Back in Texas!
I'm back from our trip to Calgary. Wow, what a trip. I was ambiguous about setting out: I was excited to be going home to Canada and also worried about travelling with Isabel. I was right about both. It was great to be in Canada again and feel like I belonged there completely. It's not just the people and their accent, it's a combination of the right to vote, permission to be employed, the right to stay as long as we want, and the ability to get involved and try to change things (or keep them the same). Those are all things I missed, some of them without even realizing it until we went home again. Texas may be beautiful and fun, but it's not home!
Travelling with Isabel was hard, and disappointing. A week before our vacation, we were given new dietary instructions for her by her doctor, and they were just starting to work for us a few days before we left. She was eating several hundred calories a day and sleeping through the night. Travelling threw everything off. And when her caloric intake dropped, she stopped sleeping through the night. So of course we also stopped sleeping through the night. By the end of the trip I was in a sleep-deprived stupor, and not in a very good mood. It was much more work to travel with Isabel than I thought it would be. Ha ha, that's the story of 2007.
We had a great Canada Day, though. We dropped Isabel off with her grandmother and climbed a mountain with Ian and Kristy. We hiked up Mount Yamnuska (renamed Mount John Laurie in 1961, but everyone calls it by its old name). It's only a 900m ascent and it was a hike more than a climb (no equipment required), but it was challenging enough for me and lots of fun. To get to the top, hikers need to scramble (creep up on all fours) up the scree (loose rock). I am normally irrationally afraid of heights, but I found that with a giant rock underneath me, I felt sturdy on my feet most of the time. It took us six hours in total (lots of breaks for snacks that Kristy packed), and I already want to do it again.
This is Yamnuska, photo not taken by me. ;-)
Again, not taken by me.
Ian, Kristy (mostly behind Ian) and me; photo taken by Erik. We're past half-way up.
Yamnuska, as taken by me, from about halfway up.
I understand now why families choose to take easy vacations, like trips to Disneyland, instead of more difficult ones with multiple destinations: it's easier on the parents. I've realised that a good vacation for me would involve going to a place where feeding and entertaining Isabel are easy, so we can focus on having fun with her. Who knew?
Travelling with Isabel was hard, and disappointing. A week before our vacation, we were given new dietary instructions for her by her doctor, and they were just starting to work for us a few days before we left. She was eating several hundred calories a day and sleeping through the night. Travelling threw everything off. And when her caloric intake dropped, she stopped sleeping through the night. So of course we also stopped sleeping through the night. By the end of the trip I was in a sleep-deprived stupor, and not in a very good mood. It was much more work to travel with Isabel than I thought it would be. Ha ha, that's the story of 2007.
We had a great Canada Day, though. We dropped Isabel off with her grandmother and climbed a mountain with Ian and Kristy. We hiked up Mount Yamnuska (renamed Mount John Laurie in 1961, but everyone calls it by its old name). It's only a 900m ascent and it was a hike more than a climb (no equipment required), but it was challenging enough for me and lots of fun. To get to the top, hikers need to scramble (creep up on all fours) up the scree (loose rock). I am normally irrationally afraid of heights, but I found that with a giant rock underneath me, I felt sturdy on my feet most of the time. It took us six hours in total (lots of breaks for snacks that Kristy packed), and I already want to do it again.
This is Yamnuska, photo not taken by me. ;-)
Again, not taken by me.
Ian, Kristy (mostly behind Ian) and me; photo taken by Erik. We're past half-way up.
Yamnuska, as taken by me, from about halfway up.
I understand now why families choose to take easy vacations, like trips to Disneyland, instead of more difficult ones with multiple destinations: it's easier on the parents. I've realised that a good vacation for me would involve going to a place where feeding and entertaining Isabel are easy, so we can focus on having fun with her. Who knew?