A Stranger in a Temporary Land

In approx. 30 minutes we will be leaving the North.
Several people have asked me if I'm ready to leave.
My response varies.
"Well, it's been a nice vacation, but I think I'm ready to go."
"Kinda of ready, but I loved it up here."
You know, that kind of stuff.
The truth is, the question they ask has a deeper meaning that goes beyond a simple visit.
I used to worship this place called Canada. It was my escape from all American problems.
My homeland. Until now.
The past several months, I have turned a new chapter in life. Being here has helped me to see. That crazy place called Lancaster is now home. I have found freedom in letting go of the bitterness I once had.
And being a strange person in a strange land has helped me to see that this home is only temporary. My real home is in Heaven.
This earthly life is only for so long.
I have learned so much from the Canadian culture. I hope I never forget those lessons. I have learned so much from Lancaster culture. I don't want to lose that either. Both places may be home for a little while.

But Heaven is no doubt so much better.

Summer Adventures pt. 1 1/2

Here we are: Confident and Excited as we set out...

But so much lay ahead... we had no idea...

Our second portage... through a small swamp. It was one of the nicer portages. No joke!



The bros showing what they're made of.

And then our first stop. Needless to say, we never realized how far or how hard this trail was going to be.

But at that point it was nice to rest. Great camping on top of a rock by the lake...

Gotta love those freeze-dried goodies. 

The second day started out with a long, wet, muddy, buggy portage. Not sure how this guy got away with snoozing while we sweated and carried the packs :)

This was pretty much how we felt by the end...

 And it was only the first portage of the day.

Next was a little dam of sorts. A nice break from portaging.

The second portage we chose the river route.

It was about as fun as it looks!

Freeze-dried soup never tasted so good that night...

And JJ ended the day by catching a fish.

3rd day- portages were shorter but just as "bushy."

Again. JJ studied the map while we lugged packs and canoes.

Opting to look for a faster way to White Otter, we tried out this road to another lake.

Guess that's why we got a flat tire on the trailer.

And why the sign stated the obvious.

All in all, despite its unexpected-ness, we made lots of memories.

Got some good family time in. The boys built muscle. We all got feasted on by mosquitoes.

 We lived in the wake of God's creation. 

We never did make it to our originally planned destination. But perhaps someday...

"Nature never taught me that there exists a God of glory and of infinite majesty. I had to learn that in other ways. But nature gave the word glory a meaning for me." ~C.S. Lewis

Dawn of the Voyageur

(cruising along Highway 11: mid-morning)

I'm beginning to feel real excitement about this whole canoe trip.
I think it might be some adjusting first. Who knew this Canadian-turned-Lancaster girl would have to adjust to the lack of noise, people, and fast-paced life.
Everywhere I look I see trees, small lakes, trees, endless road, and more trees.
The fam is getting the camera out just in case we see any wildlife, like a mosquito.
Um, yes, I think we're starting to become more and more like tourists.
After crossing the border we did our little stop at Timmy's tradition. Next time I think I'll get a large iced coffee instead of a small. It's just that good.

Ah. I can't wait to see a sunset like this again. It's been too long.

We're talking, thinking about, and living for the canoe trip at this point. We also came up with French names(and one Indian), mostly so we feel like we're voyageurs instead of amateurs. (ha!)
I'll leave it to you to guess who is who...
Au revoir! ~Dominique for Papa Jacque, Mama little running deer, Richard(pronounced ree-shard), Jean Paul, and Pierre.