We have finished over a weeks worth of visits with Jeremy and things are going smoothly. Both Tina and Adam have spent some quality alone time with Jeremy, and for the most part he loves their company. He loves the sights and sounds of Windsor - save for buses - saying "woah" whenever we drive on the expressway. Tomorrow and Monday we get him for a full day. Friday will be his first sleepover. That is when things get interesting. Have we said that this kid is cute? No? Well, this kid is cute.
Saturday, 30 July 2005
Sunday, 24 July 2005
Saturday, 23 July 2005
Adoption Visits - Jeremy
After a year and a half wait, we have finally begun visits with our second child, Jeremy. He is a 18 month old boy, who has light brown hair and weighs about 26 pounds. We just finished our third visit this morning. This kid is one bundle of non-stop energy.
Corbin met him for the first time yesterday. They chased each other around. We still have about 3 more visits before we sit down with our worker, the foster family, and the Jeremy's worker to discuss the next stage (visits to our house and sleepovers).
Jeremy could be in our house by the second week of August. Stay tuned.
Corbin met him for the first time yesterday. They chased each other around. We still have about 3 more visits before we sit down with our worker, the foster family, and the Jeremy's worker to discuss the next stage (visits to our house and sleepovers).
Jeremy could be in our house by the second week of August. Stay tuned.
Tuesday, 12 July 2005
East Coast Vacation - A Summary
After a few days of recovery from a long trek, the vacation can be summarized in one word: Awesome. Yes, the vacation was awesome. Corbin was well-behaved and a had great time swimming at each hotel (to him a vacation is all about hotels and swimming pools).
The weather co-operated for the most part. It rained a few days, mostly a drizzle, but those were travel days so no big loss. We did not do all the tourist-type things that others may do, but we enjoyed the trip. The New England area of the US and the East Coast of Canada are beautiful areas. We will be back again.
Our Recommendations:
- Super 8 Hotel, Truro, Nova Scotia is a newer hotel with a waterslide. Your kids will love you. A great place to stay over on your way to or from Cape Breton, Halifax, Digby or Yarmouth.
- Irving Nature Park, Saint John, New Brunswick is an awesome nature park with trails, beaches, lookouts and more. A mere 7 minute drive from downtown. And it is free.
- Comfort Inn, St. Johnsbury, Vermont. Indoor pool. Arcade room. Laundry. Right off the interstate. Centrally located. This hotel looks beautiful on the outside. A great place to stop when traveling from Southern Ontario to the east coast of the US and Canada.
- The Return of the Toymaker, Digby, Nova Scotia. A toy store filled with hand made wooden toys and more. Your child can build a small boat from wood.
- New Brunswick Museum, Saint John, New Brunswick. An excellent museum that is not too big with lots of hands on activities including a huge craft and play room. Open late Thursday nights. Admission is reasonable. After visiting the museum, have a bite to eat at a local eatery and wander the downtown and waterfront area. Watch the tide come and go.
- Avonlea Village of Anne of Green Gables, Cavendish, Prince Edward Island. Yes, it is a tourist-type thing, but it is cool to interact with the characters in various buildings and on the street. The shindig at the Fishing Shanty was a highlight. You can follow the schedule or go along at a leisurely pace and enjoy the atmosphere.
Sunday, 10 July 2005
East Coast Vacation - Days 9 and 10
Saint John, NS to Windsor, ON
Big push home. Two very long days of driving - about 800 to 900 km each day. Driving through the US with a stop in Albany, NY.
Day 9 - Saturday - consisted of driving through Nova Scotia, Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts and New York to eventually arrive at the Holiday Inn Express in East Greenbush (Albany), NY. The forecast called for rain. We left Saint John around 9:00 am and arrived in St. Stephen, NB about an hour later. We stopped by the Ganong chocolate store and bought some more goodies. US Customs was next.
As mentioned previously, both Canada and US Customs are located at either end of the bridge that connects the communities of Calais (pronounced Kaliss), ME and St. Stephen, NB. In fact, the booths on the Canadian side are located on the deck of bridge. Talk about a space crunch. Trucks entering the US have to make a sharp 90 degree turn to the right to get to their booths. I have read that sometimes, trucks are asked to pull straight ahead and the inspection takes places on the main road. Crazy. After the usual questions, we were permitted to enter the USA. Loaded up on some cheaper US gas (about 25 cents per litre cheaper) and continued on our long journey home.
