind. It was almost like my own personal biological clock. So I decided to work out how much time I had left to realize this dream. I figured that for this trip to work out well it would be best to do it before either of the kids hit their teens. Morgan and André-Paul were 9 and 11 years old respectively at this point. This meant that in 2007 A-P would be thirteen. So I decided that if I really wanted to do this in the fashion I had envisioned, 2006 would have to be the year. Then I started thinking about what I would have to take care of in order to make this happen. First and foremost, I would need a motor home. Second, I would need to decide how much time we should spend doing this, and hence, figure out how I might manage to get the required time off from work. I would also have to figure out how much this was all going to cost. Somewhere around this point in time I realized that if I really wanted to go on this trip I would have to make up my mind … right now! If I waited any longer I would not likely have the time to get all the logistics worked out and completed in time to meet my 2006 deadline. So, in retrospect, I have to admit that my drive through rural Massachusetts that day turned out to be a very expensive drive indeed.

You can just imagine how things went upon my return home. Here I am, all excited about this big adventure I had been planning in my head for the last couple of days on my own. I had been trying to work out how long we should go for, what places we should visit, where we might find the money to do this, and more. I was so pumped about this by the time I finally introduced the idea to Chantal, it ended up coming out something like this. “Hey, I have this great idea for a family trip! Why don’t we take a year off and just tour around Canada and the US! Wouldn’t it be great? I can show you guys all the cool places I have been to while traveling on business and so much more! We can visit our friends along the way! It’ll be fantastic!” As a word of warning, if you are thinking of doing a trip like this, do NOT introduce the idea to your family as if you have it all worked out. Take it from me, that method does not work so well. At the time I was shocked to find out that Chantal did not think this sounded like a fabulous idea at all. Her response, in a nutshell, sounded something like, “What about your job? What about school for the kids? Where are we going to find the money for this? Where do you plan to find a motor home? Who is going to take care of the house? What about the dog?” I think you get the idea. There were still a few minor details that I had not spent too much time focusing on just yet that needed to be smoothed out. During the ensuing months Chantal and I negotiated until I got her to agree to consider such a trip and she got me to pare it down to “only” a 6-month tour. Given this new shorter timeframe, I wanted to take advantage of the warmest part of the year to avoid that winter white stuff. So I suggested leaving in April and returning in October. However, Chantal wanted to let the kids could finish their school year first. So it got adjusted to be June to December and I just crossed my fingers and hoped we wouldn’t end up having to drive the motor home in the snow. As for the motor home, we started looking that summer of 2005. First, I started out by going to one of those “RV-for-Rent” web sites to get an idea of what it might cost to rent one for our trip. I typed in a June start date and a December end date and the price it kicked back at me was on the order of $40,000 !!! That was great news! One decision had been made! We definitely won’t be renting. So that meant that we would have to buy one. I knew nothing about motor homes other than the fact that I could not afford a new one. So that meant that I had to educate myself not only on what motor homes are all about but also what to look for, and to avoid, in a used motor home. It was definitely a learning experience and I must take a moment here to thank my friend Kammy who provided all sorts of valuable information to us along the way. I am sure things would not have worked out nearly as well as they did without her help. So in July 2005, while we were on vacation, camping in Prince Edward Island (PEI), we decided to take advantage of the fact that there were motor homes all around and simply ask the people who own them about what we should be looking for. We explained that we were hoping to get their feedback because we were thinking of buying one and didn’t know much about them. Strangely enough, the second one we looked at ended up being the one we ultimately bought, although we didn’t actually buy it until four months later. It turns out they were planning to sell their motor home and they also turned out to live only about a five hour drive from our place. After looking at many other motor homes in real life, and on the Internet, we still kept gravitating to that one we saw in PEI. So in October we called them up and they still had it for sale. After they let us try it out for a night we decided to buy it and came to terms. Up to that point there was still a possibility that the trip could get cancelled, but once the money changed hands, and we drove what turned out to become the JoRoMoHo back to our place, we knew there was no turning back.

As time progressed we were also able to find a home for our dog (Thank you Paul and Dominique), and someone to take care of my beloved Miata (Thank you Eric and Lenore), and also someone to take care of our pool (Thank you Mike and Cathy). Offering to let these people use the item they were taking care of worked well for the car and the pool, but perhaps not so much for the dog. (She looks so harmless in the photo, though, eh?) So let me extend an extra thanks to Paul and Dominique. If you look at the positive, however, I believe that Paul and Dominique were able to come to a clear conclusion on the subject of whether or not they want a dog. Turns out the answer is no. Good thing they were able to do a 6-month trial run first, eh?

