Heading northwards after a month of warm, sunny weather, paddling in the natural wonderland I discovered in my journey along Florida's west coast was not something I was looking forward to. Not unexpectedly I ran into occasional patches of snow which slowly grew into fields of white. By the time I got to southern Vermont, it was raining and a dismal landscape began unfolding in front of the car.
Still the sudden appearance of people speaking French on the radio stations and the talk of the election being held in the province of Québec all reminded me of the warmth that existed at home. I found myself pushing the gas pedal just a bit harder. I suddenly wanted to be home with my family regardless of the weather. At the border, the custom's man only seemed to want to talk about my paddling experiences. My car, full of a month's worth of 'fun in the sun' smells was not something he wanted to get outside to check. He waved me on and I was home in Canada once again.
The drive from Florida was sprinkled with little diamonds, visits with wonderful, remarkable people, who generously took the time to meet me and let me peek into their lives. I can't thank them enough. It turned a long drive into a very warm and human experience. Thank you all so much!
5 comments:
Thanks for making Brooklyn part of your trip! I really enjoyed giving you the grand tour of a couple of my favorite places in the borough.
its always nice to get home, and lovely to meet good people.
the weather looks a bit rubbish but you could just keep your drysuit on and it wont be a problem!!
He didn't have a drysuit! He was in Florida!
Bonnie's right, Claire. I had to tough it out while in Florida and paddle for a month wearing only my bathing suit and some sun-screen lotion, braving the horrors of erupting skin cancer and who knows what other nasties. I'll be back in my dry-suit soon however as our lakes are melting fast.
Great to see you made it home, Michael. Always a room for you here.
Post a Comment