School's out, time to travel

I'm starting this series of post from Monday, June 23rd as I neither had the time nor the inclination to post last week while we were away. It was a busy time!

Monday was busy; Eli had school in the morning and equine therapy in the afternoon. D and I had a long list of things to get done too, laundry, vacuuming, dishes, cleaning the kitchen, etc. in order to leave the house in decent shape. D dropped off her car at the dealership as the parts needed for a repair had been received, and they would take care of it while we were away.

We picked up Eli at school around 11:30. He delivered some small gifts to his classmates and teachers before the morning ended. I waited in the car, and when he came out of the school, two of his teachers followed him to give him hugs and wish him a wonderful summer.

I went along to his final session of equine therapy for this session (his mom has arranged for another session in the fall). Miss Stephanie allowed Eli to set the agenda for this session. First up was visiting the horses in the pasture. Ten of them! He has absolutely no fear of these large animals (only one is miniature) and has learned to move them away by waving his arms and making a loud noise if they start crowding him. While we were there they did, and he did what was needed.

Next up was visiting the young mama cats and their kittens in the barn. The first litter is old enough that three of the five kittens have been rehomed. The second litter of three or four are old enough to have their eyes open and are starting the toddling phase in the manger where they are located with their mama. We were also met by the tom, who is likely the papa of the second litter, based on his colouring. None of these adult cats are older than two years. 

Finally, there was a visit to meet the newest addition to the farm, piglets! There are fifteen of them! Eli demonstrated how to walk quietly behind them so as not to frighten them. Archie, the corgi, not so much. Eli also learned they don't like to be picked up and squeal...like a pig. :)

Back at home, there were more chores to finish before we left for the city at 6 p.m. Laundry was folded and last minute packing was completed. We managed to feed Eli, but ran out of time for D and I, so stopped for fast food before we went to C's. But before we ate, we played a round of musical cars so I could park in the garage. A single lane driveway can be a real nuisance.

Eli got to meet Sage (dog) and two of the roommate's cats (there are five). Kota, a black and white tom is the friendliest as I would learn as he landed on me a few times during the night.

We all settled into bed/couch by shortly after 9 p.m., but no one was asleep before 10. Too much excitement and anticipation. D's alarm went off at 2:50 a.m. and we were dressed and out to the garage to grab our suitcases by 3:20 a.m. Good thing, as the taxi cab I'd ordered arrived about that time.

At the airport we had a short wait before the check-in counter opened. All went smoothly, except both my and Eli's carry-ons were selected for secondary screening at security. The issues: a package of antacids for me, and an empty water bottle for him. I actually think there were new staff in training, so they were more vigilant.

Breakfast at Tim Horton's and time for Eli to play on the indoor play structure took up the time before we headed for the gate for boarding. We were last to board (intentional) and the flight was uneventful. We were early resulting in a slightly longer layover.

Again we boarded among the last guests and then we sat on the tarmac. While Eli and his mom amused themselves on their devices, I slept. When I woke, were were at least a half hour into the flight. I had no memory of the take-off.

We did hit a bit of turbulence about an hour prior to landing in Halifax. I was a bit worried that Eli would find it troubling but he didn't seem to even notice. When we landed, we discovered it was hot in Halifax, 32C/88F. Quite the difference from the 7C/45F we had left behind in Regina. Our immediate need was for a family bathroom were D and Eli changed into lighter clothing. 

We picked up our rental car and were on our way to Bedford (just outside Halifax) soon after. We stayed at a Comfort Inn that was clearly a converted older hotel. There were stairs in a few places in the hallways, the property had a lovely front porch with a view of the basin, and a single elevator at the rear of the property. It also had an unheated pool that we would make good use of, and offered a continental breakfast each morning. Finally, it was a reasonable distance from downtown Halifax and the waterfront. This is the view from the front porch.

The rest of our evening was spent quietly and we were all in bed by 9 p.m. (or 6 p.m. at home). It was early but we were all tired from the travel day and ready for a good night's sleep. Eli told me a bedtime story and it was lights out.