In 2006, as our June launch date approached, my mother entered the hospital for an operation to remove a cancerous growth. Things did not go well and we were all shocked when my mother passed away on June 3rd. My mother was a person who loved adventure and she would have jumped at the chance to take a trip like we were planning to take. Although her passing delayed our departure, we knew Mom would have wanted us to go and enjoy ourselves to the fullest, so off we went on July 23rd. My mother was a voracious reader and I wish she could have had the chance to follow our travels via our blog. Perhaps she was.

When I look back on our extravaganza through Canada and the United States, it seems almost surreal. I am so glad we took this trip. We learned a lot about each other and ourselves as we gallivanted around the continent. And perhaps I feel most proud to have been able to give this gift of adventure to my children. As I try to recall some of the highlights of the last six months this is what comes to mind. We looked out over the world from the tops of mountains. We stood in awe while contemplating the seemingly endless expanses of both the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. We felt the exhilaration of whizzing through the air, hanging by a wire suspended high over the trees and rivers of British Columbia. We marveled at the sheer immensity of the prairies. We enveloped ourselves in the lush, greenery of old growth rain forests. We surveyed the majestic remains of ancient volcanoes. We watched the sparkling lights of the Seattle skyline by night on a ferry ride from Bainbridge Island. We were introduced to the gorgeous and peaceful splendor of a Louisiana swamp. We scurried around forests in camouflage with paintball guns trying to “take out” our adversaries. We hiked our way down into sulfur-filled bubbling and steaming mud pits. We stood in disbelief as we drank in the decadence and excess of Beverly Hills and Las Vegas. We had our eyes opened to the beauty, quirkiness, grace, speed, power and frailty of some of the most amazing animals on the planet. We rode and loved some of the most terrifying amusement park rides we could find. We were dazzled by the serendipity of life when we ran into our old friends on Vancouver Island. We shivered in awe at the amazing caverns in Carlsbad. We witnessed the thrill beaming from the faces of our kids as they drove go-carts for the first time. We splashed and laughed our way through some of the wettest water parks around. We were fortunate enough to be able to bike along trails through forests, routes through cities, paths along beautiful rivers and creeks, and even boardwalks by beaches and oceans, all of which were sprinkled along the way. We felt the incredible and humbling power of nature as we barely dodged tornados in the mid-west, survived our way through Rocky Mountain passes and weathered night-time hailstorms in New Mexico. We had the fortune of being able to visit with Chantal’s amazing 95-year-old great-aunt Alice. We frolicked in oceans and chased birds off beaches on all three coasts. We walked across the Golden Gate bridge at sunset, hundreds of feet above San Francisco bay, while overlooking Alcatraz and the city. We spent a sunny afternoon on a shrimp boat on Mississippi’s gulf coast, escorted by pelicans and dolphins. We felt the excitement of flight in an F-14 simulator in Pensacola and actually got a chance to taste real flight in a Cessna in Austin. We traveled through the birthplace of the American Civil Rights movement and were touched by the powerful stories of injustice and the inspirational actions taken to turn things around. We experienced the impressive and intimidating grandeur of cities like Chicago and San Francisco. We enjoyed the quaintness and warmth of small towns like Ucluelet and Depoe Bay. We were blown away by the immense beauty of Zion and Bryce in Utah, and Sedona and the Grand Canyon in Arizona. And we marveled at the universe from the top of Kitt Peak. But the best part of all of this had to be the fact that we were able to experience all of these incredible wonders and share them together as a family. We all had to sacrifice, to a certain extent, to do this and we all had to give up a few things to make this happen, but there is no question that it was worth it. And the added bonus was that we got a chance to rekindle many relationships along the way, with the many friends we don’t normally get to see very often.

Unfortunately our trip came to an end with very sad news. In a cruel twist of fate, Chantal’s mother passed away just a few days after we returned home. Fortunately Chantal had a chance to be with her mother during those final days. We had no idea that our trip would start and end with such sorrow. As I look back over the year it seems that 2006 has brought us many moments filled with joy and wonder while also giving us times of great grief and heartache.