It started to rain in Maine, which seemed to take forever to drive through. In New Hampshire, where it stopped raining, we came across the biggest scam in the US: the Blue Star Turnpike. I don't have a problem with toll roads per se, but the toll road (I-95) in New Hampshire is about 15 miles long, has three exits and costs a $1.00 (both ways if you are doing a round trip).
They have signs 3 miles ahead of the toll plaza warning you about the toll plaza - this is where the wait begins to pay the toll. It took about 30 minutes to get to the toll booth (there must have 10 or so toll booths in each direction). There are no rest areas on the turnpike, but if you have a need for some booze, there are state-operated liquor stores. The only reason this toll exists is to exact a tax from Bostonians and New Yorkers (and other travellers) who are heading up to Maine and the East Coast of Canada for some fresh air and clean water.
As a comparison, we paid $1.50 to drive 89 miles of the Massachusetts Turnpike aka Mass Pike (and they have real rest stops on the Mass Pike). I can imagine the backup during holiday weekends. We took I-495 to I-290 to I-90 (Mass Pike). This took us through Worcester, MA. Traffic was moving well. Around 6:30 pm we arrived at the Holiday Inn Express East Greenbush (Albany-Skyline). After driving for 10 hours and almost 900 km, Adam was tired.
Day 10 - Sunday aka the Last Day of Vacation - started out well. It was sunny and warm - no drizzle to worry about. The Express Start Breakfast Bar was the best on this trip. Besides the warm cinnamon buns, bagels, toast, juices, coffee, boiled eggs, they also had real bacon and scrambled eggs. A very good breakfast. We managed to get out of the hotel around 9 am (since Adam is a Priority Club member, no checkout is required - just leave the keys in the room or counter and off you go). We stopped by a nearby Wal-Mart so Tina could buy a book to read on the long trip home.
It was an uneventful four hour drive to Buffalo, NY and the Peace Bridge (which needs a major upgrade) into Canada. Canadian Customs was packed but moving at a good clip - about 10 minutes in total. Another 5 minutes to pay the bridge toll and away we went on the QEW.
Typical Sunday and summer traffic on the QEW, 403 and 401. Stopped at the Woodstock rest area to fuel up (only 88 cents a litre) and let Tina drive us home - Adam was burnt out from driving some 1500 km in two days. It was a usual drive down the 401 to Windsor.
The flat land after London seemed all that much flatter after driving through the Appalachian mountains and various valleys, coves and bays. We arrived in Windsor around 6:00 pm, to the same weather that we left 10 days ago - hot and humid. The weather seemed unbearable - we got used to the moderate climate out east. Unpacked the van. Vacation over.
Big push home. Two very long days of driving - about 800 to 900 km each day. Driving through the US with a stop in Albany, NY.
Day 9 - Saturday - consisted of driving through Nova Scotia, Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts and New York to eventually arrive at the Holiday Inn Express in East Greenbush (Albany), NY. The forecast called for rain. We left Saint John around 9:00 am and arrived in St. Stephen, NB about an hour later. We stopped by the Ganong chocolate store and bought some more goodies. US Customs was next.
As mentioned previously, both Canada and US Customs are located at either end of the bridge that connects the communities of Calais (pronounced Kaliss), ME and St. Stephen, NB. In fact, the booths on the Canadian side are located on the deck of bridge. Talk about a space crunch. Trucks entering the US have to make a sharp 90 degree turn to the right to get to their booths. I have read that sometimes, trucks are asked to pull straight ahead and the inspection takes places on the main road. Crazy. After the usual questions, we were permitted to enter the USA. Loaded up on some cheaper US gas (about 25 cents per litre cheaper) and continued on our long journey home.
It started to rain in Maine, which seemed to take forever to drive through. In New Hampshire, where it stopped raining, we came across the biggest scam in the US: the Blue Star Turnpike. I don't have a problem with toll roads per se, but the toll road (I-95) in New Hampshire is about 15 miles long, has three exits and costs a $1.00 (both ways if you are doing a round trip).
