We put on some warm clothes and pulled everything out of the Dodge, it defiantly needed it there were dog biscuits, dog hair, food crumbs, mud, ice and road grit all through the car. Will vacuumed while I attempted to wipe it out with hot water that was rapidly going cold. I was also on a new found film everything mission so I was filming Will doing the cleaning as well as everything else. We then organised all the food and rearranged a few things before putting it all back in. We were just complaining to Brad about how uncomfortable our mattress had been getting when he busts out this memory foam and says we can have it! It was a bit small to fully replace the current mattress so we just doubled it up by putting it underneath the old one. We would now be super close to hitting the shelf with our hips but at least our other hip and shoulder could rest in soft heavenly comfort. Back inside we put on a few loads of washing and gave our waterproof jackets and pants a rinse in the bath. Then hung them in the garage to dry. Funny right, it was about -7 degrees celsius in the garage so they just froze solid, better to hang them in the heated basement we decided. Will also asked Julie if she had a heater that we could put in the Dodge for a few hours to help dry it out a bit, she didn’t have one but within minutes she had organised to borrow one from a friend! Ideal. That evening we were treated to some famous Alberta steaks seared on the outside grill with salad and other tasty delights. If you recall the last time we tried to cook steak was on the cooker in the aluminium pan and they were basically raw so this was a huge improvement. You can’t beat a good steak!
We took a few runs to get the hang of stopping then a few more to get the hang of turning, but really I couldn’t believe they were letting us go down the same slope as the kids on the snowboard lessons, I came pretty close to hitting a few of them. I was still struggling with the turning when Jonny took us over to the beginner luge track through the trees. We all had a run down and it was loads of fun I couldn’t wait to try it again after lunch and get my turning down packed.
On Saturday morning we woke to smells of crisping bacon, french toast, fresh fruit and cheese mmmmmmmmmm. Brad and Julie were having a brunch with their friends and we were luckily invited to join in their meal. If they kept feeding us like this we would never leave we warned them as we blobbed out on the couch afterwards. While relaxing we did a few jobs like booking in Scout with the pet exporter and I started writing another blog. That afternoon as our tummies returned to their normal size we went down to the pool where Emily, Brad and Julie’s daughter works to have a go on the FlowRider. One of those giant wave simulators that you can surf or body board on. We were excited to have a go as well as a little nervous as some of the brunch guests said they would come and watch as well. However as we arrived a sign was being put up saying the pools were getting evacuated as a pipe had burst. We snuck inside anyway and watched a few people have a go on the FlowRider before being told we had to leave. Instead we returned back to the house to blob some more; it was a nice afternoon.
On Sunday I continued to blob/blog while Will filled out some paper work and made some phone calls about Scouts export. He needed a printer for the paper work and Julie was onto it quick smart and got it printed for him in town. Julie was so good to us every time we needed something as well as getting all of these goodies out for us for lunch each day.
Later that afternoon we went out with Brad to buy our fishing licences and some bait and what not, because we were going ice fishing the next day! I think Will was just as interested in using the auger to drill the hole in the ice and use the quad bike as he was the actual fishing but I was excited and certain that I was going to catch something! Getting the licences was a bit of a hassle because of a new system and us being from overseas but we got it sorted eventually and found everything else we needed. Determined Brad must of had about ten different types of bait in the end and Will was more than happy to look around yet another outdoors store.
That evening after what I’m sure was a lovely dinner even though I don’t remember what it was, we were watching TV in the lounge when Brad decided to put on an old DVD called Alone in the Wilderness. It turned out to be amazing footage of Dick Proenneke as he builds himself a long cabin on the shore of Twin Lakes, Alaska. The clips are narrated through readings from his diary throughout the film. It’s old time footage from an old time man but everything he dose is meticulous. He even builds his own wooden hinges for his door and ends up living in the cabin for over thirty years. Will and I were utterly captivated and wanted to know more. We Googled him and found out that Dick had since passed away but there was a book and another DVD available that we would have to get one day! Brad did his best to top the first DVD by putting on another classic called '50 outdoor skills everyone needs to know to survive’ and despite making us watch for 20 minutes to see the guy accidentally mix a bug into his quinoa porridge we failed to see any point in watching it further, the female host was terrible. Emily thought it was all quite funny but sorry Brad I think we liked the first one better.
On Monday the 24th the alarm woke us up nice an early to a chilly but clear -10 degree day. We wrapped up warm then armed with three full thermoses and some sandwiches we began packing Brads pick up. Actually I should say the men packed while I filmed them. The boys organised and tied down the quad bike, a sled, the fishing lines, the bait, the chairs and our ice auger.
Just as we were leaving and Will was setting up for a final photo together Julie produced a bag full of easter goodies that we weren’t to open until easter on the 20th of April. This was on top of loading us up with a heap of frozen pulled pork and curry. The only way our time there could have gotten any better was if Will and I or Brad and Julie or Sean had won it big on the lottery ticket we had each brought the day before. That didn’t happen but we had an unforgettable time all the same. We just hope we can be as giving to others as you were to us. Thank-you.
See you again one day B&J.
Rochelle & Will