With our fabuous adventure now behind us I couldn’t help but wonder if there would be any noticeable changes in the kids. Amazingly enough I have seen some differences already. My first indication of this was seeing them playing XBOX. They were playing one of their car racing games and they chose the Laguna Seca track. You see, they know exactly what it looks like because they were camping there in September! And then, during his first week back at school, André-Paul told me he was reading his geography book and he noticed a photo of Mount Revelstoke. He recognized it because he was there in July! And when they watch television they now proudly tell me when they see landmarks like the Golden Gate bridge or the John Hancock building in Chicago. For some reason that just gives me a good feeling inside. It is no surprise that everyone I talk to now asks me how the trip was. When I look back on it I realize that it was even better than I thought it would be. We saw some amazing sights. We lived some amazing experiences. And we were fortunate enough to enjoy the amazing hospitality and kindness of many good friends and relatives along the way. It was so nice to see where they live and get to know their families a little better. But perhaps my favorite moment of the trip took place on the very last day as we were driving the final leg of our journey to Ottawa. It was approaching midnight and Chantal and Morgan were snoozing. André-Paul had joined me up in the front seat and was telling me how he was happy that we had gone on this trip. He said that at the beginning he was not that keen on the idea and he just decided to make the best of it. But now, having lived the trip he realized how great it really was. Then he turned to me and said, “This trip changed my life.” What more could I ask for?

I do have one regret, however. The entire time we were off on this wonderful adventure I had strived to somehow utilize a few, particular words in my blog entries, but alas, I was unsuccessful. So, I thought that it might be fun to try to employ all of these selected words in the next few sentences in order to relive my frustration. So sit back, relax, and see if you can pick out my favorite unused terms.

During our entire trip I had been longing to defenestrate something, anything, just so I could use that word. But with all the states having laws against littering, it could have potentially turned into a bit of an imbroglio if I was caught doing so. However, if I was apprehended for such a thing, I would have done my best to equivocate about the circumstances in order to exculpate myself. Of course, if I wasn’t caught, I’m sure you would have seen a fanfaronade on the blog about this event. I suppose someone a little more erudite would not have needed to add this final paragraph as it really is just brummagem. However, anyone who knows me well will tell you that I can be somewhat pervicacious at times, which might help explain why this paragraph is here. In retrospect, as I read this over, I realize how recondite it is and how it makes me look so sesquipedalian!

Whew! I feel better now that I have gotten that out of my system. As a final parting thought, let me ask you for this one last favour. Please take a look at the final two definitions below and let me know if you can think of other words, like these two examples, that do such a good job of being able to be used to describe themselves. For instance, I find “Recondite” to be so recondite. And the word “Sesquipedalian” is, indeed, sesquipedalian. So please share with me any other words you know that fall into this self-descriptive category and take advantage of your last chance to leave a comment on the Aylmer Express MoHo Extravaganza!

Before I go I must take some time to thank John. None of this blogging would have been nearly as nice to read without the greatly appreciated help from my buddy John in Kansas City who not only pointed me in the right direction on how to build this blog, (complete with text, images and video) but actually pulled together a prototype for me and then went on to add the “Where is JoRoMoHo” site to track us through the US in realtime using a Sprint Phone that he loaned to us. A HUGE thank you to you, John.

And, of course, it has been a pleasure having all of you along as blog readers and I thank you for all your positive comments along the way. Until next time!


Today’s words:

defenestrate \dee-FEN-uh-strayt\, transitive verb:
To throw out of a window.

imbroglio \im-BROHL-yoh\, noun:
1. A complicated and embarrassing state of things.
2. A confused or complicated disagreement or misunderstanding.
3. An intricate, complicated plot, as of a drama or work of fiction.
4. A confused mass; a tangle.

equivocate \ih-KWIV-uh-kayt\, intransitive verb:
To be deliberately ambiguous or unclear in order to mislead or to avoid committing oneself to anything definite.

exculpate \EK-skuhl-payt; ek-SKUHL-payt\, transitive verb:
To clear from alleged fault or guilt; to prove to be guiltless; to relieve of blame; to acquit.

fanfaronade \fan-fair-uh-NAYD; -NOD\, noun:
1. Swaggering; empty boasting; blustering manner or behavior; ostentatious display.
2. Fanfare.

erudite \AIR-yuh-dyt; -uh-dyt\, adjective:
Characterized by extensive reading or knowledge; learned.

brummagem \BRUHM-uh-juhm\, adjective:
Cheap and showy, tawdry; also, spurious, counterfeit.

pervicacious \puhr-vih-KAY-shuhs\, adjective:
Refusing to change one's ideas, behavior, etc.; stubborn; obstinate.

recondite \REK-uhn-dyt\, adjective:
1. Difficult to understand; [1]abstruse.
2. Concerned with obscure subject matter.

sesquipedalian \ses-kwuh-puh-DAYL-yuhn\, adjective:
1. Given to or characterized by the use of long words.
2. Long and ponderous; having many syllables.

