Canadian Ground

April 28

I struck the Vancouver airport with the energy of a tired dog who saw a big stick and wanted to play with it, but didn't have the energy to do more than feel happy. I hung around the airport for three hours after clearing security as well as customs and waited for the flight to Edmonton. I got chatting with a guy from Montreal for a couple of hours before going and sitting by my plane. It was here that looking out my window at my last flying chariot home that I noticed something that looked oddly familiar. It was then that I realised I was watching my surf board was rolling up the ramp into the cargo hold, the same surf board I sent home 4 days earlier via air Canada freight. Small world hu? Well I caught my plane and on decent into Edmonton I started to notice the familiar landmarks and I could feel the combination of success and exhaustion. I had been up for 25 hours and I had a long time to go before I could hit the sack. I touched ground and got off the flight aiming my weary body towards the arrival gate where I found my excited mother hovering inches above the floor. I spotted her before she spotted me and this allowed me to hug the wall and only pop out mearly feet from her and watched the surprise and joy spread across her face. This joy pushed my exhaustion away for a moment as I received 6 months worth of hugs from an excited mother. My sister joined in the hug for a short moment and then the tank got a hold of me. The tank is my little brother, who weighs about 115kg (30kg more than me), stands a head taller than me, and is built like a Clydesdale horse, grabs me in a bear hug and lifts me like a rag doll into the air backpack and all before putting me back down. He did this to remind me that during my 6 month absence he hadn't gotten any weaker, or smaller. Dad sat and waited for everyone to finish fussing over me, or manhandling in my brothers case before giving me a hug. I picked up my gear from the luggage conveyor (giving the heaviest bag to my brother) and headed towards the car. We dropped by to see my grandmother but exhaustion was rolling over me in waves and I eventually called an end to the day and we headed home. I only made one stop, at the graveyard to see where my Aunt Mae who died just after Christmas now lay. It was hard, to stand there knowing that she is gone and I had missed her funeral. My mother gave me another hug as she knew what was going through my head, even if I couldn't say so out loud. Leaving town heading towards the farm I felt relief at seeing the familiar sights that guard the return home like the gateposts to an estate. I slept for about an hour before supper and then had a very good meal courtesy of my dad. I haven't done a whole lot the last couple of days since I have been home, mostly going through my mail, making some phone calls, and getting my car re-insured so that I can drive again and regain some independence. It is weird being home again, some of the old habits I thought I lost seemed to start to re-emerge. I am not sure what it means, and I am not sure if I think they are bad. I cannot say that I am surprised that I have reverted a bit to my old ways, you are partially a creature of your surroundings. I think that is all for now, more still to come, as there is more to say, will try to spread it out.

Adam