Canal Dodge

Time is flying by out here. Still we push on with the fun.

Yesterday Sue, Amy and I went for a skate on the canal along with Sue’s dad. The ice was in much better condition and the temperature was perfect. It was gorgeous out and we very much enjoyed ourselves. We did a little over 8 km on the ice. We started out at Pig Island and went all the way to downtown, then back again. Amy wanted more snack, so Sue and I had to head home. Sue’s dad kept going and ended up being out there skating up and down the canal for another couple hours.

Elliot chose to stay at home with his Aunt and he drew, did puzzles, and played games, all the while still in his pajamas. Heaven for him.

In the afternoon the kids, Sue and I went tobogganing at Windsor park. The small hill there is perfect for the kids. Elliot and I were there for a half hour before Sue and Amy arrived. In that time I flung Elliot down the hill many times. There was a jump there, and I got him flying off it. Literally. He was airborne, many, many times and loved it. One time he got a little too much air and crashed on landing. He got up giggling and ran up the hill for more. When Sue and Amy arrived we headed over to the playground for some sliding of a different sort. Snowpants on plastic slides means very, very fast conditions. The kids were flying off those too. All was fun until Amy tried to walk up a slide, slipped and gave herself a bloody nose.

Today there was more skating. This time I went out on the canal by myself. I headed up toward Dowes Lake, did a lap there after heading up to the loch. The ice at this end was fantastic. Super smooth, not many tracks yet, and not many people out. I then headed to downtown. Down there the ice was a little more chunky and tracked out, but there were also lots, and lots of school kids to try and dodge. Some of them not watching where they are going, stopping in front of people, cutting you off. Crazy. I was glad to get out of there. I did around 15.8 km today. I could have kept going a while, but I wanted Sue to get out and enjoy it too (she wasn’t planning on going for a skate). Back at Pig Island I called Sue up and told her to start getting ready. Walking back to the house I could feel the workout I had. Maybe it was good to end where I did.

After Sue got back from her skate we had a yummy, yummy lunch of fresh bagels (as in still warm from baking fresh), cream cheese, lox, and smoked meat.

After lunch we were off again to the Canadian Museum of Nature. Very cool museum in a very old building. I could have spent hours there. The displays were excellent, lots of interesting information, and lots of great photo opportunities. The kids though had their own pace, which was very different from mine. Sometimes we ran, sometimes we lingered.

Dinner tonight we went out. All you can eat sushi. I think Elliot had about 3 pieces of sushi, including 2 squid rings. Amy did pretty good though. She had a couple pieces of sushi, tons of edamame, and a few other things too. Like many things, I think we overstayed by about five minutes.

I am thankful we have a few more days left. I’m not sure what kind of storm I’m going to be walking into when we get home though. I had to handle a couple work things today, and I will either still be unemployed when we get back, or I will be supremely busy for the next few months. I am not sure which way it will go.