We were up at 5:00 am this morning in an effort to leave on time. The Bennetts, bless their souls, got up at 6:00am on the Saturday of their Thanksgiving weekend just to say good-bye. Sorry about that guys. We did manage to leave the house by 6:00am sharp however there were a few details to be completed before we could pull away. For the last time we completed our walk around visual check of the MoHo, the car, the bikes and then Chantal grabbed the walkie-talkie for our ritual of checking that all the lights and signals are functioning properly on both the MoHo and the car. And then finally Chantal watched to make sure that the car’s tow bar locked into place. Then we were off. We made it out of Apex, through part of Raleigh and into Durham where we stopped to get some gas. We then drove up through the rest of North Carolina and into Virginia, by-passed Washington D.C., followed by a short jaunt through Maryland where we stopped at Hagerstown, MD. That was about 5 hours of driving, with only one bio-break stop along the way. Remember, we had to winterize the MoHo so no more using our own toilet. So far, so good. In Hagerstown we had a huge lunch at Denny’s and then we filled the tank once more. As we were filling up Chantal got a call from her brother letting her know that her mother was doing a little better today but things were still very serious. We were off again and quickly crossed into Pennsylvania. We were approaching the Appalachians and I was wondering just how much these hills were going to slow us down. We ended up making it through with a lot less effort than I had expected. It seemed like the MoHo was in its element and was handling the hills rather effortlessly. We passed through Wilkes-Barre and Scranton as the sun was setting and it was dark by the time we made it to the New York state border We stopped shortly after that in Binghamton, NY for another bio-break. We had consumed such a huge lunch that none of us were very hunger so we determined that we would just grab some snacks and drinks in the MoHo and continue on our way. We made it as far as Syracuse before needing to make another fuel stop. I was hoping to stretch this one to be as close to the Canadian border as possible since gas in the US is cheaper than gas at home. Next stop, the international border. We were all getting pretty excited at this point. We had not been in Canada since we crossed into the states on Aug 23rd near Vancouver. We ended up picking the right line for a change. We only waited about 3 minutes and then the Customs agent was great. She asked where we lived, what we were bringing back, how long we had been in the US and where we had been. After I gave her a summary of where we had been since late August she just paused, looked at us, and said, “Wow, I wish I could have come along.” Needless to say we were through the border very quickly. It was 9:13pm. We had driven all the way from Apex, NC to Canada in only 15 hours! Woo Hoo!

In summary:
Number of stops for food = 1
Number of stops for bio-breaks = 2
Number of stops for gas = 3
Number of happy campers since we are almost home = 4

We still had to make it to Ottawa, which is about another hour and a half from the border. However, on the way there our trip took us right past my father’s place so we decided to stop in for a quick visit since we had not seen him since we left in June. It was a nice little late-night visit and we got caught up on a few things before we jumped back into the MoHo/Matrix caravan and head north to Ottawa to complete the last 110 km (70 miles) of our MoHo Extravaganza. We finally made it home at midnight, 18 hours after we pulled way from Michael and MaryLou’s place in North Carolina. The most amazing part of today’s trip had to be the fact that we had clear skies and clear roads the entire way back from from Raleigh. That was certainly a stroke of luck considering the type of weather Pennsylvania, New York and Ontario can offer up this time of year. Just look at the two feet of snow the poor old people in Buffalo, New York were dealing with a few short weeks ago. Yet we did not even get one drop of rain. And as I drove the final leg home on that crisp, dark night my thoughts turned to the trip we had just taken and the many weeks of travel all around the continent. As I thought back on the many experiences our family shared, what I really hoped was that it had, at the very least, imbued in my children a sense of adventure and curiosity about the world. That alone would make this trip a great success. As we turned onto our street and pulled in front of our house, it was hard to believe we were home and the trip was over … but I have to admit that I was really looking forward to sleeping in my own bed once again.

Today’s word:

imbue \im-BYOO\, transitive verb:
1. To tinge or dye deeply; to cause to absorb thoroughly; as, "clothes thoroughly imbued with black."
2. To instill profoundly; to cause to become impressed or penetrated.

