Day Seven: Are We There Yet Index

Friday June 29, 2012

YAY! We have hit the end of the first week, and are currently in McDonald Creek Provincial Park, in the BC Kootenay region. We were a bit hesitant to head this way due to the record setting floods in the region and the forecasted heavy rain, but decided to head out anyway to pay a visit to the small town of Nakusp. Tomorrow promises to be a busy day with a lakeshore walk, museum visit, hot-spring visit, picnic, café breakfast, and grocery shopping planned.

Zaid playing on the beach at McDonald Creek. Photo: Ben McNamee

In homage to Harper’s Index from Harper’s magazine I present the week 1 version of our trip in numbers.

7: The number of days on the road.

6: The number of rainy days.

4: The number of unique campsites.

0: The number of times we have put the tent up correctly on the first try.

1: The number of unique hotels.

910: The number of KM driven.

50: The estimated number of KM driven with a screaming Owen.

25: The estimated number of KM driven with a screaming Zaid.

3: The number of restaurant meals.

3: The number of visits to Tim Hortons.

5: The number of deer seen.

2: The number of those dear that were dead.

1: The number of car-deer collisions seen.

1: The number of snakes seen.

1: The number of bears seen.

2: The number of showers per person.

7: The number of recommended showers per person.

0: The number of campgrounds where tents outnumbered trailers.

3800: The number of KM away from Toronto.

Day 6- Camping in Kekuli Bay Provincial Park.

Thursday June 28, 2012

Today was our second day at Kekuli Bay by Vernon. It was yet another gorgeous day and one that almost ended without rain. I say almost because as I sit down to write this at 9:54 pm a few light drops of rain have just begun to fall. Ben and I have become really good at predicting weather and preparing for it, so as the rain begins to fall this time, we have no reason to panic as all of our things are packed up or put carefully somewhere where they can remain dry.  Our little boys are finally both asleep, Ben is reading in the tent while keeping an eye on them and I am sitting to write this in the car as to not disturb them.

The day started out beautifully. We all woke up around the same time, just after 7:30 am when the sun was strong enough to heat the inside of our tent to an uncomfortable degree and force up to wonder out of it. Zaid and I were the first to venture out to eat breakfast. I then hung back with the boys while Ben prepared coffee for the two of us which we then enjoyed in the shade of a tree on our campsite while Owen lay down in his basinet and Zaid played nearby with his dump truck. 

Soon Zaid became restless so we decided to go for a walk down to the lake. We walked alongside a train track that runs alongside the lake until we found a clearing that lead to a small beach so we walked down it until we were at the water. It was breathtaking! The water was so shallow and crystal clear and you could see the lake and the mountains and the sky all in one view. It was so quiet and serene and perhaps the most beautiful water colour I have ever seen.  Ben noticed a raft very close to where we were standing so he took his sandals off, got into the water, walked over to where the raft was and brought it back to us. The next half an hour or so was spent with all of us sitting on the raft floating in the beautiful water (very close to the shore though to keep me from freaking out!!)  Zaid absolutely loved it, but when he decided that he wanted to push the raft all by himself we decided it was time to put it back, so Ben did and then we spend some more time by the water so that Ben and Zaid can play their favorite game of throwing rocks into the lake.  After that we walked back to the playground and Zaid played some more before heading back to our tent for naptime.

Ben on the raft in Kalamalka Lake

In the afternoon we had planned to visit a winery in the region but after giving it some more thought we decided to do a more child-friendly activity so instead we visited the Davison Orchard in Vernon.  This was another little interesting place, much like the model train museum that we stumbled upon by chance and would have never had the opportunity to visit had we not been on this trip. It was a great place for children complete with farm animals and kids play area. For the adults there was a great big gift shop with all kinds of homemade crafts and food and a nice little café to relax at, eat homemade pie and drink pure 100% apple juice. There was also a cherry tasting and you could buy fresh produce that have been grown on the farm. 

