Personal

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This and That

1) I stumbled out of bed at 9:30 this morning in answer to a knock on my door. It was the mail carrier with a registered letter for me. My foggy brain was able to make out the words “Wow, first time I ever got mail at home!”

Thankfully, I’d been previously introduced to the mail carrier and she knew a bit of my story.

2) Today’s shift was great! I worked once again with the colleague who trained me the first day and things are good between us now. We work super well together, finding it easy to equitably divvy up the sucky jobs, of which there are many. Tonight, she introduced me to the slushy machine. I’d been curious about the colourful swirls of ice named after big brand sodas, like Mountain Dew and Sprite, and was surprised to learn that we get those free, too! I don’t normally drink sodas, but I’m a sucker for slushies, so I decided to try an orange one. Let’s just say I’m going to have to put a note on my mug reminding me that those things are pure sugar! 🙂 But what a treat! Business was a bit slow tonight and we gabbed a lot, which made us late for closing up. Oops. 🙂

3) I have a childhood friend with whom I’ve reconnected through Facebook whose mother also friended me. This mother has a childhood friend of her own who happens to live in Campbell River. The friend and I will be meeting for coffee this week. Do I know anyone who doesn’t know someone who lives in Campbell River? 😀

*moves away from the light tone*

4) I found out yesterday that an aunt, my only one on my dad’s side (his sister) passed away suddenly on Sunday. Going back east for the funeral on Friday isn’t an option, unfortunately. My thoughts go out to my cousins and their families as well as my uncle.

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Retrospective: A Year On the Road

It was a year ago today that I first hit the road as a very green full-time RVer wannabe! In some ways, the year has flown by, but in others it feels like it has been a decade since I left Ottawa.

I’ve covered some 10,000km in that year, visiting more of Canada than I would have seen in a lifetime of stickhouse living.

This past year I have learned about RV plumbing, electricity, and propane; crunched Miranda (and the toad) more than I would have liked; met pleasantly insane and not so pleasantly insane people; made new friends; conquered fears; fulfilled my dreams of hiking the Chilkoot Pass and seeing the Klondike; slept at more Walmarts than I can count and beautiful rustic campgrounds; worked at a bunch of different jobs; and in the process finally figured out just what it is I want to do with my one wild and precious life.

My plans for year two are positively sedate in comparison, but this will be the year of settling in, testing new systems, and laying a solid foundation upon the dreams formed during year one. I can’t wait to see what the future holds!

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Did I Miss a Memo?!

Did Quebec recently secede from Canada?

My request for Yukon healthcare was rejected because I did not provide sufficient proof of my Canadian nationality. I submitted a copy of my passport as proof that I am Canadian and was told that’s not good enough. They want a birth certificate! What???!!!

But that’s not what takes the cake. I promptly submitted my birth certificate and was equally promptly told that it does not prove my Canadian nationality as the certificate was issued by Quebec. What???!!!

I still have a couple of aces up my sleeve (it’s good that I know some lawyers, so an affidavit wouldn’t be out of the question), but this is ridiculous!!!

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A Klondike Summer Draws to a Close

The summer of 2009 is one that will live in my heart for the rest of my life. It is drawing to a close as evidenced by the inky blanket of night that has returned and the days that are becoming cooler and wetter. The romantic part of me is sad to leave before winter sets in while the pragmatic part of me knows that leaving must now be foremost on my mind.

The fact that this is just a goodbye, not a farewell, makes the thought of departure bearable. I have nowhere near had my fill of the Klondike yet. This land has settled into my bones as firmly as it gripped my soul for a decade and I am afraid that I will never be free of it. It was here, at the end of a dream and at the very edge of the world, staring out into a land in which you could lose yourself that I found out what is truest about me. Some things I liked, some I didn’t, but I now know the stranger I once faced in the mirror every morning.

Tonight, I finally went for a walk down to Bonanza Creek, following a path that starts here at the RV park. It was a short stroll that took me through the essence of the Klondike, across dredge tailings and past mining equipment, reminding me that this was a land built on foolish dreams and honest labour. The land has been scarred by the miners searching for a yellow metal with no intrinsic value, but it is now inhabited by people who know that true wealth has very little to do with material riches.