The drive home

When I started this blog, Ben was a little over 2 and Joe was not yet 1.  This blog recorded so much of their mischief, messes, joys and antics during those younger years.  I truly never pictured these days when Joe and Ben would become absolutely invaluable to me and the running of this family.  They are two of the most selfless and servant-hearted young men I've ever met.

They're always ready with a joke, a helping hand, shoulders or a hip to carry the youngest and a rock-like stability already present in two so young.  How I love them and thank the Lord for His plan to have them arrive back-to-back when I had planned something much different.

Mariana thrown in for good measure because her brothers love her fiercely and brought her along for the long drive home.  Ben drove the truck from around 10pm to exactly 4:15 am when we arrived home in the darkness of the very early morning.  Joe stayed awake the whole time except for 20 minutes when he briefly "closed his eyes" as they passed by Montreal.  When we arrived home, the whole crew quickly found their beds, but Isaac first turned on a flashlight and checked the laying hens before he shone the light brightly on my gladiolas that had bloomed while we were away.  In the pitch black, he called to me, "Mom, come quick!  Your flowers have bloomed and they're beautiful."  The boys have become men.

Out of Order

Last Christmas:

I found this unpublished post in my drafts.  Instead of the laborious task of publishing it in proper chronological order, I have thrown caution to the wind and allowed it to appear in early September of 2023.  If I've done the math properly, it's actually Christmas of 2019 and 2020.  Pre- and post-Covid, I suppose.  No evidence of unprecedented times; most things carried on as before in the Afelskie household.

Sarah, 7 years old.  Mariana, age 3, checking Christmas stockings.  Jacob hovering nearby in his 17th year.

I believe that's Joe, age 12.

Jacob receiving one of many books that have proved the staple of all Jacob gift-giving.

Little Joe adorned in Adidas.  Who knew what adventures lay in his future?  Pax in the foreground, now deceased after an unfortunate biting incident involving a dog and its vaccine-researcher owner.  Somehow we ended up with a quarantined dog just as we came out of the first Covid quarantines.  The ironies contained within the above paragraph humour me immensely.

Matthew before his waves appeared.  He's wearing pyjamas that Simon has now outgrown.

Mariana atop stairs that were still unfinished.  I have no memory of the stairs being unfinished before our first Christmas at the farm, but I guess they were.

Isaac, age 9, with one of many remote control cars that broke within the first week of use.

Evidence that Matthew's eyebrows have been with him from the beginning.

A Christmas morning run.  I recall that the first kilometre after the turn-around point was spent running blind with my toque pulled over my eyes as the older boys guided me home.  Why?  No reason other than fun.

A display of Christmas socks.

Same socks, same children,

Was this Christmas day?  I will have to check my sources.  It is atop the mountain and I believe the Baklinskis were with us.

Christmas day?  Christmas holidays.  Jogging pants are just as ugly then as they are today.  And as I round this out, I realize that this is only Christmas 2019.  Unprecedented times still loomed in our future.

Joe and Ben's Amazing Adventure

Many deliberations went into the planning of our New Brunswick trip.  We don't have a vehicle that fits us all, so we knew that we would have to drive both the van and the truck.  But when would we leave, who would drive what and for how long, would we drive through the night and on and on.  We finally settled on a post-vigil mass start on the Saturday with Ben and I driving the truck (so that I could get him past Montreal) and Dave driving the van.  

Shortly after Montreal, we left Ben, Joe and the two dogs at a gas station where they attempted to sleep.  Bosco felt the need to act as a watch dog at the window and maintain a low-level growl for most of the four hours that constituted the night.

Rosie apparently slept peacefully and the boys breakfasted at a gas station and continued their day.

Ben feeling pretty poorly after a short night and a day's drive ahead of him.

Sun rising as they head toward the western shore of New Brunswick.

The pass from NB to Nova Scotia, possibly one of my favourite geographical names, the Isthmus of Chignecto.

Ben toughing it out at the wheel.  Joe wishing he had a driver's license.

Bosco tuckered out from a night spent guarding his boys.

Somewhere.

Somewhere else.

Ben's temper was wearing thing by this point and sleep was calling.

Bosco, ever faithful, ever true.

PEI 2

We finally found a decent place to lunch in Murray Harbour.  Shockingly, the restaurant had one of the most comprehensive gluten-free menus I've ever seen.  Even some of the pies were GF!

Unfortunately, they were short-staffed and the wait was long but pleasant as we sat in the afternoon sun in the garden outside the restaurant.

Sitting in sunshine.  Sweatshirt has come off as the day warmed up.

The East Coast milks lobsters for all their worth.

We ordered a fully-loaded poutine which was essentially Christmas supper served on fries.  Instead of turkey, the meat was ground beef and the whole thing was quite delicious.  And even the stuffing was GF!

Wise boy brought a book.

Then we found a lighthouse and a cliff.  Matthew cried the entire time for ice cream, so I hauled it back to the small beach with the ice cream shack with Sarah, Mariana and Matthew while the older boys remained at the cliffside.  As I drove away, I briefly thought, I hope I don't come back to a cliff rescue.  I drove back to find the three older boys standing on the side of the road.  Joe was wearing a broad smile and Ben was shaking his head in exasperation.  Joe had tried to descend the cliff only to tumble down the rocks rather than scurry down skilfully.  Bloodied limbs resulted, but no need for emergency officials.

Sarah bought a PEI toque.  As a Canadian, one can never be too prepared for the return of winter.

Matthew crying for ice cream.

Sated by blue bubblegum ice cream, he falls mercifully to sleep.

Some beautiful sky and sea as we headed back toward Confederation Bridge.

Clouds and rain proving how fickle maritime weather can be.

Yet below the rain, the sun shines through onto the ocean.  Quite something.
 

PEI 1

We made it to the PEI ferry with very little time and were one of the last vehicles allowed on.  First time on a large boat for any of the kids and definitely first time on the ocean for all of them.

Dave stayed back at the cottage with Simon.  As usual, he made a wise decision.  I had wanted the whole family to come because my tendency is always toward full togetherness.  But Dave knew that Simon would be a menace to manage on the boat and that the drive would be long and Simon would spend most of his time crying.  The absence of Simon made for a much more peaceful day.

Matthew showing off some moves in the ferry's cafeteria.  Only three hours into the day and he'd already spilled chocolate milk on both his hoodie and shorts.

Isaac gazing out the window while Mariana guzzles some illicit gatorade.

Ferry coffee was judged OK by Joe.  But Sarah just told me that Joe didn't actually like the coffee and that she went for a "classic Brisk".  I think I had tea, if memory serves me correctly.