As we pulled in to the parking lot of the orchard I laughed and Ben wondered what was so funny.  What was so funny was that we were driving into this family farm, dressed in camping clothes,  with two young children in the back seat, and a very loud hip hop song by Wyclef coming out of our car stereo! I said to Ben, our music doesn’t seem to match our life and we both thought it was hilarious especially the fact that we actually do like that music!!

At the orchard, Zaid (and Ben) played in the kids zone for an hour, riding from one tractor to the another. I (and Owen) browsed the gift shop and kept in the shade. On the way out we bought a bag of fresh snap peas and some apple juice to enjoy for our afternoon snack.   

We ended the day with some home cooking for dinner, a walk around the campground and some down time under the tree on our site. We then began the process of putting Zaid to sleep which tends to be very unpredictable and today took more than an hour. Now finally, both Zaid and Owen are asleep and a most lovely day comes to an end. The little rain drops are actually welcomed today as it has been rather hot.

Tomorrow we head to Nakusp, another place I have never been to before. But I heard very good things about the little village and I am looking forward to it.

Haifa 

Day Five: No More Eeyore

June 27, 2012 

Finally, after four days, we have lived through a day without rain. I suppose since there is still 2 hours to go before bedtime this may not be true. The wisp of a cloud sitting above the hill in front of me could defy science, float over to right above our tent and drop itself upon our heads here at the picnic table; but I remain optimistic. We are at Kekuli Bay campground, just south of Vernon and it is beautiful. Nestled between the highway above us and Kalamalka Lake below us we are in a wide open, grassy, and quiet campground on a slowly sloping grass hill. This is by far and away the most comfortable we have been camping so far. We are not quite sure what combination of a sunny day, a nice campground, and a refreshed mind have made it this, but we are very happy here. We have few neighbours and so Zaid has a lot of freedom to travel, and the lack of trees allows us to spot him from afar, giving him a wider leash. He has particularly enjoyed playing at the campground playground, having been twice already.

Haifa and Owen on the bluff overlooking Kalamalka Lake. Photo: Ben McNamee

Getting here has been quite the adventure. Yesterday morning we woke up bright and early at our campground in Osoyoos so that we could get to the hotel in Kelowna by 12 for an important phone call at 1 PM. We had made our stop at Tim Hortons and were heading up the Okanagan with 20 pack of Timbits and 2 medium coffees in hand (Many thanks go to Natasha Krotez for the gift card, it has come in very handy so far). Somewhere around Oliver we were driving about 90 Km per hour behind an older van. There was an Orchard on one side and a Vineyard on the other. All of a sudden, a deer jumps out onto the shoulder of the highway about 20m in front of the van. Spooked by the sudden appearance of cars coming in its direction, the deer decides to jump into oncoming traffic. Realizing its mistake it tries to make a course correction and jumps diagonally forward and further across the highway. The driver of the van acted perfectly, slowing the car as much as they could safely and swerving to the right in an attempt to avoid a collision. Alas, no such luck for the Deer or the Van. The left front corner of the van smacks into the bag leg of the deer, spinning the poor guy around before he somehow scampers across to the other side. While he was lucky to get away, I suspect that it will be bear food in short time as I can’t imagine it operating at full speed. The van pulls over to the shoulder and we see that the front left headlamp has been all smashed up. If the coffee hadn’t woken us up by this point, we were surely awake now.

This morning we had a nice visit with an old friend from graduate school, Ross. He is a professor at UBC-Okanagan now and has a two month old daughter. He and his wife were very gracious hosts, who were kind enough to allow us to do laundry at their place while we had coffee and visited. It was a very nice morning and a big thank you must go out to him and his wife.

Haifa has a desire to tour a winery and so tomorrow I think we will. There is little around Vernon, so we will likely head backwards partially towards Kelowna to visit Gray Monk estates just south of Oyama. Another night in the Okanagan is warranted before we head out towards the Kootenays and the Nakusp area. Hopefully our extended stay in this valley will be enough for the rains to have passed us by and the floods to have subsided before Friday.

