There's Nothing Like A Good Book

Day #5 - Saskatoon, Saskatchewan to Edmonton, Alberta
(525 km)

Today was a very quiet day in the van.  All that could be heard for the longest time in the backseat area was the turning of pages, and the occasional chuckle.  It was music to my ears!  Greg and I kept looking at each other and smiling - trying not to laugh - because after three years of bugging him, we finally got James to start reading the Harry Potter series.  Greg read the first book to the kids a few years ago, thinking it would get the boys interested in the series, but instead they said they had seen the movies at different times and didn't need to read the books.  Over the years we have been showing them time and again that there is often a huge difference between the book and the movie, and more often than not, the books are much better.  James is rather stubborn, however, having inherited a large portion of that from both of us, and when it came to Harry Potter he had every excuse in the book why he shouldn't have to read them.

Well, yesterday he really wanted to download this great game from the App Store to play on his iPad, and Greg had a brain wave.  "Sure, I'll pay the $6 for you to download your game, but you have to read all of Harry Potter and The Chamber of Secrets first." Greg offered.  James went for it, and this morning before we even left Saskatoon, we had visited a Coles' book store and all three kids walked out with a book each for today's drive.  James told me last night, "Mom, do not let me have my iPad until I have finished Harry Potter okay?  I mean it. Even if I go crazy and beg you for it, do NOT let me have it!".  Easy enough for me, but could he do it?  I am pleased to say that as I type my blog for today,  James is laying on the bed totally absorbed in Chapter 15 of The Chamber of Secrets, and he has been reading all day, laughing and commenting from time to time, and definitely mentioning that the movie didn't include particular parts that he is really enjoying.  Greg and I are waiting until we are alone tonight to do all our laughing and told-him-so-ing.

Patrick came out with The Giver by Lois Lowry, and Charlotte got Fantastic Mr. Fox by Roald Dahl, which she devoured in one go during our drive today.  She is asking Greg for more recommendations and Greg is pleased as punch that she is taking his suggestions into consideration.  There are so many 'girly' books out there, like the ones about different fairies, but she is choosing to read the more classic novels.  That's our girl!  Patrick is just over halfway finished his book, too, and he is totally engrossed in it.

 I had another turn at the wheel today and enjoyed the farmland and the rolling hills.  In many ways I felt like I was driving through rural Ontario, and that made me feel nostalgic.  For a while we followed the North Saskatchewan River, and that was very beautiful, and the trees began to pop up again.  It occurred to me that I should be enjoying the view of the trees as I see them because where we are going is past the tree line.  Sigh.

Lots of people told us that Edmonton was the place to buy all our rated outerwear for our impending winter, but we met a wonderful sales girl in the first store we went into and she said that she had lived in the NWT for several years and that for rated clothing, you had to go to either Yellowknife or Whitehorse to buy what we need, and that it's much much more economical to buy it there because they get the goods in wholesale.  Apparently they have ALL sizes too, which would be nice for me!  They also ship to all parts of the Territories because they outfit all over.  So....that's one less thing we have to do here in Edmonton.  We did allow an extra day here for shopping, so it will be nice not to have to run around like chickens with our heads cut off getting all this now.  We still have a list of other items, but it won't be so hectic now, and we can spend more time tomorrow at the water park in the West Edmonton Mall.

One other thing this sales girl mentioned that has stuck with me was long underwear.  Ugh.  Seriously?  I never even thought of it, but I suppose it's necessary.  I don't know how our kids are going to feel about it, but I guess we'd better invest in some.  For me? No way!  I will be good with a pair of leggings underneath my pants but even that is going to gross me out.  Do you think they have fat lady snowpants instead?  That is what I would prefer!  How does long underwear work anyway?  Do you wear it in place of short underwear?  I went without it when we lived in Northern Ontario, but this is going to be colder.  Sigh....more adjustments.....but when it comes to underwear I draw the line!

First Air is the airline we will be using when we fly out of Tuk
at Christmas to fly home.  We were happy to see the size of the
planes! The planes in which we will be flying to Tuk from
Inuvik are like tin cans! I call those "Hail Mary" planes!

Our hotel is out by the Edmonton International Airport, and we have a runway view, which is nifty.  The kids were sitting by the window watching plane after plane take off for about half an hour before they left for the West Edmonton Mall for some looking around. I was craving some quiet time, and James wants to finish his book, so we hung back at the hotel for now.  One of the things that never goes away even when you're traveling is laundry.  Greg is picking up a small bottle of laundry detergent so we can do some laundry tonight.  After five days on the road, it's time!  All of us have been wearing the same shorts for two days in a row but even then, five days on the road times five Wilsons equals twenty-five shirts, twenty-five underwear, and the list goes on.  It's definitely time to do laundry, and this is the time to do it while we have a layover for a few days.

I asked the kids how they feel they are holding up so far, and their answers were fascinating.  James says he likes traveling like this because we're all together and that makes him feel safe and happy.  Patrick says he's getting tired of not being able to run around outside and that is making him feel cranky (to which we can definitely attest!) and Charlotte says that as long as she has something to do she is fine.  This afternoon she finished her book, and wanted her iPad, but we had packed them in the trunk and couldn't access them without stopping the van.  We asked her to wait until we had stopped for lunch, and she burst into tears and said, "I've read my book and finished it, I've played with Rosie, and I've played with my Barbies! I can't find my drawing pad for my markers (which we had accidentally packed with her iPad) and now I'm BORED!".  I felt so bad for her.  It wasn't like she hadn't done anything this morning.  She had a great morning, and to request the use of her iPad was reasonable.  When Greg heard her crying, he immediately pulled over and got our Char-Char her iPad.  When he opened her door to give it to her, she wiped her eyes and gave him a big hug.  I smiled at his compassion for her.  Greg is such a good Dad!

We shall see what treasures the children have when they return from their first trek through the West Edmonton Mall, among them our dinner.  We ate a late lunch so a later dinner is just fine.  Now that I have finished my blog for the day, I am going to go find my book and set myself up for a bit of reading this evening, too.  While all our friends and family are busy doing their Saturday night activities, we Wilsons will be cozied up in our beds with our books, with the humming of the air conditioning and the occasional rustling as pages are turned.  We'll be stretching our legs tomorrow as we swim and do some retail therapy, so tonight can be quiet and restful.

I will leave you tonight with a picture I took in Wainwright, Alberta.

Do they rent by the hour?  Eeeww!!!