They have signs 3 miles ahead of the toll plaza warning you about the toll plaza - this is where the wait begins to pay the toll. It took about 30 minutes to get to the toll booth (there must have 10 or so toll booths in each direction). There are no rest areas on the turnpike, but if you have a need for some booze, there are state-operated liquor stores. The only reason this toll exists is to exact a tax from Bostonians and New Yorkers (and other travellers) who are heading up to Maine and the East Coast of Canada for some fresh air and clean water.
As a comparison, we paid $1.50 to drive 89 miles of the Massachusetts Turnpike aka Mass Pike (and they have real rest stops on the Mass Pike). I can imagine the backup during holiday weekends. We took I-495 to I-290 to I-90 (Mass Pike). This took us through Worcester, MA. Traffic was moving well. Around 6:30 pm we arrived at the Holiday Inn Express East Greenbush (Albany-Skyline). After driving for 10 hours and almost 900 km, Adam was tired.
Day 10 - Sunday aka the Last Day of Vacation - started out well. It was sunny and warm - no drizzle to worry about. The Express Start Breakfast Bar was the best on this trip. Besides the warm cinnamon buns, bagels, toast, juices, coffee, boiled eggs, they also had real bacon and scrambled eggs. A very good breakfast. We managed to get out of the hotel around 9 am (since Adam is a Priority Club member, no checkout is required - just leave the keys in the room or counter and off you go). We stopped by a nearby Wal-Mart so Tina could buy a book to read on the long trip home.
It was an uneventful four hour drive to Buffalo, NY and the Peace Bridge (which needs a major upgrade) into Canada. Canadian Customs was packed but moving at a good clip - about 10 minutes in total. Another 5 minutes to pay the bridge toll and away we went on the QEW.
Typical Sunday and summer traffic on the QEW, 403 and 401. Stopped at the Woodstock rest area to fuel up (only 88 cents a litre) and let Tina drive us home - Adam was burnt out from driving some 1500 km in two days. It was a usual drive down the 401 to Windsor.
The flat land after London seemed all that much flatter after driving through the Appalachian mountains and various valleys, coves and bays. We arrived in Windsor around 6:00 pm, to the same weather that we left 10 days ago - hot and humid. The weather seemed unbearable - we got used to the moderate climate out east. Unpacked the van. Vacation over.
Friday, 8 July 2005
East Coast Vacation - Day 8
Saint John, NS.
No plans again today. With the weather warm and sunny, we picked the Irving Nature Park as our destination. Located a mere 7 minutes from downtown Saint John, the park is a natural area with trails, lookouts, picnic areas and beaches. There is no charge to visit the park. The park is simply beautiful.
We drove a narrow and winding gravel road and came upon a small parking area. Below was a large "beach" of stones, rocks and pebbles. It was low tide, so there was plenty of stones for Corbin to pick up and throw into the ocean. Adam walked into the water, now officially having stepped foot into both the west coast and east coast of Canada. Adam picked up a few stones and managed to cut his index finger, creating a lovely gash. Next stop: the hospital.
Tina drove up to the hospital, which is located at the University of New Brunswick Saint John Campus. There are no straight roads in Saint John, so the drive took about 10 minutes. About 40 minutes later, the gash had been glued and covered with a bandage and Adam had been given a tetanus shot. We left the hospital, paid a $1.25 for one hour of parking (most hospitals around Windsor charge $2.50 or more), and headed back to the Nature Park.
We stopped by an observation area that also was a picnic area (including barbecues). Because of the picnic area, the whole area was crawling with chipmunks. While excited, Corbin was cautious of the friendly chipmunks.
After a few minutes and some reassurances, it became Corbin's mission to feed the chipmunks - not that they needed feeding. At the van, we left some food and waited for the rodents to appear. Sure enough, one came from a distance and began nibbling. Adam took some closeup pictures of the chipmunk.
We left the area and headed down to the main beach, where Corbin proceeded to throw more rocks into the ocean and Tina and Adam watched the tide come in. It was a relaxing day spent at the nature park (including the side trip to the hospital).
No plans again today. With the weather warm and sunny, we picked the Irving Nature Park as our destination. Located a mere 7 minutes from downtown Saint John, the park is a natural area with trails, lookouts, picnic areas and beaches. There is no charge to visit the park. The park is simply beautiful.