Learning all about camping

When I wrote in my last post that I was prepared to embrace a little rain every now and then, I really meant a little and every now and then. I did certainly not mean buckets of rain most of the day every day. Furthermore, after experiencing camping for 3 straight days in rainy weather I have decided to take my statement back. I do not want to embrace rain. So weather gods I hope you are listening because from now on I am only willing to embrace lots and lots of sunshine every day for the next 5.5 weeks. Ok, now that that's out of the way, here is what I have learned after 3 straight days of camping, that also happens to be my first proper camping experience.

1- If you have a super active 2 year old boy, forget about doing any lounging anywhere on your supposed to be relaxing holiday. Instead you will be burning every calorie you eat running after him making sure he does not get hit by a car, drown in a lake or jump into a poison Ivy bush.

2- You will be amazed at how quickly your carefully cultivated fashion sense goes out the window. It took me less than one afternoon to be dressed like a homeless woman who's only concern is to be dray and warm. At some point I had on leggings under capri yoga pants, pink t-shirt under a red hoodie and a neon green rain coat on top of it all. I looked ridiculous and I did not care one tiny bit.  

3- You will consider yourself done up and ready for the day by simply brushing your teeth and putting deodorant on.

4- Everything you will eat will taste amazing, mainly because you are so hungry that you would eat anything.

5- You will consume food you considered disgusting before, like questionable water that you were told to boil for 2 minutes before drinking.

4- You will drink coffee that tastes like mint tea and mint tea that tastes like coffee, because you only have one cup and have to walk for 200 meters every time you need to wash it.

5- You will learn that if you are camping so high up in the mountains that you can still see snow on the ground, you really should wear warm socks and two layers of clothes to sleep, even if your sleeping bag says it;s good for -5 degrees.

6- You will have the best time ever sitting in the shallow water of the lake with you eldest son throwing rocks into the water for an hour, and you will continue to sit there even though you are freezing cold because you cannot say no to him when he asks so sweetly to "do it more please mama".

7- You will have your absolute worst moments when you are stuck in the front seat on the highway and your baby is in the back seat whaling because he is hungry or uncomfortable, and there is nothing you can do to make it better.


8- You are ready to do absolutely anything to help when your son asks you to "make all better mama".


9- You will go to bed so exhausted every night and wake up so happy every morning. 


10- And finally you will learn that as much as you enjoy this camping thing, nothing, and I mean nothing, tops a comfortable bed and a hot shower. 


All in all, its been great so far. Lots of ups and downs mirroring the fluctuating weather we have been seeing but still managing to end everyday in good spirit and a happy place. I am really enjoying this little break we are having in Kelowna, even though the rain seems to have followed us here too. Ben is telling me the weather is supposed to be getting dry and sunny for our next destination just outside of Vernon, which sounds great to me. 

Haifa 

Day 3: Throwing Sticks in Lakes

June 25, 2012

Day 3 of our journey brought us another bought of rain. That is, for those keeping score at home, 3 days with rain and none without. While I had only ever once experience rain here in Osoyoos, it is mostly only our clothes and stuff that is dampening, and not our spirits. I say mostly because each of us had at least one gloomy period today. However, as I write this at 9:30, wind blowing through the trees, Half-moon shining in the sky, and raccoon rustling in the bushes, we are all in a good place. This place for Haifa and the boys is asleep in the tent, each exhausted from the fresh air and busy day, and for me it is at the picnic table in front of this laptop.

We awoke to overcast skies and Zaid and I were shortly by the lakes edge looking for something to do. Being a young child in disguise as an adult I decide to pick up this large stick and throw it into the lake. Zaid takes immediate delight in this and sets off finding all manner of stick, from pine needles to giant branches to throw in the water. Having exhausted the sticks we switch to rocks as the rain starts to fall. We summoned Haifa and Owen to join us, but quickly left to take cover in the tent. Zaid and I would repeat this 4 more times throughout the afternoon. If only he would learn that you only throw sticks and rocks, not trucks or forks; and you only do so at the lake, and not the tent or us.