Another nice, leisurely sleep-in this morning. Ah, I am sure going to miss doing that. However, Michael, and his son Michael, with whom we are staying, were involved in exactly the opposite of sleeping in and actually got up before the sunrise. The reason for this was to head out to early to get some deals. Today, you see, being the day after Thanksgiving, is known here in the US as “Black Friday”. It is so named for the fact that this is typically the first day of the year where retailers finally make enough money to cover their costs. In other words, all the money they have earned up to this point in the year will allow them to break even and, hence, puts them in the black, from an accounting point of view. Retailers usually have outrageous sales today to get people into the stores and get the Christmas shopping season underway. I, being Canadian, and not having any room in the MoHo for anymore stuff anyway, chose to take it easy and, instead, just did a little blogging in this morning. Then Chantal, the kids and I headed out to visit one place we always used to love going when we lived here … Kids Towne! It is an awesome, sprawling, wooden castle structure that has all sorts of cool little features that test your strength, agility, and balance. And all the passage ways and steps throughout the structure are set up much like a maze. Lots of fun for kids and adults alike. We actually got to play on a similar structure during our trip when we were in Santa Barbara. While the kids skulked around the structure, I took a bunch of photos. Then once we had our fill of the castle, we popped over to the baseball field there and had ourselves a little game. And I must say, that Morgan is quite the hitter. He consistently put them over our heads, although A-P did manage to pick one of the fly balls out of the air. After that the plan was to take MaryLou & Michael, and their kids, out for dinner tonight. However, our plans were suddenly changed when we returned home where we got a phone call from Chantal’s brother. He had called to let us know that Chantal’s mother had become very sick and had been taken to the hospital today and that they were not sure how long she had left. After a short discussion of our options, Chantal and I decided that we would drive all the way home tomorrow so that Chantal could be with her mother. Once that was decided I realized that I would have to winterize the MoHo since we would be heading into territory where water freezes at night. That is definitely not a good thing if there is still water in the pipes. So Michael and I spent the evening, in the dark, that is, ensuring that all the water was drained, or forced, out of the MoHo water system and that there was antifreeze throughout the MoHo’s plumbing. We ended up doing takeout Chinese for dinner and then we packed everything up in preparation for a 6:00am departure the next morning. I guess I didn’t realize just how abruptly my sleeping-in was going to be coming to an end.

Today’s word:

skulk \SKUHLK\, intransitive verb:
1. To hide, or get out of the way, in a sneaking manner; to lurk.
2. To move about in a stealthy way.
3. To avoid responsibilities and duties.
4. One who skulks.
5. A group of foxes.

I must apologize for the noticeable lack of photos in the last few entries. As you can see, I had to surf the web for much of my visual content. I think I just got so relaxed in Raleigh that I neglected to drag my camera everywhere. And I also lost a few shots due to a memory card issue. Stay tuned for the final few installments of the Aylmer Express MoHo Extravaganza coming very soon.

- Jeff

Today marks the end of the fifth month of the Aylmer Express MoHo Extravaganza. So, as I’m sure you already know, that means that it is time for another installment on how the budget is going. Our daily costs for each category are as follows:

Accommodation: $29 (AVG from Oct = $27, Sept = $29, Aug = $30, July = $19)
Food: $51 (AVG from Oct = $49, Sept = $52, Aug = $48, July = $48)
Entertainment: $35 (AVG from Oct = $28, Sept = $27, Aug = $24, July = $19)
Misc: $35 (AVG from Oct = $30, Sept = $32, Aug = $26, July = $25)
MoHo/Auto Maint: $18 (AVG from Oct = $14, Sept = $12, Aug = $15, July = $15)
MoHo/Auto Gas: $33 (AVG from Oct = $36, Sept = $37, Aug = $44, July = $48)

And our current km/day works out to be:

MoHo: 118 (AVG from Oct = 120, Sept = 115, Aug = 128, July = 168)
Matrix: 60 (AVG from Oct = 63, Sept = 62, Aug = 54, July = 39)

Overall, it looks like we stayed pretty much on budget for food and entertainment and actually came in noticeably under budget with accommodation, gas and auto maintenance, which is very good news … for us. And our overall daily mileage estimates were also much lower than planned which may explain why the gas expenses were lower as well. But one thing I had not really factored in was the fact that we drove almost half as much again in our Matrix as we did in the MoHo itself. I guess this data corroborates that fact that it was a good idea after all to drag the car around with us.

Today also marks the American Thanksgiving holiday. In honour of this momentous occasion we decided to take it easy. Not too much of a stretch for us at this point. One thing we had not yet done is check out our old neighbourhood. So Chantal and I went for a long, leisurely walk all around "Walden Creek". We saw our old street, and our old house and, as if a harbinger of things to come, it had a new Honda Odyssey in the driveway. Hmmm. We also reminisced a lot along the way as we saw the many houses where people we knew when we were there used to live (or perhaps still do!). It was a wonderful, sunny day which saw the tempurature creep into the 60s (over 15C). (Now that would have been a little better for my birthday, don’t cha think? Ok, I’ll drop it.) When we finally returned home we were treated to the most succulent turkey dinner I think I have ever enjoyed. No offence to anyone else who has ever cooked a turkey for me (and that group includes me too), but this was one juicy, tasty turkey dinner to remember. Michael had a special technique that he shared with us so we are definitely going to try to replicate the next time we cook up a bird.

