It's a big wide world out there, but man is it small! On Friday night we got a sitter and headed downtown Winnipeg with our friends Colin and Rhian to take in a festival of street vendors as part of "Many Fest." Deb and Rhian mnaged to snag one of two coveted "cabana tables" in the whole wine tasting area while Colin and Tim stood in line for gourmet poutine and tacos. We were enjoying the local fare when out of the blue someone pops their head into our little covered area and says "oohhhhh what a cosy little spot you guys have here." I look up and exchange shocked expressions with the one and only person (other than Rhian and Colin) that I know in this city of 600,000 souls - Patricia Chaychuck, the Clerk of the Manitoba Legislative Assembly. Patricia was just passing through the park and happened to stumble across our table. She hund out with us for the evening and treated the whole family to an awesome insider's tour of their beautiful Assembly the next afternoon including entracnce onto the Chamber floor. This was the only provincial legislature that I hadn't visited so it was a real treat for me. Patricia kept all the kids engaged with a fosil hunt on the Assembly's limestone walls and the promise of a candy at the end of the tour if they were good. Great fun.

We arrived in the Peg three hours late on Via due to high freight traffic on the rails. The passenger trains do not have priority use and have to pull into a rail siding to cede the right of way. The train trip was excellent in every way. What a relaxing and fun way to travel. We had four private bunks right next to the dining car. There is also an activity car and an observation lounge where you can sit and read and watch the countryside slip past. We were at the very back of the train so we could also see the track slide away in the distance. The service on ViaRail is outstanding and it reminided us if what it must have been like to travel in the old days. Mira and Shannon were the only kids on the train and they delighted in sharing their story with other passengers and staff. We enjoyed excellent meals on white linen table cloths, read our books, played cards and enjoyed some music from two young musicians playinng their way across the country on the Via system. We slept deeply to the rock and rythm of the train and didn't wake once even when we stopped to load passengers a couple of times through the night. We're all looking forward to bording again for the remaindr of the trip to Toronto.
Colin and Rhian and their kids have been fantastic hosts. It has been extremely hot here in Winnpeg (32 yesterday and 36 with the humidity) so we've spent lots of time just chilling in shade and catching up. We've enjoyed some fab meals and my life has been forever improved through introduction by Colin to the "snack master grilled sandwhich maker". I lay awake at night dreaming about my next melted masterpiece. Deb and Rhian did a 16 k run this morning as part of Many Fest and Colin and I got in a shorter one yesterday with the dogs. Tonight Colin and I are taking the tandem bike to see the "Banjo Bowl" an annual rematch between the Roughriders and the Blue Bombers. It might rain tonight but our seats are under the overhang so we should be ok - until the game ends and we have to bike home.
It's been a great visit with these guys and the kids have gotten along famously. Kaya and Shannon easily renewed their old friendship and made up for the fact that Shannon was down with krupe (sic?) last time she was here in the spring. Mira kept herself busy with Mahri and generally being the big kid of the group. She's growing up right before our eyes. It will be sad to leave tonight, just as it's been eveywhere along the way. We made some plans to meet up with the Joyal/Christies in Europe next spring for a bike trip in France and maybe some sailing in Greece or Croatia. Its been so nice to drop in and visit with families across the country, but tough to get into a rythm again as each visit is just like a mini holiday. Oh well, getting out of the rhythm was just what the doctor ordered for this whole experience.
We left Yellowknife a month ago yesterday. Incredible how fast it's gone and how much ground we've covered so far. Looking back over the pictures it's already hard to remember some of the people and places. Starting off in Canada and the US has allowed us to get our travel legs under us before we head out to strange new lands with different languages, food, money, cultures, sights and smells. We don't want to hurry and part of this trip along or wish our time away, but the international component remains something to really look forward to.
We board the east bound train tonght at 10:30 pm and will again hop right into our cozy bunks. We will pull into Union Station in TO in two days where it seems like just yesterday we were all gazing down at the train tracks from the CN Tower imagining arriving from the west in a few years. Shannon has a medical appointment with her surgeon on Wednesday morning and we'll hang out in our old hood - the Delta Chelsea - for a few days before taking the train up to Ottawa for more sighseeing and reunions with friends. The theme song to the "Littlest Hobo" is playing in the back of my mind as I write this. I imagine it would get lonely at times travelling alone - but that's never the case with a family trip like this. The girls are having a great time and really enjoying the road life. Hopefully this trip will leave them with a thirst to travel to new and strange lands and get off the beaten track once in a while. It certainly hasn't dampened mine and Deb's love of travel. And being away from home for so long should help remind us to appreciate the many pleasures of everyday life when we get back.
Signing off from the centre of the continent. Will check in again from the Big Smoke.