The sun came out in the afternoon and we make the rather intelligent decision of immediately jumping into the car to go indoors. We do some quick shopping, stop for Timmies and then head to the Okanagan’s largest model train, located in a large warehouse outside of town. This place was something to behold, over 1000 small houses, over 20,000 hand-painted figurines and countless operating model trains. Zaid of course was in awe, but did extremely well following his mother around as we slowly made our way past each intricately designed scene.

Zaid enthralled by the model train. Photo: Haifa Staiti

The railroad is the work of a Danish immigrant to Osoyoos via Spain. How they ended up in Osoyoos is anybody’s guess. He had started it as a hobby, but after 17 years he needed to expand beyond the basement and so built a warehouse to house his hobby. A few years later, after an “intense family discussion” (as quoted by the attraction itself), they decided to open up his display to the public. They have expanded it since then to encompass the whole upper floor of the warehouse, with gift shop below. The gentleman had a bit of Soup Nazi in him, as he sat up on his big chair, watching over the guests awing at his trains. A little girl had the gall to first ask to go back to the hotel and then ran. This got him out of his chair to give her a lecture about why she shouldn’t run. Luckily his humanity shown through when Zaid ran away and threw himself on the floor crying when it was time to leave, and the owner kept his mouth shut. Perhaps though, this is only because he had just seen how excited Zaid was at his creations.

Tomorrow we head for a hotel and we are all excited about a hot shower and/or bath. I think Haifa believes she is most excited, but I can’t wait either. I guess it will take a while for the dirt to wash the city boy out of me.

Day Two: School is in Session

June 24, 2012

I write this from Haynes Point Campground just south of Osoyoos, the southernmost town in the Okanagan Valley. I have been coming here for ages and it brings back old memories. I, somewhat, surprisingly, knew exactly where to go, even though this is the first time I have driven here. The water is somewhat cooler, although this is expected as it is not late August, but the Sun is shining and the pleasure craft are pleasuring as always.

Day two is in many respects the real day 1, it is the first day we both woke up and will go to sleep on the road. It also is, for the betterment of our sanity, a de facto fresh start after the debacle of day 1. Being a former boy scout I figured a lot of this stuff would be second nature; I was wrong. It turns out there were numerous lessons that needed to be learned.

Lesson 1: Listen to Owen

We had designated Owen as our timekeeper, promising to stop whenever he was crying to give him some food and all of us a stretch. 16 Km before Hope we make an emergency washroom stop. Just as we turn the car on to pull back onto the highway Owen wakes up, starving and screaming. Being a mere 16 Km away from our planned lunch spot we decide to go for it. Owen starts crying louder and louder until it reaches the, never before seen in our children, period of silence. He had given up; this deafening silence was FAR worse than the bawls earlier and caused us much distress. Our time was not helped by the signs promising Hope in 16 Km actually leading us to the edge of Hope district, approximately a further 16 Km from the town itself. Haifa jumped out of the car when we stopped and Owen gulped down his lunch. We promised him to not make this mistake again.

Lesson 2: No Matter the Weather, ALWAYS put up your tarp.

We pull up to our site in Lighting Lakes campground in Manning Park, neighbours with my Aunt Carolyn, Uncle Michael and family, who were serendipitously camping in the same place for the night. The promised rainy day had yet to materialize, in fact the sun was shining, and the tent was set up quickly. Being hungry and late in the afternoon, I quickly started on dinner, building the fire, popping our potatoes in, and worked on seasoning the veggies and steak. Just then a loud crack is heard, I look up at a giant thunderstorm nearly on top of us and I panic. I drop what I am doing, raw seasoned meat left on the picnic table in bear country, and work feverishly to fashion some kind of cover for the coming storm.  I somehow manage to Macgyver together something that thankfully did keep the rain out. The only problem was that in my haste I was forced to use the picnic table as anchor, leaving us to cook and eat crouching down on the ground beside the table. Good thing the potatoes continued to cook in the sizzling and fizzling fire, as they were delicious.

Campground Day 1: Macgyvered Tarp. Photo: Haifa Staiti

Lesson 3: If there are no walls, Zaid will walk away.

