Travel day again!

I goofed!!! The painted eyes on Cathy's raccoons were done by Cloe, not Colette! Cathy has way too many quilting friends and sisters—I can't keep them straight! Thanks for the correction!

There was one thing that I wanted to check for at the old farmhouse to see if I could find it. I had found a flat box of paper dolls a couple of years ago. I set it aside, and as we rushed to leave the house with our other treasures, I left it on top of a cupboard. The next time I went, I didn't spot it, but we were busy with other things, so I thought I'd try one last time to find them. 

Alas, they are gone. I wonder who helped themselves to those paper dolls? I'm not going to go there. Dad came out with me in his vehicle because he wanted to pick up a few things as well, so I helped him load them into his truck, since they were too heavy for him to lift. And I had a quick glance around the house and grabbed a few things. That is the ABSOLUTE last time I go there. I'm wiping that from my list of things to do FOREVER!

I didn't even shed a tear when I left. I'm so done, and there is nothing sentimental about the house any longer. It's time to move on. 

It's funny, though, because every time I go, I spot something different from the time before. And OH SHOOT -- I forgot to check the bathroom for those teatowels, but I'm pretty sure that I donated those a while back!

I'll get pictures of what I brought home when I unpack later today. We had been chatting about the Nancy Drew books a while back, so I thought to have a peek to see if there were any there. I spotted this empty shelf—that's where my brothers' Hardy Boys books used to be. They have been gone for a long time. 

Books from my youth! 

No Nancy Drew on that shelf, but I did spot a couple of Bobsey Twins! I didn't grab any, as I don't really remember those books, even though they were mine. 

And when I had a conversation about Nancy Drew one day, the others in the group rhymed off a list of other popular "sleuth" books from that era, but I don't remember what they were. I don't think Peggy Lane was among the ones they chatted about. 

A Peggy Lane book

I got in one last visit before heading to the airport, and I can say that I managed to visit all my Mom's siblings (and two of the in-laws) before I left, and another cousin! I think this was a record for me - I saw all five of the siblings, three first cousins, three second, and one third! My Aunt Irene is the quilter among the group, so we had a great chat about the quilt show and projects we are working on! She's in her 80s, and I sure hope I can still quilt up projects like she does when I'm that age! 

The weather had been beautiful until the last day, and it was overcast and raining. And the farm is on a gravel road! Yep — there are many gravel roads in Saskatchewan, unlike Ontario, where it seems paved roads are everywhere. One of the roads had been newly graveled, so that was fun to drive on. No worries —I got stuck behind a couple of grain trucks, so I went with their speed and that worked for me. 

But everything is in shades of brown at the moment and drab. 

A dreary day in the country

It was even more noticeable from the plane. What was hilarious was that as I arrived in Saskatoon, the sky cleared up, and we had clear skies to get home. I like that! 

The countryside from the air

But it's also amazing how many bodies of water there are along the way. It's pretty fascinating to watch out the window, but I also read my book and snoozed. 

There are a LOT of bodies of water in Canada

And can you believe that I arrived at the airport in Saskatoon with extra time? Not a lot of extra time, but I didn't have to rush. I can't believe it. But when I have a suitcase to check, I don't want to mess with the time. 

I had thrown my meager possessions into the suitcase in the morning. Well, I never unpack when I travel, and thank goodness there wasn't much in it because bringing it up that narrow, steep staircase in the house was fun. However, I still had to pack Mom's quilt, the few things I'd bought at the show, and the "treasures" I'd taken from the farm. They were all piled in the back of the car. Let's say I had to rearrange to get everything in there! And I was wondering about the weight. 

Well, when I put it on the scale, it weighed 51 pounds, which is one pound over the limit. HOWEVER, I had status, which allows me to take THREE 70-lb suitcases, so I wasn't worried in the least. I noticed when I got my bag after the flight that it had a heavy sticker on it, so the behind-the-scenes people must have done that because the gate agent said, No worries! 

I will say that Saskatoon is the SLOWEST airport to get through security. They only have the body-scanning machine, not the X-ray machine you walk through. And they are slow to process the carry-on bags. Of course, some people's bags had to go through the X-ray multiple times—I guess they are just being cautious. 

What was hilarious was arriving in Toronto at 7:30 last night. You never know how long it's going to take to get your luggage, so I got off the plane—it took almost 10 minutes because I was near the back, and people were NOT in a hurry. But that's OK. I went to the washroom, and by the time I got to the luggage carousel, my bag was there. Seriously? That never happens in Toronto. 

Then I went outside to the disaster area they called Gate Q—the Uber pickup zone. DH, snob that he is, is happy to pay almost double to take a limo home, while I get Uber. It can be good and bad, but when there are a lot of people waiting, the area is very congested, and you are trying to manhandle your luggage and look for a car at the same time. 

It does not help when people do NOT respect that area. Some IDIOT parked his car there and then went inside to find his parents? I have no idea. The security people finally arrived to investigate the problem, and I think they were writing a ticket when he came back. NO NO - NO ticket, he said. Well, I'd have slapped him with a ticket and a tow truck. Park the darn car in the parking lot and go in. But it was abandoned at the curb for at least 10 minutes, according to the folks around. 

And then there is the couple who order a regular-sized Uber with THREE suitcases, and two of them are HUGE. The guy attempted to put all the luggage in the car (Tesla), but it wouldn't fit. So they took their bags back to the curb. Then the driver decided to put the small bag in the front, so he called them over again. All the while, she is carrying an open cup of coffee. Seriously? That took time, and of course, those cars are backed up four-wide in that area, and you are trying to find a license plate. 

People just don't think. Flag your car, keep your hands free, get in, and move out of there!!! Sigh.....

But I was home by 8:40, which was remarkable, given that the plane touched down at 7:30. 

Well, I'm off to spin class this morning. I need to get back into my routine, and I can't wait for Monday. Sewing: Will I work on the hexagon quilt or on binding those quilts? I'm fired up! Perhaps I could do a bit of both. That's been my problem -- I flit from one thing to another and nothing gets finished. 

Then I'll regroup for this week. I see there are TWO classes next weekend, but both are just show-and-tell type, and I already have MY homework done, so that's great! 

Have a super day!!!!!

Ciao!!!

PS - I LOVE using the NOTES app on my phone. It was easy to add a few things to the list while I was on the plane. The only thing is I now have to remember to open it up to DO the things on the list!!!!