Aylmer Express "MoHo" Extravaganza 2006

Yesterday’s word:

practicable \PRAK-tik-uh-buhl\, adjective:
1. Capable of being done, accomplished, or put into practice; feasible; as, "a practicable method; a practicable aim."
2. Capable of being used; usable.

Cold? What is that? I had almost forgotten that there are different states than being too hot or being not too hot. This morning I wore my pullover fleece for the first time as I was actually a little chilly. It didn’t last long, of course as the Winnipeg sun warmed things up to the usual 30-ish soon enough. The cool nights are almost like built-in air conditioning.
Today we decided to take advantage of our location as much as possible. The Bird’s Hill Provincial Park is big and beautiful. But before getting started A-P and I wanted to get our blogs updated. Unfortunately this entailed a trip into town to find some internet access. We called the library and found out that they have free internet access computers as well as jacks you can plug your own computer into. Perfect. We wound up the GPS and headed off to the nearest location. When we arrived, located the jacks, set up our laptops and plugged in our cables, we noticed a distinct lack of connectivity. Perhaps it was my old ethernet cables not working? So, I asked if I could borrow a cable from them and that is when I found out that although the jacks have been installed, they are not yet hooked up! Sneaky. After the librarian made a few calls we determined that none of the Winnipeg libraries are yet set up to allow for an external computer to connect. So it was time for plan B … Starbucks. But first, since we were close to our previous campsite which DID have a WiFi signal, I thought we should stop by there and see if we could pick it up. So we did and we could! So we just parked the car on the grass, we both jumped into the back seat to have more room to work, and started surfing. Strange but true. The lengths we go to bring you our action-packed stories from the road!
Meanwhile, back at the campsite, Chantal and Morgan were enjoying a decidedly more normal day. They went biking around the park on the many great bike trails that are offered. Then they swung by the beach to play a little volleyball. Then they were back on their bikes home for lunch and then right back to the beach again. When A-P and I arrived, we too jumped on our bikes and headed to the beach.. I attached the bike buggy in order to take all the beach stuff along as well. On my way over there I started thinking about what I was wearing. I thought, “Reef sandals from Hawaii … $15, Tommy Hilfiger swim shorts from North Carolina … $30, Ray Ban sunglasses from California … $45, fifteen-year-old cotton t-shirt from bargain bin in Kitchener, Ontario … Priceless.” Not exactly bon ton but I wouldn’t have it any other way. After playing with the kids in the water for a while, Chantal and I had a chance, for what seemed like the first time since we left, to just sit back and relax. We got comfortable on the beach and did some reading in the sun. I wasn’t long before hunger called us back to the MoHo for dinner.

Since we were staying at our campsite for 3 nights, we erected the screen room to enjoy eating outside … but without the bugs for a change. Actually, I must admit that there were hardly any bugs anyway. With all the hot weather, and lack of rain in the Winnipeg area for the last 2 months, it seems like the insects never got a chance to multiply like normal. So while we were savouring our spaghetti in relative bug-free bliss, the typical prairie winds were trying their best to bring down the screen room. Since we were planning to leave the next day anyway, we thought maybe we should pack up the screen room right away … rather than chase it around the campground.And then, as we sat out for a few minutes before hitting the sack, we got a taste of a very psychedelic post-sunset display. The somewhat billowy and somewhat wispy cloud formation covering the western sky was being lit from the bottom in a rosy, burnt orange mélange by the sun which had already dipped below the horizon from our standpoint while the few areas where you could see through to “cotton balls” on top it was luminated with a much brighter, almost white light resulting in an amazing contrast in the darkening blue-tinted sky. Then not long after that, as we looked to the north where we were treated to an impressive array of lightening. It seemed as though there were continual flashes of light at different intensities brightening up the dark clouds covering that part of the sky. It was very much like watching fireworks from a distance. But with all the dry weather in the part of the country, it made me wonder if any forest fires were being ignited. Let’s just say I was happy to be watching all of this from a safe distance away.