For some background, Zaid is an active kid, the most active 2 year old I have ever met. At music class, all the other kids would sit quietly in their chairs, while he would run around the room, exploring its nooks and crannies. In the playground, he mostly ignores the slides and swings, preferring instead to run around grass fields. He has a definite explorer’s mentality, and it carries over to the campground. Within seconds he has seen everything there is to see in our camp site and so it is time to go visit others, or the road. This does not allow us much downtime, as either Haifa or I must continuously run after him at all times, leaving the other to look after Owen and simultaneously tend to camp duties. Things are slightly better here in the Okanagan, our campsite is very private and enclosed, and he is mostly content filling up his dump truck at one end, driving it to the other, and emptying it. I hope this game will keep him happy for another 6 weeks.

The next coming days are going to be more relaxing. We spend all day in Osoyoos tomorrow, and depending on the weather, we may take Zaid to visit a giant model train museum in town. On Tuesday we head for our first hotel in Kelowna, where we expect the luxury of a mattress that doesn’t need to be filled with air and the cleansing power of the shower.

Away we go!

Away we go!

The Lobster, Sweets, Z'dude, Mr Cheeks.

Last day in Vancouver

Today was our last day in Vancouver. We used the day to finish off last minute errands, do our laundry, and relax around the house with Ben's parents and siblings. In the evening Pete and Caroline hosted a dinner party for the extended family and it was very nice to have a chance to see and say goodbye to everyone.

The party made me think of my first introduction to Ben's extended family. On both sides, my first introduction happened over one of these large dinner parities. It is easy to feel overwhelmed when meeting ALL of your boyfriend's extended family at once, and I did feel that the first few times. I remember always hoping that Teresa, my sister in law who is the same age as me, will be coming along because that meant I will have someone to hang out with while Ben went off to chat with his cousins and uncles about sports and I was left alone to make polite chit chat with the aunties. This did not last long though. Very soon I started feeling comfortable around everyone and soon after that I just felt like a part of the family. Over time, I have actually grown to really enjoy those hectic crazy multifunctional parties celebrating whatever occasion happens to be relevant to the family during that month.

After Zaid was born, those gatherings became even more enjoyable to me. It was so great to watch Zaid interact with his great granparents, his dada's cousins, uncles and aunties. Some of Ben's little cousins are Zaid's age or a little older and over the past year or so they have become good friends. It has been an absolute pleasure watching him run around and play with his cousins so joyfully and excitedly. I will miss those gatherings. But I do look forward to holding similar evenings with my sister in law Colleen and her family in Toronto and see Zaid run around and play with his cousin Arden, brother Owen and his baby cousins who are expected in November.

Tomorrow we leave town early in the morning and our first destination is Manning Park. The weather is not expected to be super great but as long as it does not rain while we set up or take down the tent we should be ok. We have a very large tent and will be happy to cozy up inside it to read some books or play some board games, or even get out and enjoy a walk in the rain. From now on until the end of our trip we are determined to enjoy ourselves and make the best of any situation that faces us, and yes that includes me embracing rain and a little mess...every now and then :)

Cheers!
Sweets

2 Days Until Departure

We had the final inspection and handed in the keys to our apartment on Wednesday. We have been staying with my parents since Tuesday night as an intimate goodbye and a place to rest as we complete the final preparations for our departure on Saturday morning. Today we were going out to do some last errands, getting a wash basin and some propane for the camping trip. We told Zaid to say goodbye as he was coming with us. He went up to the dog, Kala, and said “Bye Kala, Me go home now.” It made me realize that we are a bit homeless for the next 6 weeks. It was kind of difficult to come up with a place to call home. He didn’t seem to mind so much though after we promised him a trip to the park afterwards. As long as he has us then he is home.

We had a nice get together with My Aunt Gillian and Robyn and some of their children this morning. It was nice to have a last visit before we leave. This picture of us was taken by Auntie Gillian. It is the first family photo of the 4 of us and perfectly encapsulates our children’s personalities. Zaid is trying to get away, never content to sit in one spot, and Owen is just sitting there, trying to lean forward to make sure he isn’t lying down. Come August we will have an after picture, probably with a bit more of a disheveled look on all of our faces. 

