My Guests

I volunteered to host the girls who were running the Career Clicks workshop at our school. I was actually only expecting one, but two girls came off the plane...and that just made the whole thing so much more exciting. I spent all of Tuesday night preparing my home for them, rearranging furniture and setting up the spare room. My mom would be so proud of the job I did...I really take after here when it comes to these things I think. I had the whole house decorated up really nice for them, carefully rolled up the towels and facecloths and placed them in a wicker basket in the bathroom, with an arrangement of soaps and lotions for them. It was just nice and cozy in here. Anyways...this is not what I want to tell you about!

Dana, (left) and Emily (right) came over to my home after school on Wednesday. Then, I asked the principal , Mr. Simms, if I could steal his jeep, which he said would be okay. Well...what else is there to do but go on a joy ride when you have your bosses vehicle! I took the girls on a tour of Fox Lake. We checked out everything Fox lake has to offer. But, after that five minute tour was up...we needed more. so...we went off roading. I took the girls to Little Red, the ghost town about 20 minutes away. We drove in and out of the bushes, taking gazillions of pictures of the cabins, tee pees, and campsites. We walked around by the Little Red River and by the Peace River and the weather was terrific. *as a side note, I really missed my mom while we were out there, and kept thinking how much she would enjoy exploring in some of the old, caving in, log homes* The girls and I got along great and couldn't stop smiling and laughing. Our trip to Little Red went so well! AS we were leaving we passed a local family camping. Well....they were probably living there. Dana is a very outgoing person and asked to stop the vehicle so she could go say hi. I was reluctant, but we stopped. I felt like we would be intruding. But she's an excellent communicator and I saw things that I have never seen before. There camp was really authentic. It was dinner time. They were making bannock and tea on the fire and were smoking the fish they had caught that afternoon over the fire. The women wouldn't talk to us...I believe out of shyness. But one of the men came up to us and answered our questions and showed us around camp.

Now the real off roading began. As we were driving back on the dirt road, I decided to take the girls on a bush road, barely wide enough for a vehicle because it's meant for quads, to go and see the staff winter cabin. What a wild ride! Every few hundred meters we had to get out to move fallen trees off our path. It is a 1.5km drive to the cabin...but totally worth the bumpy ride. The cabin is sitting on a cliff overlooking the Little Red River, right at a spot where the river makes a u-turn...and the scenery is amazing. There is a one room cabin, about the size of a master bedroom...with nothing in it but a potbelly stove. Outside, is a covered entrance with firewood piled up. About 50metres away, is a winter tent, big enough to sleep eight I guess, with room for a stove in there. The camp has a cook area...kinda like a fire pit...but grander! There is a wild life watch area...a box in a tree for you to sit in, with peep holes to look out. There is a area for us to set up a sweat lodge too. You can tell because the area is perfectly round and has a pile of rocks in the middle.

We got back to Fox Lake and went to return the vehicle...it was about 7pm. Mr. Simms asked if we had fun and we all broke out in smiles. He told us to take the vehicle and go for dinner. We went and picked up my neighbor, Elliot, and the Tec guy, Vince...and the five of us set off for our first experience at the local restaurant...the only restaurant for hours around!!!! The Corner Pocket is a restaurant you would avoid at all costs if it were located in the city...but here...we were all looking forward to it. The pizza was extraordinary!!!! Totally awesome and loaded with good everything! We had a great time. As we drove home after, we stopped to take pictures of the wild horses that roam Fox Lake. Once home, Dana, Emily, Vince and I stayed up till 1am talking, singing and dancing, and laughing. I slept on the couch and Emily and Dana each had there own room upstairs. The next morning, Dana made breakfast. Vince came back over and we all sat in my living room...eating pancakes, drinking moccas and watching the snow fall on a May morning in Fox Lake. A perfect time with my guests. I can't wait to see them again next year!