Today’s word:

corroborate \kuh-ROB-uh-rayt\, transitive verb:
To strengthen or make more certain with other evidence.

Today I was up very early to get a jump start on the blog. You know, it is hard to believe I have managed to get behind and stay there considering all the time I spend do the blog. But I digress. After a shower and some breakfast we rounded up the troops and headed off to test drive some cars. Why, one might ask, would some Canadians visiting people in Raleigh choose spend their time test driving cars? Good question. So let me explain. When we set out on our MoHo Extravaganza, in an effort to raise the necessary funds, we sold our minivan. Of course, we have the little Toyota Matrix, that we have been literally dragging all around Canada and the US for the last several months, but when we return we are going to need a second vehicle. And we find that we often need the extra space that a larger vehicle, like a minivan, affords us. The master plan was supposed to see us sell the MoHo upon our return in order to generate some cash with which to buy our next car. Unfortunately, the MoHo will not likely be sold until the spring so that leaves us also needing to generate some kind of bridge financing in the meantime. Anyway, we decided to consider something other than a minivan this time around. The only other vehicles that might fit the bill would be an suv. However, in a very uncharacteristic state of mind, Chantal indicated that she might be interested considering the new pickup truck from Honda. I’m sorry, did I just hear my French wife tell me she is interested in a pickup truck? Well, just when you think you know someone, eh? So, as you can see, we were not exactly sure what we wanted so we were hoping that a test-driving some of these different vehicles we might be able to narrow down the field. The process was interesting to say the least. We started off with a spin in an Acura MDX which is the larger SUV offering from them. It was very refined and Chantal actually liked it. Now it was time to head to the Honda dealer. When arrived and asked if we could drive the Ridgeline (the aforementioned pickup truck), the Pilot (there large-sized suv), and the Odyssey (the new version of their minivan which we used to own). The female salesperson we had appeared less than enthusiastic right from the beginning. She had no smile, she asked us very few questions, and she did not even tell us her name! We started with the Ridgeline. It is a very nice vehicle but unfortunately, if not surprisingly, it rode too much like a, well, truck. So you won’t have to worry about seeing Chantal driving around in a pickup … at least for now. Then we tried the Pilot. It was definitely better but, having just driven the up-scale Acura version of this vehicle an hour before, we found that although the ride was noticeably better than the Ridgeline, it was not as nice as the MDX. Granted the MDX is much more expensive, but Chantal prefers its design so that basically took the Pilot out of the running. The sales person had said very little to us up to this point other than to ask when we were planning to buy. Then, while we were waiting for her to get the keys to an Odyssey minivan for us to do our final comparison, she comes up to us and asks if it would be ok to come back on Saturday to drive the Odyssey because she has to deal with another customer now. Pardon? Are you kidding me? Needless to say we bid her adieu. But can you believe that? Incedible. Well, we had to pick up the MoHo from the shop as it was all fixed and ready to go. My theory was that the cable, connecting the temperature control to the door that lets the heat enter, was broken or malfunctioning. This incident proved, once again, that I should not enter the field of automotive repair. The problem ended up being the device that contains the door that lets the heat enter. This device is a big plastic box with a flap inside. The flap is adjusted via a cable connected to the temperature control on the dashboard. It turns out that where the cable connects to the flap’s pivot point was broken. So the cable functioned properly but the movement was not transferred to this flap. My guess is that the flap probably became a little seized from non-use for the last 6 to 8 months which cause the connection point to break when the dial was turned. The fix turned out to be straightforward, if not economical. They simply replaced the entire plastic box and flap unit. With a tip of my hat to Nina in Chicago, let me summarized it this way:

Diagnose the problem with the MoHo heater control: $80
New plastic box to repair the MoHo heater problem: $200
Installation of new part in MoHo: $320
Hot air in the MoHo cabin on a windy, rainy, 40 degree (5C) day: Priceless

You know, perhaps I should get into the business of selling $200 plastic boxes. Yet another business opportunity. After returning home and having dinner with the whole gang, Michael and I sat down to play a little poker with the kids after dinner. And I can’t help but mention the wonderful birthday cake that Olivia made for me. It was chocolate, of course, and most yummy. I displayed what you might refer to as a trencherman’s appetite while devouring much more than my share of this culinary masterpiece. Thank you Olivia!

Today’s word:

trencherman \TREN-chuhr-muhn\, noun:
A hearty eater.