The Lobster

Meet the Team: Part IV

Name: Benjamin James McNamee

Code Name: The Lobster

Age: 31, AKA The prime of life

Job Title: Driver

Job Description: The Lobster is responsible for ensuring that this motley team of ours gets from campground to campground in one piece. Despite a 12 year hiatus from driving he has accepted this job with much trepidation. The team is expecting lots of slower backroads as a result. Nonetheless, however long it takes the Lobster will get us there.

Most Excited For: Cubs game at Wrigley Field

Quote: “Action expresses priorities”

Meet the Team: Part III

Name: Haifa Staiti

Code Name: Sweets

Age: 29 years old

Job Title: Navigator

Job Description: From reading maps to reading road signs and of course being the one that will stop and ask for directions, Sweets is responsible for making sure we do not get lost. This should be very interesting considering how easily sweets gets disoriented and lost even here in Vancouver and after living in the city for 10 years. But alas, we are not worried since being lost is really part of the fun and what’s a road trio without being lost at least a couple of times along the way. We WILL make it to Toronto… eventually!

Most Excited For: Dinosaur Provincial Park, Lake Louise, Chicago, and lots of lounging in the sun beside our tent, and some body of water, a magazine in one hand and a drink in the other.

Quote: “We’re ok” 

Meet the Team: Part II

Name: Zaid Benjamin McNamee

Code Name: Zé Dude

Age: 2 Years, 3 Months

Job Title: Entertainer

Job Description: Zé Dude is responsible for within car entertainment, both as supplier and consumer. From requiring us to sing songs, make jokes, dance, or tell stories, to pointing out every single car and truck on the road with us, Zé Dude will make sure that every moment in the car is a joyous moment.

Most Excited For: Dinosaur Provincial Park, Oshkosh Airshow, and Ford Car Museum.

Quote: “Car, Truck, Bike, Airplane, Helicopter”

Meet the Team: Part I

Name: Owen Mustafa McNamee

Code Name: Mr. Cheeks

Age: 3 Months

Job Title: Time Keeper

Job Description: Mr. Cheeks will be responsible for keeping track of the important events of each day. He will, like the rooster, awaken us each morning with his coos. Then, on the road his cries will notify us that it is time for either mid-morning snack, lunch, or mid-afternoon snack.

Most Excited For: Getting out of this damn car seat

Quote: “ahhh.uhhhhhh gooooo ggggggggga”

16 Days Until Departure

Well it seems as if I may have had some inaccuracies in my memory of our cross-country trips when I was a child. After talking to my Dad, he informed me that the lake we went boating on was Lake of the Woods, by Kenora, not either of the two large Manitoba lakes.

There is also some debate about the picture of Auntie Gillian stomping on the sandcastle. After an exhaustive search of my parents photo albums I could not find the photo anywhere. Only after looking at my tiny photo album from my childhood did I find it. I present it here in all its 80s glory.

This is my Auntie Gillian on the left, in her surely fashionable for the time outfit and me watching on the right. This is clearly the Okanagan, and judging by my size, the timing fits for our trip from Vancouver to Toronto. I had thought that some of my mothers siblings had come with us for the first part of the trip before turning back. However, my mother believes this was taken during a different holiday before we had left for Toronto. Perhaps some Aunts and Uncles can help with the dating of this photo.

Best,

The Lobster

My thoughts 20 days before departure day!

You must think we are crazy and I don't blame you! We are packing up our worldly possessions and moving across a continent over 5-6 weeks of camping, visiting and site seeing with a two year old and 4 month old boys. More than just a trip though, we are leaving our home, family, friends and work, and moving to start a new life, build a new home and make new friends (and connect with the few family and friends we do have in Toronto).

So why again are we doing this? because it just seems to make sense to us, or at least it did when we first thought of the idea about a year ago.

