With just a few days left before my departure from Quebec, it seems like I’m busier than ever!
Yesterday, Thursday, I took most of the day off to spend time with my middle nephew, S, who turned five on Tuesday. Since his brother got a birthday outing, it made sense for S to get one, too. He likes going to the movies, so we went to see Wreck-It-Ralph (in French). It was the perfect choice for the two of us. S loves playing video games and the movie features a bunch of classic games, like Tapper, that I used to play as a child so I got hit with a bit of nostalgia. I splurged on both the 3D showing and the Wreck-It-Ralph snack kit, so S got a reusable cup and Ralph figurine as a souvenir. I was impressed that S knew that he needed to recycle his 3D glasses after!
After dropping him off, I decided to have dinner at Harvey’s one last time. Harvey’s is the best burger chain, featuring charbroiled patties and a counter where you can watch the servers add the toppings you want. I always get their veggie burger (mustard, relish, lots of tomato) with onion rings. The chain is starting pop up all over the country, but they are concentrated between Montreal and Ottawa. Since I won’t be back this way for a while, savouring one last Harvey’s burger was on my list!
Tonight, we went to my sister’s to celebrate S’s birthday as a family. My brother-in-law expressed disappointment that I’m leaving when the kids are getting so attached to me. Agreed, but even if I could return to a settled life, living in Quebec again is not an option. There’s no sense flogging that horse anymore or whatever the cliché is.
The schedule for the next few days is a little tight. I’m going to my sister’s in Sherbrooke for dinner tomorrow evening. I have plans with cousins on my dad’s side of the family Sunday. Monday is supposed to be a real gift, sunny and plus 15, so I need to do all my exterior prep on the rig. I called the shop this afternoon to ask if I can drop my truck off on Monday rather than first thing Tuesday. Definitely. I’m also going to bring them the tow bar instructions because there are some implications for the electrical setup.
As it turns out, I won’t be able to pick up the truck on Tuesday evening as the estimate is that it will take all day to get the base plate on. So I am expected first thing on Wednesday with the RV so that we have plenty of time to make sure I’m hooked up properly. I therefore need to reassess when I’ll be going out for propane, gas, and dumping, but I will probably be leaving directly from the shop on Wednesday. I only have 300km or so to do to Saratoga, so even a noon start out time and a couple of hours at the border would allow me to arrive at a reasonable hour, albeit in the dark. But that’s fine since I’ll be heading somewhere I’ve been before. Looking at the forecast for the next week or so, it seems that I’ll be leaving in perfect weather, so I don’t want to miss that window. I’d really rather just have a crazy hectic day on Wednesday and wake up across the border on Thursday.