We drove a narrow and winding gravel road and came upon a small parking area. Below was a large "beach" of stones, rocks and pebbles. It was low tide, so there was plenty of stones for Corbin to pick up and throw into the ocean. Adam walked into the water, now officially having stepped foot into both the west coast and east coast of Canada. Adam picked up a few stones and managed to cut his index finger, creating a lovely gash. Next stop: the hospital.
Tina drove up to the hospital, which is located at the University of New Brunswick Saint John Campus. There are no straight roads in Saint John, so the drive took about 10 minutes. About 40 minutes later, the gash had been glued and covered with a bandage and Adam had been given a tetanus shot. We left the hospital, paid a $1.25 for one hour of parking (most hospitals around Windsor charge $2.50 or more), and headed back to the Nature Park.
We stopped by an observation area that also was a picnic area (including barbecues). Because of the picnic area, the whole area was crawling with chipmunks. While excited, Corbin was cautious of the friendly chipmunks.
After a few minutes and some reassurances, it became Corbin's mission to feed the chipmunks - not that they needed feeding. At the van, we left some food and waited for the rodents to appear. Sure enough, one came from a distance and began nibbling. Adam took some closeup pictures of the chipmunk.
We left the area and headed down to the main beach, where Corbin proceeded to throw more rocks into the ocean and Tina and Adam watched the tide come in. It was a relaxing day spent at the nature park (including the side trip to the hospital).
Thursday, 7 July 2005
East Coast Vacation - Day 7
Digby, NS to Saint John, NB.
Very little driving today because we are taking the ferry to Saint John, NS. The day began with another continental breakfast that was acceptable. It was cloudy with a light drizzle. With the ferry scheduled to depart at 1:00 pm, we hung out in the motel room watching TV and playing games until 11:00 am, when we checked out of the motel and drove into Digby to Return of the Toymaker, a toy store with hand-made wooden boats, wharfs and doll houses, Christmas ornaments, and other goodies.
Children can make a miniature sailboat; naturally Corbin was excited. The sailboat is pre-made, but requires the drilling of two holes to hold the masts. The owner, Howard Pyle, placed the boat in the jig and Corbin turned the handle on the drill press to make the two holes. Next, a dowel was placed in a vise grip and Corbin sawed it to make two masts. Mr. Pyle then placed the dowels in a jig and asked Corbin to pull down a handle on a century-old drill press. The dowels were inserted into their holes and Corbin hammered away. Next two pins (one at the front and one at the rear) were hammered in. Mr. Pyle threaded a string through the holes. A sailboat was created. Corbin immediately wanted to paint it and asked where the sails were. Adam said we could work on those things at home. We left the store and headed to the ferry dock.
At the ferry we wandered around the terminal, stopping for a customary "pee break" and getting a few munchies from a vending machine that gave Tina a hard time - as in you paid for something and it got stuck - but all worked out well in the end. We sat patiently in the van. The Princess of Acadia arrived around 12:15 pm or so. Unloading the ship took a long time - at least when compared to the Chi-Cheemaun (Tobermory, Ontario). Eventually, we were directed to enter the belly of the ship. We headed up to the passenger decks and proceeded to the cafeteria to have lunch (which was reasonably priced).
The journey between Digby, NS and Saint John, NB takes 3 hours. There is a big screen TV in the main lounge where a children's movie is shown. They were playing Ice Age, which grabbed Corbin's attention and freed us for about 90 minutes.
After the movie, Corbin messed around with his GameBoy, played some games with us and we kind of wandered around the ship. The weather changed from dreary to sunny about half-way through. Around 4:00 pm, the ship arrived in Saint John, and a few minutes later we arrived at the Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites.
Adam mentioned that the New Brunswick Museum was open late Thursdays. Since we had not done much this day, we concluded that it would be good to see the museum and grab a bite to eat. A trail, Harbour Passage, leads downtown along the harbour and was only about a 2 minute walk from the hotel. It took about 10 minutes or so to get to the museum, which is located in Market Square, a larger facility with stores, restaurants, a library and a convention centre. Admission was $9.73 for the three of us - the bargain of the trip.