Today is a special day for me. Why? Because it is a day where my family gives me gifts. Who wouldn’t like that? After a nice relaxing sleep in, I was awoken by Morgan who had brought me my gift before I had even gotten my feet on the floor. What a nice son. And I like what he got for me too. Ferraro Roche … yesssssss! My son knows I love chocolate. After breakfast I got to open some more gifts. Every year the kids ask me what I want for my birthday and I always tell them what I would really like is a story from them about something we have done together in the past, where they had fun. I ended up getting two more stories which are my favorite gifts of all. Then it was back to reality. I had to take the MoHo in for service. Getting the MoHo serviced is even worse than getting the car serviced. We can really only do it when we are staying with someone otherwise we have nowhere to stay if the work required takes more than a single day. Trust me, we know all about that. And we can't just take it to the MoHo dealer where you know they know how to fix it, like you can with a car. You have to somehow find a place that fixes MoHos. I usually start by calling the Ford dealer since it is a Ford chassis and they always tell me it is too bog to fit in their garage and so I ask for a recommendation on where I should take it. That usually leads to another 5 or 6 phone calls each of which end in me asking for a recommendation on where they think I should take it. Finally you get to someone who actually says they can do it. In this case we were getting an oil and filter change but the main thing required was to get the heater control on the dashboard repaired. We noticed about a month ago that this control was not functioning. No matter where you turned the tempurature dial, full cold or full hot, all you got was fresh air from outside, but no added heat. In other words, the temperature control was bootless. Now that was not really a problem in Texas or Florida since the air conditioner was working just fine, but was soon to be a problem as we started to head north. On our way to the repair shop we ended up having an unplanned little tour of downtown Raleigh due to a wrong turn on my part. Ya, ya, I know. We should have used the GPS. Anyway, we got the MoHo dropped off and then we started to think about what we should do on my birthday. I was hoping, since I was much more south than normal, that I would be able to enjoy a sunny warm day on my birthday for a change. But no such luck. The weather sucked. So we decided to take in a matinee at the movie theatre. We chose Casino Royale, the new James Bond film, and it did not disappoint. I will go so far as to say that both Chantal and I thought that it was the best Bond film we have ever seen. Then we capped off this cold, windy and rainy day by going out for dinner. I was really hoping to enjoy some nice warm weather on my birthday for a change; however, I must admit that we certainly made the best of our situation and we ended up having a great time just the same.

Today’s word:

bootless \BOOT-lis\, adjective:
Unavailing; useless; without advantage or benefit.

As if my arms were not sore enough already, we now had to wax the MoHo. Luckily the rain held off, as it was forecast for today. This bad boy MoHo is so big we actually used an entire bottle of wax and we still weren’t finished! That is crazy! The MoHo may not seem that big on the inside but man it sure seems big on the outside. Chantal and I got it all finished by dinner time and at that point I thought my arm was going to fall off. On a more positive note, while we were busy buffing the big boxy bastard (oops, I think in my zest to complete my alliteration, I just lost my PG rating on the blog), we spotted some kids playing hockey at the end of the street. I can honestly say that this is something we have not seen even once during the whole trip so it was a pleasant surprise. This meant that Morgan and A-P could head outside for some fun with some other kids for a change. One thing we had not factored in when we left was the fact that our kids may not be able to meet people as easily as Chantal and I. That’s because other than July and August, you tend not to see very many children when you are MoHo-ing. They have all returned to school. It is still easy to meet adults but the little people are few and far between. So the kids jumped at the chance to grab a hockey stick and debouched from the house to join the locals in an impromptu game of road hockey. They ended up having a great time. One of the neighbourhood kids looked pretty good. Morgan told us he was playing at the AAA level in the local hockey system. I was surprised someone from Raleigh would be such an avid hockey fan. Then we heard him talk and there was no trace of a southern accent. Aha! Another “northern transplant” in the neighbourhood. And right after they had gotten rid of us. Anyway, tonight was another movie night while we let our arms recover from the trama of the last two days. Fortunately “Click” turned out to be better than last night’s entertainment.

Today’s word:

debouch \dih-BOWCH; -BOOSH\, intransitive verb:
1. To march out (as from a wood, defile, or other narrow or confined spot) into the open.
2. To emerge; to issue.
3. To cause to emerge or issue; to discharge.