This is not the first time that I leave an old life to begin a brand new one somewhere else. I first did this 12 yeas ago when I left Palestine to attend school in Norway. Back then, I was only 17 and I left my home, family, friends and everything I knew, and moved to Norway where practically everything was brand new to me. I knew absolutely no one in Norway, spoke little English and had no idea what I was really getting into ( like snow, fish cakes and -20 degree weather!!). However, I did know two things: 1- this was a beginning to a whole new life, and 2- I most likely will not live again in Palestine for a long long time.

Two years later I did it all over again. In 2002 I once again packed up all my life in one trusty suitcase and moved, this time a  cross the ocean and even further west, all the way to Canada. This time however I did have a few friends who were coming across the pond with me. I also spoke better English and had two more years of maturity and wisdom on me.  The journey was indeed easier and less stressful than the first time.

Back then, I knew that this again was a new beginning and I also knew that I wanted to make Canada my new home and that I probably will be here for a long while. 10 years later, I am a graduate of a Canadian university, married to a Canadian man, have a Canadian passport and two Canadian children. All were achieved while living in Vancouver. So, not only has Vancouver been my home in Canada for the past 10 years, it really simple has been my home for a decade and the place where the most significant and exciting milestones of my life have taken place. I will miss this city and its beauty and it will forever be an important place in my life and heart. Sometimes I am tempted to say I grew up in Vancouver, which is an odd thing to say seeing as I was almost 20 years old when I came here.  But in so many ways I did grow up in Vancouver and Vancouver will always feel to me as it does to someone who was born and did actually grow up here.

Now I am off again. This time, needing more than one suitcase, having acquired more than a couple of years worth of maturity and wisdom, and having a husband and children to share the journey with me. The feeling remains very similar though, one of both excitement and anxiety, anticipation and fear, happiness and sadness. Basically, just a roller coaster of emotions. But just like the two other times I did this, I move again knowing it is the best thing for me and my family and believing that everything will fall into place and all will be ok. It might be scary now that we are nearing the leaving date, but it will be amazing and I will not for a second regret the decision to move. This is truly the perfect time for us to do this and I am very glad we have summoned enough courage to go for it.

Now on to the practical details. A the moment we are beginning to slowly pack our life into boxes and suitcases, taking the time to see friends and family before we go, and trying our best to find a home for us and work for Ben (I am on mat leave until 2013) before we leave for the trip. While our hope is to have a home and work waiting for us, we fully expect to have to find both after we arrive in Toronto and are fully prepared for that scenario.

Here is where we will keep you all updated on our adventures and progress. As Ben said, if you do have any tips, advice or comments to share please do so. We would love to hear from you all.

Wish us luck!!
Haifa (aka sweets)

21 Days Before Departure

The Mission:

Leave our life, leave our family, leave our friends, and leave our hometown. Drive, camp, hike, play, discover, stargaze, daydream, enjoy. Arrive to no job, no home, a few friends, some family, new opportunities, new experiences, a new hometown.

The Particulars:

Beginning: Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Ending: Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Distance: 3,364.42 Km, as the crow flies

When: June 23, 2012 until…….. we arrive

Who: Benjamin J. McNamee, Haifa M. Staiti, Zaid B. McNamee, Owen M. McNamee

Home: In the day a 2011 Honda Civic. At night a tent

Our trusty home on the road.

What to Expect:

Over the three weeks before we leave, and the 6 or so weeks we plan to spend on the road this will be the place where we share our stories, our experiences, and our discoveries. Both Haifa and I will be providing updates and so many of the stories may be repeated, each in our own voices and providing our own perspectives. I expect that her introduction to our voyage will be posted shortly.

Why We Are Doing This:

As I write this I am beginning to understand just how crazy this life change is. Leaving home with our 2 year old and 3 month old children and spend 6 weeks visiting Canada and the USA on the way to a new home. As of this writing, we have yet to find either a home or work in Toronto, although we do have some glimmers of prospects in both departments. As an over thinker and someone who finds comfort in having a plan and following the rational path the craziness of this move is terrifying. But, along with the terror comes so much peace. For the first time in my life I am not taking the easy route, I am not choosing the simple; I am choosing the scary, the risky, and the exciting. For the first time in my life I am living the life that I want to live.