The museum consists of three floors with large exhibits. On the main floor, a guide, Elizabeth, asked us if we had any questions. Corbin had plenty. Corbin and Elizabeth hit it off. She showed Corbin around and took us to the second floor where the whale bones were on display. The museum looks small at first but is jam packed with exhibits. Apparently about 40% of their collection is on display. Elizabeth had to leave us to make an announcement. We headed up to the third floor which contained a large play room where kids could read books, make crafts, play with toys and computers. At the craft counter, Corbin and Elizabeth made a snake.
Unfortunately for Corbin, we were getting hungry, so after about 2 hours at the museum, we went to a restaurant inside the Market Square and had a late supper. The day ended, with us walking back to the hotel - that is Tina and Adam walking, Corbin running - and heading to the pool for a swim and a dip in the hot tub. Even Corbin spent some time in the hot tub.
Very little driving today because we are taking the ferry to Saint John, NS. The day began with another continental breakfast that was acceptable. It was cloudy with a light drizzle. With the ferry scheduled to depart at 1:00 pm, we hung out in the motel room watching TV and playing games until 11:00 am, when we checked out of the motel and drove into Digby to Return of the Toymaker, a toy store with hand-made wooden boats, wharfs and doll houses, Christmas ornaments, and other goodies.
Children can make a miniature sailboat; naturally Corbin was excited. The sailboat is pre-made, but requires the drilling of two holes to hold the masts. The owner, Howard Pyle, placed the boat in the jig and Corbin turned the handle on the drill press to make the two holes. Next, a dowel was placed in a vise grip and Corbin sawed it to make two masts. Mr. Pyle then placed the dowels in a jig and asked Corbin to pull down a handle on a century-old drill press. The dowels were inserted into their holes and Corbin hammered away. Next two pins (one at the front and one at the rear) were hammered in. Mr. Pyle threaded a string through the holes. A sailboat was created. Corbin immediately wanted to paint it and asked where the sails were. Adam said we could work on those things at home. We left the store and headed to the ferry dock.
At the ferry we wandered around the terminal, stopping for a customary "pee break" and getting a few munchies from a vending machine that gave Tina a hard time - as in you paid for something and it got stuck - but all worked out well in the end. We sat patiently in the van. The Princess of Acadia arrived around 12:15 pm or so. Unloading the ship took a long time - at least when compared to the Chi-Cheemaun (Tobermory, Ontario). Eventually, we were directed to enter the belly of the ship. We headed up to the passenger decks and proceeded to the cafeteria to have lunch (which was reasonably priced).
The journey between Digby, NS and Saint John, NB takes 3 hours. There is a big screen TV in the main lounge where a children's movie is shown. They were playing Ice Age, which grabbed Corbin's attention and freed us for about 90 minutes.
After the movie, Corbin messed around with his GameBoy, played some games with us and we kind of wandered around the ship. The weather changed from dreary to sunny about half-way through. Around 4:00 pm, the ship arrived in Saint John, and a few minutes later we arrived at the Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites.
Adam mentioned that the New Brunswick Museum was open late Thursdays. Since we had not done much this day, we concluded that it would be good to see the museum and grab a bite to eat. A trail, Harbour Passage, leads downtown along the harbour and was only about a 2 minute walk from the hotel. It took about 10 minutes or so to get to the museum, which is located in Market Square, a larger facility with stores, restaurants, a library and a convention centre. Admission was $9.73 for the three of us - the bargain of the trip.
The museum consists of three floors with large exhibits. On the main floor, a guide, Elizabeth, asked us if we had any questions. Corbin had plenty. Corbin and Elizabeth hit it off. She showed Corbin around and took us to the second floor where the whale bones were on display. The museum looks small at first but is jam packed with exhibits. Apparently about 40% of their collection is on display. Elizabeth had to leave us to make an announcement. We headed up to the third floor which contained a large play room where kids could read books, make crafts, play with toys and computers. At the craft counter, Corbin and Elizabeth made a snake.
Unfortunately for Corbin, we were getting hungry, so after about 2 hours at the museum, we went to a restaurant inside the Market Square and had a late supper. The day ended, with us walking back to the hotel - that is Tina and Adam walking, Corbin running - and heading to the pool for a swim and a dip in the hot tub. Even Corbin spent some time in the hot tub.
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