Today we had planned to do something we haven’t done in a long time. Hey, get your mind out of the gutter. The plan was to wash the MoHo. No only that, we also wanted to wax the MoHo. However, after a little reflection, and a scan of the vehicle we were planning to clean, I wisely decided that we should just consider it a victory if we get the washing portion done today. We are talking about 31 feet of dirt, mud, road tar, and bugs which we have lovingly accumulated over many moons and many more miles . The reason we wanted to do this now was because by the time we get home it is going to be far too cold to partake in this type of activity. We figured Raleigh was our last chance. So, after the obligatory blogging in an effort to get caught back up, we grabbed a brunch and then we were off to the automotive store to get some washing and waxing paraphernalia. Chantal and I ended up spending the entire afternoon washing the MoHo. We even washed the roof … especially the roof. You see, if you don’t wash the roof well, you will end up with a very dirty MoHo very quickly after the very next rain. It causes all the dirt from the roof to come streaming down the sides. How do I know this? Don’t ask. Since the last time we cleaned up the MoHo was in late August, way back when we were in Seattle, we figured that maybe it was due for a little attention. Hey, it was a judgment call. After climbing on my hands and knees across the entire roof scrubbing off the dirt, and stretching out from ladders to get the top corners clean, and even standing on the windshield for balance at times (sorry, no photos of this), this travail made it feel like my arms had been rubbed right off. Chantal was in a similar state. We headed in to find a lovely dinner waiting for us compliments of the Bennetts. Then we relaxed with the rest of the gang and watched a movie. Unfortunately the kids chose the movie and we had to endure The Fast and the Furious, Tokyo Drift. At least I like cars and it did have some cool car scenes but you may want to pass on this one if you haven’t done so already. I then I did something I don’t ever remember doing before - I read an entire book before I went to sleep! Ok, it had very large writing and lots of pictures but it was interesting. You probably know the book. It is the one that asks the tough question, Who Moved My Cheese?

Today’s word:

travail \truh-VAYL; TRAV-ayl\, noun:
1. Painful or arduous work; severe toil or exertion.
2. Agony; anguish.
3. The labor of childbirth
4. To work very hard; to toil.
5. To suffer the pangs of childbirth; to be in labor.

I asked Michael if he had his own gun and he told me that he picked one up because he saw it on sale at Walmart. Have I got your attention? I am talking about paintball, of course. Today we had a definte plan in place. The friends we are visiting, Michael and MaryLou, have two children, Michael and Olivia. The two Michaels were going to take André-Paul, Morgan and I paintballing. You know, running around with a gun that shoots little balls of paint trying to shoot other people who are also running around with guns that shoot paint. Of course, those other people are trying to shoot you too so you have to watch out. For those of you who have not played before, it is a great way to get your adrenaline going. The place we went had four different areas set up for these war games. Two of them were wooded areas, one was an open field with a wooden castle-like structure and a number of old cars and barriers set up throughout the field to give you cover, and the last area was for speedball which is made up of specifically designed “cushions”, if you will, that provide and symmetric pattern so that neither side has an advantage with barriers. Anyway, we spent our time on the three non-speedball fields and we had a blast (pun intended). I found the wooded areas to be more intriguing but the open field with the castle gave you a feel for what an urban altercation must be like. There was no lack of excitement. Sprinting from one barrier to another hoping like heck you would not get stung by the enemy’s fire. Or crouching behind a barrier trying to pick off a similarly hidden adversary. The entire time you are trying to decide if you should be patient and wait for the other guy to make a move, or should you be aggressive and try to take out the other guy before he (or she) make their move. I have to admit that although it was galvanic, at times it got a little stressful. Of course, you can always relieve that stress by firing 10 or 20 rounds into enemy territory. It was definitely a good time and it gave us something else to do afterward. That is, to compare our bruises. I think I won in that regard. And the kids had a great time although I am questioning how happy I am that they are deriving enjoyment from running around in the woods with a firearm targeting humans. Well, that is a debate for another time. When we arrived home the plan, or so I was told, was to head out with Michael and pick up a couple of videos for the gang. Michael ended up giving me a tour of the new big box mall that had cropped up since we were living there. We got our videos and some munchies and headed back to the house. It was at that point I started to realize what was going on. Michael had taken me out to waste some time so that a surprise party could be set up. As I entered the house I saw another of our former neighbours. Then as I turned the corner I saw another ... and then another. Chantal and MaryLou had managed to set up a surprise birthday party for me with all my old neighbours. It was great to have everyone together again in the same room and we had a great time catching up on what we have been up to and reminiscing some of the stuff we did in the old days. A good time was had by me and I hope everyone else.



Today’s word:

galvanic \gal-VAN-ik\, adjective:
1. Of, pertaining to, or producing a direct current of electricity, especially when produced chemically.
2. Affecting or affected as if by an electric shock; startling; shocking.
3. Stimulating; energizing.