When I chose to begin a PhD in economics I did it for the wrong reasons, and just recently had the courage to admit this to myself. I began a PhD for two reasons: to boast and because it was the easier and simpler route than when compared to leaving the ivory tower and entering the real world. After, not unsurprisingly, finding myself unsatisfied with my life as an academic, and after witnessing the birth of my eldest Son, I finally found the courage to not only gain personal insight but to also act on them. This voyage, this journey of discovery, is an extension of this courage to follow the right path for me and my family, regardless of the ease of the journey.

This will not be an easy goodbye. We all love the city of Vancouver and consider it a beautiful and wonderful place to live. We will be very sad to see it go. Vancouver is the place where I was born; it is the place where both of my sons were born; it is the place that I met and married Haifa; it is the place where she became a Canadian; it will be forever one of our hometowns.

More than Vancouver, it will be very difficult to say goodbye to my family. Every Sunday we have dinner at my parents’ house. When we arrive Zaid runs in, without saying hello or taking his coat and shoes off, and makes a bee-line to the bucket of cars and trucks waiting for him to play with under the coffee table. His “Unc’s” come running down the stairs and he greets them with an excited smile and a “Hi Unc.” He provides the same greeting to his Granny and Dud-Dud, albeit with a very carefully thought out explanation of the exact vehicle he happens to be holding. Dad spends much of the time in the Kitchen, cooking something wonderful from Bon Appetit, Mark Bittman, or his own head. As my brother Sox works on his homework at his desk, Mum, Haifa and I sit in the living room, chatting about dance, work, Zaid, life over beer, wine, and crudités. Shortly before dinner, my sister, Zaid’s Auntie Rachel, will come home from a long day of dance, exhausted but always with a smile for her nephew. We all sit down for a wonderful meal, usually followed by Oranges and cookies, or a freshly made Rhubarb Crisp with whipped cream. These evenings aren't only full of laughter and smiles, the usual petty arguments and idiosyncrasies of family will make many appearances. But I will still miss this evenings dearly. The thought of moving my children away from their grandparents fills me with sadness and is the one result of this move that I will regret having brought about.

History and the Outline of the trip:

My parents moved their family out to Toronto when I was 4 and back again when I was 8 or 9. We spent all summer driving across Canada in an early 1980’s model Volkswagen Rabbit, that didn't fit the five of us. We camped, we toured, we saw and discovered Canada. The only memory of these trips that I have is riding in a speedboat on Lake Winnipeg (or Lake Manitoba) on the way back to Vancouver. However, hearing the stories from my parents, and looking at the picture albums of the trip I know that this was a wonderful experience. One photo in particular has stuck in my mind all these years. It is a picture of my Auntie Gillian stomping all over her freshly made sandcastle on a beach in the Okanagan, a huge smile on her face. I cannot wait to share a similar experience with my children and wife and to rediscover this country again.

With two young children we are deliberately not planning a whole lot of the trip. That being said, we do have a general route mapped out and a list of “musts.” We have booked the traditional McNamee family campground of Haynes Point for the nights of June 24 and 25. We then have the following list of “Musts” in geographic order:

Rocky Mountains

Calgary

Dinosaur Provincial Park

Winnipeg

Oshkosh Airshow

Chicago – including a Cubs game at Wrigley

Henry Ford and Automotive Hall Of Fame

This gives a general trip overview as follows:

Vancouver-Osoyoos-Banff-Calgary-Winnipeg-Duluth-Chicago-Detroit-Toronto

If anyone has any advice on what to see or where to stay in or between any of these cities please leave us a note and let us know.

Well, this is my introduction. I do hope all of you enjoy this blog. To those reading from Vancouver, we will all miss you so very much. To those reading in Toronto: We are all very excited to see you in due time. To those reading elsewhere: We continue to miss you and look forward to the day when our paths cross again, may it come sooner rather than later.

The Lobster