Happy Thanksgiving

 10/10/10 Not sure if anyone noticed, but it was brought to my attention on Friday that at 10:10am on Sunday the tenth of October it would be tens across the board.  Paula and I managed to miss it in all the times zones but I still thought it was pretty cool and wanted to mention it.  Guess now we have to wait for November 11 of next year.

I wanted to send out a very special Happy Thanksgiving to all my friends and family back home.  I know some of you were worried that I wouldn’t be in a place to enjoy a proper Thanksgiving meal and have the company of friends and loved ones to share it with.  Well let me just say, that was sooo not the case.  I in fact did get to share my Thanksgiving with a wonderful group of people.  Paula and her family have opened their hearts and their home and have asked nothing of me in return.  I was treated to one of the best meals I have had in a loooong time and to top it all off, there was cheesecake and to make that even better, it was all gluten free!!!  I am truly tempted to just stay here and live happily ever after in the land of gluten free on the shores of Thunder Bay Ontario...However, I am sure the lure of fresh sea food from Nova Scotia will have enough pull to get me back in my car J

Thanksgiving for me was great in so many ways. There was no ten hour drive.  I met some of the most wonderful people in Thunder Bay who welcomed me with open arms and treated me like one of the family. The weather has been better than anyone could have ever asked for. I had a personal escort around Thunder Bay as well as a brief but educational history of the town, And I got to meet an amazing woman with more vim and vigour than I have or will ever have, and she is 84 years old.  Her story about being the first “Car Hop” in Canada is one everyone needs to hear.  Of course it is best told in her own words, but if I can’t get to see her again and catch her story on film, I will gladly share it with you myself.  The typical family banter around the dinner table gave me a calm relaxed feeling and I felt right at home listening to it.  Patio door window sizes, spray painting metal doors, grandmothers standing in the middle of the yard with a housecoat and no teeth, skinning moose hide and proper freezing techniques...ok maybe that one isn’t one I was particularly fond of but the rest were great entertainment.  I would have to say though, that one of my favourite moments of the Thanksgiving meal was sitting down with the family at about 6:00pm on Sunday even for their big turky dinner, then having the same group of people back the next day at 1:30pm for lunch, doing the dishes mulching the lawn than sitting back down for yet another family dinner at 3:30pm I do believe there was record set for time and distance on the number of meals served in a 24 hour period.  To be fare, there was a miscommunication on the meal times verses arrival times of family members...But hey, who am I to complain.  I don’t think I have ever had access to that much food LOL

All in all I have had a great time so far.  I don’t remember having so much fun mowing or raking a lawn and I can’t tell you enough how warm and welcoming everyone has been here in Thunder Bay.  I don’t recommend hitting the Future Shop for any cellular phone advice but I do recommend a visit to the bluffs ;-)

My next stops on this adventure will be either Wawa or Sault Ste. Marie Ontario then onto Gravenhurst Ontario and from there, Ottawa.  My final destination in Canada will be Antigonish Nova Scotia and right now my stopping points between the two are still in the works.  I do have possibilities in Montreal, but from there to Antigonish I will be looking for some friends and or family of some friends and or family J

I have had so many great experiences thus far and the conversations I have had with many different people have started some great debates in my own head and have given me some ideas on what to talk about in my future posts.  It is a difficult challenge trying to figure out if the best way to make this world a better place is to find out what makes people angry, or discover what truly makes them happy.  The great debate is on, and I look forward to examining each and every angle or possibility.  I honestly feel that the answer to this crazy riddle has been under our noses the entire time.  We are just afraid to see it because we know it means making some tough decisions and possibility putting certain groups or people in their place.  Equality is not equality until we are all treated equally. 

Until next time
Please take care and buy the person behind you in the coffee shop a cup of coffee, it will go further than you know!

Margo