Memories - past and present (part 1)

The drive to D's was the start of the parade of memories for me. I realized the last time I was in my hometown for any length of time it was September 2008, when my Dad passed away and we held his funeral. I'd been there once since, but only to attend my godfather's funeral and return the same day. We'd made a list of places and things we wanted to do/see, and I went through each in my mind as I drove.

But first there was much packing and last minute yard work to be done. It's a good thing that I enjoyed the game Tetris as it took a great deal of turning and shuffling of items to fit everything into the car's trunk and interior. (If I were do it again, I might rent a truck, seriously!) 

We were up early on Thursday morning, after a night of revolving beds. Eli and I started on the mattress on the floor, then I moved to the couch, he followed, I returned to the mattress, he followed, and so and so forth. The little stinker then slept on while his mom and I continued to packing of the coolers and dry goods. With everything finally packed and youngster awake and fed, we were on the road by about 9 a.m.

There wasn't a lot of traffic on the secondary highway and we made good time to Tisdale where we stopped for lunch. Eli had been wonderful, only asking once how long before we get there. I had seen a travel hack that suggested, for long road trips/flights, wrapping small gifts for the child to open every hour or so. Between watching the abandoned houses (it could be a shed or granary but they were all houses to Eli), a couple of airplanes, horses, cattle, and several birds, the small gifts did their magic.

After our brief stop, it was a short 35 minute drive to Nipawin. We past the spot where the memorial comprising 16 crosses for the Humboldt Bronco hockey team was set up about 5 years ago. Across the road, from an accident in 1997, there are six crosses for the family of three adults and three children who died at the same highway crossing.

We drove through town, agog at the damage that was done in a recent storm. Trees were uprooted on the boulevards and in the yards of many homes. One yard would have significant damage while the next had sustained none. 

Arriving at the regional park just after 1 p.m., we were able to check in and start the process of unloading the car and setting up the tent. Then it was off to explore the playground.

There were three areas of playground equipment: this newer area, a slightly older area in the background (the yellow apparatus was a hit - you'll see why shortly), and outside the frame and to the left the oldest area. In fact there was a piece of equipment that I remember playing on as a child! I remember how hot that metal slide would get in the summer heat. 

The hit of the playground was the zipline. D remembers playing on it when she was a child, visiting my parents over the summer. 

Look at that face! He was so intent on holding himself up. Although his feet should be on the ring he's holding onto, he wasn't tall enough to reach the handles above the foothold. This worked well enough and he enjoyed himself immensely.

Back at camp, we finished our set-up and started dinner; hamburgers and pasta salad for D and I, a hotdog and veg for Eli.  Later we had a fire and made popcorn before turning in for the night. We were all tired from the drive, and after a round of the tickle game, G'ma won the race to sleep. I wasn't feeling particularly well, as I'd managed to catch a cold a couple of days before we left. 

We were up bright and early the following morning, well before our neighbours. Our breakfast of french toast didn't happen, because I forgot to pack the egg mix D had put together. Instead, we cooked over the fire, bannock in a cast iron pan (D), and bacon on a griddle pan (me). After a visit to the playground, to run off some energy (and a few calories), we headed out towards town.

Our first stop was at the old Nipawin Bridge. Built in 1930, and opened to vehicular traffic in 1931, it is double deck bridge currently available only to train traffic. The lower deck was closed to traffic in 2021 due to deterioration. The newer bridge was built in 1973 north of this location, but when I was a child this was the only access to the west and north of Nipawin. We rode the bus daily across the bridge, and I can recall meeting traffic, such as a grain truck, where the vehicles would have to stop and pull in their mirrors. Later a set of stop lights were added on either side, and traffic was limited to one way.

Driving onto or off the bridge required one to slow down due to the bends, though based on the railings, it would appear not everyone did. I remember a friend's boyfriend trying to show off for us, and hitting the gas as he manuevered the curves. He wasn't her boyfriend for long.

Our next stop was the Woodlawn Cemetery where I was able to locate my grandparent's graves. D was quite impressed, as I still remembered where their graves were located, and found them relatively quickly. Sadly, I could not find the markers for my great-grandparents. There was some damage here too, with a few trees downed by the recent storm.

Eli hadn't slept well the night prior, so D and I decided a drive might give him a chance to nap (it didn't). We headed out of town and drove to the farm where I grew up. Along the way, I pointed out the farm yards, naming the families that I remember living there. There was the farm where I went after I rolled my car on the gravel road, one where we got the best Halloween treats, and another where the father had a wooden leg. I recall he used to tease us kids by asking us to "check his reflexes". We never remembered which leg was the good leg. :)

I didn't take any photos, as the property no longer is in the family. I can tell you, that D was shocked at the size of the yard; once seemingly huge to her young eyes, now appeared so small. I took the chance to travel a number of back roads for a short distance, one I often rode about 10 miles to reach my aunt's house in a small community nearby, and another that led past farmland my Dad farmed for so many years. There we saw the miles of trees that we planted (and weeded) as a wind break. On the way back we stopped at the former site of the Cherry Ridge school and the curling rink where our family spent a lot of time in the winter. My Dad was once the ice-maker there and both of our parents curled.

After a quick stop at the local Co-op for a few snacks, more vegetables and fruit for dinner, we headed back to the campground. Eli was not yet feeling well, so we gave him his tablet and he hung out in the tent while D and I relaxed in our chairs. I read and did a bit of knitting, while she played on her phone and posted some photos from the morning. After a late lunch, we decided to visit the barnyard petting zoo near the park gate.

There were several pens of chickens. Later in the trip, Eli and I discovered this rooster was hen-pecked.

There were two peacocks and a white fowl I didn't recognize. 

The domestic geese were very noisy, especially if anyone came near their cage.

In addition, there were two young calves and a couple of playful goats. At one point, they were playing with a large piece of a tree limb, and later started their head butting.

But the best part of the zoo for Eli were the bunnies! There were several cages, most with adults, one with three immature bunnies and one with babies. 

These three were nearly inseparable - every time we stopped by the cage they were napping together or feeding together.

While we saw a total of seven wee ones, we were later told there are actually eight babies. Aren't they cute?

After this visit, we headed back off to the playground where Eli played/tired his mother out on the zipline. I took a short walk, down the hill toward the river where I found the old swinging bridge - no longer safe to use and the lookout. To the right, one can see the new bridge that is currently used to cross the river. I remember it added another five or six miles to our trip to town. As a result, we continued to use the old bridge most of the time. 

Dinner that evening included grilled corn on the cob, grilled asparagus, a green salad with grilled chicken, and watermelon for dessert. We stayed up later that evening enjoying the campfire. I'd brought a couple of new-to-him books, so those were read after we all climbed into our sleeping bags. The neighbours were a little less quiet, so it took a bit of time before we all fell asleep. D heard the partiers later in the night, but Eli and I both slept through the noise.

At this point, I'll end today's post since there are more photos and lots to share.